Part 5

The Banded Stilt is a purely Australian bird, and has no representative in other countries. These and some other shore-birds live about tidal flats, and get their food in the soft mud. Their long bill is often flexible, and the tip is sometimes well supplied with nerves, so that it is sensitive. The bird can thus detect, in the soft mud, any animal that would serve for food. It can then open its bill enough to catch the animal without trouble. The Avocet's bill is sharply curved upwards, and is one of the most remarkable of such organs. The Australian Avocet is one species of a cosmopolitan genus.

Some of the Dottrels live on the dry, open plains of the interior; others frequent the beaches and shores.

When a bird of prey appears, these plain-living birds squat quite flat, placing even the head flat on the ground. They thus escape detection, for the protective coloring of these birds and of their eggs is marvellous. The story of how a photograph of a Dottrel's nest was obtained is of value to teachers, for it will remind us that it is not well to neglect the three R's, and that Nature-study alone will not give a complete education. Three bird-lovers spent some time trying to find this nest, while the parent birds flew noisily around. Suspecting at last that the birds' knowledge of numbers was probably deficient, the three hid behind a log. Two then walked away. The birds immediately returned to the nest, and a valuable photograph was the result. A training in Nature-study, valuable as it undoubtedly is, is thus not all of our work.

The Painted Snipe breeds in Australia, but the Australian Snipe breeds in Japan, so it, properly speaking, is not an Australian bird. Think of the journey twice a year! Six of these wading-birds even visit New Zealand each year. How do they find their way there, across a gap of over 1000 miles, without any land whatever? Inherited memory is strong, but how did the first batches find their way? Their annual journey supports the geographer in his surmise that Australia at no very distant date extended very much farther to the east. Indeed, these birds almost certainly follow the old coast of the Australian continent.

Snipe, some Plovers, Dottrels, Curlews (Sea), Whimbrels, Godwits, &c., thus go to the North each year to partake of the abundant banquet of fruits, &c., preserved in the great ice chamber of the North. Numberless flocks of birds follow up the melting ice, and so nest unmolested on the great tundras and plains of Siberia. They wear their bright wedding dress in the far North, and are known here only in the quiet mottled browns and grays. In autumn these birds depart. They travel mostly at night, to avoid Birds of Prey, and so are seldom seen, though they may be heard calling as they pass high overhead. They are occasionally seen with the aid of telescopes as they pass across the face of the moon.

The Pratincole, or Swallow-Plover, is a representative of an Old-World family. Its long wings and long legs denote a rapid runner and a rapid flyer, so that it has little trouble in catching its insect food, either in the air or on the ground.

Our inland Stone-Curlew has a call very similar to that of the sea (true) Curlew, but it has a short, straight bill, instead of a long, arched bill. The proper name of the land Curlew is the Southern Stone-Curlew or Stone-Plover. It is the only Australian bird that seems to have the power of varying the color of its 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 surroundings, and the birds nest on different kinds of soil and rock.

In Family 42, the only Australian bird is the Australian Bustard, 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 Entomologist, has pointed out) worth many times its table value as an insect destroyer. None of the family has spread to America. As no Bustard occurs in the regions between Australia and India, this bird supplies a good example of what is known to zoo-geographers as "discontinuous distribution." "Discontinuous distribution," as applied to land animals, _e.g._, marsupials found in America and Australia, ratite birds in South America, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand, or the tapir, found in Central America and Malaysia, implies a land connexion (not necessarily complete at any one period) to allow of the gradual spread of the animals. Of course, as flying birds can pass easily from one region to another, "discontinuous distribution," as applied to them, cannot have so much importance attached to it as indicating previous land connexions.

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[Page 42]

ORDER X.--CHARADRIIFORMES.

F. 34. _Chionididae_, Sheathbills, Kelp-Pigeons, 3 sp.--2(2)E. 1(1)Nl.

F. 35. _Thinocorythidae_, Seed-Snipe, Seed-Plover, 5 sp. Nl.

F. 36. CHARADRIIDAE (44), Waders, Plover-like Birds, 202 sp.--68(29)A., 75(5)O., 84(2)P., 70(24)E., 65(3)Nc., 74(28)Nl.

1 2

=76 Turnstone=, Sea-Dottrel, Calico (beach) Bird, _Arenaria interpres_, cos. [~76 _Morinella interpres._]

Mig. c. _shore_ 8

Winter plumage, mottled brown, black; summer plumage in far north; black and white conspicuous; short bill black; legs, feet, orange; f., duller. Sand-hoppers, shellfish.

[Page 43]

2 13

=77 Pied Oyster-catcher= (White-breasted, Black and white), Seapie, Olive, Redbill, Torea, _Haematopus longirostris_, Mol., N.G., A., T., N.Z., Chatham Is. =vt. Eur. Oyster-catcher.

Stat. c. _shores_ 19.5

Black; abdomen, rump, base tail above, below white; eyes, bill, legs red; bill 3.75in.; f., sim. Sand-hoppers, shellfish, worms.

=78 Black Oyster-catcher= (Sooty), Redbill, Toreo-pango, _H. fuliginosus_, A., T., N.Z.

Stat. c. _shores_ 18

Sooty-black; bill, feet, eye red; f., sim. Shellfish, worms.

1 1

=79 Red-kneed Dottrel=, Sandpiper (e), _Erythrogonys cinctus_, A.

Mig. r. _muddy river banks_ 7.5

Head, upper-neck, chest, black; throat, sides of neck, abdomen, under base tail white; back olive-brown; middle tail feathers olive, rest white; thigh, knee pink-red; f., sim. Insects.

2 4

=80 Spurwing Plover= (Wattled), Alarm-Bird, _Lobivanellus lobatus_, A., T. [~80 _Lobibyx novae hollandiae._]

Stat. c. _plains_, _swamps_ 14

"One of most beautiful of plovers;" crown black; face, hind-neck, rump, under white; upper brown; tail white tipped black; wattle on face lemon-yellow; spur on shoulder; f., sim. Insects.

1 1

=81* Black-breasted Plover= (Stubble, Flock, Plain), _Zonifer tricolor_, A., T.

Stat. v.c. _plains_ 10.5

Upper brown; crown, line on face down to broad band on chest, wing-quills black; line through eye, throat, abdomen white; tail white barred black; spot at base of upper-bill blood-red; f., spot lighter-red. Insects.

1 1

=82 Gray Plover= (Black-bellied), Gray Sandpiper (e), Maycock, _Squatarola helvetica_, cos. 82 [~_Squatarola squatarola._]

Mig. r. _muddy shores_, _rivers_ 12

Crown, upper, wings, olive-brown mottled white; wing-quills blackish-brown; rump white; tail white barred light olive; face, under white, breast tinged buff; bill, feet blackish; small hind toe; brighter in far North; f., sim. Insects, worms.

[Page 44]

1 2

=83 Lesser Golden Plover= (Pacific, American, Australian, Eastern), _Charadrius dominicus_, almost cos. [~83-89 _Genus Charadrius._]

Mig. flocks, r. _plains near sea_, _rivers_ 9

Upper, tail dark-brown marked whitish; under mottled buff, brown, white; line over eye, throat whitish; no hind toe; brighter in far north; f., sim. Insects, worms.

4 8

=84 Double-banded Dottrel= (Banded), Pohowera, _Ochthodromus bicinctus_, A., T., Norfolk Is., Lord Howe Is., N.Z. [~83-89 _Genus Charadrius._]

Mig. c. _shores_, _grass_ 6.5

Upper brownish-gray; under white; black band on chest; chestnut band on abdomen; forehead white; black line through eye; eyelash scarlet; no hind toe; f., duller. Insects, worms.

=85 Oriental Dottrel= (Eastern, Asiatic, Mongolian), _O. veredus_, Mongolia, China to A. [~83-89 _Genus Charadrius._]

Mig. v.r. _sandy coasts_ 9.5

Indistinct mottled plumage; upper brown and buff; throat lighter; abdomen white; slender bill dark-brown; legs long, slender; no hind toe; f., sim. Insects, worms.

4 19

=86 Red-capped Dottrel=, Red-necked Plover, Sandlark, _AEgialitis ruficapilla_, China to A., T., N.Z. [~83-89 _Genus Charadrius._]

Stat. c. _shores_ 6

Crown, hind-neck rust-red; upper, wings pale-brown; wing-quills blackish-brown; centre tail dark-brown, rest white; under, forehead white; f., duller. Shellfish.

=87* Black-fronted Dottrel=, _AE. melanops_, A. [~83-89 _Genus Charadrius._]

Stat. r. _rivers_, _pools_, _lakes_ 6

Forehead, broad band on chest black; throat, abdomen, stripe over eye, round hind-neck white; eyelash bright-red; "active, elegant bird;" f., sim. Insects, worms.

[Page 45]

=88 Hooded Dottrel=, _AE. cucullata_, A., T. [~83-89 _Genus Charadrius._]

Stat. c. _shore_ 8.3

Head, throat, upper-back black; hind-neck, under white; lower-back light brownish-gray; middle tail feathers black, rest tipped white; scarlet ring round eye; f., crown mottled black, white. Sand-hoppers, worms.

1 1

=89 Australian Dottrel=, _Peltohyas australis_, A. =vt. Eur. Common Dottrel. [~83-89 _Genus Charadrius._]

Mig. v.r. _plains (interior)_ 8

Upper sandy-buff mottled with dark-brown; black band across top of head from eye to eye; black collar on hind-neck continued as a narrow V across chest; forehead, throat white; m., duller. Insects.

1 7

=90 White-headed Stilt= (Pied), Longshanks, Stilt-bird, Long-legged Plover, _Himantopus leucocephalus_, Great Sunda Is., Mol., N.G., A. =vt. Eur. Stilt. [~90 _Hypsibates_]

Nom. r. _swamps_, _lakes_ 15

White; hind-neck, back, wings black; long legs pink; f., smaller. Insects, pond-snails.

1 1

=91 Banded Stilt=, Rottnest Snipe (e), _Cladorhynchus leucocephalus_, A.

Nom. v.r. _shallow lakes_ 13.5

White; broad chestnut band on breast; wings, centre of abdomen black; long bill black. Plaintive whistle.

1 4

=92 Red-necked Avocet=, Cobbler, Cobbler's Awl, Painted Lady, Scooper, _Recurvirostra novae-hollandiae_, A., T., N.Z. =vt. cos. bird.

Nom. r. _lakes_, _tidal bays_ 15.5

White; head, neck chestnut; wings black; f., sim. Shellfish, insects.

2 9

=93 Australian Curlew=, Sea-Curlew, _Numenius cyanopus_, E. Sib., Japan to A. =vt. Eur. Common Curlew.

Mig. c. _tidal shores_ m., 21; f., 24

Arched bill 7in.; mottled brown; f., larger. Crabs, worms.

[Page 46]

=94 Oriental Whimbrel= (Australian), Jack-Curlew, Mayfowl, _N. variegatus_, E. Sib., Japan to A., T. =vt. Eur. Whimbrel.

Mig. r. _river_, _swamp_ 15

Brown mottled; chin, abdomen white; tail barred brown, white; arched bill 3in.; f., sim. Crabs, shellfish, worms.

1 1

=95 Little Whimbrel=, _Mesoscolopax minutus_, E. Sib., Mongolia, Japan to A. [~95 _Numenius minutus._]

Mig. v.r. _swamps_ 12

Upper blackish-brown much marked and spotted buff; under, line past eye buff; arched bill 1.7in. Insects, worms.

[Page 47]

2 5

=96 Barred-rumped Godwit= (Pacific), Kuaka, _Limosa, novae-zealandiae_ (_lapponica_, Am.O.U.), Alaska, California; E. Sib. to A., T., N.Z., Oceania =vt. Eur. Barred-tailed Godwit. [~96 _Limosa baueri._]

Mig. c. _shores_ 15

Upper brownish-gray marked whitish; rump, tail barred brown, white; abdomen white; legs brownish-black; broad, indistinct whitish eyebrow; bill long, slightly upturned; f., larger. Shellfish, worms, sand-hoppers.

=97 Black-tailed Godwit=, _L. limosa_, Br. Eur., N. Afr., India, E. Sib., Japan to A., Greenland (acc.), may be a distinct species than called _L. melanuroides_. [~97 _Limosa melanuroides._]

Mig. v.r. _shallow lakes_ 16

Upper grayish-brown; wing white band flying; lower-back blackish-brown; upper base tail white; tail black, white at side at base; neck, breast, flanks grayish-brown; abdomen white; bill long, slightly upturned; f., larger. Insects, pond snails, worms.

1 2

=98 Common Sandpiper=, Summer Snipe, _Tringoides hypoleucus_, Eur. (Br.), N. Asia, Afr., Ind., to A. (acc.). [~98 _Tringa hypoleuca._]

Mig. u. _shores_, _lakes_ 8

Upper pale-brown marked darker; wing-quills slightly tipped white; centre tail feathers glossy-brown, side feathers white barred brown; under white; chest marked pale-brown; indistinct pale eyebrow; tail constantly jerked; f., sim. Water-insects, shellfish.

1 1

=99 Greenshank=, _Glottis nebularius_, Br., Eastern hemisphere, Florida (acc.). [~99 _Tringa nebularia._]

Mig. r. _shores_, _lakes_ 14

Face, under, tail white; sides of breast streaked brown; edge of tail barred freckled brown; crown, hind-neck gray; wings dark-brown; upper light-brown; legs deep olive-green; f., sim. Shellfish, worms.

[Page 48]

1 1

=100 Sanderling=, _Calidris arenaria_ (_leucophoea_, Am.O.U.), cos. exc. Pacific Is. [~100 _Arenaria leucophaea._]

Mig. v.r. _sandy shores_, _swamps_ 7.5

Crown, back gray; white band on wing; sides, lower-back white; eyebrow, forehead, face, under white; no hind toe; brighter in far north; f., sim. Sand-hoppers, insects. "Wick."

[Page 49]

2 5

=101 Eastern Little Stint= (Little), Red-necked Sandpiper, Land-snipe, Little Dunlin, _Pisobia ruficollis_, E. Sib., Jap., China to A., T., N.Z. =vt. Eur. Little Stint. [~101 _Erolia ruficollis._]

Mig. flocks c. _shores_ 6.2

Upper ashy-brown mottled darker; wing-quills blackish-brown; centre tail feathers blackish-brown; rest whitish; forehead, under white; faint chestnut band on chest; bill, legs black; brighter in far north; f., sim. Insects, shellfish.

1 5

=102* Sharp-tailed Sandpiper= (Siberian-, Asiatic-Pectoral), Sharp-tailed Stint, Marsh Sandpiper, Marsh Tringa, _Heteropygia aurita_, (_P. aurita_, Am.O.U.), Alaska, E. Sib., Japan, Ind, to A., T., N.Z. [~102 _Erolia aurita._]

Mig. r. _coast_ 8.5

Upper dark-brown marked gray; crown faint rufous; wing-quills dark-brown; face, under whitish, breast brownish; f., smaller. Small water-animals.

1 1

=103 Curlew-Sandpiper=, Pygmy Curlew, Curlew-Stint, _Ancylochilus subarquatus_ (_Erolia ferruginea_, Am.O.U.), A., T., N.Z., almost cos. exc. Pac. Is. [~103 _Erolia ferruginea._]

Mig. flocks r. _shore_ 8.5

Upper grayish-brown; eyebrow, rump, under white, chest tinged brown; bill 1.5 in., black, arched; brighter in far north; f., sim. Insects, worms.

2 2

=104 Knot=, Knot-Snipe, _Tringa canutus_, almost cos., A., T., N.Z. [~104 _Canutus canutus._]

Mig. r. _tidal mud flats_ 9

Upper grayish-brown; under white; flanks, breast barred grayish-brown; upper base tail white barred black; brighter in far north; f., sim. Insects, worms.

=105 Eastern Knot= (Japanese), Great Sandpiper, _T. crassirostris_, E. Sib., Jap., Ind. to A. [~105 _Canutus magnus._]

Mig. v.r. _shore_ 11.5

Crown, neck, brownish-gray; back, wings brown; rump white; tail brownish-gray; breast dark-brown marked white; abdomen white; bill olive, 1-3/4 in.; brighter in far north; f., sim. Insects, worms.

[Page 50]

1 23

=106* Australian Snipe= (Japanese, Latham), Jack Snipe, Bleater, Long-bill, _Gallinago australis_, Jap., Formosa, to A., T., N.Z. =vt. Eur. Snipe.

Mig. c. _swamps_ 9.5

Richly mottled; crown blackish with buff line along centre; face, chin buff; breast, washed reddish-brown; brown bars on flanks; back mottled brownish-black; under wings finely barred black, white; chestnut band on tail; two black lines on face; bill 2.7 in.; f., sim. Insects, worms.

1 3

=107* Australian-Painted Snipe=, Australian Rhynchaea, _Rostratula australis_, A.

Mig. v.r. _grassy_, _bush_ 9.5

Beautiful mottled dotted; crown dark-brown, with buff line; throat, chest dark, chin lighter; wing brown, spotted black, white, buff; abdomen white; long straight bill 1.7 in.; m., duller, smaller. Insects, worms.

[Page 51]

F. 37. PARRIDAE (1), PARRA, Jacana, Water-Pheasant, 11 sp.--2(1)A., 3(2)O., 3(3)E., 1(0)Nc., 4(3)Nl.

F. 38. _Cursoriidae_, Coursers, 15 sp.--3(2)O., 1(0)P., 13(12)E.

F. 39. GLAREOLIDAE (2), PRATINCOLES, Swallow-Plovers, 10 sp.--2(0)A., 4(1)O., 3(0)P., 7(5)E.

1 1

=108 Australian Pratincole=, Swallow-Plover, _Stiltia isabella_, 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)O., 1(0)E.

F. 41. OEDICNEMIDAE (2), STONE-CURLEWS, Stone-Plovers, Thick-Knees, 13 sp.--2(1)A., 3(1)O., 1(0)P., 7(6)E., 3(3) Nl.

1 1

=109* Southern Stone-Curlew= (-Plover) Willaroo, Scrub Curlew, _Burhinus grallarius_, A., T. (acc.).

Stat. c. _sandy plains_, _timber_ 20.5

Crown, upper dark-gray, marked black; round eye white; throat buff; chest, abdomen whitish, streaked blackish; white patch on wing; legs long; bill short, black; f., sim. Insects, berries. "Wee-lo."

F. 42. OTIDIDAE (1), BUSTARDS, 33 sp.--1(1)A., 7(2)O., 7(2)P., 23(21)E

1 5

=110 Australian Bustard=, Wild Turkey (e), _Eupodotis australis_, A. [~110 _Choriotis australis._]

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.

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Australia, fortunately, has one representative of Order XI.--Cranes. This is the Native Companion, the only true Crane found in Australia. These are interesting birds, with their "quadrille parties," "corroborees," and dances. They live chiefly on vermin--insects, lizards, &c. The great Gould said: "Its presence adds greatly to the interest of the scenery." Would that more Australians thought so!

Cranes are amongst the best of flyers. They are said to fly sometimes at a height of from three and a half to five miles, and have been seen to cross lofty mountains in Central Asia without increasing their altitude. Perhaps because of its inappropriate name--Native Companion--some have proposed to regard this bird as the typical Australian bird, but it is not so. In fact, it is our one representative of an almost world-wide group.

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[Page 52]

ORDER XI.--GRUIFORMES.

F. 43. GRUIDAE (1), CRANES, 19 sp.--1(1)A., 8(2)O., 9(1)P., 7(5)E., 3(0)Nc., 2(0)Nl.

1 3

=111 Australian Crane=, Native Companion, Brolga, _Antigone australasiana_, A. [~111 _Mathewsia rubicunda._]

Nom. r. _plains_ 42

Deep silvery-gray; wing-quills black; naked red patch about face, throat; legs, feet black; f., smaller. Insects, lizards, bulbous roots, seeds.

F. 44. _Aramidae_, Courlans, Limpkin, 2 sp.--1(0)Nc., 2(1)Nl.

F. 45. _Rhinochetidae_, Kagu, 1 sp. A. (N. Cal.).

F. 46. _Mesoenatidae_, 1 sp. E. (Madagascar).

F. 47. _Eurypygidae_, Sun-bitterns, 2 sp. Nl.

F. 48. _Psophiidae_, Trumpeters, 7 sp. Nl.

F. 49. _Cariamidae_, Seriema, Saria, 2 sp. Nl.

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In Order XII. Australia has representatives of the Ibises, Spoonbills, Storks, Herons, Egrets, Night Herons, and Bitterns, so well known in every part of the world.

Amongst the world's birds, few are better known than the Ibis. This bird was so highly prized by the ancient Egyptians as to be considered sacred, and they thought enough of it to embalm it. As Egypt depended on the overflow of the Nile for food supply, and as this overflow was heralded by the arrival of the migratory Ibis from the South, it was natural for the Egyptians to connect the rise of the river with this bird, and thus look for its approach. Again, the Ibis is an insect destroyer, and, as Egypt was subject to plagues of grasshoppers, it undoubtedly rendered as valuable service there as it does here. This is another reason that has been assigned for the esteem in which this valuable bird was held. However, it is now almost unknown in Egypt.

In Australia we have three Ibises. One, the Sacred Ibis, or White Ibis, is practically identical with the Sacred Ibis of Egypt. Our second Ibis is the even more valuable Straw-necked Ibis, which extends its labors to plains and pastures, while the Sacred Ibis is rarely seen except on swampy lands. The Straw-necked Ibis is restricted to Australia. It seems to be increasing in numbers, for I have seen small and large flocks in many parts of the Eastern States recently. It has an insatiable appetite for grasshoppers and other insects. This bird is a valuable asset to Australia, and yet thoughtless farmers used to shoot it. Mr. Le Souef and Dr. C. Ryan came upon a flock of Ibises breeding in Riverina. They estimated the flock to contain 240,000 birds. They found that each bird shot contained on the average 2000 young grasshoppers. Think of it; 480,000,000 grasshoppers a day! Where are those birds now, when needed to stem a locust plague? We have to pay the price of our folly in destroying valuable birds. A third Ibis is identical with the little Glossy Ibis of Europe.

The six Spoonbills are found throughout the world except in New Zealand and the northern parts of North America. They used to breed in England before man's selfishness and stupidity destroyed them and their nesting-places. They breed at present in the Murray swamps.

The Australian Stork--the Jabiru--does not come to the Southern parts of Australia, but breeds on the Queensland coast. It is a quaint-shaped, though beautifully-colored, bird. Its large, awkward-looking bill has a slight curve upwards.