WATERHEN 
27 
explored, two nests, one with eight eggs and one 
with nine. 
Another spot well-beloved of these birds is the 
second Breakwater, where the Barwon narrows almost 
to nothing before emerging in the broader, Salter 
waterway that leads through an avenue of giant reeds 
to Connewarre Lake. All about are desolate marsh- 
lands, right from the limits of the ancient stream at 
Moolap on the north to the Barwon Heads road on 
the south. Just at the Breakwater the land is par- 
ticularly wet and treacherous, and it is here, where 
stunted willows grow about rushy pools, that the 
Waterhen's cry sounds continually from the green 
growth, and towards the year's end the nests are 
built at the roots of a willow or in the centre of 
a bulrush bed — mere heaps of flag-leaves slightly 
hollowed to receive the eggs. 
In the Geelong Museum is a Waterhen, apparently 
of larger size than the ordinary, with darker bill and 
legs, and with a few white feathers on the flanks and 
belly, something like those of the Native-hen. Mr. 
Mulder tells me that the shooters say this bird has a 
different cry and goes in pairs, being also better 
eating than the Common Waterhen, which they say 
sometimes goes in flocks. The shooters shot him a 
pair on request ; these, however, were identified by 
Mr. A. J. Campbell as the Common Gallinule. 
Mr. Wm. Lewis, of Moolap, showed me three Galli- 
nules, shot June ist, 191 2, of which one had the white 
belly-markings of Mr. Mulder's bird (though none 
