1877.] ON THE BIRDS OF NORTH-EASTERN QUEENSLAND. 335 4. List of Birds met with in North-eastern Queensland, chiefly at Rockingham Bay. By E. Pierson Ramsay, F.L.S. &c., Curator of the Australian Museum, Sydney. —Part III.' [Eeceived March 21, 1877.] 198. Choriotis australis. Choriotis australis, Grould, Handbk. B. A. ii. p. 208. Usually found on the open parts of the grass flats : this bird is not plentiful near Rockingham Bay ; I met with it only on two or three occasions. I have described the eggs of this species in 'The Ibis,' 1867, p. 418. 199. CEdicnemus grallarius. CEdicnemus grallarius, Gould, Handbk. B. A. ii. p. 210. The Stone-Plovers, or "Land-Curlews" as they are more com-monly called, are very plentiful all over the district, both inland and on the sea-coast. A curious variety of the egg of this species is sometimes found ; it is of a rich creamy bufP, clouded with a duller tint, or irregularly and indistinctly blotched with dull brownish buff". On showing some of this variety to the late Mr. John Macgillivray, author of the 'Voyage of the Rattlesnake' ifec, he assured me they were so remarkably similar to the one found by the late Com-mander J. M. R. Lice at Port Essington, and described by Mr. Gould " as that of Esacus magnirosfris, that no doubt as to their identity remained in his mind. On every occasion that I have ob-tained the buff-coloured egg the accompanying one was of the usual heavily blotched variety, with but few markings at the thin end. This species never lays more than two eggs for a sitting, which vary a good deal in different localities. There are four very distinct varieties in the Dobroyde collection. 200. Esacus magnirostris. Esacus magnirostris, Gould, Handbk. B. Austr. ii. p. 213. A pair of these interesting birds frequented the sand-pits in the neighbourhood of Cardwell during the time of my visit ; they proved too wary to be approached within gun-shot ; the white on the wings shows very conspicuously in flight. It is not a rare species, but always very difficult to obtain when found near any of the settle-ments. 201. LOBIVANELLUS LOBATUS (?). Lohivanellus lobatus, Gould, Handbk. B. A. ii. p. 218. I heard the cry of a Plover of this genus on one or two occasions, but had no opportunity of ascertaining for certain which species it ' Continued from P. Z. S. 1876, p. 123, and concluded. 2 Handbk. Birds Austr. ii. p. 21.3.
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