SOME BIRDS OF THE MANGROVES 163 
inhabiting the mangroves; it is a melodious songster, with rich, flute¬ 
like notes. Food: chiefly crustaceans and insects of various kinds. 
nest. A fairly large, open, cup-shaped structure, composed of thin 
sticks and twigs; neatly lined with grass and rootlets. Placed in an 
upright forked branch of a tree about 20 feet from the ground. 
eggs. Usually four, greyish-green or cream, marked with roundish 
spots of umber and dull slate, the markings becoming more thickly 
crowded at the larger end. Breeding-season: October to January. 
19. White-browed Crake Poliolimnas cinereus Vieillot 
Pol'i-o-lim'-nas— Gk, polios, grey; Gk, limne, marsh: cin-er'-e-us— L., 
cinereus , ashen. 
distribution. Northern Australia, from Kimberley to northern 
Queensland. 
notes. Inhabits the mangroves; a fearless species, spending its time 
on the mud or among the branches of the mangroves, where it climbs 
with ease. Food: insects of various kinds, worms, slugs, and the leaves 
of aquatic plants. 
nest. Placed on the ground and formed of cearse grasses; lined 
with finer materials. 
eggs. Three to six in number, greenish-white to light yellowish 
clay, almost obscured with fleecy markings and streaks of dull chestnut- 
brown or yellowish-brown. Breeding-season: January to April. 
