"The nest was situated a few feet from the shore in a clump of ti-tree. It was heaped up one 

 foot from the surface of the water, and constructed of dead Hags and inclalenca twigs, and lined with square 

 patches of the paper-like bark of the same tree. It was a foot across the top, with the interior a few 

 inches deep. Mr. Poole's nest was similarly placed, hut entirely composed of dead flags. 



"The Gallinules have not such a happy lot as may he expected in those romantic sedgy-margined 

 creeks. There is a troublesome water rat which keeps their ranks reduced by destroying many eggs and 

 young. During our trip we shot one in the very act of robbing a nest. It proved to be of the species 

 known as the White-bellied Beaver Rat (Hydromys fcucogaster)—a perfect monster." 



It is both terrestrial and aquatic in its habits, and if disturbed on land easily eludes pursuit by 

 running swiftly to a place of safety. It swims well and buoyantly. Its food consists of shellfish and 



insects. 



The female is smaller than her mate, and her bill is often more brightly tipped. 



The whole of the plumage a dull greyish-black, except the back and scapulars, which are deep 

 brown ; the primaries and tail, nearly pure black, and the under tail-coverts, which are black in the centre 

 and white on either side; frontal plate, orange; base of the bill, deep red, tip greenish-yellow; above the 

 knee a yellow and scarlet garter; joints of the legs and feet, green; under surfaces of the le^s and feet, 

 olive; sides of the tarsi and frontal plates of the toes, yellow; frontal plates of the tarsi, yellow, those 

 nearest the knee stained with scarlet; irides, olive. Total length, 15 inches. 



Habitats: Rockingham Bay, Wide Bay District, Richmond and Clarence River Districts, Victoria 

 and South Australia, south coast of New Guinea. 



GENUS FULICA (Linnceus). 



TIlHE one solitary Australian species of this widely dispersed genus represents the Fulica atra of Europe 

 -*■ and is found in every quarter of the Continent. 



FULICA AUSTBALLS (Gould). 



AUSTRALIAN COOT. 



Australian Coot is an exact reproduction of its European congener both in appearance, habits, and 

 J- general economy. It is also so like G. tenebrosa that upon a superficial glance they might easily be 

 confounded, the only difference being that the points are more intensified. 



Its favourite haunts are the inland river system and the salt-water lagoons near the coast, places 

 it never forsakes unless in search of food, which consists of aquatic insects and small shellfish. 



It constructs a nest of floating aquatic plants, where it lays its eggs and rears its young. The 

 egg is large for the size of the bird, dull white, ground colour marked all over with freckles and small 

 roundish spots of purplish-brown ; length, 2 inches 1 line ; breadth, 1 inch 5 lines. 



Head and neck, black ; all upper surfaces, greyish-black ; under surfaces, sooty black ; irides, bright 

 red ; bill, light bluish-grey ; crown of the head, greenish-white ; legs and feet, peach grey. 



In the matured female the plumage is dingier, with shabby grey patches showing through. 



Total length, 14 inches. 



Habitats : Derby (X.W.A.), Gulf of Carpentaria, Cape York, Rockingham Bay, Port Denison, 

 W ide Bay District, Richmond and Clarence River Districts, New South Wales, Interior, Victoria and 

 South Australia, Tasmania, West and South- West Australia. 



