Australian Natural History. 1483 



remainder of the day. Now commenced the hardest but most 

 pleasant portion of our daily labour, the wading about for three or 

 four hours, immersed in water up to the middle, (with one's ammunition 

 in his cap as the only dry place about him), at one time dashing 

 through the water in hot pursuit of a wounded egret, at another 

 silently concealed behind a dead tree growing in the water, watching 

 with palpitating heart until a pair of pigmy geese shall afford a 

 chance of making a successful shot. That curious and very rare lit- 

 tle bird Parra gallinacea inhabits the centre of the lagoon, but is so 

 exceedingly shy, that I have occasionally chased it for hours together 

 without success, from its habit of rising out of gunshot ; aided by its 

 enormously long toes, it shuffles along among and over the tops of the 

 rushes with great celerity. Three tiny water-rails, of the genus 

 Porzana, were collected here by me — one is abundant, but of the others 

 solitary specimens only occurred. Occasionally we came upon a 

 flock of glossy Ibises (Falcinellus igtieus), or of white-headed stilts 

 (Hima?itopus leucocephalus), or a solitary snow white-heron (Erodias), 

 as, ever on the watch, his quick ear detects the advance of the prowler, 

 and up he springs from the reeds, leaving uncaught the frog which he 

 had been waiting for, with more than an angler's patience. But to 

 my mind the most beautiful inhabitant of the lagoon is the flying goose 

 (Nettapus pulchellus), and as if to enhance its value in the eyes of the 

 collector, it is exceedingly difficult to procure. I have more than 

 once, after having, for an hour or so, silently watched from behind a 

 tree a small pool of water frequented by this bird, seen it dive the 

 moment after I had touched the trigger, and before the shot could 

 reach it — in fact it is nearly as expert a diver as the little grebe 

 (Pocliceps Nestor), which is abundant here, and when wounded it 

 seeks concealment among the aquatic plants, where it remains with 

 the bill only above water, in which position I have found one with 

 both wings and one leg broken. The sportsman is here apt to be sur- 

 prised to see the goose, and whistling duck (Dendrocygna Eytoni) 

 perching upon the tall trees surrounding the lagoon, enabled to do so 

 with facility from the unusual smallness of the web connecting the 

 toes. Flocks of ducks of various species occasionally paid us a visit, 

 and now and then a white duck (Tadorna Rajah) made its appearance. 

 But to communicate the various species of birds frequenting this 

 piece of water, leaving out of the question those of the neighbouring 

 bush, would be tedious to both of us. 



Besides these birds, we occasionally met with a snake or monstrous 

 lizard (Monitor Gouldii), about the margins of the lagoon, and on 



