. I was not fortunate enough to procure
a specimen of this bird.

The fourth was the Athene Boobook. Belly brown and white; wings brown,
with white spots; third quill-feather, longest; legs feathered, lightish
brown colour; tail brownish white, marked with transverse bars of a
darker brown; eye prominent; iris blue. The only difference I could
observe between the male and female is that the female is rather larger
than the male, and her colours somewhat lighter. These birds inhabit the
whole of that part of North-western Australia lying between the Prince
Regent and Glenelg Rivers, and probably may be distributed over the
greater portion of the Continent. They feed on insects, reptiles, and
birds of the smaller kind. I have always found them seated in holes in
the rocks, or in shady dells, and have never seen them fly in the daytime
unless compelled by fear; they are very stupid when disturbed, and in
flight and manner closely resemble the common English owl. I cannot
however recollect having ever seen one on the wing during the night.

Upon describing the two singular birds mentioned above in Chapter 9 to
Mr. Gould he informed me that they were most probably of the rare species
Anas semipalmata.

REMARKABLE NEST.

I have already spoken in the 9th chapter of a very curious sort of nest
which was frequently found by myself and other individuals of the party,
not only along the seashore, but in some instances at a distance of six
or seven miles from it. This nest, which is figured in Illustration 19, I
once conceived must have belonged to the kangaroo rat I have above
mentioned, until Mr. Gould, who has lately returned from Australia,
informed me that it is the run or playing ground of the bird he has named
Chalmydera nuchalis.

These nests were formed of dead grass, and parts of bushes, sunk a slight
depth into two parallel furrows, in sandy soil, and then nicely arched
above. But the most remarkable fact connected with them was that they
were always full of broken shells, large heaps of which protruded from
each extremity of the nest. These were invariably seashells. In one
instance, in the nest most remote from the sea that we discovered, one of
the men of the party found and brought to me the stone of some fruit
which had evidently been rolled in the sea; these stones he found lying
in a heap in the nest, and they are now in my possession.

EMUS.

I have seen no Emus in North-western Australia, but on two occa