THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
by banks or rushes, a Heron is frequently perched on the top of a dead tree 
near by. These birds make a harsh croaking noise.” 
Mr. Tom Carter informs me that they feed largely on crayfish in 
West Australia ; the native name is “ wyang,” meaning shy or timid. 
Mr. J. W. Mellor records: “The note of this Heron is a loud guttural 
croaking sound, and often made while the old birds are flying, especially 
should they be frightened suddenly. They have a practice of settling on 
the tops of the old, dry gums, where they have a good look out. They go 
in small flocks and breed in comparatively close quarters, as several nests 
are often placed in a single tree, when there are numbers of other trees 
about. While rearing their j^^oung they wfll fly long distances for food.” 
Mr. James M. Thomson sent me a nest of this species, with the 
following note : “ Placed about twenty feet above water and contained 
three young, bluish, downy fledglings ; one seemed much weaker than the 
other two, and frequently devoured food (a green, slimy matter) which the 
other two disgorged. All three had a yellow streak extending from under 
the lower mandible to the belly, down the neck. The adults wage war 
against the yabbies which make holes in the bank and so allow the water to 
run to waste.” 
“A constant resident here [Richmond District, North Queensland]. The 
numbers of this Heron do not seem to vary. It matters not what the season 
is like, or how many birds may come or go, you can never go out for a day’s 
ride in the vicinity of water without seeing some of them. I have found 
three or four nests with eggs in February and March, and youngsters in the 
down in April, also a nest with eggs on 3rd September, 1903. The body of 
one that I secured at an Eagle-Hawk’s nest had the stomach crammed 
with grasshoppers.* 
“ These birds take speUs at sitting at about 6-hour intervals. They 
used to change about 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. When we were near the nest the 
returning bird would light in nest-tree or next one and give a croak ; the 
other would get up and fly away, the relieving bird then going to neshf 
For the present I am considering the birds from the North-west of 
Australia and Northern Territory as being similar to those from the rest of 
Australia. 
The bird figured and described is a male, collected at Grenfell, New 
South Wales, on July 29th, 1904. 
* Bemey, Emu, Vol. VI., p. 115, 1907. 
t Ford, ib., Vol. VIII., p. 31. 1908. 
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