84 
MacGILTJVRAY, Australian Pratincole [ T mo c T 
The Crows — both the Raven and the Short-billed Crow, driven 
in from the surrounding country by want, arrived in numbers to 
search the nesting area for eggs or callow young. To combat 
these the Pratincoles have found it best to hide their young in 
the disused burrows of rabbits and goannas, or other lizards. 
To describe their feeding habits I cannot do better than quote 
from my notes made on the 16th December, 1923, when my son 
(who had recently arrived from Melbourne) and I went out to 
look up these birds. “We saw three, and watched them. Two 
of these came along past us, foraging on foot for grasshoppers 
and other insects. One bird made a short run, and bobbed up 
and down after the manner of Plovers, then stood erect to wait 
and watch, often from some slight eminence, till movement be¬ 
trayed the presence of some insect. If its quarry were in the 
grass, and near at hand, the bird would run quietly towards it 
in a crouching attitude, made a sudden final rush, and capture 
it. If the insect were dying past, it would be captured by a short, 
Swallow-like flight, after which the bird resumed its watchful 
survey of the area. 
The birds come from the north usually in October and Novem¬ 
ber, and start to nest immediately. No scraping or depression is 
made, the eggs being placed on a bare space about 2 inches in 
diameter, which is surrounded by a ring of small pebbles. The 
clutch of eggs is almost invariably two. I have seen only one 
clutch of three and one of four. Our experience teaches us that 
the birds are shy. The sitting bird usually leaves the nest before 
it is closely approached, and before it thinks it is observed. It 
sneaks off quietly in a crouching attitude till some distance from 
the nest, then it runs quickly away, or rises in the air in light, 
lilting and graceful flight, alighting some distance away, to stand 
erect and watch. Should her eggs be approached she will return 
and use all the wiles common to her tribe to lure one from the 
vicinity of the nest, flapping and shuffling along the ground with 
half-outspread wings. In doing this she will often come to 
within two or three yards of the intruder. These actions are 
even more distressful should the birds have young, when the 
male often joins in the efforts to lead one away. 
The period of incubation is 21 days. The nestlings remain in 
the nest for a day after hatching, and are very difficult of 
detection, as they flatten out, and keep absolutely still when 
approached. They are coloured to assimilate with their sur¬ 
roundings. They are clothed in a rusty coloured down, with 
black vermicular markings on the head and back, the under sur¬ 
face being covered with a uniform rusty down. The legs and 
bill are bluish slate, the eyes are open, and the irides are brown. 
The young soon leave the nesting site and run with the parents, 
who take them to some disused burrow of rabbit, goanna or other 
lizard, where they seek shelter when any danger approaches. 
They keep to the same burrow till they are feathered. They 
come out at the call of the parents, and feed with them in the 
