AN AUSTRALIAN BIRD BOOK. 
51 
Beautiful mottled dotted; crown dark-brown, with buff 
line; throat, cbest dark, chin lighter; wing brown, 
spotted black, white, buff; abdomen white; long 
straight bill 1.7 in. ; m., duller, smaller. Insects, 
worms. 
F. 37. PARRIDAE (1), PARRA, Jacana, Water-Pheasant, 11 
sp. — 2(1)A., 3(2)0., 3(3)E., l(0)Nc., 4(3)N1. 
F. 38. Cursoriidac, Coursers, 15 sp.— 3(2)0., 1(0)P., 13(12)E. 
F. 39. GLAREOLIDAE (2), PRATINCOLES, Swallow- 
Plovers, 10 sp.— 2(0)A., 4(1)0., 3(0)P., 7(5)E. 
1 108 Australian Pratincole, Swallow-Plover, Stiltia isa- 
1 bella, Borneo, Java to A., N.Z. =vt. Eur. Pratincole. 
Mig. v.r. (interior) rivers, marshes 9.5 
Upper, wings, breast light-rufous, throat whitish; abdomen 
chestnut; base tail above, below white; centre tail 
black, rest white; bill red, tipped black, swallow-like 
flight; f., Sim. Insects. 
F. 40. Dromadidae, Crab-Plover, 1 sp.— 1(0)0., 1(0)E. 
F. 41. CEDICNEMIDAE (2), STONE-CURLEWS, Stone- 
Plovers, Thick-Knees, 13 sp. — 2(1)A., 3(1)0., 
1(0)P., 7(6)E., 3(3) Nl. 
] 109* Southern Stone-Curlew (-Plover) Willaroo, Scrub 
I Curlew, Burhlnus grallarius, A., T. (ace). 
Stat. c. sandy plains, timher 20.5 
Crown, upper dark-gray, marked black; round eye white; ctOl^kt. 
throat bufC; chest, abdomen whitish, streaked blackish; ^ ^ \y ^ 
white patch on wing; legs long; bill short, black; t./\\^^ 
Sim. Insects, berries. "Wee-lo." 
F. 42. OTIDIDAE (1), BUSTARDS, 33 sp.— 1(1)A., 7(2)0., ' 
7(2)P., 23(21)E. 
1 110 Australian Bustard, Wild Turkey (e), Eupodotis aus- 
5 tralis, A. Mig. r. plains 48 
Crown black; face, neck grayish- white ; upper, wings 
brown; wings spotted black- white; black band on 
chest; abdomen white; f., smaller. Seeds, grass, 
lizards, insects. 
eggs. If the eggs are laid in grass, they are greenish; if amongst 
ironstone, the eggs are reddish-brown; if on sand, the eggs are 
tawny; and so on. Other ground-laying birds seem to pick out 
the soil that matches the color of their eggs, and lay there only. 
Possibly local races of the Southern Stone-Curlew keep to the 
one class of country. However, the eggs do match the surround- 
ings, and the birds nest on different kinds of soil and rock. 
In Family 42, the only Australian bird is the Australian Bus- 
tard, our representative of a widely-spread family, a member of 
which formerly bred in Great Britain. It is the well-known *'Wild 
Turkey." As it is a good table bird, it is generally shot on sight. 
This is a mistake, as it is (as Mr. C. French, Government Ento- 
mologist, has pointed out) worth many times Its table value as an 
Insect destroyer. None of the family has spread to America. 
