?^^^^^nnn '^j^r\ :r\r\^ Hrv' '/^p^^4 ■m \ ^^r%\n 'm^miUp -^'"^f^f^ Wu '^.r V^^^ l^y^^ .^ 'JT ^i.: >*V^^©^^' jm^m: ^r^^n\ f ^#* rSr\', \M V FOR THE PEOPLE FOR EDVCATION FOR SCIENCE LIBRARY OF THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM, SYDNEY. SPECIAL CATALOGUE, No. I. NESTS AND EGGS OF BIRDS B'OUND BREEDING IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA, BY ALFRED J. NORTH, C.M.Z.S.. Colonial Mcmbei' of the British Ornithologists Union, Corresponding Felloii/ of the American Ornithologists' Union. ORNITHOLOGIST, AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM. (SECOND EDITION OF CATALOGUE No. XII., ENTIRELY RE-WRITTEN, WITH ADDITIONS). Volume I. Printed by order of the Trustees of the Australian Musenni. R. Elheridge, Jnnr., f.P., Curator. SYDNEY. F. \V. WHITE, PRINTER, 344 KENT STREET. June, igoi - |c[,v, 1904 y INTRODUCTION. /■ |(^HE present and first volume contains descriptions of the Nests and Eggs of one hundred and sixty-five species of AustraHan and Tasnianian Birds, and is chiefly based on the collections in the Australian Museum. The birds enumerated form portion of the Order Passeres, and belong to the Families Cokvid*;, Paradiseid.e, Ptii.on'Orhynchid.e, Origlid.e, DiCRUKlD.E, PrIOXOPID.E, C AM rOl'IIAlHI i.E, M T SCICAPID.E, Tl'RDIM.E, SvLVlID.E, and TiMELIID.E. By the loan of specimens, and the contribution of information, considerable assistance has been received from many valued correspondents whose names appear in the work. Amongst these, thanks are specially due to Messrs. G. A. Keartland, J. Gabriel, C. French, Junr., C. E. Cowle, Edwin Ashby, T. Carter, G. Savidge, E. H. Lane, F. Hislop, E. D. and R. N. Atkinson, and Drs. L. Holden, W. Macgilli\'ray, A. M. Morgan, and Charles Ryan. I am also indebted to the Trustees and the Director (Dr. E. C. Stirling, F.R.S.), of the South Australian Museum, Adelaide, who have lent numerous specimens for comparison and examination, and to the Assistant Director (Mr. A. Zietz), wlio has at all times courteously supplied me with the available information relative to them. Acknowledgment must also be made of the loan of specimens from the Queensland Museum, through the Curator (Mr. C. W'. De \'is, M..A.), and of access to the collection of the Macleay Museum, at the University of Sydney, and of informa- tion regarding the specimens given by the Curator (Mr. Cj. Masters). Altogether one hundred and seventy-two species of Australian and Tasmanian birds are described in this Catalogue, of which the types of the following fourteen species are in the Australian Musemn Collection: — Comis beitiietti, Sccno/>a'cfcs dodirostvis, .^lunvdiis maculosus, Rhipidura alhicauda, Rhipidura intermedia, Hcteroinyias cinercifi'ons, Pacilodiyas nana, Miliums assiwilis, Amytis modcsta, Ercmiornis cartcri, Acanthisn mastcrsi, Apheloccphnla nigi'iciitcfn, Oi'thonyx spaldiiiffi, Calamantltns alhiloris, and the co-type of Ephtliianiira crocca. The figures of eggs, which are of the natural size, have been reproduced by the heliotype process at the Government Printing Office, from photographs of the originals, taken under the direction of the Government Printer, Mr. W. .\. Gullick. The original drawings of birds, from which the figures have been re-produced, were made by the late Mr. Neville Cayley, who also coloured the plates of eggs in the coloured copies. With four e.xceptions, the photographs of nests, etc., are the work of the Museum Photographer (Mr. H. Barnes, lunr.) and myself. A. J. N. Sydney, October, igo^. AT^HE dates of publication of the parts comprising this N'olume are as under :- PART I., pages 1- 30, plates Al, 1!1. 11th |une, 11)01. II., pages 37-120. plates B2 - 4. 2oih April, 1902. „ III., pages 121 -201, plates A2- 4, 27th April, 1003. „ IV., pages 202 - 3G6, plates AS - 8, B.5-7. llthjuly, 1904. Systematic Contents to Vol. I. Order PASSERES. PAGE Family Corvidae I 12. Prionodura Sub-family CokviN/E... I nc'wtoniana I. CORVUS I 13. ScENOPOiETES coi'oiwides I dcntirostris henndti 3 14- .Elurcedus 2. CORONE 5 viridis ... anstraUs 5 iiiaiulosns 3. Strephra... 8 Family Oriolidae gracuUna 8 15. Oriolus arguta ... 10 sagitfatiis melanopteva 12 flavicindus cuiicicaiidata 14 16. Sphecotheres ... plinnbca ... 16 maxiUans fiiliginosa 17 Jiavivcntris 4. Struthidea 18 P'amily Dicruridae ... cincrea ... 18 17. DlCRURUS Sub-family FrhgeliN/E 21 hraitcatns 5. CORCORAX... 21 Family Prionopidae niclanorhaiitphtis 21 Su 5-family Prionopin.e Family Paradiseidae 23 18. Grallina... Sub-family Epimachin.« 23 picata ... 6. Ptilorhis 23 19. COLLYRIOCINXLA ... paradisea 23 harmonica victoria; ... 26 rectirostris 7. Craspedophora ... 29 brunnca ... albcvti ... 29 parvida ... Sub-family Paradisein/e 32 ntfiventris 8. Phonygama 32 rufigastcr gouldi ... 32 Family Campophagidae Family Ptilonorhynchidae ... 36 20. Graucalus 9. Ptilonorhvnchus ... 36 melanops violaccus ... 36 parvirostris 10. Chlamydodera ... 41 mental is ... mactdata 41 hypolcucus guttata ... 48 21 Pteropodocys ... nuchalis ... 51 i 1 phasianella oricntalis 55 22 Edoi.iisoma cerviniventris ... 58 tcnuirostrc II. Sericulus 60 23 LALAGli nidinus ... 60 Iciicomcla tricolor ... 65 65 68 68 70 70 73 75 75 75 79 81 81 83 85 85 85 88 88 88 88 92 92 94 95 97 98 100 103 103 103 105 107 109 1 10 1 10 "3 113 116 116 117 SYSTEMATIC CONTESTS TO VOL. !. Family Muscicapidse 24. RhII'IDI-KA alhiscapa pveissi ... diemcncnsis alhicauda rufifrons... intermedia dryas isiira 25. Sai'loprocta iiiclalencn 26. SiSURA inquicta ... nana 27. Arses haupi lorealis ... 28. PlEZORHVNCHUS ... nitidus ... 2g. M VIAGRA ... rnhccula... nitida 30. Mach.krorhyn'chus fla'i'ivcnter 31. Micrceca ... fascinans pallida ... flavivcntris 32. Moxarcha melanopsis gouldi ... albivcntris 33. Erythrodryas ... rosea rhodinogaster 34. Petrceca ... ^cggii phcenicea goodenovii 35. MeLAN'ODRVAS hicolor ... 36. Amaurodryas vittata ... 37. Heteromyias cincrcifrons 38. Pcecilodryas ccrviniventris superciliosa PAGE 121 38. Pcecilodryas 121 capita 121 nana 124 39- EOPSAI.TRIA 125 anstralis... 126 liirysorrlwiis 127 gularis ... 130 georgiana 131 40. Smicrornis 131 hvcvirostris 132 Jiavescens 132 41. Geryc.one 135 alhigidaris 135 fun a 137 culicivora 138 magmrostris 138 personata 139 42. Mam-rus ... 141 cyancns ... 141 snperbiis... 143 mclanotus 143 callainus 146 splendcns 147 Icucoptcriis 147 Uuionotus 149 hvnhcrti .. 149 asiimilis . . . 152 amabilis... 153 clcgans . . . 154 pulchcrrimus 154 melanocephalus 157 crncntatus 158 Family Turdidae 159 Su D-family Ttrdin/K 159 43- Geocichi.a 161 lunulata... 163 llClllll 163 Family Sylviidse 165 44 Acrocephalus 1 68 anstralis... 170 gouldi . ■ ■ 170 45 Stipitlirus 173 malacJiurns ■73 46 Sphenura... 175 hrachyptera 175 longirosiris 176 hroadbenti 176 47 Amvtis 178 te.xtilis ... 179 180 182 182 185 i85 188 189 189 190 192 192 195 198 199 202 204 204 206 210 211 213 214 217 218 222 225 227 228 229 232 234 234 234 234 237 238 238 238 241 242 242 244 244 245 246 248 248 SYSTEMATIC CONTKNTS TO VOL. 47. Amvtis modesia ... striata ... 48. Erkmiornis cavteri ... 49. Megalurus galadotes gmniiiieus 50. CiSTICOLA... cxills Family Timehidae ... 51. CUTHOXICOLA sagiitata 52. HVLACOI.A .. pyri'hopygia cauta 53. ACANTHIZA nana pusiUa ... apicalis ... dicniaicnus ax'ingi ... pyvrhopygia liucata ... mastersi ... uropygialis tcnuirostris 54. Ghobasileus chrysorrhous reguloides ACANTHORN'IS magna ... Aphelockphala ... Icucopsis ... nigricincta Sericornis citreogtdaris froitalis... niagnii'ostns inaculata hiimilis ... 55- 56. 57- 58. Pyrrhoi./EMUs .. 249 250 bninncui... 59. Fycnoptii.lis 252 floe com s ... 252 60. Oku. MA 254 rnbruata 254 61. Okthonyx 256 tcmmincki 258 ipaldingi 258 62. DuYMAaiDUS 261 briinncipygins 261 supcrciliavis 261 63. CiNCLOSOMA 263 263 punctatum castanonotnm 265 cinnanwmcum 266 castanothoya.x 266 64. CiNCLORAMPHUS 268 cruralis . . . 271 rufcscens 272 65. PSOPHODES 273 crepitans 275 nigrigiilans 276 56. Sphenostoma 278 cristatum 279 67. Ephthianura 281 282 albifrons tricolor ... 282 aurifrons 285 crocca 290 68. Calamanthus 290 291 291 fuliginosus albiloris . . . campestris 294 295 295 69. POMATOSTOMUS temporalis rubeculus 299 302 supcrciliosiis ruficeps ... 3^4 305 307 307 309 309 311 311 317 317 318 320 320 322 323 323 325 327 330 331 331 334 336 336 340 341 341 343 343 347 349 352 353 353 355 358 358 361 362 . 364 Order PASSERES. Family CORVID^ . Sub-family CORVINE. O-exi'U.S OOIES'^TJ^, Linnceus. Corvus coronoides. HAZEL-EYED CKOW. Corvus coronoides, Yig. A- Horsf. Trans. Linn. Soc, Vol. XV., p. 2G1 (1826); Sharpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. III., p. 20 (1877). Adult male — General colour above and below black glossed with purple ; outer webs of the primaries and of the external tail feathers sl/i/htly sliaded with bronzy- green ; bases of the feathers on th", upper part'i snow white : bill and leijs black; "iris broivn" (Elsey, Morton). Total lenc/th .!<> inches, iviny 1-i 7, tail 8 7, bill ii J, tarsus ,i'35. Adult fe.malk — Similar hi the male in plumaye, but sliyhtly smaller. Distribution. — Oueensland, New South Wales, \'ictoria, Soutli Australia, Western and North-western Australia, Northern Territory of South .Vustralia, Central Australia, Tasmania. ^Ti^l^HE Hazel-eyed Crow is widely distributed over the greater portion of the Australian J- continent and Tasmania, although it is by no means so plentiful as the Raven (Corone australisj which is often mistaken for the present species. In New South Wales, it frequents alike the mountain ranges near the coast, and the belts of timber bordering the rivers and creeks inland, In some seasons it is only met with in the coastal districts, in isolated pairs, but at all times it is more numerous in the autumn and winter. Generally it may be observed in the neighbourhood of slaughter-houses or killing-yards, and not infrequently on the low-lying lands near the mouths of tidal rivers, and on the sea-shore. As a rule, it is exceedingly wary and difficult to shoot. The food of this species consists of insects of various kinds, principally locusts, crickets, and beetles, the flesh of any slaughtered animal, young birds and eggs, small mammals and reptiles, dead fish and crustaceans. About orchards it eats nearly every kind of cultivated fruit, and during the autumn and winter feasts upon grain. Pastoralists, as a rule, regard all members of the genera Corvus and Corone with disfavour; but the loss attributed to the depreda- tions of the Crow during the lambing season is in reality caused almost wholly by its congener the Raven, a far warier and much commoner species, with which it frequently consorts. The collection brought back from Central .Vustralia by the Horn Scientific E.xpedi- tion, in 1894, and which I had the pleasure of examining, contained several specimens of these birds. In his field notes," Mr. G. .\. Heartland writes as follows: — ".\ camp-fire seems to possess an irresistible attraction for Corvus coronoides. No matter where the wanderer in Central Australia may decide to boil his "billy," he is sure to have a visit from one or more • Report Horn Sci, Exp., Vol. ii., Zoo-1., p. 91 (1896). 2 CORVID.E. of these Crows before the water boils. Once, at Hea\itree Gap, a Crow seized a piece of meat from tlie table while the cook was at work. At Hermannburg-, over thirty of them were within gunshot at one time, waiting for the refuse from the birds I was skinning." The following observations" w-ere also made by Mr. Keartland while he was a member of the Calvert Exploring Expedition in Western Australia in 1896-7: — "During the early part of our journey, the Hazel-eyed Crows ( Corvus coronoides) were fre(]uently observed, but as the hot weather set in, in October, they became scarce, and were afterwards found only in the vicinity of water, so that to us at least they ceased to be birds of evil omen. In December, and the first week of January thev were very numerous around our camp near the junction of the Fitzroy and Margaret Rivers in Xorth-w-est Australia, and united with the Kiti s (Milxus affinis) in performing the duty of scavengers. During the heat of the day they might be seen either perched or flying with their bills wide open, show-ing that they too suffered from the scorching sun." ^Ir. Keartland also writes me: — "They drink frequently and are regarded as good water guides. I often saw them at the troughs and caught one in a Finch-trap baited with water. Just before the tropical rains fall they are at constant feud with the Channt-l-bil'ed Cuckoo (Scythrops ncnw-hoilandicB). As soon as the rain came, the Crows all left, and were not seen again up to the time of our departure on the i6th March." The nest of the Hazel-eyed Crow is a large open bowl-shaped structure, outwardly formed of sticks and twigs, and lined inside with bark, fibre, hair, fur, or wool, an average one measuring externally fifteen inches in diameter by seven inches and a half in depth, and the inner cavity six inches in diameter by four inches in depth, It is usually built in the upright forked leafy branches of a tree at a height varying from twenty to seventy feet from the ground. The bushy tops of the different species oi Eucalyptus, Frene/a, and Melaleuca, are generally resorted to as nesting-sites, and frequently several nests may be found in the same tree. The deserted nests of the Hazel-eyed Crow, like those of the Ra\en, and of many birds of prey, are frequently taken possession of by other species. The eggs are usually from three to five in number for a sitting. In shape they vary from oval to elongate oval, some specimens being compressed towards the narrower ends; the shell, as a rule, is close-grained, and its surface smooth and slightly lustrous. The ground colour varies from very pale to bright green, and from pale ashy-blue to greenish-grey, which is freckled, spotted, or blotched with wood-brown, blackish-brown, or oli\e-brown, the markings as a rule predominating on the larger end, where a well defined zone or cap is sometimes formed. Some specimens have very fine indistinct scratches or smears of pale umber uniformly distributed over the shell ; as a rule, however, the markings, whether large or- small, bold or indistinct, are irregularly formed, but, in rare instances, examples may be found in which they consist entirely of rounded dots or spots. The eggs of the Hazel-eyed Crow, like those of the Ka\en, are subject to considerable variation in colour and the disposition of their markings, and the eggs of both birds are indistinguish- able from each other. A set of four measures as follows: — Length (A) 1-71 x 1-23 inches; (B) 173 X 1-23 inches; (C) 1-74 x 1-25 inches; (D) i-8 x 1-25 inches. Another set of four measures (A) 1-9 x 1-27 inches; (B)i-88xi-3 inches; (C) i-86xi-28 inches; (D) 1-85 x 1-25 inches. Young birds may be distinguished by their duller and browner plumage, the wing and tail feathers being the last to acquire the rich gloss of the adult li\ery. In Eastern Australia, the breeding season usually commences at the end of July or early in August, and continues until the middle of December. •Trans. Roy. Soo.- South Austr., Vol. xxii., p. 180 (1898). CORVUS. 6 Corvus bennetti. SMALL-]iILLED CROW. Corvns bennetti, North, Vict. Nat., Vol. XVI [., p. 170 (I'.tOl). Adult male — General colour above and b-'.lo/v black qlossed ivith purph : primaries and lail- J'eathers black, sli/jhtly /cashed iiHth bronzy-'jreeii : bases of the feathers on the upper parts sJiuw-tvhile ; bill and legs black- : "iris ivhite" (Bennett). 'J'otal lentjth 16 indies, tcinq 1 '■■',, tail 7'-J, bill 1'85, tarsus 2 2. Adult female — Similar in plumage to the male. Distribution. — Western New South Wales, \^ictoria, South Australia. HEAD OF SMALL-BILLED CROW. HEAD OF HAZEL-EYED CROW. /■ |;^HERE are two very distinct species of the genus Corvus, inhabiting Australia. In the JL original description of C. coronoides, in the " Transactions of the Linnean Society of London," •' the measurements there gi\en by \'igors and Horsfield are as follows : — Total length 22 inches, wing 14, tail 9, bill 2'3, tarsus 2-3. The locality where it was obtained is not given, but as it formed part of a collection made by Mr. Caley in the early days of the settlement of the State, it was probably procured near Parramatta. Examples in the Museum collection from New South Wales, from Port Darwin, and from Wide Bay, and Eraser's Island, in Queens- land, are about the same average measurement, and are easily distinguished from C. bennetti by their larger and more powerful bill, and stronger tarsi. The iris too in those birds from Port Darwin and Queensland was noted by their respective collectors, Mr. A. ?iIorton, Mr. G. Masters, and Mr. J. A. Thorpe as being brown. The specimens from which the description of the present species was taken, were all collected by my esteemed friend the late Mr. K. H. Bennett, to whom I am deeply indebted for information on this, and many other species, in August 1883, at IMoolah, in the Western District of New South Wales, and I have much pleasure in associating specifically the name of one who, by his field work and observations, contributed so largely towards completing a know- ledge of the .Vustralian avifauna. C. bennetti, which is also found in \'ictoria and South Australia, may be distinguished principally by its much smaller and straighter bill, and more slender tarsi ; also, by its smaller average measurements, and by having the iris pure white in the adults of both sexes. As a rule in closely allied species, or races, the smaller representative is usually found in the northern portion of the continent, but in the present instance this order is reversed. The drawings abo\e are taken from a photograph, to show the relative size of the bills of the two species. Of the Small-billed Crow the late Mr. K. H. Bennett wrote as follows in his MS. notes: — " This species differs from Corone australis in its much smaller size, and in having the con- cealed portions of the body feathers white, instead of dusky or blackish ; the note also is very different. Although sometimes found in company with the Raven, it is seldom seen on the * Trans. Linn. Soc. Vol. xv., p. 261 (1826). 4 CORVID.E. plains, its principal habitat in this portion of the colony being a strip of lightly timbered land, some few miles in width, situated between the plains and the densely timbered scrubby back country. In this belt the Leopard-tree" is found, in which almost exclusively the nests of this species are placed. It is a tree of moderate height, averaging from thirty to forty feet, but has extremely long, slender, and naked branches, terminating in a thick bunch of twigs and leaves, and in the topmost portion of it the nest is constructed. " This species is by far less numerous than Corone australis, and unlike that bird it is not grega- rious, being generally seen in pairs, and seldom in companies of more than four or fixe individuals. It is not mischievous or destructive, its food consisting chiefly of insects and small reptiles, to which are added seeds and berries. The note of this bird is represented by the word ' car ' repeated six or eight tiines in succession, and in a very shrill high key. " The nest is similar to that of Corone australis, but smaller and more neatly made ; it is an open bowl-shaped structure, outwardly formed of sticks, and lined inside with bark fibre, wool, fur, &.C. It averages externally twelve inches in diameter by a depth of nine inches, and inter- nally seven inches across by three inches and a half in depth. The eggs vary from three to five in number for a sitting, and they are usually deposited during the months of September and October. I have never handled the nestlings, so am unable to give the colour of the iris, but in the adults of both sexes they are white." Regarding this species Mr. G. .\. Heartland writes me as follows: — "The small white-eyed Crows pay occasional summer visits to \'ictoria, but when they arri\^ it is in flocks of many hundreds. They either follow the myriads of grasshoppers from north to south, or time their visit to feed upon a species of ground-burrowing beetle. During one season they were unusually numerous on the plains at Little River, feasting on these beetles as they emerged from their burrows in the ground. I fired, killing four, and on picking them up was struck with their small size. On turning back the feathers of the head and neck, I observed that the basal portion of them was pure white ; so, too, was the iris. On mentioning the matter to my brother-in-law, who had a small station at Hedi, he said that the Crows were regarded with great favour by the graziers and farmers in the neighbourhood, for although the birds were so numerous, they never interfered with the sheep, but seemed to live entirely on insect diet." Of a set of four eggs taken by Mr. Bennett on ist September, 1884, at Ivanhoe, three are elongate and compressed ovals, and the other oval and much smaller ; the shell of all being close-grained and its surface lustrous. The ground colour is of a pale greenish-grey which is almost uniformly marked in the larger specimens with numerous very fine and almost obsolete scratches of bright umber ; the markings on the smaller specimen are intermingled on the larger end with dots, spots, and small blotches of olive-brown. Length (A) 175 x i inches; (B) 1-65 x 1-02 inches; (C) 1-72 x i-02 inches; (D) 1-45 x 1-02 inch. A set of three, taken by Mr. Bennett at Mossgiel in November, 1886, is somewhat similarly marked, but they are oval in form and not so lustrous. Immature birds have the iris brown. * FUnderxia iiniciilusa, F. v. M. CORONE. 5 C3-en-a.s 00I201>TE, Kaup. Corone australis. AUSTRALIAN RAVEN. CorvHS coronoides, Gould, Bds. Austr., fol., Vol. IV., pi. IS (1848). CorviLs australis, Gould, Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. 475 (18G5) Cor on", australis, Sharpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. HI., p. 37 (1877). Adult male — General colour above an I beloiv black, glossed wit/i. purple; feathers of the throat lanceolate in form and tinged with, i/reen : bases of the feathers on the upper parts dusky -qrey : bill and lei/s, black; iris, ivhite. Total letiglh, in the flesh, .JO inches: inlnj IJ/.'?, tail 5'/, bill 2:5, tarsus 2' 55. Adult fem.\lk — Simitar to the male in plamnye, bat slightly smaller, the lanceolate feathers on the throat not so toeU developed. Distribution. — Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Western and North-western Australia, Northern Territory of South .Vustralia, Central Australia, Tasmania. /T^\HE Raven may be distin,L,'uished by the lontj lanceolate feathers on the throat, and the -L dusky bases of the body feathers. Althou,c,'h generally distributed in suitable situations over the greater portion of .Vustralia and Tasmania, they e\'ince a decided preference for the large inland open plains of the States, and are seldom met with in thickly timbered country. They are by far the most common birds inhabiting the plains between the Lachlan and Darling Rivers, in the Central District of New South Wales, and they are equally abundant in tlie open expanses in the western and north-western portions of the State. Frequently they are seen in company with Conms coronoides. During winter they are gregarious, and in the daytime are associated in large flocks, scattered o\er the plains. Just about dusk they may be observed flying swiftly a few feet above the ground to their roosting-places in some thick clump of trees on the plain. While winging their way they keep up a subdued cawing, which becomes very much louder after reaching their destination, and is continued for some time after dark, when it suddenly ceases. These birds are extremely wary, and it is difficult to get within shooting range of them unless they can be approached under cover, which is rarely the case, or advantage is taken of visiting their roosting-place at night. Poisoned baits, too, must be carefully laid for the Raven to take them. Although generally shy and cunning, these birds are inclined to be inquisitive if an unusual noise is heard, especially notes of alarm uttered by other species, or if there is a chance ot a meal. At Enfield, one day, I found a nest of the Yellow-tufted Honey-eater, in a sapling scrub, containing two nearly fledged young. • The parents were very excited and their cries brought about a dozen angry and noisy birds within a few feet of me. .V Ra\en within half-a-minute suddenly dashed in on the scene, but on discovering me in the undergrowth, beat a hasty retreat. The note of this species, which is usually uttered during flight is a loud and deep " gwar — gwar — gwar-r," \aried occasionally "with a shrill and high-sounding " korr — korr." It is an omni\orous species, but has a partialitv for the flesh of any animal more than other foods, and it is frequently found in the neighbourhood of slaughter-houses, and killing-yards performirig with efficiency the duties of a general offal scavenger. It also feasts upon small mammals, birds, and birds' eggs, lizards, frogs, different kinds of insects and small crustaceans and other food picked up among the debris of tidal rivers. It destroys large numbers of locusts and other injurious insects and assists in keeping the balance of nature, but, making full allowance for this good quality, it is undoutedly the worst bird pest we have in .Vustralia. Pastoralists suffer to a considerable extent from the ravages of this bird, for it is exceedingly destructixe in the lambing season, picking out the eyes or killing lambs, even while the mothers 6 COUVIDiE. make vain attempts to protect them. A favorite method of attack is to seize the tail of the lamb with its powerful bill, and, spreading its wings, be dragged about by the doomed animal until with sheer exhaustion, it falls an easy prey to its relentless captor. They also attack weak slieep, especially during periods of severe drought, when they are in poor condition, and consequently less able to withstand the attacks of their sable plumaged foes. Blindness and a lingering death is the inevitable fate of many that are not strong enough to rise. In wet seasons sheep frequently accumulate a large mass of earth and grass on one or more of their legs, until they are unable to walk about, and this is another harvest for the Ravens. Bogged animals are also easy prey for these birds. Near the bank of the Clarence Ri\er I saw about a dozen Ravens buffeting with their wings a newly born calf that had managed to get down the steep bank, and was standing in the shallow water. This would have shared the ordinary fate only that my youthful companions succeeded in getting it out, and restoring it to the mother on the level ground above the banks. I'requently only tlie eyes of the animals attacked are picked out, and the tongue eaten. Reports of the depredations committed by these birds are common in the nexvspapers during the lambing season. On a large siieep station in western Xew South Wales, even with careful watching, it is estimated that the annual loss incurred by the destruc- tive habits of these birds, varies from /^2oo to £'400 per annum, according to the season. Rewards for " Crows '' heads are offered by many Stock Boards throughout the States, but there is no apparent diminution in their numbers. .\.ll species of the genera Corvus and Corone inhabiting Australia are termed " Crows " by the Stock Boards, but the Raven is the real culprit. Si.xpence per head was paid in the Moree and Narrabri District in 1898 for " Crows," but altogether bonuses were only paid on 844 birds. I found, however, that a large number of ground-frequenting birds had been destroyed by eating the poisoned baits laid for the Ravens. In the Official report for the year 1899 of the Stock and Brands liranch of the Department of Klines and .Agriculture of New South Wales-', it is stated that during that year the Pastures and Stock Protection Boards throughout the colony paid a bonus from a id. to 6d. each on 142,147 " Crows," Wagga Wagga District heading the list with a total of 24,979 birds destroyed. Next to the pastoralist, the vigneron and orchardist suffer most from the depredations of these birds, which eat grapes and nearly every kind of cultivated fruit. In some seasons more than others, about February or March, large flocks of Ravens, descend into the vineyards in the southern part of New South Wales, and commit great havoc, for they have voracious appetities, and both eat and destroy large quantities of grapes. Probably they are more numerous and do more damage in this part of the State, owing to the proximity of the large adjacent plains, the common resort of this species. In orchards tiiey frequently feast upon peaches, plums, and mulberries, and other soft fruits, and even oranges and mandarins. Large flocks of them also do considerable damage in newly planted grain fields. Many eggs and young birds are destroyed by Ravens, especially those which are placed in exposed or unprotected situations. They do not destroy the eggs or young of the smaller birds only, but plunder the nests of many of the larger species, particularly of waterfowl, and even combine in cunning to drive the Bustard {Eupodotis australis), and Native Companion {Grus australasianus), off their eggs. Where birds are subject at all times to the predatory attacks of Ravens, some have developed an instinct in safeguarding their eggs from this crafty oppressor. On Yandembah Station, the late Mr. K. H. Bennett, found a nest of the Black- backed Magpie {Gymnorhina tibicen), on the i6th August, 1889, containing a single egg. On climbing to the nest four days after he was surprised to find the egg missing, but noticing that the bottom of the nest presented a more uneven appearance, on making a further examination he found three eggs completely covered with a thick layer of wool and rabbit fur. During the same year he also found two sets of the eggs of the Australian Dotterel {Eudromias australis), ' Rept. Stock and Brands Branch, Dept. Mines and Agric. N.S.W., Appendix K., p. 31 (1900). CORVLS. / that were in each instance completely covered with a layer of thin sticks, from two to three inches in length. The Pink-eared Duck (Malacorhynchus inembranaceus), also, when breeding in hollow limbs of trees, plucks only a little down from its breast to intermingle with its eggs. Frequently, however, it takes possession of the disused nest of another waterfowl which is built in an exposed situation, when it completely envelops its eggs in another nest placed on top, and formed entirely of down. Poultry-keepers in the country, whose stock has the run of the bush, dislike the Raven, for it carries off young chickens, and will \enture close to out-buildings to steal eggs. For the purposes of breeding the Raven readily adapts itself to its environment, resorting equally to the tall Eucalypti, especially when in the neighbourhood of cities, as to low trees in unfrequented situations. Inland these birds build their nests in companies in the low timber dotted about the plains, or in Pine ridges. A favourite site is in the crown of a Pine [Frenela j^.), but they are sometimes constructed in low Ho^ hushes {Dodonea lobulaia,V.\M.), or in the top of a Salt-bush (Atrip/ex sp.) within a few feet of the ground. Near the coast, in Victoria, they are frequently built in low gum or tea-trees. About the outlying suburbs of Sydney, the nests of this species are not common and are usually built in the topmost branches of a Eucalyptus or Angophota at a height varying from fifty to one hundred feet from the ground. The nest, which is generally built in an upright fork, is a large bowl-shaped structure, the foundation being formed of thick sticks interlaced together, the walls of it being built of slightly finer material, and thickly lined inside with bark fibre, wool, fur, or hair. An average nest measures externally seventeen inches in diameter by tL-n and a half inches in depth, and the bowl-like cavity eight inches and a half in diameter by tour inches in depth. The eggs are four or five, and occasionally six in number for a sitting. In shape they vary from elongate oval to rounded oval, some specimens being considerably lengthened and pointed at the smaller end, the shell being close- grained and its surface smooth and as a rule slightly lustrous. The ground colour varies from dark pea-green and dull greenish-grey to a light bluish-green and pale bluish white. Typically the ground colour is of a light shade of green, which is blotched, spotted, and freckled with blackish-brown, wood-brown, or light umber, the markings being larger on the thicker end. Others have very fine streaks and scratches of wood-brown or olive-brown, uniformly distributed o\-er the shell, and in some instances a dark cap of the same colour, on the larger end. Some specimens are entirely blotched, or spotted uniformlv all over the surface of the shell ; others have very fine indistinct fleecy streaks or scratches, or have the smaller end devoid of markings, and the larger end finely dusted or peppered with different shades of brown. An unusual variety has a very pale bluish-white ground colour, and a cluster of well defined rich umber- brown markings on the larger end. Occasionally eggs are found of a uniform colour, and entirely free from markings. .V set of four taken at Yandembah, on the i6th September, 1S90, measures as follows: — (A), 2-03 x 1-27 inches; (B),i-85 x i-27inches; (C),r9i x 1-28 inches; (D), i-8i X 1-28 inches. A set of five taken by Mr. George Savidge on the i8th September, 1897, at Copmanhurst, on the Clarence River, measure — length (.\), i'64x i-iS inches; (B), 1-65 x ri8 inches; (C), 1-62 x i-i6 inches; (D), 1-69 x i-i8 inches; (E), i-6x 1-2 inches. Occasionally this species constructs its nest upon the ground, but one of the most curious sites I have known a bird to select for a nesting place was found by the late Mr. K. H. Bennett. On Yandembah Station, in the Lachlan District, where Corone australis is exceedingly numerous, he found one of their nests containing young ones on the i8th October, 1S90, placed inside the skeleton of a sheep, lying on the open plain. The situation was rendered the more peculiar from the fact that there were numbers of trees, in which these birds used to build, less than a quarter of a mile away. During the previous season another pair constructed their nest in the drum of a whim close to the homestead, and from which Mr. Bennett took four eggs. On two occasions in 1889-90, on Yandembah Station, he also found the mud nests of the White-winged Chough, with eggs, constructed inside the deserted nests of the Raven, and has also taken from similar abandoned tenements, the eggs of the Xankeen Kestrel and Black Duck. 8 CORVIU.E. Nestlings are duller in colour than the adults, and have the base of the lower mandible, skin around the gape, and the inside of the throat deep rose-pink ; iris \ery pale blue. Young birds have the bases of the feathers on tlie upper parts dusky brown, the purplish gloss to the feathers first appearing on the wings, back, upper tail-coverts and tail ; iris very light brown. Albinoes of this species are not unconmion. The Museum collection contains also a specimen in very pale l'>rown plumage, and having all the feathers on the upper parts broadly tipped with white. August, and the four following months, constitute the usual breeding season in Eastern Australia, but nests containing fresh eggs have been found in New South Wales early in July, and as late as tlie middle of January. Young birds lea\e the nest when about a month old. The nest figured on plate Ai was taken at Belmore, about eight miles from Sydney, on the 2nd September, i8g8, and was placed in the topmost forked branch of a Eucalyptus, at a height of fully eighty feet from the ground. E.vternally it measures si.xteen inches in diameter, by a depth of eleven inches, and internally eight inches in diameter by a depth of four inches. C3-en-u.s Sm^Er^EIS-ii^, Lessoti. Strepera graculina. TIED CKOW-SlIKllvE. Corvus fjraculinus. White, Vcy. N. S.W., pi. opp. p. 2.51 (1790). Sirepera graculina, Gould, Bds. Austr., foL, Vol. II., pi. 42 (1848); id., Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. 168 (1865); Sharpe, Cat. Bd.s. lirit. Mus., Vol. III., p. 57 (1877). Strepera crissalin, Gould, ^IS., Sharpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. III., p. 57, pi. XII. (1877). Adult male — General colour black, diglitly t/losfi/ oil the upper parts ; bases of the prwiaries tvliite ; basal portion and tips of tlie tail feathers and the under tail-coverts, white; bill and feet black : iris yellow. Total length in the fesh 19 incites, ivimj 10- 3, tail 8, bill ..''4, tarsus 31. Adult fem.\le — Similar in plnniaije to tlie male, but slvjhl.ly smaller. Distribution. — Queensland, New South Wales, \'ictoria. Lord Howe Island. ^^HE Pied Crow Shrike or "Black Magpie " as it is more commonly called, is dispersed throughout the coastal districts and contiguous mountain ranges of the greater portion of Eastern Australia, and is also found on Lord Howe Island. In New South Wales it is abundantly dis- tributed over the Dividing Range, and although it occurs in the open forest-lands beyond its western slopes, I have never met with it far inland, or in the clumps of belts of timber growing on the plains. In the PIED CROw-SHBiKE autunm I have observed it near Sydney in STRKPEIiA. small flocks about Canterbury and lielniore, also about the highlands on the Milson's Point railway-line. On the Blue Mountains, and in tlie South Coast districts, it is exceedingly numerous in June, July, and August, moving about in large flocks, numbering from fifty to several hundred indixiduals. The adult birds of this species vary in size, even, sometimes, when shot out of the same flock, the males, which are larger, varying in wing-measurement from 97 to 10-4 inches, and the females from 9 to 9-4 inches; the same variations exist in the length and breadth of the bill; some I have seen with the upper mandible longer and slightly hooked at the tip. Specimens from Lord Howe Island, obtained by Messrs. Etheridge and party in 1SS7, and by Mr. E. H. Saunders in the same year, are similar to Australian examples. Among those procured by Mr. Saunders on Lord Howe Island is one with the basal portion of the tail feathers and the under tail-coverts, of a pale fawn-rufous; another has only one side of the basal half, and the tips of the tail feathers, of this colour. The accidental staining of these parts, Mr. Etheridge informs me, is due to the red volcanic soil of the island. Gould's MS. name of ci-issalis, which Dr. Sharpe has adopted for a similar specimen from Lord Howe Island, described and figured by him in the " Catalogue of Birds in the British Museum," therefore ranks only as a synonym of S. gvacnUna. The peculiar note of the Pied Crow-Shrike is generally uttered while flying, and the united cries of a large flock of these birds when on the wing, can be heard a considerable distance away. Its natural food consists of wild fruits, berries, and seeds; also, insects and their larva. For the latter I have seen them diligently searching ploughed lands and cultivation paddocks, and tearing off with their powerful bills the bark of trees to obtain the insects lurking underneath. The presence of a flock of these birds, while so engaged in dead timber, has often been indicated by the noise made as they jumped on the dead twigs and snapped them off', or by an occasional low, mournful, whistling note. As settlement proceeds, however, and the scrubs and brushes from which they obtain their food are gradually being cleared, these birds freely enter orchards, gardens, and cultivated lands, and commit great depredations among the fruit and cereals. Mr. J. A. Boyd informs me that at Eden, New South Wales, this species frequently steals the eggs from his poultry-yard. One he caught in the act was inside a meshed wire fowl-run, when he espied the bird with an egg in its claws. This it flew away with out of the enclosure, but dropped it just prior to Mr. Boyd shooting the feathered pilferer. With a specimen of this bird sent for identification, Mr. J. D. Lankester, of Albury, writes under date of loth July. 1895: "This species, known here as the ' Mutton bird,' has been more numerous and destructive than usual. They have attacked the grapes on the vines, and are very persistent when the raisins are on the trays drying. Since then they have destroyed the quinces, and are now eating the olives. Shooting does not frighten them away." During the winter months these birds, when hard pushed for food, are omnivorous, for in July, 1896, Mr. A. E. Hays and a friend saw at Stony Batter near L'ralla, several of them in a killing- yard, feeding on off'al. The stomachs of specimens examined by me during the same month contained skins of wild fruits, berries, and maize, and the heads, legs, and elytra of beetles. The Hon. James Norton, LL.D., M.L.C., who has had considerable experience with these birds at his country residence at Springwood, on the Blue Mountains, writes :- •' The food of Stvepcra gyaailinn, consists naturally of berries and fruits. It makes its appearance in summer, often in great flocks, and deals destruction to every kind of cultivated fruit, except the orange tribe and passion fruit. Apples, pears, peaches, and quinces are easily chopped to pieces by its powerful bill. The softer fruits, such as figs, are devoured in a few bites, and grapes are * Dept. of Agriculture, N.S.W., Bull. No. i, App., p. 247 (iHgo). 10 CORVID.F.. swallowed wholesale. Before the maize grains begin to harden, this incorrigible thief, with its strong claws and powerful mandibles, strips back the tough sheathing of the cob. and often leaves not one solitary grain. If driven off it soon sneaks quietly back in the most impudent manner, though, after a little shooting, it becomes so warv that it is difficult to get a shot. It would be a good thing if this pest could be eradicated, for it would be possible to keep it down in any particular district if the gardeners therein would cordially combine for the purpose. I have been told that this bird will eat flesh, and that numbers are sometimes destroyed by poisoning a bullock's head and placing it in a tree out of tlie reach of dogs. It strikes me that it might be easily taken in a wire fish-trap baited with fruit, for if trees are netted, and a small opening accidentally left, it will force itself through, which it is unable to find quickly when disturbed, and by this means I had the satisfaction during the last fruit season of beating several of the marauders to death. Twine nets, unless too hea\y for convenient use, are not of sufficient pro- tection, for on several occasions the birds have torn their wav through them in order to get at the protected fruit." The nest is a large open structure, rather roughly formed externallv of sticks and twigs: the inside, which is neatly rounded and cup-shaped, being lined usually with fibrous roots, at other times with coarse dried grasses, or fibrous strips of bark. An average nest measures externally fourteen inches in diameter bv five inches and a half in depth; the inner cup seven inches in diameter by three inches in depth. It is usually built in an upright or leaning fork of a Eucalyptus, at a height varying from twenty to sixty feet from the ground. Eggs three in number for a sitting, varying from o\al to elongate oval, the shell being close-grained, and its surface smooth, dull, and almost lustreless. In ground colour they vary from pale brown to pale \inous-brown, which is faintly freckled, blotched, or streaked with darker and different shades of the ground colour, the markings predominating as a rule on the thicker end, where in some specimens they are partially confluent and form an ill-defined cap or zone. .\ set of three, taken by ]\Ir. George Savidge in the Cangai scrub, at the head-waters of the Clarence River, an the i6th October, 1898, measures as follows; — Length (A) i-^^ x 1 inch; (B) 1-53 x i-i2 inch; (C) 1-52 X i-ii inch. Another set of three measures: — (.\) r6 x -12 inch; (B) f62 x rii inch; (C) 1-62 X i-i4_ inch. T'igure 12 on Plate Bi is from the former set. Young birds resemble the adults, but are duller in colour on the upper parts, the secondaries and greater wing-coverts have narrow whitish tips, and the bases of the primary-coxerts are dull white; all the feathers on the throat, breast, and abdomen are edged or tipped with brown. September and the four following months constitute the usual breeding season of this species. Mr. Savidge informs me that about Copmanhurst, on the Upper Clarence River, the Pied Crow-shrike has been observed feeding the young of the Channel-billed Cuckoo ( Scythrops novce-hollandicr). Mr. Savidge has also several times seen it chasing the latter species away. Strepera arguta. HILL iROW-SHRIKE. Strepera aryufa, Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc, 1846, p. 19 ; id., Bds. Austr., fol. Vol. II., pi. 44 (1848); id., Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. 171 (186.")) : Sliarpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. III., p. 59 (1877). Adijlt male — General colour blackish-broivn, with ilarker margins to the feathers of the back, scapulars, rump, and upper tail-coverts; primaries black, the basal half of their inner webs white, and having iiarroiv indistinct brownish-white tips ; tail blackish-brown, all but the two central feathers broadly tipped with white ; under tail-coverts white ; bill and legs black ; iris yellow. Total length 21 inches, wing IPS, tail 10, bill ..'S, tarsus ..'S. Adult TEMALK — Similar in plumage to the male, but slightly smaller. Distribution. — Tasmania. STKEPKRA. 11 /"(s\ Ol'LD writes of this species" — "The Stnpera aygiita is abundantly dispersed o\er Tas- V_Jr mania, but is more numerous in the central parts of the island than in the districts adjacent to the coast ; it also inhabits South Australia, in which country it is more scarce, and all the specimens I have seen are rather smaller in size. I have never seen it in any part of Xew South Wales that I have visited, neither liave specimens occurred in the numerous collections from the west coast that have come under my notice. It is the largest, the boldest, and the most animated species of the genus yet discovered. If not strictly gregarious, it is often seen in small companies of from four to ten, and during the months of winter even a greater number are to be seen congregated together. The districts most suited to its habits are open glades in the forest and thinly timbered hills ; although it readily perches on the trees, its natural resort is the ground, for which its form is admirably adapted, and o\er which it passes with amazing rapidity, either in a succession of leaps or by running. Fruits being but sparingly diffused over .\ustralia, insects necessarily constitute almost its sole food, and of these nearly every order inhabiting the surface of the ground forms part of its diet ; grasshoppers are devoured with great a\idity. "Its note is a loud, ringing, and very peculiar sound, somewhat resembling the words, c/w^, clink, several times repeated, and strongly reminded me of the distant sound of the strokes on a blacksmith's an\il ; and hence the name argiita appeared to me to be an appropriately specific appellation for this new species. " All the nests I found of this species either contained young birds or were without eggs. The nest, which is of a large size, is generally placed on a horizontal branch of a low tree ; it is round, deep, and cup-shaped, outwardly formed of sticks, and lined with fibrous roots and other fine materials." The eggs of Stvepera arguta are three in number for a sitting, oval in form, some specimens being somewhat pointed at the smaller end, the shell being close-grained, and its surface smooth and slightly lustrous. Typical eggs vary in ground colour, from a dull vinous-white to vinous- grey, which is streaked, spotted, or irregularly blotched with pale-brown, and almost obsolete underlying markings of dull bluish-grey. Some specimens ha\-e the markings small, well-defined, and rounded ; in others, as shown in the figure, the subsurface markings are scarcely visible, or are entirely absent. A set of three taken at Both well, Tasmania, on the loth August, 1S87, measures as follows :— Length (A) i-8xi-2i inch; (B) i-8i x -23 inch ; (C) 179 x 1-2 inch. Another set of three measures— (A) 1-85 x 1-25 incn ; (B), 1-87 x i'25 inch ; (C) 1-87 x 1-26 inch. The eggs of this species may be generally distinguished by their \ery much paler ground colour, and markings. In his :MS. notes. Dr. Lonsdale Holden writes ;— " 1 saw two or three examples of Strepem arguta- between Bellerive and Rokeby, in the bush by the road side, close to the top nf the ridge, over which the road passes. This species differs from 5. fiiliginosa, as regards colour, most notably in having the under tail-coverts white. It has a loud, shrill, metallic cry. On the 17th December, 1899, near the Styx River, four miles above Bushy Park, I observed a pair looking after two young ones, just able to fly ; the latter were more slaty-coloured than the adults. In the following March I saw several on the extreme top of a wooded hill, on the ridge above the railway to Cambridge. I never met with the Hill Crow-shrike durini; my residence in the north-western portion of Tasmania." August and the four following months constitute the usual breeding season of this species. * Handbk. Bds. Austr , Vol. i., p. 171 (1865). 12 CORVID.E. Strepera melanoptera. BLAPK-WINGED CROW-SHRIKE. Strepera melanoplera, Gould, Proc. Zoo!. See, 1846, p. 20 ; Sharpe, Cat. JJds. Biit. Mu.s., Vol. III., p. 61 (1877). Strepera intermedia, Shai-pe, Cat. iJds. IJiit. ^lus., Vol. III., p. .I'J (1S77). Adi'LT m.\le — General colour above and hnloiv bruiviiish black, slightly lighter on the under parts: face blackish; primaries and secondaries broivnish-black, narrorcly and indistinctly edged with brown at the lips ; tail {fathers broionish-blach, largely tipped ivith white which increases in extent towards the outermost feathers ; under tail-coverts, pure white ; bill and legs, black ; iris yelloiv. Total length I'-i inches, iving ll\', tail !J'3, bill 2-H.'>, tarsus 2'6. Adult fkm.\le — Similar to the male in plumage, but slightly smaller. Distribution — South Australia, Kangaroo Island. ^(s^ ONSIUERABLE difference of opinion has for a long time existed as to the validity of V ik. the present species. Gould, who originally described it in the I'roceedings of the Zoological Society in 1846, places it in his '.' Handbook to the Birds of Australia"'-- as a synonym of the preceding species, S atguta, and on which he makes the following remarks : — " Upon a careful e.xamination of the numerous specimens of this bird contained in my collection, I find among them two \-ery singular varieties; one with tlie base of the primaries of a nearly uniform black, and the tips white, and another in which the base of the primaries is white and the tips black. It is evident, therefore, that the markings of this species are not constant, and this induces me to believe that the bird I characterized as .,9. inelaiioffeya is nothing more than one of the varieties above mentioned. I do not, however, venture to affirm that the birds received from South .Vustralia, with wholly black wings, may not prove to be distinct from those from Tasmania ; this is a matter for investigation by future Australian naturalists. For the present I sink the appellation mcLinoptera into a synonym." In the " Catalogue of Birds in the British Museum," Dr. Sharpe makes the following observations after his description of J. melanoptera I : — "This species has been united by Mr. G. R. Gray, and even by Mr. Gould himself, to S arguta. I have examined most carefully the series mentioned by the latter gentleman in his ' Handbook,' and I cannot see any variation in the amount of white in the wing of .S. arguta, and I believe that the last named species is the Tasmanian Hill-Crow, and that its place on the continent is occupied by 5. melanoptera." Also after his description of 5'. fl^'^H^d Dr. Sharpe makes the following remarks |: — "If we consider the big Strepera arguta of Van Diemen's Land to be the typical species of the group of the genus Strepera, we find three very closely allied species, whose e.xact relations time and a larger series of specimens are necessary' to determine. I have separated the smaller form from Port Lincoln as Strepera intermedia, as well as the South Australian 6'. melanoptera ; but whether these grade into one another, or into ^. arguta, must be proved by the comparison of a larger series ; they seem to me at least to have distinct habitats." I agree with Dr. Sharpe that the specific characters of adult examples of 5. arguta, of Tasmania, are constant, and it may be readily distinguished by its average larger measurements, the very distinct darker edges to the feathers of the upper parts, and the pure white bases to the inner webs of the primaries. To clear up the uncertainty that has existed so long as regards the validity of the continental form originally separated by Gould under the name of 5. melanoptera, and yet another more * Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. i., p. 172 (1865). t Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus , Vol. iii., p. 61 (1877). ♦ id., p. 59. STREPERA. 1^ recently described by Dr. Sharpe, I have now before ine a large series of these birds gathered together from widely separated localities in South Australia ; our own collection bein^ supple- mented by examples kindly lent by the Trustees of the South Australian Museum, and by Mr. Edwin Ashby, of Adelaide. Among them are specimens from Port Lincoln, the Flinders Range, Mt. Compass, Yorke's Peninsula, Mt. Lofty Ranges, and an example from Laura, about one hundred and forty miles north of Adelaide. Strepera inehvwptera of South Australia, of which a not (luite adult specimen has also been described by Dr. Sharpe under the name of 8. inievmedia, is a smaller and closely allied form of S. arguta of Tasmania. Gould's ori-inal description, also the one given above of 5. vielanoptera, have been taken from very old specimens, hasinj,' the general colour of the plumage darker, and having lost the white bases to the inner webs of the primaries, although when the wing is spread and cl^osely examined a faint ashy-brown wash may be seen on that portion of the primaries that was originally white. In not quite adult specimens the general colour of the plumage is more strongly shaded with brown, the bases of the inner webs of the primaries are white, and their tips, also of the primary coverts and secondaries, are more or less edged or tipped with white or brownish-white. Even in breeding plumage, and fully adult birds, these tips are sometimes retained, but the white bases to the inner webs of the primaries of fully adult birds are gradually overspread with a brownish-black wash, until they are nearly of a uniform brownish- black. Between the two described stages of the plumage of S. melaiwptera, specimens may be found with the bases of the inner webs of the primaries varying from white to brownish-black, this being effected by a gradual change of colour in the feather, and not by moult. Age, however, is an important factor in the entire absence of the basal marking to the inner web of the primaries, and as a rule specimens are found with it more or less indicated. The wing measurement of fully adult birds varies from lo-j inches in the female to ii-2 inches m the male. From 5. a'^guta of Tasmania, adult specimens of 5. mdanopteya may be distinguished by their smaller size, the almost entire absence of the darker margins to the feathers of the upper parts, and bv the more or less brownish-black wash to the white bases of the inner webs of the primaries, and in which, in very old birds, the inner webs of the primaries are almost unitorm in colour. While in South Australia I was informed that this species was numerous in the mallee scrub on Yorke Peninsula, and on Kan-aroo Island; also in the higher scrubby stringy -bark ridges of the Mount Loftv Ranges near Adelaide. Mr. \V. White found it breeding on Kangaroo Island in August; and in September, 1893, found eight nests in the mallee scrub on Yorke Peninsula, which, with one exception contained either two eggs or two young birds. Dr. A. M. Morgan found it breeding near Laura in September, 1896, and I saw numerous examples of its eggs from different parts of South Australia in the collection of Mr. A. Zietz. Or \. M. Morgan, of Adelaide, to whom I am much indebted for information relative to many species of South Australian birds, writes me as follows;-" Regarding Strepera mdanopura, I have met with this bird at Boolerno Centre, one hundred and sixty-four miles north of Adelaide and at the Finniss, about sixty miles south of the metropolis. During the nesting season and the summer it inhabits thicklv timbered country, large mallee for preference, but m the autumn and winter it is found in the more open country, and in the large gums bordering creeks, it is generally met with singlv, or in pairs, and I have never seen more than two together. The Hig it is rapid, undulating, graceful, and noiseless, and the note, which is only uttered while on the wing, is a very loud ringing whistle, which can be heard at a great distance. 1 hey are insectivorous, but whether wholly so I am unable to say. " The nest is built outwardlv of fine sticks, and is lined with dry grass and rootlets It is about the same size as that of Gymnorlnna Unconota, but somewhat more evenly formed in its 14 CORVID.E. outer structure. It is always placed in perpendicular forks, never on a horizontal branch, a long thin branch being preferred, often making the nest difficult to get at. Generally it is built in a large mallee, or gum growing in the scrub, but I have seen nests in low niallee, and one in a wattle which could be reached from horseback, but this is unusual. The eggs are usually three, though sometimes only two, and are undistinguishable from those ol other members of the genus. "This species breeds in September and October, and I know of no instance ol a pair (jf birds bringing out more than one brood in the same season." Eggs two or three in number for a sitting, varying in form from o\al to rounded and elongate oval, the shell being close-grained and its surface smooth and slightly lustrous. The ground colour varies from a pale buffy -white to a rich vinous-brown, which is freckled, streaked, or blotched, with different shades of brown, the markings sometimes beiii^ uniforndy distributed over the shell, in others predominating on the thicker end, where they become con- fluent, and form a more or less well defined cap or zone. Some specimens have a few \ery faint underlying markings of pale lilac -grey. Occasionally specimens are found that are e\enly dotted and spotted with pale brown on a light buffy-grey ground colour. .\ set of two, taken on Yorke Peninsula by Mr. W. White measures (A) i'6gxi-i2 inches; (1-5) i-7Xfi2 inches, .\nother set of two measures — (.\) f58xi-2; (B) i'59xi-2i inches. I'igure lo of Plate Bi, is taken from an egg of a set of two, obtained by Mr. W. White (in ^'(>lk(■ Peninsula in September, 1893. Strepera cuneicaudata. GREY CEOW-SHEIKE. Cracticus cnneicaudaUis, Vieill. Nouv. Diet. d'Hist., torn. V., p. .3.56 (1816). Strepera anaphonensis, Gould, Bds. Austr., fol. Vol. II., pi. 4.5 (1848); id., Handlik. Rils. Aust., Vol. I., p. 173 (18G.5). Strepera cuneicaudata, Sharpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. III., p. 60 (1877). Adult male — General cotoitr bron-iiis/i-r/rei/, passiii/j into a clearer grey uii the rump and upper tail coverts, and ashy-grey oil the loiver breast and ahdom-.n; face blackish-brown: quills blackish- brown externally, washed with grey ; tips of the secondaries and the basal Italf of the inner webs of the outer pritnaries white; tail blackish-brown, washed with grey, all but the two central feathers being largely tipped ivith white; bill and feet black; iris yellow. Total length in the JJesli, 20'5 inches, wing 11, tail 8'8, bill 3'6, tarsus J'G. Adult femalk — Similar to -the male in plumage, but slightly smaller. Distribution. — Queensland, New South Wales, \'ictoria. ^~|^Hh3 (irey Crow-Shrike, also known as the " Grey Magpie," is abundantl_\- distributed -L throughout the humid mountain ranges and hills of eastern and south-eastern Australia. It has been recorded from as far north as Wide Bay in yueensland, and I ha\e met with it in suitable localities throughout the greater portion of eastern New South Wales and southern \'ictoria. In South Gippsland, before the undergrowth was cleared, and many of the forest giants were felled for their timber, this species used to congregate in large flocks during the winter months. Especially they made themselves conspicuous by their united ringing notes, in drizzling weather, which was of common occurrence during that season of the year, before devastating bush-fires and the splitter's axe had denuded the humid hills of their luxuriant vegetation. In the early morning, roving flocks from ten to fifteen in nund)er, would descend on the cleared portion around the house in search of newly-planted grain, and so tame were they that they would come up to within a few yards of the door of the log or bark hut. 'i'hey were STliRPElIA. 15 extreiiiflv noisy, and wnuld (luarrel among themselves over a scrap of food thrown out to them. Several years after m\- first \isit to the Strzelecki Ran,i;es, the aspect of these thickly-timbered hills had. in many places, entirely changed. Large clearings had been made and cultivated, and a great proportion of the timber had been ring-barked, the original surrounding under- growth cut and burnt, and the place sown with grass. Well-formed bush roads were made, and the bark huts were replaced with sawn-timber houses. The large flocks of Grey Crow- Shrikes had left the neighbourhood, and only now and again a solitary bird, or pair, would be heard, their ringing cries now being replaced by the flute-like notes ot that close attendant on cultivation, the Black-backed Magpie or Piping Crow-Shrike (Gymnflrhina tihicen). Since the cultivation of fruit trees in the district, I have been informed that the Grey Crow-Shrikes are again plentiful when the softer fruits are ripe, and which they sometimes attack. The peculiar note \\hich is usually uttered during flight is difficult to syllabicate. On the Strzelecki Ranges, a coiupanion thought it more resembled the words ''Gipps-land-for-ever" each repeated clearly and distinctly, and the last word accompanied by a ringing sound. When searching for insects in trees, or hopping from limb to linfli, it also utters a low mournful whistle. In New South Wales these birds are common on tlie Blue Mountains about Springwood and Lawson, and the surrounding districts, also about Moss \'ale and Bundanoon on the southern line. They are extremely sociable birds, breeding in trees near one another, and are often seen in company with their congener, S.gractihna. Unlike the latter species, however, they are seldom met with in open forest lands, and I have never observed them about the suburbs of Sydney. Wikl fruits, berries, and insects and their lar\a', constitute the natural food of this species. They spend a great deal of their time on the ground, eating locusts, grubs, caterpillars, and various seeds. They are not such notorious orchard marauders as S. graculiiia, but sometimes eat cultivated fruits, and later on de\our the maize while in the cobs. Stomachs of these birds 1 have examined in the summer contained insects of various kinds, and the skins of fruits and berries; and in the autumn, principally maize. Personally I have never observed them attacking cultivated fruits. The nest of this species is a large open structure, rough!)- formed externally of sticks, the inner cup being made of long fine twigs, which is again lined entirely with wiry rootlets or coarse dried grass-stalks. It averages externally fifteen inches in diameter by six inches in depth, and internally eight inches in diameter by three inches in depth. The nests are placed either in upright, leaning, or horizontal forks of a Eucalyptus or Casuarina, at heights varying from ten to forty feet from the ground. Two or three eggs are usually laid for a sitting, generally the former number, which vary in form from oval to rounded oval, the shell being close grained and its surface smooth and slightly lustrous. The ground colour varies from a pale hu(Ty and pale chocolate-brown to a rich vinous-brown and vinous grey, the freckles, streaks, and small blotches on the diff"erent varieties being of a slightly darker and richer tint than the ground colour. In some specimens the markings are distinct, and uniformly distributed over the shell; in others predominating at one end, and forming caps or confluent patches. Specimens, especially those with the paler ground colours, have often underlying markings of various shades of dull bluish and slaty-grey. A set of three measures as follows: — Length (A) 1-67 xT-2 inches; (B) 17 x 1-22 inches; (C) 172x1-23 inches. .\ very distinctly marked set of two in Mr. R. J. Etheridge's collection, taken by him at Colo \'ale on the 14th November, 1898, shows great difference in size: — Length (.\) i-8 x 1-25 inches; (B) i-jS x 1-15 inches. Medgelings ha\e the feathers on the head, neck, mantle, and back centred and tipped with pale rufous-brown, the quills tipped with white; lores, feathers around the eye, and the chin blackish: the downv feathers on the under parts are dull grey, washed with fawn-brown, those 16 COEVID.?:. on the lower neck bein^^' much richer in colour. Youn;,' birds retain this pale fawn-brown wash on the neck when otherwise they are in full plumage. Like the Hlack and the White-backed Magpies ( Gymnorhina tibicen and G. leuconota), the young of both the Pied and the Grey Crow- Shrike frequently leave their nests before they can fly very far, and are easily run down and captured. I observed several young ones about the bush at Bundanoon in November. Mr. Keartland informs me that near the Werribee Gorge, in \'ictoria, he saw five nests of this species wathin an acre of ground. They were placed on the horizontal branches of Stringy- bark and Box trees, and all contained young, the brood ranging from one to three. September, and the three following months constitute the usual breeding season. Strepera plumbea. LEAD-COLOURED CROW-SURIKE. Slrepf.ra pliunbea. Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc, 184G, p. 20. Strepera plumbea (sub-sp.), Sharpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. III., p. GO (l."<77). Adult m.\le — General colour dark leaden-grey, slightly lighter un llie uiidi:r parts . fai'.i' blackish; wiuga black, outer webs of secondaries loashed with grey : tips of the qnilU and the basal half of the inner webs of the outer primaries ivhite ; tail black, all bnt the livo ceyitral feathers largely lipped ?('ith K'hite: under tail coverts white; bill anil legs black ; iris yellow. Total length ,'0 inches, wing 11, tail .''■..', hill ,i'. Adult female — Similar to the male in plumage. Distribution. — Tasmania, and most of the larger islands in Bass Strait, South Australia, \'ictoria, NewSouth Wales, Queensland. Tp«) IKE Strepera graculina, on the continent, the present species is kn(.nvn in Tasmania, o\er J X which it is widely distributed, as the "Black Magpie." It is also found on most of the larger islands of Bass Strait, and is common in some parts of Victoria; Gould also records that a few individuals have been found in South Australia. Hitherto it has not been regarded as an inhabitant of New South Wales, but during a twenty-five years' residence in the south-western portion of this State, the late Mr. K. H. Bennett met with it on three occasions. The last one he observed was in an unusual situation, in a mallee scrub in the most arid part of the Mossgiel district, and far from any permanent water. I have never heard of any species of the genus being found in similar country, but that S. fuliginosa has a still more widely extended range is pro\'ed by my receipt of a specimen for identification that was obtained, with its nest and eggs, in a mountain range in central Eastern Queensland. Respecting this species, Mr. G. .\. Keartland writes me as follows: — ".Vlong the shores of King Island, in Bass Strait, these birds are particularly numerous, especially on the west and south coasts. They are seldom found more than a mile from the beach, \vhich furnishes them with an abundance of food in the form of larva;, obtained amongst the decaying kelp and other matter \vashed ashore. At times the ground is almost black with the large flocks which assemble morning and evening to feed. W^hen flying to or from their feeding ground, they keep up an incessant chattering scream, somewhat like the note of the Black-breasted Plover (Sarciophonis tricolor). The Sooty Crow-Shrike is also abundant in parts of Victoria. It is plentiful at Bayswater on the side of the Dandenong Ranges, but as it is accused of making sad havoc amongst the softer fruits — such as strawberries and plums — a constant warfare is waged against it by the fruit-growers." The fruit-eating proclivities of this species is confirmed by a note received from !\[r. E. D. .Vtkinson, while resident at Table Cape, on the north-west coast of Tasmania, who writes : — "These birds occur on my farm and are very fond of fruit. .Vt one time there was about a dozen of them. I used to feed them regularly with small bits of apples, and they became so tame that they would eat out of my hand and follow me into the house, though they were very quarrelsome amongst themselves. They are widely distributed in the north-western portion of Tasmania, and I have met with them on most of the larger islands I ha\e visited in Bass Strait." c 18 CORVID.E. While resident at Circular Head, Dr. L. Holden observed several of these birds in the autumn, and which remained about Highfield all the winter; he also saw some on Robbin Island. He writes that they were very numerous at Rocky Cape in July, and at Woolnorth in November. In the former locality they were extremely tame, feeding from the pig-sty, and allowing one to approach within a few feet. Many nests of this species were found by Mr. W. Grave, on King Island, during 1894-5. They were large, open, bowl-shaped structures, formed externally of sticks, and lined inside with rootlets, dried grasses, or strips of bark, and averaged fourteen inches in external diameter by a depth of six inches, and seven inches across inside by a depth of three inches. They were built chiefly in Tea trees, at \arying heights from twelve to forty feet, and contained mostly two, sometimes three, and in one instance four eggs for a sitting. The eggs vary from oval to elongate oval in form, the shell being close-grained and its surface slightly glossv. In ground colour they vary from a pale to a rich vinous-brown, which is irregularly blotched, spotted, or streaked with darker shades of the ground colour, intermingled in some specimens with similar underlying markings of faint bluish or inky-grey. .\s a rule the markings are distributed all over the shell, and are larger on the thicker end; in some specimens the markings form large coalesced patches, or faint clouded underlying smears on one side or end of the shell. A set of three, taken by Mr. Grave on the i8th November, 1894, measures as follows: — Length (A) 17 X 1-2 inches; (B) 174 x 1-19 inches; (C) 173 x i-2 inches. A set of two measures {.\) i-68 x i-i6 inches; (B) 1-67 x i-i8 inches. PVom the data of eggs taken in different parts of Tasmania, on King Island, and in Queensland, October and the three following months appear to constitute the normal breeding season of this species. OeXL-ULS STK,TJTi3:inD:E;-^^, Gould. Struthidea cinerea. APOSTLE-BIRD. Struthidea cinerea, Gould, Proc. Zoo). Soc. K^.'JG, p. 143; i-l, Bds. Austr., fol., Vol. IV., pi. 17 (1848); id., Handbk. Bils. Austr, Vol. I., p. 472 (1865); Sharpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. III., p. 140 (1877). Adult m.\lk — General colour above and beloir ijrey, the feallmrs of the Iwad, neck, and chest, hai:inr/ lighter ijrey tips, and th.o.-rd, taken XT. IZ-^^^^^T^ -ar L,snrore, on the Kichn.ond Kiver, in October .883, but rt 1 1 no en; ntomv possession until after I had described an authent.cated nest and egg of i^ " r n Sgr.' The discoverer of the former nest and egg also found at the same m«. a nest of e R fle-bird, built in a mass of Lawyer-vines at the top of a tree about wenty fee nest ot the Km , .-^^^^ ,, ,,^ being somewhat similar in construction and torm to the S:^^'!::::; bu^in:::;""l.;tenal ^d sma^r .aves, n.termmgled on the outside with a quantity of moss and the exuviae of snakes. Since the receipt of tins information, many nests and eggs of the closely allied species P,i^sl^i^ have been found in Queensland, and the nests discovered to be similar in ^''^7'";" The first published description of the nest of the Rifle-bird ( Pf^or/ns />arad:sea, birds. From so,,,, mie.e.U.g no.es „„.,. " ' ' ^ cedar-oUter, ,n October, w. native clinrbed, be .ree.bu..o„nd .be nest j,». ""'pY"; ' T'' nlf We t „ Iw The nests of P M^^^^'sea are more bulky in form than those of its ally P ^■'^"^'^^^ shell being close-grained, and its surface smooth -d « ossy^ J ^o^^ ^^^^^^^_ on the other egg, with the exception of one or two broad bluned ^'^^^'^'^ '' ^Zethicl^e. end. marked, the dtiU violet-grey underlying streaks being more pronounced on the thicker Length (A) r3xo'93 inches; (B) 1-38 x 0-92 mches. Compared with a number of eggs of Queen Victoria's Kifle-bird, ^^-;^^^T^ bird, the above-described eggs of ^^^f ::::r ^I^.:^ re'i^r:" distributed richer and darker ground colour, and by then smaller, ana mu longitudinal streaks. longituQinai streass. . ■, i u ,„^ \he young male is similar to the adult fem^, except in ^^^^^ -:-;;:'::rr:::; to the remainder of the under-parts. It is probable that the lull adult 1 er 0 assumed until the end of the third season, like ^^ ^^^^^^J^^^^,^ ^ Port latter species I have m confinement. A young -^ ^J^ J'^ J'^ ^ ^ ^ve described, with a few Macquarie, New South Wales, on the :3th ^^^^^^^^^ :,tu,s; on the centre of the feathers on the crown of the head changing into metallic-^reen at '^_^__________ T^^^^^^^Zvb^T^Voll.. p. Ill, figs, xii.-xiv. (1891). 26 PARADISEID-E. throat are three small purple glossy feathers, those on the sides of the throat having blackish tips; a few of the abdomen and flank feathers have a blackish wash towards the tips, and there is a single dull blackish-purple feather with a bronz)'-green tip. I regard this as a young bird of the previous season, about eleven months old. Further progress towards maturity is shown by a young male in the collection, obtained in tiie Richmond Ri\er District in October, 1870. This specimen has many of the feathers on the crown of the head and hind neck of a bronzy metallic-blue and green; the feathers on the sides of the face and upper portion of the throat are blackish; on the centre of the throat are a few metallic steel-green featliers, those on the lower portion being purple and having narrow metallic steel-green edges; the feathers on the centre of the breast, and tiie lower breast, are dull blackish -purple. Like the Regent Bower-bird, the full adult lixery of the male of this species is partially assumed by a gradual change in the colours of the feathers, as well as by moult. The time of the year when both of these birds were obtained will show that they must at least be the young of the previous season, and probably another twelve months would elapse before they assumed their full adult livery. \'ery old females have the sides of the face and the upper portion of the throat white. From nests found in the Richmond and Tweed River scrubs, in New South Wales, and young birds obtained near the Brisbane River, Queensland, October and the three following months would appear to constitute the breeding season of this species. Ptilorhis victoriae. QUEEN VICTORIA'S RIFLK-BIRD. Ptiloris victoria>, Gould, Proc. Zool. 80c., 1840, p. Ill, pi. .xii. Ptilorhis rictoriVe, Gould, Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. 49.3 (1SG.5) ; id., Bds. Austr., fol., Suppl., pi. .50 (1869); Sharpe, Cat. Uds. Brit. Mas., Vol. III., p. 1.55, (1877). Adult .m.ale — General colour above and below rich velvety-black, strongly glossed with purple; tail-feathers velvety-black glossed with purple, the two central ones shorter and of a rich lustrous metallic-green; forehead, crown of the head, and nape, shining metallic-green with a coppery gloss ; on the lower throat and fore-neck a triangular patch of shining metallic steel- green feathers with a slight purplish lustre; lower neck and chest rich velvety black glossed tvith purple; remainder of the under-surface oil-green, with velvety-black bases to the feathers; lengthened Jlank p/lumes velvety- black tipped with oil-green, some of the lower ones having a rich coppery-green lustre; under tail- coverts black; bill and legs black; iris dark brown. Total length 9:5 inches, wing 5-5, tail 3Jf, bill 1'45, tarsus 1-35. Adult tehm^v, — General colour above ashy-brown, the feathers of the head slightly darker and having narrow buff shaft streaks; lesser and median wing-coverts like the back : primaries, secondaries, and greater wing-coverts, brown washed tvith orange-rufous, and which is more conspicuous on the apical half of the outer secondaries; tail-feathers brown, tinged tvith olive; over the eije and extending along the side of ihe head a line of buffy-white feathers; chin and throat buffy-white, passing into fawn colour on the remainder of the under surface, which is spotted on tin breast and indistinctly barred on the fanks tvith dark brown; under tail-coverts faivn colour; bill and leys black; iris dark brown. Total length 9 inches, wing 5, tail 3- 2, bill 1-^, tarsus 1-3.5. Z)wTii_iOisroisii-2-3sroia:"U"s, Kum. Ptilonorhynchus violaceus. SATIN BOVVEK-BIKD. Pyrrhocorax violaceus, VieilL, Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat., torn. VI., p. 569 (1816). Ptilonorhynchus holosericem, Gould, Bds. Austr., fol , Vol. IV., pi. 10 (18iS); id., Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. 442 (1865). Ptilonorhynchus violaceus, Sharpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus,, Vol. VI., p. 381 (1881). Adult m.\le — General colour above and below lustrous purplish-black, the centre of the apical portion of the feathers black, their bases grey, the black centres showing on some of the feathers of the rump and upper tail coverts, and on most of the feathers on the centre of the breast and abdomen ; lesser and median wing coverts like the back; greater and primary coverts and inner secondaries black, margined on their apical portion with purplish-black: jirimaries and outer secondaries black, the latter Jamtly margined on the outer ivebs with purplish black ; bill bluish-horn colour at the base, passing into pale greenish-yellow at the tip; legs and feet white, tinged with yellow; iris blue, with a circle of red around the pujnl. Total length in the fash 12o inches, iving OS, tail ^-5 ; exposed ■portion of bill 0-9, tarsus 2. EXPLANATION OF PLATK A. 1. Nfbt iUld CiJgS of CollONK AUSTUALIS. Australian liaven. NESTS AND EGGS OF AUSTRALIAN BIRDS. PLATE A. 1. w< EXPLANATION OF PLATE B. 1. Figs. 1, 2, 3. i. CoRONE AUSTIiALIS. Australian Itaven. Fiys. -5, U. GvMXor.iiiNA tiuickx. Black-backed Magpie. Figs. 7, 8. CoBvos cobonoidbs. Hazel-eyed Crow. Fig. 9. SrUtPKHA AKGCTA. Hill Crow-Shrike. Fig. 10. StUKPEKA MELANOrTEllA. Black- winged Cruw-Shrike Fig. 11. STUEI'ERA tULIOINOSA. Hooty Crow-Shrikc. Fig. 12. SxRErEBA GRACULDJA. Pied Crow-Shrike. Fig. 13. StREPERA CUNEICAVD.ITA. Grey Crow-Shrike. Figs. 1-4, 1.5, Iti. GVMXORUI.VA leuconota. White-backed Magpie. NESTS AND EGGS OF AUSTRALIAN BIRDS. PLATE B. I. .<■.••• * » •v»i 7-:j^^:> "S^ ^w^w .^^ :a:v .. ^, 10 12 =^^-^ N. 13 14 15 16 'r'!' PTILONORHYNCllUS. 37 Adult female — General colour above, greyish-green,, the feathers of the hack hehig slvjhlly tinged iciih blue on their margins, and those of the rump and upper tail-coverl-i more distinctly 7vashed with green : lesser and median u:ing-coverts slightly duller in colour than the hack, the greater coverts and inner secondaries dull reddish-brown, washed ivith greyish-green, the latter and the inner series ot' tlie greater coverts with an indistinct whitish tip: primaries and the remainder of the secondaries dark brown on their inner irebs, golden-hroivn on the outer : tail golden-brown, with a reddish shade on the outer webs of the lateral feathers : ear-coverts and cheeks brown, with a faint greenisll-grey shade, and having narrow pale buff shaft streaks: throat light brown crashed ivith greenish-grey and having darker edges to the feathers : remainder of the under surface pale yellow washed with bluish-yreen,, all the feathers having a spot in the centre and a broad submarginal edging of blackish-brown, the bluish-green wash being darker on the sides of the body : bill dark brown tinged with olive; legs and feet olive-white; iris deep bine. Total length in the frih J. .'-5 inches, iving f!-f>, tail 4't>, exposed portion of bill 0-9, tarsus IS-'i. Distribution. — Eastern Queensland, Eastern New South Wales, \'ictoria. WITIIOL'T exception, the bo\ver-buildin,t; birds of Australia are the most extraordinary and interesting group of birds found in the world. It is true that many species form beautiful nests for the reception of their eggs, and rearing their young, but in no instance is bird-architecture perfected so much as is seen in the wonderfully constructed play-houses or courting-bowers of the family Ptilonorhynchidae. The love of the beautiful is always displayed by these birds in the formation and manner of adornment of their playing-places, ^from the primitive bower made bv the Regent Bower-bird in the northern coastal brushes of New South Wales, to the commodious and aesthetically decorated structure formed by Newton's Bower-bird in the tropical scrubs of the table-lands and mountain peaks of North-eastern Queensland. The Satin Bower-bird is the commonest species of this interesting family, being distributed throughout the coastal scrubs and contiguous mountain ranges of Eastern and South-eastern Australia, from Rockingham Bay in Queensland to the Qtway Forest in \'ictoria. The whole of the rich coastal brushes of New South Wales, however, may be regarded as the stronghold of this species, localities in which many wild fruit and berry -bearing trees abound, its range extending inland as far as the western slopes of the Blue Mountains. In that coastal belt of palm brush between Ourimbah and Wyong, on the northern side of the Hawkesbury River, these birds are usually plentiful during the late autumn and winter months, congregating in large flocks in company with Cat-birds and Regent Bower-birds to feast upon the abundance of wild fruit and berries. Allowing for their being accompanied by their young, and that it is the third or fourth season before the male acquires its full adult plumage, one cannot help being struck with the large proportion in the sombre livery of the female and young male. I also noted the same fact when in South Gippsland, \'ictoria, where these birds used to be fairly numerous before the undergrowth had been cleared by selectors or devastating bush-fires. Wild fruits and berries constitute the greater portion of the food of this species, and it is very partial to the berries of the ink-weed and the stinging-tree, to which diet is added insects of various kinds. During the summer and autumn months the Satin Bower-birds congregate in large flocks in orchards, and commit great havoc in the crops, attacking principally the softer kinds of fruit, such as mulberries, peaches, apricots, bananas, oranges, and mandarins. They also even pick a hole in the rind of lemons to extract the somewhat acid and juicy pulp. Mr. J. A. Boyd informs me that near Eden, these birds do considerable damage when the maize is just formed in the cob. The usual notes of the male resemble the noise made by small rapidly running cog-wheels, accompanied by a deep hissing sound, this is followed by some very sweet clear notes, or those of other birds are imitated, for they are excellent mimics. This is generally uttered when paying attention to the opposite sex at the bower. With the exception of a harsh note of alarm. 38 PTILOSORIIYSCIIID.K. common to both sexes, the female does not call like the male. I have liad for some time a fine old male in confinement that was formerly in the possession of Mr. Hugh Thomson for two years prior to his giving it to me, and it still imitates tiie notes of manv species frecjuenting its previous haunts. This bird was captured while feasting upon mulberries in a garden at Burrier, in the Shoalhaven District, on the 26th December, 1896. .\t that time it was in the parti-coloured greenish-grey and purjilish-black plumage of the immature male. Further progress towards maturity was made during the next moult in tlie following March and .\prii, but its fully adult purplish-black male plumage was not assumed until it had again moulted, twelve months later. In the same locality Mr. Thomson, at the latter end of December, 1899, succeeded in capturing two young ones that were just able to flutter out of a nest, built in an Acacia. The female used to visit and feed them constantly while they were kept in a cage in the garden, dropping an insect or a berry sometimes a few feet away, and calling and trying to allure them from their captivity. On placing the cage in a room with the window left open, the female entered and was secured; but although supplied with the same kind of food, she was deaf to the entreaties of her hungry brood, and eventually managed to escape. One of the yt>ung ones died, and Mr. Thomson gave me the other, which proved to be a female, and is now about two years old. When the cage of the old male is placed opposite to and almost touching that of the female, the former goes through all the antics of this species usually performed at the bower. As I write, he is with lowered head, pufl'ed out body feathers, and slightly spread wings, paying court to the female, and uttering his peculiar machinery-working-like notes. This is followed by a perfect imitation either of the notes of Lewin's Honey-eater, Pennant's Parrakeet, Yellow- tailed Black Cockatoo, Pied Crow-shrike, or Lyre-bird, or the low sweet notes of a flock of Acanthiza. He is also a good ventriloquist, and I have often been misled by him, thinking that the notes proceeded from birds in the bush opposite to the house. Fre(]UL'ntlv thev are uttered while he has a stone, feather, flower, or twig in his bill, and he is quietly hopping apparently unconcerned about the cage. The mimicry begins, as a rule, immediately after his own peculiar notes are uttered, and seldom does he imitate the notes of more than one species without ceasing. The notes he mimics to absolute perfection are those of ihe White-throated Tree-creeper, the shrill "pink, pink, pink," being as natural as if the latter bird were caged. He usually calls early in the morning in the spring and summer months, and seldom unless placed opposite the cage of the female, or before a mirror: in autunm and winter he is almost silent. Bananas form the principal portion of the food of this pair of birds, alternated with berries of the ink-weed, milk-thistles, cake, and soft biscuits of any kind. They are extremely fond of green peas (which they are adepts in shelling), fruit and thistles, and a turf of freshly- cut sweet green grass. Occasionally their diet is varied with finely chopped meat, or insects; the latter they carefully crush to pieces before attempting to swallow them. The old male is very tame, and will feed out of my hand, but the female is rather shy. Both bathe frequently, especially in the summer months. These birds have very powerful bills, and all objects within reach on the ground, and small enough to enter, are drawn by them into their cages. The female is somewhat mischievous, and delights in taking in her bill a tea-cup full of water, or bread and milk, and turning it over almost as soon as it is placed in the cage. When wishing to be fed, she makes a noise by taking the cup in her bill and dropping it about from one end of the cage to the other. The peculiar habit of the family Ptilonorhynchidje in forming bowers or play-grounds was made known by the late Mr. Gould, from an example first brought under his notice in the .\ustralian Museum, Sydney, during his visit to .\ustralia in 1838-9. It was the work of the present species, and was presented to the Trustees by Mr. Charles Coxen, of Brisbane. So interested was Mr. Gould in this structure, that he determined on visiting the haunts of the Satin Bower-bird, and was successful in finding several of their bowers in the brushes of the PTII.OXORIIYNCHUS. 39 Liverpool Range. These were afterwards figured and accurately described by fiim in his splendid work on the Birds of Australia. The bovver, or play-house, is built on the ground, generally in scrub, and placed near a fallen log or moss-covered rock. .\ space is cleared in the undergrowtii from two to three feet in diameter, which is covered with a layer of thin sticks and twigs to a depth of three inches. In the centre of tiiis platform, which is slightly higher and slopes gradually to the sides, two parallel walls formed of thin curved sticks and twigs are built, the base of the walls being thicker and the inner portion of the bower resembling in form an inverted horse-shoe. Great variation e.\ists in the shape and size of these walls. In some the twigs of which they are formed meet or cross one another at the top, forming an arch; others are nearly upright, while not infrequently the top of the walls is wider apart than the base; and in several 1 have examined the inner portion was concave, narrowing towards either end. The walls at the base measure from ten inches to two feet in length, and are as a rule narrower at the top, twelve to fourteen inches in height, and externally ten to twelve inches in breadtli at tlie entrance. Internally they measure at either end from four to six inches, which gradually widen out in the centre of some, from six to eight inches. Scattered over the platform are loose twigs, and about the entrance of the bower bits of bleached bone, land shells, pieces of moss, berries, and bright feathers, one or more of the latter, and chiefly the rigid wing or tail feathers of Pennant's and the Rose-hill Parrakeets being worked into the sides of the bower. Since the advent of settlers in Australia, any bright or glistening article is used by these birds to ornament their play -grounds. A bower which was tenanted by several birds the greater part of the year, and close to the house where I stayed during my visits to South Gipps'and, was, with the exception of a few land shells, entirely decorated by bits of broken crockery and glass. .Another, obtained by Mr. .\. P. Kemp and Mr. E. R. Waite, in the Dondingalong scrubs sixteen miles from Kempsey, on the Macleay River, had the cast skin of a small snake worked into the front of one of the walls, and was ornamented with a few bits of green moss, dead leaves, and dried sprays of flowers. This is one of the smallest bowers I have seen of this species, measuring only ten inches at the base of the walls, eight inches at the top, and internally three and a half indies at either entrance, widening out to five inches and a half near the centre. It differs, too, in having the platform of twigs on which it is built strewn over with a species of yellow sedge, resembling straw; a female was procured at this structure. A bower found in the damp scrubs near Jenolan Caves, by Mr. J. C. W'iburd. and forwarded by him to the Trustees of the .\ustralian Museum, had among the usual decorations six specimens of a then unnamed and well marked variety of land shell, which Mr. C. Hedley has since distinguished as Thersites giilosa, Gould, var. depyessa/'- This bower will be found figured in Dr. Sharpe's " Monograph of the Paradiseida; and Ptilonorhynchida;." At these bowers or avenue-like structures, the sexes meet and disport themselves, chasing one another through their play -ground and stopping now and again to alter, or add, some new decoration. The males assume at times some grotesque attitudes. With head lowered, feathers of the neck erect, drooping wings, and tail-feathers expanded, they move about the bower or pay attention to the females, more especially during the pairing season. The nest is usually built in the fork of a tree, at a height varying from six to forty feet from the ground. Not infrequently it is placed in the upright branches of a Loranthus, growing from the top of an horizontal branch : — a favourite -site with members of the allied genus Chlamydodci-a. In the coastal districts of New South Wales, the dififerent species of Casiiarina are chiefly selected as nesting-sites, and occasionally Acacias. I knew of one built in an orange-tree, and another in an apple-tree; both being within hand-reach. Inland, on the Blue Mountains, the Prickly Box I Buysavia spinosa), is a favourite nesting-site, the spiny dried twigs of this tree being often used in the outer construction of the nest. • Rec. Aust. Mus.,.Vol. iv., p. 2Z, (1901). 40 PTILON'ORdY.NCIlID.i;. The latter is an open saucer-shaped structure, formed externally of long thin twigs and lined inside with dried Eucalyptus leaves. Externally it averages elexen inches in diameter by a depth of four inches and a half; internally six inches in diameter by one inch and a half in depth. Two is the usual number of eggs laid for a sitting, three occasionally, and sometimes only one. None of the eggs of the family Ptilonorhynchidae vary so much in shape, colour, character, and disposition of their markings as those of the Satin Bower-bird. On Plate B. II., Figures 1 and 2, are those I consider fairly typical specimens. One is oval in form and of a rich cream ground colour, uniformly blotched, spotted, and dotted with different shades of umber-brown and similar underlying markings of dull bluish-grey, the texture of the shell being fine and its surface slightly glossy : — Length i-7xi-2 inches. The other, of not so common a type, is elongate oval, and of a similar ground colour, with large irregular shaped blotches and a few dots of dark umber-brown sparingly and unevenly distributed over the shell, some of the markings having almost an inky hue : — Length i-8xi"2 inches. These specimens, ex- ^ cept for their larger size, closely resemble the eggs of Oriolus sagittatiis, and are of the usual type found in (iii)psland, N'ictoria. Similar in colour, but \arying considerably in the character of the markings, are speci- mens taken in the Illa- warra District of New South Wales. Short wavy irregular lines, and blurred figures like those on some specimens of Sericulus melinus take the place of blotches and spots on the common type: — Length i-8xi-i3 inches. Another egg from the same district has large clouded patches of dull violet and purplish-grey appearing as if beneath the surface of the shell: — Length 1-75 xri inches. Tw-o eggs, taken by Mr. A. P. Kemp near West Kempsey, in December, 1896, are of a pale creamy-white ground colour, with a few bold irregular-shaped linear streaks, and spider-shaped markings of dark umber-brown, intermingled with similar underlying markings of bluish-grey, which are confined entirely to the larger end of the shell: — Length (A) 1-72 x 1-2 inches; (B) i-^ x 1-23 inches. Another set is elongate oval in form and very pointed at the smaller end, of a faint cream ground colour, with long, streaky linear, right and acute angled markings, and small blurred patches of umber-brown and similar underlying markings of dull violet-grey: — Length (A) 178 x i-i6 inches; (B) 175 x i-i6 inches. The character of the markings on the latter set resembles that frequently seen on the eggs of Sterna bergii. The nest figured was taken near McEwan Creek, one mile from Jenolan Caves. Two nests were found, one on the 9th, the other on the i8th December, 1898. They were both built in thick lichen-covered forks of Bursayia spiiwsa, about ten feet from the ground, and each contained a single incubated egg. NEST AMI i;(;<;s OK .S.\T1N' HOWKK-HI HI). CHLAMYDODKRA. 41 This species is ;i late breeder, eg^s seldom hein^' obtained before tlie middle of No\ember, and in some seasons as late as the end of January. Young males are similar in plumage to the adult female. Immature or parti-coloured males show the adult plumage of the two sexes, but the old greyish-green body feathers are duller in colour than in the adult female. In three semi-adult males now before me all the new purplish-black body feathers, as well as those of the wings and tail, were acquired bv a direct moult. Some of the primaries and black tail feathers are only two-thirds of the length of the dull golden-brown remaining feathers. In another specimen exhibiting a further progress towards maturity, the whole of the plumage is purplish-black, except on the rump, thighs, and abdomen; on these parts the full adult plumage is being gradually acquired bv a change of colour in the feathers. O-en-as CIEaiXj-.f^I^^'mDOIDEIK-A., Gould. Chlamydodera maculata. SPOTTED BUWER-BIKU. Calodera maculata, Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc, I83G, p. lOG. Chlamydern macidata, Gould, Bds. Austr., fol.. Vol. IV., pi. 8 (1848). Chlamydodera macidata, Gould, Haadbk. Bds. Austr.. Vol. I., p. -tlO (1865); Sharpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. .Mus., Vol. VI., p. 389 (1881). Adult male — General colour above dark brou-a: each feather of the mantle, scapulars, back, rump, and upper tail coverts ivith a rounded spot of laivny-buff at the tip, some of the Jealhers of the mantle with lighter edges; wing coverts like the back; primaries brown, externally edged and narrowly tipped ivilh bujfy-rvhite ; secondaries brown, viirgined and largely tipped with rich huff, the outer series being also narroivly edged with ivhite near the ends of their shafts; tail Jeathers brown, edged with light brown and tipped with rich buff which passes into white at the extreme ends of the feathers ; feathers of the head and sides of the neck lawny -buff with narrow blackish edges, (hose on the crown with silvery tips; on the nape a band of beautiful rosy-lilac plumes which have a rich opalescent lustre; hind neck umber-brown : cheeks- pale buffy-white with broiva edges to all the feathers; throat buff, with blackish-brown edges to the feathers; centre of the chest, breast, and abdomen, pale creamy-buff, becoming paler on the sides, which are crossed with dusky broirn transverse bars: tinder tail coverts pale taivny-buff, each feather margined with pale creamy-buff and crossed with two narrow blackish-brown bars; bill blackish brown slightly tinged with olive; legs olive-green, the feet darker; iris broirn. Total length in the ffesh, 12 inches, wing -JS, tail J^2o, bill 0-9, tarsus l-'i. Adult female — Similar in plumaye to the male, but destitute of the rose-lilac plumes on tlie nape, ivhich is like the head. Distribnlion. — Oueenshmd. Xew South Wales, \'ictoria. South .\ustralia. ^^HE Spotted Bower-bird is essentially an inhabitant of the inland portions of Queens- land, New South Wales, and \'ictoria, its range in the former State extending nearer to the coast, specimens having been obtained by Mr. George Masters at Gayndah in 1863. It is more abundantly distributed in the western and north-western districts of New South Wales, and is equally numerous in the adjoining portions of South-western Queensland. At Sandy Creek, near Cobar, these birds are fairly plentiful; and further west, for the last quarter of a century, Mr. James Ramsay, at Louth, Wilgaroon, and Tyndarie, has 42 FTILOSORIiySCIlID.T:. frequently obtained them, also their nests and e<,'gs. South-east of Cobar. the late Mr. K. H. Bennett obser\ed this species throughout the whole of the scrubby arid country lying between the Lachlan and Darling Rivers, its range extending tln'oughout Ri\erina into Xorth-westem Victoria. In the northern portions of Xew South Wales, I found it frequenting the scrubs in the neighbourhood of the Xamoi and Gwydir Rivers; and doubtless, as in Gould's time, it is still fairly numerous in the undisturbed scrubby ranges I passed by at Breeza to the northward of the Liverpool Plains. At Xarrabri, it visits the fruit gardens along the Xamoi in small flocks during the autumn months, and its nest and eggs have been taken at Little Mountain, about a mile east of the town. At "Wilga," near Moree, I also observed it in Mr. C. J. IMclNIaster's garden. Mr. McMaster, whose official duties necessitated his periodically visiting Collarenebri and Walgett, informed me that while driving over the intervening wide expanse of country, he observed these birds and their bowers, in nearly every favourable situation. The egg, or rather portion of an egg-shell, found on Ash Island, at the mouth of the Hunter River, in 1861, and formerly attributed by me ■■ to this species, is undoubtedly that of the Regent I iower-bird. Mr. John MacGillivray for- warded, among others, authentic eggs of the Spotted Bower-bird, said to have been taken near Grafton, in September, 1864. During my \isit to the Clarence River District, in 1898, I was struck with the character of the country and the vegetation from the river's mouth to the head of navigation as being one of the very last places I should have expected to have met with this species. Mr. George Savidge, of the Upper Clarence, has also favoured me with the following note: — "I have never seen or heard of the Spotted Bower-bird being found on the northern coastal rivers. Some years ago I made a very fair representative collection of the birds frequenting tlie Clarence and Bellinger River Districts, but I never saw it, or met with any person that had, although I have often made inquiries from those who take an interest in our birds. Xone of the Clarence River or Orara River natives I have questioned have seen it, and I ha\e been a keen observer of bird-life here for nearly twenty years." Nevertheless it is possible that MacGillivray, who ■was a careful observer, did obtain the eggs in the neighbourhood, probably during a period of excessive drought inland, when many species are driven to the coastal districts, for of recent years Mr. Savidge has observed and obtained at Copmanhurst, two well-known plain-frequenting species, the Bustard ( Eupodotis australis), and the Chestnut-eared P'inch ( Taiiiopygia casfaiwtis ), as well as procured the nests and eggs of the latter. I met with the Spotted Bower-bird about one hundred and fifty miles due west of Copmanhurst, but, if it is found at all in the northern coastal districts east of the Xew England Range, it can only be regarded as a rare or accidental visitor. SPOTTED BOWER-BIRD. •Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W., (Second Series). Vol. i., p. 1158 (1886). CIIL AMVDUIlKHA. 43 Consequent upon Dr. Ramsay's examination of the type oi Clilantydodcvn occipitalis, m the ISritish Museum, in 1883. in which lie shared the hehef previously held by Dr. R. B. Sharpe/'= that it was only a fine old adult male of C. nuuulntn, the ranf;;e of the latter species was extended to Cape York. • The tvpe of C. occipitalis was stated by Mr. H. W. Janson. the dealer who sold it to Gould in Januarx', 1S72, to ha\'e formed part of a collection made by Mr. Jardiue at Port Albany, North Australia. I am of the opinion that the bird was obtained in Western Xew South Wales. If Gould's figure of this species in his "Birds of New Guinea"; is not an exagg;erated one, it differs from C. mnculata in not only having a larger frill on the nape, but in ha\ing it surrounded by a blackish-brown band distinctly spotted with white. The latter, however, was probably done by the artist to enhance the distinctive character of the frill, for in Dr. Sharpe's "Monograph of the Paradiseidas and Ptilonorhynchida- " the same figure is used, but this band and its markings are much more subdued in form and colour. I have a specimen now before me, otherwise agreeing with Gould's figure of this species. It is a fine old adult freshly moulted male of C. maculata, and was obtained by Mr. James Ramsay, near Louth, in Western New South Wales. Wing, 6 inches. Mr, J. .\. Thorpe informs me that when at Somerset, in 1867, he saw Mr. F. Jardine shocjt at a species of Chlamvdodcra that was sitting on a fence near his house, and which eventually fell into some tall grass about a hundred yards away. By a diligent search, the former succeeded in finding the bird whicli, he states, was a male of the large pink-naped species then known as C. nuchalis. but since separated by Gould under the name of C. oricntaUs. Mr. Thorpe obtamed another similar specimen in open grassy country about fifteen miles from Cape York. 1 he Spotted Bower-bird iC. maculataj, or the species described by Gould under the name of C. occipitalis, he did not meet with during his se\enteen months' residence in the Cape York District. Mr. Bertie L. Jardine also informs me that C. oncntalis is the only pink-naped Bower-bird that he has met with on the Cape York Peninsula. Personally I have never handled a properly localised specimen of C. inaciilata from further north than Leilavale Station, on the Fullerton River, about thirty miles east of Cloncurry, where. Dr. W. Macgillivray informs me, these birds are not uncommon, and nest during the wet season, January and February, generally in Gidyea scrub. Doubtless its range may extend to the southern portion of the adjoining district of Cook, and of which the Cape York Peninsula forms the northern extremity. In South Australia, the Spotted Bower-bird is apparently a rare species, and appears to be confined to the Murray River scrubs, a situation similar to that in which it is found in the adjoining portion of North-western Victoria. Neither Dr. A. M. Morgan, nor Mr. A. Zietz, the Assistant-Director of the South Australian Museum, have met with it in South Australia. Reply- ing to an inquiry of mine, Mr. Zietz writes as follows:— "In regard to Chlamydodcra maculata. we have no specimens from this State in our Museum Collection. All I know about its occurrence in South .\ustralia is the information received from a settler, resident at Morgan, on the Murray River, who with his son was visiting the Museum. On showing them our collection of bird- skins, both recognised at once C. maculata as a species known to them as 'Cabbage-birds,' from their destructive habit of eating the leaves of those plants in their kitchen garden, and which these birds were constantly visiting. In looking over some lists for further evidence, I found that six specimens were obtained in the scrub at Overland Corner, on the Murray River, in 1883, by the late Mr. F. W. Andrews, a collector of the South .Australian Museum. I myself have ne\er seen any specimens of C. maculata, with a statement where they had been collected, except some two dozen skins obtained by the late Mr. James Cockerell, in the Murray River scrubs, near Mildura, \'ictoria." Mr. Zietz has kindly forwarded me the list of specimens ' Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., 'Vol, vi„ p. 390 (1881), t Proc, Linn. Soc X.S.W., (Second Series), Vol. i., p. 1157 (i»86?. Tab. List .\ust. Bds., p. 11 (18SS). ; Bds, New Guinea, Vol, i., pi, 45 (1879). 44 PTILONOUIIYNCHID.K. collected by the late Mr. F. W. Andrews at Overland Corner. It consists chielly of the usual species found in the same situations as the Spotted ISower-hird freijuents in the southern limits of its ranj^e. Overland Corner is about thirty-five miles in a direct line from the \ictorian border, and about one hundred miles from Mildura. in the latter State. There are two unlocalized specimens of C. iiuniiidta in the .\ustralian Museum collection, obtained by the late Mr. S. White in South .\ustralia. This species evinces decided preference for open grassy plains, interspersed with low bushes, or belts of timber and scrub. Usually it is met with in pairs or small companies in the neigh- bourhood of its plav-house, when it is extremely shy and difficult to get near, unless, when disturbed, one secrets oneself in the \ icinitv of the bower and awaits its return. \\ hen resorting with its progeny in flocks after the breeding season is over, to the neiglibouring orchards or gardens, it is more easily obtained: so also is it during periods of drought, when it will visit stations and farni-liouses in search ot water. Mr. R. Orant succeeded in getting manv specimens on ( ilenariff Station, between Coolabah and Byrock, in i.S8g, principally through a device resorted to by a kangaroo-hunter, Mr. lulmund Parker, a native of the district. The latter, knowing that red has a powerful attraction for these birds, although none were at that time seen in the neighbourhood, threw a red ll.mnel blanket he had in his tent over the branch of a W'ilga tree. In less than an hour, a male and a female alighted close to the blanket, and began to examine it in their inquisiti\e manner, when they rapidly fell at the discharge of Mr, Grant's gun; many others, on dilfeient parts of the rim, were secured in a similar way. Later on, at lUickiinguy Station, Mr. (irant, while collecting on behalf of the Trustees of the .\ustralian Museum, in J ime. i^\)J, succeeded in obtaining several females, young males, and one of their bowers. While there he observed seven fine old adult males in (apli\'itv, that had been snared with horse hair nooses, at the bowers, of which there were thirteen known at that time to be on the run. The note it utters when disturbed is a liarsh and grating one, like that of the Satin Bower-bird, and the introduced Indian 'Slynn I A cfidol heirs ti'istis): when near its bower, or sitting (]uietlv in a tree, a low plaintive noise is made, like the mewing of a kitten. ,\s is now well known, and was pointed out by me years ago, this bird is an excellent mimic of the notes of other species, and of any sound it may hear. Nevertheless I believe this kitten-like scjueal is one of its natural notes, for 1 ha\e also heard it uttered by a young Satin Bower-bird I have in my possession, that had only left the nest a few weeks before, and had no o]iportunity, even if it were able, to acquire this feline call. About Moree the male Spotted Bower-bird imitates to perfection the liquid-like notes of the 1 Slack-throated Crow-shrike, the shrill call of the Kose- breasted Cockatoo, the plaintive but clear note of the Peaceful Dove, and the whirring-like noise made by the Crested Bronze-wing Pigeon during flight. It is needless to enumerate the different species it successfullv mocks, for not only does it imitate the notes of many birds in the vicinity, but the barking of a dog, wood-chopping, the crack of a wlii)): -in fact any sound it may hear that is often repeated. Wild fruits, berries, and insects, constitute the usual food of this species, but it is \ery destructixe in gardens, eating nearly every kind of cultixated fruit anti berries, being especially fond ot chilies, and the seeds of the introduced Pepper jilant (Silninn mollc i. In the stomachs of the specimens I have examined, I also found portions of unripe tomatoes, grape-skins and seeds, and whole raisins. Others were filled entirely with the heads, legs, and elytra of coleopterous insects. Like the Satin Bower-bird, in confinement this bird will eat almost an)thing: -bread, cake, fruit, meat, insects, etc. 45 CHLAMYDOUERA. The bowers of this species are built generally near or under the shelter of a bush m the scrub or in clumps dotted over the plains. In Northern and North-western New South \\ ales thev are frequently constructed under the shade of a Lemon-bush (Canthium olafohnm), or a Currant-bush (Apophyllum anom.lum ), 3.nA are occasionally further sheltered above by a WKle-spreadmg wilga, belar, or myall. They are larger, more arched in form and more highly decorated tluan the bower of PHlonovhynchus violaceus. The two walls, formed of slightly curved twicrs stuck upright into a platform of twigs firmly trodden into the ground, frequently meet or c ols each other at the top, but more often they are nearly parallel. The walls at the base are thick, and the inner portion, which is usually lined with dried grass-stalks is nicely rounded at the bottom. At either entrance the bower is profusely decorated with the bleached banes of mammals and birds, land and fresh-water shells, pebbles, pieces of glass, berries seeds, etc.; in the centre are generally a few stones, berries, shells, or bits of glass. Metallic substances, too, possess a great attraction for these birds, and they will readily enter tents and houses in the more thinW settled districts to procure them. Scissors, knives, plated spoons and forks, thimbles, coins, etc'are frequently pilfered, and carried off to their bowers. At one of their play-houses, on a station near Collarenebri, a brooch was found that had been lost for two years Galvanised- iron nails and washers, bits of wire, blades of knives, pieces of bright tin and bottle capsules are common metallic decorations, but of course they vary according to their environment. The size of the playground averages from four and a half feet to six feet m length, and rom three to four feet in breadth, the disposition of the decorations materially affecting its length, bones and .lass, which form their chief part, may be scattered around close to either entrance, or depotited in large heaps, sometimes in a straight line at either end of the structure, or in a para line with the walls at one end. The walls measure fron. eighteen to thirty-six mches Z length at their base, being as a rule narrower at the top, their average height measuring from ten to fourteen inches. Unusual shaped bowers are sometimes found. One on Ikickiinguy StationMr. Grarit informs me, is curved like a boomerang, owing to a branch of the bush under which it is built interfering with the bird's making it straight. .Vnother, found near Cobar, was formed of curved twigs, as usual, which met near the top, and recurving again formed a second bower above, much smaller than the one underneath. The lower bower measured about two feet in length, and the one on top-which was in the centre^one foot. It was decorated with bones, fresh- water shells, and a few of F:iey's brass cartridge-cases. Twic^s with or without a lining of dried grass-stalks, constitute the tisual material with which the walls are constructed. ' During my visits to Northern and ^-^'^^f ?- !;2 South Wales I found, however, that the walls of the bowers m those parts of the State were more frequently formed entirely of dried grass-stalks. This was first brought under my notice by Mr. C. J. McMaster, then of " Wilga," near Moree, who pointed out to me a bower on ;lbolLolla stition. It was built near the edge of a belt of timber on the P -ns un er a large Currant-bush (Apophyllum anomalum), overgrown with a creeper known m the district by the aboriginal name of "Nepine," and bearing long spikes of beautiful white ^^^^^^^^ resembling orange-blossom. The walls were constructed entirely of Spear-grass (SUpa etaca), on a slight foundation of very thin twigs. It measured eighteen inches m length fourteen inches i . breadth at the base, and twelve inches across the heads o the grass-stalks 1^ height of the walls being twelve inches. The run was well trampled down and cleanly s.ept at :ither end and around the sides of the bower ; and, owing to the disposition o ^^^^^^^^^^ which consisted of three neatly made and piled up heaps, was nearly six ^-^ ^ -f " ^^ '^^ awav from the entrance at one end was about a bucket-tuU of glass; -'i' ^^ ^^^^^ ' ;^ buckets-full of bleached bones. In a direct line, six inches away from the ^eap of glas was another same-si.ed heap of bones, with which were intermingled a few nuts of the Grome-tree 46 PTILONOKHYNCHID,!:. (Oivenia acidiila). Just inside the entrance were some siliceous stones, and bits of coloured glass, and in the centre a few freshly picked berries. During my absence from the bower, Mr. McMaster saw one of the birds enter it, but on my shooting in the neighbourhood it flew away. A bower with similar walls was constructed under a large orange-tree in Mr. McMaster's orchard during August and September of i8g8. Four birds frequented the place, but it was impossible to tell how many assisted in the construction of the bower. The decorations consisted principally of small pebbles, with which were intermingled a few bits of white and dark red flannel picked up near the house. Mrs. McMaster informed me that on Millie Station, midway between Narrabri and Moree, she introduced some buttons and marbles among the decorations of one of these play-houses, but they were speedily removed by the birds, several of them being found afterwards on different parts of the run. I have heard of bright coins and other articles, placed in the bowers, being rejected in a similar manner. Many interesting evolutions are performed in and around these bowers, more particularly by the males. Standing on tip-toes, with lowered head and the pink frill on the nape erect, the male will run, sometimes sideways, through and around the bower, st()])])ing jierhaps to alter a decoration, or to tiirow up his wing, or lie down on his side. K'unning with drooping wings and tail is probablv the cause why many of the birds of this lamily are found with the feathers of those parts so much abraded. The bower figured, which is a fairly typical one, was obtained by Mr. K. Grant at 1 Suckiinguy Station. The decorations consist of bones, bits of glass, glass stoppers, seed cones and pods, berries, nuts, shells of the large fresli-water mussel { Unio ncpcamnsis ) and of a fresh- water snail (Vivipara siiprafasciata). The walls at the base measure twenty-four inches in length ; at the top twenty inches, with an average height of eleven inches. \\'idth at entrance, eighteen inches; thickness of walls at base, four inches and a half; distance between the walls inside, nine inches. Mr. A. S. Read, of New Angledool, writes me as follows, under date February 19th, 1899: — "The Spotted Bower-birds, or ' Weetah,' as they are called by the aborigines in this district, are very wary if they know that j'ou are watching them, or wish to approach near them by stealth ; otherwise, when feeding on fruit or playing about their bower, they will come within a few feet and carefully examine the buttons on one's clothes. They are very fond of figs and grapes, also pepper seeds. Some Chinese who have a garden near here, shot about twenty of these birds last month as they were eating all their fruit. l"re(]uently one of these birds will sit in a tiiick shady tree, and imitate any bird or sound it hears, crows, hawks, dogs, cats, etc., to perfection. In \ery dry seasons, as in 1S9S, the Spotted Bower-birds rarely breed at all." Later on, Mr. Read forwarded to the Museum three males in the flesh which he had shot on the i6th June, and writes: — "The bower of these birds is about four hundred yards from my house. The walls of it are formed of long thin twigs, and there is a large heap of bones all of the same shape (probably vertebrae of sheep) at one end, and a similar heap of glass at the other, with a few nuts and berries in the centre of the bower. There were four birds playmg in the bower this morning, and it grieved me to shoot those I have sent you. It is a pretty sight to see them tossing pieces of glass about and performing all sorts of antics." Two of the males are in beautiful plumage, with very fine and well developed rose-pink nuchal plumes, and are now mounted in the Group collection. The other specimen has only a small square patch of rose-pink feathers in the centre of the nape, measuring 0-7 inch. The nest of this species is an open and nearly flat structure, having only a slight depression in the centre. It is formed of dried twigs, loosely interlaced, and has a slight lining of finer twigs, to which are sometimes added a few dried grass-stalks. Usually it is very scantily built, and when occupied the eggs or young are visible through the bottom of the nest. An average CIILAMVDODERA. 47 nest measures externally seven inches in diameter by two inches and a half in depth. The nesting- sites usually selected are on horizontal branches, sometimes in a Lovanthus growing from the upper side, or where a few thin upright leafy branchlets spring out; the crown of a low densely foliaged tree; and in thick bushes. In Northern and North-western New South Wales, they are usually found in the different species of eucalypti, leopard-trees, myalls, wilgas, pines, and in the prickly " Wait-a-while," or Orange-bush (Capparis mitchclli). The eggs are usually two, sometimes three in number, and, like those of all the species of this genus, are remarkable for the beauty of their markings. In shape they vary from oval to elongate-oval, and in ground colour from a \ery delicate greenish-grey to dull ochraceous-green, which is more or less covered with \\a\y irregular thread-like and zig-zag lines of umber and blackish -brown wound round and round the shell, intermingled witii loops, scrolls, figures, and a few bold, thick wavy streaks of a darker hue, and similar hne underlying markings, varying from dull violet to purplish -grey. Some specimens have the linear markings very distinct, appearing as if they had been placed on the shell with a pen dipped in colours of various hues ; others have underlying clouded blotches of faint violet-grey, and the markings on the outer surface consisting of thick, short, zig-zag, or wavy blurred streaks. Some eggs have the markings uniformly and evenly distributed over the surface, others have them confined principally to the larger end. Nearly all have a few bolder ink-like streaks or spots on some part of the shell. In a specimen now before me, the linear markings are ail blackish-brown, and overlie on the larger end a distinct cap formed of coalesced pale umber-bro\vn blotches. Another has the surface markings very faint and uniformly distributed over the shell in a network of delicate tracery. Three eggs from different sets measure as follows: — Length (A) 1-55 x 1-03 inches; (B) i-65xi-o8 inches; (C)i-58xi-i inches. Two sets of two measure respectively: — (A) 1-55 x ri inches; (B) 1-55 x i-og inches : — (A) 1-5 x 1-07 inches; (B) 1-52 x 1-07 inches. 48 PTILONORHYNCHID.E. A remarkably handsome egg of a set of two in Mr. Joseph Gabriel's collection, is of a very delicate greenish-grey ground colour, boldly marked on the larger half of the shell with irregular linear markings, loops, and scrolls of umber-brown and black, interwoven near the centre with fine black hair lines and similar underlying markings of purplish-grey ; the smaller end, with the exception of a few straggling but conspicuous linear streaks of umber-brown and a single purplish-black spot, being devoid of markings. Length: — 1-56 x i-o8 inches. Figure 4, Plate B. II., is from Mr. G. Savidge's collection, and Figure 5 from Mr. J. Gabriel's collection. October, and the three following months, constitute the usual breeding season of this species in South-eastern Australia. It is probable that the young males, which are at first similar in plumage to the adult female, do not wholly attain the rose-pink frill on the nape until the second season. In June, the adult males are in beautiful plumage, and have the frill well developed. Several young males in the collection obtained during that month at Buckiinguy, have no indication of the frill ; another has only four rose-pink feathers on the nape. A young male shot at New .\ngledool in the same month, together with several very fine adult and fully plumaged males, has only a small square patch of rose-pink feathers on the centre of the nape. Evidently these are young males of the previous season. The description and figure given of the adult male is that of a newly moulted bird. Just prior to the moult the spots on the upper parts and the tips of the primaries, secondaries, and tail feathers, are much- paler and have a washed-out appearance. A specimen in the moult, now before me, exhibits the old feathers on the upper parts W'ith buflfy -white spots, and the new ones with rich tawny-bu(T spots near the ends of the feathers. The basal half of the occipital plumes of some adult males is distinctly tinged with reddish-orange. Chlamydodera guttata. UUITATEU HOWKK-HIKI). Chlami/dera guttata, tJould, Proc. Zool. Soc, 1862, p. 1G2 ; id,, Btls. .\ustr., fol., Siippl., pi. 3.5 (18C9). Chlamydodera guttata, Gould. Handlik, Bis. Austr., Vol. T., p. 4.5.3 (186.5); Sharpe, Cat. Eds. Brit. Mus., Vol. VI., p. 390 (1881); North, Vict. Nat., Vol. XVI, p. 9 (1899). Adult male — Ghneral colour above blackish-broiru, each Jhatlier of the mantle, scapulars, back, rump, and upper tail-coverts with a rounded spot of rich creamy-btiff at the tip; the lesser uing coverts like the back; the median and greater coverts blackish-brown, with rich yell owish-biiff' tips, the latter also margined on their outer wtbs with the same colour ; primaries and secondaries brown, externally edged and all but the outer series of the primaries tipped with pale yellotvish-biiff ; tail feathers dark brown, edged with bufjfy-brown, and tipped with rich buff, which gradually passes into buffy-white on the lateral feathers ; head blackish brown, all the feathers ivith a small rounded spot of tawny-buff near the end and tipped with silvery-white ; on the nape a band of beautiful rosy-lilac plumes with a silvery lustre ; sides of the neck and hind-neck blackish-brown, icith a small rounded spot of rich yellowish-buff at t/ie end of each feather ; throat blackish -brown centred with yellowish-buff on the apical portion of the featliers ; remainder of the under surface creamy-buff, washed with rich buffy- brown on the sides of the body; under tail-coverts creamybvff, the basal portion of some of the feathers having blackish-brou:n cross-bars ; bill black, tinged with olive ; legs olive-green ; feet darker, •nearly black. Total length 10 inches, wing o-7, tail 3'8, bill OSS, tarsus I'o. Adult fem.\le — Similar in plumage to the niah' : but the nape, icliicli is like the head, is destitute of the silvery rose-lilac nuchal plumes. Distribution. — \\'estern -Australia, Central .Vustralia. CHLAMYDOUERA. 49 ^ 3^11 IS very distinct species was described by Gould in 1.S62, from a specimen received from Mr. F. T. Gregory, the well-known Northern and Western Australian explorer. Gould does not give the locality or district where it was obtained, but states that it was collected in Xorth-western Australia. I have searched through the journals of the various expeditions undertaken by the Gregory Brothers in Xorthern and Western Australia, but can find no reference to the specimen or the locality in which it was procured. During the journey of the Elder Exploring Expedition, in 1891-92, Mr. R. Helms obtained three males in the Barrow Range." Since the discovery of the type, this is the only occasion I ha\e known the species to have been obtained in any part of Western Australia. Gould stated it was doubtless this species which constructed the bowers met with by the late Sir George Grey in the sandstone ranges forming the watershed of the streams flowing into the Glenelg and Prince Regent's Rivers. I am certain, howe\er, that Gould's first conjecture that the bowers frequently observed by Grey in this district were fornied by Chlamydodera muinilis, is the correct one. I The latter species is common in the coastal districts of North-western Australia, and from collections formed inland, from King Sound and Cambridge Gulf, is, I know, abundantly distributed in that neighbourhood. The original specimen of C. f^iitUihi was doubtless collected during Mr. F. T. Gregory's expedition to the North-west coast in 1861. He did not proceed further north than the Oakover River, a district rich in its avifauna, and in which several Central Australian forms are found. The liarrow Range, where Mr. Helms obtained his specimens, is not a great distance from the South Australian border; and in similar arid country, a little further north and east in South Australia, this species was again met with, and specimens procured at Glen Edith, bv the members of the Horn Scientific Expedition in Central Australia in 1894. Since the return of the Expedition, 1 have seen several specimens from different parts of Central Australia : and from the subjoined notes of Mr. G. A. Keartland and Mr. C. E. Cowle, it will be seen that the central portion of the continent is the great stronghold of this species. Mr. G. A. Keartland writes to me:— '-During the journey of the Horn Scientific Expedition in Central Australia, we met with the Guttated Bower-bird wherever the native fig-trees xisted. from Alice Springs in the north to Stevenson's Creek in the south. They are very shy, and although their notes were frequently heard amongst the foliage of the fig-trees, they kept well out of sight, only two specimens being obtained at Glen Edith. These birds make the peculiar single note familiar in other members of the genus, especially in C. nmhalis. It is exactly like a noise I have heard opossums make,— half cry, half hiss. Their food consists principally of the fruits of the different species of Ficus, and other trees, alternated occasionally with the viscid berries of the Loranthus. They are also very troublesome in the gardens of the settlers, owing to their love of tomatoes and young vegetables, which they devour as soon as they appear above the ground. .Vlthough usually these birds are very shy, at Owen Springs we were informed that during periods of drought they would come to the water-buckets under the verandah to drink, and become quite fearless of the presence of persons sitting close by. The bowers of this species are usually built near, or under the shelter of a low spreading bush so as to escape the rays of a tropical sun. Several I saw were about three feet from end to end of the run, eight or nine inches wide between the walls, and the latter ten inches high and formed of bits of twigs and grass placed so that the tops of the sides met overhead. All over the floor of the bower, and for a space about two feet at either end were strewn bleached bones, bits of glass, and feathers." Mr. C. E. Cowle, who, in the prosecution of his official duties in different parts of Central Australia, has had unusual facilities for studying the habits of these birds, has also kindly e * Trans. Roy. Soc. South Austr., Vol. xvi., p. 157 (1893). f Grey— Travels in North-west and Western Australia, Vol. i., p. 245 (1841). 60 PTILOSORIIVNCHID.E. favoured me with the following notes : — " There are numbers of Guttated Bower-birds in most parts of Central Australia I have visited. Those close to Illamurta are very destructive in the garden, eating principally the tomatoes, and ha\e become \ery cunning. One can hear them s(iuealing and chattering at the spring, but on approaching it tiiev are silent, and remain so until one leaves the spot. Two were shot by one of the boys stopping in a 'wurley' we made there for that purpose. They are great mimics, and imitate the notes of Poinafostvmiis siipcriiltosiis and other birds very closely. The bowers are formed of small twigs and cane grass, built upon a platform of the same materials, five or six inches in depth, and trodden perfectly flat. Those I have seen when travelling were decorated chiefly with land-shells, pieces of bone, different berries according; to the season, and a few bright coloured feathers." Mr. Cowle has sent me a sketch of an unusually large and most remarkably formed bower. It is nearly seven feet in length, and in the centre on one side of it, at right angles, has another similar structure, three feet in length, opening into the main a\fnuc or run. Rewrites: — "When we first came here, this bower — about one hundred \ards Irom the spring — was a meeting-place for the Bower-birds; now it is deserted, and only the remains of it are left. It is situated in mallee scrub at the foot of a myrtle-bush, whose low spreading sticks with many leafy branchlels practically cover the entire structure. The shajje is like enclosed sketch, with the runs gradually sloped from the three entrances to the centre, which is slightly more elevated than the remainder. The walls are made of small twigs and cane grass, the run between being irregular and varying from ten inches to a foot in width. When occupied by the birds the decorations varied a lot, but consisted chiefly of bleached snail-shells (generally plentiful under big tussocks of Triodia mttchclli), and small bones of mammals and birds. The entrances to the runs were spread over with berries of the Fig (Finis polypoda). Native Quan- dong ( Sciiitiihiin Icinifoliiliitii), and of a species of whitewood. Later on, after our advent, pieces of glass, odd nails, and bits of bright tin, were intermingled with the other ornaments. Some- times the shells and berries would be arranged along the runs or on the sides of them. The traffic of the stock, howev'er, going in and out of the scrub, hunted the birds away, and I ha\e not .seen any other bower near here." Mr. Keartland informs me that he saw this remarkable structure when in Central Australia with the Horn Scientific lixpedition in 1894. Ever since the return of this Expedition, Mr. Keartland urged his many friends in Central .Vustraiia to try and discover the nest and eggs of tliis species. Bearing on this subject are the following interesting notes received by him from Mr. Cowle: — " Relative to Chlamydodcra ffiittatit, I do not for one moment think that the blacks have any objection to finding and robbing these birds' nests, for they must have slaugiitered over twenty Bower-birds here for me about the garden ; one of the older blacks, who would be more likely to be careful, got five in one day. I believe I found one of their nests during our last trip. We were having dinner on the 28th October, 1898, in one of the valleys south of Mareena Blufl, and got a young Bower-bird just able to fly. It was in one of those scrubby mulgas that throw out so many branches right from the ground. Near the top of this tree, in a clump of silvery-whitish mistletoe, which you must often have noticed up here — not the drooping viscid-leafed one — was an open nest which contained minute frafjments of egg-shell and dried up yolk, which convinced me at least that one egg had been broken. The nest was constructed of a few dry black cotton-bush tops and was loosely lined with coarse dried grass-stalks. Externally it measured eight inches in diameter, and internally about four inches and a half. \'iewed from fielow, the nest would be taken for an unfinished one not worthy of inspection, and I was particularly struck by the amount of ventilation in it when I had it in my hand. Tiie black-boys who were with me were certain it was a Bower-bird's, but I was doubtful if they had seen one before." CllLAMYDODUKA. 51 Mr. James F. l"iekt eventually succeeded in hndiii',' a nest with egt,'s durinj,' the first week in February, 1899, near Alice Springs Telegraph Station. It was similar to the one described above by Mr. Cowle, but was built in a low bush, and contained two eggs. One egg was sent to Mr. Keartland, and by him kindly lent to me for description. This egg, the only one I have seen belonging to this species, is elongate-oval in form, of a faint greenish-grey ground colour, with the usual lahrvinthine net-work of zig-zag wavy hair and thread-like loop-lines, scrolls, and figures, crossing and re-crossing each other, so characteristic of typical eggs of the Chlamydodcva:. In tliis specimen there are but very few underlying markings, nearly all of them bein^ well defined, and appearing as if they liad been placed on the shell with a pen dipped into different shades of umber-brown and violet-grey, the former colour predominating and being more thickly disposed towards the thinner end, where in some places the lines are confluent and form broad irregular-shaped patches, and short wa\y streaks. The shell is close-grained and its surface smooth and lustreless: — Length 1-56 x 1-02 inches. In shape, size, colour, and disposition of its markings, it cannot be distinguished from fairly typical eggs of its near ally C. macidata. This egg is represented on Plate B. II., Figure 7. Chlamydodera nuchalis. GREAT BOWER-BIRD. Ptilonorhynchus nuchalis, Jard. k Selby, III. Orn., Vol. 11., pi. 103 (1830). Chlamydera nuchalis, Gould, Bds. Austr., fob. Vol. IV., pi. 9 (1848). Chlamydodera nuchalis, Gould, Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. 1., p. -118 (1865); Sharpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. VI., p. 391 (I88I). Adult male— &'«n«ra/ colour above dark brown: the feathers uf the back, scapulars, rump, and upper tail coverts broadly margined u-ith ashy-broirii, and those of the mantle gradually passing into dull ashy-brown at the tips; upper wing coverts like the back; primaries and secondaries dark brown, externally edged, and- all but the outer series of the primaries' tipjied irith ashy-white: head and hind neck uniform ashy-brown : on the nape a band of rose-lilac plumgi, the feathers surrounding it being tipped irith silvery-ivhite : sides of the head, neck, and throat, ashy-brown: remainder of the under surface ashy-brown, with a slightly creamy tinge, which is more diitinct on the centre oj the abdomen; tinder tail coverts dull creamy-iahite, with narrow dusky-bro'vn cross-bars : bill blackish- brown; legs and feet dark brown tinged x'ith olive : iris brown. Total length 14 inches, wing 7, tail o '6, bill 1- 15, tarsus I'S. Adult female— ^imikr in plumage to the adult male, but ivithout any rose-lilac band on the nape, whic/i is nsliy-broirn like the head. J)istrihntio7i.—XoYtUem Territory of Soutli .\ustralia. North-western .Australia. /T^Hl-: (ireat Bower-bird was originally described and figured by Jardine and Selby in J- their " Illustrations of Ornithology," as Ptilonorhynchus nmhnlis, but as in other Australian species described and figured by those gentlemen on the two preceding plates, no reference is made to the part of the continent in which the types were obtained. Dr. Ramsay, in his " Tabular List of Australian Birds," states:—" The type of Chlamydodera nmhnlis was first found m North- western Australia, probably during Leichhardt's E.xpedition, by Oilbert; or by Elsey near Port Essington." Leichhardt's overland expedition, however, which Gilbert accompanied, and where he met his death, did not start from Brisbane until 1844, and this species was well known to Mr. Elsey, who was surgeon and naturalist to Mr. A. C. Gregory's North Australian Expedition in 1856. Writing to the late Mr. Gould from the dep6t at the Victoria River, in June, 1856, he states:— "I met with two or three nests ;bowersl of the Bower-bird, C. nuchalis. 52 PTILOSORHYSCHID.E. but no one of ray party has seen the birds."" The expeditions these two gentlemen accompanied, it will be observed, were made many years after the types of C. nuchalis were described. In their description oi Halcyon madeayi, which is the next but one preceding that of Clilnmy- dodera miihalis, ^Messrs. Jardine andSelby afford a clue from whom the types of the latter species were obtained. They write: — "This beautiful species IH. madeayi), with some of the subjects on our following plates, have lately been added to the collection of the Linnean Society by the zeal and industry of Alexander Macleay, Esq., who though ad\anced in years, and far distant, remains still indefatigable in promoting the welfare of the Society where he so long and faithfully performed the duties of Secretary.'" It may not be out of place to mention that the late Hon. Alexander Macleay, F.R.S., F.L.S., was selected by the Earl of Bathurst to proceed to Xew South Wales as Colonial Secretary in 1825. He was devotedly attached to Science, and was a member of the Committee of the Australian !\Iuseum from its first commencement in 1836 until the time of his decease in 1848. Consequent upon the discoveries made during,' the late Sir (jeorge Grey's journey in North-western Australia in 1838, and the survey and exploration of the coast of Northern and North-western Australia by Captain Lort Stokes, in H.M.S. "Beagle" in the same year, the fact was ultimately established that this species is an inhabitant of the Northern and North-western portions of the Australian Continent. Modern research has proved that it is apparently distributed throughout all the coastal districts of North-western and part of Northern Australia. Collecting on behalf of the Trustees of the Australian Museum, Mr. Alexander Morton procured specimens at Yam Creek, near Port Essington; the late Mr. Edward Spalding also obtained it near Port Darwin; and recently Mr. E. Olive secured its nests and eggs on the Katherine River. .\t Cambridge Gulf, M. Octave Le Bon succeeded in netting live birds. Lower down the coast, at Derby, the late Mr. T. H. Bowyer-Bower, in 1886, obtained several specimens. Inland from this place, at the junction of the Fitzroy and Margaret Rivers, Mr. G. .\. Keartland, while a member of the Calvert Exploring Expedition in 1896-7, also secured this species; and from the \\'estern Australian Museum, Perth, specimens have lately been received that were obtained at Broome, Roebuck Bay. the farthest south it has, yet been recorded. Mr. Keartland, who met with this species in North western Australia, writes to me: — ■ "The peculiar notes of the Great Bower-bird were heard along the Fitzroy River, from Derby to the Margaret River. Soon after reaching the former river, in November, I secured a young one, and on mentioning the matter to several gentlemen at the camp, they informed me that a pair had been taken from a nest by a black boy a few weeks previously. This species is very fond of bathing, and will roll in the water until its feathers are thoroughly soaked ; most of the specimens were obtained at the horse-trough near the well, where they came frequently to drink and bathe. They are very tame, and easily shot. Their chief food is the small black native fig, so common in North-western Australia. These birds are seldom seen in company except at their bowers or play-houses, which are formed by spreading a layer of fine twigs for a space of about three feet across which two parallel walls of twigs are constructed with their tops meeting so as to form an avenue. The walls of one I measured were three feet in length by fifteen inches in height. Througli this bower, and all around the structure, large quantities of bleached bones, pieces of glass, quartz, tin, and bright coloured feathers are scattered. The bowers are usually formed under the shelter of spreading bushes, but near the Margaret River one I saw was constructed inside an old native wurlej'. Dr. A. M. House, who has taken photographs of the bowers, writes: — ' My black-boy, who is more intelligent than most nati\es, says these birds lay about October, and that the nests are built in a Bauhinia, and sometimes in a MtlaUica.' This bears out what Mr. Blyth told me, who said that some time ago he saw the Bower-bird on its nest in a Bauhini:! tree near the racecourse." CUr.AMYDODKRA. 53 Subsequently Mr. Keartland informed me that four nests were found by Mr. J. P. Rogers in the gorges of the'orant Ranges, near Upper Lyvermga Station, but only one contained an egg. This n^st was built in a Bauhima tree, about a foot from the ground. Another nest, found by Mr. E. J. Harris on the 6th November. lyoo, near Xobby's Well, Fitzroy River, was also built in a Bauhinia tree, at a height of six'feet from the ground, and eontained-a single egg, which is now in Mr Keartland's collection. The breeding-time, it has since been ascertained, depends upon the season-being mfluenced by the ramfall ; nests having been found from September to December. Regarding this species, ^Ir. E. OliNe has kindly supplied me with the following notes:— '^Chlamydodn-a mtchalis is plentiful in the neighbourhood of the Katherine River, in the Northern Territory of South Australia. I have seen between twenty and thirty feeding m a tree at the same time. Thev are shv vet incjuisitix e. and often would they hop on the ground or branches to within a yard or two of me if 1 kept quiet, (".enerally their bowers are built BOWER OF GKEAT liOWER-BlRD. under the shade of trees, or under small shrubs, out in the open, and near dead timber. At one place where these birds were common there were sexen bowers within a space of fifty yards square, and one getting built which I watched from start to finish. Of the eight, there were only three of them in use; the others were old, although they looked as good as the new ones. 1 he foundation of the new bower was made of sticks laid on the ground almost parallel to one another, to the thickness of about an inch, and then the sticks to form the walls of the bower were inserted in the crevices. The outer measurements of this bower were, roughly, eighteen inches in length and fourteen inches in breadth ; across the inside it measured six inches at its widest part. The decorations were quartz crystals, land shells, and fruit. At another bower I found a revolver-cartridge, with a bullet in it, and some pieces of broken insulator caps I care- fully looked among the articles collected for nuggets of gold, as the birds would pick them up if there were any about. One bower was arched right over, being different to any I have ever seen. 64 PTILIISORIIYNCHID.E. The nests are very roughly formed open structures, built throughout of twigs, averaging from about three to six inches in length, without anv other linint;. < )ne 1 took the measurement of, was eight inches in external diameter bv five inches in depth : internally tour inches in diameter by two inches in depth. This nest was built in the fork of a tree, fifteen feet from the ground. The tree had a bushy top, which was about two feet above the nest ; and underneath the structure was a lot of dead branches, making the nest hardlv discernible. 1 might not have noticed it. only that I saw a bird tiy from that direction when I w^as about one hundred yards off the tree. Other nests were built in mistletoes, thick bushv branches, and in similar places where they could be concealed. The nests were all built in small trees in ridgy country at an height varying from eight to twenty feet from the ground. The birds always left the nests long before I could approach them, and would not return imtil 1 was out of sight. I never found more than one egg in a nest, and never found a nest near ;i bower." .\n egg of this species, taken by Mr. E. Olive, on the iper tail coverts black; upper ?citiff coverts black : first two primaries black, the next three black, orange-yellow on their inner webs, except on tJie apical portion ; tlie r(.inaiiider of the primaries • Abhandl. k. zool. Mus., Dresd., No. 10, p. 2 (1895). SERICULUS. 61 and the outer secondaries orange-yelloro, black at the tips, the black tips decreas^ng vn s^ze towards the inn...ost secondaries, u-hick are oranye-yeUo. ; lores, a broad line .ffoa^.rs ^^^^^^^^ '^ f^^ ^ sides of the face, all the under surface, and under tail coverts black; bM yello.v; leys andjeet black, iris siraw-^oldte. Total length in the flesh 10 inches, wing 5-1, tail SS, Inll 1, tarsus I'^o. Adult y^^.L^-General colour above brorcn; the feathers of the mantle and back with narrow blackish edges and Me centres, those of the rump and upper tail courts .ith a ^J>^^^ J^f^^ rohite near the tip : unngs and tail brown, the inner secondar^es unth a spot of wlnte at the tp o I^Zr webs torehld, sides of the head, and hind neck, brownish-white with dusky edges to al tZ^L; crown of the head and the lo.er hind neck black : chin and sides ,f .e threat dnM broinisJ^white, the.feathers on the sides oj the lower throat dark brown wUh s.nal ^;~'' '^ centres; centre of the throat black; remainder of the under surface dull wUte, thefeather. oJ the :llssed in the centre and edged ^ith dusky-brown, those o,f the ^^^^^ ■'^-^^^ ^f^ '^^^ under tail coverts having brown cross-bars, less distinct on the cent.. oJ abdomen and the u^d^^ .« ^ coverts; bill blackish-bror.n ; legs and feet blackish-brown; iris brown. Total length ^n the flesh 10-5 inches, wing 3-2, tail 4, hill 1, tarsus O-JtO- Distribution.-Sonth-^^stem (lueensland, North-eastern New South Wales. -r^OR brilhant and richly contrasted plumage, ir^ the adult male of the Re-ent Bower-bird surpasses all other birds ni Australia. It is, however, closely approached by the more uniformly but gorgeously plunraged adult male of Newton's Bower-bird, to which it bears some resemblance in size and colour. The former, characterised by Latham in i8oi as Tui'dus melinus, was the first described of those birds now included in the family Ptilonorhynchids, although its bower-building habit was not discovered until many years after. Newton's Bower-bird is the latest addition to the family in Australia, being described by Mr. De Vis as Prionoduva ncwtoniaiia ,n 18S3. Although somewhat resembling each other in colour, between these two species there is a wide line of demarcation in the construction of their bowers. The Regent Bower-bird builds the smallest and most primitive structure of any species belonging to the family, while that of Newton's Bower-bird is the largest and most jEsthetically decorated. The coastal brushes of New South Wales lying between the Bellinger and Tweed Rivers are of the Mackenzie River, in Queensland, where Mi. J. A. Ihorpe secure }^ , ^ t „A fortVipr thnn the rich brushes about Uunmoan, iNauua, South, its present range does not extend farther than the r ^^ .^ and Gosford, on the northern side of the Hawkesbury Ruer. 1 ha^e never see bmgound south of that river, although at the time of Gould's visit - "^^ ^ '^^^^^^^^^^^ he sLes it was occasionally seen in the -igh^— ^e^o: er ^peSs, rh^ L„ settlement, and the clearing and burning of the brush, like se^e F character of driven away from its old haunts. South of the "awkesbury^^^^^^^^^ ^ Ih o^ ^^^ ^^^ the country and vegetation entirely changes, and with ^^e JxcepUon o p ^^.^^^ ^^^^ land near Narrabeen and Cowan, a similar luxuriant subtropical growth REGENT BOWER-BIBD. M ^2 PTILONORHYJICHID.E. near Otford and Bulli, on the southern boundary of the county of Cumberland. In the latter localities the Cat-bird, Satin Bower-bird, and other brush frequenting species are found, but not the Regent Bower-bird. To the southern limit of its range, in the neighbourhood of Ourimbah and Gosford, this species is a partial migrant ; large flocks of females and young males appearing when there is a plentiful supply of wild fruits and berries, about the middle of July, and which are followed by straggling flocks of fully adult males three or four weeks later. At the same season the Cat-birds and Satin Bower-birds are plentiful in these brushes, and may be frequently seen in the same tree in company with the Regent Bower-birds. During the winter months both sexes of the latter species may be easily obtained just about daylight if one is stationed beneath one of their feeding-trees. In the spring the greater number either leave the district, or paired, are dispersed through the dense brush for the purposes of breeding. Owing to the undergrowth and tangled masses of Bramble (Riibus moorei), known in the Gosford and lllawarra Districts as the " Bush Lawyer," it is almost impossible for one to explore these secure haunts, except by way of the few tracks made by the timber getters, although of recent years the undergrowth has been gradually cleared away in the vicinity of Ourimbah. At the end of November I saw- only a few isolated adult males, and they were extremely shy, keeping as a rule to the tops of the tallest timber, and flying away on my approaching near the tree they were in. Evidently the females were sitting, for I saw the males day after day in the same place on the edge of the brush, and being about a quarter of a mile away from one another. That many pairs remain to breed is proved by my finding at Ourimbah a nest on the 9th November, igoi, and under- neath it the half shell of an unusually well marked egg, and two days later similar evidence under another tree fifty yards away. Fledgelings were also obtamed in tlie same district in January. In the autunni they prol)ably retire north again, for only a few straggling individuals are seen at the end of .Vpril, although I once saw at the end of May a young male with an admixture of black and yellow feathers with the brown, which had been shot on the previous day at Gosford. During a collecting trip to the liellinger River, undertaken by Mr. R. Grant on behalf of the Trustees of the Australian Museum in June, 1892, these birds were not met with until the beginning of July, when large flocks of females and young males made their appearance, the males not arriving until the end of .\ugust. Mr. J. A. Thorpe informs me that near Brisbane these birds were common in the scrubs on the river three miles above the town in 1S65. While living there, two brothers he knew went out especially to secure the adult males. One obtained from a single giant fig-tree seventeen beautiful old males; the other shot twenty-three from another fig-tree in a different part of the scrub. It was in these scrubs that the bower-building habit of this species was first discovered by Mr. Waller, of Brisbane, and the fact was recorded by the late Mr. Charles Coxen at a meeting of the Queensland Philosophical Society in 1864. From his account the following extracts are made" : — "The bower of the Regent-bird differs from the Satin-bird's in being less dome-shaped, straighter in the sides, platform much less, being only ten inches by ten, but thicker in proportion to its area, twigs smaller and not so arched, and the inside of the bower smaller ; indeed I believe too small to admit an adult Satin-bird without injury to its architecture. The decorations are uniform, consisting only of a small species of Helix, herein forming a marked distinction from the Satin-bird. The ground around the bower was clear of leaves for some twelve or eighteen inches, and had the appearance of having been swept. The structure w-as alike at both ends, but the part designated as the front was more easy of approach and had the principal decorations, the approach at the back being I more closed by scrub." • Handbk. Bds. Austr.. Vol. i., pp. 459 - 460 (1865). SKEICULVS. 6$ The bower-building habit of the Regent ]:)Ower-bird was confirmed by Dr. Ramsay two years afterwards, by ensnaring a fine old adult male at a similar structure he found built near a log in the scrub about twenty miles from Lismore, on the Richmond River, New South Wales. In addition to the land-shells found inside the bower, were several berries and newly-picked leaves and young shoots. The latter floral decorations are frequently used by these birds to ornament their bowers in the brushes of the Tweed, Richmond, and Bellinger Rivers. The food of this species consists of various wild fruits, berries, and insects. At Ourimbah I saw them feeding on the berries of the ink-weed (Phytolacca octandra), growing on the road- side. The stomachs of specimens I examined from this locality contained a few small fruits and berries, and the heads, legs, and elytra of beetles, conspicuous among the latter being the brightly coloured wing-cases of Lampriiiia latrcillei, Macleay. It is also very fond of cultivated fruits. Mr. 15. Lucas informs me that on the Upper Orara River lie has seen large flocks of these birds, in company with the Satin Bower-birds and Cat-birds, congregate in the introduced tobacco plants which flourish on the river flats, and that he used frequently to catch the Regent Bower-bird bv placing some loquats under a trap when these trees were denuded of their fruit. Those kept in confinement he fed principally upon bananas. I have also observed those in the Syd- / y ^-■'fT^j' ney bird-dealers' shops, at various times, being fed on the same kind of fruit. A nest now be- fore me, found by Mr.H.R.Elvery near Alstonville in the Richmond River District, on the igth Dec- ember, 1896, is a scanty and very carelessly built structure. Near the tops of several thin, rigid, and upright leafy branchlets, some long and nearly straight twigs are placed horizontally across as a foundation, and on the top of this is a loosely formed cup-shaped structure, made of thinner twigs. It was built about twelve feet from the ground, the bush being over-grown with Lawyer vines, and contained two slightly incubated eggs. The long straight twigs laid horizontally across average thirteen inches in length, the inner cup-like cavity four inches in diameter by one inch and three-quarters in depth. Another nest found by him on the 13th January, 1897, and figured above, was built at the junction of three thin branches of what is locally known as the Water Fig (Ficus aspera), and partially held in position by several leafy twigs. Exteriorly it is roughly and irregularly formed of long twigs; the inside, which is deep saucer-shape, being neatly lined with fine short twigs. In outward measure- ments it averages eight inches in diameter, although a few of the long twigs first laid as a foundation measure nearly twelve inches. Across the top of the deep saucer-like cavity it averages four inches and three-quarters by a depth of one inch and a half. The female, after being twice flushed from the nest, which contained two fresh eggs, was shot and forwarded with the nest and eggs to the Trustees of the Australian Museum. I found a similar structure NEST .\ND EGGS OF REGENT BOWER-BIRD. 64 PTILOSORHYNCHID^. on the gth November, igoi, at Ourimbah. It was built in a drooping branch of a large "Maiden's Blush," (Sloanea aiistralisj, growing on the bank of a creek, and was about twenty feet from the ground. The eggs are usually two, sometimes three, in number for a sitting, and are oval, elongate- oval, or rounded-oval in form, the shell being close-grained, and its surface smooth and lustrous. In ground colour they vary from a yellowish-stone colour to a faint greyish or dull white. Of a set of three, lent by Mr. Elvery, two are typical ovals, the other is nearly an ellipse in form. All are of a pale yellowish-stone ground colour, with long irregular lines, ill-shaped figures, loops, and scrolls of light-umber-brown, encircling the shell, and fairly evenly distributed, with similar but less numerous underlying and clouded markings of dull violet-grey; some of the lines are broad and blurred, others fine and very distinct. In one specimen there is a patch of well defined purplish linear markings near the smaller end, and a few finer purplish-black lines on the larger end. All have a few short wavy black hair-lines, hardly visible to the naked eye: — Length (A) 1-5 x i-i inches; (B) i'49 x ri2 inches; (C) 1-53 x fo6 inches. A set of two in the Australian Museum collection are o\al in form and darker in ground colour, being of a pale cream-bufi", and more sparingly and unevenly marked. One specimen has fine blurred zig-zag linear markings of different shades of sienna and umber- brown, intermingled with a few faint underlying markings of dull bluish-grey; the other has the zig-zag linear surface markings broader and darker, and interspersed with several large smudges and patches of rich umber-brown, some of the latter looking as if they had been placed on the shell with a finger dipped in colour, and a single black linear streak half encircling the shell on the larger end: — Length (A) i-56 x rog inches; (B) i'49 x i-i inches. Another set of two, lent by Mr. George Savidge, varies considerably from the two sets above described. They are of a pale stone-grey ground colour, with short streaks, irregular-shaped blotches, spots, and dots of different shades of umber-brown, evenly distributed over the surface of the shell, intermingled with similar but almost obsolete underlying markings of dull bluish-grey. One specimen has an almost straight linear streak near the centre of the shell, and another very fine ink-hued hair-line on the larger end which resembles a crack in the shell. Length (A) i-^8 x i -08 inches; (B) 1-52 X 1-07 inches. In the general character of the markings, this set is not unlike a variety of the eggs of the Satin Bower-bird. Other specimens I have examined, taken in Queensland, have the ground colour greyish-white, and the linear markings confined chiefly to the thicker half of the shell; a rare variety has the ground colour pale greenish-grey like the egg of the Spotted Bower-bird. In shape, size, colour, and character of markmgs, typical eggs of Sericulus incUnus are almost indistinguishable from those of Chlamydodera macidaia, except in the ground colour. The ground colour of typical eggs of the former is yellowish-stone colour, that of the latter pale greenish-grey. Young males resemble the females, and assume the adult plumage chiefly by a change of feather colour and not by moult. One now before me has the head, sides of the neck, mantle, scapulars, and back black, rump and upper tail-coverts dark brown, and changing into black; on the hind neck a large patch of bright yellow feathers with small blackish tips; wings as in the adult bird, but slightly duller in colour, and the tips of the secondaries and outer webs of the greater wing-coverts with pale yellowish-brown edges; tail feathers black, brownish at the tips; sides of the head and neck, throat, and breast black; remainder of the under surface and under tail coverts dull straw-white with blackish cross-bars to all the feathers. Wing measurement as in the adult bird, 5-1 inches. Another specimen has the head, nape, hind-neck, and mantle as in the adult male, but duller in colour and with blackish tips to some of the feathers, and those on the sinciput being black instead of deep reddish-orange; mantle and upper back black; lower back and rump as in the adult female ; upper tail-coverts brown, the lower ones with black centres ; two central PRIONODURA. 65 tail feathers black, ed.Ljed with brown ; the remainder brown, with narrow black shaft stripes; lesser and median upper wing-coverts brown, the inner series passing into black; the greater coverts black ; primaries and secondaries as in the adult male, but with brownish edges to the outer webs of the primaries, and blackish edges to tlie secondaries; lores, feathers above the eye, sides of the head and neck, throat, and chest black, and gradually passing into the adult plumage of the female on the remainder of the under surface. In a large series of the Regent Bower-birds in tiie Australian MuseuTu collection, several of the adult males have the lateral tail feathers narrowly edged with yellow near the tip of their inner W3bs. The black feathers on tlie liinj neck and the centre of the throat of the adult females, too, vary from a broad line to a conspicuous black patch. The bird figured represents an adult male. In the brushes of the northern coastal ri\'ers of New South Wales, November and the three following months constitute the usual breeding season of this species ; but near the southern limit of its range, it commences a month earlier. Cren-as I^ISIOlNroiDTJIR^^, A- Vis. Prionodura newtoniana. NEWTON'S BOWER-BIRD. Priotiodnra newfoidaiia, De Vis, Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W., Vol. VII., p. 502 (1883), (fem.); id, Pi-oc. Roy. Soc. Queensld., Vol. VI., p. 247 (181)0), (male); Sharpe, Mou. Paradis. and Ptilono., Vol. II,, pi. 24 (1898). Adult m.\le — Ge-iwral colour aboi-e gohlpii-olive : abroad crest on tlie crown of the /lead, the liiiid-iu'ck, and upper mantle, rich yokleii-i/elloii' : tipper wing coverts like tlie back: primaries and secondaries broicii, washed with golden-olive, tvhich is more distinct on their outer webs: two central tail j'e.itJters brown, slightly tras/ied with golden-olive : the next on either side golden-yellow, with the apical lialf of tlie inner web and a broad tip brown, the next golden-yello/r, bron-n at the tip, the remainder golden-yellow : lores, sides of the face, chin, cheeks, ear-coverts, and sides of the hind-neck, golden-olive: throat, all the under surface, and under tail-coverts bright golden-yelloiv ; bill dark brown, paler at the tip ; legs and feet dark slate colour: iris pale yellow. Total length 9'5 inches, wing 5, central tail feathers SO, outer tail feathers .IS, the second feather from central pair 4 3, hill O'oo, tarsus 1'2. Adult fem.\le — General colour above olive-brown: n-iugs brown, washed tvith olive, some of the secondaries with a f tint golden-olive tvxsh on their outer webs ; tail brown; n spot in front of the eye dusky-brown: cheek.-i and ear-coverts olive-brown; all the under surface ashy-grey, washed with broivn on the lower throat, sides of the breast, and the abdomen; under tail-coverts brown; bill dark brown, paler at the tip; legs slaty-black ; iris brown. Total length S inches, wing J). 6, (ail 3 6, bill f>l!, tarsus 1'2. Distribution. — North-eastern Queensland. ^1^0 record all the members of this e.xtraordinary family inhabiting Australia, I have here J-. included Newton's Bower-bird and the Tooth-billed Bower-bird, although up to the present time no properly authenticated nest and egg of either species have been described. Newton's Bower-bird was for many years known only from a single example. This specimen, a sombre-plumaged female or young male, was obtained by Mr. Kendal Broadbent in the scrubs of the Tully River, in September, 18S2, and was described by Mr. C. W. De Vis, M.A., in the Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales in the following year.'- After the * Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W.. Vol. vii., p. 562 (1883). 66 PriLOXOKHVNCHlD.E. lapse of seven years, a gorgeously liveried male was shot by Mr. A. Meston, in February, i88g, on Bellenden Ker Range, at an elevation of 4,800 feet. This was sent to the (Queensland Museum, where shortly afterwards a series of the skins of this species was received from Mr. Broadbent, who was at that time engaged in collecting near Herberton, enabling Mr. De Vis to also describe the male.* A scientific expedition, equipped by the Queensland Government in June, i88g, to collect the flora and fauna of the Bellenden Ker Range, succeeded in obtaining several specimens. So likewise did Messrs. E. J. Cairn and R. Grant, who were simultaneously engaged in collecting natural history specimens, in the same part of North-eastern Queensland on behalf of the Trustees of the Australian Museum. The results of the former expedition were published,! and the habits and bower of this species described. A brief description of the latter was also furnished by Messrs. Cairn and Grant in their Report to the Curator, t Mr. E. A. C. Olive forwarded me one of these birds for identification. It was a fine old male, and was obtained near the summit of Mount Cook, on the 2Sth May, 1899. Mount Cook, near Cook- town, on the Endeavour River, is 1,470 feet high, and is the farthest north this species has yet been recorded. The wing measurement of adult males varies from 4'6 to 5 inches. Apart from the brilliant and attractix'e plumage of the male, the singular form of the bower of this species, and liie agsthetic taste e.xhibited by these birds in its decoration, renders Newton's Bower-bird the most remark- able of the family 1'tilonorhvnchid.-e. It is the smallest species of Bower-bird inhabiting Aus- tralia, yet it forms the largest bower, when the structure is resorted to for sexeral years. The sticks with which the bower is formed are piled up horizontally, or nearly so ; the walls inside at the top are wider apart than at the bottom, and the whole of the decorations are floral. The late Mr. W. S. Day, who collected several hundred of these birds, during a nine years' residence in the vicinity of their haunts, and who had unparalleled opportunities for closely studying their habits, kindly favoured me with the following notes: — "Newton's Bower-bird frequents Mount Bartle Frere and the Bellenden Ker Range. Near Cairns I met with it, principally at Boar Pocket, Scrubby Creek, and the Upper Russell River. It is always found in or near thick scrub and never in the open forest country below the range. Although a permanent resident in these scrubs, it moves about from place to place according to the abundance of its food supply, for it lives entirely on wild fruits and berries. The note of the male is very difficult to imitate, but when playing in the bower he frequently utters a sound like the croaking of a bull-frog. He also possesses the power of mimicry, and I have often heard him imitate the notes of the Tooth-billed Bower-bird, the Spotted Cat-bird, and Queen Victoria's Rifle-bird. The note of the female is like that of the Grey Shrike-Thrush NEWTON S BOWKll HIIUJ. • Proc. Roy. Soc. Queensld., Vol. vi., p. 247 (1890). t Rept. Queensld. Govt. Sci. Exped. to Bellenden Ker Range, (1889). ; Rec. Aust. Mus., Vol. i., p. 27, (1890). PKIONODUUA. °' (Colhvwanda harmomca), but not so loud, and as tliey are somewhat ahke in colour and form, I have frequently mistaken one for the other in the thick scrub. 1 have found a great number of their bowers. Those of the f^rst season are simply a lot of sticks and twigs placed around two small trees growing about a yard or slightly more apart. The following season it is added to and gradually assumes a V shape at the bottom of the inner portion, being now about two feet in height. As a rule, there is a stick placed transversely across the bower, within f^ve or six inches^of the bottom. The walls are added to each season, but one is always built higher than the other after the first year. The largest I ever found was nine feet high on one side and six feet six inches on the other, and resembled two pyramids of diflerent heights with their bases touching each other. Some bowers are rounded at the bottom, and nearly all I have seen are more or less ornamented with floral decorations according to the season of the year These consist of pieces of green moss, bits of fern, white rock-lilies, orchids, and flowers of other plants, and are placed inside on the higher wall and at the bottom of the bower. Seldom have I found a bower with the lower wall decorated. The flowers are ; fruits berries and the remains of Coleopterous stomachs of those I examined contained various tiuits, oerries, au insects." TOOTll-BILLKD BOWER HI IID. 70 PTILOSORHYNCHID.E. The late Mr. W. S. Day, of Kuranda, near Cairns, Queensland, kindly supplied me with the following notes: — "Relative to this species, the Tooth-billed Bower-birds are very common in the thick scrub lands about the Russell, Mulgrave, and Johnstone Rivers, in North-eastern Queensland, and are far more frequently met with in the ranges than the low-lands. They are usually associated in small flocks, and may be often seen in company with the Spotted Cat-bird (AHurcedns maculosus) feeding on the different fruits and berries which con- stitute their food. At the end of June they begin to mate, and go about in pairs only. The play -ground of this species is a very simple one. Clearing a space about three feet in diameter of all sticks and leaves, and usually between two small trees, they place fresh green leaves flat on the ground in the centre of the circle. This is resorted to by from two, to ten or twelve birds, who toss or move the leaves about, and make a great noise, but, unlike Newton's Bower-bird, never fight at the play-ground, although they do so frequently with each other when feeding in the trees. The green leaves vary from ten to over a hundred, according to the number of birds frequenting the play-ground, which is resorted to all the year round. I forward you all the green leaves taken from one measuring three feet four inches in diameter, that I found in the scrub on the Upper Russell River, on the i8th September, 1891. They are twenty-eight in number, and in the centre of the circle were two deep, being more scattered around the edge." The leaves are long, varying from six to ten inches in length, and from one and a half to two inches in breadth. Mr. I-". M. Bailey, F.L.S., Colonial Botanist, Queensland, has kindly identified them as the leaflets of a tree described by him as Nephdinm callaric. In an e.xtract forwarded,* Mr. Bailey states that " Callarie " is the aboriginal name of the tree at the Upper Barron River, where he collected the specimens in June, 1SS9. He describes it as "a graceful erect tree, about fifty feet high ; in all parts, except the upper side of leaflets, thinly covered with a light pulverulence. Upper side of leaflets green, glabrous, under side almost white." Of the habits of these birds farther north, Mr. F"rank Hislop writes me as follows: — " In the Bloomfield River District, the Tooth-billed Bower-birds are only found in the scrub on the lofty mountain ranges. They generally have their play-ground in the dense undergrowth. First, a small space about two or three feet in diameter is cleared of all dead leaves and rubbish, and then from about thirty to fifty fresh green leaves are placed thereon, with their white under sides uppermost. I think they must change the leaves very often, as one never sees any withered leaves on the play-grounds frequented by these birds. They are excellent mimics of the notes of other species. 'Bartchal' is the aboriginal name for them in this district." Immature birds have the upper parts, wings, and tail brown, sligiitly washed with olive, which is more distinct on the upper back; all the under surface white, tinged with fulvous, the feathers being narrowly margined with dark brown except on the centre of the abdomen. Wing 5-5 inches. O-en-O-S -iEI-iTJISCEIDXJS, Cabanis. iEluroedus viridis. CAT-BIRD. Gracula viridis, Lath., Ind. Orn., Suppl., p. xxviii., (1801). Ptilonnrhynchus smilhii, Gould, Bds. Austr., fol., Vol. IV., pi. II (1848). Ailunedus smithii, Gon\d, Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol.1., p. 446 (1865). jE'.uroedus viridis, Siiarpe, Oat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. VI., p, 38.5 (1881); North, Rec. Aust. Mus., Vol. I., p. ill, pis. xii. and xiii. (I89I). Adult male — General colour above grass-yreen, the crown of the head and hind neck ivashed with olive, and having a narrow white streak in the centre of each feather ; quills and upper wing * Queensld. Agric. Journ., p. 388, October, 1889. ^LURCEDLS. 71 coverts yrass-yreen ; the median and greater tviny-coverls, also the secondaries ivith a spot of wltite at the lip of their outer webs; inner irehs oj the outer secondaries and 0/ the primaries blackish-bro/rn, the apical portion 0/ the outer webs 0/ the primaries except the two innermost feathers bhiish-green ; tail grass-green, all but the two central feathers tipped with white, the lateral feathers blackish-brown on their inner webs, and increasing in extent towards the outermost feather, which is only slightly washed with green on the outer web; sides of the face and ear-coverts dull olive-yreen minutely spotted with black; the tips of the earcoverts blackish; on the sides of the neck a small patch of ivhite feathers; throat dull grey ivashed with olive, and spotted with white; remainder of the under surface olive-green with a lanceolate yellowish-white marking in the centre vf each feather on the cliesf and breast, and which lengthens out into a narrow lanceolate shaft stripe on the feathers on the lower sides of the body ; centre of the abdomen and under tiil coverts yellow slightly tinged with olive; bill light bluish-horn colour, whitish at the tip: legs and Jeet fleshy-brown; iris reddish-brotvn. Total length in the fesh 12--'> inches, rcing G 6, tail 'rl, hill I'l, tarsus IS. Adult female — Similar in plumage to the male. Distribution. — South-eastern Queensland, Eastern New South Wales. (»\ LTHOUGH found in the south-eastern portions of Queensland, the luxuriant brushes of -l\. New South Wales are the stronghold of this species. It is abundantly distributed throughout tlie northern coastal districts of the Tweed, Brunswick, Richmond, Clarence, and Bellinger Rivers. Farther south it is sparingly dispersed in favourable situations as far as that rich belt of sub-tropical vegetation which commences near Lake Tuggerali and suddenly ceases a few miles north of the Hawkesbury River. It is not met with in the adjoining counry of Cumberland, except near its southern boundary where a similar vegetation is found, in the neighbourhood of Waterfall, Otford, and Bulli. Gradually its numbers increase, and it is again very plentiful in the damp scrubs at Cambewarra and Kangaroo \'alley in the Illawarra District, its range extending throughout the coastal districts to very near the southern boundary of the State. During the winter months, at Ourimbah and \\'yong, it congregates in large flocks to feast upon the wild fruits and berries, and is often seen feeding in company with the Satin Bower-bird. Unlike the Satin l^ower-bird, however, whose range extends inland as far as the western slopes of the Blue Mountains, the Cat-bird, which frequents similar situations, is entirely restricted to the coastal brushes. The food of this species consists of wild fruits and berries. It is very fond of the seeds of the Bangalow Palm (Scaforthia clegans), and of the Cabbage Palm (Livistona aitstralis); also of the berries of the introduced ink- weed (Phytolacca octandra). At Ourimbah these birds are occasionally caught in the traps or 'cribs' set for the Little Green Pigeon (Chalcophaps chrysochloya), They are also shot for food, and their flesh is said to be white and tender like that of the Wonga Pigeon. The peculiar and extraordinary notes of this species resemble more than anything else, the long drawn out plaintive cries of the domestic cat. Although the Cat-birds are usually included in the family of bower-building birds, I liave never heard of any species, either in Australia or New Guinea, constructing a bower, or even decorating a cleared space in the scrub with leaves like Scenopcvetcs dentirostris. There is a marked difference, too, between the nests and eggs of the Bower-birds and Cat-birds inhabiting Australia. The nests of the former are scanty and somewhat primitive structures formed of sticks or twigs, and only in one instance— that of the Satin Bower-bird— are they lined at the bottom with leaves. Their eggs, howaver, are noted for the beauty of their markings, especially those of the different species of the genus Chlamydodcra, and Sericnlus melinns. The nests of the two species of Cat-birds are compact bowl-shaped structures, beautifully formed of twigs, stems of climbing plants, and long broad leaves. On the other hand their eggs are almost colourless. PTILONORHYNCHID,*. and entirely devoid of markings, and are among the very few uniformly coloured eggs laid in open nests by the larger Australian passerine birds. The nest of this species is a bowl-shaped structure, composed exteriorly of long twigs and stems of climbing plants entwined around a thick layer of long broad leaves, intermingled in some instances with a few pieces of moss, the inside being lined with fine dried twigs. An average nest measures externally eight inches and a quarter in diameter by five inches and a half in depth; the inner cup five inches in diameter by three in depth. It is usually built in a three or more pronged upright fork near the top of a low tree, and frequently one that is hidden with a leafy mass of vines, at varying heights from twelve to forty feet from the ground. During my visit to the Upper Clarence in November, 1898, a pair of these birds succeeded in rearing their young in a scrub not far from the house. Mr. G. Savidge found several nests containing eggs later on in the same month in the Dundara Scrubs. From one nest the birds made every effort to allure him from the spot, uttering harsh grating cries as they fluttered apparently helpless along the ground, and feigned a broken leg or wing. The previous year, in the Cangai Scrubs, he found these birds re- markably shy, not ven- turing into sight even when he was robbing their nests. In these localities, nests with eggs are usually found in Nov- ember and December. Mr. W. J. Grime ob- tained the first nest and egg of this species I had seen, in the Tweed River District, on the 4th October, 1 8go. The nest was built in a three-pronged fork of a tree about fourteen feet fiDm tlie ground, and contained two slightly incubated eggs. On the 8th November follow- ing, Mr. Grime found another nest which the bird would not leave until fairly shaken out, when he discovered it contained two young ones, apparently hatched about a couple of days. Mr. H. R. Elvery informs me that near Alstonville, in the Richmond River District, this species sometimes builds in a tree a\'ergrown with lawyer-vines, and that he has found its nests in a tree-fern, and on the top of a bird's-nest fern growing on the side of a tree. On two occasions he found nests containing only one incubated egg in each. The nest figured, which contained two fresh eggs, was taken by Mr. Elvery on the 13th December, 1898. NKST AND KfiGS OF CAT-1!IKD. ^LURCEDUS. 7» At Ourimbah, I saw these birds building on the 25th November, 1898. In this district the leaves of the Native Tamarind (Diploglottis cnnnlnghwiii ) are used by this species in the construction of its nest. The e<,'gs of the Cat-bird lire usually two, sometimes three in number for a sitting. They vary in form from oval to elon-ate-oval, some specimens tapering sharply towards the smaller end, the shell being close grained and its surface smooth and glossy. Typically they are of a uniform cream colour, but varv from a rich cream to a pale creamy-white. A set of two, taken by Mr. George Savidge at Cangai, in the Upper Clarence District, on the nth December, 1897, measures as follows :-Length (A) rSgxray inches; (B) rSxray inches. Another set:— (A) 1-69 X 1-26 inches; (B) 17 x 1-25 inches. Nestlings have the head and hind-neck covered with smoky-brown down, remainder of the upper surface as in the adults but duller in colour, and only the innermost scapulars with a spot of white near the extremity of the outer web; sides of the face, throat and the neck, bare; lower neck, chest, and sides of the bodv smoky-grey; centre of the breast and abdomen dull white with indistinct dull ol.ve-green tips to all the feathers. Wing 4-6 inches. In young birds the throat is grevish-white, with brown bases to the feathers ; there are no white streaks on the centres of the feathers of the hind-neck, and the inner secondaries only have a small spot of yellowish-white at the extremity of the outer web ; on the sides of the neck there is only an indication of the white patch of feathers, and the centres of the feathers on the lower sides of the body are broadly streaked with yellowish-white. Wing 5-9 inches. October and the three following months constitute the usual breeding season of this species. yEluroedus maculosus. SPOTTED CAT-BIKU. .Elura^dus maculosus, Ramsay, Proe. Zaol. Soc, 1874, p. 601; Sharp., Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. VI., p. 38.5 (1881); North, Proe. Linn. Soc, N. S. Wales, 2nd ser., Vol. III., p. U. (Ibbh). Ailurcedns tnacnlo.^us, Gould, Bds. New Uuin., Vol. I., pi. 38. Advlt MU.K- Head and nape blackish-brown, with a rounded subterminal spot of hrownish- v,hite at the tip of each feather: the hind neck sunilar, bat slightly rcashed ^vith green andpassxng into dull green on the mantle, which is less distinctl;, spotted with brownish-wMte ; remauider oj the upper surface green; the upper back slightly tinged ^oith olive.- quills and upper wmg-coverts green; the inner' series of the median and greater coverts, also the secondaries, with a small spot of wlnte at the tip of their outer webs: inner webs of the outer secondaries and of the primaries blackish-brown ; the apical portion of the outer webs of the primaries, except the two innermost feathers, bhnsh-green; tail green, all but 'the t^oo central Jeathers tipped roith white, the lateral feathers blackish-brown on t),eir inner webs, and increasing in extent towards the outermost feather, which rs only sUghtly washed with green on the outer web; lores yellowish-whUe ; ear-coverts black, the short upper Jeathers wldtisli; lower cheeks yellowish-white : chin black : throat dull rMte with greemsh-brown tips to al feathers, the latter colour more distinct on the fore-neck ; remainder of the under surface greemsh- brown, with a lanceolate yellowish-white marking in the centre of each feather on the chest and breast, and which lengthens out into a narrow lanceolate shaft-stripe on the feathers of the lower sides of the body: centre of the abdomen and the under taU-coverts yellow, slightly loashed rvith nreen' bill light bluish-horn colour at the base, whitish at Uie tip ; legs and feet fleshy-brown ; ^r^s reddish-brown. Total length 11 inches, wing 6, tail i-2, bill 105, tarsus 1 7o. Adult fkm.\le— .S'i/»i/rtc in plumage to the male. i>ts^ro.. ------;t^2;tz::is^ ^i,. ..kite, so,ne oftke inner greater co.erts .M >rUk «— r^' • -/ ^T. n,eb and Having a ,rey,aU but tUe t.o ee.tr a^^ fe^^ers -^-^J:--^;^^^^^^^ large oval sp.t of >vhUe on tke .^ner n.eh tins pot '- « "^ J ,^ ^,^„^, „,,_^„,,. Z^IZW. Mack ou tUe ekest, tkese streams gradually assu,ning tkej.r.u o, ana.ro. te^^^ grey. Total length in the flesh 1V5 inches, udag 6, tail J,''>, bill I'l, tarsus 0 J. Adult female— Similar in plumage to the male. ^i,^„i„,<,on.-Queensland, New South Wales, \^ictoria. 1 1- h.^ in "The Ibis "* on the "Birds of North Queens- -p^KOM an interestmg paper, pubhshed '" ^he Ib.s, ^^^ following:- i^ land.- by Messrs. H. C. Robn.son and W . S. L-er°c .^fortunately .The name of -'-/"-'f ' ^'^-^ Vr^^^f (^ r aL^^^^^^^^^ untenable, being founded on the Grcn, Gr.uU o^^^^am. J^^^^ ^^,^^ ^^^^^^ however, it is obvious that it really applies to the Cat b. ^^^,^,^^ of Latham,: name, then, for the present spec.es is M.,...s...iM«,found^^^^^^^^ .^^^ Latinized as Coracias sa.Htata., The specnnen ^ ^^ the Uverpool Musemn." Lord Derby's Collection, and is fortunately still m existence in ine^^^^^F ^ » '■ The Ibis," 1900, p 625. t Gen. Syn., Suppl., II., p. 129 (i8oi)- : Gen^ Syn., Suppl , II., p- 122 (18°')- S; Ind. Orn., Suppl., p. xxvi , (iSoi). 76 ORIOLID-E. On referring to Latham's Supplement to the "General Synopsis of Birds," and his "Index Ornithologicus," I have verified the previous statement; it is remarkable that the error remained so long undiscovered. The range of the Olive-backed Oriole extends over most parts of Eastern, and South-eastern Australia. .Although frequenting open forest lands and mountain ranges in the inland portion of the States, it evinces a decided preference for the rich coastal brushes which afford it an abundant supply of its usual food, consisting of wild fruits, berries, and insects. The fruit of the native fig-trees, and of the introduced ink-weed (Phytolacca octandra), found in these localities, are eagerly devoured by this species. It does not, however, limit its attention to wild fruits and berries, for ever since the advent of fruit-growers in .\ustralia, this bird has proved itself to be a notorious orchard marauder, attacking the softer fruits, such as grapes, mulberries, cherries, peaches, figs, bananas, and paw-paws. Specimens are frequently obtained with the plumage stained or dyed with the juice of the mulberry, or ink-weed. From \'ictoria Mr. Keartlaiid sends me the following note: — "The extreme fondness of the Olive-backed Oriole for cultivated fruit was the cause of my paying a special \isit to Clayton in search of what was '^airl to lie a strange bird, and described as 'being all crimson and very wary.' On my arrival at th(; paddock it used to frequent, I saw the rara avis approaching from the direction of a neighbouring orchard, and struck by its peculiar colour, I determined to secure it. .\fter over an hour's hard chasing, I shot what proved to be one of tiiis species witli the whole of its plumage stained with mulberry juice." Usually this bird is met with in pairs, frequenting the topmost branches of the tallest trees, except in the autumn and winter months, when it congregates in flocks. In July, 1896, large numbers of them appeared in the Corowa District, and at that time were subsisting chiefly on olives. It is possessed of varied notes, some of which are very melodious, and can be heard a long distance away. The nest is a deep, cup-shaped structure, outwardly formed of long thin strips of stringy- bark, and bark fibre, or the paper-like bark of the Melaleuca when procurable, the inside being thickly lined with fine wiry green grass-stems. Some nests are slightly coated with the pale green Bearded Lichen (Usnea barbata), or ornamented with the webs and egg-bags of spiders, while others, when built in tea-trees, are outwardly constructed entirely with the white paper- like bark of some species of the latter. .\n average nest measures externally five inches and a half in diameter by four inches in depth; the inner cup three inches and a c]uarter in diameter by two inches and three-quarters in depth. It is securely fastened by the rim to a thin horizontal fork near the extremity of a branch, usually of a Eucalyptus or Aiigophora, and less frequently of a Syncarpia or Melaleuca. Generally they are built at a height varying from twenty to sixty feet from the ground, and are difficult to obtain, but in mountain ranges I have known them to be built in saplings almost within hand's reach. Eggs usually three in number for a sitting, sometimes only two, and rarely four. They vary in form from oval to elongate-oval, the shell being close-grained, smooth, and lustrous. The ground colour is variable, ranging from dull white to creamy-white and ri( h brownish-white, HI OLIVK-HAl KKl) OHIO I. K ORIOLUS. 77 others have the ground colour tinged with buff, or are of a uniform cream colour. The most common type are of a pale creamy or brownish-white ground colour, which is uniformly and minutely dotted, spotted, and irregularly blotched with different shades of umber intermingled with similar underlying markings of deep bluish-grey, in some specimens the latter colour approaching almost a pale inky-purple hue, while in others the subsurface markings are entirely absent. As a rule the markings are irregularly shaped, bold, and evenly distributed over the shell, but not infrequently they predominate on the larger end, where an irregular zone or cap is formed. Specimens are sometimes found with the markings only slightly darker than the ground colour, or having them very small but well defined. A set of three measures as follows:— (-\) 1-38 x o-g8 inches; (B) i-4xo-i inches; (C) 1-37 x o'g6 inches. .\ set of two measures: — (A) 1-33 x o-g4 inches; (B) 1-32 x 0-95 inches. An elongate set of three measures: — (A) 1-5 xo-g inches; (I!) 1-51 x o-g inches ; (C) i-4()XO-g2 inches. Young birds are greyish-brown above, slightly washed with oli\e ; crown of the head and hind-neck streaked with black; feathers of the upper back with a central or subterminal streak of black, and have pale buffv-brown margins; the upper tail cox'erts with a subterminal spot of black, and narrowly edged with oli\e at the tip; quills and upper wing-coverts brown, the primaries and secondaries externally edged and tipped with pale rufous, the greater and median wing-coverts broadly margined and tipped with the same co'our; tail greyish-brown, with ashy-white edges to all the feathers, the wliite spots at the tips of all but the two central feathers extending in a line along either web; sides of the head and neck greyish-brown washed with olive; throat and fore-neck greyish-white with blackish streaks to all the feathers; remainder of the under surface with a blackish -brown streak on the feathers of the chest, and a tear-shaped marking on those of the breast and sides of the abdomen. In a slightly older bird there is a distinct olive- white eyebrow; the upper parts are more strongly washed with olive, and the crown of the head and the hack is distinctly streaked with black ; the tail-feathers have lost their whitish edges, and the white spots at the tips of all but the two central feathers are smaller; the median and greater wing-coverts are broadly margined with pale rufous, and the primaries and secondaries are externally edged with pale buffy-whitc, and narrowly tipped with white. Wmg measurement the same as that of the adult bird, (> inches. In the neighbourhood of Sydney, nidification begins about the latter end of September, and lasts ten or twelve days, the eggs being usually deposited by the end of the second week in October. .Vt Lithgow, on the Blue Mountains, 3,000 feet above the sea-level, ^Nlr. K. C.rant also found new nests ready for the reception of eggs early in October. Nests, however, with fresh eggs are more often obtained during the latter end of that month or early in November, and the breeding season continues until the end of January. These birds are persistent breeders, and will build again in the same locality after being repeatedly robbed. A nest containing two eggs was taken at Chatswood, near Sydney, from a Turpentine-tree (Syncarpia laurifolia), on the 22nd October, i8gS. Three eggs were taken from a nest belonging to the same pair of birds on the 8th November, and a few days after the birds were busy constructing a third nest in a tree in the same locality. Gould separated a smaller race of these birds from Northern Australia under the name of Oviolus affinis. That some of the specific characters of Oriohis sa/ritfatus are influenced by its geographical distribution is apparent wlien one compares a large series of these birds procured in diiferent latitudes. 1-or, the further north the specimens are obtained, it will be found that they are slightly smaller in size, the bill is larger, the white terminal marking on the inner web of the outer tail-feathers is smaller, and the narrow white tip to the outer web is entirely lost, .\dult males from Cairns and Cooktown, in North-eastern Queensland, are almost intermediate in size between the two forms, O. sagittahis and 0. affinis, measuring in total length 10 inches, wing 5-g, bill 1-15, extent of the white terminal marking on the inner web of Q 78 ORIOLID.E. tlie outer tail-feather 0-7 inches, and ha\ing only a slight indication of the narrow white tip to the outer web. Adult males from Cape York and Port Darwin have a white spot only at the tip of the inner web of the tail-feathers, and their wing measurement is yj inches, and the wing and tail is not so strongly washed with grey as examples from Eastern Australia. A fully adult male, collected at Derby, North-western Australia, by Mr. E. J. Cairn in 1886, has the wings and tail brown, without any greyish wash on the feathers, and there is only a slight indication of the whitish edges to the tips of the quills. It measures in total len.th g inches, wing 5-7, tail 4, bill i-j; extent of white spot on inner web of outer tail-feather, and which does not reach to the shaft, 0-42 inches. A typical specimen of an adult male of O. sngifiniiis, shot near Sydney, measures in total length 11 inches, wing 6, tail 4-5, bill i ; extent of white terminal marking to inner web of outer tail-feathers, which reaches to the sliatt and around the tip of the outer web, o'g inches. Now, comparing examples obtained in New South Wales with those from North-western Australia and Port Essington, or even Cape York, one would naturally conclude that Gould was correct in regarding them as two distinct although closely allied species, O. sagittatus inhabiting the south-eastern portions of the continent, and O. affinis being its smaller northern and north-western representative. In the intergradation, howe\er, that takes place between these two races, it is apparent that examples from the neighbourhood of Cairns and Cooktown must be regarded as belonging to an intermediate form, but to characterise the birds from this part of the continent even as a subspecies would be absurd. Similar instances of the gradual Tail of Oi'ioliis sagittatus. Tail of Orioliis aMnis. decrease in size of a species, and increase in the length of its hill, is afford(-d by CoUyriocincla rufigasicY, found in New South Wales and Queensland, and its diminutixe and cl.)se northern ally C. parvissiiiia\ also by Philemon citreogularis, and its northern and north-western representa- ti\'e P. sordidiis. In the "Catalogue of Birds in the British Museum," Dr. Sharpe does not regard either Orioliis affinis or CoUyriocincla parvissima as distinct species, although the learned author ranks several of our .Australian birds as good species on less slender grounds. Authorities are divided in opinion as to what is a sufficient character to constitute a species, or subspecies, and have been classed as either "lumpers" or "splitters." Personally, I favour the former, for in a large island-continent like .\ustralia, where geographical distribution and climatic influence are such important factors in the character of a species, it would render the study of birds impossible if each tinge or shade in colour of plumage from different latitudes were accorded subspecific distinction. During a period of twelve years, I have characterised three very distinct subspecies, but were I to separate from different localities each race that varies from the average type in size and depth of colour, the described Australian forms would be considerably more than twice the number they are at present. To do so, however, Ornithologists without the aid of a specimen being properly localised, and of a large reference collection only to be found in a Museum, and possibly a few private collections, would be hopelessly involved in trying to distinguish the various climatic forms of a species. Taking Orioliis sagittatus as an OKIOLUS. example, one could pick out three distinct races fron, the typical form. An examumtion ol a larc^e series fronr different latitudes would prove, however, that they gradually merge mto one another Leaving the increase n, the length of bill out of the question, the decrease m the white terminal marking of the tail feathers is shown on the preceding page from a photograph of the tails of two fully adult males obtained in widely separated localities. One is the figure of the tail of an adult male of Orwlus sn„ttalus shot near Sydney ; the other ,s that of Gould s smaller race, or subspecies, O. <#«^S procured at Derby, North-western Australia. \ set of two e--s, taken near Port Darwin, cannot be distinguished from typical eggs of O. sagitMus, but are slightly smaller. They measure:-(A) 1-3 x 0-87 inches; (B) r3xo-y inches. Oriolus flavicinctus. YELLOW-BELLIED ORIOLE. Mimetes Javocinctus, King, Sarv. Intortrop, Coasts Austr., Vol. II., p. 419 (1827). Oriolus flavocinctus, Gould, Bds. Austr., fol. Vol. IV., pi. U (1848). Mi,neta .flavocincta, Gould, Handbk. Bds. Austr.. Vol. I., p. 466 (186.5); Salvad., Orn. Pap. et Molucc, Pt. II., p. 471 (1881). Oriohcs /avicmctus, Sharps, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. III., p. 206 (1877). ADULT M.LE-ff«n.m? colour above olive-yellow, the, feathers on the crown of the head streaked unth black, and those of the back havin, a narrow arrou-.haped rnarking of black in the centre ; lesser ..ing-coverts like the hack: the .ned^n, greater, and pri,nary coverts black, washed wUh oUve and largely Upped a-ith yellow: pri.aaries black, externally edged with oUveand Hpped wUh yellowish-wUte: the secondar^es .imUar, but .nore conspicuously .nargined wUh oUoe-yelow on the^r outer webs; tail feathers black, washed with greenish-yellow on the.r outer wehs and trpped wUh yellow, which increases in extent towards the outermost feather ; sides of the head and neck, and all the under surface olive-yellow, passing into a clearer yellow on the centre of the abdomen and under tail coverts; bill dull red; legs and feet bluish-lead colour; iris red. Total length 11 ruches, wing f!, tail 4--5, bill IS, tarsus 1. Abult .....^-Difers from the male in its smaller si.e, and in having all the feathers of the crown of the head and back more broadly streaked roUh black; a distinct eye-brow ohve-yellow; under surf^c; olive-yellow, conspicuously streaked with black down the centre of.nost '^^I^^^^^^^^^^JI^^^U secondarres, and upper wing-coverts brown, with straw-whUe instead of yellow t.ps to 'W- '-«: '^^ feathers brown, washed with olive-green, the yellow tips being much paler and smaller than ^n the male. Total length 10:1 inches, wing O'O, tail i 3, bill 1-25, tarsus 1. D..tribntron.^^onUe.n Territory of South .Vustralia, Northern and North-eastern Queens- land, -Vru Islands. AT^HIS species is freely distributed in suitable localities over the northern and north-eastern T portions of the Australian continent, numerous specimens having been obtained by various collectors at Port Darwin, Port Essington, Cape York, -d^'--'^^'^; ;^;^,7;t districts of North-eastern Queensland as far south as Cairns. It has been -- ^^ fro P Denison, but I have never seen a specimen that was obtained south ol Card.ell. It also occurs in the .\ru Islands. It IS essentiallv an inhabitant of the rich coastal brushes and contiguous --"^-"J-f ^; '•., r • 1 1 AT,- K' Crant informs me that while collecting on behalf ot and is never met with far inland. Mi. K. Uiant iniormb , T?;,-^r=tnnP about the Trustees of the Australian Museum in December, 1888, he met with it at Ruerstone, about 80 OUIOI.ID.S. sixteen miles from Cairns, in small flocks from five to seven in number, feeding; in company with Calorm's mdallica, on the berries of a tree. At that time the plumage was much abraded, and he found it useless shooting them for specimens. Writing from the P>loomfield River District, in Xorth-eastern Queensland, in October, 1896, Mr. Robert Hislop, Junr., sends me the following note: — '-Oriolus flavicinctiis is a partial migrant, arriving here generally at the end of June, and departing again about the end of February. Some seasons the}' are more numerous than others, and when there is an abundance of native fruits and berries many of them remain throuu'hout the year. Owing, however, to the comparatively light rainfall during tlie last three years, and the consequent dearth of their food supply, these birds have been unusually scarce, and wliat few visited us soon took their departure for some more rain-favoured district. When they remain to breed, they are usually found about lagoons and in tiie mangroves along the banks of rivers and creeks. The nest is an open cup-shaped structure, and is built at the junction of a thin forked twig at the extremity of a horizontal branch, usually of a Melaleuca, and frequently in one overlianging a water-hole or salt-water creek, at an altitude from twenty to forty feet. It is formed of long strips of tea-tree bark and bark-fibre, and lined inside with very fine twigs. Two eggs are laid for a sitting. The months of November, December, and January, constitute the usual breeding season." .\ nest of this species, taken about eight miles from Cooktown, is an open cup-shaped structure, and is securely fastened by the rim to a thin forked horizontal branch. It is outwardly formed of long strips of tea-tree bark, bark lihro. thin dried leaves, plant tendrils, and a small quantity of spider's-web, the inside being lined entirely witli fine plant twigs; externally its average measurements are six inches in diameter by three inches in depth, the inner cup measuring three inches and a half in diameter by two inches in depth. 1 he eggs vary in shape, colour, and disposition of their markings, as do those of On'oliis sagittaiiif, which they closely resemble, especially those taken in the northern portions of the continent, from which they cannot be distinguished. .\ set of two, taken in the Bloomfield Ri\er District, on the loth December, 1894, are oval in form and slightly pointed at the smaller end, the shell being close grained, and its surface smooth and glossy. They are of a uniform pale creamy- brown ground colour, which is irregularly blotched and finely dotted with rich umber-brown, and a few similar underlying markings of dull inky-grey. Length: — (.-V) 1-26 x 0-92 inches; (B) 1-25 X 0-92 inches, .\nother set of two, taken near Cooktown on the 2nd December, 1899, have the ground colour of a pale brownish-white, one specimen being heavily blotched and finely dotted with different shades of umber-brown, and a few subsurface markings of blackish-grey ; on the other the markings are much smaller, darker, and round;'d in shape, some of them being in clusters, others are in straight lines, the underlying blackish-grey markings being more numerous, and forming an ill-defined zone on the larger end. Length: — (A) 1-23 x 0-92 inches; (B) I-25 X o*93 inches. Dr. A. l>. Meyer, Director of the Dresden ^Museum, who has contributed so largely to a knowledge of the Papuan avifauna, also of the nests and eggs of many birds common alike to Northern Australia and New Guinea, described and figured the eggs of the present species many years ago.^'^ In the same publication there is also a description and figure I of the egg of another well-known North .\ustralian species, Cracticus quoyi, Quoy's l!utcher-bird. * Zeitschr. f. ges. Orn., i., p. 292. p!. xvii , fig. i (1884). t Op c'lt , p. 283, pi. x\\\\.. figs. 2-4 (1884). SPHECOTHERES. 81 Sphecotheres maxillaris. FIG-BlRLi. Turdus maxillaris, Larli., Tiul. Orn., Suppl., p. xliii., (ISOl). Sphecolh-.res anilr:iH!<, Gould, Bds. Austr., fol., Vol. IV., pi. 15(1848). Sphecotheres ma.r.iUarii, Gould, Handbk. Bds. Austr,, Vol. I., p. 4<'i7 (i860); Sliarpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. .Mus., Vol. III., p. -J-:! (1877). Adult malk — General colour above ijellowish-yreen : upper tving-coverts like the back; primaries black, externally edged with ashy-white ; secondaries black, broadly margined ivith yellowish-green on their outer webs, the innermost feathers yelloicish-green on the outer irel), black i>u the inner ; tail black, the lateral feathers tipped ivith tvliite ivhich increases in extent towards the outermost feather, the outer tveb of the latter ichite except at the base ; crown of the head, nape, and ear-coverts black; hind neck, throat, and for^'-neck leaden greif, remainder of the under surface dull yelloivis/i-f/reen ; centre of the lower abdoineii and under tail-coverts white; bill black; lefs and Jeet pale feshy-b^-own; bare space around the eye, and iris, red. Total length in the flesh 11 inches, wing 6',2, tail Ji.-'>, bill 0''J ', tarsus 1. Adult female — General colour above brown: tlw loiver rump and upper tail-coverts washed with greenish-olive; wings broivn, the primaries narrowly edged externally with dull ashy-white; the median and greater wing-coverts and secondaries ivashed with greenish-olive on their outer luebs ; tail brown, washed with greenish-olive except on the lateral feathers, ivhich are margined with white at the tips of the inner ivebs ; throat, sides of the neck, and fore-neck brownish -ivhite, broadly streaked with brown; remainder of the under surface ivhite, conspicuously streaked tvith broivn; centre of the abdomen white,; sides 0/ the body tinged with greenish -olive; under tail-coverts white, with brown shaft-streaks. Total length 11 inches, wing >J5, tail fo, bill 0 U.j, tarsus 1. Distribution. — Eastern Queensland, North-eastern New South Wales. ^"I^HE Fig-bird is a resident species, and is plentifully dispersed throughout the rich coastal J_ scrubs and brushes of South-eastern Queensland and North-eastern New South Wales. In the latter State, on rare occasions, specimens have been obtained as far south as the neighbourhood of Sydney. During my visit to the Clarence River District, I found it usually in pairs, and fairly numerous, frequenting chiefly the taller trees in open forest lands, or near the margin of scrubs. Just about dusk, these birds would resort to the low Bean-trees ( Castanospermum australe), and brushes on the river banks, uttering their peculiar parrakeet-like notes, as they playfully chased each other from branch to branch. Locally, about Copmanhurst, it is known as the " Red-eye," and in some parts of New South Wales and Queensland, as "Mulberry-bird," "Fig-bird," or "Banana-bird," according to the different kinds of fruit it feasts upon. Gould describes and figures'' the bare space around the eye of the adult male of this species as being pale buffy-yellow. It is this colour in the winter months, or has only a few minute reddish warty excrescences on it, but during the breeding season and the summer months this part is of a uniform rich red. The usual food of this species is derived from the many wild fruit and berry-bearing trees which flourish in its haunts. Chief among these are the fruits of the different species of Ficus, the native cherry, and in the northern coastal districts of New South Wales the berries of the introduced ink- weed (Phytolacca octandra). Among culti\ated fruits, it chiefly attacks mulberries, figs, bananas, paw-paws, loquats, and guavas. » Bds. Aust., fol., Vol. iv., p. 15 (184S). 82 ORIOLID.E. The nest is an open shallow structure, formed of vinelets or long pliant stems of climbing plants, with which are intermingled a few fine twigs. It is usually built in the forked horizontal leafy twigs near the extremity of an outspreading branch, and well away from the trunk of the tree. Although apparently of a flimsy character, for the eggs are generally visible through the bottom of the nest, the rim is securely worked over the twigs or branchlets, and the whole structure has a wire-like consistency and is remarkably strong. An average nest measures externally six inches in diameter by two inches and a quarter in depth ; internally four inches and three-quarters in diameter by two inches and a quarter in depth. In the Upper Clarence District the trees mostly favoured as nesting-sites are apple-trees, bloodwoods, ironbarks, and grey gums. Generally their nests are built at a height varying from thirty to seventy feet from the ground. The eggs are usually three in number for a sitting, and vary much in form and colour. Oval and elongate ovals are the most common types, while rounded o\als are sometimes found, the shell being close-grained and its surface smooth and slightly lustrous. The ground colour varies from very pale apple-green "'^^^'^'^ tj to dull olive-green, some speci- \ ^ — \ ^— ^ mens being of a much lighter shade at the smaller end, but as a rule the ground colour is uniform. Irregular-shaped blotches, spots, and freckles of different shades of reddish-brown, or purplish- red, and similar underlying markings of purplish-grey are distributed over the shell, but particularly on the larger end, although they rarely assume the form of a zone. In some specimens there is a reddish wash on the larger end, or the markings thereon are penumbral, but generally they are clear and well-defined. Typical eggs re- semble those oiCradicus destmctov more than -any other species. A set of two, taken in the Richmond River District in November, 1 886, measures as follows: — Length (A) 1-28 x 0-95 inches; (B) 1-29 x 0-95 inches. A set of three, taken at Copmanhurst, on the i6th November, 1898, measures: — Length (A) 1-28 x 0-95 inches; (B) 1-29 X 0-95 inches; (C) x-3 x 0-97 inches. A remarkably handsome set of three eggs, taken by Mr. Clarence Savidge on the same day, and the largest I have seen, measures: — (A) 1-45 x 0-92 inches; (B) 1-45 x 0-9 inches; (C) 1-45 x 0-92 inches. The ground colour of this set is a very pale apple-green, which is distinctly dotted and spotted with different shades of purplish-red, and similar underlying markings of purplish-grey, intermingled with a very few irregular shaped blotches on the larger end of the shell. This species is a comparatively late breeder. While driving from South Grafton, on the 3rd November, 1898, Mr. George Savidge drew my attention to a pair of these birds busily engaged in constructing their nest in a Bloodwood (Eucalyptus corymhosa) near the roadside. This was the first nest he had found that season. Subsequently, at Copmanhurst, I found two NEST AXD KliOS OK FIOHIHIJ. SPHECOTUERES. °^ pairs similarly en-aged, one on the 7th, the other on the yth November. Both nests were about half-built, and were placed near the extreme leafy ends of horizontal branches of the Rough-barked Apple I Angoplwrci subvclutinn), at a height of seventy feet from the ground. On the i6th November, from each of these nests, after cHmbing to the limb on which they were built, Mr. Clarence Savidge successfully scooped a beautiful set of three fresh eggs; a difficult feat to perform owing to the folia-e surrounding the nests, and a strong wind blowing at the time. The eggs were deposited daily, and could be clearly seen from the ground. One of the females left the nest directly we approached the tree, the other remained sitting until preparations were made to scoop the eggs. It is the nest and eggs of the latter bird figured. Another pair made repeated swoops at the rope as it was thrown over the branch on which the nest was built. Nidification, Mr. George Savidge informs me, sometimes begins as early as the middle of October, and the nest is completed in about ten days. Nests with eggs, however, are more frequently found during November and the following month. In some seasons he has observed these birds building in Januarv, and has taken a set of fresh eggs as late as the 28th January, 1901. Sphecotheres flaviventris. YELLOW-BKEASTED FlCi-BIKU. Sphecother.s jiavivenlris, CJould, Proc. Zool. Soc, 18+9, p. 1 11 ; id., Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. 468 (186.5), id.. Bis. Austr., fol, SuppU pi 37 (1SG9) ; Sharpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus.. Vol. HI , p 22.5 (1877); SaUad., Orn. Pap. et Molucc, Pt. IF., p. 480 (1881). \DUIT M K^A,-Genero.l colour above greeni.h-ydlorv ; upper rving-coverls like the back; primaries black, eMernally edged roith ashy-grey; secondaries black, broadly n^argin.d with yellowish-green on the outer >reb the innermost feathers yellowish-green on the outer web, black on the inner; tail black, the lateral feathers tipped with white, rchich increases in extent on the outermost Jeather, the outer web of the lateral feathers while except at the base ; crown of the head, nape, and earcoverts black; throat, sides of the neck, and all the under surface bright yellow; sides of the chest yellowish-green; centre ofthehtoer abdomen and under tail-coverts wlnte : bill black: legs and feet fesh colour; bare space around the eye reddish-yellow; iris redd.sh-brown. Total length 10 inches, wmg 6, tail J,:5, bill 0-9, tarsus 0 9. ADULT FEMALE-(?«««mZ colour above broken; feathers of the head light brown with darker brown centres; rump and upper tail-coverts brown, washed with olive-yellow; quills and their coverts brown allthejeathers narrowly edged with ashy-grey, the edges of the outer rvebs of the greater coverts and outer secondaries distinctly tinged will, olive-yellow ; tail brown, the two central Jeathers and the outer webs of the remainder zcashed with olive-green; sides of the neck, the throat and Jore-neck browni^h-white, broadly streaked with brown; remainder of the under surface rchite tinged ivith olire yellow, and conspicuously streaked with dark brown; centre of the lower abdomen white; under taiUoverts white, narrowly streaked dorvn the centre with dark brown. Total length 1<> inches, wing 6, tail4''>, bill 0 9, tarsus 0-9. Distribution.— ^oxihexn .Uistralia, Eastern Queensland, Ke Islands. ATAHIS species was discovered at Cape York by the late Mr. John MacGilUvray, during 1 the stay there of H.M.S. 'Beagle,' while engaged in making a survey of the north- eastern coast of Australia. It is abundantly distributed throughout the coastal districts of North-eastern Queensland, from Cape York to the neighbourhood of the Herbert River. Mr. I A.Thorpe and Mr. George Masters found it plentiftil at Cape York; and specimens were also obtained there by members of the 'Challenger' Expedition in September, ib74- ^ the "Report of the Voyage of the Alert," Dr. Sharpe records it from Thursday Island It is common at Cooktown and the Bloomfield River District, where it has been found freely 84 OKIOLID.E. breeding by Mr. E. Olive, and Messrs. Robert and I'rank Hislop. In the Australian Museum collection it is represented by a number of skins obtained at Cape York by Mr. J. .\. Thorpe, and specimens procured at Cairns by Mr. K. Broadbent and Messrs. E. J. Cairn and Robert Grant. Mr. G. Masters also obtained a female on Palm Island, some distance south of the Herbert River, the soutliern limit of its range. In a north-westerly direction it has been recorded from the mouth of the Norman River, which flow-s into the Gulf of Carpentaria, in a collection of birds formed there by Mr. Gulliver. I can find no record of it being observed west of this locality, and neither of the large collections formed by Mr. .\le.\ander Morton at Port Essington and Port Darwin, contained an example of this species. Mr. A. Zietz, however, has forwarded me a list of birds that were collected in the Northern Territory by the late Mr. F. Schultze, and received at the South Australian Museum, Adelaide, in March, 1870. They were identified by the late Curator, Mr. F. Waterhouse, and among them are included ten specimens of Sphecothens flavivcntris. In a paper on the collection of birds made by Dr. Loria, near Port Darwin," Count Sahadori refers a single specimen obtained as a female of .S". maxiUaris. I believe, however, that it will pro\e to belong to the present species. It is remarkable that this bird, so common on the Cape York Peninsula, is not found in New Guinea, although easy access is given between the latter island and tlie .Vustralian continent through the numerous islets dotted about the interven- ing hundred miles expanse of Torres Strait. Singular, too, that it should be fountl in tin; Ke Islands, in the Handa Sea, about eight hundred miles in ,1 north- westerly direction from Cape York, and yet be absent in the intermediate .\ru Islands. At Cairns, in North-eastern (Hieensland, Mr. R. Grant informs me, the \'ellow-breasted Fig-birds were seen in the tall fig-trees feeding in company with other species; and the stomachs of those he examinee! con- tained various kinds of wild fruits and berries. Relative to this species, Mr. Frank Hislop writes to me as follows: — "In the Hloomfield River District, the Yellow-breasted Fig-bird breeds only in the open forest lands. The nest is an open shallow structure, formed of long pieces of the stems of climbing plants and twigs, and is generally attached to the end of a drooping branch of a blackbutt-tree, from thirty to fifty feet from the ground. Frequently several pairs build in the same tree, and often in company with the Helmeted Friar-bird and Drongo-shrike. Three is the usual number of eggs laid for a sitting, but on one occasion I found a nest containing four. The months of October, November, December, and January constitute the usual breeding season." The nest is an open, shallow, and neatly made structure of a deep saucer-shape, and is formed of long pliant stems and tendrils of climbing plants, similar to that of S. maxiUaris; and, like the nest of that species, it is of so scanty a nature that when it contains eggs they are visible through the bottom of the nest. .\n average nest measures externally five inches in diameter by two inches and a half in depth; the inner cup three inches and a half in diameter by two inches in depth. They are built at the junction of a forked horizontal branch, and generally where several thinner leafy stems sprout out. YELLOW-BRRA.STKD FlO-lilUI). Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen., Vol. xxix., p. 505 (1890). DICKURUS. 85 The eggs are usuallv three in number for a sitting, and as might be expected, vary as much in shape, c(3lour, and character of markings as those of tile preceding species, from which they cannot be distinguislied. In a number of sets now before me, ovals predominate in form, others are slightly compressed towards the smaller end, and some are elongate-oval. The ground colour presents even more variation tlian in the eggs of S. maxilhwis, for in addition to the pale apple-green to dull olis'e-green and brown shades, dull bluish-whites are not uncommon, and some specimens are almost white on the smaller end. .\s in the preceding species, the ground colour of typical specimens is irregularly blotched, spotted, and freckled with different shades of reddish-brown or purplish-red, many of the markings in some specimens appearing as if beneath the surface of the shell. In one set the dull apple-green ground colour assumes a reddish-brown hue on the larger end, where are several irregular-shaped penumbral blotches of chestnut-brown, intermingled \\ith small dots antl spots of the same colour ; the remainder of the shell, except for a few minute dots hardly visible to the naked eye, being entirely devoid of markings. Another set, of a pale bluish -white ground colour, is most minutely freckled all o\'er with \'ery pale purplish-red, and having on the larger end of the eggs an irregular zone of small and slightly darker spots ; most of the markings on this set have a faded and washed-out appearance, and resemble those on some varieties of the eggs of the acclimatised Greenfinch (Fn'iigilla diloi'is). A set of three, taken on the 15th December, 1894, measures as follows:— Length (.\) 1-23 x o-g inches; (I!) 1-3 x o-g inches; (C) 1-27 x 0-89 inches. A set of three, taken on the 20th October, i8g4, measures:— (.\) 1-25 x 0-87 inches; (B) 1-23 x 0-86 inches; (C) 1-26 x 0-87 inches. An elongate-oval set, taken on the 20th November, 1894. measures:— Length (A) 1-4 x 0-85 inches; (B) 1-41 x 0-85 inches; (C) 1-41 x 0-84 inches. All the above described eggs were taken by Mr. Robert Hislop, Junr., or Mr. Frank Ilislop, while resident in the Bloomfield River District, North-eastern Queensland. Young males are duller in colour than the adults on the upper parts; the head is brown, witli darker centres to the feathers, witli which are intermingled a number of black feathers; all the under surface yellowish-white, slightly richer and brighter yellow on the throat and fore-neck, most of the feathers on these parts and some on the sides of the body being conspicuously streaked with dark brown down the centre ; under tail-coverts white. Wing 5-5 inches. Slightly older birds have most of the feathers of the head and the ear-coverts black; all the under surface bright yellow, the feathers of the throat having very narrow brown shaft-streaks. Immature females have the feathers of the head dull brownish-white with distinct blackish- brown streaks on the crown and nape; quills and upper wing-coverts dark brown, broadly margined with greyish-white. Some adult females have the feathers of the head much lighter than others, and the dark brown markings on the feathers of the under surface of an elongate tear-shaped form on the lower breast and abdomen; under tail-co\-erts white, with brown shaft- lines on some of the feathers. The figure represents an adult male. Family DICRURID^. O-enns IDIOISXJIS"CTS, Vieilht. Dicrurus bracteatus. DRONGO-SHRIKE. Dicrurui: bracteatus, Gould, Proc. Zool. Hoc, 1842, p. 1:V2; id., Bds. Austr., fol, Vol. IV., pi. 82 (1848). Chibia bracteata, Gould, Haadbk. Bds. Austr., A^ol. I., p. 23.5 (1865); Sharpe, Gat. Bds. Brit. Mas., Vol. III., p. 23fi (1877). Dicruropsis bractp.ata, Salvad., Orn. Pap. et Moluoc, Pt. II., p. 174 (1881). 36 nicituRiD.E. Adult male — General colour above black; feathers of the head and sides of the hind neck tipped tvilh metallic steel-yreen; rump, upper tail-coverts, ivings and tail black, washed with metallic steel-green; all the under surface black, slightly glossed ivith green, the tips of the feathers of the throat and fore-neck spangled ivith small spots of metallic steel green ; under wing-coverts black, with a rounded spot of trhite at the tips; bill and legs black; iris red. Total length in the fesh 13-25 inches, wing 6-25, outer tail feathers 5-2, central tail feathers 4'S, bill 1'3, tarsus 0 9. Adult female — Similar in plum.age to the male. Distribution. — Northern Territory of South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, New Guinea. gr^ HANK included this species in the older genus Dicnmis, as the principal characters of the -L. genus Chihia, founded on an Asiatic species, are absent in the only representative of this family inhabiting Australia. The range of the Drongo-shrike extends over the south coast of New (iuinea and the greater part of Northern and liastern .\ustralia. Numerous examples were obtained at Port Darwin by the late Mr. E. Spalding, and it is freely distributed in favourable situations through- out the whole of the coastal districts of Eastern Queensland and the north-eastern portions of New South Wales. Fartlier soutli it is seldom met with, except in the autumn, after the breeding season is over, when specimens are sometimes obtained during March, April, and May. Near Sydney it was not uncommon between Newport and Manly in the autumn of 1900, spetimens also being procured farther inland at Windsor, Pemith. and Campbelltown. At Lithgow, on the Blue Mountains, at an elevation of over three thousand feet, Mr. Robt. Grant saw about fifty in small flocks in 1875, and obtained several examples. Previously he had not observed them in that locality, nor has he seen any since. It is, however, of a roving n.iture, and occasional visitants have been obtained in \'ictoria, and even Tasmania. The wing measurement of adult males from different localities varies from 6 to 6-5 inches. The Drongo-shrike in New South Wales evinces a decided preference for trees on the edges of scrubs, and is mostly seen in pairs, but not infrequently in small companies, varying from four to six in number, the latter probably a pair of adults accompanied by their progeny, for they are generally seen crowding one against another near the end of a dead branch. When once heard, its harsh and peculiar note cannot easily be mistaken for that of any other species. In the manner of securing its food it resembles tlie Dollar-bird, and some species of Wood Swallows, sallying forth from its perch on some dead branch to secure a passing insect, and returning again to the sjime spot after capturing it. It is not, however, strictly insectivorous, and many of the specimens I have seen were obtained while feasting on cultivated fruits. The stomachs I examined of specimens procured at Bay View, Manly, and at Penrith, were all filled with the heads, legs, and elytra of black beetles, and in one I found a perfect dragon-fly. The nest, which is attached at the sides to a thin forked stem of an outspreading branch, is a cup-shaped structure formed almost entirely of vine tendrils intermingled with pliant plant stems, and frequently has a quantity of spiders' web worked over the fork in which it is built. An average nest measures externally six inches in diameter by three inches in depth, the inner cup measuring three inches and a half in diameter by two inches in depth. The nest and eggs figured were taken by Mr. G. Savidge on the 17th November, npi, at the head of Wombat Creek in the Upper Clarence District. Externally the nest is triangular in form, and is built between and around a thin horizontal forked stem of a box-tree, the rim on one side of the nest standing above the branch. It is formed throughout of long curling vine tendrils and plant stems, and has at each angle a quantity of spiders' web worked over the branch, the inner portion being cup-shaped and neatly rounded. Externally the structure averages six inches in diameter by three inches in depth, the inner cup measuring four inches DICliUKUS. 87 r" in diameter bv two inches in depth. It was built at a heij^ht of forty feet from the ground, and the eggs — four in number — were visible through the bottom of the nest. The figure is reproduced from a photograph taken, and kindly lent by Mr. Sa\idge. The eggs are from three to fi\'e in number for a sitting, and vary considerably in shape, colour, and disposition of tlieir markings. In shape they are mostly oval or elongate-oval, some specimens tapering sharply to one or both ends, the shell being close-grained and its surface dull and lustreless. The ground colour varies from faint reddish-white to pale purplish-grey. .\ common type has a pale purplish -grey ground colour, v.ith numerous irregular shaped blotches, smears, scratches, and freckles of different shades of purplish-red scattered over tlie shell, and intermingled with faint similar underlying markings of dull \iolet-grey. In some specimens these markings are clear and well defined; in others they are very faint and hardly distinguishable from the ground colour. Another type has a very pale creamy-buff ground colour, o\er which is evenly distributed numerous small indistinct freckles and fleecy markings of light red intermingled with underlying spots and freckles of dull violet-grey; in some specimens the markings become confluent on tlie larger end, where an indistinct zone is formed. I IV- ~,j«5^ >v>-.^ -i.-i.Ai~"^-^^*tr',«' Others ha\e large under- taken in the Bloomfield River District, North- eastern Queensland, on the20thDecember,i8g4, measures: — Length (A) i'3 X o'Sinches; (B) i'3i X o-8i inches; (C) i'3 x 0-8 1 inches. Another set of three, taken on the nth December, 1895, in the same district, measures: — (A) i-aaxo-Sy inches; (B) i-23xo-87 inches; (C) i-igxo-Sj inches. .\ set of three, taken at Broad Sound, on the loth October, 1882, measures: — (A) i-2 x 0-83 inches; (B) i-i8xo-83 inches; (C) 1-23 x 0-85 inches. A set of eggs taken by Mr. G. Savidge on the i7tli November, 1901, are of a faint purplish-white ground colour, which is sprinkled over with numerous small irregular shaped spots, streaks, dashes, and a few large blotches of light red and purplish-red, intermingled with similar underlying markings and clouded patches of pale purplish-red, predominating as usual on the thicker end of the shell. Length:— (A) i-i6 x o-86 inches; (B) 1-19 x 0-84 inches ; (C) ri6 x o-86 inches; (D) i-i8xo-86 inches. Mr. C. C. L. Talbot found this species breeding on Collaroy Station, near Broad Sound, Queensland, on the loth October, 1882. The nests were attached to the fine leafy twigs at the e.xtremities of the branches of dwarf white gums at an altitude of twenty feet from the ground. They were placed in trees about fifty yards apart, and in twelve nests e.xamined each contained three eggs for a sitting. In some the eggs were fresh, in others partially incubated. On the 17th January, 1896, Mr. J. A. Boyd found a nest on the Herbert River, containing three nearly fledged young. Still further north, Mr. Frank Hislop writes to me: — "The Drongo-shrike is t L .^^' rf NEST AND EGGS OF DRON(;0 SHRIKE. 88 PKIOXOPID.E. very common about the Bloomfield River, and is usually met with in pairs, in the low under- growth, searching for insects and berries, which constitute its food. They breed from October to January, and often select as anesting site a blackbutt, or a Moreton Bay Ash, in which the Helmeted Friar-bird and Vellow-breasted Fig-bird have their nests. Tiie nest is composed almost entirely of the curly tendrils of vines, and is suspended by the rim to a thin fork at the end of an overhanging branch. They lay four and often five eggs for a sitting. After the breeding season is over, at the end of February, with nearly e\'ery flock of Wliite-bellied Cuckoo-shrikes, will be seen several Drongo-shrikes." In Xew South Wales it breeds, so far as I am aware, only in the northern coastal rivers district. I did not meet with it in the Upper Clarence District, but Mr. George Savidge found it breeding in the Cangai Scrubs, about forty miles from Copmanhurst, the week after I left. He informs me that the nests were nearly all built in thin horizontal forks at the e.\treme ends of branches of box-trees, at a height varying from thirty to forty feet from the ground. In every instance the scoop had to be used to abstract the eggs. It breeds in that locality mostly in November and December, tliree or four eggs being the usual number laid for a sitting, but on one occasion he found a nest containing five eggs. Fledgelings are blackish-brown above and below; wings and tail black, slightly glossed with metallic steel-green. Wing 4-8 inches. October and the four following months constitute the usual breeding season in Eastern Queensland and Xorth-eastern Xew South Wales. Family PRIONOPID^. Sub-Family PRIONOPIN^. Grallina picata. MAGPIE-L\RK. Gracula picata, Lath., Ind. Orn , Suppl., p. xxix., (1801). Grallina ansiratis, Gould, Bds. Au.str., fol.. Vol. IT., pi. •"»4 (1848). Grallina picata, Gould, Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. [, p 188 (186-5); Shappe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus , Vol. III., p. -272 (1877). Adult male — General colour above blue-black ; npper ittlng -coverts white, the outer series of the greater coverts black tipped with white; quills black, bases and tips of the secondaries white; rump and upper tail-coverts white; tail feathers white, with a broad terminal black band, decreasing in extent towards the outermost feathers which are tipped with white; a broad line above, and a narroiv crescent belojv the eye rvhite; ear-coverts and sides of the neck ivhite; chin, t/iroat, and chest blue black; remainder of the uiider surface pure white; bill feslty-irhite, blackish along the apical portion 0/ the upper mandible; legs black; iris yelluwish-rohit<\ Total length in t/ie fesh lO'o inc/oes, niing 6'lj, tail 5, bill OSo, tarsus 1~. Adult female — Similar to the male in platnnge, but having the lores, forehead, and thronl white, and no white crescent below the eye. Distribution. — Xorthern Territory of South .\ustralia, Queensland, Xew South Wales, Victoria, South and Central .\usiralia. Western and Xorth-western .\ustralia, Tasmania. CJRALLINA. 89 /-I^HIS familiar and well-known species is freely distributed in suitable localities over nearly _L the whole of the Australian continent. It likewise occurs as an occasional visitant in Tasmania, and Mr. E. Hartert has recorded a specimen from the little island of Koer in the Ke Group.- It evinces a decided preference for the vicinity of water, and chiefly frequents open forest and grass lands, and the margins of rivers and swamps. In Eastern Australia it is a resident species, and is usually seen in pairs except from the beginning of March until the end of July, when it congregates in flocks numbering from ten or twenty, to perhaps one hundred or ' more individuals. Mr. Keartland informs me that while the Horn Scientific Expedition was near Francis' Well, in Central Australia, a flock of seseral hundred of these birds settled at nightfall in the trees around their camp. GmlUna picata v^-as hrst recorded as a Tasmaniaa species I from a specimen forwarded by Dr. Lonsdale Holden to the Hobart Museum. From Dr. Holden's MS. notes, under date i5tn July, iS88, I take the following extract:— "To-day I shot a female Gralliua picata on Deavin's Farm at Circular Head. A pair had been observed there near the homestead for some weeks, one of which has since disappeared. They fed on the ground, flying into trees when disturbed, and always roosting in the same clump. This one was tame enough; the crop contained the remains of insects; the ovary not being large, but plainly recognisable. The farm it frequented is on the shores of a large marine inlet, and very bare of trees. The man who lives there said the birds generally resorted to marshy places in the paddocks. Residents here have never seen this bird before." This species utters a shrill squeaking note, usually while perched; to which is added, chiefly during flight, the clear notes resembling the sound of the word "pee-wee, pee-wee, pee-wee." To residents of Australia it is known under several names. Those in most common use in Eastern Australia are the "Magpie- Lark," the name first bestowed upon it by the early colonists of New South Wales, from its MAopir.-LAKK strikinglv contrasted black and white plumage; the "Pee-wee" from its note; and the "Mud-Lark" from its habit of frequenting the margins of swamps, and constructing its nest of mud. From Port Augusta, South Australia, Dr. A. Chenery sends me the following note:-" Gral Una puata is here in the winter months, but is not seen as a rule after August. It does not breed here." The Magpie-Lark passes most of its time on the ground, in search of insects and their larv., which constitute the greater portion of its food. It also frequents P'^^^'-^ -'^J -'^ orchards for grubs and worms, and from margins of swamps and on grass lands obtains small molluscs. One species of land mollusc, of which it destroys large numbers, is an in erniediate hot of fluke, that dire disease in sheep. Mr. J. A. Boyd, while resident at R.pple Creek, nea Townsville. Queensland, informed me that large flocks of these birds followed the teams wh. e ploughing on the sugar plantations, to feast upon the cane-eating larv. of a eetle, which a Ln:d fron. the earth in son.e seasons in large numbers. Writmg on the 14th Jun. ■->. he * Bull. Brit. Orn. Club. 1900, p. loi. t Proc. Roy. Soc. Tas., 18S8. p. xxxiii. 90 PRIONOPID.E. remarks: — "Magpie- Larks, which have been absent for three years, are now here in hundreds." And again, on the 24th January, i8g6, Mr. Boyd writes: — "The 'cane-beetles' have been here in milHons this season; about ^"700 has been already spent in buying them from collectors at sixpence a quart. A quart holds about two hundred and twenty." Stomachs of these birds I have examined, contained chiefly portions of \arious insects, those being shot near the coast also containing a little sand mixed with a few blades of grass. I have never known it to eat fruit or grain. Pastoralists, sugar-planters, farmers, and orchardists, to whom this bird renders such valuable services, should therefore assist in affording it absolute protection by preventing thoughtless boys and pot-hunters from trespassing on their lands in search of "something to kill," not only in the close season but all the year round. The ever trustful and fearless disposition of this bird should in itself be a sufficient claim to the protection it undoubtedly deserves; but unfortunately the easy manner in which it may be approached is too often the cause of many of them falling victims to misplaced confidence in man. It is an extremely sociable species, freijuenting the vicinity of houses, and breeding in trees close to the streets in many of the outlying Sydney suburbs. As I now write there is one calling in a fig-tree in the Museum grounds. On the outskirts of Ashlield, during the autunm months, I have observed just about dusk large flocks of these birds lea\e the well timbered paddocks, where they had been feeding all day, and take up their (|uarters for the night in some lofty gum trees in the most thickly populated part of this suburb. Although the flight of this species is apparently slow and laboured, it is remarkably active, and an expert dodger when on the wing. While accompanied by Mr. i£. H. Lane and Mr. George Savidge, at Rosexille, near Middle Harbour, w'e heard shrill cries of distress uttered by some bird, .-uid on looking round observed a Magpie- Lark and a White-fronted Falcon (Falco lumilatui), tumbling over and over one another in the air. This was kept up for ten seconds or mare, the Magpie-Lark at last successfully eluding the grasp and further pursuit of its flset-winged and active enemy. 1 have also frequently seen it exhibit remarkable powers while on the wing, pursuing generally a zig-zag course, more espsciallv when molibed by a flock of smaller birds. The nest is a round bowl-sha|ied structure, and is formed ot pellets of mud mixed with bits of grass or rootlets, the inside being lined with dried grasses and occasionally with feathers. An average nest measures externally five inches and a half in diameter by four inches in depth ; the inner cup measuring four inches and a quarter in diameter by two inches and a quarter in depth. It is usually placed on a bare horizontal branch, but not infrequently a site is selected where a few upright leafy twigs are growing out which slightly shelters the structure, although no attempt at concealment is made. It is a conspicuous object and at all times easy to discover, for it is generally placed towards the extremity of a limb, or some distance away from the trunk of the tree. .\ favourite situation is a smooth-harked gum tree on a river bank, but it may be also found in trees in open forest country, some distance from water. It is built at \-arious heights, generally it is from twenty to sixty feet, but in stunted timber it is much lower, and I liave found it in a Melaleuca' Vi\thm ten feet from the ground. The nest of this species resembles that of Struthidea cincrea, but when closely examined may be generally distinguished by its greater average depth, straighter w^alls, and thicker rim. Nests are frequently built close to the one occupied the previous season, and often inside of the old one. I once saw four nests built one on the top of the other, resembling so many basins placed one in the other, only about two inches of the top portion of the three upper nests being visible. At Ashfield I saw a nest of this species, resorted to by presumably the same pair of birds for three successive seasons. It is remarkable that the Black and White Fantail (Saulopyocta melaleuca) frequently constructs its nest in the same tree as one containing a nest of Grallina picata. (iUALLINA. 91 The eggs are usually four in number for a sitting, sometimes five, and \ary considerably in shape, size, colour, and disposition of markings. The most common type found is oval in form, tapering somewhat sharply at the smaller end, and of a reddish-white ground colour, spotted and blotched with purplish-red and underlying markings of slaty-grey, in some instances forming a zone or cap on the larger end, in others being equally distributed over the shell. Some eggs are of a rich reddish-buff ground colour, which is almost hidden on the larger end with numerous confluent blotches of reddish-brown and clouded underlying patches of violet- grey. Others are o^■al in form and pure white, with a few small rounded purplish-black dots evenly distributed over the shell, and I have seen two sets pure white and entirely devoid of markings. Among a great number of eggs of this species now before me, it is noticeable that those obtained in the ^•ery hot inland districts of New South Wales are smaller, less rich in colour, and more sparingly marked than others tal!5 inches; (C) it x 0-82 inches; (D) it2xo-83 inches; (E) 1-07 x 0-82 inches. Fledgelings are similar to the adults but duller in colour, having dusky-brown instead of bluish-black feathers on the upper parts and throat. Young birds have the tail feathers largely tipped with white, and the outermost feather on either side entirely white except a small portion of the outer web, and a subterminal streak on the margin of the inner web, which is brownish-black. Mr. G. .\. Keartland writes to me as follows: — "That GraUina picata is a most persistent breeder was proved b}' Mr. J. Gabriel and myself during October and November, 1895. Whilst collecting at Werribee, Mctoria, on 14th October, we found a nest containing four fresh eggs, which I took. A fortnight later we revisited the tree to see if the birds had laid again in the old nest, but to our surprise found a fresh nest built within four feet of the old one and containing four eggs; these were taken by Mr. Gabriel. Again, a fortnight later, Mr. Chas. French, Junr., accompanied me to the tree to look for an article lost on the previous visit. We found another nest, containing four eggs, on the same branch as the former ones; Mr. French took the eggs. Again, a fortnight later, I revisited the spot and found another nest containing four eggs, which were left to hatch. As on the first visit I noticed a broken primary in the wing of the female, I was careful to see that it w-as the same bird each time we paid our fortnightly visit." Nidification, in which both se.xes take part, generally commences in August, and the usual breeding season in Eastern Australia continues the five following months. I have, however, taken eggs as early as the jrd .Vugust, and have seen these birds building on the banks ot the Namoi River at the latter end of Noxember. In the Upper Clarence District, Mr. G. Savidge informs me that he once observed young birds being fed in the nest in July. A new nest is almost invariably constructed for each brood, of which two, if not three, are reared during the season. The deserted tenements of the Magpie-Lark are often taken possession of by other birds, and more frequently by the White-rumped Wood S\\a.\\o\w {Avtamus Icucogaster), the Ground Cwckoo-slmke ( Ptcropodocys phasianclla),a.nd the Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike (Graucalus mdaiwps). On Yandembah Station, the late Mr. K. H. Bennett found a Black and White Fantail (Sauloprocta mdaleuca) sitting on three eggs in a deserted nest of this species, the bottom of the nest having been relined with wool and fur. There is a beautiful albino, and a ssmi-albino of this species in the Australian Museum collection. The figure represents an adult male. 92 PKIONOPID.E. Ca-en-U-S COXjnL,"Z'ISIOC:l3SrOILj..^, vigors .£• Horsfield. Collyriocincla harmonica. GREY SHRIKE-THRUSH. Turdus hnrinonicns, Latb., Iiid. Orn., Suppl., p. xli., (lt<01). Collurieincla harmonica, Gould, Bds. Austr., fol., Vol. TI., pi. 74 (1848), id., Handbk. Bds. Austr, Vol. I., p. 220 (1865). Collyriocincla harmonica, Sharpp, Cat. Bds. Brit. .Mus., Vol. III., p. '-".•0 (1877). Adult M.\LE — General colour above grey ; hitid neck, ncapn./artt, nud Ixick Hmhirdirown : tipper wing-coverts grey, the lesser and median series washed ivitli umber-broirn ; primaries and secnndaries blackish-brown, externally edged with grey, which increases in extent towards the outermost secondaries; tail grey; lores and chin dull white; under surface of the body light ashy-grey : centre of the abdomen and under tail-coverts dull white; bill blackisli-brown : legs and feet greenish-grey : iris dark broivn. Totod length in the fi«sh 9 5 inches, wing o'^, tail 4' f bill 0'82, tarsus I'-i. Adult female — Distinguished from the male by having a very much paler bill, mid the h'nihers of the throat, fore-neck, and breast having narrow black shaft-lines. Distribution. — Queensland, New South Wales, X'ictoria, South Australia. /"ITVHE Grey Shrike-Thrush is a common and generally distributed species throughout most J- parts of Kastern and South-eastern .\ustralia. There are specimens in the .Vuslralian Museum collection obtained by the late Mr. W. S. Day at Cairns, Queensland, but it is more freely dispersed in the southern portion of that State. It is common in New South Wales, -^, X'ictoria, and some parts of South .\ustralia. I saw an example in the Botanic Gardens at .\delaide, and Dr. \. M. Morgan has recorded it from Laura, about one hundred and forty miles north of that city; Dr. .\. Chenery has also found it breeding to the north-west of Fort .\ugusta. It frequents the coastal scrubs, open forest bnds, mountain ranges, and the wooded margins of rivers and creeks. Partially cleared lands, and the neighbourhood of orchards, are also favourite resorts of this familiar and well known bird. L'sually it is met with singly or in pairs, e.vcept during the breeding season when accompanied with its GRKY SHRIKE-THRUSH. young. It is of a tame and fearless disposition, and when disturbed seldom flies far, alighting generally in the nearest tree, or on some fallen log, over which it proceeds in a series of hops. Although a resident species in New South Wales, it is more abundantly distributed during the spring and summer months. Near Sydney, during April, May, and the greater part of June, it utters a shrill note, quite different from the melodious notes poured forth in the breeding season. In June, 1S93, ^^ Toongabbie, near Parramatta, so much was I deceived by the notes and actions of a pair of these birds in the top of a lofty eucalyptus, that I had to shoot them in order to be sure of their identification. In the warm and sunny days that herald the approach of a coming spring, its notes are the richest and most melodious of any heard in the neighbour- hood of large towns and cities, fully justifying the original vernacular name of Harmonic Thrush, bestowed on it by Dr. Latham. It is, however, more generally known as the Grey Shrike-Thrush, a name first applied to it by Messrs. Jardire and Selby in their " Illustrations of Ornithology." COLLYRIOCINCLA. ^^ The food of this species consists chietiy of \arious kinds of insects and their larvae, also worms, snails, centipedes, and small lizards. Writm- from Eden, Twofold Bay, in August, 1901, Mr. J. A. Boyd informs me that one of these birds sits and whistles on his back verandah until'he goes out and gives it some scrap of food from the safe; a bit of cheese being a great dainty. It is so tame that it will ahnost eat out of his hand. The nest is a round bowl-shaped structure, outwardly formed of strips of bark and lined inside with fibrous roots, and varies considerably in size according to the position in which it is built Some I have seen consisted principally of a root-lined cavity, just sufficient to accommodate the bird while sitting; others, built in the thin forked branches of trees, had the outer walls very thick, and the rim neatly rounded. One I found at Newington, built in a Mdakuca had a strip of blue serge two inches wide and twentv inches l.jng. utilised in its outer construction, the material being thoroughly interwoven in the nest and securely bound around two of the branches. When built in hollow limbs, the same site is frequently resorted to year after year, but usuallv a new nest is formed on the top of the old ...ne. .Vn average nest measures five inches and a half in external diameter by four inches and a half in depth; internally three inches and three quarters in diameter by two inches and a half in depth. The site for the nest is a varied one. Preference, however, is given for the hollows m the tops of stumps burnt out cavities m limbs, or the thick fork of a tree. It is also built in thin pron-ed upright branches; between the top a piece of loose bark and the trunk of a tree, and in th"e cleft of a bank or rock. The different species ol Eucalyptus and Melaleuca are the trees usually selected as nesting sites, also the Turpentine (Syncarp.a lannfalia ), and the nests are built at hei-hts varving from two to forty feet from the ground. Generally they are found ^vithin hand^s reach, or not at an higher altitude than twelve feet. Curious nesting-sites are sometimes selected by this species. For five years consecutively a pair built in an old iron pot standing on a shelf m a carpenter's shop at CuUenbones and Dr. A. AI. Morgan found a nest wi^h three fresh eggs at Port Augusta, South Australia, on the 14th August, 1900, built on the top of an old nest of Pcnatoylnuus supeniliosus. At Strathfield, near Sydney, a nest was constructed against a creeper-covered wall of a house. The eggs, usuallv three, sometimes only two, and rarely four in number for a sitting, are subject to considerable variation in shape, size, and disposition of markings. They vary from oval to thick and elongate oval in form, the shell being close-grained, and its surface lustrous, and in "round colour from pearly to buffy-white, which is usually evenly marked with freckles spots, and blotches of olive-brown, brownish-black, and underlying markings of slaty or deep bluish-^rey. Others have a zone or cap only on the larger end formed of large confluent spots and blotches, while a not uncommon variety is finely freckled over the entire surface of the shell. Some have the ground colour on the larger end almost obscured with coalesced black and slaty-black markings. A set of three, taken at Canterbury, near Sydney, on the 17th September, 1897, measures as follows :-Length (A) f2i x 0-87 inches; (B) i-2 x o-86 inches- (C) 1-2 X 0-85 inches. Another set, taken in the same locality, on the 20th September, 1897, measures:-(D) 1-3 x 0-9 inches; (E) 1-31 xo-88 inches; (F) 1-29 x 0-9 inches. Fled-elin-s have the upper parts greyish-brown; the back, scapulars, upper wing-coverts, and secondaries distmctlv tinged with olive; upper wing-coverts externally edged with rufous; feathers around the eye and a superciliary stripe pale rufous; throat, fore-neck, and chest dull greyish-white, passing into pure white on the breast and abdomen, all the feathers having a broad dusky-brown streak down the centre. Wing 4 inches. Dr W Macgillivray writes to me as follows :-"Co//jma«r/« haymomca frequently resorts to the same cleft year after year to nest. I have known a brood to be reared for five consecutive » Cox and Ham.-Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W., 2nd ser., Vol. iv., p. 406 (1S89). 94 PBIONOPID.E. years in the same place in the bank of a small creek in the Western District of Victoria." From Port Augusta, South Australia, Dr. A. Chenery writes me: — "C. havmonka, is common both in the gum creeks of Flinder's Range, and on the myall plains and mulga flats of the north-west. I have taken a nest in the broken stump of a black oak on the steep side of a table-land, and also in small shrubs in the gum creeks of the Flinder's Range."" Nidification usually begins about the first week in August, and the nest is completed in about ten days. The eggs are deposited on successive days, and full sets of fresh eggs are not uncommon in the last week in August. The earliest record I ha\e of nidification is the 25th July, i8g6, and of a full set of fresh eggs on 7th August, 1897, During the past fifteen years, near Sydney, I have found more nests with eggs in September, than any other month. Fresh eggs for a second brood may be looked for in November, and 1 have known them to be taken as late as the middle of December. This species is one of the foster-parents of the Pallid Cuckoo (C.uailiis paUidiis). On the 25th October, 1893, I exhibited at a meeting of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, a set consisting of three eggs of Collyriocinda harmonica and an egg of Cuciihis pallidiis, taken from a nest near W'oolli Creek. The Cuckoo's egg was deposited on the 17th October, when the nest contained but two eggs of the Shrike-Thrush. Collyriocinda rectirostris. STKAKiUT-Un.LFD SHKIKE TIIKISH. CoUuricincIa rectirostris, Jard. and SoUiy, III. Orii., Vol. IV., pi. XXXI., (1839). Colluricincla selbii, Gould, Bds. .Vustr., fol., Vol. II, pi. 77 (1848); id., Handlik. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. 224 (186.5). Collyriocinda rectirostris, Sharpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. III., p. 291 (1877) Adult male — Head, rump, and upper tail-coverts grey ; back, scapulars, lesser and tuedian upper iving-coverts umber-brown; primaries, secondaries, and greater wing-coverts dark hroicn, externally washed with grey, the inner series of the secondaries and the greater wing-coverts umber- brown; tail grey; lores and an indistinct line over the eye dull white; chin, throat, and fore-neck dull white, passing into greyish-while oti the remainder of the under surface; sides of the breast, flanks, and under tail-coverts grey ; bill black; legs and feet greenish-grey ; iris dark hroirn. Total length 9'5 inches, wing 5-1, tail Jf2, bill I'l, tarsus lo. Adult female — Distinguished from the male by its rufous eye broiv and hlackisli sliq/'t linns to the feathers oj the under surface. Distribution. — Tasmania iind some of the islands of 1 !ass Strait. ^TR^HIS species is represented in the Australian Museum collection by several specimens -L procured by Mr. George Mtisters near the Ouse River, and other parts of the State. In a northerly direction, its range over the islands of Bass Strait was e.\tended nearer to the Australian continent by members of the Field Naturalists' Club of \'ictoria, who procured specimens on King Island in November, 1887. Mr. E. D. Atkinson sends me the following note from Table Cape, Tasmania: — "I have met with Collyriodnda rectirostris in most parts of Tasmania, also in the larger islands of Bass Strait. It chiefly frequents cleared lands, and is seldom seen any distance in the forest. It is an active and sprightly bird, and possesses a very musical note."' From notes made by Dr. L. Holden, principally at Circular Head, Tasmania, I have extracted the following information: — "Collyriocinda rectirostris is an exceedingly courageous bird, the male being larger and more noisy. He snaps his bill before uttering liis resounding COLLVRIOCINCLA. 95 cries. 1 took it for the hammering of a tree, hke the noise made by a Woodpecker, but after repeated careful and close inspection with a field-glass, I discovered he made the noise with his bill. He is known by the local names of -Whistling Dick," and 'Duke Willie," on account of his peculiar note. Sitting one day by the Russell Falls River, near Hobart, in a gum-tree forest, my companion and I were engaged m boiling the mid-day billy, when one of these birds flew on to a branch near by and began to call. My bush friend threw a piece of bread towards him, when down came the bird, searched for and found the bread, and carried it off high up into the trees. My friend seemed to think it cjuite an ordinary performance, and told me that this species was often very faTuiliar in these solitudes. On the 14th November, 1886, at Circular Head, 1 found a nest of C. redimstris, built in the fork of a tea-tree about eight feet from the ground. It was a deep cup-shaped structure, composed chiefly of strips of bark, and thinly lined with dried grass and a little horse-hair. The female was sitting on three fresh eggs. She would not leave the spot, even when the nest was destroyed. I found another in the top of a tea-tree, built in an old opossum's nest, containing a young bird, which fluttered to the ground and escaped. During October, 1887, I found three more nests, built in tea-trees, at heights varying from seven to fifteen feet from the ground, each nest containing two eggs. On the 25th September, 1890, I found a nest built in a hush barely four feet from the ground, with three fresh eggs. Also another, on the 23rd November following, constructed in the top of a dead tree in scrub, containing three hard set eggs. No bird sits closer to its eggs than the female of this species. The eggs, which vary very much in shape, size, and markings, are more frequentlv three than two in number for a sitting." In several sets of these eggs now before me, rounded oval is the predominate form, others are somewhat sharplv pointed at each end; elongate-oval, the commonest type of C. haniwuica, is poorly represented, while one set is almost globular. In ground colour they vary from pearly-white to dull brownish-white, which is freckled, spotted, or blotched with olive-brown, blackish-brown, or chestnut-brown, and underlying markings varying from faint to dark slaty- grey. One type, in shape, colour, and disposition of markings, closely resembles the eggs of the Olivaceous Thickhead. The markings are uniformly distributed in some specimens, in others they predominate on the larger end, where they form a cap or zone. In one set the markings are confined entirely to the thicker end, and consist of large olive-brown blotches intermingled with small slaty-grey underlying spots, which far exceed in number and extent the surface blotches. A set of two, taken by Dr. L. Holden, at Circular Head, Tasmania, on the 5th October, 1891, measures: — Length (A) i-obxo-Sj inches; (B) i-o8 x x 0^87 inches. .\ set of three, taken at Table Cape, on the north-west coast of Tasmania, by Mr. E. D. Atkinson, in November, 1889, measures: — Length (A) 1-23 x o-86 inches; (B) 1-25 x 0-9 inches; (C) 1-2 x 0-85 inches. Young males have the feathers of the under surface more broadly streaked than the adult female, and have the sides of the head and the upper wing-coverts washed with rufous. From the nests found by Dr. Holden, September and the three following months appear to constitute the usual breeding season of this species. Collyriocincla brunnea. BJ;OWX SHKIKE-THEUSH. CoUuricinc/a brunnea, Gould, Proc. Zool. .Soc, 1840, p. 164; id., Bds. Austr., fob. Vol. II., pi. 76 (1848); id., llandbk, Bds. Austr., Vol. L, p. 223 (1865). Adult male— G'«?(e?-«^ colour above pale brown; primaries, secondaries, and upper wing-coverts brown, externally edged with ashy-greij : tail feather !i brown, narrotvly edged rvith ashy-grey ; lores and the anterior portion of tlie cheeks dull toldle ; ear-coverts pale brown : chin and throat dull white. 96 PRIONOPID.E. passing into pale ashy-brorvn on the hreasl, ayid i/ull irhite tinged >ritli fami colour on tJte abdomen; thighs as/iy-brown ; under tail-coverts dull ivhile : nnder iring-coverts greyisli-broirn : "bill black; legs and feet hlackishbroivn; iris broion" {^Vorlon). Total length 9' 3 inches, iving Jf9o, tail ^S, bill OS, tarsus 1-2. Adult female — Distinguished from the male by its dull rnfous eye-broiv: the under surface and under tail-coverts being mo)e distinctly tinged ivith faicn colour, and the feathers of the fore-neck and hrea.it having dark hroivn shaft streaks; under iving-coverts pale oratige-huff; bill light yellowish- horn colour, fleshy-brown at the base. Distribution. — Xorth-western Australia, Northern Territorv (if South Australia. /'(sV OULD described the type of this species from North-western Australia, and states in V A his "Handbook to the Birds of Australia" " that "it is abundantly dispersed over the Cobourg Peninsula, and is to be met with in all the forests in the immediate neighbourhood of Port Essington and the north coast generally." The late Mr. E. Spalding found it very common in the vicinity of Port Darwin in 1877; and Mr. .Mexander Morton, while collecting on behalf of the Trustees of the .\ustralian Museum, obtained e.vamples of both sexes at Port Essington, in February and March, 1879, from which the above descriptions are taken. Mr. E. J. Cairn procured an adult male and female near Derby, North-western Australia, in 1S86; and in the same neighbourhood Mr. G. A. Keartland found them breeding in i8y6, and procured an adult male. It is worthy of note that specimens from Derby are much paler than examples from J-'ort Essington. In 1S9.S, Mr. E. Olive also found ihcin breeding near the Katherine River, in the Northern Territory of South Australia. .\11 the adult males I have seen from Northern and North-western .Australia, agree with Gould's description and figure of this species, and have no white eyebrow. Dr. Sharpe ' and Count Salvadori \ agree in describing the adult of C. bnuuica, respectively from Cape York and New Guinea, as having a distinct white eyebrow, like C. snpcrciliosa. Masters, and which both authors include as a synonvm of C. hriiiuiea. No reference is made to the different plumage of the adult female, of which we have abundant proof in the specimens obtained at Port Essington. Gould figures the two se.xes of C. brnuuca in his "ISirds of Australia," but omits to give a description of the female. I have never seen a typical specimen of C. hrunnea from Northern and Eastern Queensland. C. superciliosa. Masters, was obtained at Cape Grenville, one hundred miles south from Cape York, and has a distinct white eyebrow similar to examples described from Cape York and New Guinea. Instead of C. superciliosa. Masters, being relegated as a synonym of C. hrunnea, it is evident that the species inhabiting the Cape York Peninsula and New Guinea must bear the name of Collyriocincla superciliosa. I have compared Mr. Masters' type of the latter species with examples from New Guinea, and find them alike, except that the white eyebrow is broader and more distinct in the Australian bird, which I take to be a very old male. Mr. G. A. Keartland writes me: — "During the journey of the Calvert Exploring Expedition in North-western Australia, Brown Shrike-Thrushes were seen on the southern margin of the Great Desert, and again near the junction of the Fitzroy and Margaret Rixers. They were very tame, and allowed me to walk under a Bankinia tree, about twenty feet high, while they hopped about the upper branches, my attention being frequently attracted to them by their loud and musical notes. When the young brood leave the nest, the parents will perform all manner of antics to divert the attention of an intruder. A pair which reared their family near our camp on ♦ Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. i., p. 223 (1865). t Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. iii., p. 291 (1877). { Orn. Pap. et Molucc, Pt. ii , p. 209 (1881). COLLyRIOCINCLA. 'JT the Fitzroy River, kept flutterinf^ over the back of my dog for some minutes whilst I was endeavouring to find the nest. Three young ones, just able to fly, were soon disturbed, and as they went from bush to bush, with the dog chasing them, the parents closely- followed, snapping their bills and feigning a broken leg or wing." The nest of this species is similarly constructed to that of other members of the genus, being outwardly composed of strips of bark, fine pliant twigs, and dried grasses, and lined inside with rootlets. It is usually built in the top of a hollow stump or fork of a tree. Eggs three in number for a sitting, varyini,' in siiape from an elongate to thick oval, and of a pearly- white ground colour, dotted, spotted, and blotched with olive, ricli umber, or blackish-brown, and superimposed spots of dull bluish or blackish-grey, the markings predominating on the larger end, and assuming the form of a zone, in others being uniformly distributed over the surface of the shell. An a\erage specimen of the former type, from a set of two, taken by the late Mr. T. H. Bowyer-Bower, at Derby, North-western Australia, in October, 1886, measures; — Length i-i8 x 0-77 inches. Specimens of the latter type in the Macleaj' Museum collection, obtained by the late Mr. Edward Spalding, near Port Darwin, in the Northern Territory of South Australia, measure: — (A) 1-2 x o-8 inches; (B) ri8 x 0-78 inches. An egg of this species, taken on the i8th October, 1898, by Air. E. Olive near the Katherine River, and kindly lent by Dr. Charles Ryan, of Melbourne, is in form a thick oval, slightly compressed at the smaller end, and of a glossy-white ground colour; uniformlv marked, except on the top of the larger end, with dots, spots, and small blotches of olive-brown, intermingled with similar underlying markings of dull blackish-grey. Length: — i-og x o-8i inches. This specimen is represented on Plate B. IV., Figure 1 -5. Young birds have the sides of the head and all the under surface deeply tinged with fawn colour; the primaries, secondaries, and upper wing-coverts externally edged with rufous; the under wing-coverts a deep orange-buff; and the breast more broadly streaked with dark brown than in the adult female. Like many other species inhabiting hot and arid districts, the breeding season of the Brown Shrike-Thrush is probably influenced by an abundant rainfall. .\t Derby, North-western Australia, the late i\Ir. T. H. Bowyer-Bower obtained fresh eggs in October; while near the same locality, Mr. G. -\. Keartland observed fledgelings at the end of March. In North Australia, Gilbert found a nest with eggs in February; and, as previously pointed out, Mr. E. Olive took the eggs of this species near the Katherine River in October, 1898. Collvriocinda palltdirostris, described by Dr. Sharpe ■ from specimens obtained at Port Essington and the Nicholson River, is, I belie\-e, the female or young male of this species. Collyriocincla parvula. LITTLE SURIKE-TURUSH. CoUuricincla parvula, Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc, ISI-i, p. 62; id., Bds. Austr., fob, Vol. II., pi. 78 (1848); id.. Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. 22.-) (1865). Pinaro/estfs parvuhis, Sharpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. III., p. 296 (1877). Adult m.\lr — General colour abovn olive-brown; upper iving-coverls like the back, the greater series IV ith/alvous tips ; primaries and secondaries olive-brown on their outer webs, brotvn on their inner webs, except the innermost secondaries, which are of a uniform olive-brown: apical half of tJie primaries externally edged with ashy-brown ; tail dull olive-brown; lores and a superciliary stripe dull white; chin and throat dull while, passing into pale fulvous on the remainder of the under surface and the under tail-coverts, the feathers of the fore-neck having narrow brown shaft-streaks ; * Cat. Bds. Brit. Mas., Vol. iii., p. 293 (1877). 98 PRIONOPID.B. bill blackish-brown; leys and feet bluiah-grey. Total hnyth 7-7 inches, wing Jf, tail SS, bill OS, tarsus I'l. Adult female — Similar in plumage to the male. Distribution. — North-western Australia, Northern Territory of South Australia. ^?^HE Little Shrike-Thrush inhabits the north-western and northern portions of the continent. There are specimens in the Macleay Museum, collected at King Sound and Cambridge Gulf, North-western Australia, and at Port Darwin in the Northern Territory of South Australia. Mr. Alex. Morton also obtained specimens at Port Essington, in 1879, the farthest point east I have known it to be found, and where Gilbert procured the type. In the "Ornithology of the Chevert,"" Mr. George Masters has, by a lapsus calami, recorded this species from Cape York, Cape Grenville, and Palm Island, instead of C. nifigastcr, or its smaller northern ally C. parvissima. Dr. Ramsay I has also recorded C. nijif;astci' from Derby, North-western .\ustralia, instead of the present species. In his "Handbook," Gould remarks:— " This species is a native of Port Essington and the neighbouring parts of the northern coast of Australia." Gilbert, to whose notes I must refer for all tiiat is known about it, states that it is "an inhabitant of the thickets, is an extremely shy bird, and is generally seen on or near the ground. Its note is a fine Thrush-like tone, very clear, loud, and melodious. The stomach is muscular, and the food consists of insects of various kinds, but principally coleoptera. The nest and eggs were brought me by a native; they were taken from the hollow part of a tree, about four feet from the ground. The nest, which was too much injured to be preserved, was formed of small twigs and narrow strips of bark of a Melaleuca. The eggs were two in number, of a beautiful pearly flesh-white, regularly spotted all over with dull reddish and umber-brown ; like the eggs of the other species of tlie genus, they are also sprinkled over with bluish markings, which appear as if beneath the surface of the shell; their medium length is one incii, and breadth nine lines." Two eggs of a set, taken near Port Darwin, are oval in form, pearly white, sparingly freckled and spotted with rich umber-brown, except on the larger end, where intermingled with a few underlying spots of pale bluish-grey, the markings are larger and confluent, forming a well defined zone. Length : — (A) i x 072 inches; (B) 0-98 x 073 inches. Anotiier set of two, taken in the same locality, measures: — (A) 0-95 x 075 inches; (B) 0-94 x 075 inches. In shape, size, colour, and disposition of markings, the eggs of this species cannot be distinguished from those of Collyriocincla nifigaster. There are specimens in the Macleay Museum, taken at Derby, North-western Australia, in 1886. Collyriocincla rufiventris. BUFF-BELLIED SHRIKE-THRUSH. Colluricincla rufiventris, Gould, Proc. Zool. Hoc, 1840, p. 164; id., Bds. Austr., fol., Vol. II., pi. 7.5 (1848); id., Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. 222 (1865). Collyriocincla rufiventris. Sharps, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. III., p. 292 (1877). Adult m.\le — General colour above dark grey, slightly tinged with olive; primaries, secondaries, and upper wing-coverts brown, externally edged ruith grey ; tail feathers brown, washed ivith grey on their outer webs; lores dull tvhite: chin and throat greyish-ivhite, passing into ashy-grey on the chest; remainder of the under surface pale fawn colour, becoming of a deeper tint on the under tail-coverts ; bill blackish-brown ; legs and feet greenish-grey ; iris brown. Total length 8'75 inches, wing Ji.'8, tail 4, bill 0 9, tarsus 1'2. ' Proc. Linn. See. N.S.W., Vol. i., p. 50 (1877). t Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W., 2nd ser., Vol. ii., p. 1C7 (1888). COLLYKIOCINCLA. ^'^ Adult female ^Distinyuishedfrom the mak by the blackuh shaft lines and darker grey feathers of the under surface. Z)u«ri6.«io«.-North-western and Western Australia, South Australia, Central Australia. AT-VHl- r.ufl-hellied Shrike-Thrush is the representative of Collyviocimla havmonica in the If western portion of the continent. There are specimens in the Australian Museum collection, obtained by Mr. George Masters at Port Lincoln, South Australia, in September, 1865 and at King George's Sound, \\-estern Australia, in February and April of the following yea,.' In August, 1901, Mr. Edwin Ashby met with this species at Callion, about eighty-five miles north of Coolgardie. and three hundred and sixty miles from the coast. Durin.^ the journey of the Horn Scientific Expedition in Central Australia, these birds were frequently met with, and regarding them Mr. G. A. Keartland writes to me as follows:- "The Buff-belhed Shrike-Thrush is found near most of the permanent water-holes and wells in Central Australia, and, as you will see by the collection sent you, we obtained specimens first at Reedv Hole, and later on at the Levi Range. In many respects it bears a close resemblance to Its near allv C. hannouua. and especially in its clear and musical notes. It chiefly frequents shady gullies and the dense undergrowth of the forest, hopping nimbly over the ground or along the stout limbs of eucalypts in search of insects, on^which it feeds. All the nests tound were built in hollow stumps or between forked branches." From Point Cloates, North-western Australia. Mr. Tom Carter writes me, as follows :- ^^Collynocincla mfivmins is common here in the deep gorges of the ranges. On the 27th July, 1899, I shot recently fledged young, and saw an adult bird hopping about with a tat lizard in its bill, and singing lustily while so engaged." Mr C Ernest Cowle, of Illamurta, Central Australia, found a nest of this species on the 17th November, 1899, containing three heavily incubated eggs. The nest, which I have now before me, is an open cup-shaped structure, formed chiefly of strips of dried bark, intermixed with a few wiry rootlets and grasses, and was built in the fork of a tree, a few eet from he .round. It measures externally five inches in diameter by three and a half inches in depth; ^he inner cup measuring three inches and a half in diameter by two inches and three^iuar ers in depth Eggs two or three in number for a sitting, varying from elongate to rounded oval m form; white; some being finely spotted, others boldly blotched, particularly at the larger end, with different shades of olive or reddish-brown, and underlying markings ot dull bluish-grey Lenc^th :-(A) r2 . 0-85 inches; (B) r2i x 0-85 inches. A set of two, taken at Illamurta, Central Australia, measures:-(C) 1-14 x 0-82 inches; (D) i-i2 x 0-83 inches. Two eggs, taken by Mr^ C E. Cowle, in .Vpril, 1900. at Illamurta, are very much smaller than typical examples, and vary much in size. They are oval m form, the shell being close-grained, smooth, and sight y glossy The ground colour is pearly-white, which is heavily blotched and spotted umtormly over the shell with olive-brown and pale inky-grey, some of the latter markings appearing as if beneath the surface of the shell. Length:-(A) 1-05 x o-8 inches; (B) i x 073 mches. Young birds have a distinct rufous eyebrow; sides of the head, neck and all the under surface fa^n colour; the feathers on the throat and fore-neck broadly streaked with blackish^ grey; the primaries and their coverts, secondaries, and greater wing-coverts brown, washed with rufous; bill blackish-brown; base of the lower mandible fleshy-brown. Mr. Cowle informs me this species usually breeds in March or April; or in September and the two following months, if there is a heavy rainfall. The above described nest, however, was ten during a prolonged drought. In Western Australia, Gould records ^h- U b.eeds m th latter part o^ September and the beginning of October, and that on two occasions Gilbert had found the eggs of this bird in old nests of Pomatorhinus snpcvcihosus. 100 PRIONOPID.i;. Collyriocincla rufigaster. RUFOUS-BREASTEU SUKIKE THRUSH. Colluriciucla rufogaster, Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc, 1845, p. 80. Colluricinda rufigaster, Gould, Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. lid (1865). Colluricincla parvissima, Gould, Ann. ct Mag. Xat. Hist., Ser. 4, Vol. X, p. 114 (1872). Collyriocincla cerviniventris, North, Rec. .Austr. Mus., Vol. II, p. 19 (1892). Adult male — General colour above dull olive brown, sliyhtly shaded with grey, the upper tail- coverts more distinctly tinged with olive ; lesser and median upper wing-coverts like the back; the greater coverts and inner secondaries brown, washed loith olive; primaries and outer secondaries brown on their inner webs, olive-brown on their outer webs; tail-feathers brown, slightly tinged irith olive; feathers in front of the eye dull white; chin and throat pale bnffy- white; remainder of the under surface fawn colour, richer on the abdomen and under tail-coverts, the fore-neck indistinctly streaked with dull olive-brown; bill and legs ^fleshy-brown; iris dark brown. Total length 7-3 inches, wing 3'85, tail 3'3, bill OS, tarsiis 10'). Adult female — Similar in plumage to the male. Distribution. — Eastern Queensland, North-eastern New South Wales. -pj^KGARDING Collyriocincla parvissima and C. cerviniventris only as climatic lornis or X. JL. races of C. rufigaster, which vary in size and colour according to their distribution and environment, it will be seen from the above synonymy that I have united them with the present species. Knowing that many will differ from this view at the present time, when every slight variation from the common type, as a rule, receives specific or subspecific recognition, I have pointed out the difference in these races, and kept the remarks on each separate from those on the typical species, C. rufigaster. The range of Collyriocincla rufigaster, Gould, e.xtends throughout the greater portion of the coastal brushes of Eastern Queensland and North-eastern New South Wales. Mr. George Masters met with it at Wide Bay; and Mr. J. .\. Thorpe informs me that he found it common in the Richmond River District. Mr. R. Grant has also procured specimens in the ]5ellinger River District, the southern limit of its known range. It is fairly plentiful in the scrubs at the head of the Clarence River, where I observed it in November, i8g8. .\t that time it was usually met with in pairs, each keeping to a separate part of the creek or scrub in which their nest was built. The note of this species is very different from the rich and jiielodious notes of the Harmonious or Grey Shrike-Thrush, also heard in the same locality, consisting of a clear whistle, repeated three times, and again immediately uttered in a different key. Like C. harmonica, and other members of this genus, its food consists principally of various kinds of insects and their larvjE. Mr. George Savidge writes: — "Collyriocincla rufigaster is a resident species in the Upper Clarence District, and may be observed in about the same numbers all the year round. Its call in winter is different from the note uttered in spring, but I have never known it to possess any ventriloquial powers, or imitate the notes of any other species. It is, as you know, not uncommon in the scrub close to my house, but I have never seen it in open forest lands. These birds commence to build in September, and both se-xes assist in the task of nidifiration, but I cannot say if the duty of incubation is also shared." The nest is a deep cup-shaped structure, outwardly formed of a thick layer of dead and green leaves, bound round and held together with long pliant stems of climbing plants, inter- mingled with a small quantity of cobweb and the silky-green outer covering of spiders' cocoons; internally it is neatly lined with thin pliant stems and wiry rootlets. Unlike the nest of COLLYUIOCIXCLA. 101 CoUyriocMa kannonica, bark or bark-ftbre :s seldom used in its construct.on, and it resemb es Ire a miniature nest of tbe Cat-bird (.^..dus vM.). An average nest measures externally fivei cbes in diameter by four inches in depth; internal diameter three mches depth wo •ncl s and a half. They are usually built ur a thin three or more pronged upr.ght branch of ant icMy leaved shrub, or m a mass of vines in the scrubs, at a height varying from hve to ::il e feet from the ground. At Copmanhurst, 1 saw one in a Bean-tree f Castano.per.uon Zrale), and another in one of the introduced Lantana bushes which over-run so many of the scrubs on the northern rivers of New South Wales, and elsewhere. The e-s are three in number for a sitting, varying from elongate to rounded oval in form, the shell b:rng close-grained, smooth and lustrous. They are of a pearly-white ground colour wth dots, spots, and blotches of reddish -brown, distributed over the suriace of the she 1, and intermingled with underlying spots and blotches of warm slaty-grey. Some specimens lia^ea " dull white ground colour, which is almost obscured with indistinct fleecy mark- ings, intermingled with small irregular-shaped blotches of pale brown, and underlying markings of dull lilac-grey. Others have rich red dots and spots, and could easily be mistaken in character and colour of markings for lightly spotted varieties of GvalUna picata. The markings are generally larger, and pre- dominate on the thicker end of the shell. Length:— (A) I-07XO-75 inches; (B) 1-05 X 078 inches. A set of three measures: — (A) i'03x o-S inches; (B) 1-03 x 079 inches; (C) roi x 075 inches. In the coastal brushes of New South Wales, the breed- ing season of this species commences about the middle of September, and continues until the end of January. The nest figured was taken by Mr. George Savidge in the Cangai Scrubs, Upper Clarence River District, in November, 1898, and contained two fresh eggs. Although undoubtedly very closely allied to the present species Gould's ^d^^-^^ par^issiua ^s a decidedly smaller northern form, and can furthermore ^^'^^^^^^^^l^ tpper parts being more strongly washed with olive. ^^^^^ ^^Z^tlZZ as follows :-Total length 6-3 inches, wing 3-5, tail 27, bill o /> It ranges as nei'^hbourhood of the Herbert River, Queensland. ° Mr I. A. Boyd, who sent me several nests and sets of eggs, while resident at the Herbert River wrote as Lo^s.-^^ Collyrioancla parrissin,a is not at all particular m its choic o a ^u IdL place. I have taken its nest in a stunted Drac.na, and fron. ^^e upright fork of a 'C^tLve feet from the ground. In November, 189. I ^^^^:::7:t^. reeds, not a foot from the ground: and I have pulled one out of the lea\es NEST OF RUFOUS-BREASTED SIIRIKE-TII KUSH. ]02 PIUOXOIMD.E. I also took one from a cluster of vines, eight feet from the ground; and another, about ten feet up, in a tree overhanging water." Mr. Frank Hislop informs me that in the Bloomfield River District, the nests are some- times built in lawyer-vines, or on a scrub Paiulaiius, and generally within three or four feet from the ground. The nests sent by Mr. Boyd are round, open, cup-shaped structures, formed externally of thin strips of bark, green and dried leaves, Ion.; wiry tendrils intermixed with spider-webs and cocoons; the inside being thinly lined with wiry rootlets. Both externally and interna'ly the leaves form the chief part of the structure. A very pretty nest is one formed principally of green leaves, moss, and the green silky covering of spider-cocoons, relieved only on the outside with snow-white egg-bags of spiders. It measures externally four inches and a half in diameter by three inches and three-quarters in depth; the inner cup three inches in diameter by two inches and three-quarters in depth, liggs two or three in number for a sitting, varying from elongate to rounded oval in form, and from a pure pearly-white to a dull brownish-white ground colour, which is freckled, spotted, or heavily blotched with reddish-brown, umber-brown, or olive-brown, intermingled with similar underlying markings of dark slaty or dull bluish-grey. In some specimens the markings are evenly distributed over the surface of the shell, but as a rule they predominate on the larger end, where they become confluent and form a cap or irregular zone. Occasionally an egg in a set will be devoid of markings, witli the exception of one or two large irregular-shaped umber or reddish-brown patches. A set taken on the 17th October, 1894, measures -.--Length (A) 0-97x075 inches; (B) 0-95x0-75 inches, .\nother set of three, from the Bloomfield River District, measures: — Length (A) 0-92x0-7 inches; (B) 0-9 X 0-7 inches; (C) 0-94 x 0-72 inches. During many years' observation, Mr. J. A. lioyd found the lirst nest with eggs as early as the 14th September, and the latest in the season 01 the 25th January. In the latter instance, the eggs were heavily incubated. Collyriocincla ccrviniventris, separated by me, is an inland form of C. rufiaa^tcr, from whicli it may be distinguished by its longer and thinner bill, and by its very much paler upper and under surface. An adult male measures: — Total length 7-2 inches, wing 3-7, tail j-2, bill 0-87, depth at nostril 0-25, tarsus 1-02. The eggs of this form are, as a rule, indistinguishable from those of typical eggs of C. rufigastcy. Two, however, taken by the late Mr. George Barnard, of the Dawson River, Queensland, and from whom the types of this race were obtained, approach nearer in the dark olive-brown tint of their markings to a common variety of the eggs of C. harmonica. They are, of course, much smaller than the eggs of the latter species, measuring only: — Length (A) 1-03 x 0-74 inches; (B) i-oi x 0-74 inches. That the birds from the Dawson River are different from typical examples of C. rufigastey is borne out by the fact that when the late Mr. George Barnard sent specimens to Dr. Ramsay for identification, he determined them to be C. parvula, and recorded them as such from that district in his "Tabular List of .\ustralian Birds." Typical sized eggs of Collyriocincla riifigasicr from the Clarence River, and of each race, C. parvissima from Cape York and the Herbert River, and C. ccrviniventris from the Dawson River, will be found figured on I'late 1!. 1\'. GRAUCALUS. 103 Family GAMPOPHAGID^. Graucalus melanops. BLACK-FACED CUCKOO-SURIKE. Con-US melanops, Lath., liul. Orii., Suppl., p. xxiv., (1801). Grmicalus m«/rtMo/w, Gould, BJs. Austr., fol., Vol. II, j.l. T).") (184S); irl, Handhk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. 192 (186."i); yliarpp, Cat. Bds. liiit. Mus., V"ol. T\^, p. 30(1S79); .Salvad., ( )rn. Pap. et Molucc, Ft. 11., p. 130 (1881). Adult malk — General colour nkove gret/ : upper iring coverU grey : primaries black, externally edged and tipped irith grey; secondaries black, the outermost Jeathers broadly margined with greii, the latter colour increasing in extent towards the innermost feather; n-hich has the outer web and tip entirely grey : two central tail-feathers grey, blackish on on their apical portion, and tiarrutrly tipped with white; the remainder black, largely tipped with white; forehead, feathers above the eye, ear-coverts, sides of neck, and throat black : chest dark grey, gradually becomiiig lighter on tlie breast, and piire ivhite on the abdomen and nn.der tuil-corerts : bill black.- legs and feet black; iris dark brou-n. 7'olal length in t/ie jiesh 1-j inches, iring S, tail 58, bill 1, tarsus 1 05. AnuLT FEiMALK — Similar in plumage to the male. Distribution. — All parts of the Australian con- tinent, islands of Torres Strait, New Guinea, .\ru Islands, Ke Islands, Louisiade Archipelago, the iMoluccas, Timor, New Zealand, Lord Howe Island. Jr\. Shrike BLACK-FACKD CUCKOO-SHRIKE. LTHOUGH lhe\ernacularnameofCuckoo- ^ophora, at a height varying usually from twenty to sixty feet from the ground, but a bird I saw at Copmanhurst, in November, 1898, was just starting its nest in the thin fork of a grey gum at an altitude of fully eighty feet. The eggs are two or three in number for a sitting, and vary in size, shape, colour, and disposition of markings, large eggs of this species being indistinguishable from small specimens of G. indaiwps, and eggs taken in the northern limit of its range being similar to those of G. hypoleucus. They are oval to rounded oval in form, the shell being close grained and its surface smooth and usually lustrous. In ground colour they \ary from a dark asparagus-green to a \ery pale olive-green, some specimens being evenly dotted and spotted over the surface of the shell with different shades of purplish and umber-brown; others are heavily blotched with pale reddish -brown, intermingled with a few indistinct underlying markings of violet-grey. As a rule the markings are evenly distributed, but in some specimens they are larger and pre- dominate on the thicker end. .A. set of three, taken at Copmanhurst, measures: — (A) 1-22 x 0-9 inches; (B) 1-28 x o-g inches; (C) i'24 x 0-87 inches. A set of twt), taken at Warren, measures: — (A) i'i8xo-85 inches; (B) i-i8xo'82 inches. A set of two, from Broad Sound, Queensland, measures: — (.A) i-i x 0-82 inches; (B) i-i5xo'83 inches. Immature birds have the head, hind-neck, throat, sides of the neck, and chest black; the feathers of the breast and upper portion of the abdomen with blackish centres or sagittate markings. Gradually these black feathers change into grey, first on the crown of the head and hind neck, then on the feathers of the throat and chest, which have whitish edges. In slightly older birds, signs of immaturity remain in the black mottlings to the feathers on the sides of the neck and chest, and indistinct dusky barrings to the feathers of the breast. The last traces of youth are exhibited in the ear-coverts, which have dusky bases or centres, and are somewhat darker than in the fully adult bird. Immature birds were obtained by Mr. George Masters in the first of the above described stages of plumage at Rope's Creek, about thirty miles from Sydney, in January, and a similar specimen was obtained by mc. at Wellington, New South ^Vales, in July. GRAUCALUS. 109 In similarly describing the young of this species, Gould truly remarks: — "There is no one member of the family to which it belongs wliich undergoes so many changes of plumage as Granailus mciitalis, and it is consequently very puzzling to the ornithologist." From a series of eleven birds now before me, obtained in various parts of New South Wales at different seasons of the year, I have described above what I believe to be immature plumaged examples, although the average wing measurement equals that of the adult. All have more or less black or partially black feathers, either on the crown of the head, ear-coverts, sides of the neck, throat, and fore-neck, or on all of these parts: and to a certain extent this stage of plumage is also exhibited in some paired birds during the breeding season. Probably only very old bu'ds are entirely destitute of black feathers on these parts, for in fifteen specimens now before me, only four show no traces of them. It is remarkable that the young and adult stages of plumage of Grancaliis mclanops and G. meutalis. should be exactly reversed; the crown of the head, throat, and fore-neck of the former gradually passing from grey in the young to black in the adult, while that of G. mentaln changes from black in the young to grey in the adult. In the neighbourhood of Penrith, on the Nepean River, these birds commence to build about the middle of August. At Copmanhurst I saw them liuilding on the gth November, although eggs have been taken there on the 7th of that month; and at I'.road Sound. Queens- land, fresh eggs have been found as late as the i 2th December. Graucalus hypoleucus. WHITE-BELLIED CUCKOO-SHRIKE. Graucaln, hypoleucus, (iould, Proc. Zool. Soc, 184S, p. 38: id., Bds. .Austr, fol.. Vol. TI., pi. 57 (1848), irf,Handbk, Bds. Austr., Vol, I., p. 19G(186.^); Sharpe, Oat. Bds, Br.t, Mus., Vol. IV., p. 36 (1879); Salv.-ul., Orn, Pap, et Molucc, Pt, II,, p, 136 (1881). Adult male- (iVnem/ colour above ijreij, li,jhter on the forehead, rump, and upper tail-coverls ; primaries black, externally edyed with greyish- white: secondaries black, washed with grey on their outer webs, and eo:ternally edged with greyish-white, the innermost feather entirely grey on the outer web: two central tail feathers grey, with a blackish wash on their apical half the remainder blackish tipped with ashy-tvhite: lores, and a narrow frontal band e.rtending about half way over the eye, and from the gape below but not beij.rud the eye, black: throat white, passing into pale greyish-white on the chest:' remainder of the nnder surface, the under tail and under wing-coverts pure xohite ; bill and legs black; iris dark brown. Total length dS inches, wing 5 73, tail i'Z, bill 088, tarsus 0'9. Adult femalk — 77/e sexes are alike in plumage. Distribution.-^orih-v^estexn Australia, Northern Territory of South Australia, North Queensland, Islands of Torres Strait, New Ciuinea, Aru Islands. /T^IIF type of this species was described by Gould from a specimen procured at Port L l.ssin^^ton. It has a wide distribution, being found near Wyndham, North-western Australia; at Port Darwin, Port Essington, and Cape York, in Northern Australia; also on the islands of Torres Strait, New Guinea, and the Aru Islands. From Graucalus mentahs it can onlv be distinguished by its smaller size, more delicate grey upper parts, and by the black 'feathers below the eye not extending on to the upper portion of the ear-coverts, as in that species. All the Australian typical examples I have examined are from the northern portions of the continent. Specimens from Cooktown, on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, are somewhat larger and darker on the under parts; and from localities farther souUi appear to completely intergrade with G. mcntaUs. I have never observed, however, any 110 CA.MPOPHAGID.E. immature specimens of G. hypolencus showing traces of the black head and chest of that species. Specimens from Port Moresby, New Guinea, are shghtly whiter on the under surface, and smaller than examples from Northern Australia. I\lr. J. A. Thorpe obtained numerous examples at Cape York in 1867-8: and Mr. George Masters also obtained specimens in the same locality, and at Cape Grenville. during the voyage of the "Chevert" in 1875. From W'yalla, about thirty miles south of Cooktown, Mr. Frank Hislop writes: — "The White-bellied Cuckoo-Shrike is common in the open forest lands, and I have often met with it in timbered pockets on the mountains. Its food consists of insects and fruits, principally the smaller species of figs; it is also very fond of chillies. The nest, which is nearly flat, is chiefly composed of short pieces of twig and strips of bark, fastened together with cobwebs, and is always placed in the junction of a forked horizontal branch, more often near the extremity of a limb. They build generally in the bloodwood and beefwood trees, at a height varying from fifteen to thirty feet from the ground. The breeding season commences in October, and lasts until the end of [anuary." The eggs, usually two, sometimes three in number for a sitting, are not to be distinguished from small eggs of G. meiitalis. In addition to the previously described varieties of the eggs of the latter species, a common type among the eggs of G. hypoleiiciis has a rich bluish-green ground colour, with heavy blotches of purplish-brown or reddish-umber, distributed over the larger end of the shell, and intermingled with similar faint underlying markings of a paler shade. A set of two, from Cape York, measures: — (A) 1-07 xo-8 inches; (H) fo8xo-8 inches. A set of two, taken near Cooktown, measures: — (A) fi x o'8 inches; (B) i'i2 x o'8i inches. Pteropodocys phasianella. i.iUul NU CUCKUU-SUHIKE. Graucalus phasiandlus, Gould, Proc. Zool. Soa, 18.39, p. 142. Pteropodocys phasianella, Gould, Bds. Austr., fol., Vol. 11., pi. .t9 (1848); id., Haiidlik. Bds. Austr., Vol. [., p. 199 (1865); Sharpe, Cat. Bds, Brit. .Mas., Vol. IV., p. 22 (1879). Adult m.\lk — Head, hind-neck, inantle, and upper portion of the hack, yrey : luicer back, rump, and tipper tail-coverts white, crossed by narrow transverse black lines; wings black, the lesser coverts dark grey ; tail feathers black, white at the base, the outer feather on either side broadly tipped with white; small feathers around and below the eye grey, tipped with white; ear-coverts blackish-grey, with indistinct wititish cross-lines ; throat, sides of the neck, and chest grey, passing into white on the remainder of the under surface, which is crossed iviih narrow transverse black bars; centre 0/ the lower abdomen, under tail-coverts, arid a:rillaries white ; bill black; legs and feet black : iris straiv- white. Total length in the Jlesh H inches, wing 8;i, tail 7, bill OS, tarsus 1:5. Adult female — Similar in plumage to the male. Distribution. — Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Central .Australia, Western Australia. / I^HE Ground Cuckoo-Shrike is essentially an inhabitant of the inland portions of the J- States. Dr. W. Macgilli\ray informs me that it is common at Cloncurry, in the Burke District, North Queensland. Mr. K. Broadbent has recorded it from Barcaldine, about three hundred and fifty miles west of Rockhampton; and its range extends south throughout the inland districts of New South Wales, into the north-western parts of \'ictoria, and doubtless the adjoining portion of South .Australia, although Dr. .\. M. Morgan and Mr. .V. Zietz PTKROPODOCYS. Ill inform me that they have never seen or heard of its being obtained in the southern parts of the hitter State.' It was met with by tlie Horn Scientific Expedition at Crown Point and main' places alon- the iMnke Kiver, in Central Australia; Mr. Edwin Ashby observed a fiock at Callion, about eiRhty-hve miles north of Coolgardie; and Mr. George Masters obtained specimens near the Salt River, about fifty miles from Perth, Western Australia. An adult male from the latter locality has the cheeks, throat, fore-neck, and chest of a darker^grey than typical eastern examples, but a similar specimen was procured by the late Mr. K. H. Bennett, at Mossgiel, New South Wales. The wing measurement varies from 77 inches to 8-4 inches, the foregoing description being taken from a fine old adult male shot by me near Moree. In North-western and Western New South Wales it is a resident species, and although widely distributed is by no means numerous. It frequents chiefly large open grassy plains dotted here and there with low bushes and lofty trees, or sparsely timbered forest country contiguous to them. Near the Namoi and Gwydir F'Jivers, I met with it sometimes singly, or in pairs, but more often in small flocks of four or fi\e in number, passing most of its time on the ground, over which it runs with remarkable celerity in search of insects and their larva?, which constitute its food. It is usually very shy and uary, and exceedingly difficult to approach, more especially while on the ground. At Tyreel Station, on the Gwydir River, I shot an adult male, female, and a young female, on the gth November, 1897. These birds were part of a flock of five, and a friend had kindly driven me a long distance over the plains while m pursuit of them. I had a similar experience a few days later, on Weebollabolla Station, while accompanied by Mr. C. J. McMaster, the birds when disturbed flying fully a quarter of a mile before settling again on the open plain. I secured a young male, and found that these flocks usually consisted of an adult pair of birds accompanied by their young. The shrill notes of this species are usually uttered during flight, and somewhat resemble those of the Black-breasted Plover (Saniophorus tricolor). The late Mr. K. H. Bennett found many nests and egcs of this species; and there is a fine series of eggs, also young m all stages of plumage, in the Australian Museum, collected by him during his long residence in the western portion of New South Wales. The nest, winch ,s built on a horizontal forked branch, resembles that o^ Graucalus rnela,u>ps^^ but is sonrewhat larger and deeper, being composed externally of dried ^^^ ^ ^ ^ ^-^J grasses, thm fibrous roots, and bark fibre, bound together with spiders web, the shaUow saucer-like cavitv being lined with wool, fur, or other soft material. An average nest ineasures externally five inches in diameter bv two inches in ^epth^he m.er cav.ty three i^^^^^^^^^^ three-quarters in diameter by one inch m depth. Some nests are larger, and but t t'-oughout of softer material. One now before me. taken by the late Mr. K. H. Bennett, at ^.-dembah bt t on, is a thick, rounded, mattrass-like structure, formed principally of wool, with -h.<^h i-nte min-ded plant-stems, fine rootlets, dried grasses, and a few feathers; it ineasures externally CiHuUND CUCKOO SHRIKK. 112 CAMPOPHAGID.E. inches and a half in diameter by three inches in depth, the saucer-shaped depression measuring three inches and three-quarters by a depth of one inch and a half. The nests in New South Wales are usually built in a Eucalyptus or Casuariua. Generally the site selected is a horizontal branch of a lofty tree, but the height varies from twenty to seventy feet from the ground. Near Moree, in November, 1897, I saw an old mud tenement of the Magpie- Lark taken possession of by this species as a nesting-place. The eggs are usually three, and occasionally onlv two in number for a sitting. They vary in form from oval to elongate oval, some specimens tapering sharply towards the smaller end, the shell being close-grained and its surface smooth and glossy. In ground colour they vary from olive-green to dull asparagus and bright bluish-green, which is finely and closely freckled, as a rule, over the entire shell, with indistinct markings of olive-brown; in s(Mne specimens the freckles are confluent, and form clouded patches or a cap on the larger end. Typical eggs are of a dull asparagus-green ground colour, which is more or less obscured with numerous indistmct fleecy markings of olive-brown. .V set of three measures: — Length (A) r-_33xo-93 inches; (B) i-33xo'95 inches; (C) i'35xo-95 inches. An unusually small set of two, taken by the late Mr. K. H. Bennett, at Ivanhoe, in October, 1S86, and of a bright bluish-green ground colour, measures: —(.\) i-2xovS5 inches; (B) ri8xo"83 inches. The nestling has the general colour above fawn-brown, crossed by dull blackish transverse lines; the concealed portions of the feathers of the hetid, hind-neck, mantle, and back s^rey, and those of the rump and upper tail-coverts white; wings dull black, the inner primaries and the secondaries largely tipped with fawn-brown: tail black, the outer feather on either side and the two central ones tipped with fawn; throat dull white with narrow lilackish bars; fore- neck and chest grey, alternately barred with pale fawn and black; feathers of the remainder of the under surface white, largely tipped with fawn-brown and crossed with black transverse lines; centre of the abdomen and under tail-coverts white, washed with fawn. .\ slifjhtly older bird taken from the nest, near Mossgiel, on the 26th October, 1886, by the late Mr. K. H. Bennett, has lost most of the fawn tips to the feathers on the upper parts and chest, being replaced b)' the grey basal colour which has now nearly encroached to the tip; lower portion of the abdomen and under tail-coverts white, the latter crossed with a few narrow blackish transverse bars; "bill dark horn colour; legs and feet horn colour; iris dark brown" (Bennett). Wing 5-2 inches. A young male, shot by me at Moree on the 9th November, 1897, is like the adult, but has some of the feathers on the head, hind-neck, and mantle tipped with dull white and crossed with blackish transverse lines; primaries and secondaries black, edged with white at the tips; tail-feathers black with whitish tips, the outer one on either side broadly tipped with white; throat and fore-neck grey, the latter crossed with dull blackish transverse bars; bill black, legs and feet dark grey, iris dark brown. Total length in the flesh 13 inches, wing 77. In Central and Western New South Wales, it is an early breeder, several nests with full sets of eggs being taken by the late Mr. K. H. Bennett, at Yandembab and Mossgiel, during the first week in August, but the greater number of eggs may be usually found in October. In the tablelands of the Mudgee District, Messrs. Cox and Hamilton state* that "sometimes this species is rarely seen for years, at other times it is common all the year round, but usually leaves early in winter and returns in spring. For this reason it is known as 'Spring-bird.' We have taken eggs in November and December, and noted young birds leaving the nest on January 29th." * Proc. Linn. Soc. N.SW., 2nd ser,, Vol. iv., p. 405 (18 EDOLIISOMA. 113 C2rema.S EID0I-iHS03^-A., Pucheran. Edoliisoma tenuirostre. JARDINE'S CATERPILLA.R-EA.TER. Graucahis tenuirostris, Jard., Edin. Journ. Nat. it Geog. Sci., No. -t, n.s., p. 211. Campephaga jardinii, Gould, Bds. Austr., fol., Vol. 11., pi. GO (1848); id., Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. 200 (186.5). Edoliisoma tenuirostre, Sharpe, Gat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. IV., p. 5.5 (1879); North, Rec. Austr. Mus., Vol. I., p. 177 (1891). Adult male — General colour above and belotit dark slattj-greij; lesser wing-coverts like the back; median wing-coverts black at the base, dark slaty-grey at the tip ; primaries black, externally edged tvith grey; secondaries and greater iving-coverts black, broadly margined on their outer webs with grey : two central tail-feathers dark slaty grey with a spot of black near the tip, the remainder black, the outer one on either side tipped with slaty-grey ; lores, feathers below the eye, and the ear-coverts black; bill black; legs and feet black: iris dark brown. Total length in the flesh 10-6 inches, wing 5-5, tail Jf-1, bill 0-82, tarsus 1. Adult vv.yikhv.— General colour above ashy-brown, the feathers of the rump and upper tail- coverts more conspicuously shaded with grey, and having pale yellonnsh-buff edges and an indistinct blackish suhterminal cross-bar: primaries, secondaries, and upper iving-coverts broicn, externally margined with buff; two central tail-feathers brown, tvashed with buff, the remainder olive-brown tipped with rich creamy-buff, increasing in e:ctent tou-ards the outermost feather on either side, which has the outer web creamy-buff] except at the base; a line of feathers above and around the eye creamy -bnf: a spot in front of the eye and the ear-coverts blackish, the latter streaked with pale creamy-buff: chin, throat, and all the under surface creamij-buff; the feathers of the chest, breast, and sides of the body crossed n-ith two arro/nhend blackish lines; under tail-coverts and under wing-coverts rich creamy-huff. Total length in the flesh OS inches, wing 51, tail J^'l, bill OS, tarsus O-H-j. Distribiition.—NoTthem Territory of South Australia, Queensland, New Soutli Wales, \'ictoria. /-f^HIS species is distributed in favourable situations throughout the greater portion of J_ Northern and Eastern Australia. Gilbert met with it at Port Essington, Mr. K. Broadbent at Cape York, Mr. E. A. C. Olive procured e.xamples at Cooktown, Messrs. Cairn and Grant obtained it at Cairns, and Mr. George Masters at Port Denison. To New South Wales it is a spring visitant, departing again at the end of summer, when the breeding season is over. During these seasons it is by no means uncommon in the northern coastal districts. South of the Hawkesbury River it is less frequently met with until the Illawarra District is reached, e.\cept in the contiguous mountain gullies of the National Park and Waterfall. In the south-eastern portions of the State, and in Southern Mctoria it is a comparatively rare species. It evinces a decided preference for the taller trees in rich brush lands or humid mountain ranges and gullies, and is seldom met with far inland. During November, 1898, in company with Mr. George Savidge, I found it tolerably plentiful in the Upper Clarence District, resorting generally in pairs to the topmost branches of the highest trees, its presence being detected chiefly by the peculiar note of the male, resembling "kree-kree, kree-kree" rapidly utter^'ed, and which could be heard a considerable distance away. In November of the following year I observed the males only of this species in the loftiest trees growing in the palm brushes at Ourimbah, a few miles north of the Hawkesbury River. Evidently the females were sitting, for I saw and heard the males day after day in the same places, and from which they chased all other birds. The dense undergrowth, covered with bush-lawyer vines, howfever, precluded 114 CAMPOPHAGID.E. the possibility of making a thorough search for their nests at any distance from the roads or tracks made by the timber-getters. The food of this species consists of insects and their larvae. During the latter end of September, 1882, Mr. C. C. L. Talbot observed a pair of these birds building their nest in the angle of a forked horizontal branch of an ironbark, about forty feet from the ground, on Collaroy Station, Broad Sound, five hundred and fifty-six miles north of Brisbane. From this nest, a week after, Mr. Talbot secured a single egg, the first I had seen, and the only occasion I had known of its being taken. Subsequently Mr. G. E. Shepherd found several nests at Mornington, \ictoria, each of which contained a single egg, the normal sitting. These nests were built in either a Eucalyptus, Casuarina, or Banksia. In every instance the females sat very close, and one almost allowed him to touch her before she left the nest. Mr. Shepherd forwarded me a nest and egg of E. tenuirosire, together with the following note: — " I have taken the nest and egg of one pair of birds on four occasions. The first I took on the i8th December, 1896; the second on the 27th December; the third on the 8th January, 1897; and the fourth on the 19th of the same month; so you will see what persistent breeders they are. The only sound 1 have heard the female utter is a cluck-like note when I have frightened her off the nest." From the Upper Clarence River, Mr. George Savidge writes as follows: — "Jardine's Caterpillar-eater usually arrives in this locality about the middle of October. There are now four pairs of these birds calling within hearing of my house. Each pair have a certain domain of their own, and during the breeding season resent the intrusion of any other species, attacking even Magpies and Laughing Jackasses, until they drive them from the neighbourhood. It is entirely owing to this pugnacious character that I have been able to locate the proximity of their nests, but even then they are extremely difficult to discover on account of their diminutive size. When not engaged in fighting or chasing other birds, the male generally flies off to a great distance before one gets near the tree in which the nest is built, the female in the mean- time slipping quietly off and stealing away unobserved. At other times the female sits perfectly upright on the nest and will not leave it until one is half-way up the tree. I robbed the nests of a pair of these birds three times during January and February, 1899, first of a young one and subsequently on two occasions of a single egg. The female does not lay again in the same nest after being robbed, but the birds generally build in a tree near at hand, the nest being completed and the egg deposited within ten or twelve days. They build in any rough-barked tree; I have found their nests in Bloodwoods, Ironbarks, Stringybarks, Oaks, Apple-trees (Angophora subvelutiva), and the Xati\'e Quince ( Petalostigma quadriloculare ), at heights varying from twelve to forty feet from the ground. I have taken twelve nests, with an egg in each, and found seven with young. Nidification, in which both sexes take part, commences early in November, and the breeding season continues until the end of February." I observed these birds for the first time in the vicinity of Sydney, at Roseville on the 28th October, 1900; arriving again on the same date in the following year. The male of a pair which have each season tenanted the trees opposite my house, used to commence calling as early as 5 a.m., and at prolonged intervals kept it up for two hours. Seldom did I hear it call throughout the day. The male, in addition to its frog-like note, utters a low chirrup and a sweet clear note like that of Artamus superciliosus. Although the male is usually pugnacious, he sometimes meets his match. On the 23rd December, 1900, I saw one chasing a Yellow-tufted Honey-eater backwards and forwards through the trees. Suddenly the pursuer became the pursued, and finally left the Honey-eater in possession of the field. A nest of this species, found at Roseville, on the 30th November, 1901, was built in a forked horizontal branch of a Forest-oak (Casuarina sttberosaj, at a height of thirty feet from the ground, and contained a EDOLIISO.MA. 115 heavily incubated esrg, but which I managed successfully to empty of its contents. These birds leave the district again about the middle of January. The nest, a small open shallow structure, is fitted into the angle of a forked horizontal branch, and is constructed throughout of lichens intermingled with short pieces of very thin plant stems or the thread-like leaves of the Casiiarina, and held together with spiders' web; the rim of the nest, which stands slightly above the branch, being thickly coated with lichens, and the saucer-like cavity lined entirely with fine dried plant stems or portions of Casitarina leaves. In three nests now before me, one built in a Bloodwood has the rim nearly level with the thick forked branch in which it is fitted: another, in a Native Quince, has a few pieces of green moss worked into it, and the rim slightly raised above the branch; and the third, in a bent fork, has one side of the nest built up level to a height of one inch and a quarter. An average nest measures externally three inches and a quarter in diameter; internally two inches; depth half an inch. Only one egg is laid for a sitting; they vary in form from oval to ellipse and elongate- oval, and in ground colour from very pale bluish and greenish-grey to green. The variety most frequently found has irregular-shaped spots and dots of different shades of umber and slaty-brown, uniformly dis- ;' , tributed over the surface of the shell, and intermingled with underlying spots and blotches of slaty-grey. In the colour and disposition of its markings this variety resembles the egg of Sittella thrysoptcra, but is nearly twice the size. Some speci- mens have the markings ^>>"' much darker, and an irregu- lar zone on the thicker end. Atypical egg measures i'2i X 0-87 inches; an elongate i specimen 1-3 X 0-85 inches. A rare variety, obtained by NEST AND EGG OF JARDINE's CATERPILLAR EATER. j^jj._ Qqqxctq Savidce, and now in the collection of ^Ir. Joseph Gabriel, is like a miniature Crow's egg. It is oval in form, and of a dull green ground colour, w^iich is uniformly spotted and dotted with different shades of yellowish and blackish-brown, except on the larger end, where the ground colour is almost obscured by a broad clouded band of dull yellowish-brown. Length: — i-24xo-85 inches. This egg is represented on Plate B. III., Figure U. Figure 13 is from Mr. George Savidge's collection. An egg, taken at Roseville, on the 30th November, 1901, measures: — Length 1-23 x 0-84 inches. A nestling, taken by Mr. Savidge, has the feathers of the upper parts brown, slightly darker on the head, and all largely tipped with white; wings dark brown, the secondaries broadly edged with light rufous; tail-feathers buff, with blackish cross-bars; all the under surface dull white, the feathers of the chest and breast with a blackish shaft-line terminating in a tear-shaped spot near the tip; bill fleshy-brown; legs and feet pale fleshy -brown. Total length 4-7 inches, wing 2-2^. The nest and egg figured above were taken by Mr. Savidge at Copmanhurst, on the Upper C'arence River, on the 8th January, 1899. 116 CAMPOPHAGID.E. O-eHTAS Ij.A.Xj-A.C5-E, Boie. Lalage leucomela. WHITE-EYEBROWED CATERPILLAR-EATER. Campephaga Icucomp.la, Vig. and Horsf., Trans. Linn. Hoc, Vol. XV., p. 215 (18"20). Cavipephaga leucomela, Gould, Bds. Au.str., fol.. Vol. IT., pt. 02 (1848): id.. Handlik. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. 203 (186.")). Lalage leucomelcena (partim), Sharpe, Cat. Bds. Krit. iMus., Vol. IV., p. 106 (187'J). Adui.T m.vlk — General colour above glossy black; feathers of the rump grey, ivith a subterminal spot or bar of black; upper tail-coverts grey ; tail black, the lateral teathers tipped with tvhite, ivhich increases in extent towards the outermost feather; lesser 7ving-coKerts black, the median series tv/tite except at tfie base; tfie greater coverts black, tvith an oblique u-liite tip; quills black, the secondaries externally edged ivith tvltite ; a line extending from llie nostril over tlie eye p-are tchite ; a triaiignl ar- shaped patch in front oj the eye black; chin, throat, cheeks, a^id. earcoverts white, passing into faint greyis/i-uhite on the remainder of the under surface, which is slightly tinged with orange-bitjf ; under tail-coverts orange-buff; under wing-coverts pure white; bill and iris dark brown; legs and feet dark grey. Total length /■/) inches, wing S'9, tail 3'2, bill 0:J2, tarsus 0 82. Adui/p fkm.\le — General colour above blackish-grey ; rump and upper tail-C07;erts brownish-grey, with greyisli-w/iite lips to t/ie feathers ; quills and upper wing-coverts dark brown, and similarly marked with white as in the male; eyebro/r not .■'>, tarsus OS. Distribution. — Northern Territory of Soutli .\ustralia, (,)ueen.slancl, Xorth-eastern New South Wales. /■ |(_^HE range of this species extends from I'ort Essinf(ton, in Xorlhern Australia, to Cape J- \'ork, and ihroufrhout all the coastal districts of Eastern Queensland into North-eastern New South Wales. I have specimens now before me from Port Essington, Cape York, Cook- town, Cairns, Port Denison, Wide Bay, Brisbane, Richmond River, and Bellinger River, and find little or no variation in their plumage. The wing of adult males from Cape York and Cooktown measures 3-8 inches; from Gayndah, Queensland, 4-3 inches; from the Bellinger River, New South Wales, 3-8 inches. As Count Salvador!" points out, the present species is distinct from Lalage l;aru, and Dr. Sharpe was in error in the " Catalogue of Birds in the British Museum, "I- in regarding them as one species. Sub.sequently, in his Report on the Birds collected during the "\'oyage of H.M.S. Alert," I Dr. Sharpe apparently holds the same views as Count Salvador!. The type of Lalage Imru was obtained in New Ireland; that of L. leucomela from Broad Sound, Queensland. I have never seen L. karu from any part of the .Vustralian continent. Specimens from the Laloki River, New Guinea, may be distinguished by their more broadly- barred under parts, less extent of white on the upper wing-coverts, and the very distinct white margins to the feathers of the rump. I met with a few examples of L. leucomela in the Upper Clarence District, in November, 1898. It had just arrived in that district, and was not apparently breeding during my stay there. * Orn. Pap. et Molucc, Pt. ii , p. 163 (1881). t Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol iv., p. io5 (1879). * Voy. Alert, p. 13 (18S4). LALAOE. 117 From North-eastern Queensland, Mr. E. A. C. Olive kindly forwarded me an adult male and female of this species, together with the following notes: — "These birds are numerous in the Cooktown District, and fre,^ a^j^Mf//Mg and. later on, Mr. G. A. Keartland found them breeding ,j\. ■^ ^^^aB^m^^^m close to the Fitzroy River in North-western Australia, in February. Examples were also obtained in 1886 in the same neighbourhood by Mr. E. J. Cairn and the late Mr. T. H. Bowyer-Bower, I have specimens in immature or adult plumage now before me from all parts of the continent except Central Australia. It w-as probably due to there being a drought in Central Australia in 1894 that this species was not met with by the Horn Scientific Expedition. During a trip made in South Australia by Dr. A. M. Morgan, in July and August, 1900, he observed two immature males at Elizabeth Creek, about one hundred and twenty miles north-west of Port Augusta. The wing-measurement of adult males varies from 3-85 inches to 4-1 inches. By a typographical error in the " Catalogue of Birds in the British Museum,"- the wing and tail measurement of the adult male of Lalage tricolor is there represented as exceeding the measure- ments of the same parts in L. leucomela. On the highlands of the Miison's Point railway-line, near Sydney, it is worthy of note that this species does not make its appearance until nearly a month later than it does in the western suburbs of Ashfield and Canterbury. These birds generally return to the same haunts year after WHITE-SHOULDERED CATERPILLAR-EATER. • Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. iv., p. 92 (1869). LALAGE. 119 year. They frequent chiefly open forest and partially cleared lands, and are usually met \vith in pairs. The male, with its strikingly contrasted black and white plumage and rich and melodious sono-, being the first to attract one's attention; the sombrely attired female, harmonising with its surroundings, being more difficult of detection. The voluble notes of the male are usually uttered while flying from tree to tree, and somewhat resemble those of the Brown Fly-catcher I Micnrca fascinans) but are louder and deeper. The remarkably small nest of this bird, too, would often escape observation, were not the attractive song of the male frefjuently poured forth while perched on a branch close to it. The food consists entirely of insects and their larvje, obtained chiefly among the leaves of trees, and sometimes on the ground. Although frequenting orchards, I have never known it to attack the fruit like the larger members of the family Campophagid.?:. During a \isit paid to Moree in November, 1897, by Mr. J. A. Thorpe and myself, we found this species the commonest bird in the neighbourhood, being even more plentiful than the White-eyebrowed Wood Swallow (Artamus supnriliosus). It was breeding freely, and there was a nest in a Bastard ^lyall (Acacia ciinninghami ) w'lth'm a few yards of my window. The female used to sit in the early morning, being relieved by the male throughout the greater part of the day, and resuming the duties of incubation again in the evening and through the night. In the same tree was a nest of the Black and White Fantail (Sauloprocta melaleiica). Another instance of the female relieving the male at night, during the task of incubation, I observed at Roseville. A nest which I found in course of construction in a low forked branch of a Rough-barked .Apple-tree (Angophom intermedia), on the 28th October, 1901, by seeing the female fly to it, although I only saw the male actually building it, was finished on the 4th November. After the eggs were deposited, whenever I passed it in the daytime I found the male sitting, but at dusk his place was taken by the female. Evidently the male was not near at hand, or disregarded her cries of alarm, when I drew the branch down and frightened her off the nest. The nest, a small open shallow structure, is built at the junction of a two or more pronged horizontal branch, occasionally in a perfectly upright fork, but more often in a slightly leaning pronged branch, and generally towards the extremity of a limb. It is formed of very fine fibrous roots or dried grasses, the rim and the fork in which it is built being thickly coated with spider's web. The nests are variable in size, according to the position in which they are built ; those on horizontal forks being as a rule larger than those placed in upright branches. At Chatswood, near Sydney, on the 28th November, 1898, I saw the male of a pair of these birds, who had been robbed of their eggs, commencing to build again in a thin forked horizontal branch of a sapling about fifteen feet from the ground. This nest I had under daily and almost constant observation, and the male alone constructed it so far as I could ascertain, in fact I never saw the female of this pair of birds at any time. On the 3rd December I saw the male sitting on the nest, and also three days later when it contained two perfectly fresh eggs, .\lthough this nest was quickly built, it is more compactly constructed and far neater in appearance than the first nest, built in an upright fork near the top of a Syncarpia. It is formed at the junction of a very thin three-pronged leafy branch, and is outwardly composed of fine pliant plant stems, lined inside with fine dried grasses; the outer portion of it, the fork on which it is placed, and the rim being coated with spider's web and ornamented with a few small leaves of a climbing plant. Externally it measures two inches and a half in diameter by one inch and a quarter in depth; the inner saucer-shaped cavity measuring two inches in diameter by three-quarters of an inch in depth. The site of the nest varies very much; inland it is frequently built in a hop bush or emu-bush, as low as four feet from the ground. Near the coast it is more often built in a gum, apple, oak, or turpentine-tree at a height from fifteen to thirty feet, but not infrequently at an altitude of sixty or seventy feet. The eggs are 120 CAMPOPHAGIDJE. two or three in number for a sitting, and are typically oval in form, the shell being close-grained and its surface slightly lustrous. The ground colour varies from light green to rich bluish- green, which is uniformly blotched or marked with short irregular shaped streaks of reddish or chestnut-brown, in some specimens almost obscuring the ground colour, and in rare instances confined almost entirely to the larger end, where a perfect zone or cap is formed. A set of two measures:— Length (A) 0-87 x 0-65 inches; (B) o-86 x o-66 inches. A set of three:— (A) 0-82 x inches; (B) 0-83 x 0-65 inches; (C) 0-82 x o-66 inches. A nestling taken at Roseville on the 8th December, 1900, I fed upon finely cut pieces of raw meat, and it lived four days. It was extremely tame, and used to perch on my finger while preening its feathers. The general colour above is brown, with fulvous white tips to all the feathers; rump greyish-brown, all the feathers indistinctly barred with brown and lipped with dull white; primaries, secondaries, and upper wing-coverts brown, broadly edged with fawn, whitish at the tips; ear-coverts dull white; all the under surface dull white, the feathers on the throat and chest having dusky brown centres. The young male has the head, hind-neck, and upper part of the back rich brown; feathers of the lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts grey with brownish tips; quills and upper wing- coverts black, the latter broadly edged with ochraceous-buff; the secondaries externally margined, and the primaries narrowly tipped with white; tail black, the two central feathers margined with white on their apical portion, and the remainder tipped with white; under surface buffy- white, darker on the sides of the body, which is crossed with indistinct dusky brown bars. In the semi- adult male, the feathers on the crown of the head have central streaks of black, and those of the mantle and upper portion of the back a large subterminal spot of black ; the ochraceous-buff edges to the upper wing-coverts are much broader, there is a buffy-white stripe over the eye, more distinct than in the adult female, and all the under surface is white, slightly tinged with yellowish-buff, and crossed with almost invisible dusky-brown bars on the sides of the chest. In the not quite adult male, the last trace of immaturity is exhibited in a few brown feathers being intermingled with the glossy black ones on the hind-neck and upper portion of the back. The immature female is duller in colour than the adult, and has the primaries, secondaries, and outer series of the greater wing-coverts broadly margined with pale buffy-white; tail- feathers brown with buffy-white margins, and passing into buff on the outermost feather, which has the outer web entirely buff except at the base. In the south-eastern portions of the continent, immature birds only are obtained or observed after the main body of the migrants take their departure at the end of summer. Adult birds only were met with at Moree in November, some of the males having very narrow edges and tips of white to the secondaries; in others the primaries were externally edged and tipped with white, and the outer webs and tips of the secondaries broadly margined with white. The breeding season in New South Wales usually commences at the end of September, and continues until the end of January or early paXt of February. Near Sydney the eggs are generally deposited during the first week in October, but I have found nests at Chatswood and Roseville, containing eggs, in the beginning of December. Owing probably to the drought in 1901, these birds were not so numerous as usual, and with their young had all left the district by the 31st December; the previous season they were noted as late as the 2ist February. Dr. W. Macgillivray informs me that in the neighbourhood of Cloncurry, in Northern Queens- land, they are very common, and nest everywhere immediately the wet season is over in January and February. From Point Cloates, North-western Australia, Mr. Tom Carter sends me the following note: — "Lalage irkohr is a winter visitor to this district. I found nests containing young on the 3rd August, 1899, and the 14th and 15th July, 1901." The figure represents an adult male. EXPLANATION OF PLATE B. IL Figs. 1, 2. Ptilonorhynchus violaceus. Satin Bower-bird. Fig. 3. Chlamydodera ncchams. Great Bower-bird. Figs. 4, 5, 6. Culamyuodeba macclata. Spotted Bower-bird. Fig. 7. Chlamydodeka outtata. Guttated Bower-bird. Fig. 8. Chlamydodera cerviniventkis. Fawn-breasted Bower-bird. Figs. 9, 10, 11, 12. Chlamydodera orientalis. Eastern Bower-bird. Figs. 13, 14, 1.5, IC. Sebiculds melinus. Regent Bower-bird. V?- NESTS AND EGGS OF AUSTRALIAN BIBOS. PLATE B. U ' 9- ^^, ',) ^ ■ ' / '^V-'/Wi:i ^v;:/,; 10 It 12 ^S^jj^ S,JJ^- 13 15 16 EXPLANATION OF PLATE B. in. Figs. 1, 2, 7. Cb.vspedophoba alberti. Prince Albert's KiUc-bird. Figs. 3, 4, 5. Ptilorhis victoki;e. Queen Victoria's Uitle-bird. Fig. 6. PUONYGAMA GOULUI Australian Trumpet-bird. Figs. 8, 9, Pu ->i' 0BN1CULATU8. Friar-bird. Fig. 10. PHLLEMON UDCEROIDES. Hclmeted Friar-bird. Figs. 11. 12. Geocichla lunulata. Mountain Thrush. Figs. 13, 14, 15. Edoliisoma tenuirostbe. Jardine's Caterpillar-cater. Figs. 16, 17, 18. Oriolds saoittatcs. Olive-backed Oriole. Fig. 20 Okioi.us akfinis (smaller race). Northern Oriole. Fig. 19. Obiolds flavicixctls. yellow-bellied Oriole. Fig. 21. Anthoch.«ba cakunculata. Wattled Honey-eater. Figs. 22, 23. pHrLEMOs citreooli-aris. Yellow-throated Friar-bird. Figs. 24, 25. Anellobu meixivoha. Brush Wattle-bird. NESTS AND EGGS OF AUSTRALIAN BIRDS. PLATE B. IIL I. ■ V 16 i 12 17 it^ ?..,:;»•■ «a »*, "' .i 13 18 14 19 .^m 'R*'' 10 15 f^ ■•»■■...;■/ 20 21 22 23 24 25 EXPLANATION OF PLATE B. IV. Figs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 COLLYKIOCINCLA HABMONICA. Grey Slirike-Tluush. Figs. 0, 7, «. Oreoica ckistata Crested Bell-bird Figs, i), 10. COLI/YBIOCINCLA BECTIltOSTUIS straight-billed Shrikc-Tluush. Figs. 11, 12. Stbuthidea ciserea. Apostle-bird. Figs. 13, 14 Pacbycephala olivacea. Olivaceous Thickhead. Fig 15 COLLYRIOCINCLA liKUNNEA. Brown Shrike-Thrush. Fig. 16. CoLLYRIOCINCLA RCFIVENTBIS. Buff-bellied Shrike-Thrush. Figs 18, 19, 20. COLLYBIOCINCLA RUFIOASTKB Rufous-breasted Shrike Thrush. Figs 23, 24, 2.5 Coli.ybiocikcla paevissima (northern lacc}. Northern Eufous-breastcd Shrike-Thrush Fig. 17 Collyriocincla CERVTNivENTBis. (inland race) Fawn-breasted Shrike-Thrush. Figs. 21, 22. COLLYRIOCINCLA PABVDLA. Little Shrike-Thrush NESTS AND EGGS OF AUSTRALIAN BIRDS. PLATE B. IV. '^J« ^ 4 I c^..>;.i >■» I i^ ^ • io >.-.." ■(^.^i 16 12 .v^;-.-.^ 17 .• • ^ .'i*^' 13 V ■ ' V .■■*■ 13 21 22 23 -"X 14 19 ..♦i K. 24 15 :V % 20 Jl^- 25 MUSCICAPID.E. '^' Family MUSCICAPID^. Rhipidura albiscapa. WHITE-SHAFTED FANTAIL. Rhipidura flaU'UMa (nee Grael.), Vig. A Horsf., Trans. Linn. Soc, Vol. XV., p. 247 (1S26). RhipicUra albiscapa, Gould, Proc. Zool. See, 1840, p. 113; Sharpe, Cat. Bds. B.-it. AIus., Vol. IV., p. :510 (1879). Adult MXLE-Geueral colour above ashy-brown, slightly darker on the head; lesser wing-coverts ashy-brown; median and greater winy-coverts dark brown, with a spot of white on the tips of their outer webs; quills dark brown, the secondaries edged with white on their outer tvehs ; tioo central tail-feathers blacki.h-brown, the remainder a,hy brown with a blackish-brown wash on their outer toebs and lipped loith white; shafts of the two central feathers blackish-brown, of the remainder and the outermost web of the outermost feather white ; lores and sides of the face dull blackish-brown; a line over the eye, and one above the ear-coverts white ; cheeks and throat white; lower throat dull black; remainder of the under surface pale ochraceons-buf; sides of the breast ashy-brown; under tail coverts white; bill black, base of the lower mandible yelloioish horn colour; legs and feet brownish-black; iris black. Total length in the fesh >r25 inches, wing 3, tail -I:',, 'nil 0-28, tarstis ()'7. Adult fem.\LE — Similar in plumage to the male. Distribution.— Queens\a.nd, New South Wales. X'ictoria, South Australia. /^,:%HE White-shafted Fantail is a common resident throughout the greater portion of X Eastern and South-eastern Australia. Although found m the mland portions of the States, it is more frequently met with in open forest-lands and lightly timbered scrub near the coast ' Favourite haunts also are humid mountain ranges and gullies. It is a lively and attractive species, and is usually met with in pairs, resorting sometimes to the topmost branches of the lofty Encalvpti, but just as often to saplings or low Melale:u-a scrub within a few feet of the ground. It is also a close attendant on cultivation and is common about orchards and gardens, ridding the fruit trees and shrubs of many insect pests. Seldom does this active little bird remain still ; it is almost constantly on the move, darting forth ever and anon to capture some passing insect, or fluttering slowly from tree to tree. During flight, and often when perched, it spreads the long feathers of its beautiful fan-shaped tail. When haunting orchards and gardens it becomes very tame, frequently warblmg its low but sweet son- while perched onlv a few feet away, or passing within arm's length of one, as they playfully chase each other from tree to tree. The song of this bird consists of a quick.y uttered "chip chip," followed by a succession of clear and varied musical notes. The food of the White-shafted Fantail consists of flies, moths, and small msects of all kinds, captured mostly while on the wing, also the larva^ of various insects found on leaves and branches. Some specimens obtained near Sydney, apparently very old birds, are dark smoky-grey above, and have the longer upper tail-coverts blackish-brown. The wing measurement of fully adult males varies from 2-8 inches to 3 inches. ' The nest is an exceedingly neat and beautiful structure, resembling in form a wine-gUiss with the base or stand broken ofif close to the lower end of the stem. Usually it is formed ot strips and shreds of the soft inner bark of trees, bound round and held together with spiders 122 RHIPIDURA. webs on the outside, and lined with bark fibre. Nests, however, from different locaUties, vary considerably in the materials from which they are constructed ; in humid mountain gullies the foundations of some are formed of the soft downy reddish-brown covering of the newly budded fronds of tree-ferns, others are built chiefly of thistle-down, but, in all, the exterior is more or less thickly coated with spiders' webs. Occasionally the lining consists of very fine dried grasses or wiry rootlets. The tail, or appendage, below the nest is also of varying length and finish; in some I have seen long thin chips of wood or portions of leaves used instead of bark ; it is not, too, always perfectly straight, for the nest is sometimes built over a nearly vertical branch, and the tail is constructed around it. A typical one, now before me, is formed of shreds and strips of the soft yellowish-white inner bark of trees, coated externally with spiders' webs, and is lined inside with very thin strips of bark and bark fibre. It measures two inches in external diameter, by a depth of four inches and a half, the nest proper measuring two inches, and the appendage below the thin three-pronged leafy branch on which it was placed two inches and a half; internal diameter of cup-like cavity one inch and three-quarters; depth one inch and a quarter, .\bout Sydney thin dead twigs of gum saplings, tea-trees, and turpentines, are often selected as nesting-sites. Sometimes the nest is formed in a tall Eucalyptus, and, if the birds are unmolested, in any suitable tree about orchards and gardens. Generally it is built at the junction of a two or more pronged horizontal forked twig, but not infreijuently in a nearly upright fork or on a drooping branch. It is placed at a height varying from three to forty feet from the ground, but on an average not over fifteen feet, and frequently within hand's reach. The eggs are two or three in number for a sitting, and vary from cnal to swollen oval in form, the shell being close-grained, dull, and lustreless. They vary in ground colour from dull white to creamy-white, some specimens being slightly darker on the larger end, and are minutely freckled, dotted, spotted, or irregularly blotched with yellowish-brown, or wood- brown, intermingled occasionally with a few underlying markings of a faint bluish-grey. As a rule the markings predominate on the thicker end, where they form a more or less well defined zone. In some specimens the markings are small and indistinct, and form a band of a slightly darker shade than the ground colour around the larger end of the shell; others have small clouded blotches unevenly distributed over the entire surface. .\ set of three, taken on the 13th October, igoi, at Roseville, measures as follows: — Length (.\) 0-63 x 0-47 inches; (B) 0-62 X 0-47 inches; (C) 0-62 x 0-41 inches. A set of two, taken in the same locality, on the 22nd October, igoi, measures: — (A) 0-64 x 0-48 inches; (B) 0-65 x 0-49 inches. A set of two, taken at Chatswood, on the loth November, 1901, measures: — (A)o-6xo-5i; (B) o-6i x 0-5 inches. The nest from which these eggs were taken also contained an egg of the Square-tailed Cuckoo. F'ledgelings are ashy-brown above, with dull rufous edges to all the feathers, those on the crown of the head being of a clearer ashy-brown ; wing-coverts ashy-brown, with white tips washed with rufous, as are also the margins and tips of the outer webs of the innermost secondaries; tail ashy-brown, the lateral feathers, except at the base, white; eye-brows rufous; on each side of the throat a narrow line of white feathers ; cheeks, throat, and chest rufous- brown; remainder of the under surface dull white; bill blackish-brown; gape yellow; legs and feet fleshy-red; iris blackish-brown. Young birds are duller in colour than the adults; the feathers on the sides of the nape, back, and rump are on the extremity tipped with rufous; median and greater wing-coverts dark-brown, tipped with rufous; the tips, of the tail feathers are smaller and of a dull white; the white mark over the eye is more oval in shape, and the white mark above the ear-coverts in the adult is absent; chin dull white; upper throat ashy-brown; a band on the lower throat dull black ; remainder of the under surface ochraceous-buff. Wing 2-8 inches. MUSCICAPID.E. 123 On the morn.n- of the 29th October, 190., at RosevUle, I disturbed from a nest bu.lt in a aum sapHn- three vounR birds, two of which I captured, brought them into the Museum, photocaaphed them as shown below, and returned them again to their anxious parents m the afternoon Nine davs after, I saw one of them being fed ; it had grown almost as large as the parent, the dark band on the throat was clearly indicated, and the tail feathers were nearly as long as in the adult. In the neighbourhood of Svdney, nidil^cat.on usually commences early in September; the tail below the branch being first constructed, and the entire nest is generally finished in ten days- but when the buds ha^■e been just previously robbed of their eggs, it is built much Quicker The eggs are deposited on successive days;£incubation, in which duty the male takes part, occupying twelve days^ and the young birds leave the nest from ten to twelve days after bein- hatched. Two broods are reared during the breeding season, which generally terminates^about the middle of January, but at Eastwood I saw several new nests just bemg started on tst January, 1S9+. On the same day I saw a pair of these birds attending to the wants of a young Square-tailed Cuckoo. No species more readily forsakes its nest if disturbed while building, or clings more pertinaciously to it after the eggs are laid. On the 24th September, 1898, at Koseville, I found a nest built on a thin horizontal branch of a gum sapling, about eight feet from the ground, and saw one of the birds sitting on it. A companion who was with me climbed the tree, and before I could warn hull, put the tip of his finger inside the nest which was just finished. On visiting it ten days later we saw the birds removing it to the topmost twigs of a sapling, about forty yards away, and to a height of twenty-five feet from the 'aound. This nest was examined on the :6th October, with a sm.lar result, portion of it bein^g removed three days later,_the tail alone being left at the end of a week. The nests, however, are riot removed by the birds as a rule, althou-h they are often deserted if one only too closely examines them. The following instance will illustrate the tenacity with which this species clings to its nest after the eggs are deposited. On the 2c,th October, 1898, Mr. C G. J°^-7;-; ^^f visited a nest we had found nearly finished the previous week, m a tall gum sapling on the side of a gully at Chatswood. On nearing the tree .-e saw one of the birds fly up to the nest and relieve its mate who was sitting. After awaiting for a few minutes, my --P-j-^j-^^f^^ ^^ lower limbs of the tree, but the occupant of the nest did not move. Reaching the ne t he tried to frighten it off by waving his hands, but it would not budge, and all attempts to dislodge 1 with : thin stick wle of no avail. He then tried to lift it off, but the bird clung wi hi s to the lining of the structure. Finally slipping his fingers down to the bird s claws, he gently detached them from the sides of the nest, and placed the bird in his coat-pocket w:hile he took the eggs. This was by no means an easy feat, for he could just manage to reach the nest as 1^ was built on a very thfn terminal twig, and a gale was blowing at the time After descend ng Lm the tree and examining the eggs, which proved to be ^^^ .'^[^^ ""f^-ff;^^ and one of the Square-tailed Cuckoo (Caccnantis vanolosus). he lifted the bird out of h. pocke ■ It did not exhibit the slightest fear or struggle to get free -while we examined it. Directly U was restored to liberty, it flew to a neighbouring branch and started to preen its feathers, and WIHTF.-SIIAFTED FANTAlLS (FLKDGELINGS) 124 KHIPIDUKA. then again took possession of the nest. Another Fantail whose nest was found the same after- noon, did not exhibit the same fearless disposition, but forsook its charge immediately my companion commenced to climb the tree. Both of these nests were about fifteen feet from the ground, and each contained an egg of the Square-tailed Cuckoo. On the 8th December, 1898, we found a White-shafted Fantail sitting on its nest in a low gum sapling at Roseville. Attempts to frighten or dislodge it with a Grass-tree stem were unsuccessful, but it abandoned the nest directly we essayed to lift it off". The nest, which the Fantails afterwards deserted, only contained an egg of the Square-tailed Cuckoo. A nest I found at Roseville, on the 13th October, 1901, was built on a thin dead twig of a Smooth-barked Apple-tree (Angophora lanceolata), about four feet from the ground, and contained three partially incubated eggs. These I removed, and concealed under some fallen leaves of a Casiiarina siibevosa. On returning next day to photograph the nest, I observed the same pair of birds busily engaged in carrying nestinj; material into an adjoinini; paddock. Following them up, 1 found about sixty yards away they had already formed — under the junction of several thin leafy twigs of a Turpentine (Syncarpia laurifolia), at a height of four feel from the ground, — the tail or stem-like appendage of a new nest. Passing the structure two days later, I found half of the cup formed ; and on the 22nd October, or ten days later since removing the eggs from the first nest, I found the second one completed, and the female sitting on two fresh eggs. Of six nests I found that season, five contained either three eggs or three young ones. When the young ones are about half-fledged, and their bills are visible over the edge of the nest, the rim of the hitherto neat structure loses that rounded appearance, and becomes much frayed, and is greatly bulged and flattened out as the youn^ continue to grow. .-\ nest I had under daily observation at Roseville, about seven feet from the ground, built in a Forest Oak (Casiiarina suberosa), on my visiting it on the Sth November, 1901, contained three young ones standing on a shapeless mass of nesting material. On my venturing beneath it, two of them fluttered away from the remains of what was once a perfect and beautiful home. Rhipidura preissi. PKEl.Ss'S FANTAIL. Rhijndura preissi, Cabanis, Mus llein., Theil. I., p. .57 (1850); Gould, llandljk. Bds. Au.str., Vol. I., p. 240 (1865); Sharpe, Proc. Zool. Soc, 1881, p. 387. Adult m.\le — Similar to the adult male of R. albiscapa, hut Iiaving the upper parts with a slightly more ashy-grey shade, the under surface of a lighti-.r ochraceous-buff] and no black band on the lower throat, which is ashy-brown tinged ivith grey, like the sides of the breast. Total length 5 8 inches, iving 3, tail 3'4, bill OS, tarsus 0'7. Adult female — Similar in plumage to the adult male. Distribution. — Western and North western Australia. "y-'^REISS'S FANTAIL is the representative of R. albiscapa in Western and North-western -L Australia. While collecting on behalf of the Trustees of the .Xustralian Museum, Mr. George Masters, the present Curator of the Macleay Museum, obtained adults and young at King George's Sound, in March, 1866; and again, in the same locality, in November, 1868. Its haunts and habits, Mr. Masters informs me, are precisely similar to those of R. albiscapa. From Point Cloates, North-western Australia, Mr. Tom Carter writes me, as follows: — "/?/i!^jiHra/im552, is mostly a winter visitor here, and some years is quite numerous, arriving about the end of May or June. It is common in the mangroves, where there is an abundance of insects, and I have often noticed it on the beach feeding upon small flies that abound on strips of seaweed left by the receeding tide. This species is very tame and confiding." RJUPIDURA. 125 A nest in the Australian Museum collection, taken at Kinj,' George's Sound b)' Mr. Masters on the 7th October, 1868, is indistinguishable from that of its eastern representative; so also are two of its eggs, taken in South-western Australia in October, 1899. The latter measure: — ■ Length (A) 0-62 x 0-47 inches; (B) o-6 x 0-5 inches. Young birds resemble the adults, but have the upper wing-coverts more broadly tipped "with white; under surface more strongly washed with ochraceous-buff, and only a slight indication of the ashy-brown band on the lower throat. Wing 2-7 inches. Rhipidura diemenensis. TASMANIAN FANTAIL. Mhipidiira saliirala, Sharpe, Oat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. IV., p. 311 (1879). Rhipidura diemenensis, Sharpe, Ibis, 1879, p. 368. Adult male — Differs from the adult male of R. albiscapa in havuuj Oie 'tipper parts of a slightly deeper brown shade, the tail feathers darker and having smaller and duller white tips, the black band on the lower throat narrower, and the remaitider of the under surface of a slighlhj deeper shade of ochraceous-buff. Total lenyth 5:5 inches, iring 29, tail 3'Jf., bill 0-J8, tarsus 0-6S. Adult female — Similar in plnmage to the male. Distribution. — Tasmania, and some of the islands of Bass Strait. ^ I(^HE Tasmanian Fantail is another close ally of the continental species R. albiscapa. JL Specimens in the Australian Museum collection were obtained by Mr. George Masters at the Ouse River and Mount Wellington, in April and March, 1867. E.xamples in the flesh have also recently been received from Mr. E. D. Atkinson, of Waratah, Mount Bischoff, in the North-western portion of the island. From notes received from Mr. Atkinson 1 have extracted the following information : — "These little birds are widely distributed over Tasmania, except on the plain country, and are also found on Flinder's, Barren, and West Hunter's Islands. Generally they are seen in pairs, more especially in the vicinity of water-courses, and in this district frequently in the depths of the gloomy forest. They are constantly on the move, and in a most irregular flight dart about in all directions in pursuit of small insects, which constitute their food. The nest, which resembles a wine-glass in shape, is formed of shreds of bark bound round with spiders' webs, and lined inside with glossy brown down gathered from the fronds of the tree-fern. It is placed on a thin horizontal twig, or in a partially upright fork, and those I found were by observing the head and tail of the sitting bird projecting over the sides of the nest." The following information is extracted from Dr. Lonsdale Holden's MS. notes, made on the North-western coast of Tasmania: — "I found an unfinished nest of Rhipidura diemenensis, attached to the horizontal twigs of a tea-tree branch, in a swamp on Circular Head Peninsula, on the 8th November, 1886. It was cup-shaped, and built of strips of fine whitish soft inner bark, covered externally with cobwebs, and had a kind of tail or projection underneath the nest like the broken stem of a wine-glass. Three days later I saw one of these birds building a nest in a tea-tree swamp close to Stanley. On the 14th November I found another nest nearly ready for eggs, in a tea-tree in the township paddock, Circular Head; it was about five and a half feet from the ground. I took two eggs from this nest on the 20th November. Two days later I visited the nest found on the nth November, and found the bird sitting on three eggs. On the 30th November, at Brickmakers' Bay, I found a nest with three eggs, and another with two, both sets being very much incubated. Perhaps the latter had lost an egg, for it was built on a bit of loose dead branch, lying in a tea-tree, and was very much on one side when I found it. Next day I found another nest in tea-tree scrub near Stanley, in which the bird was sitting on two fresh eggs. In diameter the most perfect of these nests measures externally two inches Cc 126 MUSCICAPID.E. and a quarter: length, including dependent tail, four inches; internally one inch and two-thirds in diameter by one inch and a quarter in depth. These birds are as plentiful and as tame in winter as in summer." Eggs two or three in number for a sitting: oval or rounded oval in form, the shell being close grained, dull and lustreless. The ground colour, which varies from dull to creamy-white, is freckled or blotched with pale or creamy-brown, particularly on the larger end, where in some specimens they are intermingled with underlying markings of dull bluish-grey. The same variation in colour and distribution of their markings is to be found in the eggs of this species as in those of R. albisiapa, from which they cannot be distinguished. A set of three measures: — Length (A) 0-64 x 0-45 inches; (B) 0-65 x 0-45 inches; (C) 0-65 x 0-46 inches. A set of two measures: — Length (A) o-6i x 0-47 inches; (B) o-6 x 0-47 inches. Rhipidura albicauda. WHITE-TAILED FAXTAIL. Khipidura alhicanda, North, Ibis, 1895, p. 340; id., Rep. Horn Sci. Exped. Central Austr., Pt. II , Zool., p. ".">, pi. 6, lower tig., (1896). Adult \l.\LE^Genei-al colour above ashy-broivn, becoming slightly darker on the head and browner on the rump and upper tail-coverts ; lesser wing-coverts ashy-brown, the median and greater series dark brown, the former narrowly, and the latter largely, tipped with ivhite; quills dusky brown, the innermost secondaries margined with tvhite on their outer webs; two central tail Jeathers blackish- brown, the two outermost feathers on either side pure tvhite, the remainder tvhite, narroivhj edged with blackishbrowit on the basal half of their outer webs, which increases in extent towards the tivo central feathers ; lores and ear-coverts blackisJi-brown ; a line above the eye, and a shorter one above the ear-coverts, ivhite; cheeks and throat white; loiver throat dull black; remainder of the inider surface light ochraceous-buff ; sides of the breast pale ashybronn ; under tail-coverts tvhite: bill black; legs and feel brownish-black; iris black. Total length 5'8 inches, tving 2'S, tail S'5, bill 0-25, tarsus 0 65. Adult female — Similar in plumage to the male. Distribution. — Central Australia. ^^HIS species, which differs from R. albiscapa in having all but the two central tail feathers pure white, was one of the novelties secured by the members of the Horn Scientific E.xpedition in Central Australia in 1894. Mr. G. A. Keartland writes me that "it haunts the mulga scrubs of the Levi Range, where specimens were obtained, and others were shot at Petermann and Adminga Creeks; it is also fairly plentiful near lUaniiirta. In note, and liabit of fluttering from branch to branch, it closely resembled R. albiscapa, but when its glossy-white outer tail feathers on either side of the dark centre were displayed, the difference was at once very conspicuous, more especially when the sun was shining through them, making each feather appear as if it was made of white satin." The small cobweb coated and delicately formed open nest of this species doubtless closely resembles that of its well-known near ally the White-shafted Fantail, for Mr. C. E. Cowle who found one at lllamurta in December, 1894, '" describing it to Mr. Keartland, states it is of a "pipe-like shape," evidently referring to the tail-like appendage below the nest, and the thin mulga branch on which it was placed. The single egg, however, which it contained, varies somewhat from typical eggs of the White-shafted Fantail. It is oval in form and of a faint buffy-white ground colour, which is thickly covered with minute and indistinct freckles of pale purplish-buff, the markings being most thickly disposed on the larger end and thus forming an obscure cap. Length : — 0-65 x 0-5 inches. Another egg subsequently received by Mr. Keartland, is indistinguishable from the ordinary zoned type of egg of R. albiscapa. RHIPIDURA 127 /^ps Rhipidura rufifrons. RUFOUS-FRONTED FANTAIL. Muscicapa rufifrons, Lath., Ind. Orn., Suppl., p. 1., (1801). Rhipidura rufifrons, Gould, Bds. Austr., fol.. Vol. II., pi. 84 (1848), (part); vl, Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. 240 (1865). Adult male— CVojuh of the head, neck, mantle, and upper portion of the back brown slightly tinged irith pale orange-rufous: hnoer portion of the back, rump, and upper tail-coverts orange- rufous: upper wiug-coverts and quills brown, tinged with pale orange-rufous, which is more distinct^ on the outer webs of the inner secondaries: base of the tail-feathers orange-rufous, the terminal halj blackish-brown, with pale brown tips ; forehead, and a line of feathers above the eye orange-rufous: ear-coverts dark broivu : chin, cheeks, upper portion of the throat, and a broad line of Jeathers extending on to the sides of the neck white: lower throat black : feathers of the fore-neck a^id chest black margined tvith white; centre of the breast dull white; sides of the breast and abdomen fawn ^ colour: under tail-coverts fawn-buff ; bill broivn, base oj loiver mandible yellowish-horn colour; legs and feet brown; iris brown. Total length in the flesh 6-2 inches, w-ing 2-9, tail SS, bill OSo, tarsus 0-75. Adult female — Similar in plumage to the male. Distribution.— Queensland. New South Wales, and Victoria. ,HE Rufous-fronted Fantail is found in favour- able situations throu,£,'hout the greater portions of Eastern Queensland, Eastern New South ^^'ales, and Victoria. This species chiefly frequents humid mountain ranges and the rich coastal brushes during spring and summer,- leaving after the breeding season is over early in autumn, for more open parts of the country. It is of the same restless disposition as its smaller congener K. albiscapa, and is constantly on the move, displaying the rich colour of the lengthened feathers of its fan-shaped tail. It is more often met with singly, except in the breeding season, when it is generally seen in pairs, frequenting the trees near the water in mountain gullies, or the margins of creeks and rivers in the brushes. Sometimes it is seen in the centres ot large cities. Mr. George Masters, Curator of the Macleay Museum at the Sydney University, informs me that while engaged m entomological duties at his table near a window one day, one of these birds found its way into the building. After flying several times backwards and forwards the length of the Museum, it finally selected as a resting place the top of his head, and there it remained for some time until he attempted to put his hand near it. Although found close to or in Sydnev in autumn and winter, I have only known it to breed in the gullies on the highlands of the Milson's Point railway-line, beyond Chatswood and Roseville, or in the humid scrubs and gullies at National Park and Waterfall. The food of this species consists entirely of small insects, flies, small moths, etc., captured principally while on the wing. Unlike the White-shafted Fantail, which frequently builds its nest in fruit trees, it is seldom seen in orchards during the breeding season, unless contiguous to its usual haunts. RUFOUS-FRONTED FANTAIL. 128 MUSCICAPID.E. The nest, like that of R. albiscapa, resembles in shape a wine-glass with the base broken off at the lower end of the stem, but it is somewhat larger and made of coarser material. Usually it is composed of shreds of bark, bound round and held together with cobwebs, the inside being lined with black hair-like rootlets, dried grasses, or the fruiting stalks of mosses, the tail-like appendage below the nest proper being of varying length and sometimes entirely absent. An average nest measures externally two inches and a half in diameter by two inches in depth, internally two inches in diameter by one inch in depth, the tail-like appendage below the nest measuring three inches and a half. A nest received from Mr. J. Gabriel, and taken at Bayswater, ^'ictoria, is built on the midrib of a fern frond, and is securely held in position by the nesting material being worked over the pinnae at each side. It is cup-shaped in form, and lacks the usual tail-like appendage, the width of the frond probably precluding the birds from constructing it. The nest is formed of the soft yellowish-white inner bark of trees, bound round with cobwebs, the outside being lined with very fine dried grasses, a small quantity of bright orange-red fruit and fruit-stalks of mosses. Four other nests, taken in the same locality, are built at the junction of several thin leafy branchlets near the end of partially upright or drooping branches, the tail-like appendage of one nest being woven around a thin perpendicular twig beneath the nest. With the above nests, Mr. Gabriel has kindly sent the following notes: — "The Rufous-fronted Fantail, as a rule, builds over or near water in the fern gullies, but I have found them well up the creek banks. The nests are cunningly placed, and easily overlooked, but at Bayswater the birds shew a decided preference for the Hazel (Pomaderris apetala), and the Blanket-tree (Scnecio hedfordi). As far as my experience goes, December and January are the usual breeding months, but I have found several nests with young- in December, and have a set of eggs in my possession that were quite fresh when taken on the ist February, 1896. A friend of mine found a nest only a foot above the surface of the water, and I ha\e taken them in hazel trees at a height of twenty feet from the ground." A nest of this species in the Australian Museum collection, found on the i6th January, 1897, by Mr. S. W. Moore and his son at the Valley of Waters, in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales, was built in a Coach-wo(Kl (Crystapetalum apetalnm) growing on the steep bank of a creek, about ten yards from tiie water. It contained two fresh eggs that were visible when standing on the shelving ground above the tree in which the nest was built. Mr. Moore found the nest of the same pair of birds ten days after, not far from the site of the previous one, containing two fresh eggs. It was built in a tree about four feet from the ground, and was partially hidden by a large boulder. At Waterfall, on the and January, 1899, Mr. Moore found an unfinished nest in a Coach-wood, on the bank of a creek close to where we were having our lunch. It was built near the leafy extremity of a thin branch about a foot from the ground, and was rendered more difficult of detection by the lower branches of the tree being covered in places with debris, while the creek had been previously in flood. Ten days later Mr. L. Moore visited it and ftjund it completed, with one egg in the nest, and another lying broken beneath it. The nests are usually built at the junction of a one or more pronged horizontal leafy branch, sometimes against or in a thin upright fork, and in the rich coastal brushes not infrequently on a vine. Generally they are low down and within hand's reach, sometimes within a foot of the ground, the height varying up to twenty feet. The nests I have found in New South Wales were, as a rule, built in large-leaved trees. Although the present species is usually more cautious than the White-shafted Fantail, like that species it is a close sitter when one approaches near the nest. The nest figured I found on the iith November, 1901, at Ourimbah. when about two- thirds built. It was placed on the thin stem of a tree under a creek hank. On the 23rd inilPIIlURA. 129 November, I disturbed the female while sitting on her egg and an egg of the Square-tailed Cuckoo, the latter being the larger of the two eggs figured. Both eggs were partially incubated, and she was very reluctant to leave them. The cup-like cavity of this nest is slightly shallower, and the tail-like appendage below the structure longer than usual. Externally it measures five inches and a (]uarter in length, by two inches and a quarter in diameter; and the inner cup one inch and three-quarters in diameter by seven-eighths of an inch in depth. The ragged end of the lower part of the structure consists principally of long chips of soft decaying wood, some of them measuring one inch and a half in length by nearly a quarter of an inch in width. The eggs are two in number for a sitting, and vary in form from oval to rounded oval, some specimens being rather pointed at the smaller end; the shell is close-grained, and its surface smooth and slightly lustrous. They vary in ground colour from a very pale cream (3r yellowish-white, to a rich cream, and are usually minutely dotted and spotted on the larger end with yellowish-brown, rich umber- brown, or dull reddish-brown, intermingled, as a rule, with a few small underlying spots of dull bluish-grey, and there forming a well-defined zone. In some specimens there are no under- lying markings, and the spots are evenly dis- tributed around the larger end of the shell; others have there a yellowish-brown band, which is minutely dotted and spotted with richer shades of brown. In most specimens the smaller end is entirely devoid of markings, ov has only a few widely distributed spots. A set of two, taken on the igth September, 1897, in the Richmond River District, measures as follows: — Length (A) 0-65 x 0-51 inches; (B) 0-62 X o'5i inches. A set of two, taken at Bayswater, Mctoria, measures: — (A) 0-65 x 0-49 inches; (B) o-68 x 0-49 inches. Two eggs, taken at Ourimbah from different nests, measure: — (A) 07 x 0-53 inches; (B) 072 x o"49 inches. Young birds resemble the adults, but have the upper portion of the back, scapulars, and upper wing-coverts strongly washed with orange-rufous; forehead, a line above the eye extending on to the sides of the nape, pale orange-rufous; fore-neck dull ashy-brown; chin and remainder of the under surface dull brownish-white, washed with pale rufous, the feathers on the lower throat having blackish-brown centres; sides of the body and under tail-coverts fawn colour, ^^'ing 27 inches. In Southern Queensland and the northern coastal brushes of New South Wales, nests with eggs have been found early in September, and generally throughout October and November. About the mou,ntainous gullies a little distance to the north and south of Sydney, November and the three following months constitute the usual breeding season. On the Blue Mountains, nests have been found with eggs early in November, and as late as the end of January. It is evident that two or more broods are reared during the season, for at Ourimbah, on NEST OF RUFOUS FRONTED FANT.\IL. 130 MUSCICAPID.E. the 27th December, 1902, I observed a female building in the next tree to the one from which the nest and eggs figured were taken the previous year, the tail-like appendage and base of the structure alone being formed. A little lower down the creek, and a few yards away from the opposite bank, was a completed nest containing a single fresh egg. On another creek I found a nest built in a tree overhanging the water, and in it two nearly fledged young. This nest was about two feet from the surface of the water, and was devoid of the usual tail -like termina- tion beneath the structure. As I have previously pointed out, the Rufous-fronted Fantail is one of the foster-parents of the Square-tailed Cuckoo. I found a nest at Ourimbah, on the 24th November, 1899, in a low tree about twenty yards from a creek, on which the female was sitting, containing a young Square-tailed Cuckoo; beneath the nest, which was four feet from the ground, I found a perfect egg of Rhipidiira ru/ifyons, with the yolk dried hard up in it. Rhipidura intermedia. .ALLIED FANTAIL. Rhipidura inte.rtwilia, North, Vict. Nat, Vol. XIX., p. 101 (I'.iOl'). Adult male — Like the adull male o/' Rhipidura rufiprons, hut dislinyuished from that species by the less extent of orange-rufous on the basal Italf of the tail-feathers, t/ie terminal half being blaekish-hrotvn, arid distinctly tipped rvith n'hite: by the narroiver black band on the lower throat, the less scale-like appearance of tlie featliers on the fore-neck, and the centre of the breast arid abdomen being white, the latter ivashed on the sides with pale fawn-buff; sides of tlie breast ashy-brotvn; under tail coverts pale fairti colour : bill dark brown, yellowish horn colour at the base of the lower mandible: legs and feet brown. Total lengtli 5 'J inches, wing 29, tail 33, hill()'32; tarsus 0 7. Adult female — Similar in plumage to the male. Distribution. — North-eastern Queensland. /"■"(^HE present species is an inhabitant of the scrubs of the Bellenden Ker and Sea- view JL Ranges in North-eastern Queensland. I have never seen it from any other part of that State, but doubtless its range e.xtends throughout the entire belt of rich tropical vegetation found in the central portion of the coastal districts of North-eastern Queensland, lying between Cardwell and the Endeavour River. It cannot be strictly regarded as the northern represen- tative of R. rufifrons, for during the "Chevert" Expedition, in 1875, Mr. George Masters obtained typical examples of that species at Cape York. Dr. Sharpe's description of Rhipidura rufifrons, in the " Catalogue of Birds in the British Museum,"" evidently applies to this species, for he describes the tail feathers as being "distinctly tipped with white." The type of R. rufifrons, characterised by Dr. Latham, was obtained in New South Wales, and has the tips of the tail feathers pale brown, not white. In the latter respect R. intermedia agrees with R. torrida, described and figuredt by Dr. Alfred Russel Wallace, from the island of Ternate, but R. torrida differs from R. intermedia in having the ear-coverts and upper breast black. Many specimens of Rhipidura intermedia were obtained by Messrs. Cairn and Grant while collecting on behalf of the Trustees of the Australian Museum, in North-eastern Queensland, from the vicinity of Cairns, and upon the highest peaks of the Bellenden Ker Range. The eggs are indistinguishable from those of its ally A', rufifrons, being oval in form, of a pale cream ground colour, and slightly darker at the larger end, where they are dotted and spotted with dull umber-brown, intermingled with a few underlying spots of faint bluish-grey. A set of two measures: — Length (A) 0-69 x 0-52 inches; (B) o-68 x 0-49 inches. ♦ Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. iv., p. 319 (1879). t Proc. Zool. Soc, 1865, p. 477. RHIPIDURA. 131 Rhipidura dryas. WOOD FANTAIL. Rhipidura dryas, Gould, Bds. Austr., fol., Vol. I., Introd., p. xxxix. (1848); id., Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. 242 (180.5); Sharps, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. IV., p. 322 (1879). Adult M.KhE—RaseiiMes the adult nmlfi of R. kufifrons, but is principally distimjuislied from that spi'cies by hanny the tail feathers largely tipped ivith white and being rufous at the base only ; forehead, rump, and upper tail-coverts rufous: chin, upper throat, and sides of the neck white; lower throat black; remainder <;/ the under surface dull white tinged with Julvous; sides of the body and under tail-coverts pale fulvous; bill dark brown: legs and feet brown. Total length 6 inches, wing '27, tail o-J/., tarsus 0 75. Adult fe.male — SUmilar in plumage to the male. Z)wer, and departing again after breeding, about the end of March. On the highlands of the Milson's Point railway-line, in the neighbourhood of Sydney, I have more often noted its arrival during the month of October; and I saw a female at Middle Harbour, on the 2yth May, 1898, but this was unusually late for it to remain. It frequents the coastal scrubs and contiguous mountain ranges, and is never found far inland in the drier portions of the State. Except when accompanied by its young, this species is usually met with in pairs, resorting principally to the branches of the taller Eucalypti or Angophora in secluded gullies, or in forest lands with a slight undergrowth. Although of extremely active habits one's attention is more frecjuently directed to this species by its squeaking note, which can be heard some distance 144 MUSCICAPID.E. away. It is difficult to convey any idea of this guttural sound; but from its peculiar note it is known locally about Sydney as the " Frog-bird." When uttered, it is generelly accompanied with a tremulous motion of its tail. The first time I saw one of these birds, an adult male, it was bathing in a creek, and when disturbed by my approach, it flew into a low tree close by. The peculiar lateral movements of the tail I attributed to the bird drying its feathers, but I subsequently observed that this action was nearly always performed immediately after flight. Mr. Frank Hislop informs me that in the Bloomtield River District. North-eastern Queensland, it is a resident species throughout the year, and is as a rule seen more often on the tea-tree and bottle-brush flats than the higher land. The nest is a round open cup-shaped structure, formed chiefly of fine strips of bark, bound round and held together on the outside with spiders' webs, the inside being sparingly lined with fine wiry rootlets. Externally attached are small scales of bark, which are again covered with a fine network of spiders' webs. Some nests have a mottled appearance, caused by the grey outer surface of the bits of bark, or the red inner surface being alternately exposed; others are profusely decorated on the rim and the exterior portion with pieces of pale green lichen; but all are neat and beautiful structures, and are made to resemble their surroundings. The shape of the nest varies with its position: if built on the top of a thick horizontal bough, it is more often broader at the base than the top. .\n average nest measures externally two inclies and a quarter in diameter by two inches and a quarter in depth, the inner cup measuring one inch and three quarters in diameter by one inch and a half in depth. They are usually built well away from the trunk of the tree, on the top of a horizontal bough, and frequently at the junction of a forked dead branch, or in the angle formed by a bent or twisted liranch. The different species of the larger Eucalypti and Angophorce are usually resorted to as nesting sites, and as a rule the nests are built high up, at heights varying from thirty to eighty feet, but on one occasion I heard of it being found within ten feet of the ground. The eggs are usually three, sometimes only two in number for a sitting, and are ovals or rounded ovals in form, the shell being close-grained, smooth, and almost lustreless. They vary in ground colour from faint bluish-white to pure white, which is dotted or spotted around the centre or on the larger end of the shell with umber-brown or pale purplish-brown, intermingled with underlying spots of dull violet -grey, and there usually forming a more or less well defined zone. Some specimens have a band of small confluent brown blotches around the centre of the shell, and are entirely devoid of underlying markings, others are very sparingly spotted and dotted with pale brown, or purplish-brown, and in some eggs the dull violet-grey underlying spots are more numerous; as a rule, however, whether the markings are few or many, they are more thickly disposed around the centre or larger end of the shell. A set of three, taken on the the 14th October, 1900, measures as follows: — Length (A) 0-67 x 0-53 inches; (B) o-68 x 0-54 inches; (C) o-68xo-54 inches. Another set of three, taken on the nth December, 1901, measures: — (A) 073 x 0-57 inches; (B) 0-75 x 0-58 inches; (C) 076 x 0-58 inches. October and the three following months constitute the usual breeding season of this species in Eastern .\uslralia, although nests with eggs are found more often in the neighbour- hood of Sydney at the latter end of November, or in December. At Ashfield I saw fledgelings being fed by their parents at the end of January. The male assists in the duties of incubation, and, in the Upper Clarence River District, Mr. G. Savidge informs me that the male also does the principal part of the nest building. Myiagra concinna, Gould, I regard only as a slightly smaller northern, and north-western race, hardly separable from the present species. Gould's description of the male of M. plumhea and M. concinna in his folio edition of the "Birds of Australia," are alike, word for word; so are his plates, except that the dark leaden grey colour of M. concinna does not extend so far down on to the fore-neck as in the plate of .1/. plumhea. His descriptions of the MYIAGRA. 145 females are also nearly alike; in describing M. concinna he remarks: "abdomen and under tail-coverts white, which colour does not gradually blend with the rusty-red of the breast as in the female of Myiagra pliimbea." This, however, even if it constituted a sufficient character to distinguish a species, is not constant, for some adult females now before me from Derby, North-western Australia, and the Northern Territory of South Australia, are indistinguishable from examples obtained in New South Wales. By picking out the extremes of a large series from all parts of Australia, one could readily distinguish a smaller northern race, but not a distinct species. Dr. Sharpe remarks, in the "Catalogue of Birds in the British Museum,"* as follows: — " I consider M. concinna to be really a distinct species, but on totally different grounds from those given by Mr. Gould. Indeed, if we did not know that his specimens were from North- western Australia, his figures and descriptions would be referable to .1/. nihccida. The chief difference in the male birds is the presence of the black frontal line and black lores of M. concinna." In the"\'oyage of H.M.S. Alert," I Dr. Sharpe refers the specimens collected at Booby, West, Thursday, and Friday Islands to Myiagra concinna, and makes the following remarks: — "The differences between this species and M. ruhccula, are to my mind not satis- factorily established; but until better specimens reach the British Museum from North-western Australia, (the habitat of the typical M. concinna), it will be difficult to settle the question." In describing the adult male of M. rnhccula, in the "Catalogue of Birds in the British Museum," Dr. Sharpe writes: "feathers in front of the eye dull greyish." All the Australian specimens I have examined ha\-e a more or less defined narrow frontal line and the lores varying from a dull to deep black. These characters are more pronounced in an otherwise typical specimen of Myiagra ruhecnla, obtained by Mr. George Masters at Gayndah, on the Burnett River, Queensland, in September, 1870, which has these parts a deep velvety-black. The only difference I can find between extreme northern and north- western examples, and those obtained in New South Wales, is that as a rule the latter are slightly larger, the lores and frontal line are of a duller black, and the leaden-grey feathers of the male, extends slightly lower down on the fore-neck. Count Salvador! refers the birds obtained by Dr. Loria, near Port Darwin, to M. plunthca.\ Specimens in the Macleay Museum, collected in the same locality, have the upper parts less glossy than typical examples of Myiagra rnhecula obtained in the southern portions of the continent. The eggs of this northern race vary in ground colour from faint bluish-white to warm white, and are zoned around the centre or on the larger end with dots and spots of light purplish-brown, intermingled with underlying spots of dull violet-grey, and being but sparingly marked over the remainder of the shell. In some specimens the markings are confluent and form a more or less well defined band on the larger end. They are indistinguishable, except for their slightly smaller size, from those of Myiagra rubccula. A set of two measures: — Length (A) 07 X 0-58 inches; (B) o-6g x 0-57 inches. * Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. iv., p. 374 (1879). t Rep Zool. Coll. H.M.S. Alert, p. 14 (1S84). \ Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen., Vol. xxix., p. 497 (1890). Hh ■[46 MUSCICAPID*. Myiagra nitida. SHINING FLYCATCHER. Myiagra nUida, Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc, 1837, p. 142; id., Bds. Austr., fol, Vol. II., pi. 91 (1848); id., Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. 2-5.5 (186.5); Sharpe, Oat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. IV., p. 375 (1879). Adult male — General colour above ff lossy greenish-black; upper wing-coverts like the back; primaries, secondaries, and tail feathers black margined externally with glossy greenish-black; lores, and a broad frontal line deep velvety Mack ; sides of the neck, throat, fore-neck, and upper portion of the breast glossy greenish-black ; remainder of the under surface and under tail-coverts tvhite ; bill leaden-black; legs and feet black; iris black. Total length in the flesh 6-5 inches, wing JS, tail 3J, bill O'JfO, tarsus 0-62. Adult female — General colour above dull slaty-grey, the feathers of the head darker and tipped with glossy greenish-black; lesser and median upper wing-coverts like the back ; quills and greater wing-coverts brown ; the secondaries narrowly edged externally with ashy-brown ; tail brown, the four central feathers having a blackish n-ash ; lores blackishbroivn ; chin, sides of the neck, throat, and fore-neck orange-rufous; remainder of the under surface and under tail-coverts white. Total length dS inches, wing 34, tail 31, bill 04.5, tarsus 0-62. Distribution. — Queensland, New South Wales, \"ictoria, Tasmania. /~|5>,HE present species is sparingly distributed over most parts of the eastern and south- J- eastern portions of the Australian continent. In New South Wales it is more frequently met with in the Blue Mountains and in the open forest country further inland, from October until the end of February. Mr. R. Grant informs me that it is the commonest bird in the bush at Lithgow during the month of November, keeping about half-way up the hill-sides, and breeding in forest-oaks and gums. During the spring and summer months it is also fairly numerous in Tasmania, where it remains to breed. I have never seen it near the coast in New South Wales, but there is an adult male in the collection procured at North Shore, Sydney, in October, 1867. In habits it closely resembles its ally, M. ruhccida, being constantly on the move, and frequently swaying its tail from side to side in a tremulous manner. Its food consists entirely of insects, procured chiefly while on the wing. The note is clearer than that of the former species, and \yhile uttering it the male frequently erects its lengthened crest feathers. From Dr. Lonsdale Holden's MS. notes, made principally in North-western Tasmania, I have extracted the following information: — "On the 12th November, 1886, I saw a pair of Myiagra nitida in thick scrub in the neighbourhood of Circular Head. The female was building her nest, and I closely watched her for some time. It w-as on the upper side of a small dead limb in a white gum tree, thirty feet from the ground, and looked like a knot on the branch. The bird utters a note like 'tweet, tweet, tweet,' and the oscillating movement of its tail is frequently seen. I did not get a close view of the male bird. On the 23rd November, I took the nest after four hours' labour and elaborate mechanical preparations. The first seven or eight feet of the branch being sound, I was able with the help of a rope made fast to a branch above, to go out on it far enough to reach the nest with my scoop. It was a round open structure, built across a nearly horizontal branch, and mainly composed of strips of bark, matted together and neatly secured with cobwebs, the lining consisting of a few root-fibres and a little hair; e.xternally it was covered with cobwebs and a few bits of lichen. Outwardly it measures three inches in external diameter, and internally two inches and an eighth in diameter by one inch and three-eighths in depth. It contained three eggs, which I dipped out of the nest with a muslin bag on wire at the end of an eleven feet wand. The nest was so high MACHiERORIIYNCHUS. 147 from the ground, and projected so far from the other branches, that I could hardly have obtained the eggs in any other manner. On the 25th December, I found another nest in Stony Forest, forty feet from the ground, on the horizontal fork of a small partly dead brancii. The female sat at intervals, and both seemed to fly occasionally to the nest and feed young ones. On the 25th October, 1887, three of these beautiful birds visited my garden at Circular Head, two males and a female. They were busily engaged catching insects within a few feet of me." Dr. Holden has also frequently noted these birds for many successive years in different parts of North-western and Southern Tasmania from the middle of October until the second week in March. In New South Wales, Mr. E. H. Lane found this species breeding at Wambangalang, in November, 189S. The nest was built at the junction of a forked horizontal branch of a stunted gum, about ten feet from the ground. The male was sitting when he first observed it, but fluttered along the ground on his approaching the nest. On returning to the nest some time after, he saw both the nrale and the female. It contained two eggs, which he reached from his horse while standing in the stirrups. The eggs are usually three in number for a sitting, oval in form, the shell being close- grained, smooth, and lustrous. They vary in ground colour from dull white to a very faint bluish or greenish-white, and are dotted, spotted, or irregularly marked with brown or pale purplish-brown, and underlying spots of dull purplish-grey, the markings being confined, with the exception of a few straggling spots and dots, to the larger end of the shell, where a more or less well defined zone is formed. In some specimens the pale purplish-brown niarkinf,'s are minutely centred with small purplish-black dots. A set of three, taken on the 23rd November, 1886, by Dr. L. Holden, measures:— Length (A) 079 x o-6 inches; (B) 077 x 0-59 inches; (C) Q.jy'^o-sS inches. A set of two, taken by Mr. E. D. Atkinson, in November, 1888, at Table Cape, North-western coast of Tasmania, measure:— (A) 078 x 0-58 inches; (B) 077 x 0.38 inches. In New South Wales and Tasmania, November and two following months constitute the usual breeding season of this species. C3-en-as 3^v^..^OI3:-iE:ROI3I3:-2-3SrCI3:TJS, Gould. Macheerorhynchus flaviventer. BOAT-BILLED FLYCATCHER. Machcerirhyuchus flaviventer, Gould, Proo. Zool. Soc, 1850, p. 277; id., Bds. Austr., fol,, Suppl., pi. 11 (1869). Machmrorhynchus flaviventer, Sharpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. IV., p. 390 (1879). Adult m.\le— ffenera/ colour above black; bases 0/ the feathers on the back of a dull olive-green; upper rving-coverts black, the median and greater series broadly tipped with white; primaries and secondaries black, the outer rvebs and tips of the innermost series margined with white; upper tail- coverts black; tail black, the six central feathers narrowly tipped with white, the remainder largely tipped with white, the outer web of the outermost feather white; feathers in front and below the eye, and the ear-coverts black; a line of feathers extending from the nostril above the eye and on to the sides of the occiput bright yellow; chin and throat white; sides of the neck, all the under surface, and under tail-coverts bright yellow; bill and legs black; iris black. Total length 4-7o inches, wing 2-3.5, tail 2, bill OS, tarsus 0-6. Adult vkmklv.— General colour above olive-green; upper wing-coverts brown the median and greater coverts tipped with white; primaries and secondaries broivn, margined externally with olive- green on the basal portion, and white towards the tips; tail Jeathers blackish-brown, externally 148 MUSCICAPID^. margined on their basal half with olive-green, and similarly tipped tvith while as in the male; /ore- head, and a line of feathers extending from the nostril, above the eye, and on to the ear-coverls olive- yelloir ; feathers in front and below the eye and the ear-coverts blackish-brown ; chin, sides of the neck, throat, and fore-neck lohite : remainder of the umler surface pah olive-green, icith blackish margins to some of the feathers: centre of the breast whitish, ivith a slight olive-green tinge: under tail-coverts bright olive-yellow. Total length 3 inches, wing 2-3, tail ,', bill O'o, tarsus O'G. Distribution. — North-eastern Queensland. AT^HIS species may be readily distinguished from all the Flycatchers found in Australia JL by its broad and nearly flat boat-shaped bill. It is an inhabitant of the coastal scrubs and table-lands of the contiguous mountain ranges of North-eastern Queensland. Mr. J. A. Thorpe obtained several specimens at Somerset, in 1867-8. During the stay of the "Chevert," Mr. George Masters also procured examples in the same locality. ]\Ir. Frank Hislop informs me that it is not common in the Bloomfield River District, although the birds may be seen botii in the scrub and open forest-land, and generally in the breeding season. Messrs. Cairn and Grant, while collecting on behalf of the Trustees of the .Australian Museum, in i888-g, met with it in the scrub near Cairns, and obtained specimens on the tablelands near Peterson's Pocket, on the Upper Barron River; and the late Mr. Edward Spalding obtained both adults and young in the scrub near Cardwell. Mr. (irant writes: — "The Boat-billed Flycatcher was met with in the coastal scrubs near Cairns; but the first specimen we obtained was shot on the table-lands on the Upper Barron River, and others were procured in the scrubs around Boar Pocket. They seem to prefer shady parts of the scrub, but occasionally fly out in the clearings after some passing insect, returning to the same place again after capturing it. They are extremely active and lively in their actions, and generally frequent the scrub or low branches of trees, those we obtained we never saw higher than between twenty and thirty feet from the ground. Their note resembles somewhat that of the Glossy Flycatcher, but is fainter and more plaintive. The stomachs of the specimens we examined contained nothing but insects." Mr. Bertie L. Jardine has sent me the following notes: — "Macharorhyiuhus flavivcnter is a resident species in the northern portion of the Cape York Peninsula, where it is almost invariably found in our dense scrubs and thickets. During July, August, and September — its nesting season — the birds become very lively and are constantly on the move, flying from branch to branch, uttering their rather agreeable twittering song. The adult male, like many other birds of bright and attractive plumage, is of a shy disposition, so that it is difficult to get a good look at them owing to the density of the foliage which they are fond of frequenting; but the young males and females are comparatively tame, and specimens of them may easily be obtained." A nest of this species in the National Museum, Melbourne, found at Cape York, is a very shallow saucer-shaped structure, built in the angle of a thin horizontal forked branch. Out- wardly it is constructed of dried flowering plant stalks, matted together with cobwebs, the inner portion consisting entirely of fine dried spiral plant-tendrils. Externally it measures three inches in diameter, by one inch and three-quarters in depth; and internally two inches in diameter by half an inch in depth. Eggs two in number for a sitting, varying from oval to swollen oval in form, the shell being close-grained and its surface smooth and slightly lustrous. They are pure white, and are distinctly dotted and spotted with different shades of purple and red, more particularly on the larger end of the shell, where, in some specimens, the markings assume the form of an ill-defined zone. Length: — (A) o-66 x 0-52 inches; (B) o-68 x 0-51 inches. The eggs of the Boat-billed Flycatcher resemble those of Ephihianiira albifrons, more than any other species. For an opportunity of examining them, I am indebted to Dr. MICRCECA. 14& Charles Ryan and the late Dr. Charles Snowball, of Melbourne, who kindly permitted me to describe the specimens from their collections. The two figures given in Gould's "Supplement to the Birds of Australia," are those of adult males. Fledgelings resemble the adult female, but are browner on the upper parts; the superciliary stripe is duller in colour and almost meets on the occiput; chin and throat white, tinged with yellow; remainder of the under surface pale yellow, becoming slightly brighter on the under tail-coverts. Wing 2-i inches. The above described eggs were taken at Cape York in December. Young birds in the collection were procured by Messrs. E. J. Cairn and R. Grant, at Cairns, in November; and fledgelings by the late Mr. E. Spalding, near Cardwell, in October. Micrceca fascinans. BROWN FLYCATCHER. Loxia fascinans, Lath., Ind. Orn,, Suppl., p. xlvi., (1801). Micrceca macroptera, Gould, Bds. Austr., fob. Vol. 11., pi. 93 (1848). Micneca Jasci7ians, Gould, Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. 2.58(186.5); Sharpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. IV., p. 123 (1879). Adult male — General colour above ashy-hroiun ; upper wing coverts like the back, the greater coverts with ivhitish margins; quilJs dnrk brown, the outer primaries edged externally for three- fourths of their length with brownish-white, the remainder and the secondaries narrowly margined and tipped ivith ivhite on their outer webs: four central tail feathers blackish-brown, the two outer- most on either side white, the remainder blackish-brown, tipped with white; lores and an indistinct eyebroiv dull white; chin and throat white; chest pale ashy-brown: remainder of the under surface white; sides of the breast ashy-brown: under tail-coverts white; bill dark brown: legs and feet blackish- brown; iris broivn. Total length in the flesh 5-'2 inches, wing SS, tail 2-3, bill 0-4, tarsus 0-7. Adlflt female — Similar in plumage to the male. Distribution.— 0\viens\a.\-\d, New South Wales, \'ictoria, South Australia. /TR\HE Brown Flycatcher is freely dispersed over most parts of Eastern and South-eastern J- Australia. It is usually seen in pairs, sometimes high up on the thin dead branches of a lofty giant of the forest, but just as often in lower trees, or on the tops of tree-stumps or fences, frequenting also gardens and orchards close to houses, for it evinces a decided preference for the haunts of man. In New South Wales it is a common and well-known resident, and without e.xception is the most familiar bird in Sydney and the suburbs, where it may be seen in equal numbers at all seasons of the year. It is a restless little creature, seldom remaining still for any length of time, and even when perched its tail is repeatedly swayed from side to side. During flight the tail is expanded, and the white lateral feathers conspicuously displayed. A favourite resting place of this bird is near the extremity of a thin dead branch ; it also clings to the roughened bark of trees, turning its head round and watching an intruder in a similar manner to Eopsaltria australis. Throughout the year the Brown Flycatcher, or " Jacky Winter" as it is locally called in the neighbourhood of Sydney, is the first bird to welcome in with cheerful notes the dawn of day. In early spring it pours forth its sweet and melodious song about 5 a.m. ; in the summer months an hour earlier. During these seasons of the year, in addition to its usual notes, it frequently utters clearly and distinctly "pretty, pretty, pretty; you did, you did, you did." ii ]50 MCSCICAPID^. The stillness of early morning is first broken by the rich clear notes of one of these sombre- hued choristers, when it is gradually responded to and taken up by all the Brown Flycatchers in the bush. This opening chorus to the birth of day is kept up for about a quarter of an hour or twenty minutes, then it suddenly ceases, except perhaps for the notes of a far off solitary bird, which sound like an echo in the distance. On bright and clear days in midwinter, this bird also soars about high in the air, until it is almost out of sight, singing sweetly all the time. That the birds of Australia are without song is as erroneous as is the general belief of those who have never been in the .Australian bush that its flowers are without perfume. Its food consists principally of flies, small moths, and butterflies, captured while on the wing, or picked off some tree-trunk while hovering close to it. Small beetles, spiders, and ants, too, are eaten, also the larva; of insects, and 1 have often seen it pick up bread-crumbs. In orchards and vineyards it is a most useful bird, being an indefatigable destroyer of insects, and ridding the trees and vines of many pests which infest them. .Mthough so dull coloured in plumage, its lively actions, sweet song, and useful habits, will amply ^^jti"- ■ repay one for the protec- Y|L • 'ion afforded to this ever \ '^k-,' - -^ trustful little bird, when it seeks the haunts of man. The nest is a small saucer-shaped structure, and would be very diffi- cult to discover, if the actions of the female did not usually betray its whereabouts, for if dis- turbed she soon returns to the nest, even while one is underneath the tree. It is formed of fine dried grasses, inter- mingled sometimes with a little horse-hair, and is neatly fitted into the angle of a forked horizontal branch, the rim being raised slightly above the branch, and often ornamented with pieces of bark or bits of lichen, fastened on with cobwebs. Externally it measures two inches, by three-quarters of an inch in depth. Bare dead horizontal branches of the different species of Eucalyptus, Acacia, and Melaleuca, are chiefly selected as nesting-sites, but sometimes low saplings or branches of fallen trees are utilized. In the parks and gardens of Sydney the nest is usually built near the extremity of an outspreading bough of a Moreton Bay Fig. Many thousands of people must have passed under a nest built in a forked horizontal branch of one of the latter trees overhanging a path near the College Street entrance to Hyde Park; yet the birds succeeded in rearing a pair of young ones that more than filled the nest the day prior to leaving it, 24th September, 1901. The site selected generally varies from ten to seventy feet from the ground; but when resorting to fallen trees, nests may be occasionally found very near the ground, or within hand's reach. A nest in the Group collection of the Australian Museum, built in an unusual situation, is in a nearly upright fork of a gum sapling. This nest, which is partially lined with white fowl's feathers, I found at Chatswood on the 22nd .\ugust, 1897. It contained two heavily incubated •eggs. The nest figured was built in a tea-tree, at Canterbury. NEST A.M) KGCS OF BROWN FLYC.\TC1IEK. MICRCECA. 151 The eggs are usually two, rarely three in number for a sitting, and vary considerably in shape, size, and disposition of their markings. Ovals are most common, but elongate-ovals and ellipses in form are not infrequently found, the shell being close-grained and its surface dull and lustreless. They are of a pale greenish-blue ground colour, which is freckled, spotted, and blotched with purplish-brown, intermingled with similar underlying markings of greyish- lilac. All the markings are irregularly shaped, in some specimens they are evenly distributed over the shell, in others they predominate on the larger end and there form a cap, or a more or less well-defined zone. An unusually marked set of two I have before me is longitudinally streaked, particularly on the larger end, with very pale purplish and umber-brown, intermingled with similar underlying streaks and a few freckles of dull greyish-lilac; the markings on this set resemble in character those on the eggs of the different species of Rifle-birds. When fresh, the eggs of the Brown Flycatcher become more beautiful and richer in ground colour directly they are blown, but they soon commence to fade when perfectly dry, and in a few weeks the ground colour is as pale as when first found, with the neutralising tint of the yolk showing through the semi-transparent shell. A normal sized set of three, taken at Canterbury, near Sydney, measures as follows : — Length (A) o-8 x 0-58 inches; (B) 078 X 0-57 inches; (C) 079 X 0-56 inches. An elongate set of two, taken in the same dis- trict, measures: — (A) 0-85 x 0-53 inches; (B) 0-84 x 0-54 inches. A set of two, taken at Chats- wood, measures : — (A) 076 x 0-57 inches; (B) 075 x 0-58 inches. Dr. W. Macgillivray writes me: — "I have taken nests of Micraca fascinans, with eggs early in January. On ons occasion, when climbing to one of their BROWN FLVCATCHERS (NESTLINGS.) ^^^^jg^ ^^.:^^^ j ^^.^^ q^^tg ^ear it the bird flew on to the nest and turned the egg out with her bill. It fell over twenty feet on to a mass of maiden-hair fern, without breaking, and is now a perfect specimen in my collection." Nestlings are blackish-brown above, each feather having a sagittate marking of brownish- white at the tip; lesser and median upper wing-coverts like the back; the greater series brown tipped with pale brown ; primaries and secondaries dark brown, externally margined and tipped with pale brown; a spot in front of the eye blackish; all the under surface white, the feathers of the fore-neck and breast having a spot of blackish-brown towards the tip; under tail- coverts white; bill greyish-black; gape yellow; legs and feet fleshy-grey; iris blackish-brown. Wing 1-8 inches. The nestlings figured were taken at Chatswood on the 31st October, 1901, from a nest in a Rough-barked Apple-tree. On the following day they were photographed at the Australian Museum, and 1 returned them to their anxious parents the same afternoon. Young birds are similar, but have the sagittate markings on the upper parts smaller, lores blackish, and the feathers on the fore-neck and sides of the breast more distinctly spotted with blackish-brown. Wing 3-2 inches. 152 MCSCICAPID.E. August and the four following months constitute the usual breeding season, but I have known of several nests being found with eggs in July, and I have seen young birds that had not long left the nest being fed by their parents as late as the 6th of February. Two broods are reared during the season, but a fresh nest is built for each brood. Only on one occasion have I known this species to deposit its eggs in the same nest in the following season. At Belmore, near Sydney, a nest of this species was found containing two eggs, also the egg of the Bronze Cuckoo (Lmnpvococcyx plagosus). Mr. G. A. Keartland informs me that the e"g of the Square-tailed Cuckoo (Cacomantis variolosusj has been taken from a nest of this species in Mctoria. In the trees surrounding my house at Roseville, I observed during the first week in February, 1903, a pair of Brown Flycatchers assiduously attending to the wants of a young Pallid Cuckoo. The wearisome cries of the latter as it followed its diminutive foster parents for food, continued with but short intervals from early morning until long after sunset. In the same paddock, a pair of Black and White Fantails was simultaneously engaged in satisfying the cravings of another young Pallid Cuckoo. Micrceca pallida. PALLID FLYCATCHER. Micrceca pallida, De Vis, Proc. Roy. Soc. Queensld., Vol. I., p. 159 (1884); North, Rec. Austr. Mus., Vol. III., p. 107 (1899). Micrceca assimilis, (nee Gould), Ramsay, Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W., 2nd ser., Vol. I., p. 1089 (1886). Micrceca fascinans, (nee Lath.), Keartl., Proc. Roy. Soc. South Austr., Vol. XXII., p. 17+ (1898). Adult m.\le General colour above pale ashy-brown ; upper tail-coverts blackish-brown ; lesser and median coverts like the back : the greater series brown, with indistinct whitish margins : quills dark brown, the primaries narrowly edged externally for three-fourths of their length and tipped with white; the secondaries margined and tipped with white; two outermost tail feathers on either side white; the next white, blackish-brown at the base; the remainder blackish-brown, tipped with white, the tips decreasing in size towards the central pair, tvhich are entirely blackish-brotcn ; lores and an indistinct eyebrow dull white; all the under surface white, tinged with pale ashy-hrotvn on ' the chest and sides of the body: under tail coverts white; bill dark brown; base of the lower mandible pale brown; leys and feet blackish-broivn. Total length Jf-3 inches, wing S, tail 2, bill O'S, tarsus O'O. Adult female — Similar in plumage to the mate. Distribution.— Northern Queensland, North-western Australia. /"l^HE Pallid Flycatcher is the representative in the northern portions of the continent of i the preceding species Micrceca fascinans, from which it may be easily recognised by its much smaller size and paler colour. It was discovered by Mr. Kendal Broadbent in July, 1883, during a visit to Kimberley, at the mouth of the Norman River, where it enters the Gulf of Carpentaria. Specimens were also obtained by Mr. E. J. Cairn, while collecting on behalf of the Trustees of the Australian Museum, at Derby, North-western Australia, in 1886, Mr. De Vis has, with his usual promptitude, kindly favoured me with the loan of typical specimens for examination. They are similar to the examples from Derby. As in M. fascinans, there is a variation in the extent of white on the wings and tail; in one specimen the three outermost tail feathers on either side are pure white; an example from Derby has also a dull whitish frontal streak. The wing measurement varies from 2-95 to 3-2 inches. MICRCECA 153 Dr. W. Macgillivray kindly forwarded me llie following description of the nest of this species, together with the eggs, and a skin of the bird for identification: — "Two nests of this species of Micraca were taken by my brother, Mr. A. S. Macgillixray, on Leilavale Station, Fullerton Kiver, North (Queensland, between the 20th and 26th December, 1897. They were built rather low down, on horizontal branches in a patch of Gidgee (Acacia homalophylla) scrub. A nest my brother sent was slightly smaller, but more substantially built than that of Micnvca fasciiians, and of much the same material, the outside being ornamented with bits of bark and lichen attached by means of cobweb." The eggs, two in number, are oval in form, the shell being close-grained, smooth, and lustreless. One specimen is of a pale bluish -grey ground colour, which is freckled and spotted with faint purple and purplish-brown, predominating and becoming darker as usual on the thicker end of the shell; the other is of a warm stone-white ground colour, and in many places the markings, which are of a light reddish-purple are confluent, and intermingled with faint underlying spots of greyish-lilac. Length (A) 0-69 x 0-53 inches; (B) 0-67 x 0-56 inches. Although I have never seen any specimens from the Northern Territory of South Australia, the range of this species, like many others common to the Gulf District of Northern Queens- land, and the Derby District of North-western Australia, doubtless extends right across the northern portion of the continent. Microeca flaviventris. YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER. MicrcBca flai-igaster, Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc, 1842, p. 1.32; id., Bds. Austr., fol., Vol. 11., pi. 94 (1848); id., Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. 261 (186-5); Sharpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. TV., p. 126 (1879). Micrceca flaviventris, Salvad., Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen., Vol. XIT, p. .324 (nom. emend.); id., Orn. Pap. et Molucc, Ft. II., p. 93 (1881). Adult male — General colour above olive-brown, sHgldly darker bromn on the head and a clearer olive on the rutnp and upper tail-coverts : lesser and median upper iring-coverts like the back: the greater coverts brotvn, margined ivith olive-brown ; quills broivn, externally edged tvith olive brown; tail J'ealhers broken, margined externally with olive-brown, the inner webs of the lateral feathers indistinctly tipped tvith ivhite; chin aud throat dull white; remainder of the tmder sicrface yelloiv ; the sides of the breast olive-broivn : unde.r tail-coverts yelloiv: bill hroivn, the base of the loiver mandible yellowish-brown ; legs and feet grey ; iris dark brown. Total lengtli. J^S inches, wing S, tail 2-2, bill 0-37, tarsus 0-35. Adult female — Similar in plumage to the male. Distribution. — Northern Territory of South Australia. Northern and North-eastern Queens- land, New Guinea. /■ l(^HE Yellow-bellied Flycatcher inhabits the northern and north-eastern portions of the -L continent. The late IMr. E. Spalding obtained specimens in the mangroves near Port Darwin, and numerous e.xamples have been procured by various collectors on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, from Cape York south to the Herbert River. The wing measurement of adult birds, obtained in the neighbourhood of Cardwell, varies from 2-95 to 3-3 inches. Mr. Frank Hislop writes me: — "In the Bloomfield River District, North-eastern Queens- land, the Yellow-bellied Flycatcher is only seen in the open forest land. It builds chiefly in a horizontal fork of a thin dead branch, but not infrequently the nest is placed on the end of a broken off upright limb which is about the same size as the structure itself. It is the smallest 154 MUSCICAPID.^. nest I have seen, measuring barely one inch and a half across, and is outwardly constructed of small pieces of Bloodwood bark, held together with spider's web, the inside being neatly lined with tea-tree bark. Only one egg is laid for a sitting. When we were living at ' Wyalla,' a pair used to nest regularly in a Moreton Bay Ash, close to our house. This species usually commences to breed in November." A nest of this species now before me, taken near Cooktown, on the 2nd January, igoo, is built in the angle of a partially upright thin forked branch. It is a small shallow cup-shaped structure, formed chiefly of fine strips and scales of bark, intermingled with a few short bits of dried grass, and held together with spiders' webs; the rim, which is thick and rounded, and the outer portion of the nest being covered with the latter material. Inside, it has no special lining at the bottom, and to the exposed portions of the sides are attached several large pieces of the white paper-like bark of a Melaleuca. Externally it measures one inch and three-quarters in diameter, and its greatest depth one inch, the inner cup measuring one inch and an eighth in diameter by half an inch in depth. The single egg it contained, which occupied nearly all the available space inside the nest is oval in form, the shell being close-grained and its surface dull and lustreless, the ground colour being of a very faint blue over which is evenly distributed minute dots of pale purplish-red. Length: — 072 x 0-53 inches. O-enTJLS IS^OI>T.,^ISOi3:-A., Vigors & Horsfield. Monarcha melanopsis. BLACK-PACED FLYCATCHER. Muscicapa melanopsis, Vieill,, Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat., torn. XXI., p 450 (1818). Monarcha carinata, Gould, Bds. Austr., fol.. Vol. II., pi. 9-") (1848); id., Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. 262 (186.")). Monarcha melanopsis, Sharpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mas., Vol. IV., p. 430 (1879); Salvad., Orn. Pap. et Molucc, Pt. IL, p. 17 (1881). Adult male — General colour above grey ; upper wing-coverts like the back; quills dark broivn, externally margined with grey on their outer webs; tail feathers dark broivn ivashed with grey : a ring of feathers round the eye, hand on the forehead, and lores black: feathers in front of the eye ashy-white; chin and throat black; sides of lite neck and the chest grey ; remainder of the under surface and under tail-coverts orange-buff : bill bluish-grey, paler at the tip : legs and feet bluish-lead colour : iris black. Total length in thejlesh 7 inches, wing S'Sii, tail '2'9, hill 0 6, tarsus 0-75. Adult female — Similar to the male in plumage. Distribution. — Eastern Queensland, Eastern New South Wales, Eastern \'ictoria, New Guinea. /"I^HE range of the Black-faced Flycatcher extends throughout the greater portion of the -L coastal districts of Eastern .\ustralia, and South-eastern New Guinea. Temminck states it has also been obtained in Timor. In North-eastern Queensland it is sparingly distributed throughout the coastal scrubs and contiguous mountain ranges, but few specimens being obtained near Cairns by Messrs. Cairn and Grant during their collecting expedition on behalf of the Trustees of the Australian Museum. Examples from this district have slightly narrower bills and the sides of the head are paler, and they are almost intermediate in colour between Monarcha melmwpsis and the northern race M. canescens, inhabiting the Cape York Peninsula. Further south, in Queensland, it is more freely distributed in favourable situations, and it is common in the coastal scrubs and mountain ranges of Eastern New MONARCIIA. 155 South Wales, being found as far inland as the western slopes of the Blue Mountains; it is tolerably numerous in favourable situations throughout the Illawarra District, its range also extending, but in diminished numbers, into the eastern parts of Victoria where a similar flora exists. Individual variation exists in the width of the bill and the extent of the black marking on the face and throat of Monarchia melanopsis, the latter being smaller in young birds, and gradually increasing in size until fully adult. In a very old male, obtained by Mr. R. Grant in the Bellinger River District, the feathers above the eye and the crown of the head are black; the lower portion of the black marking on the throat extends on to the sides of the neck, and the grey feathers on the centre of the chest are mottled with black, which colour also extends on to some of the orange-buff feathers on tlie upper portion of the breast. The upper figure of this species in Gould's folio edition of the "l-iirds of Australia," is that of an immature bird. When fully adult, both sexes have the black face and throat, and are indistinguishable from one another except by dissection. During the breeding season, it is usually met with singly or in pairs, in damp gullies or on the brush-covered margins of creeks and rivers, particu- larly where there is a luxuriant vegetation and tree ferns and palms abound. At Ourimbah, I ha\e frequently observed it bathing in a creek. Near Sydney it may be occasionally observed in A \ ^^^V ^^F -Jltm ^^^^^1 open forest lightly 1 M^^P ^^^ ^^^^Ir .^^^^^H timbered lands from the ^"^^^ ■^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^* beginning of February un- til the end of September. It is not common, how- ever, and retires from the vicinity of the metropolis to breed in the more secluded mountain gullies of the county. The spring notes of this species are remarkablv rich and clear, and somewhat resemble "why-yew witch-yew," each note being uttered slowly and distinctly and repeated several times. I have never heard it call during winter. Its food consists entirely of insects of various kinds, which it picks off in an unobtrusive manner from the stems and branches of trees. .\t Roseville I saw one of these birds capture a very large moth, which it swallowed entire. The nests of this species vary in shape according to the position in which they are built. When placed at the junction of a thin forked horizontal branch they are cup-shaped in form, but when built in upright forked branches they are of an inverted cone or pear-shape with a cup-like cavity at the top, the bottom tapering more or less to a point according to the thickness of the fork in which it is placed. The latter type is far more common, and resembles in shape NEST .\ND EGGS OF BLA.CK-F.\CED FLVCATCHER. 156 MUSCICAPID.B. the well-known nest of Falcuncidns frontatus. The nest is usually formed throughout oi Casuarina leaves, and is thickly coated externally with bright green moss, the inside being sometimes lined with fine black hair-like rootlets. An average cup-shaped nest measures externally four inches in diameter by three inches and a half m height, the inner cup measuring two inches and a half in diameter by one inch and a half in depth. A beautiful nest of this species, found at Ourimbah on the 24th November, 1899, measures externally three inches and a half in diameter by four inches and a half in height, the inner cup measuring two inches and a half in diameter by one inch and a half in depth. It was built in and around an upright fork, near the leafy top of a low tree, about fifteen feet from the ground, and the female was sitting on two fresh eggs. Some nests are built on horizontal branches, where several thin leafy twigs grow out at either side. This species is not particular in the kind of tree selected as a nesting-site, but usually the nest is more or less sheltered or partially concealed with leaves. I have seen them built at heights varying from three to thirty-five feet from the ground. Of seven nests I found at Ourimbah during November, 1901, six were built in and around upright forks, and only one on a horizontal branch. One very pretty nest was built on a leaning branch of a Coachwood, growing through the frond of a l^angalow pahri on the edge of a creek. From this nest Mr. D. Swift successfully scooped two incubated eggs. I'resh eggs were also taken the same day from two more nests — one in a Sassafras, the other in a Maiden's Blush tree. Large leaved trees are, as a rule, favoured by this species for nesting in. While sitting, the black throat of the female shows very conspicuously over the side of the nest. When so engaged, the male is generally perched in a tree close by, enli\ening his consort with his rich and clear notes. The nest and set of three eggs figured, were taken by Mr. K. |. Ivtheridge on the 14th November, 1897, in a deep mountain gully at Colo Vale. Externally the nest measures three inches and a half in diameter by three inches in height; internally two inches and a quarter in diameter by one inch and a half in depth. The eggs are usually two, rarely three in number for a sitting, and oval or elongate oval in form, some specimens being compressed towards the smaller end, others somewliat sharply pointed at each end; the shell is close-grained, smooth, and lustreless. They vary in ground colour from pure white to a faint reddish-white, which is minutely dotted and spotted with bright red, with which are sometimes intermingled a few underlying spots of dull reddish or purplish-grey. Some specimens are uniformly marked all over, almost obscuring the ground colour; others are more or less distinctly zoned on the larger end, and but sparingly marked on the remainder of the shell. Of a set of two, taken by me at Ourimbah on the 25th November, 1899, one egg is pure white with a broad band of confluent rich red dots and spots on the larger end; the other is of a faint reddish-white, minutely dusted and finely freckled all over with purplish-red, the markings being more thickly disposed on one side, and where on the larger end is a broad confluent patch of rich purplish-red. Length: — (.\) 0-97 x 0-67 inches; (B) 0'93 X o'67 inches. A set of three in Mr. R. J. Etheridge's collection, taken at Colo Vale, measures: — Length (A) 0'86 x 0-69 inches; (B) 0-9 x 0'69 inches; (C) 0*9 x 0-67 inches. This species is a late breeder, nests with fresh eggs being usually found in November and December, and as late as the middle of January. Immature birds resemble the adults, but are destitute of the narrow ring of black feathers round the eye, and the face and throat are grey like the head and neck. MONAKCIIA. 157 Monarcha gouldi. BLACK-FRONTED FLYCATCHER. Monarcha trivirgata, (nee Temm.), Gould, Bds. Austr., fol., Vol. II., pi. 9G (1848); id., Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. 263 (186.-)). Monarcha gonldi, Gray, Proc. Zool. Sac, 1860, p. •■)52. Piezorhynchus goiddi, Sharpe, Oat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. IV., p. 419 (1879) (part). Adult m.\le — General colour above dark grey: 'upper wing-coverts like the back; primaries and secondaries brown, margined with dull grey on their outer webs; tail black, the three outermost feathers tipped with while; forehead, lores, a narrow line of feathers above and below the eye, and the ear-coverts black ; chin and centre of the throat black ; sides of the throat, fore-neck, chest, and sides of the body orange-rufous; centre of the breast, abdomen, and under tail-coverts white; hill bluish-grey, paler at the tip; legs and feet bluish-lead colour; iris black. Total length IJ inches, wing 3-1, tail ,^-S, bill 0-4J, tarsus 0-7. Adult female — Similar in plumage to the male. Distribution. — Eastern Queensland, Eastern New South Wales. /T^HE ran^e of this species -L extends throughout the greater portion of Eastern Queens- land and North-eastern New South Wales. It is closely allied to Mon- archa trivirgata of Timor, under which name Gould figures and describes it in his "Birds of Aus- tralia." Gray, however, in the "Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London," pointed out that theTimorbird has a larger bill, that the three outer tail-feathers are more largely tipped with white, and also that the fourth has a spot of white at the tip of the outer web, and he proposed the name of Monarcha gonldi for the Australian bird. Individual variation exists in the depth of colour on the breast and the extent of the black marking on the face, even when procured in the same locality. In some specimens, too, the upper tail-coverts are blackish, although as a rule they are grey. An example obtained near Cairns, North-eastern Queensland, has the three outer tail-feathers tipped with white, and there is a spot of white at the tip of the outer web of the fourth feather on one side only. Specimens from North-eastern Queensland have the orange-buff chest, breast, and sides of the body of a much richer tint than others procured in New South Wales. Numerous specimens of Monarcha gonldi were obtained by Messrs. Cairn and Grant m the scrub near Cairns, and Mr. G. Masters procured examples at Wide Bay. It is also common in the northern coastal brushes of New South Wales, although it is not so frequently seen in winter. On the Upper Clarence River, in November, 1898, I observed it kept always to the scrubs and gullies, and never ventured into the open forest lands. I found a partially built nest in the fork of a \ine, and Mr. G. Savidge had taken a very pretty nest containing eggs, built in a similar situation, just before my arrival. At Ourimbah, which is the furthest south I have known this species to occur, a pair were nesting in No\ember, 1901, and I frequently saw them bathing in a creek. BLACK-FRONTED FLYCATCHER. 158 MUSCICAPID.E. The nest is a deep cup-shaped structure, formed of thin strips of bark, held together with spider's web, the inside being usually lined with fine black hair-like rootlets, and the exterior thinly coated with green mosses, and ornamented with the silky covering and egg-bags of spiders. As a rule the latter decorations are pure white, but in several nests I have seen they were bright green, or the two colours were intermingled together. Some nests from the Upper Clarence District are lined with fine dried grass stems. The shape of the nest \aries according to the angle of the fork in which it is built; those in wide forks being cup-shaped in form, while those in narrow forks are built up a sufficient height to accommodate the sitting bird, and resemble an inverted cone. An average nest measures externally three inches and a half in diameter by two inches and three-quarters in depth, and the inner cup two inches in diameter by one inch and three-quarters in depth. They are usually built in the upright fork of a low tree, or in the fork of a hanging vine, at a height varying from three to twenty feet from the ground. The eggs are two in number for a sitting, and vary in form from oval to elongate-oval, the shell being close-grained and its surface dull and lustreless. They are of a dull or creamy- white ground colour, thickly dotted and spotted with bright red or reddish-brown, some specimens being uniformly marked over the surface of the shell and almost obscuring the ground colour, others being more sparingly marked on the smaller end and having an irregular zone or cap of spots on the larger end, and occasionally specimens are found with a few under- lying dots and spots of reddish-grey. A set of two, taken in October, 1898, in Hackett's Scrub, near Copmanhurst, on the Clarence River, measures as follows :— Length (A) 0-82 x o-6 inches; (B) o-8i xo-6 inches. Another set of two, from the same locality, measures: — (A) 0-87 x o-6i inches; (B) 0-84 x 0-63 inches. In the Upper Clarence River District, Mr. G. Savidge informs me that this bird is a migrant and commences to build soon after its arrival about the middle of September. One nest he found built in the fork of a hanging vine, twelve feet from the ground, and from which two eggs were taken at the end of October, 1898, took the birds six weeks to construct. The eggs are . deposited on successive days, and Mr. Savidge has found them as late as the 6th January, and noted one year the species still frequenting the district at the beginning of May. Monarcha albiventris. WHITE-BELLIED FLYCATCHER. Monarcha albiventris, Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc, I8G6, p. 217; id., Bds. Austr., .SuppL, fol., pi. 1.3 (1869). Piezorhynchus albiventris, Sharpe, Rep. Voy. "Alert," p. 15, 1884. Adult male — Like the adult male of Monarch.^ gouldi, hut having the upper tail-coverts blackish, and the hnver portion of the breast and the sides of the body pure white. Total length 55 inches, wing 2'9, tail 2'7, bill O'J^, tarsus 0'7. Adult femalb — Similar in plumage to the male. Distribution.— Cape York Peninsula, Islands of Torres Straits. (^C LTHOUGH undoubtedly closely allied to Monarcha gouldi, the present species may be X \. easily distinguished by having the lower portion of the breast and sides of the body pure white. In the "Catalogue of Birds in the British Museum," ' Dr. Sharpe places M. albi- ventris as a synonym of M. gouldi, but later on, in the "Report of the \'oyage of H.M.S. Alert, "f states that he believes he was wrong in doing so, and there admits the validity of this species. * Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. iv., p. 419 (1879). t Rep Zool. Coll. H M.S. " Alert," p. 15 (18S4). KKYT}IKOI)RYAS. 159 The type of this species, collected at Cape York by Mr. Jardine, formed part of a small collection of birds received by Gould from his brother-in-law, the late Mr. Charles Coxen, of Brisbane. Mr. George Masters states that it is common at Cape York and on the islands of Torres Strait. During the voyage of the "Chevert," (undertaken by the late Sir William Macleay), three males, three females, and live young birds in different stages of plumage, were obtained at Cape York; and other specimens were procured at Cape Grenville, Darnley Island, and Sue or Warrior Island, and one specimen was obtained as far south as the Endeavour River. The eggs of this northern species are two in number for a sitting, and are indistinguishable from those of its close ally M. i^ouldi, except for their slightly smaller size. Two sets, taken at Cape York in December, 1899, are of a dull white ground colour, one set being uniformly marked all over with dots and spots of bright reddish -brown, the other having a zone of rich red spots on the larger end, and minutely freckled with the same colour over the remainder of the shell. The former set measures as follows:— Length (A) o-8 x 0-57 inches; (B) 078 x 0-57 inches. The latter set measures:— (A) o-8i x 0-56 inches; (B) 0-82 x 0-58 inches. Young birds resemble the adults, but have the head uniform in colour with the back, the forehead washed with rufous, and the throat grey. G-en-O-S EIS"5rTI^ISOX:)IS"5r.A.S, Gould. Erythrodryas rosea. EOSE-BREASTED ROBIN. Petroica rosea, Gould, Proo. Zool. Soc, 18.39, p. 142. Erythrodryas rosea, Gould, Bds. Aiistr., fob. Vol. HI., pi. 2 (1848); id., Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. 277 (1865); North, Vict. Nat, Vol. XII., p. 137 (1896). PelrcKca rosea, Sharpe, Gat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. IV., p. 170 (1879). Adult nxLK—General colour above dark slaty-grey ; lesser wing-coverts like the back : median and greater coverts and the quills dark brown, the inner secondaries ivashed with slaty-grey on their outer tvebs; tail blackish-brown, the three feathers largely tipped tvith while on their inner webs, which increases in extent towards the outermost; on the forehead a small white spot; sides 0/ the head dark slaty-grey, the throat paler; fore-neck and breast rose-red; abdomen and under (ail-coverts white; bill dark broivn, base of the lon-er mandible yelloivish-horn colour; legs dark jleshy-broiun; iris dark brown. Total length in the /esh 4- JO inches, wing 2-7, tail J- 4, bill 0-S2, tarsus 0-6. Adult fem.\le — Above dark ashy-broum ; quills brown, crossed with a whitish band, and externally edged nnth dull ivhite on the apical portion of their outer webs: tail dark brown, and similarly marked with white as in the male ; spot on the forehead buff ; all the under surface didl greyish-while, lighter on the throat and abdomen; the fore-neck and breast washed wilh rose- pink, and (he flanks wit/i brown; under tail-coverts dull ivliile. Distribution. — Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria. AT3SHE Rose-breasted Robin, although by no means common, is distributed in favourable X situations throughout the greater portion of South-eastern Queensland, the whole of the coastal brushes and contiguous mountain ranges of Eastern New South Wales, and the humid scrubs of Eastern and Southern Victoria. During the winter months it chiefly frequents the open forest lands, and retires again in the spring to its thickly-wooded retreats for the purposes of breeding. Near Sydney it is usually met with singly or in pairs, and is so familiar that I have often observed it in the suburban gardens on the outskirts of Ashfield 160 MUSCICAPID^. and Croydon, its range extending inland to the western slopes of the Blue Mountains. In Victoria, it is found as far east as the Otway forest, and it is freely dispersed throughout the Dandenong Ranges, within twenty miles of Melbourne, where its nests are not uncommon. This species has a weak piping little note, difficult to syllabicate, but when once heard it is sufficient to distinguish it from that of any other Robin. Its food consists principally of small moths and their larvae. Nests of this species were obtained at Cambewarra, in the Illawarra district of New South Wales, by Mr. J. A. Thorpe, the Taxidermist of the Australian Museum. Although the birds were in both instances seen and obtained near the nests, unfortunately neither of the latter contained eggs. Subsequently Mr. J. Gabriel kindly sent me the birds, nests, and eggs procured by him at Bayswater, Mctoria; also the following notes, under date 28th December, 1895: — "My first nest of Erythrodvyas rosea was found in a Blackwood Tree ( Acacia mclanoxylon), in November, 1893, and contained three hard set eggs; the second and third nests on i8th December of the same year, both containing fresh eggs; also a nest in a Hazel Tree (Pomaderris apdala), with young; and the fifth nest in a Blanket Tree (Senccio bcdfordi), with three eggs, on i8th November, 1894. About a dozen old nests were found in Hazel, Blanket, Blackwood, and Native Holly trees. The last clutch, the one which I am sending you with nest — oh, what a pretty one! — you will see is on a Musk Tree (Aster argophylla), and was about twenty feet from the ground. These birds build at a height varying from twelve to sixty feet. The nesting season is November, December, and January; the second nest enclosed, which we found yesterday (27th December, 1895), being an unfinished nest, and pointing to the latter month. Like the Flycatchers, they are continually on the move, and the note is merely an apology for a noise." Writing under date 30th October, 1898, Mr. Gabriel remarks: — "I cannot add much to my former note on Erythrodryas rosea, except that my last two sets of eggs were taken under considerable difficulty. The birds had chosen two tall Hazel trees in which to build their nests. As each tree was of doubtful age and strength, four of us supported the upper part of it with tall forked branches; in the meantime the butt of the tree was chopped through, and three or four feet of it was cut oflT at a time, until we gradually reached the nest. Our work was rewarded by two sets of eggs of two and three respectively; on the set of two the female sat until we got too close. On another occasion six of us cut down a heavy Blanket tree, as above, and the nest was empty, although we saw the bird fly off before commencing our work." The nest of this species is a beautiful structure, and closely resembles that of its congener, Erythrodryas rhodinogaster. The one sent by Mr. Gabriel, which contained two eggs, is built at the junction of a forked horizontal branch oi Aster argophylla, from which spring two thin curved branches, protecting the sides of the nest and sheltering it above with their leafy sprays and clusters of flowers. It is cup-shaped, and outwardly composed of a green Hypiium, held together with a fine network of cobwebs, and ornamented with pieces of apple-green lichen; inside it is warmly lined with opossum fur and the down from the freshly budded fronds of a tree fern. Exteriorly it measures 2-5 inches in height and breadth, and internally 1-5 inch in diameter by i-i inch in depth. The rim, which is thick and rounded, is ornamented with lichens, and measures o'6 inch in width. This nest is figured on Plate A. 2. The unfinished nest, which was placed on a thick horizontal branch, is similarly formed, but has no lining of opossum fur. The nests found by Mr. Thorpe at Cambewarra are more thickly covered with lichens — in fact, one nest, until closely looked at, appears to be wholly constructed on the exterior with this pretty and much-used nest decoration. During a visit to Ourimbah, in company with Mr. D. Swift, the latter found a beautiful nest of this species in a Sassafras (Doryphora sassafras) on the nth November, 1901. It was built on a horizontal limb at a height of thirtv-fi\e feet from the ground, and the female was KHVTlIIMDnYAP. . 161 sitting on two fresh eggs. This nest, which is now mounted in the Group collection of the Australian Museum, is broader at the base where it is saddled on to the limb, than at the top. Externally it measures at the base three inches and three-quarters in diameter, and across the top two inches and a quarter, the inner cup measuring one inch and a quarter in depth. On the same day I found another new nest lying on the ground, and apparently blown off by the high winds of a few days before. The eggs are oval in form, the shell being close-grained, smooth, and lustreless. They are of a very faint greenish or bluish-grey ground colour, and are minutely dotted and spotted with purplish-brown, dark slaty-brown, and wood-brown markings, which become larger on the thicker end, and form an ill-defined zone. Length: — (A) 07 x 0-53 inches; (B) .0-69 x 0-53 inches. .V set of three eggs taken by Mr. Gabriel at Bayswater, on the nth December, 1897, from a nest built in a Blanket tree, and which also contained an egg of the Square- tailed Cuckoo, measures as follows: — Length (A) o-6i x 0-5 inches; (B) o-6i x 0-5 inches; (C) o-6i X 0-51 inches. A set of two, taken by Mr. D. Swift at Ourimbah, on the nth November, 1901, measures: — Length (.\) 0-69 x o'52 inches; (B) 0-67 x 0-53 inches. Erythrodryas rhodinogaster. PIXK-iiKEASTED KOBIN. Saxicola rlwdinoyastra, Drapiez, Ann. Gen. Des. Sci. Phys. Bruxelles, Tom. II., p. SiO (1S19). Erythrodryas rhodinogaster, Gould, Bds. Austr , fol , Vol. III., pi. 1 (1848); id., Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. 27G (186.5). Petrceca rhodinogastra, Sharpp, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. IV., p. 170 (1879). Adult .male — General colour above slaty-black: lesser and median wingcoverts like the back, the greater series hlackish-brown ; quills blackish-brown, the secondaries with a large white spot at the base of the inner webs, and a sinall indistinct buffy-broion spot near the centre of the outer u-eh, and another near the tip, these spots also extending on to the inner primaries; tail feathers blackish-brown, externally margined with slaty-black; a small spot on the forehead white; sides of the head and throat s'aty-black: remainder of the under surface rose-pink; vent and under tail coverts tehite; bill black, yellowish horn-col unr at the base of the lower mandible in some specimens; legs and feet blackish-brown, soles of feet ochraceous ; iris black. Total length in the flesh 52 inches, wing 2-7, tail 2-2, bill 0 35, tarsus ()-S. Adult female — General colour above olive-brown ; lesser and median, wing-coverts like the back, the greater series dark brown, slightly washed with olive; quills dark brown, crossed on their outer webs with tivo conspicuous bands of rich buff, the secondaries having a large spot of white near the base of their inner webs; tail dark brown, the lateral feathers paler: a small spot on the forehead white ; all the under surface pale brown, the flanks slightly tinged with olive: centre of the abdomen and iinder tail-coverts dull white, tinged with buff. Distribution. — Victoria, South .Vustralia, Tasmania. ^-igS^HE Pink-breasted Robin is an inhabitant of the humid mountain ranges and gullies of ±. Eastern and Southern Victoria, South Australia, and Tasmania. It is more freely distributed over the latter island, specimens in the collection being obtained by Mr. George Masters at Brown's River. Several beautiful specimens have also been received in the flesh from Mr. E. D. Atkinson of Waratah, Mount Blschoff. I first observed this species in the moist scrubs and fern gullies of South Gippsland, my attention being directed to it by its low monotonous note. This note, which is easily imitated, closely resembles "tick, tick, tick," and enables one to allure any birds within call in the vicinity in which it is uttered. Usually it 162 MUSCICAPID.E. was met with in isolated pairs, near tracks in the densest part of the scrub: and during my many visits to that district, it was never observed in the gardens or clearings around the houses. Its food consists principally of small insects and their lar\je. Dr. L. Holden states in his MS. notes that he has frequently observed this species in different parts of the north-western coast of Tasmania, sometimes in the depths of the forest, occasionally in low gum trees on the road-side, and once in a garden at Stanley. The latter, a fine old male, was very tame, and had been about there several days, picking up insects, worms, etc. Near Hobart, he has often noted them in the upper forest on Mount Wellington, and also at the foot of the falls of the creek which gives its name to the Russell's Falls River. Dr. A. M. Morgan informs me that he has observed this species in the Mount Lofty Ranges, near Adelaide, in most seasons of the year, and that he has seen immature birds, and heard of its nest being taken, although he had ne\'er taken it himself. A nest of this species, received from Mr. E. D. .\tkinson, and taken by Mr. George Hinsby, near Hobart, on the 22nd October, 1888, is a very neat and beautiful cup-shaped structure, outwardly composed of green moss and spiders' webs, and is lined inside with the down from the freshly budded fronds of the tree fern. The rirn is thick and rounded, and the whole exterior is profusely decor^ited with pale green lichens. It measures externally two inches and three-quarters in diameter by two inches and a half in depth. This nest wtis built at the junction of a horizontal forked branch of a Leptospcrmiuii, at a height of ten feet from the ground. Tlie tree was near the roadside at the head of Kangaroo Valley, under Mount Wellington. The female was sitting, and the nest contained three fresh eggs. I received a similar nest, built on the top of a moss-grown horizontal fork, from Mr. E. Pakenham while at Childers, South Gippsland. It was built in a Musk lA^tcr argophylla), growing in a fern gully near his house, and it contained a single fresh egg. One of the most beautiful specimens of bird architecture I have seen is a nest of this species tn the Group collection of the .Australian Museum. Externally it measures two inches and three-quarters in diameter by two inches and a half in depth; the inner cup, which is chiefly lined with opossum fur, measuring two inches in diameter by one inch and a quarter in depth. It was procured by Mr. Atkinson and his son at Waratah, Mount BischofT, on the 22nd November, 1902, when it contained three fresh eggs. The eggs are three in number for a sitting, and are rounded o\al in form, the shell being close-grained, and its surface smooth and lustreless. The ground colour is of a dull greenish- white, which is minutely dotted and spotted with pale or yellowish-brown, more particularly on the thicker end, where the markings are larger and intermingled with faint underlying spots of lilac-grey. Others have the markings richer and darker, but as a rule the outer ones are of a shade of brown, and the underlying ones of a lilac or purplish-grey. Whether large or small they are all of irregular shape, and predominate on the thicker end, where in some specimens a more or less well defined zone is formed. Some eggs, although differing in the tint of ground colour, bear a resemblance in the colour and character of their markings to those of Rhipidtira albiscapa, but are of course much larger. Two eggs of a set of three, taken at Mount Wellington, Tasmania, in October, 1888, measure: — Length (.A) 0-65 x 0-56 inches; (B) o-66 X 0-55 inches. October and the three following months constitute the usual breeding season of this species. PETRCECA. 163 c3-eil'a.S -p l-l' I 'T?rT^.:~! /K . Swainson. PetrcEca leggii. SCARLET-BREASTED ROBIN. Petroica multicolor, (nee Gmel.), fiould, Bds. Austr., fol, Vol. ITl., pi. 3 (1848); id., Haiulbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. 279 (1865). Petrwca leyyii, Sharpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. IV., p. 165 (1879). Adult m.^le— Genera? colour above black; lesser rving-coverts black, the median and yreater series white; primaries blackish-brown, the inner series with two n-hite streaks on the outer web; secondaries blackish-brown, the median series with their outer tvebs, and a band across the centre of the inner webs white: tail blackish-broivn, the lateral feathers while, margined with blackish-brown on the basal ha[t of the inner web, and towards the tip of the outer web; forehead white; lores, sides of the head and throat black ; breast light scarlet .■ abdomen, flanks, and under tail-coverts white, with blackish-gretj bases to all the feathers; bill black; legs and feet black ; iris blackish-brown. Total length in the flesh .5-2 inches, wing -3, taU 2-2, bill O-^, tarsus OS. Adult FEyixLE— General colour above brown; upper wing-coverts brown, the median and greater series tipped with buff; quills brown, and similarly marked as those of the male, but with buffg-white; tail brown, the lateral feathers markei with white as in the male; a small spot on the forehead white; sides of the head and neck brown: chin arid throat dull greyish-white ; remainder of the under surface dull white: the chest and breast strongly washed with light scarlet: sides oj the breast and the abdomen pale brown; under tail-coverts dull white. Distribution.-Queenshmd, New South Wales, \-ictoria, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania. fN favourable situations the Scarlet-breasted Robin is generally distributed over the greater portion of Eastern and Southern Australia, and likewise Tasmania. It is more freely dispersed throughout the coastal districts and contiguous mountain ranges, and is seldom met with in the large open e.xpanses of dry country far inland. Humid mountain ranges are its favourite haunts during spring and summer, more especially where clearings have been made and the stumps still remain. At the end of autumn it visits the flats and open forest lands near the coast, and may sometimes be seen in the public parks and gardens of our cities, remaining there throughout the winter, and returning as a rule to the mountain ranges for the purposes of breeding early in the spring. Considerable variation e.xists in the size of the white frontal spot, both in the males and females, and the extent of the white markings on the wings and tail, some specimens havmg all the tail feathers narrowly tipped with white. In young birds the white frontal marking is small, and it increases in size with age, extending on to the crown of the head in very old birds. Gould points out '^ that "a slight difference exists in the depth of the colouring ot specimens from the western and eastern coasts; those from the former, particularly the temales, having the scarlet more brilliant than those from New South Wales and Tasmania; the diiference, however, is too trivial to be regarded otherwise than as indicative of a mere variety." The most brilliantly coloured male in the large series of these birds from all parts of Australia and Tasmania in the Australian Museum collection, is a specimen procured at Liverpool, near Sydney. The most richly coloured female is a specimen obtained at Lithgow, in the Blue Mountains, in i888. Dr. Sharpe, in describing this species in the "Catalogue of Birds in the British Museum,"! writes:— "A female from King George's Sound, Western • Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. i.. p. 279 (1865). t Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. iv., p. 166 (1S79). Ig4 MrsciCAPiD.?;. Australia, differs from all the eastern birds in its extremely narrow white forehead, and may probably indicate a second species." Later on Dr. Sharpe separated the examples from Western Australia as distinct on account of the smaller white frontal marking and less extent of white on the wings. I am inclined to agree with Gould, however, that the Scarlet-breasted Robin of Western Australia is not a distinct species, but at the most a western race of Pdrceca leggii. The same variation in size of the white marking on the forehead may also be observed in P. pha-nicca. The largest and smallest-capped adult males of both species in the Australian Museum collection, were obtained by Mr. R. Grant at Lithgow, on the Blue Mountains, where both species are numerous, and where he has found them breeding. The note of the Scarlet-breasted Robin is sweet and low, and is usually uttered when tlie little songster is perched on the top of a stump, a fence, or a large stone. It may be heard to advantage just before daylight, especially in a clearing in a mountain valley, which often fairly resounds with the notes of these birds as they answer one another from stump to stump where they are perched. Its food consists of insects, principally small moths, butterflies, beetles, flies, and their larvap, also worms procured about cultivation paddocks and grass lands. It is an extremely familiar bird, and enters orchards and gardens freely in search of food. The nest is a round open cup-shaped structure, outwardly composed of strips of bark, mosses, and dried grasses, securely woven and held together, the inside being thickly and warmly lined with cow-hair, opossum fur, feathers, or other soft material; the downy covering of the freshly-budded fern fronds being more often used when built in mountain ranges. The rim of the nest is thick and rounded, and externally the structure is lightly coated with spider's web, to which is attached small pieces of bark, charred wood, or lichens, the decorations varying with the surroundings of the nest. .\n a\erage nest measures externally three inches and a half in diameter by two inches and a half in depth, the inner cup measuring two inches in diameter by one inch and a half in depth. The situation selected for the nest is varied; sometimes it is placed on the top of a horizontal branch or in the forked limb of a low tree. .\ favourite situation is between a piece of projecting bark and the stem of a tree, or on the roughened wood inside the charred trunk or a hollow stump or tree. In South Gippsland, I have frequently found the nest of this species by tapping on the hollow trunk of some burnt out giant of the forest, or by watching the bird fly into one of the apertures made by fire in the bole of a large tree. Whatever site is chosen, the exterior of the nest is made to closely assimilate its environment. A nest of this species in the .Australian Museum collection, taken by Mr. J. Gabriel at Bayswater, Victoria, on the 15th November, 1894, is placed in a very well concealed situation. It is formed in a small blackened cavity, burnt out of the thin stem of a Mountain Musk (Aster argophylla), and is outwardly constructed of very fine strips of the inner bark of a Eucalyptus, intermingled with the soft downy covering of the freshly budded fronds of a tree fern, and thickly lined inside with opossum fur. Only one side and the rim of the nest are visible, which are ornamented with small fragments of charred wood, attached by means of cobweb. Usually the nesting site does not exceed ten or twelve feet from the ground, fre(iuently it is within hand's reach, but in rare instances it may be found at a height of thirt)' or forty feet. From Dr. L. Holden's MS. notes, I extract the following: — "On the nth November, 1886, I found a nest of the Scarlet-breasted Robin in a paddock at Circular Head, Tasmania, containing three hard-set eggs. It was built at the junction of a forked horizontal branch of a large isolated box-tree at a height of eleven feet from the ground, and was a very neat and well concealed cup-shaped structure. Exteriorly it was formed of narrow strips of • "The Ibis," 1899, p. 303. PETKCECA. 165 bark, and ornamented with bits of lichen to imitate the bark of the tree, the inside being thickly fitted with hair and fur. The female sat very close. On tiie 21st November, I found another nest of this species with three fresh eggs. It was built against the bole of a tea-tree, and supported by a projecting twig, at a height of fifteen feet from the ground. I saw a pair building on the loth September, 1890, in a tea-tree sapling, ten feet up. in an upright fork." The eggs are usually three, sometimes four in number for a sitting, and are oval or rounded oval in form, the shell being close-grained and its surface dull and lustreless. The ground colour varies from a pale green or bluish-white to dull brownish-white, some specimens being thickly freckled, spotted and blotched with wood-brown, olive-brown, and underlying markings of purplish-grey, almost obscuring the ground colour; others are sparingly but distinctly dotted or spotted with purplish-brown or lilac-grey, the latter appearing as if beneath the surface of the shell. Sometimes the markings predominate on the thicker end or around the centre of the shell, but specimens may be also found which liave the markings evenly distributed over the surface or entirely confined to one end. A set of three, taken by me at Middle Harbour on the 2nd September, igoi, is the only instance I have known of this bird breeding near Sydney. The eggs are of a faint greyish-blue ground colour, minutely freckled with pale brown, except on tiie thicker end where these markings are interniin.i.;led with others of blackish-brown, and underlying spots of violet-grey forming more or less well defined zones. Length (.-\) 075 X 0-55 inches; (B) 0-74 x 0-54 inches; (C) 074 x 0-56 inches. A set of three, taken at Circular Head. Tasmania, on the nth November, 1886, measures: — Length (.V) 075x0-55 inches; (B) 076x0-58 inches; (0)0-73x0-57 inches. Like all eggs with semi- transparent shells, even when fresh, the eggs of this genus are more beautiful directly after they have been emptied of their contents. In three adult males in the .Vustralian Museum collection, the white feathers bordering the upper part of the frontal band are tipped with light scarlet. A semi-albino adult male has the primaries, secondaries, upper tail-coverts and tail white, the quills and tail-feathers having blackish shafts. .\ugust and the four following months constitute the usual breeding season of this species in Eastern Australia and Tasmania, but Dr. .\. M. Morgan informs me that he found a nest in the Mount Lofty Ranges, near Adelaide, with a fresh egg in it about the middle of June. Nests with eggs are more frequently found on the Blue Mountains towards the latter end of September or early in October, but in South Gippsland I have found them at the end of November. Petrceca phoenicea. FLAME-BREASTED ROBIN. Petroica phmnicea, Gould, Proc. Zool. Soo., 183G, p. 10.5; id., Bds. Austr., fol.. Vol. III., pi. 6 (18-48); id., Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. L, p. 282 (186.5). Petrceca phcenicea, Sharpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. IV., p. 1(36 (1879). Adult male — General colour above greyish-black : uj^per iving-coverts and quills slightly darker, the inner median, and greater ivlng-coverts, and the outer webs of the inner secondaries white; an oblong spot near the centre of the outer lOribs of the primaries aiid a bar across the secondaries near the base white; tail blackish, the outermost feather white, margined icith blackish-brown on the inner web and towards the tip of the outer web, the next feather externally edged with rvhite on the obiter web; on the forehead a small white spot; lores, feathers in front, and below the eye blackish; sides of the face, ear-coverts, and chin blackish-grey ; remainder of the under surface orange-scarlet; lotver ]6g MUSCICAPID^. portion of the abdomen and under tail-coverts ruhite ; bill black ; legs and feet blackish-brown ; ins blackish-brown. Total length in thejiesh oS inches, wing 31, tail 2-25, bill 04, tarsus 0 8. Adult female — General colour above brown, icings and tail dark brown, the former marked with buffy-white, and the latter with white as in the male; on the forehead a small indistinct dull while or buffy-white spot: ear-coverts brown; chin and throat dull white, shaded with brown; remainder of the under surface brown; centre of the abdomen and under tail-coverts dull white. Distribution —New South Wales, X'ictoria, South Australia, Tasmania, Islands of Bass Strait. ALTHOl'GH very common in the coastal ranges and Blue Mountains in New South Wales, the Flame-breasted Robin is more abundantly distributed throughout Victoria and Tasmania: it is also found in South Australia and on some of the islands of Bass Strait. During the late autumn and winter months it is particularly numerous about newly ploughed lands and on the open plains to the north and west of Melbourne, haunting also the low intersecting stone walls and fences about the Werribee, Keilor, and Maribyrnong. In the latter neighbourhood, for several seasons, a pair used to frequent the trees around my house, arriving at the latter end of April .and remaining until the end of August. They were exceedingly tame, especially the male, and I used to feed them with bread crumbs, which they would readily venture into outhouses to obtain. In the spring and early summer months I found this species breeding in company with the Scarlet-breasted Robin in clearings made in the heavily timbered ranges of South Gippsland. It also breeds on the Blue Mountains in New South Wales, but unlike Pctracca leggii, it is very rarely seen in the neighbourhood of Sydney during the winter months. From Victoria, Mr. G. A. Keartland writes:— " Immediately the winter ploughing is started, the Flame-breasted Robins make their appearance, probably attracted by the number of insects and tiieir larvae, which they find in the newly-turned soil. I have counted as many as thirteen bright male birds hopping along a single furrow. .\t what age the adult male assumes his gay attire I am unable to state, but during November, 1891, I saw a pair in the modest garb of the female building their nest at Bayswater, in the Dandenong Ranges. A fortnight later I took three partly incubated eggs from it after seeing both birds again at the nest, which was situated in a slight hollow in a charred stump about fourteen feet from the ground." Mr. A. E. Ivatt also informs me that he found the nests of this species at Glanmire, near Bathurst, in 1896, in which the birds of both sexes were brown, and without any indication of the scarlet breast." Mr. A. Zietz, the Assistant Director of the South Australian Museum, writes me:— "On the i2th May, 1901, while out with my son, we saw a number of Petraca pha'uicea scattered over a newly ploughed field, between Modbury and Tea-tree Gully, about ten miles north-east of Adelaide. We also observed this species the previous year about the same time, but not quite so numerous. Somewhat later they all disappeared. One of our Museum collectors, the late Mr. F. W. Andrews, observed Flame-breasted Robins many years ago at Square Waterhole, south of Adelaide. He was under the impression that they bred there, but I never saw the nest or eggs of this species in his or any other collection that were taken in this State." Writing from the Western District, Victoria, Dr. W. Macgillivray remarks:— "Towards the end of iVIarch, or early in April, young males and females of Petraca phenceicea first make their appearance in the more open parts of the Hamilton District, the adult males generally following in about a fortnight ; they remain during the winter months and all leave for their nesting grounds before the end of .August. I took a nest of this species in a patch of timber near Portland, on the 12th November; it was placed in a small stunted gum at a height of fifteen feet, and contained two fresh eggs. ' PETROJCA. 167 The notes of the Flame-breasted Robin are more musical and prolonged than those of its conwvith rufous, the latter colour becoming more pronounced on the feathers in front of and a ring almost surroundirig the eye; ear-coverts brown; throat OMd fore-neck u-hite ; remainder of the under surface yellow, washed with olive-green on the sides of tlie breast and flanks ; under tail-coverts yellow, slightly tinged with buff: bill black; legs and feet flesh colour ; iris brorvn. Total length Ji:5 inches, wing 2'!), tail 1'95, bill O'JfO, tarsus 0 75. Adult female — Similar in plumage to the male. Distribution. — North-eastern Queensland. PCECILODRYAS. 181 /"I^HE known range of the present species extends from the neighbourhood of the Bloom- JL field River in North-eastern Queensland, as far south as the Herbert River District. It frequents alike the dense coastal scrubs and the undergrowth at all levels to the top of the contiguous mountain ranges. Dr. Ramsay described it, also its nest and eggs, from specimens procured by Mr. Kendal Broadbent near Cairns. In the "Catalogue of Birds in the British Museum,"'^ Dr. Sharpe makes the following observations on PcBcilodryas nana: — "Mr. Ramsay speaks of having seen a good many specimens of this supposed new species. Mr. Godman's collection contains a single example, which has the loral spot white, with the eye ring only tinged with rufous, which also pervades the cheeks and chin. This would seem to indicate that the rufous tinge is a sign of immaturity; and the species is certainly doubtful." Pcecilodryas nana, however, is a valid species. It is the northern representative of P. captto, with which it does not intergrade, and may be distinguished from that species, in addition to the rufous spot in front, and ring of feathers partially encircling the eye, by the white or greyish-white feathers of the throat, extending on to the fore-neck, and by the head and hind-neck being dark brown, and destitute of the slight olive-green wash which extends from the back on to the feathers of the hind-neck and head of P. capito. In ten adult specimens now before me, the specific characters pointed out by Dr. Ramsay are constant, and it is unquestionably a good and distinct species. Mr. Frank Hislop writes me as follows: — ''Pcecilodryas nana is very common in the scrubs of the Bloomfield River District, North-eastern Queensland, frequenting the flats and all localities right up to the summits of the mountain range. It builds its nest sometimes in the fork of a sapling, but more often on a young lawyer-vine, the nest being placed in the angle formed by the leaves growing out of an upright stalk. It is a cup-shaped structure, formed of pieces of dead lawyer-vine leaves and strips of fibre, and the outside is often covered with green moss. Two eggs are usually laid for a sitting. It breeds during the months of October, November, and December." The nest is a small open cup-shaped structure, formed of strips of dried leaves, or shreds of bark, held together with spider's webs and neatly lined inside with the fibre of the lawyer-vine, and at the bottom with portions of dried lawyer-vine leaves. Externally it is decorated with large scales of bark and pieces of green moss. An average nest measures two inches and a half in external diameter by two inches and a quarter in depth, the inner cup measuring one inch and three-quarters in diameter by one inch and a half in depth. It resembles very much the nest of Eopsalti'ia chrysorrhous, and is usually built in the same situation against the stem of a lawyer-vine, the bottom of it being supported by the leaves. The external shape of the nest, however, varies according to its situation, some nests being nearly flat and slightly wider at the base than at the rim. Eggs two in number for a sitting, oval or elongate oval in form, the shell being close- grained, smooth, and almost lustreless. The ground colour varies from pale green to greenish- grey and faint yellowish-brown, which is freckled, dotted, and spotted with different shades, varying from yellowish-umber to reddish and chestnut-brown, intermingled with underlying spots of violet-grey, the markings predortiinating as usual on the thicker end, where in some specimens they assume the form of a more or less well defined zone. These eggs bear a strong resemblance to those of Pcecilodryas capito. A set of two measures: — (A) 0-85 x 0-58 inches; (B) 0-85 x 0-56 inches. Another set measures: — (A) o-8 x o-6 inches; (B) 0-82 x 0-62 inches. • Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. iv., p. 247 (1879). 182 MUSCICAPID.E. J- G-envLS EOI=S-<£^XjTISI.^^, Gould. Eopsaltria australis. YELLOW-BREASTED ROBIN. Mtiscicapa australis, Lath., Ind. Orn., Suppl., p. 1., (1801). Eopsaltria australis, Gould, Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. 293 (1865); Gadow, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. VIII., p. 176 (1883), (part). Adult male — General colour above dark gray, strongly washed with olive on the lower hack and rump ; upper tail-coverts olive- yellow : lesser and median wing-coverts dark grey, the greater coverts blackish-brown; primary coverts blackish-brown ; quills dark greyish-broum, the secondaries externally edged with olive, the basal portion of the inner webs of the innermost primaries and the outermost secondaries crossed with a dull white band.- tail dark greyish-brown, the central feathers margined externally jviih olive, and the lateral feathers narrouiy tipped with tchite on their inner webs; feathers in front of the eye blackish: chin and upper part of the throat greyish-white; remainder of the tinder surface bright yelloii; washed ivith olive on the sides of the breast ayid flanks; bill black; legs and feet broicnish-grey ; iris brownish-black. Total length in the jlesh fr6 inches, wing 3 5, tail 28, bill 0-55, tarsus 0-9. Adi'M' fkmalk — Similar in plumage to the male, but having the upper tail-coverts and under surface slightly duller in colour. Distribution. — New South Wales, N'ictoria. ^X suitable localities the range of this familiar and well known resident extends over the greater portion of South-eastern Australia. It frequents the coastal brushes, humid scrubs, and undergrowth of mountain ranges, and is also found in orchards, large gardens, and shrubberries. In the neighbour- hood of Sydney it is very common, and a few pairs breed every year in the Botanic Gardens and the Domain. Usually it is met with in pairs, resorting chiefly to the branches or stems of low trees, as well as the ground in open parts of the scrub. When disturbed it merely flits from tree to tree, often perching trans- versely against the trunk and calmly watching the intruder, at the same time repeatedly jerking its tail upwards. Frequently it will remain in this position for some time, leaving perhaps to secure some insect in the grass, and returning afterwards to the same place. About orchards and gardens it becomes remarkably tame, and when one is engaged in digging will perch on some neighbouring post or limb only a few yards away, watching intently for any unearthed grub, which it quickly darts upon and carries away to devour at leisure. The food of this species consists principally of insects and their larv*. I have also seen it eat cold roast mutton fat. In the bright clear days at the latter end of winter and early spring, the piping but somewhat monotonous call-note of the Yellow-breasted Robin may be heard, more especially in the early morning and again just about dusk; during the summer months it is remarkably soft and low. Sometimes it also utters a low "churp churp," when its nest is approached, resembling some of the notes of the introduced House Sparrow (Passer domesticiis). YELLOW-BKEASTEI) ROBIN. EOPSALTRIA. 183 The nest is a round cup-shaped structure, outwardly formed of strips of bark and grasses, and lined inside with fibrous roots or the narrow thread-like leaves of the Casuanna, and has generally two or three dried Eucalyptus leaves placed at the bottom. The rim and outside is ornamented with pieces of lichen, and long pieces of bark attached by means of cobwebs hang perpendicularly round it like a heavy fringe. Some nests have only a few scales of bark on the outside and are more highly decorated with lichens. An average nest measures externally three inches in diameter by a depth of two inches and a half, and is built on a horizontal branch or in the upright fork of a low tree. Near Sydney, tea-trees, gums, turpentines, and honeysuckles are more often resorted to as nesting-sites, and sometimes it is placed on the top of a large seed-cone of the latter tree. 1 have also seen it built against the bare upright stem of a Lantana bush, supported by a thin twig. About parks and gardens they may be found almost in any tree, but a favourite situation is on the top of the midrib of the broad leaf of the Norfolk Island Pine (Amucaria exceha), and often on one overhanging a well frequented path. The nests are usually built from five to fifteen feet from the ground, but if repeatedly taken, I have known them to be placed on the horizontal branch of a Eucalyptus, or near the top of a Svncarpia. at an altitude of fully thirty feet. In localities unfrequented by bird-nesting buys, I have generally found them within hand's reach, and in one instance in a stunted gum-sapling within eighteen inches of the ground. The eggs are usually three, sometimes two, and occasion- ally four in number for a sitting, and vary considerably in colour and disposition of their markings. Typically they are oval or rounded- oval in form, the shell being close-grained, smooth, and lustrous. The ground colour varies from pale apple-green to greenish-blue, some speci- mens being more or less distinctly tinged with olive, and which is usually freckled, spotted, or blotched with reddish or chestnut-brown, intermingled with a few underlying markings of paler tints. Some are distinctly and evenly marked over the shell, others have a well defined cap or zone on the larger end, formed of confluent blotches, and but sparingly marked on the remainder of its surface. Occasionally the ground colour is almost obscured with indistinct fine fleecy markings of dull reddish or yellowish-brown, like some varieties of the eggs oi Lalage tyicolov : and one set, taken by me on the nth August, 1889, at Ashfield, has broad and distinct dull reddish -brown bands on the larger ends, the pale apple-green ground colour (except on the smaller ends) also being suff'used with this colour. A set of four, taken at Canterbury, near Sydney, on the 18th September, 1896, measures:— (A) 0-92 x o-66 inches; (B) o'93 x o-66 inches; (C) 0-9x67 inches; (D) 0-92 x 0-67 inches. A set of three from Roseville, on the 19th October, 1901, measures:— (A) 0-83 x 0-63 inches; (B) 0-82 x 0-65 inches; (C) o-8 x o-66 inches. A set of two, taken by me at Gerringong on the 13th October, 1889, measures:— (A) 074 x 0-63 inches; (B) o-8 x 0-64 inches. NEST AND EGGS OF YELLOW-UREASTED ROIJIN. 184 MUSCICAPID*. Fledgelings are pale rufous-brown above and below, the feathers on the upper parts . having distinct whitish shaft-streaks, the yellow feathers first appearing on the throat. Young birds resemble the adults, but are mottled more or less with the rufous-brown feathers of youth until they arrive at full maturity. Win.t; 3-3 inches. Eopsaltria? iiwvimta, Ramsay, from Cardwell, the type of which is in the .\ustralian Museum, is a good and distinct species. Dr. Gadow* regards it as an apparently young bird of Eopsaltria ciustyalis, and erroneously places E. inorimta as a synonym of that species. It is doubtful if it even belongs to the senus. Two types of nests are figured, the decorations of the one represented on the preceding page consisting entirely of lichens. I found this nest, containg three fresh eggs, at Roseville, on the 2ist October, igoi. It was built in a geebung, about five feet from the ground. This nest, which I photographed to show its inner lining of leaves of Ctnuarimi sitberosa and outer decora- tions, was only about fifty yards away from the nest represented on Plate A. -'i. The latter, which contained two fresh eggs, I found on the 6th .August, i8q,S, and it was built in a Forest Oak (Casuavina suberosa ) at a height of twenty feet from the ground. It measures externally three inches and a quarter in diameter by a depth from the rim to the base of the nest proper of three inches and a half. The pieces of bark attached to the outside are longer than usual, the nest and its appendages measuring altogether in height six inches. The inner cup, which is lined almost entirely with the narrow- leaves of Angophora lanccolata, measures two inches and three-quarters in diameter by one inch and three-quarters in depth. Generally the female slips off the nest unobserved, but if it contains incubated eggs or young birds, she will often remain sitting till one gets within a few feet, and sometimes will allow herself to be touched before slie forsakes her charge. On one occasion I saw a pair of these birds clinging to the trunk of a tree within a few feet of the ground. Both had their wings and tail outspread, and which they worked in a tremulous manner. They persisted in this action for nearly five minutes, without uttering a sound, until 1 betjan to search for the nest, which I discovered in a tree close by, containing two young ones. I also observed a female act in a similar manner while sitting on a nest, but in this instance my attention was attracted to it by the bird's low plaintive note. Another nest I found at Roseville, on the 28th August, i8g8, containing two young ones, was built in a Casuarina, seven feet from the ground. On my approaching near it the parents puflfed out their feathers and resembled balls as they rolled about the ground just in front of me in the hopes of alluring me away. This common device of birds is very rarely resorted to by this species. During the winter of 1902 — a year of unprecedented drought — a pair of these birds \isited my house daily to pick up any scraps thrown to them. They were absent for some time, but returned again early in October, accompanied by two young ones. Again presumably the same pair visited the garden and fences surrounding the house in January, accompanied by two young ones ; they remained for three weeks, during which time the latter assumed the yellow under surface like the adults, with the exception of a few rufous-brown feathers. All the nests of this species I examined during 1902, contained only two eggs or two young ones. Nidification usually commences the first week in July, sometimes in June, the nest taking about a week to build, and the eggs are deposited on each successive day. Two or three broods are reared during the breeding season, which continues until the end of January. * Cat. Bds, Brit. Mus., Vol. viii., p. 177 (1883). EOPSALTItlA. 185 Eopsaltria chrysorrhous. GULDEN-RUM I'ED KOBIX. EupsaUria australis, Gould, Bds. Austr., fol., Vol. III., pi. 11 (l)>-tS); Ramsay, Proc. Zool. Soc, 1868, p. 38-t. Eopsaltria chrysorrhous, Gould, Ann, .^- Mag. Nat. Hist, Ser. 4, Vol. IV., p. 109 (1869). Eopsaltria mayuirostris, (Rams, et lit.), Gould, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist., Ser. 4, Vol. IV., p. 109 (1869). Adult male Like Ihe adult male of Eop.saltkia australis, but devoid of the olive ivash on the breast and upper tail-coverts, these parts being of a clear rich yelloic. Total length U'To inches, wing S-7, tail ..'-y, bill 0 0, tarsus l)y5. Adult female — Similar in plumage to the male, but slightly smaller and duller in colour. Distribution.— 'Ea.sievn Queensland, Northern Coastal Districts of New South Wales. /^(FV OULD separated this bird from the preceding species on account of its slightly larger V-JT size, and in having the breast and rump of a jonquil-yellow. Its habitat is given as the eastern portion of New South Wales and southern portion of Queensland. It will be found, as a rule, in Australia, that the farther north in the coastal districts e.xamples of a species are obtained, the brighter they are in colour. This only partially holds good in the present instance, for while typical examples of Eopsaltria aiiitralis, obtained near Sydney, may easily be distinguished from the brighter coloured race inhabiting parts of the Upper Richmond River, New South Wales, and the brushes of the Brisbane River, Queensland, some of the latter are as brilliant in colour as specimens obtained at Cardwell and Cairns, in the north-eastern portion of that State. One of the characters pointed out by Gould,- that the birds from Rockingham Bay — separated by Dr. Ramsay under the MS. name of E. niasnirostris — have conspicuously larger bills and shorter wings than the bird distinguished by himself under the name of E. chrysorrhous, is not con- stant. An adult male of the latter from the Brisbane River, near where Gould's types were obtained, measures respectively: — wing 3-6 inches, bill 0-5 inches; of the type of E. magnirostris, wing 3-6 inches, bill 0-55. There is no question that the birds from some parts of the northern rivers of New South Wales and Eastern Queensland, lose the olive wash on the breast and upper tail-coverts, and have those parts of a richer and clearer yellow. Dr. Gadow, however, in the "Catalogue of Birds in the British Museum,"! who has had the advantage of examining Gould's type of E. chrysorrhous, relegates this name NEST OF fiOLDEy-RUMHKD KOBIV. * Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., Ser. 4, Vol. iv.. p. log (1869). t Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. viii., p. 177 (18S3). Rr 186 SIUSCICAPID.E. also that of E. ma^nirostris as synonyms of E. auitralis. It is a matter of opinion whether he is right in so doing. Possibly the type of E. chrysorrhoiis, to which species Dr. Ramsay first drew attention," may be only a brighter coloured northern race of E. aiisfralis, due to climatic variation, but if it is as rich in colour as Dr. Ramsay's type from Cardweli, under the MS. name of E. magmrostris, now before me, I hold that it is more entitled to recognition than many others which are accorded full specific rank. The nest of Eopsaltria chrvsorrhoiis is formed chiefly of the skeletons of lea\es and portions of the dead leaves of the lawyer-vine (Calamus australis), the exterior being covered with fine green moss held in position with a thin network of spider's web, to which is attached here and there pieces of pale greenish-grey lichen; inside it is lined with strips of dead leaves of the lawyer-vme and fibre. .\n average nest measures externally three inches in diameter by two inches and three-quarters in depth, and the inner cup two inches and a quarter in diameter by two inches in depth. The nest figured was taken by Mr. H. R. Elvery, near Hallina, and is built close to the base of some leaves growing on the upper portion of a stem of a lawyer- vine, to which it is attached by spider's web. The eggs are two in number for a sitting, and typically are not to be distinguished from those of Eopsaltria australis. A set of two, taken in the Tweed River District, near the Queensland border, are oval in form, and of a dull green ground colour, which is uniformly freckled and blotched with dull yellow and reddish-brown. Length (A) o-88 x 07 inches; (B) o-88 x o-68 inches. Four eggs, taken by Mr. Elvery from a nest on the igth September, i8g8, and which only contained a single egg on the 17th inst., is apparently the result of two birds laying in the same nest, for they are of two distinct types, and vary considerably in colour, disposition of markings, and size. Length: — (.\) o-g x 0-69 inches; (B) 0-87 x 0-73 inches; (C) 0-91 x 0-66 inches; (D) o-g x 0-65 inches. Another set of two, taken near Lismore, is of a rich greenish-blue ground colour, which is freckled and spotted but particularly on the larger end with purplish-red. Length: — (A) o'88 x 0-63 inches; (B) 0-92 X o'63 inches. Eopsaltria gularis. (>rey-bi;easted kubin. Gobe-mouche a gorge blanche, Quoy et Gaini., Voy. de I'Astrol., Atlas, pi. I, fig. 1. Muscicapa gularis, Quoy et Gaira., Voy. de rAstrol., Zool., 'roiii. I., p. 176 (1TIS, Gould. Smicrornis brevirostris. SHORT-BILLED SCRUB-TIT. Psilopus brevirostris, Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc, 1837, p. 147. Smicrornis brevirostris, Gould, Bds. Austr., fol, Vol. IL, pi. 103 (1848); id., Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. 273 (18G5); Sharpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. IV., p. 209 (1879). Adult male — General colour above dull olive tinged with yellow, which is more distinct on the lower back and rump; quills broivn, externally edged toith ashy-olive; upper tail-coverts olive-brown; tail feathers pale brmvn, crossed by a broad subterminal black band, which is almost lost on the two central feathers, the four outermost feathers having a spot of white near the tip of their inner webs; crown of the head pale brown, tinged toith olive; from the nostril extending over the eye a line of dull whitish feathers; a small spot in front of the eye rufous-brown; remainder of the feathers around thr eye and the ear-coverts pale rufou$-brow7i: throat and fore-neck dull white, tinged with olive; remainder of the under surface pale yellowlsh-hiff, becoming bright olive-yellow on the abdomen; under tail-coverts pale yeUotvish-buff ; bill broum ; feet fleshy-brown ; iris straw-white. Total length in the flesh 3-5 inches, wing J, tail l-Jf, bill 0-2, tarsus 0-lJ. Adult female — Similar in plumage to the male. Distribution.— Qu&ftnsX&nA, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia. /T^HE two species belonging to this genus, which is confined to Australia, may be -L distinguished by their diminutive size and unusually short bills. The present species is widely distributed over the continent, and among specimens now before me I can find no difference between eastern and western examples. An adult male, obtained by Mr. George Masters in January, 1869, at Mongup, Salt River, Western Australia, being precisely similar in plumage to another one procured by him in August, 1870, at Gayndah on the Burnett River, Queensland. The wing-measurement of adult males varies from 1-85 to 2-05 inches. Some have narrow central brownish-black streaks on the feathers of the throat, in others they are absent. With the exception of heavily timbered mountain ranges, and the dense coastal brushes, I have noted this species in nearly every part of New South Wales and Victoria. In the latter State it was one of the first birds I became acquainted with in my early collecting days, the belts of Melaleuca growing near the mouth of the Yarra River being at that time the favourite resort, among others, of two species known locally and distinguished by bird-nesting boys as the "Scrub-Tit," the present species, and the "Scrub- Wren" (Scriconiis fnmtalis). In New South Wales I found it very common near Wellington and Dubbo, also in the myall scrubs on the Namoi River, its range extending through similar country into Western Queensland, from where I received its nest and eggs. Near Sydney it breeds chiefly in the open forest lands about Blacktown and Seven Hills, and in the sapling scrubs at Cabramatta, Auburn, and Belmore. It is freely distributed on the hills around Adelaide, and Dr. A. M. Morgan found it fairly common at Port Augusta in August, 1900, but not farther north. . Again, in company with Dr. A. Chenery during a collecting expedition made from Port Augusta to the Gawler Ranges in August, 1902, it was observed throughout the trip wherever there were Eucalypti. While undoubtedly resorting to trees of larger growth, it gives decided preference for sapling scrubs and low timber. In its actions it closely resembles the typical Acanthis^e, clinging to the leafy sprays and diligently searching for minute insects and their larva;. It is exceedingly tame, and if one remains perfectly still, will venture so close that I have more than once seen an attempt made to catch it in dwarf saplings with a short-handled butterfly-net. 190 MUSCICAPID.E. The call-note of this species is a clear whistling double-note, remarkably loud for the size of the bird, and somewhat resembling that of the Mistletoe-bird ( Diiirum hiriindinaceum). The nests are small, round, oval, or pear-shaped structures, with a narrow spout-like entrance near the top, and vary in size and the materials of which they are formed according to the localities in which they are built. I'sually they are outwardly constructed of fine wiry grasses, spiders' cocoons and webs, woven securely together, and lined inside with feathers or small dried flowers; in others mosses or feathers are worked into the outer walls, and I have seen them formed throughout of green grass stems, held together with spiders' web and cocoons, and without any special lining. An average one measures externally two inches and a half in diameter by three inches and a half in length, and across the spout-like entrance near the top one inch. The nests are generally attached at the back or sides to the thin leafy twigs near the top of a gum sapling, or to the thin upright rigid stems of a tea-tree, at a height varying from seven to thirty feet from the ground. At Narrabri, in November, 1S96, I found them built in the low drooping leafy stems of some of the larger gum trees. The eggs, usually two, sometimes three in number for a sitting, are oval or elongate-oval in form, the shell being close-grained, smooth, and slightly lustrous. They vary in ground colour from creamy-bufTand pale vinous-brown to a dull bufTy-white, which is minutely freckled either with buffy-brown, purplish-brown, or slaty-brown, the markings in some specimens being uniformly distributed over the shell, but as a rule predominating on the larger end where a more or less well defined zone is sometimes formed. Others ha\e only an indistinct clouded zone or cap on the larger end, of a slightly darker hue than the ground colour. A set of two, taken in Central Queensland, measures as follows: — Length (A) o-6i x 0-47 inches; (B) 0-62 x 0-49 inches. A set of two, taken in New South' Wales, measures: — (A) 0-62 x 0-43 inches; (B) o'6 X 0-44 inches. An elongate set measures: — (A) 0-62 x 0-44 inches; (B) 0-67 x 0-43 inches. A set of three, taken in the Wimmera District, Victoria, measures: — (A) 0-53 x 0'4i inches; (B) 0-55 x 0-41 inches; (C) 0-55 x 0-42 inches. Fledgelings assume the plumage of the adults shortly after leaving the nest. Probably two or more broods are reared during the breeding season, which begins in July, and continues the five following months. I have taken fresh eggs as early as the 5th August, and as late as the 6th November. That they may be found much later is proved by my seeing fledgelings that had just left the nest at the end of January. Smicrornis flavescens. YELLOW-TINTED SCRUB-TIT. Smicrornis flavescens, Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc, 1842, p. 134; id., Bds. Austr., fol., Vol. II., pi. 104 (1848); id., Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. 274 (1865); Sharps, Oat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. IV., p. 210 (1879); North, Rep. Horn Sci. Exped. Central Austr., Pt. II., Zool., p. 84, (1896). Adult male — General colour above olive-yelloiv, brighter on the rump : upper tailcoverts like the back; upper wingcoverts and quills ashy-broivn, margined with olive-yellow ; tail feathers ashy- brown, externally edged with olive-yellow, and crossed with a subterminal black band, except on the two central feathers, the four outermost feathers with a spot of white near the tip of the inner web; crown of the head brown, washed tvith olive-yelloiv ; lores and an indistinct eyebroiv buffy- white; ear-coverts pale rufous brown; feathers on the chin and upper throat pale yellowish-white; remainder of the under surface yellow, becoming a deeper yellow on the abdomen and flanks; under tail-coverts pale yellow; bill and feet pale fleshy-broion; iris slraiv-u:hite. Total length 3 3 inches, wing 19, tail IS, bill 0 22 tarsus OSa. Adult female — Similar in plumage to the male. SMICRORNIS. 191 Distribution.— 'tsoTth-western Australia, Northern Territory of South Australia, Northern Queensland, Central Australia. /"fi^HE Yellow-tinted Scrub-Tit is the smallest bird yet found inhabiting Australia, I measuring,' barely three inches and a quarter in lenf^th, and from i-8 to 1-95 inches in win,i,'-measurement. It is distributed right across the northern portion of the continent. Gilbert obtained specimens at Port Essington, and the late Mr. E. Spalding procured examples near Port Darwin. Mr. Gulliver found it near Normanton, in the Gulf District, and Mr. .Munt has obtained its nest and eggs a siiort distance inland from Cooktown. At Derby, North-western .Vustralia, it was obtained respectively by Mr. E. J. Cairn and the late Mr. T. H. Bowyer-Bower in i885, and by Mr. G. A. Keartland in 1896-7 near the junction of the Fitzroy and Margaret Rivers, who also procured examples in 1894, in Central Australia, where Mr. C. E. Cowle has on several occasions taken its nests and eggs. Relative to this species Mr. G. A. Keartland has kindly sent me the following notes: — "I first met with these little birds in the gullies of the West Macdonnell Ranges, in Central Australia, in June, 1894. They were generally found in the largest eucalyptus trees, seeming to prefer the topmost branches. Their note is very hnid in proportion to the size of the bird, and they indulge in a very pretty song. Although several may be heard in a gully, it seldom happens that more than two birds are in the same tree. They are extremely active in quest of insects, etc., amongst the foliage, and keep up a constant twitter as they perform all manner of antics amongst the drooping leaves. During the latter part of my stay at the Fitzroy River, North-western Australia, in 1897, I found them under similar circumstances, but there is very little doubt that they like to be in the neighbourhood of a good water supply, as I never saw them far from either a well or the river. The sexes are alike in plumage, and I am of opinion that age makes very little difference in their appearance. I skinned one bird that I saw being fed by another. It was evidently a young one. Both fell at the one shot, and I had difficulty in deciding which was the recipient of the food until I dissected them. Their nests are usually placed in the drooping foliage of a gum or mulga." A nest of this species, found during April, 1898, near lUamurta, Central Australia, by Mr. C. E. Cowle, is a small dome-shaped structure, with a narrow entrance protected by a hood near the top. It is compactly formed of the partially green stems of herbaceous plants inter- mingled with plant down, the walls and bottom being very thick, and the inside lined with the latter material and a few feathers, among them being one of Platyccrcus zonarius. It is beautifully woven together, resembling somewhat in appearance the nest of Diaeum Mrundinaceum, but larger, and is composed of finer materials than I have seen used by Smicvovnis hyevirostvis. Externally it measures three inches and a half in height by two inches and a half in diameter, and across the narrow entrance near the top one inch. It was attached to the thin leafy stems of a mulga, at a height of four feet from the ground, and contained three fresh eggs, one of which Mr. Cowle unfortunately broke. Eggs two or three in number for a sitting, oval or elongate oval in form, the shell being close-grained, smooth, and slightly lustrous. Two eggs of the set from the above nest, and which are now in Mr. Keartland's collection, are of a creamy-buff ground colour, one specimen having a zone of indistinct creamy-brown markings on the larger end, the other being sparingly but uniformly freckled over the shell with dull purplish-brown, the markings becoming con- fluent and of a faint violet shade on the larger end, where a cap is formed. They measure: — (A) 0-57 X 0-42 inches; (B) 0-57 x 0-42 inches. Another egg, taken at Illamurta, by Mr. Cowle, from a nest built in a gum sapling measures o-6 x 0-47 inches. A set of two eggs in Mr. J. Gabriel's collection, also taken by Mr. Cowle in Central .Vustralia, measures: — (A) 0-58 x 0-42 inches; (B) 0'58 x 0-43 inches. 192 MUSCICAPID.E. /T3? Gerygone albigularis. WHITE-THROATED BUSH-WARBLER. Psilopus alhogularis, Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc, 1837, p. 147. Gerygone albogularis, Gould, Bds. Austr., fol., Vol. II., pi. 97 (1848); id., Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I,, p. 26G (186.5). Gerygone albigularis, Sharpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. IV., p. -212 (1879). Adult malk — General colour above pale ashy-brown, washed 7vilh olive; lesser wing-coverts like the back, the median and greater coverts dark brown, externally edged with ashy-brown; quills dark brotvn, externally edged with light ashy-brown ; upper tail-coverts pale ashy-broum ; two central tail feathers ashy-brown, with a large indistinct blackish-broion oval spot near the tip, the remainder blackish-brown with a brand white band on their inner webs near the centre of the feather and a spot of white at the tip, the apical portion of the outer web of the outermost feather white except at the tip; loral streak white: feathers in front of the eye and the ear-coverts rich broivn; cheeks and throat white; remainder of the under surface yellow ; under tail-coverts yelloivish-n-hite ; bill black; legs and feet blackish-brown; iris light red. Total length in the flesh JpS inches, ?ring ;.'V>, tail 17, bill 0-Jf, tarsus 0'7. Adult female — Similar in phnnage to the male. Distribution. — Queensland, New South Wales, \'ictoria. K%HE eastern portion of the Australian continent is the habitat of this species, and in no part does it appear to be more abundantly distributed than in New South Wales. It is but sparingly dispersed in \'ictoria, although the first nest and eggs of this species I had seen, together with a skin of the bird, were obtained near Beechworth in November, i88o. There is con- siderable variation in the wing-measurement of adult specimens, even when procured in the same neigh- bourhood; 2-3 inches is the average, but the wing of a fine old adult male obtained at Middle Harbour, Sydney, measures only 2-15 inches; of another, procured at Ashfield, 2-45 inches. Specimens from the Burnett River and Rockingham Bay, Queensland, are similar in colour and average measurements to New South W'ales examples. It is a strictly migratory species, arriving in New South Wales early in spring, remaining to breed, and leaving again in the autumn. During a period of fourteen years I have generally noted its arrival in the vicinity of Sydney between the 7th and 15th September, on the average being nearer to the earlier date. In 1902, however, a year of unprecedented drought inland, it did not arrive at Roseville until the 7th October. The time of its departure depends a great deal upon the season, generally it is during the first or second week in April, my latest record being the 21st April, i8g8, the weather that year being unusually warm and mild. It frequents chiefly sapling scrubs, open forest country, and mountain ranges, and except in the arid portions I have met with it in nearly every part of the State visited. From its sweet and pleasing note it is known in tlie neighbourhood of Sydney and in many parts of New South Wales as the "Native Canary." It is impossible to convey by words any idea of its clear and varied song, which is uttered at intervals throughout the day, and can be heard at a great distance. During the late spring and early summer months it \VHITE-TI1R0.\TEU UUSII-WARBLEH. RERGYONE. 193 commences to sing about 5 a.m. Just prior to taking its departure, it does not sing so frequently, and usually repeats only part of its spring song. The food of this species consists entirely of minute insects and their larva, which it obtains among the leaves. While engaged in its search for food it is quite unconcerned at the approach of an intruder, and frequently will utter its pleasing song while perched a few feet abo\'e one's head. The nest is oblong-o\al in form, with a narrow entrance near the top, protected with a small hood, the bottom of the nest terminating in a beard or tail several inches in length. Outwardly it is constructed of very fine strips or shreds of stringy bark, firmly interwoven with spiders' webs, and lined inside with feathers, fur, hair, or soft downy seeds. Some nests are built throughout of bark and cobwebs; others are beautifully ornamented on the outside with the pure white egg-bags of spiders, or the pale green web in which they are sometimes enveloped. As a rule, however, dull red is the prevailing colour of their nests. In one now before me several pieces of string and white worsted are worked into the front. A common decoration is the silky covering to holes in trees formed by the wood-boring larvje of insects, and to which closely adhere small particles of wood. On some I have found pieces of kino which were probably attached to the spiders' webs when collected by the birds off the trunks of trees. One taken by me at Ashfield on the loth November, i8go, had two entrances, one above the other; it was built near the top of a Turpentine-tree at a height of forty feet from the ground, and contained three fresh eggs on which the bird was sitting. It is remarkable, too, that nests often built near one another differ so much in the material used in their inner construction. Of two taken in close proximity, one is thickly lined with feathers the other entirely with cow-hair. The beard or tail below the nest varies considerably in length. Generally it is about three or four inches long, but a nest I found had this appendage over six inches and a half in length. The nest figured on Plate A 4, which was taken at Roseville on the 19th October, 1898, measures five inches in length by two inches and a half in breadth, the tail beneath the nest five inches, and across the aperture one inch. It was built in a Sydney Peppermint (Eucalyptus piperita) and contained two fresh eggs. In the neighbourhood of Sydney the nest is usually attached at the top to a tliin leafy branchlet of a gum sapling or Turpentine-tree (Syncarpia laurifoUa). Some are built within hand's reach, but generally they are from ten to twenty feet in height from the ground, and not infrequently they are found at an altitude of fully forty feet. The nests of this species are extremely common, and fall an easy prey to bird-nesting boys, for the little builders pour forth their musical notes during the greater part of the time they are engaged in the task of nidification. A nest the writer had under daily observation near his house, was commenced early in the morning of the 28th September, 1898. At that time only a small portion of bark was placed around a thin upright leafy twig of a low sapling, at a height of five feet from the ground. Nesting material, consisting of fine strips and shreds of stringy-bark interwoven with spiders' webs was added for the two following days. It was then a long rounded pendant mass, averaging except at the bottom, two inches in diameter by nine inches in length, and without the least semblance or form of a nest. On the fourth day a neatly rounded hole was made near the top of this collection of nesting material, enabling the birds to get inside. Gradually they worked their way down the centre of the mass to the required depth, at the same time forcing out the sides until it assumed an oblong-oval form, with a few inches of superfluous nesting material remaining below the nest. Fashioning the interior, and lining it with finer strips of bark and at the bottom with feathers occupied another four days. On the 8th October, eleven days after the nest was first commenced, I flushed a bird from it, and found it contained one egg. The next day another egg was laid, and probably a third was deposited on the succeeding day, but on passing the tree that evening I Tt 194 MUSCICAPID.E. found that the nest had been torn away from the branch. The birds commenced at once to build in another saphng near at hand, but forsook it two days afterwards, and selected the very same spot where their nest had been taken from a few days before. Here precisely the same nest- building operations were repeated. This nest took fourteen days to complete. On the 29th October it contained one egg, when I cut the branch on which it was built off the tree. This nest is now in the Australian Museum collection. Leaving home for a few weeks, I saw no more of this pair of birds, but was informed by Mr. C. G. Johnston that they started to build again on the next branch, which he pulled off as he knew there was not the slightest chance of their rearing any young. Finally, on their commencing to build again, he uprooted the sapling. It can only be conjectured what induced the birds to select this particular sapling after having their nests destroyed so many times, for it was surrounded for some distance by others similar to it. Probably it was due to the fact that the stem was thickly infested with scale and overrun with ants, for it is well known that this species evinces a decided preference for trees infested with these industrious insects. Subsequently I had many opportunities of watching the nest-building process, and in every instance it was similar to that previously described. These birds are not easily disturbed. A nest at Roseville I wanted to send to a friend, I removed from the branch of a sapling during a thunderstorm, believing the full number of eggs had been deposited, but found, on making a closer examination, that it contained only two. Putting a small hole through the upper portion of the structure, I passed it half way down a thin dead twig. On the following day 1 found one of the birds singing in the tree, but the twig had been broken off and the nest was lying on the grass, with tlie full complement of three perfect eggs. The eggs are usually three, sometimes only two, in number for a sitting, oval or elongate oval in form, the shell being close-grained, and its surface smooth and lustreless. The ground colour varies from pure white to dull reddish-white, wliich is more or less obscured by innumerable fine freckles, dots, and irregular-shaped spots of either dull red, pinkish-red, or faint purplish-red, the markings being larger and predominating on the thicker end, where in many specimens a well defined cap or zone is sometimes formed. Two unusually marked eggs, taken from the nest figured, are pure white with a heavy zone on the larger end, formed of confluent blotches of pale purplish-red; the remainder of the shell, with the exception of a few small freckles, being devoid of markings. A set of three measures as follows: — Length (A) 075 X 0-48 inches; (B) 076 x 0-5 inches; (C) 075 x 0-49 inches. A set of two measures: — ■ (A) 0-68 X 0-48 inches; (B) 0-67 x 0-48 inches. Young birds resemble the adults, but liave no white loral streak; the ear-coverts are pale brown, the feathers on the forehead are washed with yellow, and the cheeks and throat are of a uniform dull yellow like the remainder of the under surface. Wing 2 inches. In New South Wales nidification seldom commences before the middle of September, and the nest usually takes from eleven to fourteen days to complete. Both sexes work assiduously at its construction, the male stopping now and again to relieve the tediousness of nest-building with his pleasing and cheerful song. , The eggs are deposited on each succeeding day, and the task of incubation occupies about twelve days. Nests containing fresh eggs are more often found in the neighbourhood of Sydney during the month of October, but I have obtained them as late as the 30th December. The female sits very close, and will occasionally allow herself to be handled, rather than forsake her eggs or young. I have frequently taken the eggs of the Bronze Cuckoo (Lamprococcyx plagosus) and the Rufous-tailed Bronze Cuckoo (L. hasalis) from the nests of this species. GERGYONE. 195 Gerygone fusca. BROWN BUSH-WARBLER, Psilopns /usciis, Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc , 1837, p. 147. Gerygone fusca, Gould, Bds. Austr., fol.. Vol. II., pi. 98 (184:8); id., Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. 267 (1865). Pseudogergy one fusca, Sharpe, Oat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. IV., p. 22.3 (1879). Adult .male — General colour ahove hrotvu washed with light umber; upper wing-coverts and quills brown externally margined tvitJt olive; tail ashy-broivn slightly tinged with olive, and crossed with an indistinct blackish-brown band, all but the two central feathers having a large spot of white near the tip of the inner web, this spot increasing in size towards the outermost feather on either side, tvliich is subterminall y barred ivith white; lores, a narrotv line over the eye, and the lower portion of the eyelid ashy-white; a spot in front of the eye blackish-brown ; sides of the face, throat, and neck ashy-grey ; remainder of the under surface greyish-white, passing into a ptirer white on the centre of the abdomen; tlie flanks, sides of the abdomen, and under tail-coverts strongly washed with buff; bill black; legs and feet greyish-broivn ; iris brownish-red. Total length in the flesh J^-l inches, wing 2'1, tail I'S, bill 0 32, tarsus 0 75. Adult fem.^le — Similar in plumage to the male. Distribution. — Queensland, New South Wales. /T^HE type oi Gerygone fusca was described by Gould in the Proceedings of the Zoological -L Society, in 1837, from a specimen in the collection of the Earl of Derby, its habitat being recorded as Australia. In his diagnosis there given, also in his descriptions of this species in his folio edition of the "Birds of Australia," and which is copied in his " Handbook," he states that the " two central tail feathers are brown, the remainder white at the base." This is at variance with his figures, and with the above description which is that of the bird found in the coastal brushes of Northern New South Wales, where Gould states Gerygone fusca inhabits. .Vn adult male, obtained by ;\Ir. George Masters at Wide Bay, Queensland, in October, 1867, has not the light umber wash so pronounced as specimens procured on the Bellinger River, New South Wales, and the under surface is dull white with only a slight tinge of buff on the flanks and under tail-coverts. An adult male and female procured by Messrs. Cairn and Grant, in 1889, at Boar Pocket on the table-land of the Bellenden Ker Range, North-eastern Queensland, which I have now before me, were erroneously recorded as Gerygone culicivora.''- In the character of their markings they are more nearly allied to the present species, but vary in other respects. They may be described as follows: — Adult Male: General colour above earth-brown, with a faint umber shade; upper wing-coverts like the back; quills dusky brown, e.xternally margined with dull olive-brown; tail greyish-brown, tinged with olive and crossed with a broad-subterminal blackish-brown band, and having a large spot of white near the tip of the inner web of all but the two central feathers, this spot increasing in size towards the outermost feather on either side, which is subterminally barred with white; lores and a narrow line of feathers extending over the eye white; in front of the eye a spot of blackish-brown; ear-coverts earth- brown, slightly washed with light umber; chin and feathers below the eye white; remainder of the under surface and under tail-coverts white, tinged with faint brownish-bufT. Total length 3-5 inches, wing 1-95, tail 17, bill 0-33, tarsus 07. Adult Female: Similar in plumage to the male, but of a slightly purer white on the under surface. • Rec. Aust. Mus., Vol. 1., p. 30 (1890). 196 MUSCICAPID.E. From Gould's figure and typical examples of Gerygone fusca obtained in New South Wales, these birds may be distinguished by the earth-brown hue of the upper parts, the lighter under surface, which is devoid of the greyish wash on the throat and sides of the head, and of the rich buff wash on the flanks, abdomen, and under tail-coverts; the spot in front of the eye is darker, and the lores and line over the eye a purer white. Whether these birds from Boar Pocket, w-hich I propose to distinguish under the name of Gerygone pallida, will prove to be only a northern race of G. fusca, or a distinct species, I am unable to determine until I have had an opportunity of examining a series of specimens from different localities, intermediate between Wide Bay and Rockingham Bay. Gergyone fusca is a resident species in the northern coastal rivers districts of New South Wales, its range extending as far south as the neighbourhood of Sydney. In the palm brushes about Tuggerah Lake, Ourimbah, and Gosford, it is common; and it is also found in the humid mountain gullies on the highlands of the Milson's Point railway line. I noted it at Roseville in October, igo2, and once procured a specimen in a scrub-lined creek intersecting open forest lands at Blacktown. Mr. George Masters informs me that in 1875 '' ^^'^-S common in the late Sir William Macleay"s garden at Elizabeth Bay, Sydney. Although a similar vegetation flourishes in the Illawarra District as about Ourimbah and Gosford, and many brush-frequenting species are common to the two districts, I have never observed it there nor have I seen it represented in any of the numerous collections made in that part of the State. It is strictly an inhabitant of the coastal districts and contiguous mountain ranges, and is not found in the dry inland portions of New South Wales. In habits it resembles very much the Acanihiza, hopping about among the leafy sprays or trailing vines in search of minute insects, which constitute its sole food. Unlike Gergyone alhigularis, it is possessed of but feeble powers of song, although if it is once heard it can easily be distinguished from that of any other species, even at some distance away. Its half sibilant, half whistling spring notes resemble the sounds of the words "What is it? what is it ?" repeated several times. At the end of summer and in the autumn these notes are seldom uttered. The nest is a dome-shaped structure, with a narrow bottle-neck like entrance, and has usually several inches of superfluous nesting-material below the domed portion. Outwardly it is formed of green mosses, with a slight admixture of spiders' web, the inner walls consisting entirely of very fine and soft bark fibre, which is again warmly and thickly lined at the bottom with soft silky plant-down, and sometimes with fur or feathers. Externally it is beautifully ornamented with pieces of pale greenish-grey lichens. In some nests the inner walls have long fine black hair-like rootlets, and skeletons of small leaves worked into them. The domed portion only has an inner lining; above and below it the structure is formed almost entirely of moss. An average nest measures nine inches in total length, of which the domed portion or nest proper measures four inches in height by two inches and a half in diameter; and the upper side of the neck-like entrance one inch and a quarter by five-eighths of an inch across the aperture. The nests, however, vary much in size, according to the length of the tail-like appendage beneath it. In seven nests found by me at Ourimbah, in November, 1901, the length of superfluous nesting material varied from two inches and a (juarter to five inches, and the upper side of the spout-like entrance from three-quarters of an inch te three inches. Occasionally nests may be found with the domed portion neatly rounded off at the bottom. Little or no preference seems to be shown in the choice of a tree or vine as a nesting-site. In the scrubs of the northern coastal rivers it is often suspended to a Lawyer-vine (Calamus australis). About Ourimbah and Gosford I found them attached to a thin leafy spray of a Lilli-pilly (Eugenia smithii). Maiden's Blush (Sloanea australis), Sassafras (Doryphora sassafras), Coachwood (Crystapetalum apetalum), or to a prickly \ine or Bramble (Riihus uworei), or a GERYGONK. 197 "Sarsaparilla" (Sniilax australis). I have also found them attached to dead gum sapHngs, and one overhanging a creek on a dead bare twig without any shelter whatever. Usually they are built from ten to fifteen or twenty feet from the ground, but I have seen them as low as three feet and as high as forty feet. Trees growing on the sides of or near creeks are favourite situations, but they may be also found in trees on the roadside or in the high brush far removed from water. The eggs are two or three in number for a sitting, oval or elongate-oval in form, the shell being close-grained, smooth, and almost lustreless. They are of a white or reddish-white ground colour, which is finely freckled, spotted, and blotched with different shades varying from dull to bright red, and faint purplish-red; the markings, whether large or small, are all irregularly shaped, and predominate as a rule on the thicker end, where a more or less well defined zone is frequently formed. Some specimens have but a few isolated spots and dots dis- tributed over the shell, and in a set I took at Ourimbah, one of the eggs was pure white, while the remainder were thickly freckled, spotted, and blotched with bright red. A set of three, taken on the 24th November, 1901, measures as follows : — Length (A) 0-67 x 0-47 inches; (B) 0-65 x 0-46 inches; (C) o'66 X 0-47 inches. A set of two taken on the following day from the nest figured, measures: — (A) o*6 x 0-47 inches; (B) 0'62 x 0-47 inches. So far as I have observed, the female alone undertakes the task of nest- building, the male being usually in a tree near by, and enlivening her with his song. I have had many oppor- tunities of watching the nests of this species being built, from the com- mencement to the finish. They are formed precisely in a similar manner to those of Gcrygone albigularis, a pendant mass of nesting material first being collected, an entrance afterwards being made into it and the domed portion, formed by forcing out the sides and linmg it with bark fibre and plant down. The nest figured, which gives a side view of the structure, was built within three feet of "the ground, in a mass of vines overgrowing a small bush at Ourimbah. It was commenced on the morning of the loth November, 1901 ; at that time only a small quantity of moss and a little cobweb was built around a horizontal vine stem. Two days later, it was a long rounded mass of similar nesting material, measuring ten inches in length. The following day NEST OF BROWN BUSII-WARI! LER. Ud 198 MUSCICAPID.E. an entrance was made, and a spout-like tunnel formed, the latter being unusually long and well developed. The bird would frequently carry material to the structure and work while I was only a yard away from it. A peculiar habit this species has when building is to rapidly gyrate down the structure, from the top to the bottom, fastening in the material in its descent. The domed portion of the nest was then formed, filled out, and completed on the 22nd inst., or twelve days from its commencement. An egg was deposited on the 23rd November, and another on the 25th inst. Externally it measures nine inches in total length, and from the front of the entrance across the domed portion of the structure four inches and a quarter. The superfluous nesting material beneath, which consists only of mosses and lichens and is thicker and more rounded than usual, measures three inches. Another nest which I saw commenced, and frequently watched during building opera- tions, I was surprised to find on the ground fifteen days after it was begun, and the birds hopping about the tree it had been in. On opening the structure, I found two recently broken and slightly incubated eggs of Gerygone fusca, and one fresh and perfect egg of the Bronze Cuckoo (Lamprococcyx plagosus). I concluded the weight of the latter bird had torn the nest asunder, but how it managed to deposit its egg in it is a mystery to me, for the aperture of the narrow spout-like entrance of the nest was barely three-quarters of an inch in width. The breeding season, which commences in September, continues until the end of January. Gerygone culicivora. WIHTE-TAILED HUSH-WARBLER. Psilopus culicivorus, Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc, 1840, p. 17 f. Gerygone culicivora, Gould, Bds. Austr., fol.. Vol. II., pi. 99 (1848); id., Handlik. Bds, Austr., Vol. I., p. 268 (1865). Pseudogery gone culicivora, Sharpe, Oat. Bds. Brit. Mus, Vol. IV., p. 220 (1879). Adult m.\le — General colour above ashy-brown, slightly irashrd tvith olive, lite latter colour being more distinct on the rump and upper tail-cover ts ; lesser wing coverts like the back, the median and greater coverts brown, loith indistinct paler margins; quills bronni, externally edged u>iih ashy- white, the basal portion of the outer webs of the secondaries ivashed with olive; two central tail- feathers ashy-brown, narrovtly edged with tvhite near the centre and having a blackish-brown wash towards the tips, the remainder tvhite on the basal half, blackish-brotvn on the apical portion, with a spot of white at the tip of the inner web, this spot increasing in size towards the outermost feather which is subterininally barred with while ; extreme bases of the central feathers dark brown ; lores and a narrow line over the eye ashy-white ; a spot in front of the eye blackish-brown ; chin, fore-neck, and breast ashy-white ; centre of the abdomen and under tail-coverts pure white; bill black; legs and feet black; ^' iris light reddish-yellow" (Govild). Total length Jf inches, wing 23, tail IS, bill 0-32, tarsus 0-75. Adult female — Similar in plumage to the male. Distribution. — Western Australia, South .\ustralia, Mctoria, New South Wales, Queens- land, Central Australia. f |(j^HE range of the White-Tailed Bush -Warbler e.xtends over the greater portion of -J- Southern .\ustralia, but it is more common in the western than the eastern parts of the continent. Mr. George Masters, collecting on behalf of the Trustees of the Australian Museum, obtained specimens at Port Lincoln, South Australia, and again, three years after, at King George's Sound, in December, 1868. An example was also obtained by Messrs. Cairn and Grant while collecting near Bourke, on the Darling River, New South Wales, in November, 1888; and Mr. E. H. Lane has for two successive years, i8gg and 1900, taken its nest and eggs on Wambangalang Station, near Dubbo, in the former instance also shooting one of the 140 GERYGONE. '^^'^ birds u'hich he sent me for identification. Tlirottgh Mr. G. A. Keartland I have also received its nest and eggs, taken by Mr. C. K. Cowle, near Illamurta, Central Australia. Mr C W DeVis M. A., has kindly forwarded me two specimens of G^ri'^^o^f n(//mw« for exammation from Queensland. One obtamed by Mr. K. Broadbent at ClnnchiUa on the banks of the Condannne Kuer. in May, 1885, and referred to by him'= as Gerygone fusca has the upper parts paler and strongly tmged with olive, and the outer webs of the qmlls are distinctly washed with yellowish-ol.ve. Judging by the tail feathers, it is evidently in the moult '\nother specimen, procured by Mr. Broadbent in October, 1885, at Charlev.Ue, on the Warre-o River, about five hundred and twenty miles west of Brisbane, and recorded as Gerygone mastevu,] is precisely similar to a specimen of G. adidvova, obtained by Mr. Masters at Port Lincoln, South Australia, in December, 1865. It is evident that the present species is subject to individual variation, for none of our specimens from anv part of Australia show any trace of the •' ochraceous-buff wash on the sides of the bodv," as characterised by Dr. Sharpe in his description of Gerygone cuhc,vora.\ A nest of this species, taken by Mr. E. H. Lane on the 28th October, 1900, at Wambanga- lanc. Station, resembles a small nest of G. albtgulans. It is pear-shaped in form, with an entrance near the top, slightly sheltered with a small hood, and has the common tail-hke appendacre, which is shorter than usual, at the bottom of the structure. Outwardly it is formed of very fine strips of bark, dried grasses, spiders' cocoons, and small fragments of newspaper, all matted up together, and coated with a lacework of spiders' webs; inside the bottom portion of the nest only is lined with very fine dried grasses and a few feathers Externally it measures six inches and a quarter in height over all by two inches and a half in diameter, and across the entrance nine-tenths of an inch. It was attached to the thin leafy twigs of a stringy-bark sapling, about fifteen feet from the ground, and was a mile and a halt away from the nearest water. Ecrcrs three in number for a sitting, oval in form, the shell being close-grained, smooth, and almost lustreless. Of a set of three taken by Mr. Lane on the 4th November, ^ 899, two of them are of a very pale fleshy-white ground colour, which is minutely and finely freckled with dull pinkish-red, the markings predominating on the thicker end where a well defined zone is formed; the other specimen is white, faintly tinged with yellowish-buff, with a zone of dull red spots on the larger end, the remainder of the shell being devoid of markings. They measure as follows :-Length (A) 0-63 x 0-48 inches; (B) 0-64 x 0-47 inches; (C) 0-64 x 0-47 mches. In New South Wales, October and the three following months, apparently constitute the breeding season of this species. Gerygone magnirostris. LAEGE-BILLED BUSH-WAKBLER. Gerygone magnirostris, Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc, 1842, p. 133; id., Bds. Austr., fol., Vol. IL, pi. 100 (1848); id., Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vok L, p. 270 (186.5); North, Ibis, 189.3, p. 373. Pseudogerygone magnirostris, Sharpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. IV., p. 222 (1879). Adult UALK-General colour above brown, slightly tinged ivith olive; upper wing-coverts like the hack; quills brown, exlernally edged with olive-brorvn ; tail feathers brown, crossed by an indistinct subterminal blackish-brown band, all hut the two central ones having a dull rvhitxsh spot near the tip of the inner web; a spot in front of the eye dusky hrown, a smaller one near the nostril, and the eyelid above and below, white; sides of the neck fulvous-brown; throat and all the * Proc. Roy. Soc. Queensld., Vol. ii., p. 121 (1886). t Proc. Roy. Soc. Queensld., Vol. iii., p. 28 (1887). I Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. iv., p. 220 (1879). 200 MDSCICAPID.E. under surface white, tinged tviih fulvous-brown on the breast and flanks : under tail-coverts white; bill deep olive black ; legs and feet black; "iris rerf" (Broadbent). Total length SS inches, iving £•1, tail 1-7, bill 0'4, tarsus 0-7. Adult female — Similar in plumage to the male. Distribution. — Northern Territory of South Australia, North-eastern Queensland. AT^HIS species was discovered by Gilbert on Greenhill Island, near Port Essington. J- Apparently it is rare in that portion of the continent, for it was not represented in either of the large collections made by Mr. Alex. Morton and the late Mr. E. Spalding at Port Essington and Port Darwin. Mr. Charles French, Junr., has, however, sent me a mutilated skin of a bird that was obtained, together with its nest and egg, near the Daly River, in the Northern Territory of South Australia, in January, 1903. Dr. Sharpe has recorded it from Thursday Island, and I have received specimens for examination from the Trustees of the South Australian Museum, .\delaide, that were procured at Cape York. Although the wing- measurements of specimens obtained in these widely separated localities are alike, the bill of the example from the Northern Territory of South .Australia is slightly larger than those of specimens procured at Cape York, while the bills of the latter are larger than those of examples obtained farther south at Cardwell and the Herbert River. There is also a slight variation in the markmg at the tip of the inner web of the tail-feathers, some being only narrowly edged with white, others having a more or less distinct white spot. Gould, in his description, makes no mention of the small white spot at the nostril, or that the eyelid above and below is white. The lower figure of this species, also in his folio edition of the " Birds of Australia," is repre- sented as having whitish tips to all the tail-feathers. Mr. George Masters, in describing Gerygone simplex,] from the Gulf of Carpentaria, compares it with the present species, G. magnirostris. I find, however, on examining the type at the Macleay Museum, and several other specimens procured at the same time by Mr. Broadbent, that it corresponds almost precisely with Dr. Sharpe's description of G. lavigaster.\ From Gould's original description and figure of the latter species, the bird described by Mr. Masters differs chiefly in not having the entire tips of all but the two central tail-feathers white, and in the absence of the pronounced white orbital ring, as represented in Gould's lower figure. Notwithstanding these discrepancies, I agree with Dr. Sharpe in regarding Gerygone simplex as the same as G. lavigaster, Gould. Mr. Frank Hislop informs me that Gerygone magnirostris is common in the Cooktown and Bloomfield River Districts, where it is known as the '• Flood-bird," from its usual habit of building on a creeper or vine overhanging water, and its nest resembling a mass of debris left by the water after the creeks or rivers have been unusually high or flooded, although occasionally their nests are found in the forest, far away from water. There are specimens in the .\ustralian Museum collection, obtained by Mr. Kendal Broadbent, near Cardwell, and I received a female, together with its nest and eggs, from Mr. J. A. Boyd while resident at the Herbert River, who informed me that it is a common species in that neighbourhood. With but few exceptions, all the nests of this species found by Mr. Boyd were built in low trees overhanging a river or the bed of a creek. Early on the morning of the 25th of November, 1892, Mr. Boyd was successful in capturing a female sitting on her two eggs, and also on one of a Bronze Cuckoo. The nest was built in a Shaddock-tree in the garden, this being the first occasion on which he had ever found the nest not overhanging a bank or stream. Subsequently Mr. Boyd obtained a nest with two fresh eggs on the gth of December, and another on the 17th with three fresh eggs in it. * Rep. Voy. H M.S. "Alert," p. 13 (1883). t Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W., Vol. i., p. 52 (1876). ; Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. iv., p. 224 (1879). EXPLANATION OF PLATE A. 2. Nest and eggs of Ebythbodbyas bosea. Bose-breasted Robin. NESTS AKD EGGS OF AUSTKALIAN BUIDS. PLATE A. ■>. '\: 4* ^ ^■ *5^^:*:^fe .*«-«t\<^.«*r. EXPLANATION OF PLATE A. 3. Nest of EopsALTniA abstealis. Yellow-breasted Itobin. NESTS AND EGGS OF AUSTBALIAN BIRDS. PLATE A- 3. EXPLANATION OF PLATE A 4. Nest of Gebtoone albwulakis. White-throated Bush-Warbler. NESTS AND EGGS UE AIJSTKALIAN 13UIUS. PLATE A. 4. GERYGONE. 201 From ^[r. Boyd I have obtained several nests and sets of eg.t^s for description, also the female that was captured on the nest. The nests of Gcrygonc magnirostris are long pendant structures varying from sixteen to twenty-four inches in length, the drooping end of a nearly leafless twig being covered with an irregular layer of nest-material, about two inches and a half in diameter, and from nine to twelve inches in length before the nest proper is commenced. This is of a domed form, with a protecting hood well concealing the narrow entrance, and terminating at the lower extremity of the dome in a beard or tail, which is typical of the nests of this genus. They are composed of shreds of bark, cocoa-nut fibre, dried grasses and weeds, skeletons of leaves, and the silky covering of spiders' nests, all matted together, and resembling more a hanging mass of di'bris left by floods than a nest. The interior cavities of the nests are small and are warmly lined with feathers. An average one measures as follows: — total length twenty-two inches; from the top of the covered portion of the stem on which it is built to the swelling of the dome ten inches; domed portion or nest proper: length seven inches, breadth five inches: beard or tail underneath dome fi\e inches; entrance to nest one inch in diameter; interior cavity : height three inches and a (juarter, breadth two inches and a quarter; base of interior portion of protecting hood over entrance two inches. The eggs are two or three in number for a sitting, and vary in shape from oval to elongate-oval, the shell being close-grained and its surface smooth and lustreless. Typically they are of a rich pinkish-white ground colour, which is almost obscured by exceedingly minute freckles and dots of pinkish-red, becoming thicker towards the larger end, where, in some instances intermingled with a few spots of dull purplish-grey, an indistinct zone is formed. Others have the markings larger and of a darker shade of red, etjually distributed over the shell, with one or two fine hair- lines or small coalesced patches on the larger end. The set of two, on which the female was captured, measure alike 0-7 x 0-46 inches. A set of three, taken on the ist of January, 1892, measures: — Length (A) 0-69 x o'5 inches; (B) 0-67 x 0-47 inches; (C) 0-67 x 0-49 inches. A set of two, taken on the loth October, 1892, measures: — (A) 0-65 x 0-48 inches; (B) 0-65 x 0-47 inches. Since my descriptions of the nest and eggs of Gevvgonc iiiagiilrosii'is were published in "The Ibis,""' in 1893, Mr. Boyd has kindly supplemented his information relative to the finding of other nests of this species. His record for a normal breeding season is finding a nest with one fresh egg on the ist September, 1893, and, on the 6th January, 1894, procuring two nests, each with two eggs, one of them also containing a bronze coloured egg of a Cuckoo. Between these two dates Mr. Boyd found many nests containing eggs and young. On the 17th April, 1896, he wrote as follows: — "On the 6th instant I found a nest of Gcrygonc magnirostris, built on a vine tendril near the verandah of my brother's house, containing three eggs. This position is further removed from water than I have found one before, and the nest was comparatively slightly built, doubtless owing to the absence of drift material with which the lower branches of the trees on the creek banks are covered." On the 21st October following, Mr. Boyd saw presumably the same pair of birds constructing their nest on the same vine. This species is often the foster-parent of one of the Bronze Cuckoos, the eggs of which are of a deep olivaceous-brown, minutely marked with small black dots on the larger end, and not unlike the eggs oi Lamprococcyx plagosus, but larger, darker, and the surface of the shell smooth and glossy. Three Cuckoo's eggs, taken from different nests of Gcrygonc magnirostris, measure as follows: — (A) 0-83 x 0-55 inches; (B) 0-78 x 0-53 inches; (C) o-8 x 0-53 inches. The average measurement of six eggs of Lamprococcyx plagosus, taken from nests in the neighbourhood of Sydney, is 0-72 inches in length by o-3i inches in breadth. • "The Ibis," 1893, p. 37V Vt 202 MUSCICAPID.E. Gerygone personata. MASKED SCKUB-WAKBLKK. GerygouK personata, Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc, 1866, p. 217; id., Bds. Austr., fol., Suppl., pi. M (1869). Pseudogerygone personata, Sharpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. IV., p. 229 (1879). Adult male — General colour above olive-green: lesser and median loing-coverls like the hack; greater iving-coverts and quills dark hroicn, narroivly edged externally irith yelloiv ; tail feathers brown, washed with olive; forehead and feathers in front of tlie eye brown; lores and a stripe extending from the base of the lower mandible to below the ear-coverts white; throat dark brown; remainder of the under surface and under tail-coverts pale yellow; bill black ; legs and feet blackislv- bronm. Total length 4 inches, wing 2-2, tail 1-7, bill 0-^, tarsus 0-7 . Adult female — Differs from the male in the absence of the brown forehead ayid tliroat ; chin whitish; throat yellow like the remainder of the under surface. Distribution. — North-eastern Queensland. ^"f^HE Masked Scrub-W'arhler inhabits the coastal brushes of North-eastern Queensland, J- from Cape York as far south as the Herbert River District. During the "Chevert" E.xpedition, Mr. George Masters obtained three adult males, three adult females, and one young male at Cape York, also an adult male on the Endeavour River, near Cooktown, and a female on Palm Island. Dr. Sharpe, in the "Catalogue of Birds in the British Museum," '■ regards Gerygone flavida, Ramsay, as the female of G. personata, and places it as a synonym of the latter species, an opinion also held by Mr. Masters, who informs me that he always observed the male of G. personata in company with a yellow-throated bird. I have compared the type oi G. flavida with the females of G. personata in the Macleay Museum, and cannot find any difference between them. The curious habit of these birds, from Cape York to the Herbert River, of forming a nest generally of palm fibre, and placing it at the end of a drooping branch or a vine in close proximity to a hornets' nest, tends to prove they are all referable to one species. It is remarkable, however, that six adult specimens, labelled G. flavida, in the Australian Museum, obtained by Mr. Kendal Broadbent at various times near Cardwell and the Upper Herbert River, are destitute of the dark forehead and throat, as occurs in the adult male of G. personata. Neither have I seen in any collection a typical example of a fully adult male of this species that was obtained from further south than the scrubs of the Endeavour River. Dr. Ramsay took his description of G. flavida from two birds obtained by Mr. Broadbent in the Herbert River District, that are alike in plumage, and which the collector had labelled "scrub-bird," "new," and respectively male and female. Apparently it is common in the Herbert River District, for Mr. E. H. Webb informs me that in 1902 he found two nests, each containing two eggs, and five old nests all of which were built in lawyer-vines in thick scrub and close to hornets' nests. These nests he referred to those oi G. personata, but, as in Mr. Frank Hislop's experience in the Bloomfield River District, he only caught a passing glimpse of the bird as he flushed it from the nest, an-d never handled a specimen. While at the Australian Museum, Mr. W'ebb however readily recognised a nest of G. personata, obtained by ;\Ir. B. Jardine at Cape York, as being the same as those he had found on the Herbert River. Mr. C. \\'. De Vis, M.A., who regards G. flavida as a distinct species, has recorded it from the foot of Mount Bellender Ker.f • Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. iv., p. 230 (1879). t Rep. Sci. Exped. Bell. Ker, p. 86 (1889). GERYGONE. 203 IMr. Bertie L. Jardine writes me as foWows:—" Gcvygone pcrsoimta is by no means uncommon around Cape York, where it frequents the most soHtary and gloomy portions of our dense scrubs. Consequently, with the exception of a passing glimpse now and then, it is seldom seen and its habits are difficult to thoroughly study. In its restlessness and general movements it much resembles Macharorhynchus flavivcuUy. It lives almost exclusively on small insects, many of which are taken on the wing; but as the intertwining of vines and branches often offer serious obstacles to the rapid wing movements required in flight, their food is principally procured from under leaves, bark, etc. "The breeding season commences in November, and continues through the four following months. The nest is of an elongated dome shape, having the entrance near the top, which is protected by a projecting hood, and is usually suspended from a pendant supple branch. Strange to say, in almost every instance in which I have found them, they have been built close to a hornets' nest. The nest is built of soft bark-fibre and grasses, and usually contains two eggs." Mr. Frank Hislop informs me that there is a species of Gerygone in the scrubs of the Bloomfield Rix'er, that generally builds on the end of a twig or a lawyer-leaf near a wasp's nest, but owing to the proximity of the latter he has never been able to obtain a specimen or satisfactorily d'etermine to which species the nest belongs. The eggs are usually two m number and frequently a bronze-coloured egg of a Cuckoo is found in the nest. Doubtless it is referable to the present species. A nest taken by Mr. Jardine at Somerset, Cape York, on the nth January, 1900, is attached to a thin thorny stem of a vine. In form it resembles the nest of Goygon, fusca being a dome-shaped structure with a long bottle-neck like entrance, and having a small quantity of superfluous nesting material below the domed portion of the structure. It is constructed throughout of very fine yellow palm fibre, with an admixture of spiders' webs near the top and on th^ spout-hke entrance. There is a slight lining of soft downy silky-white seeds, but with the exception of some wood-borings that have been collected from the covering of an orifice in a limb, made by the larva of a moth, it is without any outside decoration. It measures externally nine inches in total length, and in width (including the entrance) four inches and a half; across the domed portion of the nest two inches and a half, and along the upper side of the spout-like entrance three inches. Another nest, taken at Cape York, is much shorter, having no tail-like appendage below the nest, and is formed externally of very fine strips of bark, woven together with spiders' webs, ornamented with the white and green egg-bags of spiders, and lined inside with silky-white seeds. Externally it measures six inches in length by three inches in diameter at its widest part. The eggs are two in number for a sitting; they are oval m form, the shell being close- grained, smooth, and slightly lustrous. A set of two, taken by Mr. Jardine on the nth January, 1900, are of a faint reddish- white ground colour, which is minutely freckled all over with dull purplish-red; the markings, although small and nearly invisible except on the larger end, are so thickly disposed that the ground colour is almost obscured. Length (A) 0-67 x 0-5 inches; (B) o-68 x 0-51 inches. Another set of two, taken at Cape York, are pure white freckled with dull red, which is more thickly disposed towards the larger end, where an ill-defined zone is formed. Length :— { A) 0-69 x 0-48 inches ; (B) o-68 x 0-48 inches. 204 MUSCICAPID.E. C3-erLi:i.s is/Ljfi^x^TJ':R'XJ's, Vieiiht. Malurus cyaneus. LONG-TAILED SUPEEB-WARBLER. MotaciUa cya. fJIlis, rr. Voy. Capt. Cook, Vol. I., p. 22 (1782); Anderson in Cook's Yoy. Pacif. Ocean, Vol. x., p. 109 (1785); Gmel., Syst. Xat., Tom. I., p. 991 (1788). Superb Warbler, Lath., Gen. Syn., Vol. II., pt. 2, p. 501, pi. 53 (1783). Malurus lo7igicaudus, Gould, Proc. Zool. See, 1837, p. 148; id., Bds. Austr., fol., Vol. III., pi. 19 (1848); id., Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. 320 (1865). Malurus gonldi, Sharpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. IV., p. 287 (1879). Mahmis cyaneus, North, Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W., Vol. XXVI., p. 632 (1901). Adult male — Forehead, eroton of the head, feathers beloiv the eye, ear-coverts, aud mantle, deep metallic blue; lores, feathers above the eye, sides of crown, hind-neck, back, rump, and upper tail- coverts velvety black; upper whig-coverts and quills brown; tail feathers dark blue; cheeks, throat, and fore neck blue-black; a broad line of feathers on the upper portion of the breast velvety-black; remainder of the U7ider surface dull white, tintjed with fulvous-brown; the feathers adjoining the black line on the upper portion of the breast strongly washed with blue; under tail-coverts dull ichite, tinged with fulvous-brown ; bill black: legs and feel dark brown ; iris blackish brown. Total length in the flesh 5o inches, wing 2 15, tail 2-6, bill O'Jf, tarsus O-y-5. Adclt female — General colour above rufescent-brown ; tail rufescent-hrotrn, with a faint bluish shade on the inner webs of all but the two central feathers : upper wing-coverts like the back; quills dark brown, externally edged ivilh rufescent brown ; lores, orbital ring, and feathers behind the upper portion of the eye rufous; all the under surface dull white, tinged with fulvous-brown; sides of the body and under tail-coverts fulvous-brown ; bill reddish-broivn ; legs fleshy-brown, the feet slightly darker; iris blackish-broion. Total length in the flesh .', J^ inches, wing 21, tail 26, bill 0-Jf, tarsus 0-92. Distribution. — Tasmania, and some of the larger islands in Bass Strait. /~|^HE Long-tailed Warbler, or Blue Wren, was the first described species of the genus -L Malurus, of which the adult males of all its members are noted for their brilliant or strikingly contrasted plumage. The present species was named by Ellis, who was Assistant Surgeon to Captain Cook's last e.xpedition. On referring to Ellis's work,- it will be found that the bird named by him as MotaciUa cyanea, was met with in January, 1777, at Adventure Bay, Bruni Island, near the south-eastern coast of Tasmania. At tliat time Bass Strait had not been discovered, and the latter island was regarded as the southern e.xtreinity of .\ustralia, and is so figured by Ellis in the accompanying chart. Latham, who figured and described this species in the year 1783, in his " General Synopsis of Birds," under the vernacular name of Superb Warbler, also refers it to the MotaciUa cyanea of Ellis. The total length is there given as five inches and a half, and he states it inhabits Van Diemen's Land, the most southern part of New Holland. From Latham's description and figure Gmelin characterised it in 1788, in his " Systema Naturae," under Ellis's name of MotaciUa cyanea, and where the habitat is also recorded as Van Diemen's Land. The name of MaUirus cyaneus, Ellis, will therefore have to stand for the Tasmanian species of Superb Warbler, and that of Malurus superbus, Shaw, for the well known species inhabiting South-eastern Australia. It is remarkable that the habitat given in the works above quoted, should have escaped Gould's notice, when nearly half a century after the publication of Gmelin's description, he also described a similar bird under the name of Malurus longicaudns. ' Ellis — Narr. Voy. performed by Capt. Cook and Capt. Clarke in His Majesty's Ships "Resolution," and "Discovery," Vol. I., p. 22 ;i782). MAU'RUS. 205 From Mulurus superhns of Australia, to which species it is very closely allied, the male of the present species may be distinguished by the darker blue colour of the crown of the head, mantle, and ear-coverts, which is more apparent when the two species are placed together and held away from the light, and also by its average larger measurements. It is represented in the Australian Museum collection by s, mens ...lined by Mr. George Masters near the Ouse River and Maria Creek in 1867, and by other examples procured at Georgetown, Badger Head, and near Launceston. Several adult specimens of both se.xes have also been recently received in the flesh from Mr. R. N. Atkinson, of Waratah, Mount Bisciioft", Tasmania. ^ Of a number of adult males now before ma from different parts of Tasmania, the; wing ■measurement varies only from 2-05 to 2-15 inches, but the tails vary from 2-5 to 2-8 inches in length. They are alike in colour, but some have a bluish wash on the upper wing-coverts; in othlrs the blue tips to the feathers on the upper breast extend lower down; and in one abnormally plumaged specimen the flank feathers and under tail-coverts are distinctly tipped with blue.' As in Malnnis superhns, some examples have the tail feathers narrowly edged with white at the tips. The upper and under tail-coverts of all species of the genus Malurus are very short, and in the males the former are more or less concealed by the lengthy velvety plumes of the lower portion of the back. In his folio edition of the "Birds of Australia," Gould uses the vernacular name of Wren for all species of the genus Malunis, but in his Handbook he has referred to them under Latham's older name of Superb Warbler. From Dr. L. Holden's MS. notes, the following information is extracted :— " I found a nest containing two eggs of the Blue W^ren at Circular Head on the 14th October, 1SS6. It was built in the tangle at the foot of a tea-tree, and was a dome-shaped structure formed of dried grasses, lined inside with feathers. A month later I found another nest with three slightly incubated eggs. It was built in a clump of fern and coarse grass, two feet from the ground. This nest, which had the entrance large, and the dome covering incomplete, was thickly lined with hair, fur, and feathers. On the i8th November I took two eggs of M. gonUi and one of Lampvococcyx hasalis, from a nest in a low bramble bush, which I had seen the female lining with feathers a few days before. On the Sth December, I found a nest containing four eggs in a pine, also one in a bramble bush with newly hatched young. On the 17th December, 1899, I found a nest with three eggs on the banks of the Styx River, built in a small Hakea shrub, about two feet from the ground." Writing me from Waratah, Mount Bischoff, Mr. R. N. Atkinson remarks :—" .J/rt/;«n« gouldl frequents the low undergrowth in this district, and may be often seen in clear spaces in the forest hopping about the ground in search of insects. It possesses a very sweet and prolonged note. The nest is generally built about a foot or two from the ground, up to a height of eight feet, although I once found one resting on the ground, and supported by a few thin fallen twigs lying in some rank grass. In a pit on the 20th November, 1899, I found a nest of this bird, and thinking that it was old, pulled it to pieces. Returning a week later, 1 was surprised to find it all made up again and to contain three fresh eggs. Evidently the birds reconstructed it in a hurry as you will see by the lining materials being mixed up with the outer portion of the nest." In four nests now before me, taken by Mr. Atkinson, there is a great difference in their size and the materials of which they are outwardly constructed. The one previously referred to is nearly spherical in form, with a narrow entrance in the side, and is externallv composed of very fine shreds of bark and grasses, mi.xed up with bright green mosses and a large quantity of cow-hair; internally it is lined with a thick layer of fur, Average external diameter four inches and three-quarters. Another, attached to the stems of a weed, is externally formed of dead mosses and fine grasses, intermingled with a large Ww 206 JIUSCICAPID.?!. quantity of the brown siiky covering of freshly budded fern fronds, the inside also being lined with the latter material and a large quantity of the feathers of the Yellow-bellied Parrakeet. This nest was taken on the 17th December, 1899, and contained four fresh eggs. A third nest taken from a clump of rushes surrounded by water, is a long oval in shape with a narrow entrance near the top, slightly protected by a hood; it is rather loosely constructed of dried grasses, skeletons of leaves, and thin wiry rootlets, the inside being lined with very fine grasses and a layer of white cow-hair. It measures e.xternally seven inches and a half in_ height by four inches in breadth; width of entrance one inch and a quarter, .\nother similarly shaped nest is outwardly constructed of very long strips of thin bark fibre, and dead weeds, and lined inside with a very thick layer of the feathers of the Yellow-bellied Parrakeet, and which evidently forms the chief lining to nests of all species in this locality where feathers are used. The eggs are usually three or four in number for a sittins, oval or elongate-oval in form, the shell being close-grained, smooth, and lustreless. In ground colour they vary from pure white to fleshy and faint reddish-white, which is freckled, spotted, or blotched with different shades of red, the markings predominating as usual on the thicker end, wiiere in some specimens they are confluent and form a more or less well defined cap or zone. .Xmong a number of sets now before me, the prevailing hue of the markings is dull red and to a less e.xtent purplish-red. Occasionally specimens are found distinctly spotted with dark red or reddish-black, and closely resembling the eggs of Ephthianura alhifrons, for which tliey miglit easily be mistaken. Of the latter type was a set of four, taken by Mr. E. D. Atkinson on the 15th October, 1892, from a nest built in a prickly acacia in his paddock at Table Cape, on the north-west coast of Tasmania. They measure: — Length (.A) 0-72 x 0-52 inches; (B) 073 x 0-52 inches; (C) 0-75 x 0-54 inches; (D) 075 x 0-53 inches. A set of three, taken by Mr. R. N. Atkinson at Waratah, Mount Bischoff, on the 6th October, 1900, measures: — (A) 0-65 x 0-5 inches; (13)07x0-51 inches; (C) 0-67 x 0-52 inches. Another set taken in the same locality on the 22nd November, 1900, measures: — (A) 07 x 0-54 inches; (B) 075 x 0-55 inches; (C) 073 x 0-56 inches. Young males resemble the female, but the lores and feathers surrounding the eye are only washed with rufous, and the tail is dull blue. Semi-adult or young males in change of plumage have the distinguishing brown feathers of youth intermingled with the rich blue and black feathers of the adult, but the latter are less brilliant in colour. Almost the last trace of immaturity, with the exception perhaps of a brown feather here and there, is exhibited in the blackish shade to the feathers on the centre of the throat. October and the three following months constitute the usual breeding season of this species, but while resident at Table Cape, on the north-west coast of Tasmania, Mr. E. D. Atkinson sent me a note that he had found a nest in a tea-tree, containing three fresh eggs, as late as the 22nd January, 1892. Malurus superbus. SUPERB WARBLER. Sylvia cyanea (nee Motacilla cyanea, Ellis), Lath., Ind. Orn , p. ■54-5 (1790), {part). MotaciUa superba, Shaw, in White's Journ. Voy. N.S.W., p. 2.')G, and pi. opp. p. 256, upper fig., (1790). Malurus cyaneus, GoiM, Bds. Austr., fol, Vol. III., pi. 18(1848); id., Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. 317 (1865). Malurus superbus, North, Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W., Vol. XXVI., p. 032 (1902). Adult male — Forehead, crotvn of the head, feathers below the eye, ear-coverts, and mantle pale metallic-blue ; lores, feathers above the eye, sides of crown, hind-neck, back, rump, and dipper tail- coverts velvety-black ; upper wingcoverts and quills brown; tail feathers dark blue; clieeks, throat. MALURUS 207 and fore-neck blue-black/ a line of feathers across the tipper portion of the breast velvety-black; remainder of the under srirf ace dull white, washed with fulvous-brown on the sides of the abdomen and lower Hanks: the feathers adjoining the black line on the upper portion of the breast more or less ivashed with blue; under tail-coverts dull while tinged tvith fulvous-broivn ; bill black; legs and feet brown; iris black. Total length in the jfesh 6 inches, wing I'V, tail 225, bill OSo, tarsus 09. Adult female — General colour above brown, with a slight rufescent tinge which is more distinct on the rump and upper tail-coverts; tipper ivingcoverts brown; quills dark brown, externally edged loith rufesceyit-hrown; tail brown: lores, orbital ring, and feathers behind the upper portion of the eye chestnut-brown ; all the umle.r surface dull white, tinged with fulvous brown; sides of the body and under tail-coverts fulvous-hrown. Distribution. — Queensland, New South Wales, \'ictoria. South Australia. ^T^HIS familiar and well known resident is an inhabitant of the south-eastern portion of _L the continent, and is more abundantly distributed near the coast than inland. The favourite haunts of this little bird are the scrubby sides of watercourses, the margins of tea-tree swamps, and low undergrowth over-run with climbing plants. It is also common about orchards and gardens, and even in the public parks of cities one's attention is frequently arrested by the rich blue and velvety-black attire of the adult male, as it pours forth its cheerful song from the top of some low bush or shrub. 1 have noted it in the Botanic Gardens at Sydney, Melbourne, and Adelaide, but it is far more common in the first locality, and still, as in Gould's time, rears its young in this beautiful resort. About Sydney it is known under the names of Superb Warbler, Blue Wren, and Cocktail. Mr. George Caley, who lived at Parramatta and formed a collection of Australian birds from which Mgors and Horsfield took their descriptions, which were published in the "Transactions of the Linnean Society of London" in 1826, made the following observations on this species: — "They are gregarious, and polygamous to appearance, unless I have been deceived by the young birds possessing the plumage of the female. They are very good songsters, and I may say almost the only ones in the colony." The utterly fallacious and wide-spread belief, even at the present day, that the birds of Australia are not gifted with any powers of song, is in a measure due to the latter misleading statement made by Caley in the early days of settlement in New South Wales. The notes of this species somewhat resembles the sounds produced by rubbing a cork quickly around the bottom of a tumbler. The adult male of this species is exceedingly pugnacious when he sees his image reflected in a window or even in a piece of bright tin, and will remain pecking at it for some time. They also feign to be wounded, or simulate death very well. While collecting one day, an adult male that had been temporarily stunned soon recovered and tried to escape from its captor's hand. Failing in this respect, it closed its eyes and gradually let its head fall down as if dead, but when unobserved made efforts to get away. This it repeated several times, until my companion held it out in the open palm of his hand, when it quickly flew away. The above descriptions are taken from specimens procured near Sydney. In over forty fully adult males now before me, obtained in New South Wales, there is no perceptible variation in the shade of the metallic-blue colour of the crown of the head, ear-coverts, and SUPEKI! WARBLER. 208 MUSCICAPID.E. mantle, but the latter varies in size, extending lower down the back in some specimens than others. The margins of the lesser and median wing-covers of some specimens are washed with blue, in others with black, and in both sexes specimens may be found with all but the two central feathers narrowly tipped with white. An adult male procured by Mr. Edwin Ashby, in May, 1886, at Ballarat, \'ictoria, has the wings dark brown, the upper wing-coverts being washed with greenish-blue, the quills externally with dull green. Examples from Port Lincoln, South Australia, have a slight silvery tinge to the blue of the crown of the head, ear-coverts, and mantle. The wing measurement of adult males \aries from 1-85 to 2 inches. For an opportunity of examining specimens obtained in the neighbourhood of Adelaide, I am indebted to the Director and Assistant Director of the South Australian Museum, also to Dr. A. M. Morgan and Mr. Edwin Ashby. In writing of this genus Gould states that the gay attire of the male is only assumed during the pairing season, and is retained for a very short period, after which the sexes are alike in colouring, and referring to the present species remarks that in winter the adult males throw oflf their line livery, and the plumage of the sexes then becomes so nearly alike that a minute examination is requisite to distinguish them. In the Botanic Gardens and the suburbs of Sydney I have had these birds under almost daily observation for many years, and have noted fully plumaged males at all times and seasons. Having observed in the former place eight of these gorgeously plumaged birds within half-an-hour on the 21st June, 1894, I ceased to record seeing these birds in full livery in the depth of winter. In spring it is generally met with in pairs; but after the breeding season is over, accompanied by their young, they may be observed in small companies of from five to seven in number, consisting of a fully plumaged male and the remainder in the sombre plumage of the female, probably the last brood of the season. Other groups e.xhibit in addition to the brilliant attire of the fully adult male, and the modest garb of the female, young males in change of plumage and showing the tail alone blue or also an admixture of brown, blue, and velvety-black body feathers, according to their age. In winter these families congregate together, and it is possible for one to observe a score or more of these birds without seeing a fully adult male. During the last few years, while resident at Roseville, where these birds are common in the gardens and bush adjacent to my house, I have paid particular attention to individual pairs during the moulting season, and have daily noted many adult males in full plumage throughout January, February, March, and April, and from thenceforward throughout the year. Several examples of adult males in the moult now before me, shot on the 26th January, 1897, at Eastwood, near Sydney, have the old dull blue feathers on one side of the tail, and the half-grown new dark blue feathers on the other side. There is also a specimen in a similar stage of plumage obtained in the same locality on the 14th August; otherwise they are all in full and perfect plumage. Taking the former birds for an example, and leaving the body feathers out of the question, it would be necessary after the newly assumed tail feathers were fully grown, to again moult them for brown ones during the year, before they would be indistinguishable from the female. A young male in change of plumage, procured at Eastwood on the 17th September following, has a few of the dull blue tail feathers remaining, and the new dark blue tail feathers are not quite half grown. The old brown feathers of its youthful plumage on the body are nearly all moulted, and are replaced with the pale metallic- blue and velvety-black feathers of the semi-adult stage, several of the feathers on the head and all the new tail feathers being still enclosed in their sheaths at the base. The moulting season, especially of the quills and tail feathers, depends upon the age of the birds, for specimens may be found in the same stage of the meult, and in similar plunaage, at opposite seasons of the year. So far as my experience goes with the different species I have observed, these remarks apply to all members of the genus. MAI-URUS. 209 Insects and their larvse form the chief portion of the food of this species, but in winter I have seen them in the Botanic Gardens, Sydney, pecking at the fallen berries of the common introduced Olive (Olai ctiropea). Much of their food is obtained upon grass lands, over which they (juickly progress in a series of hops, and with the tail carried over the back. These birds may be easily attracted close to one by imitating their note or producing a hissing sound with the teeth. The nest is a dome shaped structure, with the upper portion slightly overhanging a narrow entrance in the side; it is formed externally of fine strips of bark-fibre, intermingled with dried grasses and matted together with a slight addition of cobweb, the inside being lined with finer dried grasses, and at the bottom a thick layer of feathers, hair, fur, wool, or other soft material. An average nest measures five inches in length by three inches in breadth, and across the entrance one inch. Usually it is built near the ground, stunted Melaleuca or Hakca shrubs being preferred. About gardens, thickly-leaved shrubs, prickly hedges, briar, and blackberry bushes, more especially with grass growing through them, are fa\'ourite nesting sites. The eggs are three or four, rarely fi\e, in number for a sitting, and are oval or elongate- oval in form, the shell being close-grained, smooth and lustreless. They vary from a fleshy-white to a light reddish-white ground colour, which is minutely dotted, spotted, or blotched with pale red or different shades of reddish-brown. Some specimens have the markings of a uniform size and evenly distributed over the surface of the shell; others have irregular shaped blotches sparingly intermingled with very minute dots, but in most of them the markings predominate on the larger end, where not infrequently a zone or cap is formed. A set of four, taken at Roseville, near Sydney, on the 3rd October, i8g8, measures as follows: — ■ Length (A) 0-67 x 0-5 inches; (B) o-66 x 0-5 inches; (C) o-6S x 0-49 inches; (D) 0-67 x 0-48 inches. A set of three, taken at Chatswood on the igth December, 1898, measures: — Length (A) 0-7 X o'4S inches; (B) 07 x 0-47 inches; (C) o-6g x 0-48 inches. Each of these sets also contained an egg of the Rufous-tailed Bronze Cuckoo (Lainprococcyx basalis). This species exhibits the same stages of plumage as does Malunis cyamus, in its progress from youth to maturity. Young males resemble the adult females, but have the chestnut-brown orbital ring not so well defined; in slightly older birds it is entirely lost. The tail feathers are dull blue and the bill is nearly black in some specimens. On the 26th January, at Middle Head, I saw an adult full plumaged male and female, accompanied by their young brood; two of the latter resembling the adult female, another young male being distinguished by a black bill and lores, and a dull blue tail. On the 13th May, at Roseville, I saw another similar pair of adult birds, accompanied by their young in precisely the same stage of plumage. In their progress towards maturity young males are darker in plumage than the female; a triangular- shaped patch in front of the eye and bill is black, the tail-feathers dark blue, some of the feathers of the head and mantle tipped with metallic blue, and the upper wing-coverts washed with greenish-blue. Not quite adult males may be distinguished by their smaller mantle and the paler colour of the metallic blue feathers of the crown of the head, ear-coverts, and mantle which have a decided silvery tinge. Nidification begins in New South Wales at the latter end of July, and the breeding season continues until the end of P'ebruary. : The task of incubation, in which the male shares, lasts about fourteen days. ' They are persistent breeders, and I know of an instance where a pair reared their brood at Chatswood after the female had been robbed of her eggs on four consecutive occasions. The egg of the Rufous-tailed Bronze Cuckoo (Lamprococcyx basalis), is frequently laid in the nest of this species, and sometimes that of the common Bronze Cuckoo (L. plagosus). As I s X 210 MUSCICAPID.E. have previously pointed out,'' if the eggs of the Cuckoos are deposited before the rightful owners have begun to lay, they are freciuently covered by the Warblers with a layer of nesting material sufficiently thick to prevent incubation. Mahirus cyaiWiMamys, Sharpe.t of Queensland, is at the most only a slightly paler northern race of M . supcrhiis. Dr. Sharpe, in describing the adult male which was obtained at Moreton Bay, points out that it is distinguished by the blue head, ear-coverts, and mantle being "much lighter, pale, and of a silvery-cobalt, instead of the deep cobalt-blue of ^V. cyancus ; the mantle is also smaller and more circumscribed." These characteristics are also applicable to the not quite adult stage of the males of M. supcrhiis. Mr. C. \V. Da Vis, M.A., has kindly forwarded me on loan three adult males from Queensland. They are slightly paler than typical examples of .1/. siipcrhus obtained in New South Wales, as are also other specimens in the collection from the Dawson River District, but are indistinguishable from a not quite adult male obtained at Toongabbie, near Sydney, and another procured at Cambewarra, in the lUawarra District, New South Wales. The mantle of one of the adult males lent by Mr. De \'is is larger than is found in typical New South Wales examples. I cannot find any difference between adult females obtained in Oueensland and New South Wales. Malurus melanotus. IiL.\eK-BAt'KED SUPEKH WAKIiLEIf. Malurus miJanoliifi, Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc, 1840, p. 1C:5; id., Bd.s. Austr., fob, Vol. IIT., pi. 20 (1848); id., Haiulbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. 322 (186-5); Sharpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. TV., p. 288(1879). Adult •sxw^y. —Forehead, crown of ihe head, matit/e, and iijiper portion of the back rich cobalt- blue; lores, sides of crowti,, and neck, and a nuchal collar velvejjjblack ; lower back and rump velvety-black; upper tail-coverts rich cobalt-blue ; upper iring-coverts and quills broken, externally edged with greenish-blue ; tail feathers dull blue with a greenish tinge ivhich is more distinct on the basal portion, the central pair having narrow white tips which increases in extent towards the outermost feathers; feathers beloiv the eye and the earcoverts turquoise-blue; throat and fore-neck cobalt-blue, followed by a narroiv velvety-black crescentic hand across the upper portion of the breast, which widens out at each side : remainder of the under surface and under tail-coverts cobalt-blue; bill black; legs and feet dark brown ; iris black. Total length 4 8 inches, wing 1-92, tail 2- J,, bill 0-32, tarsus OS. Adult fkmale — Above brotvn; upper vdng-coverts brown; quills brown ■narrowly edged ex- ternally with brownish-white: tail feathers brown, slightly washed with dull blue which is more distinct on the central pair ; the lateral feathers tipped with dull tvhite; an acute angled patch of feathers in front and a circle of feathers around the eye dark chestniit red; all the under surface pale fulvous-brown, slightly darker on the sides of the neck, breaat, and tinder tail-coverts. Distribution. — Queensland, Western New South Wales, \'ictoria. South Australia. /"I^HE habitat of the Black-backed Superb Warbler is restricted to the inland portions of -L the Australian continent. The type was obtained by one of Captain Sturt's party, in South Australia in 1839. Mr. James Ramsay procured adult males and females, together with their nests and eggs, at Tyndarie, New South Wales, in 1882. So likewise did the late Mr. K. H. Bennett, in the Mossgiel District, in October and November, 1885 and 1886. Mr. R. Grant obtained specimens near Byrock in 1887. Its range extends throughout the north- • Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W., 2nd ser., Vol. viii., p. 436 (1893). t Proc. Zool. Soc, 1881, p. 788. MALURHS. 211 western portions of New Soutii Wales, into \Vestern Queensland, wliere Mr. K. Boadbent obtained specimens at Cliarleville, on the Warrego River, five hundred and twenty miles west of Brisbane, and of which Mr. C. W. De Vis kindly forwarded me an adult male for examination. 1 also saw a set of the eggs of this species in tlie collection of Mr. Charles French, Junr., taken by him from a nest built in a hrusli-fence, in the Wimmera District, North-western \'ictoria, in October, iSy8. The mantle is larger and darker in \ery old males, and the greater wing-coverts and inner secondaries are more distinctly washed with blue. Some adult males have the cobalt- blue feathers of the lower breast slightly tinged with green; others, shot while nesting, have the centre of the abdomen dull brownish-white. The wing measurement varies from 1-85 to 2 inches. The nest is a dome-shaped structure with a rounded entrance near the top. Those found by the late Mr. K. H. Bennett in the neighbourhood of Mossgiel and Ivanhoe, in the Western District of New South Wales, were formed on narrow strips of bark, and dead grasses, with wliich were intermingled a little wool, the inside being partially lined with a few feathers. It is generally placed in a low bush. An average nest measures five inches and a half in height by three inches and a half in diameter. The eggs are three or four in number for a sitting; oval or thick oval in form, the shell being close-grained, smooth, and lustreless. They vary in ground colour from a pure white to a rich pinkish or faint reddish-white, whicii is finely freckled, dotted, or blotched with different shades, \'arying from pinkish-red to rich red. In some specimens the markings are sparingly but distinctly and evenly distributed over the surface; in others they partake the form of indistinct fleecy streaks, which gradually become darker on the thicker end, where they coalesce and form a distinct cap or zone. A set of three, taken by the late Mr. K. H. Bennett, at Mossgiel in November, i885, measures as follows: — Length (A) 0-63 x 0-48 inches; (B) o'64 X 0-45 inches; (C) 0-65 x 0-45 inches. A set of four, taken by Mr. C. French, Junr., in the Wimmera District, Victoria, in October, 189S, measures: — (.A) 0-67 x 0-48 inches; (B) 0'67xo-4i inches; (C) 0'6Sxo'4i inches; (D) 0-64 x 0-47 inches. Malurus callainus. TURQUOISINE SUPEKB WAKBLER. Malurus callaiuus, Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc, 1867, p. 302 ; id., Bds. Austr., fob, Suppl., pi. '2'i (ISG!.)); Sliarpe, Cat. IkIs. lint. Mus., Vol. IV., p. 28'J (1879). Adult male — Forehead, crutvn of the head, mantle, and upper portion of the back, lustrous turquoiiit-blue ; lores, sides of crown, and ■neck, and a broad collar on the hind-neck velvety-black ; lower back and rump velvety-black; upper tail-coverts turquoise-blue; winys brown, the quills washed externally with yreeuish-blne ; the inner secondaries and the median and greater iciny-coverts margined with blue; tail feathers blue, the central pair having narrow white tips, ivhich increases in extent towards tlie outermost feathers ; feathers below the eye and the ear-coverts pale silvery turquoise-blue ; throat deeji cobalt, folloived by a narroiv black crescentic baiid wliiali widens out on the sides and connects with the black collar on the hind-neck ; remainder of the under surface and under tail-coverts light cobalt-blue ; bill black; legs and feet brownish-black ; iris black. Total length .^.6 inches, iving 2, tail 2-25, bill 032, tarsus OS. Adult female — Above brou-n ; tail feathers ihdl blue; lores and feathers around tlie eye pale rufous; all the under surface buffy-wliite, darker on the sides of the body and the abdomen. Total length 4'3 inches. Distribution. — Queensland, Western New South Wales, South Australia, Central Australia. 212 MUSCICAPID.E. /T^HE Turquoisine Superb \\'arl>ler chiefly inhabits the inland portions of the continent. J~ It is found in South Australia, where the type was obtained. Central Australia, western New South Wales, and the south-western portion of Queensland. It is represented in the Australian Museum collection by adult males obtained to the north-west of Port Augusta, and from various other localities in South Australia; by specimens procured by Mr. James Ramsay at Tyndarie, New- South Wales; and by a mutilated skin of an adult male from Deering Creek, Central Australia. This series has been supplemented by five males kindly lent by the Trustees of the South Australian Museum. Adelaide. Two old males, collected at Port Germein by Mr. M. Murray, are in beautiful plumage, and have the head, mantle, upper portion of the back, and upper tail-coverts of a very rich turquoise-blue; the quills are more strongly washed with greenish-blue, and the margins of the upper wing-coverts with a more decided tinge of blue, and are equally rich in colour as the Central Australian examples. Another male, from the same locality, collected by Dr. A. M. Morgan, in October, 1896, has the mantle more circumscribed, and the blues of the upper and under parts of a slightly paler shade. Mr. C. W. De \'is, has also sent me for examination an adult male from Queensland, but from what locality it was procured is not known. Mr. G. A. Heartland has recently forwarded to me, for examination, a very old male obtained in Central Australia. It is one of the most beautiful specimens I have seen, and in addition to its darker and more richly coloured tints of plumage, has the velvety-black crescentic band on the fore-neck very broad. The specimens from Port Germein and Central Australia are darker in colour than examples obtained in other parts of the continent, and are very unlike Gould's figure of this species in his "Supplement to the Birds of Australia." " The latter more closely resembles in colour the not (juite adult male which may be distmguished by the paler silvery turquoise-blue shade of the head, mantle, and ear-coverts. In the "Zoology of the Horn Expedition," I erroneously attributed these richer-plumaged birds from Central Australia to Maliinis inelanotiis. I feel certain, too, that the birds observed by the late Mr. K. H. Bennett, near the Barrier Range, South .\ustralia, and regarded by him as M. splcndeits were M. caUaiims. In no species of the genus does the colour in the adult males vary so much with age as in the Turquoisine Superb Warbler; the older they are the darker in colour they become in the shades of blue in those parts of the upper and under surface, and the wings are more strongly washed with greenish-blue. This variation is more apparent in the cobalt-blue colour of the under parts. In five adult males now before me, there are not two specimens with the breast and abdomen of the same shade of cobalt. The deep cobalt throat in adult males, in contrast to the remainder of the under surface, which is light cobalt-blue, will however serve to distinguish this species from any other of the blue-breasted species belonging to this genus. Regarding this species, Mr. Keartland writes me: — "Across Central Australia, from about fifty miles north of Charlotte Waters to some distance north of Alice Springs, Malurus callaimis is found freely dispersed through scrub and salt-bush, but more especially along the creeks at Hermannburg and lllamurta. Mr. C. V.. Cowle informs me that at times the three species, M. assimilis, M. callainus, and M. Icttcoptcrus, arrive in such numbers that they are disturbed from almost every bush along the gorges in the ranges near his quarters, but when protracted hot weather prevails they all disappear and are not seen again until rain falls. The genus is a very sociable one, and two or more species are often seen on the same bush. In fact on several occasions I have killed two species at one shot. M. callainus is, as a rule, more partial to the vicinity of water than most other representatives of the genus I have met with. These birds generally moult during June and July, and are in perfect plumage irj August and September." • Bds. Austr., fol., Suppl., pi. 23 (1869). MALURUS. 213 Early in August, 1900, Dr. A. M. Morgan and Dr. .\. Chenery found it very abundant at Oakden Hills about one hundred and five miles north-west of Port Augusta, South Australia. The adult males had just obtained their full plumage, and although these birds were usually seen in pairs, no nests were found. The nests of this species are formed throughout of soft dead grey grasses, intermingled with silky-white and brown plant down, the latter material also being used as a lining for the bottom of the nests. .\n average nest measures four inches and three-quarters in height by three inches in breadth. Those found by Air. C. E. Cowle, at Illamurta, Central .\ustralia, were built in low bushes, but one his black boy took was placed in a mulga, six feet from the ground. Each of these nests contained four eggs. Mr. Cowle writes: — ''.Vll out Maliiri here, the females of each species of which are indistinguishable from one another, generally build in a salt-bush, tangled cane grass, or a dead acacia fallen close to the ground, and lay four eggs. The breeding season commences in November, and lasts until the end of April." The eggs are usually four in number for a sitting, oval or rounded-oval in form, the shell being close-grained, smooth, and lustreless. The ground colour, which varies from a dull to clear white, is finely freckled, spotted, or blotched with different shades varying from a bright red to dull reddish-brown. Some specimens have the markings small but very distinct and evenly distributed over the surface of the shell; generally, however, they are more thickly disposed on the larger end, where in some instances they form large coalesced patches, or a more or less irregularly formed zone. Occasionally eggs are found which have the markings rounded in form and of a rich reddish-black, and somewhat resembling in character and colour the eggs of Ephthianuya unrifrons. A set of four, taken by Mr. C. E. Cowle, on the 14th November, 1S95, at Illamurta, Central Australia, measures :— Length (.\) 0-63 x 0-48 inches; (B) 0-62 X 0-48 inches; (C) 0-63 x 0-5 inches; (D) 0-64 x 0-49 inches. Another set of three, taken in the same locality in March, 1896, and which also contained an egg of the Rufous-tailed Bronze Cuckoo, measures:— (.\) 0-65 x 0-48 inches; (B) o'64 x 0-51 inches; (C) 0-64 x 0-5 inches. A set of three, taken by Mr. James Ramsay at Tyndarie, New South Wales, in October, 1879, measures as follows:— Length (\) 0-67 x 0-48 inches; (B) 0-67 x 0-48 inches; (C) o-66 x 0-48 inches. A set of two, taken in the same district, and which also contained an egg of the Rufous-tailed Bronze Cuckoo (Lamprococcyx hasalis), measures: — (.\) 0-64 x 0-47 inches; (B) 0-65 X 0-46 inches. .\ set of three, taken by Mr. C. E. Cowle at Illamurta, Central .\ustralia, and on which the male bird was captured while sitting, measures: — (x\) o-6 x 0-5 inches; (B) 0-63 X 0-48 inches; (C) 0-64 x 0-49 inches. .\n egg of the Rufous-tailed Bronze Cuckoo was also deposited in the nest from which these eggs were taken. Young males may be distinguished by the much paler and silvery-blue shade of the crown of the head, mantle, upper tail-coverts, and ear-coverts; and the mantle also is more circumscribed. Wing i'92 inches. In Western New South Wales, October and the two following months constitute the usual breeding season of this species. Malurus splendens. B.A.NDED SUPERB WARBLEK. Traquet resplendissant, Quoy et Giiini., Voy. de I'Aslrol., Atlas, pi. 10, tig. 1. Saxicola splendens, Quoy et Gaiiii., Voy. de I'Astrol , Tom. I , p. 197 (1830). Malurus splendens, Gould, Bds. Austr., fol , Vol. 111., pi. 21 (1848); id., Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. 32.3 (1865); Sharpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. .Mus , V^ol. IV., p. 289 (1879). Adult male— General colour above rich lustrous cobalt, the fore part of the head distinctly shaded ivilh turquoise-blue; lores, sides of crojvn and neck, and a broad nuchal collar black ; upper 214 MUSCICAPID.E. wing-coverts and quilla hroirn, irashed externally icitli yreeainh-blue ; the inner loing-coverts and itttier secondaries margined with cobalt-blue ; tail feathers blae, their basal half having a distinct greenish shade, the lateral feathers narrowly edged with white at the tips; feathers below the eye and the ear-coverts bright turqnoise-blue ; all tlie under surface rich cobalt, slightly darker on the throat, and with a well defined black band on the fore-neck, icliich joins at the siiles /vith the black nnchal collar ; bill black; legs and feet dark brown ; iris black. Total length 5'2 inches, joing 2'1, tail ' •'>, bill 0-1^, tarsus 0 92. Adult FRyiALE— Above brown; trings bn/icn, the i/nills 7iarrowly edged e.vlernally icilli light ashy-green ; tail feathers dull greenish-blue, narrowly edged with white at the tips; lores and feathers around the eye rufous ; all the under surface dull white, slightly tinged rvith broivn; Jlanks, thighs, and under tail-coverts brown; bill reddish-brown; legs and feet jieshy-brown. Distribution. — Western Australia. /~|^HE Banded Superb Warbler is one of the most beautiful species of the brilliantly -L coloured members of the genus Malunis. It was discovered at King George's Sound by MM. Quoy and Gaimard, and is accurately figured and described by those writers in the "Voyage de 1' Astrolabe." While collecting in the same locality in October and November, i868, on behalf of the Trustees of the Australian Museum, Mr. George Masters succeeded in obtaining many adults of both sexes, also young birds. Mr. Masters informs me that he found them plentifully distributed throughout the scrubby undergrowth near the coast, and frequenting the same situations as M.elcgans, and they were easily allured within shooting range by imitating their note. Like M. clegans, he never found it further inland than thirty miles from the coast. Writing of this species, Gould remarks": — " It breeds in September and the three following months; the nest is constructed of soft dried grasses, and lined either with hair, wool, or feathers, the cover of the top resembling the peak of a cap, and is about six or eight inches in height; the eggs are generally four in number, of a flesh-white, thickly blotched and freckled with reddish-brown, especially at the larger end; eight and a quarter lines long, by six and a quarter lines broad. The situation of the nest is much varied, being sometimes built among the hanging clusters of the stinkwood tree, at others among the upright reeds growing just above the water's edge on the borders of lakes and the banks of rivers." Young males resemble the females in plumage, but the bill is slightly darker, the lores and feathers around the eye have only a wash of rufous, and the tail feathers are more tinged with blue. Wing i-g inches. In their progress towards maturity, cobalt-blue feathers are inter- mingled with the entire plumage of the upper and under surfjice, and there is a small patch of black feathers on the sides of the neck, ^^'ing 2 inches. Malurus leucopterus? WHITE-WINGED SUPERB WARBLER. Malurus leucopterus, Quoy et Gaim., Voy. de I'Uraiiie, p. 108, pi. 2.3, fig. S?; Gould, Bds. Austr., fol.. Vol. Ill, pi. 25 (1848); id., Handbk. Bds. Auslr., Vol. I., p. 330 (1865); Sharpc, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. IV., p. 290 (1865); North, Rec. Austr. Mus., Vol. IV., p. 209 (1902). Adult male — General colour above and below deep cobalt blue, the under surface being of a slightly clearer bliie than the upper; a small tuft of feathers on the sides of the upper breast, the scapulars, inner secondaries, and inner wingcoverts pure white, the outer coverts broivn ivashed with blue; quills brown, externally edged with light greenish-blue; the inner secondaries next the white ones dark blue on their outer webs, except a narrow edge; tail feathers dark blue ; bill black; legs brown, feet dark brown; iris black. Total length in the Jtesh 4'^ inches, tving lS-'>, tail 2- J/., bill 0 35, tarsus OS. • Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. 323 (1865). MALURIS 215 Adult fkmale — Aboue brown; upper iving-coverls and qni/ls broivn, wilk paler edges to the outer webs of the primaries ; tail feathers brown, was/ted with dull blue; sides of the liead and tieck brown; all the under surface dull white tinged tvith brown; sides of the body broivn; bill light brown; legs brown, feet dark broion; iris dark brown. Distribution. — Queensland, New South Wales, \'ictoria, South Australia, Central Australia, Western Australia, North-western Australia. /~¥^HE foregoing descriptions and the accompanying remarks apply to the birds figured and _L described by Gould in his folio edition of the "Birds of Australia," \'ol. III., Plate 25. ^^'ith that writer, however, I agree in questioning very much the propriety of referring them to the Malunis Icucoptcnis of Ouoy and Gaimard. This species is chiefly an inhabitant of the inland portions of the Australian continent, especially over its southern half. It is freely dispersed in favourable situations throughout south-western Queensland, western New South \\'ales, north-western \'ictoria. Central, South, and Western Australia. Mr. Tom Carter has found it breeding at Point Cloates, but it was not represented in any of the large collections made further north, near Derby, by Mr. E. J. Cairn, the late Mr. T. H. Bowyer-Bower, and the Calvert Exploring Expedition, neither have I seen specimens fr(.)m any part of Northern Australia. Writing from the INIossgiel District in western New South Wales, in 1886, the late Mr. K. H. Bennett remarks: — "The White-winged Wren is rather plentifully dispersed over the wide plains of this locality, especially those which are covered with saltbush from a foot to eighteen inches high, or the curious formations known as 'cane-swamps.' Although the birds may be in these spots for years, they never go out of them, the margins of open ground forming the boundary of their little domain. In this respect they differ from M. melanotus, and the chestnut-shouldered species, '^ which are never found in such situations, though they may inhabit -the dense scrub surrounding these open spaces, only a few yards distant. M. leucopterus is also sparingly met with m the timbered back country as well as the open plains. It breeds in September and October, constructing a dome-shaped nest of dried grasses and other soft material, lined with feathers, and laying four eggs." Mr. G. A. Keartland writes me: — "During the journey of the Horn Scientific Expedition in Central Australia, in 1894, we found Alalunis leucopterus frequenting the short dry heath and spinifex between Oodnadatta and Charlotte Waters, and from the east of Alice Springs to as far north-west as Carmichael's Creek. When the notes of these birds are first heard, the females and immature males generally hop about and expose themselves as if to attract attention. Meanwhile the adult male, in his gay livery, either runs under the shelter of the undergrowth, or flies off to a place of safety. As soon as the latter object is gained, the others follow one at a time. When a brown bird flies off it is almost a sure sign that the adult male has gone. I always found the adult males very shy except at nesting time. These birds are plentiful near the Finke River, but on several occasions I have found them many miles from the nearest water. They are also very numerous in many parts of Western Australia. During the journey of the Calvert Exploring Expedition in 1896, we found three nests with fresh eggs in September, and some splendid specimens were obtained at Separation Well, on the loth October, 1896." In company with Mr. J. A. Thorpe, I procured specimens near the Mehi River, New South Wales, in November, 1S97. Later on I obtained them in all stages of plumage near the Gwydir River. They were met with both in small flocks and in pairs, frequenting the isolated clumps of low bushes out on the plains, and in which I found them breeding. It is remarkable that some of the adult males were in full plumage, others were moulting their tail feathers, Since described as .1/. assimilis. 216 MUSCICAPID.E. some of them being about half-grown and much darker in colour than the old remaining feathers. I also obtained a young parti-coloured male on the gth November in almost the same stage of plumage as a specimen obtained by Mr. R. Grant, at Buckiinguy, about two hundred and eighty miles away, in July of the same year. The stomachs of all the birds we examined contained minute insects. Dr. A. M. Morgan informs me that during a trip made to the Gawler Ranges, South Australia, in August, 1902, by Dr. A. Chenery and himself, this species was not met with further west than forty-five miles from Port Augusta. At \\'artaka West a pair were found roosting in an old nest of Pomatosiomus superciliosus. Writmg to me from Point Cloates, North-western Australia, Mr. Tom Carter remarks: — "Maluriis Iciicoptenis is most frequently seen of any of the Maluri here. It was especially numerous in 1898, after a hurricane, when a great growth of 'roley-poley ' bush sprang to a considerable size, and many of its nests were found in it. I have seen full plumaged males in almost every month of the year. They are not so easy to approach as the duller coloured females and immature birds. They sleep in small families in thick bushes, and often keep uttering their pretty warble through the night, especially if any noise is made near them." The nest is a dome shaped structure, with an entrance near the top. It is formed externally of soft dried grasses and dead (lowering plant-stalks, slightly matted together with silky-white plant-down, and is usually thickly lined inside with the latter material, at other times with feathers or wool according to the situation in which it is built. Some nests have the tops slightly protected with a hood, but as a rule the entrance is oval and large for the size of the nest, like that of M. lamberti. An average nest measures externally four inches and a half in height by three inches in width, and the entrance one inch and a half in height by one inch in width. It is usually placed in a low bush, within two or three feet of the ground, but I have known them to be taken at a height of five feet. In New South Wales, salt-bushes, cotton-bushes, and "roley-poley" bushes are favourite nesting sites. The eggs are usually four in number for a sitting, and vary from oval to rounded and elongate-oval in form, the shell being close-grained, and its surface smooth and almost lustreless. When fresh they are of a fleshy-white ground colour, which changes to pure white when emptied of their contents; the shell is finely spotted or blotched with dull red or reddish-brown, the markings predominating on the larger end, where a more or less well defined zone or cap is frequently formed. Some specimens are minutely hut sparingly dusted or peppered all over with pinkish-red, and occasionally others may be found which are entirely devoid of markings. A set of four, taken in October, 1884, in the Wimmera District, Victoria, measures: — Length (A) o-6 x 0-47 inches; (B) 0-62 x 0-47 inches (C) 0-58 x 0-46 inches; (D) 3-57 X 0-46 inches. Another set of four, taken by me on Tyreel Station, near Moree, on the gth November, 1897, measures: — (A) 0-62 x 0-44 inches; (B) 0-64 x 0-45 inches; (C) 0-64 x 075 inches; (D) 0-62 x 0-44 inches. The Narrow-billed Bronze Cuckoo frequently deposits its egg in the nest of this species. Young males resemble the female. Some examples from South .\ustralia have the upper surface strongly washed with rich fawn colour. As a rule their darker blue tail and the white scapulars are the first signs of acquiring the distinguishing plumage of the male, but specimens are also found with only a few of the feathers on the crown of the head tipped with cobalt-blue, and the remainder of their plumage as in the adult female. Excepting the tail feathers, the change in the male from youth to the fully adult livery is mostly if not wholly assumed by a change of colour in the feathers and not by moult. Thus in the semi-adult stage, specimens may be found with the brown and dull white body plumage of the female, and MALUKUS. 217 the tips of more or less of the feathers of a rich cobalt-bhie; inner wini^-coverts and secondaries white, with brown centres. September and the four following months constitute the usual breeding season of this species in Eastern Australia; but in the central portion of the continent, Mr. C. E. Cowle has found nests with fresh eggs in March and April. Malurus leuconotus. WHITK-BACKED SUPERB WAKBLER. Malurus leacouofus, Gould, Proo. Zool. Soc, 18G5, p. 198; id., Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. 332 (1865); id., Bds. Austr., fol., Suppl., pi. 24 (1869); Sharpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. IV, p. 291 (1879). Adult ih.kle— Like the adult male of Malurus leucopterus, but of a slighllij brighter cobalt- blue, and having the centre of the back white instead of deej) cobalt-blue, as in that species. 7'otal length 4.-7 inches, wing 1 '9, tail :.'■//, bill OS.i, tarsus OS. Distribution.— Western New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia, North- western Australia. ||;N his original description of Malurus leuconotus. Gould describes the secondaries as being Jl. white. Dr. Sharpe, in the "Catalogue of Birds in the British Museum,"'^ states that the innermost secondaries are pure white, the outer one brown on the inner web, white on the external one." The tail measurement in Gould's original description (3^ths) is clearly a typographical error, which is perpetuated in his Handbook, for in his "Supplement to the Birds of Australia," where the figures are stated to be of the natural size, the tail is there represented as being about two inches and a half in length. Although I have examined specimens from various localities resembling Malurus leucopterus, Gould, and differing in havmg the upper portion and centre of the back white, I am by no means certain that they are distinct from that species. This is strengthened by the knowledge that they were obtained in some instances in districts where M. leucopterus is also found. Among the adult males now before me belonging to this white-backed form, are examples from the north-west of Port Augusta, obtained by Mr. Kendal Broadbent, who in the same locality procured numerous specimens of M. leucopterus; adult males and a female, obtained with their nests and eggs, by Mr. James Ramsay at Tyndarie, New South Wales, in 1881-2; these were originally spirit specimens, and the adult female is indistinguishable from that of M. leucopterus, which is plentiful in the district; an adult male, collected by Mr. G. A. Keartland during the journey of the Calvert Exploring Expedition in Western Australia in 1896, and two adult males obtained by Mr. Edwin Ashby at Nackara, South Australia in igoo. Referring the birds obtained at Tyndarie, New South Wales, to M. leuconotus, the nest is thus described by Dr. Ramsay I:— "The nest, like that of all other members of the genus, is a dome-shaped oblong structure of fine grass, ornamented and mixed with cobweb and wool, and lined inside with cotton from the native 'cotton-bush,' or the silky-down from the seed-pods of an Asclepiad. The length of the nest is 5-5 inches by 3-3 inches, and it was placed in a small tuft of coarse grass near the ground ; others were found among the lower branches and grass at the base of cotton-bush shrubs. They breed during the months of September, October, and November." Four eggs, comprising a set taken by Mr. James Ramsay, are oval in form, the shell being close-grained and its surface smooth and lustreless. They are pure white, with the exception • Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. iv., p. 291 (1879). t Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W., Vol. vii., p. 49 (1S83). 218 MUSCICAPID.E. of one which has a faint reddish-tinge, and are minutely freckled and spotted with dull red, particularly towards the larger end, where the markings are darker and become confluent, forming small angular shaped patches in one specimen and a well defined zone on another. Length (A) 0-62 x 0-45 inches; (B) 0-62 x 0-46 inches; (C) o-6 x 0-45 inches; (D) o-6 x 0-46 inches. Although slightly darker than typical specimens of M. Icucoptcnts, they cannot other- wise be distinguished from the eggs of that species. Malurus lamberti. LAiILiEia",S SUrEKB WAKBLEK. Malurus lamheHi, Vig. & Horsf., Trans. Linn. Soc, Vol. XV., p. 221 (1S26); Gould, Bds. Austr., fol., Vol. III., pi. 24 (1848); id., Haiidbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. 327 (186.5); Sharpe, Cat. Bds. Brit, Mas., Vol. TV., jv 288 (1S79). Adult male — Forehead, feathers around the eye and ear-coverts turquoise-blue, which gradually passes into cobalt on the croivu of the head awl nape: sides of the neck, and a collar on the hind- neck velvety-black; mantle and upper portion of the back cobalt-blue; loiver portion of the hack, rump, and upper tail-coverts velvety-black ; scapulars bright chestnut; upper icing-coverts and quills brown, the inner secondaries having dull rufous edges; tail dull blue, the lateral feathers lipped ivith u-hite; a triangular shaped marking in front of the eye, cheeks, throat, and upper portion of the breast deep black, the feathers on the sides of the latter deep cobalt; centre 0/ the breast dullurhite; abdomen, flanks, and under tail-coverts brownish-bvff; bill black; legs and feet dark Jleshy-brown ; iris dark brown. Total length in the Jlesh SS inches, wing 19, tail 3, bill 0- 4, tarsus 0S5. Adult kkmale — General colour above brown; upper wing-coverts and quills hronm, the ■primaries narrowly edged externally with brownish-ivhite ; tail feathers dull blue: lores and a circle of feathers around the eye rich chestnut; chin, throat, sides of the neck, and all the under surface fulvous-brown, paler on the throat, darker on the sides of the abdomen and flanks; bill reddish- brown; feet fleshy-brown ; iris dark brown. Distribution. — Queensland, New South Wales. ^t%S HERE are five species of the genus Malurus, of which the adult males have the shoulders -L chestnut or chestnut-red. These may be further separated into two sections, consisting of the black throated species M. lamberti, M. amabilis, and M. assimilis; and the dark blue throated birds, M. elegans and M. pulcherrimus, which are strictly confined to the western portions of the continent. It is remarkable that while the adult male of M. amabilis somewhat resembles in colour the adult male of M. lamberti, the adult female of the former species is distinguished not only from those of its ally, but from all others of the genus in having the general colour of the upper parts dark blue. Lambert's Superb Warbler is the oldest known species of the chestnut shouldered section of the genus, and since I have separated the closely allied Malurus assimilis, there is very little variation to be found in examples from different parts of Eastern .Vustralia. .\s in other species of the genus, the small white tips to the tail feathers of the adult males and females vary in extent, and in some examples they are entirely wanting. Prior to moulting, the tail feathers in both sexes are much duller in colour, and almost approach in colour those of very young birds. The range of the present species extends from the neighbourhood of Wide Bay in South- eastern Queensland, throughout the greater portion of Eastern New South Wales. In the latter State it is more freely dispersed in the scrubby undergrowth near the coast, and its range does not extend far inland. As at the time of Gould's visit to Australia, the stunted vegetation and heath lands about Botany Bay and Middle Harbour are still its favourite haunts near MALURTTS. •219 Sydney, but unlike Valiinis siipci-bus, it no longer inhabits the gardens and parks of the city. Mr. George Masters, the Curator of the Macleay Museum, informs me that the garden surrounding the residence of the late Sir William Macleay at Elizabeth Bay was one of the last resorts of this species, adjacent to the city, and it was there exterminated by domestic cats. Although by no means common, it is generally distributed throughout the upper Middle Harbour District, and the neighbouring suburbs on the Milson's Point railway line. At Roseville I have found it breeding in the orchards, and in one instance close to the road of one of the leading thoroughfares. In habits it is warier than the Superb Warbler, which is often found in the same localities, and as with that species its usual food consists of insects of various kinds and their larvae. The note of the male resembles the sound produced by the turn of a child's small spring rattle, or wj^^.'inr A - .7 , III, , Ml -■ ~-. ~ ■ the winding of a small clock. «ite^'j^^ . t>V'#'iSr^'''WK''!! rSi^^'^StWHiWi-',)^^' The nest is an oval dome imfff ^ \w/r * ^ " • " ' ^^VtrSffw^^f-Jjnm^i shaped structure, with an en- ^P/ dAW^mt ■■ -9 ^^^ .H^miWS/^aiVfl larged entrance near the top or in the side; externally it is formed ijf thin dried strips and broad f^ ■'^-■f.-i'A's'' r^9BBi^^V#i x.'iic^ifji' ,^^^E spiders, the interior being lined with very fine dried grass and bark, interwoven with a small (juantity of hair or fur; others ^ 'A. • "SrMS 'i '»«-«» -*- -y '^ - ."-i. JiLj^iMf !■■' ^"-^ lined with silky-white downy ^^in^i^ Vri^^^^^^^|^>::^^i^!^M'l^ seeds or other soft material. It I^SciB? zi."^. StaKSe^-'^i S{%ll is neither so neatly woven nor warmly lined as that of Malunis .^iipei'bns, and as a rule nothing but dead and dull-coloured material is used in its outer construction. An average nest measures ex- ternally five inches and a half m height by three inches and a half in diameter; entrance one inch and a half. Typically the entrance to the nest is much enlarged, and the structure is narrower on the lower half. One 1 found at Middle Harbour, on the 29th September, 1899, built a few inches from the ground in a Dwarf Apple-tree (Augophora cordifolia), had the entrance two inches in diameter, and the cavity below the opening only one inch and three-quarters in diameter by two in depth, and directly I flushed the female from it I could see three fresh eggs lying at the bottom of the nest. It is generally built within a few inches of the ground, and is loosely attached to the stems of a low bush, coarse grass stems, or clump of ferns, or to a few dry twigs fallen among long dead grass, and often near a log. Although comparatively rare in the neighbourhood of Sydney, nearly all the nests I have found were in more exposed situations than as a rule are the nests of the common Malurus supcrbus. I found the nest figured above on the 13th .Vugust, 1900, at Middle Harbour, when only a few thin strips of bark were laid in some long grass sheltered above by a low gum sapling. I examined it several times during the next few weeks, and although added to since I first found it, thought it was deserted, as the birds were always in different parts of the scrub far removed NEST AND KGGS OP LAMliEUT S SUPERB WARBLER. 220 MUSCICAPID.E. from the nest. Msiting it on the rst October, seven weeks after it was first commenced, I was surprised to flush the female from it, who was sitting on four partially incubated eggs. After photographing the nest on the following day, the female returned to her eggs as soon as I removed the camera. These birds will often desert their nests if touched, and sometimes if even approached during construction. A pair from whose nest I took four fresh eggs on the 27th September, igoo, at Roseville, I found again with a half built nest on the 14th October, in some long grass under the fallen dead branches of a pear-tree, by watching the female carry material to it. Although eventually nearly completed, the birds deserted it and constructed another nest and reared their young in some low ferns, about one hundred yards away. In all nests I ha\e found, the eggs or young were more or less exposed to view, but two which had frail hoods partially concealing the entrance. A nest I found near Roseville on the ist September, igoi, and from which I flushed the female when within five yards of it contained a single fresh egg. As usual the entrance to the nest was large, and I could see the egg lying inside at the bottom of the structure, which I was careful not to touch. On visiting the place a week later, I saw the male and female in the scrub about thirty yards from the nest. Arriving at the nest I was surprised to find it empty, and two perfect eggs at some distance apart lying beneath it on a thick carpeting of dead eucalyptus leaves. Carefully removing the latter one by one I found a third egg, and after some time a fourth, all of them being perfect, fresh, and icy cold. Whether the birds had ejected the eggs themselves through my visiting it, or whether they had been thrown out by a Cuckoo, I can only conjecture, but if by the latter one would have expected to find an egg of the intruder in the nest, which was in a perfectly uprif,'ht position. .\t Middle Harbour, on the gth September, igoi, I observed a female in low scrub tearing off" small strips of bark and bark-fibre from a tea-tree, the male hopping about in a tree close at hand. This she repeated several times until I located the nest she was engaged in building in some long grass at the foot of a Banksia, about twelve yards away. I gradually moved until I got within a yard of the structure, the female still carrying material but now small dead eucalyptus leaves, apparently unconcerned at my presence. Now and again she would run up to the top of a shrub, watch me for a minute or two and tiien fly away, returning shortly after with a leaf or portion of one. Meanwhile the beautiful full plumaged male kept hopping about the bushes near at hand, sometimes close to me at other times accompanying the female, but never assisting in carrying material nor did he once go near the nest during my stay there. On visiting the nest on the 20th September, I found it completed and containing two fresh eggs, which were visible at the bottom of the nest. Two days later I flushed the female from it, and found in addition to the eggs of Lambert's Superb Warbler, an egg of the Fan-tailed Cuckoo which almost filled up with the other eggs the lower cavity of the nest. This is the only instance I have known of the egg of Cacomantis flabcUifovmis being deposited in the nest of this species. Subsequently Dr. Kamsay, to whom I showed this set, informed me that he had only on one occasion found the nest of Lambert's Superb \\'arl)ler, which contained two fresh eggs, this was on the i6th September, i860, and that he had never known or heard of the egg of any species of Cuckoo being found in the nest of Malurus livnhcrti. .'\t Roseville, on the i6th October, igoi, 1 found a nest built in some grass about two feet high growing under a dead pear tree. I had the owners of it under almost daily observation for over twelve months, and never at any time saw the male except in his fully adult and distinguishing livery. Although these birds never left the orchard or the adjoining paddock, like many other pairs of these birds I have had under observation when engaged in nest building, they wandered all over their domain, and only on one occasion had I observed them in the \icinity of where I found their nest. This nest had the entrance slightly more protected MALURUS. 221 than usual, but not enough to conceal the eggs from view when looking into it. I flushed the female from it when I was about a yard away, and found she had been sitting on three of her own eggs, also on one of Lcimprococcyx hasalis. The male exhibited the most concern about the welfare of the nest and its contents. He came within eighteen inches of my hand, holding in his bill a common house-ily; with head and tail lowered he ran sideways up and down a coarse grass stalk while I was removing the eggs. The eggs were of the usual reddish- white ground colour before being blown, and incubation had commenced in all of them, including the Rufous-tailed Bronze Cuckoo's. One egg of Mnhtriis laiiihnil was entirely devoid of markings. I saw the female of this pair of birds building again in some long grass near my house, on the 25th October, a thin outline only of the nest at that time being formed. On the 6th November it was completed, and contained two eggs, both birds being n^ar the nest. Two days later there were three eggs of Lambert's Superb Warbler and one of Laiitpvococcyx hasalis. Cuckoos were unusually numerous that season, and on the same day in an adjoining paddock I saw a young Lamprococcyx hasalis being fed by a female Lambert's Warbler. At IMiddle Harbour, on the 27th October, 1902, I watched for some time a pair of these birds ; the female was making a tremulous motion of the wings which led me at first to believe it was a young one. Afterwards I found the nest, about half built, among grass and sheltered with a few low herbaceous plants. On the 8th November I flushed the female from it while sitting on three of her eggs, also an egg of the Kufous-tailed Ikonze Cuckoo. While I was at the nest, the female a few yards away, with drooping head and tail, ran sideways up and down a thin reed. This nest, of the usual form, was entirely constructed of dead grey strips of bark and a few egg-bags of spiders, being lined inside with a thick layer of red downy tufts oi Banksia cones; and on the top of that, and on which the eggs were deposited, a small quantity of soft white inner bark of a tree. It measured externally five inches in height, three inches in diameter, and across the entrance one inch and a half. The eggs in this nest were not visible without raising a slight hood which protected the entrance, and one egg of this set was entirely devoid of markings. On the same day I found another nest of this species, which 1 had previously tried for some time to locate. It was most artfully concealed, about a foot below the level of the surroundmg paddock, in the side of a narrow deep drain, overgrown with grass and bracken ferns, and contained a young Rufous-tailed Bronze Cuckoo, nearly fledged. Below the nest, in the bottom of the drain, I found an egg of Malurus lamhcrti in an advanced stage of incubation. Both male and female came close to me with insects in their bills for the young Cuckoo, the former as usual betraying the most concern at my presence, and more especially when I took the young bird out of the nest to examine it. The eggs are usually four, sometimes only three in number for a sitting, oval or elongate oval in form, the shell being close-grained, smooth, and almost lustreless. When fresh they are of fleshy or reddish-white ground colour, which changes to nearly pure white when emptied of their contents; this is sprinkled over with dots, spots, and occasionally blotches of pale red, pinkish-red, or dull chestnut-red, the markings as a rule being confined to the thicker end, where they not infrequently form a well defined cap or zone. Some specimens have the markings small and sparingly distributed over the entire shell and often an egg of this type is found in a set in which the others are heavily blotched or distinctly zoned. A set of three, taken at Middle Harbour on the 20th September, 1899, measures as follows:— Length (A) o-66x 0-5 inches; (B) o-66 x 0-5 inches; (C) 0-69 x 0-5 inches. A set of four, taken at Rose- ville on the 27th September, 1900, measures:— (A) 0-65 x 0-5 inches; (B) 0-64 x 0-49 inches; (C) 0-63 X 0-49 inches; (D) 0-64 x 0-5 inches. A set of three, taken at Roseville on the 8th November, 1902, and which also contained an egg of Lamprococcyx hasalis, measures:— (A) 0-64 X 0-5 inches; (B) 0-64 x 0-49 inches; (C) 0-64 x 0-49 inches. 222 MUSCICAPID.E. Young birds resemble the female, but are slightly browner on the under parts, and have the tail feathers brown, and the lores and orbital ring duller in colour. At Roseville on the 6th February, 1899, I observed a fully adult male and female, with three young ones in brown attire. What I believed to be the same brood with their parents, I saw near the same spot on the 3rd March following. Two of them were young males and had the tail dull blue and the bill black; the adult female being distinguished from a young female by the deeper rufous orbital ring and reddish-brown bill. The young male of this species, in its progress from youth to maturity, undergoes the same series of changes as does the young males of Maliiriis snperbus. In some young males the chestnut scapulars are the first indications of their assuming the adult livery; in others it is e.xhibited in the turquoise-blue feathers on the head, or black feathers of the throat. Nidification in the neighbourhood of Sydney usually commences in the beginning of August, and is, so far as I have observed, performed only by the female. Neither does the male assist in the task of incubation, but he shares with the female in feeding the young. The eggs are generally deposited daily; in several nests, however, I have had under observation, they were irregularly laid. At Chatswood I have known a female to sit so close as to be captured while sitting on fresh eggs, but as a rule she leaves the nest silently on one approach- ing it. On the 28th September, i8g8, at Roseville, I caught a young bird that had only recently left the nest. The male evinced the greatest solicitude for the welfare of the young bird, and ventured within a foot of my hand. With drooping wings and tail it assumed the most droll attitudes, and tumbled over the ground in a seemingly helpless condition. While holding the young bird in my hand, and before restoring it to liberty, it answered the male and female who were calling with their usual note. The latter, however, would not come nearer than four yards of me, while I could almost touch the male. In the coastal districts of Northern New South Wales, .\ugust and the four following months, constitute the usual breeding season. My last record of finding a nest of this species was on the i6th December, 1903. It was built near the ground under a small bush close to a well frequented path leading to Middle Harbour. Both male and female were engaged in feeding the only occupant of the nest, a j-oung Rufous-tailed Bronze Cuckoo (Lamprococcyx basalts). Malurus assimilis. PURPLE-BACKED SUPERB WARBLER. Malurus pulcherrimus (nee Gould), Sharps, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., V^ol. IV., p. 29+ (1879). Malurus lamberli (nee Vig. and Horsf.), Ramsay, Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W., 2nd ser., Vol. II., p. 168 (1887); North, Rep. Horn Sci. Exped. Centr. Austr., Pt. II, Zool., p. 77 (1896); Keartl., Trans. Roy. Soc. S.A., Vol. XXII., p. 17-5 (1898). Malurus assimilis, North, Vict. Nat., Vol. XVIII., p. 29 (1901). Adult male — Forehead, cromi and sides of the head jmrplish-blue, passing iiUo a rich cobalt on the feathers around the eye and the ear-coverts ; sides of the neck and a collar on the hind-neck velvety-black ; mantle and upper portion of the back purplish-blue; Icwer portion of the back and rump velvety-black ; scapulars chestnut-red ; wings brown, the quills narrowly edged externally with brotimislir-white ; tail dull blue, all but the two central feathers tipped with white; a triangular- shaped marking iii front of the eye, the cheeks, throat, and upper portion of the breast deep black, the feathers on the sides of the breast tipped with deep purplish-blue ; remainder of the under surface dull tvhite, slightly tinged with pale brownish-buff on the flanks and under tail-coverts; thighs MAHKUS. 223 brown; bill black; legs and feel dark flushy-brown ; iris dark broiim. Total length 5 inches, wing 1-9, tail J 6', bill 0 Jo, tarsus OS. Adult female — General colour above brown; iviiigs brown; the quills narrowly edged externally with brownish-white; tail dtill greenish-blue, the lateral feathers tipped with white ; a broad loral streak and a narrow circle of feathers around the eye rich chestnut; chin and upper portio-n, of the throat dull rvhite; remainder of the tender surface pale fulvous ; bill reddish-brown; legs jieshy- brotvn, the feet slightly darker ; iris dark brown. Total length ^8 inches, rving IS, tail 2- 15, bill OSS, tarsiis 0 8. Distribution. — Northern Territory of South Austraha, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Central Australia, Western Australia, North-western Australia. •yCgyOK a number of years past it has been known that the inland and western form of -L^ Mahirus hwiherti was of a deeper colour than typical specimens obtained near the eastern coast of iVustralia. More than a ijuarter of a century ago. Dr. Ramsay pointed out that the New South Wales birds differed in the tint of colouring from those procured fn South Australia." Subsequently, in 1876, Mr. George Masters made reference to two specimens obtained bv Mr. Kendal Broadbent at the Gulf of Carpentaria, and stated that it might prove to be a distinct species, but for the present (at that time) he looked upon it as a local variety of Malnrus lambcrti.\ These differences in colour were brought more prominently under my notice in iqoi, while working at the Maluri and comparing a series from widely separated parts of the continent. The present species belongs to that section of the genus in which the adult males are distinguished by their chestnut shoulders, and is more closely allied to Malnrus lambcrii. \Mien compared with typical examples of the latter species, however, J\I. assimilis may be easily recognised in having the crown and sides of the head purplish-blue instead of deep cobalt; moreover, the feathers around the eye and the ear-co\-erts are rich cobalt instead of turquoise-blue, and the mantle and upper portion of the back purplish-blue instead of cobalt- blue. In the colour of these parts it more closely resembles M. ptdchcrrimtis, Gould, with which it has been frequently confused. Both Western Australian representatives of this section of the genus, however, M. pidcherrimus and M. elegans, are widely separated from M. lambcrti and its allies in luuing the throat and upper portion of the breast dark blue instead of black. Malnrus assimilis has an extensive range over the Australian continent. Mr. K. Broadbent obtained specimens near Port Augusta in South Australia, also at the Gulf of Carpentaria in North Queensland. The late Mr. K. H. Bennett procured the types in the thick scrubby undergrowth of the Mossgiel District, New South Wales, where he found this species breeding; and, later on, at Yandembah Station, near Booligal. Mr. James Ramsay also obtained examples of this species, together with its nest and eggs, at Tyndarie. Mr. G. A. Keartland met with it in Central Australia in 1894, and in Western Australia in 1896. Dr. A. M. ^lorgan has also, at various times, obtained specimens in different parts of South Australia, as well as nests and eggs. Specimens were kindly lent for examination by the Director of the South Australian Museum, that were obtained at Marion Bay, York Peninsula; the Finke River, Central Australia; and Mildura, \'ictoria. Also adult males, females, and a young male, collected by Dr. A. M. Morgan, at Laura, about one hundred and forty miles north of Adelaide; and an adult male, procured by Mr. Edwin Ashby at Sandy Point, A'ork Peninsula. From Point Cloates, North-western Australia, Mr. Tom Carter also sent me for identification an adult male. * Proc. Zool. Soc, 1875, p. 589. t Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W., Vol. ii., p. 53 (1876). 224 MUSCICAPID.E. From specimens procured in Western, North-western, and South Australia, Dr. Sharpe has described this species in the "Catalogue of Birds in the British IMuseum."" under Gould's name of Mnlunis pnlchcvrimus. A nest and eggs in the Macleay Museum, taken in January, 1888, about one hundred miles inland from Derby, North-western Australia, were also described by me under this name.t Previously I had never seen the skin of the adult male, which was obtained at the same time with the nest and eggs, but in 1901 I examined it at the Macleay Museum, and found that although labelled Maliniis piilcheyrimus it was not that species but the black-throated bird distinguished by me a few months before under the name oiMahirns assimilis. Although apparently rare in collections, Mr. George Masters, the Curator of the Macleay Museum, procured a fine series of eleven specimens of the true Malurus piilchcrnnuis of Gould while collecting on behalf of the Trustees of the .\ustralian Museum, at Mongup, Salt Ri\-er, Western Australia, in January, 1868..; Three of them, beautiful old males, were mounted and have been exhibited m the bird galleries in the main upper hall for the past thirty years. Of the present species Mr. G. A. Keartland writes me: — ''Malurus assimilis is one of the most widely dispersed species of the genus, being found in the Wimmera District, \'ictoria; in the mallee scrub, near Murray Bridge, South .\ustralia; and throughout Central and Western Australia. They are very partial to salt-bush country, and two or three fully plumaged males may be seen hopping about together. Near Owen Springs, in Central .\ustralia, I killed two males of this species and one of Af. callainns at one shot. They were first observed hopping about a bush within eight feet of where I was riding, and when disturbed by my camel making a noise as I dismounted, simply flew off to the next hush in company with a number of brown and parti-plumaged companions. In Western .\ustralia I first met with this species near Lake Augusta, and afterwards in considerable numbers in the salt-bush and samphire near .\dminga Creek, but they were not observed north of Separation Well." Dr. .\. M. Morgan, of Adelaide, has also kindly furnished me with the following notes: — " I met with Maluyiis assimilis in the neighbourhood of Laura, at Port Germein, Port Augusta and Mount Gunson and the neighbourhood. It is almost invariably found in the dry beds of creeks, in pairs or small flocks, generally only one full plumaged male to each flock, presumably an old pair and brood. Two nests were met with. One at Stone Hut. near Laura, on the 19th October, 1895, was built externally of weather-worn grass stems, so as to look at first glance like an old deserted nest; it was domed and lined with feathers, and contained two half-grown young birds. It was placed under a bunch of grasses overhanging the bank of a dry creek. A week later the young birds had left the nest, but were in the vicinity with their parents. Only one pair of old birds were seen in connection with this nest. The other nest, found near Laura on the 13th November, 1895, was placed in the dry sticks of a cut mallee, the young shoots from the stem partially hidmg it. It was constructed, like the first, externally of old grass stems and lined with feathers, and contained three fresh eggs. There were several birds about this nest, but only one old male, from which I concluded that it was a second clutch, the more especially as there was an old used nest about ten yards distant, built in a similar manner and situation. Is not the reputation for polygamy which these birds enjoy, according to some writers, due to the fact that the young birds accompany the old pair even after the second clutch is laid ? The young birds might all be mistaken for females. The stomachs of three of these birds which I dissected contained nothing recognisable except the remains of ants." From Point Cloates, North-western Australia, Mr. Tom Carter writes me: — ''Malurus assimilis is not so numerous here as M. leiicopterus. It seems to give preference to the low scrub • Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. iii., p. 294 (1879). t Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W., 2nd ser., Vol. iii,, p. 415 (1888). J Ann. Rep. Austr. Mus. for 1868, p. 7 (1869). MALUKUS. 225 growing in narrow gullies on the rocky ranges; it is also to be met with in 'roley-poley' bushes and other thiclv undergrowth." A nest in the collection of the Australian Museum, taken by the late Mr. K. H. Bennett at Mossgiel, New South Wales, in October, 1885, is a dome-shaped structure, with a narrow entrance near the top; outwardly it is formed of fine silvery- white dried grasses and their flowering plant- stalks, the inside being slightly lined at the bottom with plant down. E.xternally it measures five inches in height, by three inches in width, and across the entrance one inch. It was built in a Needle Bush (Hakca IcuiOpteva ). at a height of five feet from the ground, and contained three eggs, .\nother nest, taken by Mr. Bennett at Yandembah in October, 1S99, is similarly constructed, but was placed in a low bush within a few inches of the ground. The eggs are three or four in number for a sitting. o\al in form, the shell being close- grained, smooth, and lustreless. They are of a dull white ground colour, which is sprinkled over with dots, spots, and blotches of faint pinkish-red, the markings predominating as usual on the thicker end. Length (A) 0-62 x 0-5 inches; (B) 0-63 x 0-5 inches; (C) o'66 x 0-47 inches. A set taken by Mr. James Ramsay at Tyndarie, New South Wales, measures:— (A) 0-62 x 0-5 inches; (B) o-66 x 0-47 inches; (C) 0-65 x 0-47 inches. Mr. C. E. Cowle, of Illamurta, Central Australia, has found the egg of Laiiij:oyd on the i6th September, 1894, measures as follows: — Length (.\) o-6i X 0-45 inches; (B) 0-62 x 0-46 inches; (C) o-52 x 0-46 inches. A set of four, taken by Mr. G. Savidge at Copmanhurst, in November, 1900, measures:— (.A.) 0-62 x 0-47 inches; (B) 0-64 x 0-47 inches; (C) o-6i x 0-47 inches; (D) 0-65 x 0-49 mches. Young males resemble the female in colour and size, and have the brown tail feathers longer than when fully adult. In their approach to maturity the orange-scarlet feathers on the back are, as a rule, the first indication of the distinguishing sexual colour. Still older birds have some of the feathers on the head and centre of the breast black, the new and shorter tail feathers are also black, and the remainder brown; bill brown. Wing 17 inches. Gradually the fully adult plumage is assumed, until the last trace of immaturity is lost when the brown feathers on the thighs are replaced by black ones. .\ugust and the six following months constitute the usual breeding season of this species in north-eastern New South Wales, but I have received from the Dawson River District, Queensland, two full sets taken respectively on the 12th and 17th March, 1893. 232 MUSCICAPID.E. Malurus cruentatus. CKIMSON-BACKED SUPERB WARBLER. Malurus cruentatus, Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc, 1839, p. Ii3; id., Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. 334 (1865). Mahirus hroivnii, Gould, Bds. Austr., fol.. Vol. III., pi. 27 (1848). Mahtrus dorsalis, (nee Sylvi.^ dorsalis, Lewin), Sharpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mas , Vol. IV., p. 296 (1879). Malurus cruentatus boweri, Ramsay, Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W,, 2nd ser.. Vol. I., p. 1100 (1886). Adult m.\le — Head and neck velvety -black : mantle, scapulars, hack, and rump deep crimson; upper wing-coverts ayid the innermost secondaries black: quills brown, the primaries externally edged with paler broivn; upper tail-coverts and tail feathers black; all the under surface velvety- black; bill black; legs and feet fleshybrotrn ; iris black. Total length 3'7 inches, wing l-(l'), tail 1-75, bill 0-3, tarsus 072. Adult fkmale — General colour above fulvous-brown ; upper toing-coverts like the back; quills brown, externally margined with fulvous-brown ; tail feathers brown, margined with fulvous-hi-outn; feathers around the eye and sides of the neck fulvous ; all the under surface dull white, tinged with fulvous on the lower neck; sides of the body and under tail-coverts fulvous. Total length 4'3 inches, wing 1-65, tail 2-3, bill 0 3, tarsus 072. Distribution. — North-western Australia, Northern Territory of South .•\ustralia, Northern Queensland. ^~jr^HV. present species, described by Gould in 1839, was one of the novelties obtained by -L the Officers of H.M.S. "Beaj^le," in North-western .Vustralia. In his folio edition of the "Birds of Australia," Gould figures it under the name of Malurus brownii, the latter species being described by \'igors and Horsfield from a specimen procured by Mr. Brown in September 1802, near the inner entrance of Thirsty Sound, on the eastern coast of Queensland. In his "Handbook," Gould restores his name oi M . cruentatus for the north-western and northern species, and places M. brownii as a synonym of M. melanocephalus. Undoubtedly Gould was correct in the latter view, for adult males from the neighbourhood of Thirsty Sound are but slightly deeper in tint than typical examples of M. melanocephalus, obtained in New South Wales. Dr. Sharpe states" that "the type of M. brownii scarcely equals in intensity the blood-red or crimson colouring of the Port Essington and N.W. .Vustralian birds; and it seems that there may be possibly three species of red-backed Maluri, differing only in the intensity of the colouring of the back." I do not agree with there being three species, for when a large series of these birds from different parts of the continent are e.xamined. it will be found that M. melanocephalus, Lath., and Af. cruentatus, Gould, intergrade one with the other. Even at Cairns, which is very much further north than Thirsty Sound, the common species is the darker coloured race of M. melanocephalus, with the unmistakeable orange tint in the feathers of the back. Of fifteen adult males now before me from that neighbourhood, collected by Messrs. Cairn and Grant, thirteen belong to this race and only two approach in colour the M. cruentatus of Gould. My descriptions have been taken from examples obtained at Derby, North-western .\ustralia. Adult females from this part of the continent may be distinguished by the stronger fulvous wash on the upper and under surface. In specimens from the Northern Territory and Port Essington this shade is more apparent on the upper tail-coverts. Specimens o( Malurus- cruentatus in the Australian Museum collection, were obtained by Mr. E. J. Cairn, the late Mr. T. H. Bowyer- Bower and Mr. G. A. Keartland, in the neighbourhood of Derby, North-western Australia; by Mr. A. Morton at Port Essington; by Mr. Kendal Broadbent and Mr. Gulliver at the Gulf of Carpentaria; and by Mr. J. .\. Thorpe at Cape York. The adult male obtained by Mr. Gulliver • Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. iv., p. 297 (1879). MALURUS. 233 is in the moult, and is of a different shade of crimson to any other specimen I have seen. There are skins also in the Macleay Museum, obtained by the late Mr. E. Spalding at Port Darwin, and Mr. George Masters at Cape York in 1875. Mahtrus crucntatus bo'u'eri, Ramsay, the type of which I have now before me, I regard only as an abnormally plumaged young male of M. cnientatus. It formed one of a large series of M. crucntatus collected by the late Mr. T. H. Bowyer-Bower near Derby, North-western Australia. Mr. G. A. Keartland writes me: — "Malunis crucntatus is very common in the neighbour- hood of the Fitzroy and Margaret Rivers in North-western Australia. During November and December, 1896, I observed them in the open forest frequenting the tallest trees. When driven from one tree to another, they preferred the elevated branches of the Eucalypti to the dense low bushes which they passed in their flight, and one was shot from a branch fifty-feet high. As soon as the rain fell they altered their habits, and were found in the long grass and low bushes. Possibly the intense heat of the dry ground had previously caused them to seek the cooler atmosphere of a higher elevation. Many of their nests were found in Bauhinia trees and in the native "peach-bushes," usually about four feet from the ground, although some were placed as high as ten feet. The birds were far from shy, and no difficulty was experienced in obtaining specimens." A nest of this species, taken by Mr. Keartland from a low bush, is a dome-shaped structure with an entrance near the top. It is rather loosely put together, and is formed throughout of very fine dried grasses and strips of white bark, intermingled with the coverings of some composite plant. Externally it measures four inches and a half in height by two inches and a half in diameter, and across the entrance one inch. In the nests examined the eggs were three or four in number for a sitting. They are oval or rounded-oval in form, the shell being close-grained, and its surface smooth and lustreless. The ground colour, which is pure white, is finely dusted, freckled, or blotched with pinkish or brownish-red, the markings on some specimens being clear and well defined, in others nearly obselete. Like those of M. mclanocephahis, some are sparingly but evenly blotched over the entire surface of the shell, but as a rule the markings predominate on the thicker end, where in some instances they form a well defined zone. A set of three, taken by Mr. G. -A. Keartland m January, 1897. near the junction of the Fitzroy and Margaret Rivers, in North-western Australia, measures as follows:— Length (.A) o-6 x 0-5 inches; (B) 0-62 x 0-44. inches; (C) 0-6 X 0-44 inches. .Another set, taken in the same locality measures:— (A) o;6i x 0-43 inches; (B) 0-59 X 0-42 inches; (C) 0-58 x 0-44 inches; (D) o-6 x 0-41 inches. In concluding the Maluvi, I regret that I am unable to give a description of the nest and eggs of the Crowned Superb Warbler (Malurus coronatits, Gould;, one of the most beautiful species of the genus. There are in the Reference Collection specimens of these birds which were obtained by Mr. E. J. Cairn, about one hundred miles inland from Derby, North-western Australia, in 1886, who also procured the nest and eggs. Unfortunately only portion of his collection was received at the Australian Museum ; two boxes, containing many specimens and including among others the nest and eggs of Malurus coronatus, were lost in transit. 234 Family TURDID^. Sub-Family TURBINE. Geocichla lunulata. Mountain thrusu. Turdnn lunulatua, Lath., Ind. Orn., Suppl., p. xlii., (1801). Oreocincla macrorJiyncha, Gould, Proc. Zoo). Soc, |S37, p. 145. Oreocincla lunulata, Gould, Bds, Austr., fol., V"ol. IV,, pi. 7 (1848); id., Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. T., p. 439 (1865). Geocichla lunulata, Seeliohiii, Cat. Bds. Brit. .Mus., Vol. V., p. l.")5 (1881). Geocichla macrorhyncha. Seebohm, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. V., p. 156 (1881). Adult male — General colour above olivehrojvn, each feather having a crescent-shaped black mark at the tip, folloived by a pale tarvny subterminal band on the feathers of tlie head and hind- neck, those of the lower back and rump having paler shaft-streaks ; upper iving-coverts dark brown, broadly margined on their outer webs with olive-brown, and tipped with tawny-white ; quills broivn, the secondaries broadly margined tvith olive-broivn on their outer webs, the primaries more narrowly edged externally tvith a warmer shade of olive-brown; tail feathers olive-broivn, the lateral feathers narrowly tipped with white; lores dull whitish; feathers on the sides of the neck white, slightly tinged with ochraceous and tipped loith black; from the base of the lower mandible extends a more or less well defined black cheek stripe; chin and throat white, some of the feathers on the lower throat having small blackish-broivn spots at the tip ; remainder of the under surface white, tinged with ochraceous on the fore-neck and upper portion of the breast, and tnost of the feathers having a crescent shaped black marking at the tip; basal portion of the feathers on the sides of the upper breast olive-brown; centre of the abdomen white; under tail-coverts ivhile, a few of the longer feathers having a spot of blackish-brown at the tip ; hill dark brown, base of lotver mandible yellowish-brown; legs and feet pale fleshy-brown ; iris blackish-broicn. Total length in the flesh 11-5 inches, wing 5-6, tail ^SS, bill 105, tarsus ISo. Adult female — Similar in plumage to the male. Distribution. — New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, and some of the islands of Bass Strait. ^K N examination of a large series of the true Thrushes inhabiting Australia and Tasmania, X. \. has induced me to follow Gould in uniting his Geocichla macrorhyncha with the present species. The former species was described by Gould in the " Proceedings of the Zoological Society," in 1837, prior to his visit to Australia, the habitat being there stated as New Zealand. In his "Synopsis of the Birds of Australia," it is given as New Zealand or Van Diemen's Land. Subsequently, in his folio edition of the "Birds of .\ustralia," also in his "Handbook," after his visits to Tasmania and Australia, where in both places he saw these birds in their favourite resorts, he relegated his specific name of macrorhyncha to a synonym of Latham's older name .lunulata. Tasmanian examples are slightly darker than typical Australian birds, but I have specimens now before me, collected at Cambewarra, in the lilawarra District of New South Wales, that are perfectly indistinguishable in any way from others collected in Tasmania by Mr. Kendal Broadbent. I find in Australian specimens that the size and depth of colour of the black crescentic body markings and the extent of the white tips to the lateral tail-feathers are extremely variable, and so are the birds in size, even from the same locality. As a rule the two outermost tail feathers are tipped with white, but two examples from Cambewarra, apparently very old birds by their size and depth of colour, have only the outermost tail feather GEOCICHLA. 235 tipped with wliite. Of two adult males from Tasmania, one has the outermost tail feather only tipped with white, and the other the two outermost feathers. The wing measurements of these two birds vary from 5-2 to 5-5 inches, and their bills from 0-95 to 0-98 inches, and agree in size with others obtained at Cambewarra, New South Wales. By taking a Tasmanian bird and comparing with it the extreme type, or a lighter coloured bird from South-eastern Australia, one could easily recognise two species, but on examining a large series of continental examples, it will be found that they are extremely variable in size and colour, and that both races are found in Australia. The range of the ^lountain Thrush extends throughout Eastern New South Wales, Victoria, the south-eastern portion of South .\ustralia, some of the larger Islands of l>ass Strait, and nearly the whole of Tasmania. I first met with this species in Victoria, in the tea-tree scrubs between Cheltenham and Frankston, and also near Oakleigh, breeding in the early winter months. Before the undergrowth was cleared at Childers in the Strzelecki Ranges, it was unusually plentiful in August, and was sometimes seen congregated in small flocks, and from this habit it was first pointed out to me as a "Scrub Ouail." As in Gould's time it still frequents the neighbourhood of Sydney, and may be occasionally met with in the swampy under- growth between Manly and New- port. I have observed it. too, at Roseville, and throughout the south coastal districts and contiguous mountain ranges, and inland on the western slopes of the Blue Mountains. Dr. A. M. Morgan and Mr. A. Zietz both write me that it is very rare in South Australia, although it occurs in the hills near Adelaide. One specimen was shot at Mount Barker; and another, forwarded to me for examination bv the Trustees of the South Australian Museum, Mr. Zietz informs me, was killed through flying against a wire fence. Although it frequents alike the scrubs and flats near the coast, as well as the humid ranges inland, I have retained Gould's vernacular name of " Mountain Thrush," a literal translation of his generic name Oirocimia, in order to distinguish these birds from the members of the genus Cim-losoiim, which he has termed Ground Thrushes, although the latter are in no way related to the sub-family Ttirdiiuv. The food of the Mountain Thrush is procured on the ground among fallen leaves, debris, and moss-covered logs, and consists principally of insects of various kinds, worms, land crustaceans, and molluscs. The only notes I have heard this species utter, which were subdued but nevertheless shrill, resembled the noise produced by the revolutions of an engineer's ratchet-drill while boring a metal plate. The nest is a round open cup-shaped structure, and is usually formed of fine strips of bark, lined inside with dried grasses or wiry rootlets, the whole exterior and rim, which is thick rounded, being coated with green moss. Others I have seen constructed outwardly entirely of tea-tree bark and dead leaves, and the exposed portion of two nests decorated with pieces of pale green and white lichen, like some nests of Eopsaltria austraUs, The nests, too, vary in size, MOUNTAIN THRUSH. 236 TURDID.E. for they are resorted and added to season after season. The materials forming the lower portion of the original nests, owing to excreta, rains, and storms, become decomposed and consist chiefly of mould and decayed vegetable matter. This is more apparent when attempting to remove one of these long-resorted to structures from a thick forked branch. An average nest of the year measures externally seven inches and a half in diameter by four inches in depth; the inner cup three inches and a half in diameter by two inches and a quarter in depth; rim two inches. The position of the nest varies with the localities in which it is found. The favourite site near the coast is in a fork near the top of a tea-tree; and on the mountain ranges, wedged between the thick forked trunk of a smooth barked gum-tree, or on a moss-covered horizontal branch of any tree growing in a secluded gully. At Oakleigh, near Melbourne, I have also found it in the thick fork of a gum tree and close to a tea-tree bordered creek. When built in the latter position two sides of the nest alone are visible, that portion of it placed between the fork consisting only of a lining and a narrow rim. Generally the nest is built from ten to fifteen feet from the ground, not infre(]uently within hand's reach, and occasionally as high as twenty feet. The eggs are two or three in number for a sitting, varying from oval to elongate-oval in form, the latter being the more common type; the shell is close grained, smooth, and glossy. In ground colour they vary from a dull bluish-green, or greenish-grey, to a pale sand-stone colour, which in typical specimens is thickly and minutely freckled or mottled over the entire surface of the shell with dififerent shades of dull reddish, pinkish, or chestnut- brown. In some specimens the markings predominate or are entirely confined to the larger end; in others they are so thickly disposed that the ground colour is almost obscured, giving the egg a reddish-brown hue. Of rare varieties are those of a light clay and stone-grey ground colour, which is irregularly and heavily blotched and spotted on the larger end with diflferent shades of reddish or dull purplish-brown. A set of two, taken at Cheltenham, Victoria, measures:— Length (A) 1-41 x 0-92 inches; (B) 1-4 x o-gi inches. Another set, taken at Bayswater by Mr. J. Gabriel on the 29th September, 1895, measures:— (A) 1-37 x 0-93 inches; (B) 1-35 X 0-93 inches. A set taken at Circular Head, Tasmania, in 1887, measures: — (A) 1-37 X 0-97 inches; (B) 1-38 x 0-95 inches. A small egg, taken in the same locality on the 4th October, 1887, measures 1-29 x 0-9 inches. Relative to the breeding of this species in Tasmania, the following information is extracted from Dr. Holden's MS. notes, made while resident at Circular Head, on the north-western coast:— "On the 19th October, 1886, I found a nest of the Mountain Thrush, containing two young ones just hatched. It was a large structure composed outwardly and almost entirely of green moss with a little dry grass and bark, the inside being neatly lined with fine dry grass. The nest, on which the bird was sitting, was about ten feet up a tree-trunk, supported by the broken remains of a dead branch. On the 9th November following I found another nest containing two young just hatched. The mother sat very close and almost allowed me to touch her before she would move. The nest was formed of tea-tree debris and dirt, and lined with dry grass. It had no moss about it, and was built in the fork of a tea-tree growing in a swamp, the height of the structure being about seven or eight feet from the water. Not far ofif I found a nest in the topmost twigs of a small tea-tree. It had been half overturned, perhaps by the wind, but contained an addled egg; another broken egg was lying on the ground beneath the nest. On the 14th November I found a nest well up on an old stump, containing one chick just hatched. Another, with a broken egg in it, was built in an old opossum's nest high up in a tea-tree. Two days later I found a nest containing two much incubated eggs, built in an old opossum's nest, in the top of a sapling; also a nest in the fork of a tea-tree, with an addled egg and half shell of another. The Mountain Thrush is usually seen on the ground, and allows a close approach if one remains pretty quiet. I have never heard them utter any note." GEOCICHLA. 237 There are eggs in the Australian Museum collection taken by Dr. Ramsay at Dobroyde, from a nest built in a tea-tree, in July, i860. The nest and eggs of this species were among the first I obtained in my early collecting days. In the tea-tree scrub near the beach between Cheltenham and Frankston, in \'ictoria, we used to find many nests containing eggs, some as early as the middle of July, but more plentiful in August, and on until the end of September. In South Gippsland the usual breeding season did not commence until September, and it continued until the middle of January. On tlie ibth September, 1893, at Sassafras Gully, near Springwood, New South Wales, in company with the Hon. Dr. J. Norton, M.L.C., we saw boys engaged in blowing two eggs of this species that they had just taken from a nest in a tree on the creek side. These eggs were fresh, and well marked specimens. On the i4tli October following, at Springwood, Dr. Norton took two partially incubated eggs from a nest built in the thick fork of a i;um-tree at a height of twenty feet from the ground. 'Sir. Joseph Gabriel sent me a set of two eggs, taken by him at Bayswater, \'ictoria, on the 22nd December, 1896; and later on, under date 30th October, 1898, supplied me with the following interesting notes: — "At IMordialloc and the surrounding low-lying districts, the laying season of Gcocichla lunulata is July to September. The nests are usually placed in the forks of tea-trees (Melaleuca), and frequently old nests are re-lined, covered with moss, and used a second time. In these districts three eggs invariably form a set. On the Dandenong Ranges these birds have different habits. They are rather shy and build their nests on iVIusk-trees (Aster argophylla), but more frequently on heads and side projections of Ferns (Cyatha dealhata). There they never lay more than two eggs for a set, and their nesting-time is from September to January. Two sets of eggs were taken on the 29th November, 1896, one set on the 22nd December following, and one set on 19th October, 1898. Immediately below the hills, on the flats, my friends found a nest with three young. It is strange that the breedmg time should be so widely different on hill and flat, also the different number of eggs found in the two situations. I thought at first that exceptionally dry seasons was the primary cause, but you will see that I have taken (from the top of a fern) a few days since a set of two eggs which were perfectly fresh, and we have had a fair amount of rainy weather this season." From the preceding remarks, and those quoted from Mr. Gabriel, it may be gathered that the usual breeding season of the Mountain Thrush in south-eastern Australia, near the coast, is from the beginning of July until the end of October, and on the mountain ranges from September until the end of January or middle of February. Owing probably to the more southerly position of Tasmania, the breeding season there, even near the coast, is much later than on the continent. Young birds are duller in colour than the adults, and have the black crescentic tips to the feathers of the upper and under surface much smaller; all the tail feathers are more or less tipped with white, increasing in e.xtent on the outermost feather where it extends into a wedge- shaped marking close to the shaft on the inner web. These white tips decrease in number and size until they remain only on the outermost feathers. Geocichla heinii. HEINE'S MOUNTAIN THRUSH. Oreocincla heineii, Cabanis, Mus. Hein., Theil I., p. G (ISoO). Geocichla heinii, Seebobm, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. V., p. 157 (1881). Adult male — Like the adult male 0/ Geocichla lunulata, but having the general olive-brown colour of the upper parts ivashed tvith rufescent-ochraceous, which is more pronounced on the lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts; the outer series of the median and greater wing-coverts have 238 STLVIID.E. ochraceous tips, and the apical half of the inner web of the outermost feather is 7vhite. Total length 9 inches, wing .{v, tail So, bill 0-98, tarsus 1-12. AuuLT FEMALE — Similar in plumage to the adult male. Distribution. — Eastern Queensland, North-eastern New South Wales. /T^HIS species, or smaller northern race of Gcocichla hinulaia. was described by Dr. Cabanis _L in his " Museum Heineanum," - but the habitat is there erroneously recorded as Japan. In the "Catalogue of Birds in the British Museum," the late Mr. H. Seebohm states it "appears to be found throughout Eastern Australia as far south as :Moreton Bay." In Dr. Ramsay's "List of Birds met with in North-eastern Queensland," I the species there referred to by him under the name of Orcocincla Inmilata, is I think, referrable to Geodchla heinii. The preceding description is taken from a specimen procured near Port ?vlackay at the mouth of the Pioneer River, Queensland. E.xamples obtained at Ballina and Lismore, New Soutli Wales, are slightly larger, less distinctly washed with rufescent-ochraceous on the upper parts, the ochraceous tips to the median and greater wing-coverts are much smaller and paler, and the white tips to the inner web of the outermost tail feather are smaller, and in some specimens are tinged with rufescent-brown. Wing 475 to 4-9 inches. Of six specimens since received, collected by Mr. James Yardley further north at Dungay Creek, Tweed River, near the Queensland border, tliree appear to belong to the smaller form, Gcocichla heinii, the others are indistinguishable from typical specimens of G. linitilala obtained in the southern portion of New South Wales. Mr. Yardley informed me that they were all shot in company with one another, and that the difference in size and colour he believed was only a se.xual one. A nest of this species, taken near the Tweed River in October, 1891, is a round open cup-shaped structure, formed externally of thin strips of bark, plant tendrils, and Casuarina leaves, and is thickly coated with green moss, the inside being lined with wiry black rootlets. It measures outwardly six inches in diameter by three inches and a half in depth, and the inner cup three inches in diameter by two inches and a quarter in depth. The eggs are usually two in number for a sitting, oval in form, the shell being close- grained, and its surface smooth and lustreless. They are of a pale green or greenish-blue ground colour, which is minutely and faintly freckled with pale chestnut-red, the markings predominating on the thicker end, where a small cap is sometimes formed. A set of two in Mr. George Savidge's collection, taken in the Richmond River District on the 12th September, 1901, measures: — Length (A) 1-15 xo-g inches; (B) rig x 0-9 inches. Family SYLVIID^. Oen-as .A.OISOOE^'H-A.IjTJS, Naumann. Acrocephalus australis. KEED WAKliLEE. Acrocephalus australis, Gould, Bds. Austr., fol., Vol. III., pi. 37 (1848); Seebohm, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. v., p. 100 (1881). Calamoherpe australis, Gould, Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. 402 (1865). Adult male — General colour above brown slightly tinged v-ith olive, passing into a dtdlfawn colour on the rump and upper tail- coverts ; upper wingcoverts like the back; quills brown, externally edged with pale olive-brown; a stripe extending from the nostril over the eye dull whitish; ear- ' Mus. Hein., Theil i., p. 6 (1850). t Proc. Zool. Soc, 1875, p. 591. ACROCEPHALUS. 239 coverts olive-hrown ; all the under surface dull white tinged with huff; sides of the body light faton colour, becoming darker on the sides of the abdomen : under tail-coverts tvhite, slightly tinged tvith fawn colour; tliiyhs faion-hroivn ; bill dark brotvn, the imdir mandible pale flsshy-hr own except at the tip: legs and feet dark olive-grey. Total leugt/i in the flesh Ij' 2 inches, tviny ,'S'), tail 2'45, bill 0-55, tarsus 0-07. Adult fkmalk — Similar in jdumaye to the male. Distribution. — Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania. /T^\HE range of the Reed-Warbler extends throughout south-eastern Queensland, eastern -L New South Wales, \'ictoria, and South Australia. It is a strictly migratory species, arriving in the neighbourhood of Sydney usually early in August, sometimes as late as the middle of September. The time of their arrival, like that of many other migratory species, depends to a certain extent on the season. If the winter is very mild and fine, they make their appearance in the beginning of August, but if cold and protracted not until three or four weeks later. Climatic influence is also an important factor as regards their departure. Generally they leave the neighbourhood of Sydney towards tlie end of March or early in April; but in the reed-bordered margins of Cook's River, I noted numbers of these birds in full song on the 29tli .Vpril, 1^94. The weather at that time was like spring, and on the same day I found many nests of Mdiornis nova-hoUandia:, some containing young, others fresh eggs. On the 27th May following. I saw young Butcher-birds (Cvaiticns torqitatus) taken from a nest at Enfield. All migrants were unusually late m leaving that year, and the winter being very warm and mild, some species were only absent for a few weeks. On their first arrival, these birds are extremely shy and wild. In company with Mr. J. A. Thorpe we heard several of these birds in a reed-bordered stream at Seven Hills on the 2 1st September, 1897. Requiring a fresh specimen for mounting, we tried to dislodge them from their cover, but they were very wary, and would not allow one to approach within shooting range. ."Yfter being hunted for a time, tliey finally took refuge in some tall Eucalypti, in open forest land, a specimen being eventually procured among the higher branches of a tree, and fully one hundred yards from the creek. These birds usually frequent the reedy margins of rivers and lagoons, but in the late summer months one year I observed them in my garden in Pittoiponnn eiigeiioiilcs shrubs, fuUv a mile from the nearest water. They are plentiful in the spring and summer months in the reed-bordered margins of Cook's River, near Sydney; the Varra and Saltwater Rivers, near Melbourne; and the Torrens River at Adelaide. I have also seen them in the Botanic Gardens of these cities. In New South Wales the range extends into the Western District of the State, and Dr. A. M. Morgan has recorded it from Laura, about one hundred and forty miles north of Adelaide. The stomachs of the birds I have examined contained the remains of small coleopterous insects and minute fresh-water nrolluscs. It is almost impossible to convey any idea of the rich, melodious, and varied notes of this species, which in a locality where the birds are plentiful are almost continuous throughout the day. On bright moonlight nights, too, especially after a hot summer's day, it is refreshing to hear the '• twitchee — twitchee — twitchee, — quarty — quarty — quarty," of the Reed Warbler, which is frequently poured forth at intervals throughout the night. The nest is of a deep cup-shaped form, with the rim slightly narrower than it is in the centre of the structure. Outwardly it is built of the soft paper-like sheaths of reeds, chiefly Typha aiigustifolia, and decaying water weeds, and which are firmly woven around the stems between which it is placed; the inside being neatly lined with fine dried grasses. An average nest measures externally two inches and a half in diameter at the rim, three inches in the centre, and four inches in height, the inner cup one inch and three-quarters across, two inches 240 SYLVIID.E. in the centre, and two inches in depth. The nest varies considerably in size and materials according to the position in which it is placed. One now before me, built against a thick bamboo-cane, near where several thin leafy upright stems spring from the stalk, is a very deep cup-shaped structure, and is formed of portions of dried leaves, plant-down, dried grasses, and several pieces of thick soft string used for tving plants. This nest measures five inches and a half in height, and was built in a clump of bamboos in a nursery at Redfern, a suburb adjoining the city of Sydney. Two other nests shown to Dr. Kamsay and myself in the same nursery, were built between dock stems. With the exception of a small waterhole in the garden, they were far removed from permanent water. The nest is usually built between several upright reeds within two or three feet of the surface of the water, occasionally in droop- ing branches of trees overhanging or trailing in the water, and not infrequently it is placed in rank weeds or bamboo clumps some distance from water. When built between reeds, I have frequently found several at a distance of a yard or little more apart. In my early collecting days, the nests of this species were among the first I procured. A favourite resort of Reed Warblers, also of a number of water-fowl, was the reed-covered sheet of water, with open expanses here and there, at the back of the boat-sheds on the south side of the Yarra, near Prince's Bridge, Melbourne. On the Lower 'i'arra, too, the nests of these birtls w^ere very common in the late spring months. In this locality the ad\antage of having the nest wider in the centre and contracted at the rim was exhibited when a passing steamer would wash the water over the river banks and cause the reeds to sway in a violent manner from side to side. Near Sydney, Reed Warblers breed every season in the reeds or bulrushes in Centennial Park and Botany Water Reserve, but their nests are more numerous in the reed-lined margins of Cook's and George's Rivers. .\ nest in the .Australian Museum collection, taken by Mr. S. W. Moore on Mooki Station, Liverpool Plains, on the nth November, igo2, and containing three eggs, was built in an elm. .\nother, received from Mr. H. L. White, and taken at Belltrees, Scone, on the 17th November, 1902, with three fresh eggs, was built in a mulberry tree some distance from water. The eggs, usually three, sometimes four in number for a sitting, are oval or compressed oval in form, the shell being close-grained and its surface glossy in some specimens, dull and lustreless in others. In ground colour they vary from faint bluish or greyish-white to pale yellowish-brown, which is finely freckled, spotted, or blotched with different shades of umber, brown, olive, and grey, the latter colour as a rule appearing as if beneath the surface of the shell. All the larger markings are irregularly shaped, in some specimens they are penumbral, in others one colour partially overlies another, and occasionally they are of a blackish-brown, or of a smeared ink-like hue. .\s a rule the markings, both large and small, are irregularly distributed over the surface of the shell, in other instances they are confined principally to the larger end, but it is very rarely they assume the form of a zone. A set of three, taken at Cook's River on the 7th October, 1896, measures: — Length (A) o-78xo'55 inches; (B) 077 x 0-55 inches; (C) 079 x 0-56 inches. A set of four, taken in the same locality on the 6th December, 1897, measures: — Length (A) o-8i x 0-36 inches; (B) 0-82 x 0-55 inches; (C) 079 x o'58 inches; (D) o'8i x o'55 inches. In New South Wales the breeding season of the Reed Warbler commences in September and continues until the end of February, during which time two broods are reared. Although eggs may be found from the third week of September until the end of December, nests with eggs are more numerous during October and November. Many nests, however, contain young birds at the end of October. ACROCEPIIALUS. 241 Acrocephalus gouldi. WESTERN REED-WAKBLEK. Calamoherpe lonc/irostris, Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc, 1845, p. 20; id., Haudbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. 403 (1865). Acrocephalus longirostris, Gould, Bds. Austr., fol., Vol. IT!., pi. 38 (1848); Seebohm, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. v., p. 99 (1881). Acrocephalus gonldi, Dubois, Nouv. Man. d'Orn., Ft. VI., p. .3G9 (1901). Adult male — General colour above brown washed with rufescent faivti colour, which is more pronounced on the lower hack, rump, and upper tail-coverts ; quills and upper iving-coverts brouyyi, externally margined tvith rufous-fawn colour; tail feathers brown with narrotv indistinct rufous- brown edges; a stripe extending from the nostril over the eye fawn colour; sides of the neck and all the binder surface faivn colour, which is deeper in tint on the sides of the body, the abdomen and under tail-coverts, and passing into dull white on the throat and centre of the lower breast; bill brown, the under mandible yellowish-horn colour. Total length 6:5 inches, wing 2-8o, tail 2-6, bill 0'65, tarsus 1. Adult fkmale — Similar in plumage to the male. Distribution. — Western and North-western Australia. /"I^HIS species is an inhabitant of the western and north-western portions of the continent. 1 It may be distinguished from Acrocephalus australis principally by its darker coloured plumage, and slightly longer bill. Specimens in the Australian Museum collection were obtained by Mr. George ]\Iasters at King George's Sound in March, 1869, and by the late Mr. T. H. Bowyer-Bower at Derby, North-western Australia, in 1886. Mr. Tom Carter, writing me from Point Cloates, North-western Australia, remarks: — "1 saw several birds, which I took to be Acrocephalus longirostris, in dense rushes growing on the edge of a pool at Winning, fifty miles inland from here, in June, 1900, but failed to secure a specimen. In March, 1902, I shot a moulting or immature male of this species in dense reeds on the side of another pool. It was uttering notes resembling the gurgling song of the Spiny-cheeked Honey-eater, and like the birds first met with, it was only seen with great difficulty." A nest and set of two eggs of a Reed Warbler, probably referrable to this species, has also been sent me for e.xamination by Mr. C. French, Junr., taken on the Daly River in the Northern Territory of South .\ustralia on the ist February, 1902. Relative to the Western Reed Warbler, the following are Gilbert's notes, quoted by Gould -^ : — " It is to be found in all the dense reed-beds bordering the river and lakes around Perth, but it is so shy that it scarcely ever shows itself above the reeds. I have remarked also that it never wanders many yards from the nest, which is placed in four or five upright reeds growing in the water, at about two feet from the surface. It is of a deep cup-shaped form, and is composed of the soft skins of reeds and dried rushes. The breeding season comprises the months of August and September. The eggs are four in number, of a dull greenish-white, blotched all over, but particularly at the larger end, with large and small irregularly-shaped patches of olive, some being darker than the others, the lighter coloured ones appearing as if beneath the surface of the shell; they are three-quarters of an inch in length by five-eights of an inch in breadth. It sings both night and day, and its strain is more beautiful and melodious than that of any other Australian bird with which I am acquainted, being in many parts very like to that of the far-famed Nightingale of Europe." According to Canon Tristramt and the late Mr. H. Seebohm, all the species of Tatare should be included in the genus Acrocephalus. In the fifth volume of the "Catalogue of Birds in • Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. i., p. 403 (1865). t "The Ibis," 1883, p. 38. 242 SYLVIID.E. the British Museum," the latter writer omitted from the family Sylviidae all the Reed Warblers inhabiting the small islets of the Pacific Ocean, with the exception of Sylvin syrin.v, Kittlilz, found on the island of Ponape. Mr. Seebohm having adinittt-d that he was wrong in leaving them out, Dr. Sharpe had therefore to place them with the Timeliine birds and perpetuate Lesson's genus Tatare for their reception, including in it also Seebohm's Acrocephahts syrinx/'- Specimens of Calmnoherpe rehsci, Finsch, recently received from Pleasant or Nawodo Island, and which species Dr. Sharpe had to include in the genus Tatare, show no difference in external characters to warrant their separation from the Australian members of the genus Acroccphaliis. Even includ- ing the different species of Reed Warblers from the Pacific Islands in the genus Acrocephalns, it is not then so comprehensive as the genus Malurus, which comprises in it a species {M. alboscapidatus) inhabiting New Guinea, so widely divergent in the relative measurements of bill and tail from the type of the genus, M. cyaneus. As pointed out by Dr. P^insch, Calamohcrpe syrinx "in Ponape is a true Reed Warbler, confined to the reed swamps, and building its nest in the reeds, in the same manner as our Calamohcrpe turdoidcs. In Ruk and the Mortlock"s, C. syrinx leads an arboreal life and nests in trees, as is also the case on Nawodo, where swampy grounds and reeds are absent."! The bird found on the latter island was sub- sequently characterised by Dr. Finsch under the name oi Calamohcrpe rehsci. Canon Tristram, in describing .'I (-)-wY/'//rt/»s pistor from Fanning Island,; also points out that the eggs of this species are like those of A. turdoidcs of Europe. The members of Lesson's genus Tatare being included under the older generic name of Acrocephalns, the specific name of longirostris, bestowed by Gmelin in 1788 on the species inhabiting the Society Islands, cannot be used for the Western .\ustralian Reed Warbler. Dubois, in his"Nouveau Manuel d'Ornithologie," has therefore distinguished the latter bird under the name oi Acrocephalns goiildi.ii Stipiturus malachurus. EMU WREN. Muscicapa inalachura, Shaw, Trans. Linn. Soc, Vol. IV., p. 212, pi. 21 (1798). Stipiturus malachurus, Gould, Bds. Austr., fol.. Vol. III., pi. 31 (1818); id., Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. 339 (ISG;")); Sharpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. VII., p. 100 (18S3). Adult male — Forehead and crown of the head liyhl rufous, the latter streaked witli black; hind-neck and mantle ashy-hroivn, passing into ochraceous-brown on the lower back and rump, all the feathers on these parts having black centres, but which are broader and more conspicuous on the hind-neck and mantle; upper iving-coverts ochraceous-brown, the greater coverts ivith broad black centres; quills dark broivn, the inkier secondaries margined with ochraceous-brown ; tail feathers blackish-brown, six in number and loosely ivebbed, the outermost feathers about half the length of the central pair ; cheeks and ear-coverts ochraceous-brown, the latter with ivhilish shaft lines; a narrow line of feathers over the eye, chin, throat, and fore-neck light blue; centre of the breast whitish; remainder of the under surface ochraceous-brown, darker on the sides of the body, thighs, and under tail-coverts ; bill blackish-brown ; legs pale olive-brown, feet slightly darker, soles of feet light ochraceous-brown; iris dark brown. Total length in the flesh 7 inches, wing 1-65, two central tail feathers J^S, bill OSo, tarsus OS. • Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. v., p. loo (1881). t "The Ibis," 1881, p. 247. I "The Ibis," 1883, p. 45. § Nouv. Man. d'Orn , p. 369 {1901). STIPITURUS. 243 Adult femalb — Resembles the male, but lias the head asliy-brown, and broadly streaked with black like the hind- neck and mantle; and the narrow line of feathers over the eye, and the chin, throat, and fore-neck is ochmceons-broivn instead of liglit blue. Distribution — South-eastern Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania. ^^HE present species is widely distributed throughout the coastal districts of the south- eastern and southern portions of the Australian continent; it is likewise found in Tasmania. It was originally described from specimens obtained near Sydney, and it is still numerous in the neighbourhood of the city. Specimens obtained from different parts of south- eastern Australia, and I^adger Head, Tasmania, are alike in colour, but adult males from King George's Sound have the rufous crown slightly darker, and it extends further back on to the nape; in two examples the black streaks to the feathers extend on to the forehead, and the tail feathers are longer. The wing-measurement of eastern and western birds varies from I'b to i"]^ inches, and the central tail feathers from 4-2 to 5 inches. It is a resident species in New South Wales, and is common in all favourable situations in the coastal districts. Near Sydney it may be met with in the Centennial Park, and in the swamps and heatii lands about Randwick, Botany, and La Perouse. It is, however, more freely distributed around the low-lying shores of iManly Lagoon and Narrabeen Lagoon, particularly where it is overgrown with clumps of long rushes and grass tussocks. Several examples of both sexes were obtained during visits to these localities in company w'ith Mr. J. A. Thorpe. It is a difficult species to shoot, for although it may rise up close to your feet, it quickly drops into cover again. Many specimens, too, are spoilt by having one or more of the delicate and lengthened tail feathers cut off, especially when the bird is shot at from a short range. In the late autumn and winter months they are usually associated in small flocks, probably a pair of adults accompanied by their young. They are seldom flushed from the same clump or tussock in which they have sought refuge, for directly they have reached cover with their low squeaking call note they rapidly thread their way through or around the clumps, and congregate together again. Just prior to taking flight, one will frequently run up to the top of one of the tallest rushes or grass stems in the clump, and immediately fly off accompanied by its companions. During the breeding season I have, as a rule, met with the Emu W'ren frequenting chiefly the stunted undergrowth on heath lands and sandy wastes, and sometimes far removed from water. In these situations, owing to their short and rounded wings, and necessarily poor powers of flight, they are easily driven to take the shelter of any low bush, but it is most difficult to discover them in the place where they have sought refuge. I have never found the nest, but have had many exciting chases after young birds although \ery few captures, owing to the manner in which they can conceal themselves in even the smallest bush. EMU WREN. 244 SYLVIID*. A nest containing three fresh eggs, found by Mr. George Masters at King George's Sound, Western Australia, on the 5th November, 1868, is a dome-shaped structure with a small entrance near the top, formed externally of dried grasses, with which is intermingled egg bags of spiders and their green silky coverings, the inside being lined entirely with fine dried grasses. It measures externally five inches and a half in height by three inches in diameter, and across the entrance one inch. Mr. Masters informs me it was built in a rigid-leaved shrub, about eighteen inches from the ground. The eggs are usually three, sometimes four in number for a sitting, oval or thick ovals in form, the shell being close-grained, smooth, and almost lustreless. They are of a delicate white ground colour, which is more or less sprinkled with freckles, irregular shaped spots, and a few small blotches, varying in tint on different specimens from a pale chestnut-red to bright red, the markings as a rule being more thickly disposed on the larger end.' A set of three, taken by Dr. Ramsay at Long Island at the mouth of the Hunter River, on the 25th September, 1861, measures as follows: — Length (.■\) o-6xo-48 inches; (B) o-6i xo-48 inches; (C) 0-62 X 0-47 inches. Two eggs in the collection of Mr. Charles French, junr., taken by Mr. G. E. Shepherd at Western Port, Victoria, measure:— (A) 0-67 x 0-47 inches; (B) 0-67 x 0-48 inches. The eggs of the Emu Wren more closely resemble those of the Superb Warbler than any other species. Young males are duller in colour than the adults, and destitute of the pale rufous forehead and crown; the feathers of the upper parts are tinged with ochraceous-brown and are less distinctly streaked with black; tail feathers shorter but the webs longer and closer together than in the adult; feathers above the eye pale ochraceous-brown; chin and throat very light blue. The wing measurement of some specimens often equals and sometimes exceeds that of adult examples. Length of wing 17 inches; tail 2 inches. O-en-O-S S:E=I3:E:bTlUiS.^^, Lichtenstein. Sphenura brachyptera. BKISTLE bIKD. Turdus brachypterus, Lath., Ind. Orn., Suppl., p. xliii., (1801). Dasyorniis auslralv), Gould, Bds. Austr., £ol.. Vol. III., pi. 32 (1848). Sphenura brachyptera, Gould, Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I, p. 342 (1865); Sharpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mas., Vol. VII., p. 104 (1883). Adult hale — General colour above brown, and having a slight ruf ascent tinge which is more jironounced on the rump and upper tail-coverts ; upper wing-coverts like the back, the inner series of the greater coverts slightly more rufescent; outer tvebs of the quills rufoui-brown, their inner webs brown; tail featliers rufescent-brown ; lores and an indistinct line above the eye whitish; throat and centre of the breast dull white; remainder of the under surface brown, darker on the sides of the body; lenylliened lower flank feathers, thighs, awl under lailcoverts rufescejit-broton ; bill brown, t/te under mandible pale brown; legs and feet brown; iris brown. Total length in the flesh 88 inches, toing 3-1, tail 4'3, bill OS, tarsus I'l. Adult female — Similar in plumage to the male, but slightly smaller. Distribution. — -New South Wales. a\ HAVE never seen a specimen of this bird from any part of Australia, except the coastal jL districts of New South Wales, its range extending from the Richmond River in the north to as far south as the Clyde River in the Illawarra District. Near Sydney it frequents the scrubby undergrowth between Manly and Newport, also between Hondi and La Perouse, but it is now extremely rare. Mr. Masters informs me that many years ago, while shooting at J^ooif Bay, one of th«(e birrfi* hopped our from the deaae: icmh on tu the path cJo«e r& -vhen* fie stjood. Qiiickly fintu^ at it, he wa« ■laqjrjstefl on jpsintf to pick it ijp rn find, that he had. ^jtiot two birdii, a, male and female. Specimens are wmerimes obcune-d at Randwrck and fireenvaie, L'sHiaily it iH a ihy and cautious species*^ but Mir, J, A. Thorpe and niy»eif as»rs which usually accumulates in. sich piaces. E^gs two in number for a sittintf, varyincf in ferm^ Sum oval to eionjfate-fjvai, the neU beinjf dose-jjrained and its i .. ..,.:,r;.^ ,> .„.i..x^... ..>.mnf~ ixtvertD ■ni.fritxn-hrmim. ; qiiMa 'lark hrrnvn. margined am their 'nUerr 'Beb» ^vith rtifrfua-hrmum, the maryina 'jrrubudlij becoming nwrviw^ arid paler in tint UtujarrU the iipii: (ail brotm. 'oith a ntfeaamt ti/nge which i» more prvnounced on the •idife* of the feathers; lores and a narrma line cf feathem above the ^yg ditU white: centre of the yi/pper throat, breast, and ahilomen / ■ ' remainder 'if tJui -andur mtrface brown, 'vith narrrtw indintinct 'larker marytn* to th^ lencftfumed lower jiank, plumes, and wnder taH-covertB olivaceaui-brmim, ditfhily tinged with rufout. Totfd length To inchea, yuing !i:T, taiU J-T, biU O-SS, tarmi* 0-M. Adttlt FB3I.U.I! — Similar in plumage to tJie moTe. Dintrib'Uion — Wf«jtErn Australia. f K^aiS species is apparently conftned to the soodrrwe^exn paitian of WesBem Ausnaila. J- Comparatively the hill of the western bird is lonjjer than th^ of its cimgPTtBr. ^piumira hrachyptera, but it can hardly be regarded as a dist:n:£'ii: .:t specimens now before me, comcr-sinir b(jth me eaisern . .1 A*.r 246 SYLVIID.«. are alike, o-6 inches. When held away from the light, the lustrous greyish centres to the tips of the feathers of the head, hind-neck, and back of 5. longirostris, giving these parts a, spangled appearance, will however, in addition to its smaller size, readily enable one to separate the two species. While collecting on behalf of the Trustees of the Australian Museum, at King George's Sound, Western Australia, in November, 1868, Mr. George Masters was successful in procur- ing ten adult specimens of this species. Mr. Masters informs me that these birds keep in the thick undergrowth near the coast, and that they are almost as difficult to procure as Atrichia clamosa, owing to their frequenting such dense haunts. Eight specimens of A. clamosa were also obtained by Mr. Masters during his stay in W'estern Australia. A nest of Spheiiuya loiigirostris, found by him at King George's Sound, is o\al in form with a large entrance at the side, and is composed entirely of long dried hollow grass-stalks, with a small portion of grass of a finer description placed inside at the bottom of the nest, and underneath this slight lining a quantity of soft reddish-brown fibre; it measures six inches in length, five inches in width, and four inches in heiglit. and was placed among some dried vegetation close to the ground. It contained two eggs, tliick ovals in form, the shell being close-grained and its surface lustrous. They are of a dull white ground colour, which is minutely freckled and spotted with irregular shaped markings of wood-brown and purplish-brown, but particularly on the larger end, where intermingled with underlying clouded blotches, they are confluent and form a zone; the markings on one specimen being of a slightly darker brown, and the zone on the larger end more clearly defined: — Length (A) o-g x 0-72 inches; (B) o'gi x 0-73 inches. The eggs of this species resemble those of a variety of Drymodcs hninncopygia. Sphenura broadbenti. EUFOUS-HEADED BRISTLE-BIRD. Sphenura broadhenli, McCoy, Ann. k Mag. Nat. Hist., Ser. 3, 'Vol. XIX., p. 185 (1867): Gould, Bds. Austr,, fol., Suppl., pi. 2.") (1869): .Sharpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. VII., p. 106 (1883); North, Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.'W., Vol. XXII., p. 58 (1897). Adult male — General colour above brown, t/ie hind-neck, niaiUle and vpjier portion of the back with a sliglil ashy tinge and gradtiaUy passing into a rufescent-brorvn on tlie loiver hack, rump, and iipper tail-coverts ; wings brown, with a rufescent wash which is more pronounced on the outer ivebs of the quills; tail feathers rufescent-brotvn ; head dull rufous, with indistinct dark bro/rn centres to the feathers; an acute angle-shaped patch in front and a narrow line of feathers around the eye dull white; ear-coverts rufous; cheeks and chin dull white; feathers of the throat blackish-grey, with broad greyish-white margins, those on the fore-neck and upper breast duller. in colour and having pale broum margins; lower breast dull brown with indistinct whitish margins to the feathers ; centre of the breast dull white; flunks browri, slightly tinged with olive; tinder tail-coverts brown, with a rufescent shade; under side of tail feathers when viewed in certain lights golden-olive ; bill brown, the under mandible slightly paler; legs arid feet brown. Total length lOS inches, wing 3 6, tail 5, bill 0-7, tarsus IS. Adult female — Similar in plumage to the male, but slightly smaller. Distribution. — South-western Victoria. /"K^HIS fine Bristle-bird was discovered in 1858 in a dense scrub about twenty-four miles _L from Portland Bay, Victoria, by Mr. Kendal Broadbent, who presented a single example of it to the National Museum, Melbourne. It was first described by Sir Frederick McCoy in the "Annals and Magazine of Natural History" in March, 1867, who named it in honour of its discoverer. Subsequently the specimen from which his description was taken SPHBNUHA. 247 was forwarded to England to Mr. Gould, who ligured it in his "Supplement to the Birds of Australia." For many years after but few of these birds had been obtained, and in 1883 evidently there was not an example of it in the British Museum when Dr. Sharpe prepared the seventh \olunie of the "Catalo^'ue of Birds," for on page 106 he there transcribes Sir Frederick McCoy's original description and his accompanying note giving the locality where the bird had been procured. By some oversight, however. Dr. Sharpe has erroneously recorded the habitat of this species as the " Interior of South Australia." The Rufous-headed Bristle-bird as yet has only been found in the dense scrubs of south-western Victoria, and is probably more abundantly distributed in the ranges and gullies of the Otway Forest than elsewhere. The settlement of portion of this area, and the forming of marine resorts at Loutit and Apollo Bays, has proved that this bird is by no means a rare species, although, like its congeners, it keeps out of sight as much as possible, and its note is more often heard than the bird is seen. The preceding descriptions are taken from a fine pair of adult birds kindly lent by Mr. R. Hall. The male was procured in the Heytesbury Forest, Victoria, on the ist April, i8g8, and the female also in the same locality on the 14th August, 1899. Of three specimens in the Australian Museum collection, a young bird was obtained by Mr. Broadbent at the same time as he secured the type, in December, 1858; and two not quite fully plumaged specimens were recently received from j\Ir. H. E. Hill, procured at the mouth of the St. George Ri\er, near Lome, in December, 1895. Relative to this species, Mr. Hill has kindly supplied me with his notes: — "In December, 1893, a party of us from the Gordon Technical College, Geelong, were camped on the St. George River, near Lome. In the scrub along the \alleys we frequently heard a cry resembling the noise made by a barrow-wheel that required oiling. As soon as it ceased it was answered by a single note from the opposite side of the valley, following so close on the cry that at first we took it to be made by a single bird. At Apollo Bay, in December of the following year we heard a few of them, but obtained only a glimpse of a solitary example. At Lome again, in December, 1895, the same party being out, we found it very abundant and tame compared to what it was at our camp there two years before. This was probably due to the bush fires of the previous season, destroying a great deal of cover on the St. George, enabling one to more easily see these birds. During this trip the identity of what was hitherto known to us as the 'Cartwheel -bird,' was established by Mr. B. Purnell securing two fine specimens of Sphcnura broadhoiti. Camped at Lome by myself, I found them very numerous in the gullies in January, i8g8; and heard tliem in January of the following year at Dean's Marsh, but where they seemed scarce. As you know, they are not too easy to get. I was watching one in a potato patch for two hours without being able to get a shot at it. They hop about quite close to you if you lie still — so close that if you fired at them you would blow them to bits, and directly they move aw'ay a yard or two you lose sight of them in the scrub. On one occasion I saw a bird fly across a small gully. Its flight was heavy and laboured, as one would expect from the appearance of the bird." Two nests of this species, found in the thick undergrowth of gullies in the Otway Forest, were oval-shaped structures somewhat loosely put together, with an entrance at the side, and were made externally of dried plant-stems, wiry fibrous roots, and dried grasses, the inside being almost exclusively lined with rootlets. These nests were found in November, and each contained two fresh eggs. Two eggs now before me are of a dull purplish-white ground colour, one specimen having numerous freckles and spots of purplish-brown evenly distributed over the surface of the shell, and the larger end slightly tinged with slaty-grey; the other is similar in colour, hut is more finely and thickly marked, and has a darker cap of confluent markings on the larger end. These eggs are in form slightly swollen ovals, and are thin- shelled. Length (A) 1-07 x 0-84 inches; (B) 1-09 x 0-85 inches. 248 SYLVIID.B. Young birds are brown above, with a rufescent tinge which is more pronounced on the lower back and rump; upper tail-coverts, tail, and wings rich rufescent-brown; lores, forehead, sides of crown, and ear-coverts brown, strongly washed with rufous; feathers of the chin, throat, and fore-neck dull white, tinged with rufous, and having narrow indistinct dusky margins or tips; centre of the breast dull white, tinged with rufous; remainder of the under surface brown, with a strong rufescent tinge; under tail-coverts pale rufescent-brown; the under surface of the tail feathers has a lustrous golden-brown slieen when held away from the light. Total length 9-5 inches, wing y^. tail 4-5, bill o'6, tarsus 1-3. In specimens exhibiting a further progress towards maturity, there is a triangular-shaped patch of dull greyish-white feathers in front of the eye; the feathers of the chin, throat, and centre of the breast are margined with whitish-brown, and those of the fore-neck and upper breast with pale brown; remainder of the under surface as in the adult male, but the thighs and under tail- foverts have a more pronounced rufous shade. OerfU-S .,f^lv^"5rTIS, Lesson. Amytis textilis. GEASS WREN. Merion ntittt\ Quoy et Gaim., Voy. de I'Uranie, Atlas, pi, xxiii , fig. 1. Malur^is textilis, Quoy et Gaim , Voy. de I'Uranie, ZooL, p. 107 (1824); North, Rep. Horn Sci. Exped. Centr. Austr, Pt. II, ZooL, p. 79 (189G) (part). Amytis textilis, Lesson, Traite d'Orn., Atlas, p. 4.")4, pi. 67, fig. 2 (1831). Adult male — General colour above dark brown, each feather having a narroiv mesial stripe of white down the centre, these streaks being less distinct on the lower back and rump, which is rufescent-brown; lesser tving-coverts rust-red; the median and greater wing-coverts brown, with dull rufescent-broivn margins and huffy-iohite shaft-streaks ; quills brown, the primaries externally margined ivith dshy more broadly at the base, the secondaries having dull rufescent margins; upper tail-coverts broken, witli indistinct riifescent-broicn margins and paler brown shaft-streaks; tail feathers broirn, margined ivith, pale brotvn; fore part of the head dusky brotvii and similarly streaked like the back; lores light rust-red; ear-coverts dusky brown, mesially streaked tcith dull luhite; anterior portion of the cheeks black ivith white shaft streaks; all the under surface pale buff'y-brown, the chin, throat, and fore-neck mesially streaked with dull ivhile, each feather being indistinctly bordered with rufescent-brown ; sides of the breast dull rust-red; centre of the abdomen with a slight ashy shade; thighs and under tail coverts dark broirn. Total length 62 inches, wing 2 S, tail 3 '2, bill 0-4, tarsus 0 9. Distribution. — Western Australia, Central Australia. ^T^HE type of Amytis textilis was obtained during the "\'oyage of the Uranie," by Quoy J- and Gaimard, at Shark Bay, Western Australia. Gould states that he also obtained it in New South Wales, but I do not think the birds he procured and which he figured in his "Birds of Australia,"" under the name oi Amytis textilis, are applicable to that species. The only specimens of this bird I have seen were obtained by the Horn Exploring Expedition in Central Australia in 1894. Mr. G. A. Keartland also informs me that he obtained similar birds in Western Australia during the journey of the Calvert Exploring Expedition in 1896, but they were abandoned in the desert near Johanna Springs. Mr. Keartland writes me as follows, relative to this species: — "Amytis textilis is an inhabitant of Central and Western Australia, and in the latter State is a lover of dense • Bds. Austr., fol. Vol. iii., pi. 28 (1848). AMYTIS. 249 samphire, salt-bush, or spinifex, and seldom shows itself in open country. Occasionally it may be seen in the distance perched on a low mulfja bush, or hopping about the ground in quest of food. It prefers running to flight, and is furnished with a strong pair of legs, carry- ing as much flesh on them as on the breast, but owing to the rough cover it frequents, the feathers are frequently worn off the upper parts of the thighs. At all stages, from the newly feathered young to the adult, the plumage is the same irrespective of sex. In passing where these birds are numerous, a low cheeping note is heard, but the bird will submit to the tussock being kicked before it flutters or runs to the next bush or tussock. They are very difficult to capture if wounded, as they run and hide like mice. At Brookman Creek I tore a low bush to pieces to find a bird I had winged, and after removing the last piece found it buried under a few dead leaves. These birds build close to the ground beside a tussock. The nest, which is loosely constructed of dried grasses, is a domed open-sided one, in which the eggs are plainly discernible." The eggs are usually two in number for a sitting, oval or thick oval in form, the shell being close-grained, smooth, and slightly lustrous. Typically they are of a reddish-white ground colour, some specimens being almost pure white, which is thickly freckled or covered with small irregular-shaped spots and blotches of rich red or reddish-brown and fainter under- lying markings, predominating chiefly on the larger end, where they frequently assume the form of a well defined zone: — Length (A) 077 x o-6 inches; (B) 077 x o-6 inches. A set of two, taken by Mr. C. E. Cowle on the 12th February, 1896, measures: — Length (A) 0-82 x 0-62 inches; (B) 077 X 0-62 inches. One egg is uniformly marked, the other distinctly zoned onthe thicker end. Eggs of the different species of this genus resemble those of some types oi Cincloraiiiphiis nifcsccns, and small eggs of C. cvuralis, and to a less degree those of Climaderis erythrops. !\Ir. Cowle informs me that in Central Australia the breeding season oi Auiytis textilis, like that of many other species depends entirely upon the season. Usually it is after the first heavy rains at the beginning of the year; nests with eggs being more often found in February, March, and April. In Western Australia Mr. Keartland secured a pair of fledgelings, unable to fly, during the month of August. Amytis modesta. THICK-BILLED GBASS-WREN. Amytis textilis (nee Quoy & Gaim.), Gould, Bds. Austr., fol., Vol. III., pi. 28 (1848). Amytis textilis, North, Rep. Horn Sci. Exped., Zool., p. 79 (1886), (part). Amytis modesta, North, Vict. Nat., Vol. XIX., p. 10;i (1902). Adult .male — Like the adult male of Amytis textilis, Quoy <& Gaimard, but distinguished from that species in having the head and upper parts of a much paler brown ; the line extending from, the nostril above the anterior portion of the eye of a very pale rust-red; the throat whitish; remainder of the under surface pale isabelline, slightly darker on the sides of the neck and breast, the former indistinctly streaked ivith white ; sides of the abdomen, ^flanks, thighs, and under tail-coverts pale isabelline-brown : the bill, too, is deeper in shape and 7iot so pointed at the tip as in that of A. TEXTILIS. Total length 6:5 inches, wing 2-55, tail 32, bill 0-1^2, depth at nostril 0-22, breadth at nostril 0'2, tarsus 0-95. Adult fe.male — Similar in plumage to the male, but having indications, more or less, of a rust-red patch on each side of the breast. Distribution. — Central Australia, South Australia, New South Wales. ,OME of the birds brought back by the Horn Scientific Expedition from Central Australia, and regarded by me as the immature female of Amytis textilis, Mr. G. A. Keartland has always contended belonged to a distinct species. In support of his 250 SYLVIID.E. opinion he has since sent me several skins, and among them the adult male described above, obtained near Meerenie Bluff, Central Australia. This specimen agrees fairly well with Gould's figures of Amytis texiiUs, except that it has not any rust-red patch on each side of the breast, but this is apparent in a female shot at the nest. Others, obtained in South Australia and Western New South Wales, show more or less of this rust-red patch, the throat also being isabelline, and which together with the upper breast, is more distinctly streaked with white. None, however, approach any way near in depth of colour to what I regard as the true Amytis tcxtilis of Quoy and Gaimard. These authors, in the Atlas of the "Voyage of the Uranie," also Lesson in his "Traite d'Ornithologie," represent A. tcxtilis with the bnder as well as the upper surface distinctly streaked with white, while Gould figures the birds he procured on the plains bordering the Lower Namoi River in New South Wales with the under parts like those of the present species. Among a collection of birds received for examination from the South .Australian Museum, and made by Dr. A. M. Morgan and Dr. A. Chenery during a trip from Port Augusta to the Gawler Ranges in .\ugust, igo2, was a single example of A. modcslci, of which Dr. ^Morgan remarks: — "This species was seen occasionally from Nonning to Yardea. It was always found in large dark-leaved species of saltbush, very shy and active, hopping from bush to bush with astonishing rapidity. We did not see them attempt to fly." Applicable to the present species are the following notes of the late Mr. K. M. Bennett: — "Amytis tcxtilis is an inhabitant of the dense mallee scrubs in the neighbourhood of Mossgiel and Ivanhoe, in the Central District of New South Whales. I should have said were in- habitants, for although some few years ago they were numerous there, they have from some unexplained cause now almost entirely disappeared. For the past two years, 1885-6, I have been continually travelling over the country in which they were formerly abundant, and during all that time I have only met with a pair of these birds. This disappearance is, 1 think, due to their weak powers of flight, and to the occupation and stocking of the country and the burning off of the large areas of dense porcupine grass amongst which they could always be found. In former years I have often found their nests; they were generally placed in a tussock of porcupine grass, but sometimes I have discovered them in brush fences running through the mallee." A specimen now before me, collected by the late ^Sh. K. II. Bennett in the Mossgiel District, is not A. tcxtilis (Quoy et Gaim.), but the species I have distinguished under the name of Amytis modesta. Nests of this species, found by Mr. C. E. Cowle are described as being similar structures to those of ^. textilis, difficult of removal, and are usually built under a spinifex tussock. Eggs two in number for a sitting, oval in form, the shell being close-grained, smooth, and slightly lustrous. They are of a reddish-white ground colour, which is freckled and spotted with rich reddish-brown, more abundantly on the thicker end. A set of two, taken by Mr. C. E. Cowle near Illamurta, Central Australia, measures as follows:— Length (A) o-8 x o-66 inches; (B) o-8 x 0-67 mches. Amytis striata. BLACK-CHEEKED GKASS-WREN. Dasyornia striatus, Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc, 1839, p. 14.3. Amytis striatus, Gould, Bds Austr., fol.. Vol. TIL, pi. 29 (1848); id., Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. L, p. 337 (1865). Amytis striata, Sharps, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. VII., p. 107 (1883). AMYTI8. 251 r-p Adult male — General colour above chestnut-red, each feather Iiaving a central stripe of white bordered on each side icith black; the rump chestnut-bro/vn, and less distinctly streaked; lesser wing- coverts light rust-red, with narrow ivhite shaft lines; the median and greater wing-coverts broivn, the inner series of the latter indistinctly margined with diill chestnut-red ; quills broirn, tlie base of the primaries rust-red, t/ie innermost secondaries margined wit/i dull rust-red; upper tail-coverts broivn, bordered tvitli dull cliestnut-red, and indistinctly streaked with wldte; tail feathers dark brown, margined tvith pale brown, more broadly on the outermost feathers ; a broad line extending from, the .nostril above the eye light rust colour ; a spot in front and the feathers below the eye vthite; ear- coverts black streaked rvith white down the centre; cheeks and a broad line below the ear-coverts black; chin and throat ivhite; fore-neck and upper breast dull ivhite rvith narrotv dusky-brown streaks on each side of the feathers, giving tliese parts a distinctly streaked appearance : centre of the breast and abdomen pale yellowish-buff ; a few feathers on the sides of the breast light chestn.ut-red, mesially streaked with white; ffanks and thighs brown; under tail-coverts dark brown margined with white at the tips, and having indistinct buff shaft- streaks. Total length 68 inches, iving 2'-^, tail S-o, bill O-J/., tarsus 0-95. Adult female — Similar in jdumage to t/ie male. Distribntio7i. — New South \Vales, Victoria, South Australia, Central Australia, Western Australia, North- western Australia. I^HE range of the present species extends from east to west right across the central portion of the Australian continent. Gould procured the type on the Lower Namoi Riser, to the north of the Liverpool Plains, in New South Wales; and the late Mr. K. H. Bennett obtained specimens, also the nest and eggs, in the mallee scrubs and porcupine-grass areas in the Mossgiel District of the same State. Mr. C. French, Junr., sent me a rough skin for identifica- tion that was obtained by Mr. C. McLellan, on Pine Plains Station, in the Wimmera District of \'ictoria in 1902. It was met with by the members of the Horn Scientific Expedition in Central Australia, in 1894, at Idracowra and Alice Well; and again, while a member of the Calvert Exploring Expedition in Western Australia, in 1896, Mr. G. A. Keartland and his companions obtained specimens, also nests and eggs, during their journey, but they were abandoned with the remainder of the collection at Johanna Springs, North- western Australia. Mr. Tom Carter also sent me a skin for examination from Point Cloates, and informed me that this species inhabited high stony spinifex ridges above the ranges, and he had seen fledgings on the 21st May, 1900. Mr. G. A. Keartland, who met with this species both in Central and Western Australia, writes me as follows: — "Ainytis striata is confined almost exclusively to spinifex country, hence it is frequently termed the 'Spinifex Wren,' It is the most wary and shy bird I have met with. Occasionally one may be observed at early morning or at sunset, perched on .a low bush or spinifex tussock, giving forth a very nice song, but immediately it notices an intruder, it jumps to the ground and runs to the nearest shelter. During the journey across the Great Desert of North-western Australia by the Calvert Exploring Expedition, many of their nests were found which would have been passed had not the bird hopped off its eggs as we approached. The nest was made of soft strippings of old grass, with a large opening at the side. Two white eggs, sparingly dotted with bran-like markings, constitute the usual clutch." BLACK-CHEEKKD GRASS-WREN. 252 SYLVIID.E. A nest of this species, taken by the late Mr. K. H. Bennett in the Mossgiel District, New South Wales, in 1883, is an open structure composed throughout of bark fibre and the dried blades or spines of porcupine-grass, placed upon a foundation of pieces of bark; it measures four inches and a half in diameter and two inches and a half in depth; inside measurement two inches and a half in diameter by a depth of three-quarters of an inch. This nest was probably flattened out during removal, for others taken by Mr. G. A. Keartland and his companions in Western .Australia, also by Mr. C. E. Cowle in Central Australia, are partially domed or oval structures, with a large entrance near the top or in the side, and were composed wholly of soft dried grasses. Like those found by the late Mr. K. H. Bennett, they were all placed close to the ground, and in or under the shelter of a spinifex tussock. The eggs are oval in form, the shell being close-grained, smooth, and slightly lustrous. They vary from almost pure white to a reddish-white ground colour, which is more or less obscured with freckles, or small irregular shaped dots and spots of rich red or reddish-brown, some specimens having the markings uniformly distributed ouer the shell, while in others they predominate on the thicker end, and where in many instances a well defined zone or cap is formed. A set of three, taken at Mossgiel by the late Mr. K. H. Bennett in 1883, measures: — Length (A) 0-85 x 0-65 inches; (B) 0-84 x 0-63 inches; (C) o-85xo-6i inches. A set of two, taken by Mr. C. E. Cowle at Illamurta, Central Australia, in July, 1898, measures: — Length (A) 0-8 X 0-66 inches; (B) 078 x o-66 inches. The eggs of this species are not to be distinguished from those of A mytis textiiis. The usual breeding season of this species in Central Australia is the same as that of ^^. textiiis, but Mr. Cowle has procured fresh eggs in July. In Western .'\ustralia, Mr. G. A. Keartland informs me that the members of the Calvert E.xploring Expedition found nests with eggs and young in August and September. "Since the above was in type, I have received the February number of "The \ictorian Naturalist," containing a very interesting paper on the genus Aiuytis, by Mr. G. .\. Keartland. ■ It was received too late, however, except to give a reference to it here.] Eremiornis carteri. CARTER'S DESERT-BIRD. Eremiornis carteri, North, Vict. Nat., Vol. XVII., p. 78 (1900); id., op. cit., p. 93 (1900); id., op. cit. Vol. XIX., p. 71, pi. opp p. 72 (1902); Sclater, Bull. Brit. Orn. CluK, XII., p. 51 (1902); id., Ibis, 1902, p. 608, pi. XIV. Adult male — Lores and a distinct superciliary stripe dull white; Jorehead rufoui: remainder of the upper surface broicn tinged with rufous, hecomintj slii/htly more rufescent on (he rump and upper tail-coverts ; lesser and median iving-coverts like the back, the greater coverts fulvous-brown, with dark broicn centres; quills dark brotvn, the primaries narrowly edged with dull ashy-rufous, tipped ivitli fulvous-broicn, the tips decreasing in size towards the central pair; ear-coverts pale washed on the margins of their outer webs with rufous, the four outermost feathers on either side and the secondaries margined on their outer webs with rufous; tail feathers dark brown sligh/ly brown with distinct white shaft-streaks; sides of the neck ashy-brown ; throat dull white passing into pale buff on the fore-neck and chest; centre of the breast and abdomen dull white washed with ochraceous-buff, and becoming darker on the sides of the body ; under tail-coverts fulvous-brown, with a slight rufescent tinge and crossed on their apical portion with a broad subterminal band ♦ "Vict. Nat." Vol. XX., p. 133 (1904). EREMIORNIS. , 253 which decreases in extent and is almost lost on the smaller outermost feathers; under wing-coverts pale fulvous-brown; "bill horn colour, lighter at the base of the lower mandible; legs and feet purplish-brown: iris reddish-hazel;" (Cartel-). Total length 5-7 inches, iving 207, central tail feathers 2-7, outer tail feathers 17, central under tail-coverts 1-7, bill O-^G, tarsus 0:55. Adult female — Similar in plumage to the male, but slightly less rufescent on the upper parts. Distribution. — North-western Australia. /' |(^HI-2 present species was one of the novelties discovered by Mr. Tom Carter during his -L. thirteen years residence in the neighbourhood of Point Cloates, in North-western Australia. The type specimen, now in the Australian Museum, was received by me through Mr. G. A. Heartland, who forwarded it for description together with the following note from Mr. Carter: — "I shot two of these birds on barren rocky ranges in the dense spinifex tufts." The specimen is labelled a female, and was obtained on the ist July, 1899, at North-west Cape, near Exmouth Gulf. Another specimen in the Australian Museum collection was procured at Point Cloates on the 8th July, 1901. Several others from the same neighbourhood have been sent me for examination. I forwarded a specimen to London to Dr. P. L. Sclater, one of the Editors of "The Ibis," who exhibited it at the February meeting of the "British Ornithologist's Club," in 1902, and made the following remarks ■: — '' Eremiornis cartcri : Mr. North kindly sends me an example of the supposed new genus and species of Australian birds. The genus is closely allied to Schceiiicola, of India,! and perhaps hardly distinct, but the specimen is not in very good condition, and I am unable to decide definitely upon it. It is at any rate a new species, and a most interesting addition to the Australian avifauna." Before describing the genus Eiriiiioi'iiis, I carefully compared the specimen on which it is founded with the characters given in the "Catalogue of Birds in the British Museum, "| of the genus Scluriiicola and its allies, and concluded that it varied from all of them. Since then the Trustees of the Australian Museum have received two specimens of Schceuicola platyiira from the Director of the Travandrum Museum, India, and the species upon which Jerdon founded the genus. These specimens strengthen me in my opinion that although Schceuicola and Eremiornis bear a close resemblance to each other, especially in the broad tail feathers and the long upper and under tail-coverts, they are quite distinct. In Schceuicola the bill is deeper and more curved at the tip, the rictal bristles stout, the primaries distinctly longer than the secondaries, the tail barely exceeding the length of the wing, the tarsi and feet long, the mid- toe when extended reaching beyond the ends of the longest under tail-coverts. In Eremiornis the bill is straighter, the rictal bristles feeble and hardly visible, the wing more rounded and distinctly shorter than the tail, the tarsi short and feet small, the mid-toe reaching when extended about half-way down the longest under tail-coverts. What I regard as constituting the chief point of distinction between the two genera is, that in Schwnicola the tarsi and feet are long and strong as in Acroccpkalus and other Reed-Warblers, while Eremiornis has the tarsi short and the feet comparatively small, the tarsus only equalling in length that of Smicrornis fiavesccns, the smallest species of Australian birds. For the purpose of comparison the measure- ments of adult specimens of Schceuicola platyura and Eremiornis cartcri are here given. An adult male of Schcenicola platyura measures: — Total length 6-i inches, wing 2-6, tail 2-8, bill o'46, tarsus O'B. An adult male oi Eremiornis cartcri measures: — Total length 5-7 inches, wing 2-05, tail 2-7, bill o'46, tarsus o'55. The principal distinctions pointed out between Schcenicola and Eremiornis will be seen in the Plate, reproduced from a photograph, which accompanies the above remarks, § where skins of the two birds are laid side by side and figured of the natural size. • Bull. Brit. Orn. Club, xii., p. 51 (1902). t Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus , Vol. vii., p. no (18S3). J Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. vii., p. no (18S3). § Vict. Nat., Vol. .\i.x , p 72, and pi. opp. p. 72 (1902). 254 SYLVIID^, Subsequently Mr. Carter forwarded an adult male, obtained by him at Point Cloates on the 2oth February, 1902, to Dr. Sclater, who made critical remarks on the allied genera ScJta'nicola and Emnioynis, and published a beautifully coloured plate of Eremioiitis cavtcri in "The Ibis."* A figure, showing the abnormally long under tail coverts is also given on page 609. The slender bill, short tarsi, small feet, and long upper and under tail-coverts which conceal the greater portion of the broad tail feathers, will distinguish it from any other Australian genus. The following information relati\e to this species has been kindly sent me by IMr. T. Carter from time to time: — '' Ercmioniis cavtcri is fairly common on the North-west Cape peninsula. I have seen it both on barren spinifex ranges and on good feeding grassy flats. I have, however, met with it mostly in dense scrub between the range and the sea, but never saw it south of Yardie Creek, although the country is similar on both sides of it. During a trip up north in October, 1900, I shot four from the buggy while driving through scrub, and I saw several more. Upon dissecting them I found that they were all males and had apparently just finished breeding. The stomachs contained the remains of insects, principally small black beetles, but in one of them I found a grass-hopper an inch long. I have only heard these birds utter a short 'chat chat.' When disturbed it rarely flies for more than about twenty or thirty yards, a weak fluttering flight, with the tail feathers expanded, then down it goes into cover again and skulks through the scrub. It lies very close after being once flushed, and can conceal itself under the smallest cover. One fired at and wounded sought refuge under a small scrubby bush, bordered around with a little spinifex and a few dead leaves. These I removed until I came to the last remaining branch of the shrub, under which the winged bird, hard pressed to the ground, was discovered. On pulling the branch up, it fluttered away for a short distance but was soon captured. A nest, which I believe belonged to this species, I found when driving, by flushing a bird out of a species of salt-bush. On going to the bush I had seen it leave, I found a deep open nest built among the twigs, about a foot from the ground. It was irregularly formed throughout of dried grasses and fibre, and had no special lining. The inside of the structure contained a few fallen dead salt-bush leaves, and numerous elytrje of a species of small black beetle. Young birds had apparently but recently left the nest." Megalurus galactotes. TAWNY UKASS-BIKD. Malurus galactotes, Temm., Planch. Col., Tom. I., pi. Gf), fig. 1 (1823). Sphenceacus galactotes, Gould, Bds. Austr., fol., Vol. III., pi. 35 (1848); id., Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. 399 (1865). Megalurus galactotes, Sharpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. VII., p. 127 (1883); North, Proc. Linn. See. KS.W., 2nd ser., Vol. X., p. 217 (1895). Adult male — Forehead, crown of the head and nape rufous, indistinctly streaked with dusky - brown; upper portions of the back ashy-brown washed with fulvous, and having black centres to the feathers; lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts rich fulvous-broivn, some of the longer tail-coverts having black shaft-streaks; upper wing-coverts fidvous-brown, the lesser and median series with indistinct black shaft-streaks, and the greater coverts, which are richer in colour, with broad black centres; quills brown externally margined on their outer webs with fulvous-brown, the innermost • •■ The Ibis," 1902, p. 608, pi. xiv. MEGALUEUS. 255 secondaries hlackish-brown maryined with fulvous-brown; tail feathers fulvous-brown with black shafts; lores and eyebroiv dull whitish ; ear-coverts brown loilh narrow white shaft-lines; under surface of the body dull white, the chest washed with yellowish-buff in the centre; sides of the body broum ; abdomen, except in the centre, brown washed with yellowish-buff; under tail-coverts yellowish-buff. Total length 6-7 inches, icing 2-6S, tail Su, bill OS, tarsus 0-9. Distribution. — Northern Territory of South AustraHa, (Xieensland, New South \\'ales. aFN favourable situations the Tawny Grass-bird is found throughout the greater part of the r coastal districts of Northern and Eastern Australia. In the Northern Territory of South Australia, Gilbert found it on the islands at the head of Van Dieman's Gulf; and the late Mr. Edward Spalding procured a number of specimens near Port Darwin. In Queensland, Mr. Gulliver obtained it at Normanton, near the shores of the Gulf of Carpentaria; Mr. Kendal Broadbent found it at Cardwell; and the late Mr. J. Rainbird procured specimens at Port Denison. Mr. George Masters collected specimens at Wide Bay, in October, 1867, on behalf of the Trustees of the Australian Museum; and the late Mr. George Barnard found it breeding on the Dawson River, about eighty miles inland from Rockhampton. 1 can find no authentic record of this species being obtained at Cape York. Mr. J. A. Thorpe informs nie that neither he nor the late Mr. James Cockerell ever met with or procured this species during their stay at Cape York. Mr. Bertie Jardine, who has been a resident there all his life, also informs me that he has never observed it there. Two specimens that were obtained in New South Wales, came from the Richmond River District; Gould saw examples that were procured on the Liverpool Plains; and in the Macleay Museum is an adult male and female obtained by Mr. George Masters at Rope's Creek, who informs me that he has also obtained this species at Long Bay. Both of these localities are in the neighbourhood of Sydney. It is not found in the southern or central portion of the State, neither does it occur in Victoria. The preceding description is taken fronr a fine old adult male, obtained by Mr. George Masters at Wide Bay in October, 1867, and is the largest and richest coloured specimen I have seen. The wing-measurement of adult males now before me varies from 2-3 to 2-68 inches. The long acuminate central tail feathers will readily serve to distinguish this and the following species from any other grass or reed-haunting passerine bird found in Australia. iMthough the range of the Tawny Grass-bird extends over the greater portion of the Northern Territory of South .\ustralia, and Northern and Eastern Queensland, and parts of Northern New South Wales, it is of so shy and retiring a disposition that it is a species seldom met with. The late Mr. George Barnard, of Coomooboolaroo, Dawson River, Queensland, shortly before his decease, informed me that while collecting specimens of Microlepidoptera on his station on the 26th of October, 1893, he flushed one of these birds from the rush-bordered bank of a dry creek, and, after a diligent search, succeeded in finding its nest at the bottom of a tuft of long rushes. The nest was a deep cup-shaped structure, slightly domed or narrow at the top, and was outwardly composed of dried swamp grasses, lined inside with feathers, and contamed three fresh eggs, two of which he unfortunately broke. The remaining egg was forwarded to me for description by Mr. Charles Barnard. It is precisely similar in colour and markings to those of its congener, Mcgalunis gvamineus, but is slightly larger, being of a reddish-white ground colour, freckled all over with purplish-red markings, which predominate as usual on the thicker end of the egg. Length o-8 x 0-58 inches. I also received an egg for examination from Mr. C. Trench, Junr., which was taken near the Daly River, in the Northern Territory of South Australia, in h'ebruary, 1902. 256 SYLVIID.E. Megalurus gramineus. LITTLE GEASS-BIRD. Sphencfacus graviineus, Gould, Proc. Zoo). Soc , 1845, p. 19; id., Bds. Austr., fol., Vol. III., pi. 36 (1848); id., Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. 400 (1865). Megalurus gramineus, Sharpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. INIus., Vol. VII, p. 125 (1883). Adult male General colour above fulvous-brown, streaked with dull black, the latter colour being more pronounced on the featliers of the back which are broadly centred u-ilh dull black: rump and upper tail-coverts of a clearer fulvoiisbrozvn, and less conspicuously streaked with black; upper wing-coverts like the back; quills dark brown margined externally ivith fulvous-brotvn, the innermost secondaries blackish-brown distinctly bordered tvith straw-white and tinged with fulvous-brown ; tail feathers broken, margined with fulvous-brown ; forehead, crown, and nape fulvous-brown, tinged tvith rufous and streaked with black; lores and a distinct eyebroiv dull white; a spot in front of the eye and a line along the upper portion of the ear-coverts broivn; throat and all the under surface dull white, slightly tinged with fulvous-brown on the fore-neck and breast, and passing into fulvous-brown on the sides of the body; the apical portion of the feathers on the throat and/ore-neck being narro'dy streaked with dark brotvn, and those on the sides of the body broadly streaked with blackish-bro^vn ; thighs fidvousbroivn ; under tailcoverts pale fulvous-broivn tvith slightly darker centres; bill olive- brotvn, paler on the sides; legs and feet olive-brotvn ; iris brotvn. Total length in the flesh 6-25 inches, iving 2 3, tail 2;5, bill 01,, tarsus OS. Adult feu ale— Sitnilar in plumage to the male. Distribution.— "Sew South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania. /-r^^^HE Little Grass-bird is abundantly distributed in favourable situations over the south- J_ eastern and southern portions of the continent, it is likewise found in Tasmania and on some of the islands of Bass Strait. Although occurring inland, it evinces decided preference for the coastal districts. It frequents dense grass-beds growing in swampy localities, the rush or reed-bordered margins of watercourses, and near the coast the mangrove fringed estuaries or sides of rivers. There is but little variation in a number of specimens now before me from different localities, but two examples, sexed as females, and which I take to be very old birds, are almost pure white on the throat and breast, which is entirely devoid of blackish-brown streaks. The wing-measurement of adult males varies from 2-i to 2-3 inches. In the neighbourhood of Sydney it is seldom seen or heard during the late autumn and winter months. Usually its plaintive call is first heard about the same time as that of the Reed-Warbler in August, and not later than the end of April. It is extremely shy and one does not often see it except when it utters its note from the top of some tall reed or grass-stem, or flies over a clear expanse of water from one clump of rushes to another. The usual note of this species is a low mournful whistle repeated three times, which is immediately similarly answered by another bird, but it is pitched in a different key. Its plaintive note is easily imitated, and frequently in the summer months it may be heard during the night. Occasionally it is varied with a low and rapidly uttered "chu, chu, chu, chu," especially when one approaches near the nest of this bird. Stomachs of two examples of this species I have examined, obtained at Long Bay, near Sydney, in March, 1899, contained in addition to the remains of small aquatic insects, perfect specimens of a small fresh-water shell, Isidora, sp. Writing from Mossgiel, in the Central District of New South Wales, in 1886, the late Mr. K.H. Bennett xem&rks:—'' Megalurus gramineus is rather plentiful here during the spring months of a wet season, when the 'cane-swamps,' which are its exclusive habitat, contain shallow but MEGALURUS. 257 wide expanses of water. At this time it may always be found amongst the dense tussocks of 'cane-grass' growing in these swamps; but during the hot summer months, when the water has dried up, the most careful search would fail to reveal one of these little birds, although the 'cane-grass' is still as dense as ever. So feeble are their powers of flight that, if driven on to the plain, they can be easily caught, for they cannot fly more than a short distance at a time and so slowly that a man on foot can overtake them. It has often been a source of wonder to me how these birds vanish in the mysterious way they do, considering the open nature of the country between one cane-swamp and another, which are often miles apart." Dr. W. Macgillivray writes me: — "I have not elsewhere come across Megalurus gramineus away from swampy localities except at Coleraine, in Western Victoria, where they are to be found frequenting and nesting in box-thorn hedges in the centre of the town. A swamp once existed in the locality many years ago, and force of habit no doubt tends to bring them back to their hereditary haunt, even though conditions have been entirely altered." The nest varies greatly in size, the outer materials of which it is formed, and the position in which it is placed. Usually it is a deep cup-shaped structure, formed externally of dried aquatic plants and coarse grasses. Inside it is lined with feathers, the entrance being contracted at the top and sometimes partially hidden by one or two feathers worked into the inside which curl over the entrance. Others are dome-shaped or globular in form, with an entrance in the top, and are constructed externally of soft fibrous rootlets and slightly lined inside with feathers. In the vicinity of houses, domestic fowls' and ducks' feathers are more often used. An average nest measures externally five inches in height by four inches in diameter; depth inside, three inches. Near Melbourne, and in Albert Park, I have found as many as four nests containing the usual complement of four eggs, in a single afternoon. Each nest was built in the centre of a tussock of long rushes, within six or eight inches of the water; but in the swampy tea-tree scrubs that formerly lined the sides of the Lower Yarra River, I ha\-e found it constructed in the bushy forks of a tea-tree at a height of five feet. In the mangrove-covered tidal flats of the Upper Parramatta River, near Sydney, it is built among the upright leafy pronged branches of these trees; and in the neighbourhood of Tempe, Botany, and Manly and Narrabeen Lagoons, in the centre of a tuft of rushes, coarse grasses, or reeds, growing in or near the water. The eggs are generally four in number for a sitting, less frequently three, and very rarely five. They vary from oval to elongate-oval in form, the shell being close-grained and its surface smooth and lustreless. Typically they are of a reddish-white ground colour, which is almost obscured with numerous freckles of purplish-red uniformly distributed over the surface of the shell. Some specimens have well defined zones or caps on the larger end, or have a few underlying markings of violet-grey, the latter shade predominating generally on the thicker end. One set I took was almost a pure white ground colour, and entirely devoid of markings except on the larger end, where they had a few minute freckles and a broad clouded zone of a deep purplish-red. As a rule the markings are small and seldom assume the form of blotches. A set of four, taken at Newington, on the Parramatta River, measures: — Length (A) 076 x 0-53 inches; (B) 077 x 0-54 inches; (C) 077x0-55 inches; (D) 075x0-54 inches. A set of three, taken at Cook's River, measures: — (A) 0-72x0-52 inches; (B) 0-72 x 0-55 inches; (C) 0-71 x 0-53 inches. Mr. J. A. Thorpe has been successful in obtaining a number of the nests of this species in the neighbourhood of Randwick and Botany during the past ten years. Most of the nests with eggs were found in November and December, but the dates of obtaining them with fresh eggs range from 4th October to the 20th December. The sets taken were mostly four, not in- frequently three, and in one instance five in number for a sitting. August and the five following months constitute the usual breeding season of this species in New South Wales and Victoria. 258 SYLVIID.E. O-erL-U-S OISTIOOXj-A., Ka^ip. Cisticola exilis. GRASS-WARBLEE. Malurus exilis, Vig. & Horsf., Trans. Linn. Soc, Vol. XV., p. 223 (1826, ex Lath. MSS.) Cysticola exilis, Gould, Bds. Austr., fol., Vol. IIL, pi. 42 (1848). Cysticola ruficeps, Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc, 1837, p. 150; id., Bds. Austr., fol., Vol. III., pi. 45 (1848). Cisticola exilis, Gould, Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. 350 (1865); Sharpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. VIL, p. 269 (1883). Adult male — (Breeding plumage) — General colour above golden-buff, the feathers of the back with a slight ashy shade, and broadly centred with broivnish-black; upper wing-coverts like the back; primaries and outermost secondaries brown externally edged with golden-buff, the innermost secondaries blackish-brown margined tvith golden-buff; tail feathers broivnish-black, edged and largely tipped tvith golden-buff; forehead and sides of the head and neck slightly darker than the crown; all the under surface pale golden-biiff] slightly darker on the breast and flanks ; under tail- coverts pale golden-buff ; upper mandible brown, the lower mandible flesh colour ; legs and feet flesh colour. Total length in the flesh 3 6 inches, wing 1-9, tail 1-2, hill OSS, tarsus 072. Adult female — (Breeding plumage) — Similar to the male, but having the head broadly streaked with black like the back. Winter plu.maoe — (Both sexes) — Like the breeding plumage of the female, but all the feathers having a distinct ashy shade, and all on the upper parts except those on the sides of the hind-neck more broadly streaked tvith black; throat and centre of the breast and abdomen ashy-while. Total length in the flesh Jf.-S inches, wing 19, tail 2, hill 0 38, tarsus 0-72. Distribution. — North-western Australia, Northern Territory of South Australia, Queens- land, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, New Guinea, the Moluccas and Phillipine Islands, Formosa, Malayan Peninsula. /T^HIS little bird is chiefly an inhabitant of the coastal districts of Australia, in favourable JL situations, over which it appears to be generally distributed, except in the south-western portion of the continent. It is also found in New Guinea, the Moluccan and Phillipine Islands, Formosa, and South-eastern Asia. So much do these birds vary in colour in their seasonal changes of plumage, that it is difficult when one examines a large series from different parts of the continent, to believe that they all belong to one species. Dr. Sharpe''^ has, however, conclusively proved that the four species described and figured by Gould in his folio edition of the "Birds of Australia," are all referrable to the present species, Cisticola exilis. Not only do they vary in colour in the summer and winter plumage, but the tail feathers in the latter season are remarkably longer than in summer. The descriptions given above of this species in breeding plumage, are from specimens obtained while nesting on Ash Island, at the mouth of the Hunter River; those in winter plumage being obtained at Randwick, close to Sydney. The tails of adult males obtained in summer vary in length from 1-05 to 1-3 inches, of others procured in winter i-8 to 2-i inches. Among breeding or summer-plumaged adult males, examples obtained in Eastern Queensland and Eastern New South Wales, have the heads darker than in others procured in South Australia; the under surface, too, of birds from the latter State is uniform and of the same colour on the flanks. The lightest coloured specimen I have before me was procured at Derby, North-western Australia. It has the head and the under surface almost white, the former being slightly washed with golden-buff, and which is * Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. vii., p. 269 (1883). CISTICOLA. 259 more pronounced on the forehead; the upper surface, wings, and tail are correspondingly paler than typical examples of C. cvilis, and only the feathers on the upper portion of the back have brown centres; wing i-g inches. This specimen has that bleached and washed out appearance common to many species inhabiting this and similar hot and arid districts. Of adult males in tlieir progress from the breeding or summer plumage to winter plumage, there is an example in the collection obtained by Mr. J. A. Thorpe at Long Bay, near Sydney, on the 17th March, 1899. This specimen shows the new tail feathers replacing the slightly abraded old ones, and some of the golden-buff feathers on the crown of the head are broadly streaked with black; wing i -9 inches. Another adult male, shot on the banks of the Hawkesbury River on the 14th Feb- ruary, 1897, is in the ordinary breed- ing plumage, but the rich golden-buff feathers of the head have two short black streaks on the crown, and several similar markings on the nape; wing I -8 inches. Undoubted preference is shown by this species for coastal districts. I have never met with it very far inland, or in mountain ranges any distance from the coast, nor is it found at all in the interior of the continent. Grass-beds, tussocks of long rushes, heath-lands, and standing grain-crops are its fa\'ourite haunts, and from its habit of frequenting and nestmg in the latter situations it is locally known in many parts of New South Wales as "Corn" or ''Barley- bird." It possesses an animated but squeaky kind of song, which, compared with the size of the bird, may be heard some distance away. Frequently it is uttered while perched upon the top of a grass-stalk, but immediately an intruder ventures near, the bird seeks refuge in the cover below. The stomachs of all the specimens I have examined contained only the remains of minute insects. Near Sydney these birds are not uncommon about Randwick, Long Bay, and La Perouse, also between Manly and Narrabeen, where they have been frequently found breeding. The nest is a small domed-shaped structure, with an entrance near the top, and is formed chiefly of very fine grasses, and lined and coated with plant-down and spider's webs woven together, and has usually several leaves carefully worked on to the outer portion of the structure. Sometimes it is placed between three or more plant leaves springing from a single stalk, which, being drawn together, conceal all but the entrance. In ten nests now before me the number of leaves attached to the outer portion of each varies from three to eleven in NKST OP CRASS WARBLER. 260 SYLVIID.E. number, but frequently they are formed without any outer coverinc; of leaves. An average nest measures four inches and a half in height, by two inches and a quarter in width, and across the entrance one inch. The entrance varies much in size; in a nest in the Group Collection of the Australian ]\Iuseum, taken by Mr. J. A. Thorpe at Randwick, on the 14th October, 1895, and built in a tuft of fine rushes, the entrance, which is near the top, measures two inches and a quarter in height by one inch in breadth; in another now before me it is contracted by the leaves sewn on either side, and is barely over half an inch in width. The nest is generally built among long grass, in a tuft of rushes, or in a plant sheltered by grass, and frequently in cultivated crops, at a height varying from six inches to two feet from the ground. In New South Wales and Queensland it is often constructed among blady-grass. Mr. Acland Wansey brought three nests to tiie Australian Museum that he had found while mowing millet at Dungog on the nth January, 1902. All had leaves worked on to the sides and tops of the structures, two of them being attached to millet stems, and the third to tlie leafy top of a w-eed in which it was built. They were about two feet from the ground, and contained respectively three and four eggs, and a single egg, all being fresh. The nest figured on the preceding page, is one of two presented by Mr. A. F. B. Hull, and taken by him at Curl Curl, near Manly, in February, 1903. The outer portion of the structure, which is formed of plant-down and spiders' webs, is almost hidden by nine terminal leaves, springing from long thin plant stalks, being carefully worked on to it by the birds. The stitches made by the birds driving their bills around the margin of the leaves and forcing through the spiders' webs, are clearly visible and may be seen in one of the leaves in tli(^ illustration. This nest, which contained four fresh eggs, measures e.xternally nearly six inches in height by two inches and three-quarters in width, and across the entrance one inch and a half. The other nest has only five leaves worked on to the outer portion of it; both of them were con- cealed in long rushes. The eggs are usually three or four in number for a sitting, oval in form, the shell being close-grained, smooth, and lustrous. Typically in ground colour they are of a rich greenish- blue, which is sparingly freckled, spotted and blotched with different shades of purple, particularly on the larger end, where in some specimens the markings are confluent and form a small but well defined zone. A rare variety has a faint bluish-white ground colour, with fine pepper-and-salt markings of faint purple thickly distributed over the shell. Others have a few large rusty-brown blotches on the larger end only, while some I have seen were entirely devoid of markings. As a rule the ground colour is of a rich shade of blue, and the markings predominate or are entirely confined to the thicker end. Of a set of three, taken by Mr. J. A. Thorpe at Randwick, two specimens are sparingly sprinkled with dots and spots on the larger end, the other has the markings confined to a conspicuous zone on the smaller end. A set of three eggs, taken at Dungog, New South Wales, measures as follows: — Length (A) 0'55 X 0-42 inches; (B) 0-54 x 0-43 inches; (C) 0'55 x 0-44 inches. A set of three, taken on the Herbert River, Queensland, measures: — (A) o-6ixo'48 inches; (B) 0-62 x 0-5 inches; (C) 0-59 X 0-49 inches. A set of four, taken near the Daly River in the Northern Territory of South Australia, measures: — (A) 0-58 x 0-44 inches; (B) o-6 x 0-45 inches; (C) 0-58 x 0-45 inches; (D) 0-56 x 0-44 mches. Young birds of both sexes resemble the winter plumage of the adult female, but are duller in colour, the feathers on the hind-neck and rump alone showing a distinct wash of golden-buflf, those on the under surface being dull white with a faint tinge of yellowish-buff on the neck and golden-buff on the sides of the body. Wing i-6 inches. A young male procured by Mr. R. Grant at Five Dock, on the 12th March, 1901, has the throat white and the remainder of the under-surface very pale greenish-yellow, washed with buff on the sides of the body, which is slightly darker on the lower flanks, \\ing rfi inches. CHTHONICOLA. 261 This species is a late breeder, nests with eggs being more often found in New South Wales in December, January, and as late as February. On the Herbert River, Queensland, Mr. J. A. Boyd procured nests with eggs on the 23rd January, and on the 7th and 15th February, 1894, and saw fledgelings just able to fly in the following September; nests with three fresh eggs in each, he again found on the 19th and 25th January, 1895. Mr. C. French, Junr., has also sent me for examination nests and eggs of this species taken in the neighbourhood of the Daly River, in the Northern Territory of South Australia, on the 30th January and 6th February, 1902. Two sets, containing four eggs in each, are of the typical rich ground colour and markings, but some eggs are paler and more sparingly marked than others procured in the eastern and southern portions of the continent. A set of three also contained an egg of the Rufous-tailed Bronze Cuckoo (Lamprococcy.x basal is). Family TIMELIID^. oen-as oi3:'mo3sriooij^f^, Gould. Chthonicola sagittata. STREAKED WARBLER. Sylvia sagittata, Lath., Ind. Orn., SuppL, p. liv., (1801). Chthonicola minima, Gould, Bds Austr., fol.. Vol. Ill , pi. 72 (1848). Chthonicola sagittata, Gould, Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. 390 (1865); Sharpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol VII., p. 290 (188.3). AuuLT MALE — General colour above dull olive-broivn, broadly streaked with dark broivn: rump bright olive-brown; upper wing-coverts like the back; quills brown, the outer webs of the primaries having narrow whitish edges and the secondaries indistinct olive margins; two central tail feathers broum, the remainder broivn narroivly edged tvith olive and passing into blackish-broiun on the apical portion ivhich is tipped with white ; head dark brown, narroivly streaked with brownish- white; lores tvhitish ; feathers around the eye and a distinct eyebrow white, the latter bordered above with a black streak, which widens out on the side of the nape; a spot in front of the eye and the ear-coverts pale brown; behind the ear-coverts a conspicuous patch of pale olive-yellow feathers ; sides of the neck and all the under surface white, slightly washed with olive-yellow and streaked with black, centre of the lower breast almost pure white; flanks and under tail-coverts pale yellowish-buff; bill dark brown; leys and feet brown; ins light yellow. Total length in the flesh 5 inches, wing 2-^5, tail 1-9, bill OSo, tarsus 08. Adult female — Similar in plumage to the m,ale. Distribution.— Qneens\a.xi6., New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia. /qr^HE present species is freely distributed in New South Wales and some parts of X \'ictoria. I\Ir. E. R. Morgan has taken its nest and eggs near Dalveen on the high- lands of the Darling Downs, Southern Queensland; and I have received for examination, from the Director of the South Australian Museum, a skin obtained by the late Mr. F. \\ . Andrew^s in the Gawler Ranges on the 26th September, 1882. Mr. Zietz informs me this is the only instance he has known of its being found in South Australia. STREAKED WARBLER. 262 TIMELIID.E. I have retained the original vernacular name of Streaked Warbler, bestowed by Latham on this species in i8oi/'' Following his description he remarl-cs: — "Inhabits New South Wales in July; is said to sing remarkably w-ell." It is a resident in New South \\'ales, and frequents chiefly the open forest and partially cleared lands of the coastal districts. Inland it is generally found on the margins of cultivation paddocks and pastoral lands. It is also common in lightly timbered mountain ranges, and there are specimens in the Australian Museum collection, obtained at Lithgow at an elevation of over 2,000 feet. Near Sydney it is fairly numerous at Belmore, Enfield, and Blacktown, also in the scrub and heather-lands about Sutherland and National Park. In March these birds assemble in flocks from five to fifty or more in number, and may be generally met with searching for insects and their larva; in the grass. They are very fearless and not easily disturbed, but when put to flight generally seek refuge in the lower limbs of a small tree. Their notes, which are very sweet, are succeeded by a short harsh grating twitter. The stomachs of these birds I have e.xamined usually contained insects and their larva', in some 1 also found a few grass-seeds. The nest, a dome-shaped structure with an entrance in the side, is formed outwardly of dried grasses, with which are intermingled a few fine strips of bark, and is slightly lined at the bottom with either dowmy grass, seeds, fur, or feathers, or an admixture of these or other soft materials. An average nest measures externally four inches and a half in diameter by three inches and a quarter in height, and across the entrance one inch. It is built in a slight depression in the ground, the entrance to the structure being well concealed and nearly on a level with the surface. Usually it is surrounded WMth withered grass or herbage, but at Belmore I have seen it constructed in a tuft of long rank green grass. Some I have found were almost flat on the top, and it was difficult to distinguish them from the surrounding withered grass. Mr. S. W. Moore found several of this type in September, 1896, in a paddock at Blacktown, which, with the exception of a few stunted and dried grass tussocks, was devoid of vegetation. One I found on the 19th October, 1898, at Koseville, in company with Mr. C. G. Johnston, was built close to a well beaten path, and was sheltered only by a few straggling grasses and a scanty bracken-fern. It contained two fresh eggs, and I would have passed it a hundred times without discovering it had I not observed a bird leave the spot when we were about twenty yards away. If the nest is handled, this species readily forsakes it, even when eggs are deposited. The eggs are usually three, sometimes four in number for a sitting, rounded ovals or broad ellipses in form, the shell being close-grained, smooth, and lustrous. They are of a uniform bright chocolate-red, some specimens having a clouded indistinct cap or zone of a darker shade of the ground colour on the larger end. A set of three, taken in the Richmond River District, by Mr. P. Schraeder in September, 1888, measures: — Length (A) 072 x o-6 inches; (B) 077 x 0-62 inches; (C) 073 x o-6 inches. The nest from which this set was taken also contained an egg of the Fan-tailed Cuckoo. A set of three, taken at Belmore, near Sydney, in November, 1897, measures: — Length (A) 075x0-58 inches; (B) 076 x o-6 inches; (C) 075 X 0-59 inches. Young birds resemble the adults in colour, but have the head of a duller brown and not so distinctly streaked; there is a dull rufous-fawn eyebrow, and the blackish markings to the feathers on the under surface are smaller and more tear-shaped in iorm. September and the three following months constitute the usual breeding season of this species in New South Wales; but at Haslem's Creek, near Sydney, in company with Mr. S. W. Moore, the latter found a nest built in a tuft of grass and ready for the reception of eggs on the I St August, 1894. Lath. Gen. Syn. Bds., Suppl. II., p. 247 (1801). HYLACOLA. 203 Oen-o-s H-!ri_,..£^COILi^^, Gould. Hylacola pyrrhopygia. KED-RUMPED SCRUB-WARBLER. Acanihiza pyrrhojiyyia, Vig. A- Horsf., Trans. Linn. Soc, Vol. XV., p. 227 (1826). Hylacola pyrrhopygia, Gould, Bds. Austr., fol., Vol. III., pi. 3!) (18-i8); id., Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. 3-tG (1865); Sharpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. VII., p. 346 (1883). Adult male — General colour above brown, with a rufescent-olice tinye which in more pro- nounced on the lorver back and rump : upper tail-coverts pale cliestmit ; wings like the back ; inner webs iif the quills hroivn, the apical half of the outer ivebs of the primaries externally edged with ashy-brown, their bases dull whitish which is almost entirely concealed by the brown primary coverts; tail feathers brown, tinged with rufescent-olive, and all but the central pair crossed by a siibterminal black band and tipped with ashy-brown ; a spot in front of the eye dusky-brown; a distinct line extending from the nostril over the eye whitish; ear-coverts brown, luiih ivhite shaft-lines ; under surface of the body dull white, each feather except on the centre of the abdomen with a longitudinal streak of blackish-brown down the centre; under tail-coverts cheslmit; thighs brown; bill dark brown; legs and feet flesh colour tinged with grey ; iris hazel. Total length in the flesh oS inches, iving ,2'15, tail .'''So, bill 0'^5, tarsus O'S. Adult female — Similar in plumage to the male, but has all the urider surface pale buff and less distinctly streaked, the dark brown centres being narrower, shorter, and not extending so near the tips of the feathers ; centre of the abdomen icliitish. Distribution. — New South \\'ales, \'ictoria, South Australia. /~r(^HE Red rumped Scrub Warbler is found only in the south-eastern portions of the -L continent. It is a resident in New South Wales, and although distributed in favourable situations over the greater portion of the coastal districts of the State, nowhere is it more abundant than in the stunted scrub-covered lands lying between the Hawkesbury River and Botany Bay. Inland its is found as far as the western slopes of the Blue Mountains, but there may be regarded as a very rare species. I have never seen an example from any of the northern coastal districts of New South Wales, and Mr. C. W. De Vis, M.A., informs me that he has never seen or heard of it being obtained in any part of Queensland. In a southerly direction its range extends into Western Victoria, and Mr. H. C. Smart has sent me a specimen for examination shot in the Grampians on the loth January, 1898. From the Director of the South Australian Museum, Adelaide, I have also received a specimen obtained at Square Waterhole, near Mount Compass, in the hills south of Adelaide. This is the farthest point west I have seen a specimen from. Near Sydney I have only observed it in the scrubby undergrowth or thick bush growing in the shallow sandy soil which more or less covers the outcrops of Hawkesbury Sandstone. From Middle Head to Hornsby, and Bondi to La Perouse, are its favourite haunts, but one may walk through the scrub all day without getting a glimpse of this bird unless acquainted with its habits. About Middle Harbour, in June or July, I have generally met with it frequenting the more open parts of the country, studded here and there with low clumps of Dwarf Apple- trees M"g'''/'/wra coydifolia), and stunted Banksia, between which flourish A'an^/w^-rA^^^ and the rock-loving Isopogons and Epacridcv. At this time of the year they usually traverse the low undergrowth singly, and are not so wary, but it is difficult to see them for they are almost constantly on the move. I have heard a bird give a shrill double note quite close to me; the next time it is uttered, which is generally at an interval of a few minutes, it may be twenty or thirty yards away, without once exposing itself to view. About once or twice in every half 264 TIMELIID^. hour, however, it will ascend on to some dead branch higher than the surrounding vegetation and pour forth a most melodious song, and as soon as it is finished dive into the low under- f^rowth again, or more rarely fly off to some distance. Its notes are also sometimes uttered in a very low strain as the bird trips over the fallen leaves or rapidly fiits from bush to bush. At Middle Harbour, in sandy soil, sparsely covered with low herbage, I once counted seven of these birds from where I stood. In August or September they leave these open parts and may be met with in pairs in the more dense and higher scrub, or frequenting rocky boulders on the margin of it. At this season, if one remains quiet, they are sometimes far from shy, and the male will utter its sweet cheerful notes from the top of a low bush only a few yards away. On many occasions I have searched the scrub for hours, meeting with perhaps a solitary individual which appeared to be travelling, and by its actions, assured me that I was not witliin the vicinity of its nest. These birds run with marvellous rapidity over the tops of rocks and large boulders. When perched, the chestnut-coloured rump is displayed to advantage, also the black sub- termmal bar on the tail, which is carried erect. The stomachs of the birds I have examined contained only the remains of small insects, principally beetles. A nest I found at Middle Harbour was a dome-shaped structure, with a small spout-like entrance near the top, and was outwardly formed of strips of bark and grasses, and lined inside principally with feathers, among them being a few from the breast of Pachycephala gtitturalis. It measures externally six inches in height, by three inches and three-quarters in diameter, and was placed in a thick bush (Isopogon aneathi folia ) , the bottom of the nest being within four inches of the ground. Eggs usually two in number for a sitting, oval in form, the shell being close-grained and its surface slightly lustrous. They vary in ground colour from a warm pinkish-white to a very faint purplish-buff, which is freckled and blotched with irregular-shaped markings of light chocolate-brown, confined principally to the thicker end where a more or less well defined zone is formed. \ set of two, taken at Xorth Shore, measures: — Length (A) 077 x 0-58 inches; (B) 076 X 0-57 inches. They resemble the eggs of Serkornis frontalis, more than those of other species, but are slightly more pointed at the thinner end. Judging by the few nests of this bird found, the breeding season near Sydney commences at the end of August, or early in September, and continues until the end of December. Two fledgelings in the Australian Museum collection were obtained in the scrubby undergrowth at Middle Harbour, in October, 1876. I also watched for some time a young bird being fed by its parent, near Roseville, on the 6tii October, 1901. On attempting to secure it, the young one feebly flew into some undergrowth and successfully managed to conceal itself, which it repeated when I passed by the same place an hour afterwards. Fledgelings have the general colour abo\e rufescent-brovvn, which is of a richer shade of rufous on the lower back and rump; upper tail-coverts chestnut; wings brown with a rufous wash, the primary coverts with blackish tips, and the median and greater wing-coverts with dull buffy-white tips; lores and eyebrow buffy-white; sides of the head brown washed with rufous; chin, throat, and fore-neck dull rufous; remainder of the under surface dull white washed with rufous, the latter colour being more distinct on the sides of the body; under tail- coverts chestnut; thighs brown. Wing 175 inches. Semi-adult males have the spot in front of the eye brown, the white line above the eye narrower, the quills more strongly washed with rufous, and the tips of the greater wing-coverts rufescent or buffv-white. HYLACOLA. 2G5 Hylacola cauta. SHY SCRUB-WARBLER. Hylacola cauta, Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc, 1842, p. ]3o; id., Bds. Austr., fol, Vol. Ill,, pi. 40 (1848); id., Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. 347 (186.^). Adclt male — General colour above brown, the back was/ied loitlt, rufescent-olive, wlnclc is more pronounced on the rump; dipper tail-coverts rich chestnut; wings hroivn, with a faint rufescent-olive tinge to the outer ivebs of the secondaries and the inkier series of the greater wing-coverts ; tips and margins of the median and greater coverts wliite; basal portion of the outer webs of the outer primaries white, ivhich is followed by a blackish wash toivards the centre of the feathers, and then by a narrow edge of ashy-white on their apical half, except at the tips; primary coverts blackish, and only partially concealing the tvhite bases to the outer tvebs of the primaries n^hich form a conspicuous white spot towards the centre of the wing; tail feathers blackish-broivn, the central pair and outer webs of the remainder washed with reddish-brown ; tips of tJie four central feathers ashy-brown, the remainder being largely tipped ivitli white; a spot in front of the eye blackish-brown; a line extending from the nostril over the eye white, bordered on the forehead by a narrow line of black ; ear-coverts brown ivith white shaft lines; sides of the neck brown; under surface of the body tvhite, each feather conspicuously streaked with blackish-brown down the centre, except on the centre of the abdomen: tinder tail-coverts chestnut : thiglis brown ; bill blackish-brown ; legs and feet fleshy-brown. Total length 5'5 inches, wing 2'2, tail 2'S, bill 0'5, tarsus 0'S5. Distribution. — \'ictoria, South Australia, \Vestern Australia. /T^HE range of this very distinct species extends across the extreme southern portion of JL the Australian Continent. While collecting on behalf of the Trustees of the Australian Museum, Mr. George Masters procured an adult male at Mongup, Salt River, Western Australia, in i86g. I have also received on loan a young male from the Director of the South AustraHan Museum. Mr. A. Zietz, the Assistant-Director, informs me that it was procured by the late Mr. F. W. Andrews on the 13th October, 1897, who observed a small flock of these birds hopping about in the scrub at Talem Bend, to the north of Lake Alexandria. From Western \'ictoria I have also received for examination a fine old adult male obtained by Mr. H. C. Smart at Nhill on the 26th September, 1899. This specimen is slightly larger in size than average examples oi Hylacola pyrrhopygia, the wing measuring 2-2 inches. From H. pyrrhopygia this species may at once be distinguished by the larger white bases to the outer webs of the outer primaries forming a spot near the centre of the wing, and by its richer and darker coloured upper tail-coverts. The tail feathers, too, are almost uniformly coloured, not crossed by a distinct band, and the lateral ones are largely tipped with white. On the under surface the streaks are larger and darker, and those on the centre of the forehead are almost black. Under the name of Hylacola pyrrhopygia, Mr. W. White, of Reedbeds, near Adelaide, forwarded me in January, 1894, a set of two eggs, together with the following note: — "These eggs were taken on the ist October, 1893, from a dome-shaped nest rather flattened on the top, with a protruding entrance, and formed of twigs and grasses with a lining of finer grasses and other soft material. The nest was placed about a foot from the ground, in a stunted and very thick prickly acacia-bush growing near the mouth of the American Ri\-er, Kangaroo Island." On application for a skin of the bird for the purpose of verification, under date 15th March, 1894, ^Ir- ^Vhite writes me: — "I looked through most of my collection to-day, but could not find a skin of the Hylacola, however I send you the remains of one that I shot on York Peninsula, South Australia, in mistake and threw it into my bag until I came home. I then put it on one side as it was of no use, but you will possibly be able to make out from it what you want." The specimen forwarded by Mr. White proved to be H. cauta, Aa12 266 TIMELnD.E. and not //. pyrrhopv^ia. Gould procured the type of H. caiita in the scrubs clothing the Murray River in South Australia, which is not a very great distance horn either Kangaroo Island or York Peninsula. The eggs procured by Mr. White on the latter island are more swollen in form than those of H. pyi'yhopygia, the shell being close-grained and its surface smooth and sli<^htly gloss}'. They are of a very faint purplish ground colour, with minute freckles of purplish-brown of a slightly deeper shade on the larger end, forming on one specimen a small but fairly well defined zone, the other specimen being somewhat similarly but less distinctly marked. Length (.\) 074 x o-6 inches; (B) 078 x q-6 inches. These eggs are very much like those of a variety of Sericoriiis frontalis. In the general colour above, the young male resembles the adult, but the margins of the inner secondaries have a more decided rufous wash, and the wing-coverts are tipped with buffy-white; the white streak above the eye is narrower and tinged with buff; the throat and fore-neck is dull greyish-white, broadly streaked with pale rufous; the centre of the breast and abdomen is white, and the sides of the body brown. Wing 2-08 inches. Oerfas -A.0-A.1>TTX^IZ-^, Viyors vn slightly tinged with olive; upper wing-coverts like the hack, the greater series with dusky brown centres; quills dusky-brown, the primaries having externally narroiv indistinct whitish edges, and the secondaries pale brown margins becoming almost white around the tips of the inner series; upper tail-coverts and basal portion of the tail feathers chestnut, the apical half of the latter black distinctly tipped with white on the inner loeh and very pale brown on the outer web, these tips decreasing in size towards the central pair; head like the back but with a distinct rufescent shade on the sinciput; forehead blackish-brown, the feathers having whitish margins; feathers beloiu the eye and the ear-coverts ashy-white ivith brown bases and centres, giving these parts a mottled appearance; all the under surface ashy-white, being of a slightly purer white on the chin and centre of the abdomen, the flanks faintly tinged loith fulvous ; thighs brown; under tail-coverts tvhite ; "bill dark broivn ; legs and feet blackish; iris tohite;" (Bennett). Total length SO inches, wing.il, tail 13, bill 0o5, tarsus 0-65. Adult female — Similar in plumage to the male. Distribution.— Q,\i&&ns\s.nd, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, North-western Australia. Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. vii., p. 293 (1883). 280 TIMELIID.E ^(^^ OULD, who described this species in 1837 from examples obtained in New South V-JT Wales, had up to the time of the publication of his ''Handbook to the Birds of Australia." gained no information as to its habits and economy, or even the particular haunts it frequented. The late Mr. R. H. Nancarrow contributed a very interesting account of finding it breeding in the Whipstick Scrub, near Bendigo, Victoria, in October, 1881." The late Mr. K. H. Bennett obtained several specimens at Moolah, in the Western District of New South Wales, in .\ugust, 1883, and later on at Mossgiel, where he found it breeding in 1886. In his MS. notes, made in the latter district, he remarks:— "^rrt»//«^(7 nvopygialis is the only species of the genus that I have noticed in this part of the colony. It is tolerably abundant in the back country, associating in small flocks of about six or eight individuals. The nest is dome-shaped, very like that of the Maluri, and is composed of soft dried grasses and bark fibre, neatly lined with feathers or fur. It is almost always placed in a hollow timb or trunk of some small tree, and three eggs are usually laid for a sitting. I have found nests containing eggs from September to December." There is also a specimen in the Reference Collection obtained by Mr. Robert Grant at Byrock, New South Wales. Mr. Edwin Ashby sent me a specimen for examination that he had shot at Morchard, South Australia, in November, 1900; also others that he had procured at Callion, and Siberia Soak, Western Australia. I'rom Point Cloates, North-western Australia, Mr. Tom Carter sent me a specimen for identification, and later on wrote as follows: — "Acanthiza uropygialis is not uncommon inland in scrubs, and also in the upper boughs of white gums. They go in small flocks, and utter a tinkling note." Dr. A. M. Morgan writes me: — "Acanthiza uropygialis is a very common bird in the mulga scrubs to the north-west of Port Augusta, in South Australia. It was usually seen in small flocks from eight to ten in number, they were very taine and could almost be caught by the hand. I found a pair breeding on the 30th July, 1900. The nest was built in the mud wall of a cook-house, within a few feet of an occupied house. .\ small space had been left beside one of the strengthening upright posts, and in this cavity the nest was placed. Beyond the fact that the nest was lined with feathers, I could not say how it was built, as it could luit be examined without breaking down the wall, a proceeding to which the owner objected; I however managed to extract one fresh egg." .\gain, m company with Dr. A. Chenery. this species was found coinmon in eucalypti, myall, and mulga country during a trip made to the Gawler Ranges from Port .'\ugusta in 1902, "a nest half-formed being found on the 8th August, near Scrubby Hill, in the top of a hollow stump, giving the top of the stump a rounded appearance." A nest now before me, taken by the late Mr. K. H. Bennett, is oval in form with a rounded entrance near the top, and is constructed externally of dried grasses, strips of bark, a few small thin herbaceous plant-stalks, and a little spiders' web; the inside being lined entirely with feathers. Externally it measures four inches in height by three inches in breadth, and across the entrance one inch and a quarter. It was placed in the hollow limb of a dead belar, about five feet from the ground, and contained three fresh eggs. In the places this species selects for a nesting-site, it resembles Geobasileus regidoidcs, and typically also Xcrophila leucopsis, a cleft in a hollow limb being usually resorted to, and occasionally an aperture between two branches, or the upright stems of two trees growing close to each other, in a piece of hanging curled bark as noted by Mr. Nancarrow, and in the wall of a house by Dr. A. M. Morgan. The former also observed these birds breeding at a height of from two to ninety feet from the ground. Those found by the late Mr. K. II. I'.ennett were usually within ten feet and not at a higher altitude than twenty feet. • Vict. Nat., Vol. iv , p. 206 (1888). ACANTIIIZA. 281 The eggs are three in number for a sitting, o\al in form, the shell being close-grained, smooth, and slightly lustrous. They are of a delicate fleshy white, and are usually minutely freckled all over with light reddish-brown, but particularly towards the larger end, where they form a more or less well defined zone. In one set now before me, the markings, consisting of a few scattered reddish-brown irregular-shaped spots, are confined entirely to the larger end. An egg in another set of two, has numerous but almost invisible freckles nearly uniformly dis- tributed over the shell, while the other has the markings in the form of a distinct band of confluent spots on the thicker end. The latter set, taken at Mossgiel in September, 1886, measures as follows: — Length (.V) 0-63 x 0-48 inches; (B) 0-63 x 0-5 inches. A set of three, taken in the same locality on the 15th October, 1886, measures: — (A) 0-65 x 0-5 inches; (B) o'65 X 0-48 inches; (C) o-66 x 0-48 inches. Nidification with this, as with tnany other species in South Australia, begins earlier in that State than elsewhere. Dr. A. M. Morgan obtaining a nest with a fresh egg as early as the 2gth July. Nests with fresh eggs, also young birds, were noted in Victoria by Mr. Nancarrow in October; while the late ^Ir. K. H. Bennett found nests with eggs in Western New South \\'ales from September to T)ecember. Acanthiza tenuirostris. SMALL-BILLED THORN-BILL Acanthiza tenuirostris, Zietz, Trans. Roy. Soc. S.A., Vol. XXIV., p. 112 (1900); Sharpe, Hand-1. Bds., Vol. IV., p. 220 (1903). Adult male — General colour above dull ashy-brown sligluly washed ivith olive, whicli is more distinct on the lower back and rutiip / upper toing-coverts brown, the lesser series indistinctly tinged tvith olive, the median and greater series ivith paler brown margins; quills brown, the primaries narrowly edged with pale brown except the basal two-thirds of the outermost series ivhich are ashy- ivhite on their outer webs, the secondaries margined with pale brozvn of a slightly lighter shade; upper tail-coverts fulvous-white at the base, with an indistinct olive wash on their apical portion ; tail feathers blackish-brown, ochraceous white at their extreme base, narrowly edged and tipped with pale brown, the inner webs of the lateral feathers having a white spot at the tip, increasing in size toivards the outermost feather, which has the apical portion of the outer web white; forehead blackish-brown, all the feathers having broad whitish margins giving it a distinct scaled appearance ; lores and feathers around the eye dull white washed ivith fulvous; cheeks ami ear-coverts brorvnisli-white, tvith small pale broivn bases; throat, fore-neck, and upper breast dull as!iy-white ivith a faint yelloivish ivash, the latter also slightly tinged with pale fulvous-broivn; sides of the abdomen and lower Jlanks pale yelloiv slightly ivashed with olive; centre of the lower abdomen, the vent, and under tail-coverts yeilowish-tvhite ; "bill black; legs and feet black; iris light yelloiv;" (Morgan). Total length SS inches, wing 1-y, tail 1-5, bill 0-22, tarsus 0-65. Adult female — Similar in plumage to the male. Distribution. — South .Vustralia, \\'estern Australia. / I'^HIS very distinct species was described by Mr. A. Zietz, the Assistant Director of the -L South Australian Museum, in the "Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia." ^^ The types, kindly sent on loan by the Director, Dr. E. C. Stirling, F.R.S., in the following year, were obtained by Mr. R. M. Hawker on the iSth August, 1895, in the scrub at Leigh Creek, between Lake Torrens and Lake Frome, about three hundred and seventy-four miles north of Adelaide. With the specimens Mr. Zietz wrote as follows: — "^ly Acanthiza tenuirostris may possibly be, after all, only a diminuti\'e form oi Acanthiza reguloidcs, Vig. & Horsf., * Trans. Roy. Soc. S.A., VoL xxiv., p. 112 (1900). 282 TISIELIID^E. from which it is distinguished by its smaller size, the absence of the buff colouring on the rump, and it also lacks the pale buff bases to all the tail feathers, as described by Gould in his "Handbook to the Birds of Australia." Acaitthiza tcnuirostris does bear a strong resemblance to Gcohasilciis rcgidoides, as pointed out by Mr. Zietz, that is in colour, but it is unquestionably a good and distinct species, not a small form of G. reguloides, nor has it any other near ally. It may be distinguished from all other species of Acanthiza by its almost uniform-coloured tail, pronouncedly light upper tail-coverts, and its small slender bill, which is comparatively narrow at the base, and has a tendency to recurvature. As I premised at the time, the nest when found would be built in a similar position to that of the typical Acanthizae, and not placed like that of Gcohasileus reguloides. During a trip made by Dr. A. M. Morgan and Dr. A. Chenery from Port .\ugusta to the Gawler Ranges in South Australia, an adult male was obtained on the i6th August, igoa. Relative to this specimen. Dr. Morgan writes: — "A male oi Acanthiza tenuirostris was shot in a salt-bush near Mount Ive Government tank. This is a salt-bush bird, and is e-Kceedingly shy. Dr. Chenery took about twenty minutes stalking to procure the specimen. It dodged about in the salt-bush cis if it were quite at home. There were no trees in the vicinity." Writing recently, Mr. ;\. Zietz remarks: — "I have received here for examination from the Perth ^Museum, an adult male of Acanthiza tcnuirostris, procured at Day Dawn, Western Australia, on the i5tli May, 1903." By direction of the Curator of the Perth Museum, Mr. Bernard Woodward, F.G.S., 1 have received from Mr. C. P. Conigrave, a photograph taken by him of a nest oi Acanthiza tciuiirostris in that institution. It is a small domed structure, with a rounded entrance in the side, and is built in the lower leafy portion of a forked branch of a samphire bush. This nest, which contained young birds, was taken by Mr. C. F. Lawson, on the ist August, 1903, at Day Dawn, a mining township on the Murchison goldfield, about four miles south-west of Cue, Western Australia. Up to the present the eggs of this species have not apparently been taken, but doubtless they will be found to closely resemble those of the smaller members of the genus Acanthiza. OeniJLS 0-EOB., tail O-o, bill O-l, tarsus 0-7 . Adult kkmalb — Similar in plumage to the male. Distribution. — Southern Queensland, N'ew South Wales, \'ict()ria, South Australia, Central Australia, Western Australia. fN the "Catalogue of Birds in the British Museum," ' Dr. II. (iadow places the genera Xcrophila axid Sphcnostoma oi Cion\A, in the sub-family Farina', and remarks: — "Xcrophila seems to form a link between the true Farina; and those forms which 1 propose to distinguish as Austro-Parin;E." Neither of these genera should be included in the Farina^ Xcrophila, although differing in having a deep cone-shaped bill, undoubtedly com^s nearest to the genus Geobasileus, which it closely resembles in habits; Sphciiostoina appears to be an anomalous form, far removed from the sub-family Parinae, of which Payiis major is the type, its nearest .\ustralian allies being Oreoica cristata and Psophodes crepitans. Later on, Mr. M. C. Oberholser pointed out. in the "Froceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia," I that the name of Xcrophila had been preoccupied by Held, in 1837, for a genus of MoUusca. and proposed that of Apheloccphala, of which Xcrophila Iciicopsis, Gould, is the type. In favourable situations, the present species is distributed o\cr the greater portion of the southern half of the Australian continent. In New South Wales it is strictly an inland species, but in Victoria, and South and Western Australia it is also found near the coast. Open forest country, and plains intersected with belts of Callitris, or scrubby undergrowth, are its usual haunts, but it is of an extremely sociable disposition and may be often seen about farms and outbuildings. I found it tolerably numerous in the neighbourhood of the Macquarie River, in ;\ugust, moving about in flocks numbering from eight to twenty individuals, and nearly always on the ground searching for insects and their larva', which constitute its usual food. It is chiefly terrestrial in its habits, and is e.xceedingly tame, merely flying on to the nearest tree or fence when too closely approached, and descending on to the ground again immediately one has passed. At Dubbo, where I first observed this species, it was feeding on the grassy sward in company with Geobasileus chrysorrhous. It is known in many parts of New South Wales as the Squeaker. The nest is a large dome-shaped structure, with an entrance in the side or top; outwardly it is composed of strips of soft bark and grasses, and is lined with feathers, fur, or other soft material. It varies in size according to the position in which it is built, an average one taken from a hollow branch of a dead mulga measuring externally eight inches in length by four inches in breadth, and across the entrance one inch and a half. It is usually built in a hollow branch or hole in the trunk of a small tree. Mortice-holes in the posts of stock-yard fences, and the interstices between the thick sticks forming the bottom of the nests of the Wedge-tailed Eagle, are also favourite situations, and occasionally it is built in the branches of a low spreading shrub, h'requently it resorts to dwellings and outliouses, constructing its nest in the spouting or between the roof and the ceiling. .\ny favourable situation under cover is availed of as a nesting-place by these sociable little birds, consequently they are sometimes found in curious places. On Wattagoona Station, near Louth, a pair built in the spout of a • Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. viii., pp. 73-74 (1883). t Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad., i8.jg, p. 214. APHELOCEPIIA/.A. "'■'•' lar-^e pump, which had to be taken to pieces to remove the obstruction, when the nest was found to contam four fresh eggs. 'On another stati(M, in the south-western district of New South Wales, the late Mr. K. H. Bennett informed me that in November, 18^5, he saw a nest built in the pocket of an overcoat that had been left for some time hanging on a nail under the verandah of the homestead. The owner of the coat, observing the birds going in and coming out of the pocket, allowed it to remain there, and at the time of Mr. Bennett's v,s,t he saw one of the old birds go in several times with food, although he was only standing a few feet away from the coat. During a trip made by Dr. A. M. Morgan and Dr. A. Chenery to Mount Gunson, situated to the north-west of Port Augusta, South Australia, in July and August, 1900, they met with th,s species, and Dr. Morgan writes me as follows:-" AVr»/>/»7(r Icmopsis is the commonest bird m the district', and found wherever there is any scrub, also about the houses of stations. Nests were plentifiil built in all manner of situations, but always in a hollow or hole of some kind. A favourite site was a hole in the soft decaying gypsum cliffs. On the 3rd August, we found three nests in this position, one contained fresh eggs, another incubated eggs, and the third young birds. In October, 1891, I found a pair of these birds building in a railway truck lying at a siding at the Finnis Railway Station. They had laid two eggs when the truck was removed. At Mount Gunson, in July, 1901, a pair built a nest in an old packing case at the back of the store; they were still building at the time of my departure. A common nesting-place in the Mount Gunson District was the breeding tunnel of Chcramccca laicostcnww. They did not go to the end of the tunnel, but made a chanibrr for themselves just inside the opening." From the l^roken Hill District, in South-western New South Wales, Dr. W. Macgillivray writes me:-^\Xe,'ophila Icucopsts is common along all the creeks and amongst scattered clumps of timber. It builds in a hollow of tree, or a clump of mistletoe; a favourite nesting-site being the under surface or side of a Whistling Eagle, Wedge-tailed Eagle, or Crow's nest." Mr. Joseph Gabriel informs me that in September, 1896, at Werribee, Victoria, he found the nests of this species built m the interstices of stone walls used to subdivide the paddocks in that neighbourhood. The eggs are usually three or four, sometimes five in number for a sitting, oval or thick oval in form" the shell being close-grained and smooth, some specimens being slightly glossy, others lustreless. They vary in ground colour from pure white to dull white and pale buff, which is usually more or less obscured by freckles, spots, and small irregular-shaped blotches of either light brown, reddish-brown, or chocolate-brown, intermingled with a few similar underlying markings of dull bluish or violet-grey. In some specimens the markings are indistinct, in others well defined and predominating at the thicker end, where they are confluent and assume the form of a zone. Of rarer varieties now before me, one set of an almost pure white ground colour, has a broad band of rich chocolate-brown on the thicker end, and a few fine freckles of the same colour scattered over the shell. Another set, with a similar ground colour, has an irregular-shapsd zone formed of small confluent purplish-brown markings around the thicker end, the remainder of the shell being, with the exception of one or two fine dark brown hair-lines, entirely devoid of markings. A set of four measures as follows :- Length (A) 077 x 0-58 inches; (B) o-yyxo-fi inches; (C) 076 x 0-58 inches; (D) 077x0-59 inches. A set of three measures:— (A) 072 x 0-55 inches; (B) 07 x 0-54 inches; (C) 07 x 0-55 inches. An unusually small set of two measures alike o-66 x 0-54 inches. In South Australia, Dr. Morgan found these birds breeding in July and August. In Central Australia, Mr. C. E. Cowle obtained nests with eggs and young in April, also in December and January. Nests with fresh eggs were found by the Calvert Exploring Expedi- tion in Western Australia in August. About Wellington and Dubbo, in New South Whales the breeding season lasts from August until the end of November; while in the Broken Hill Aj 19 294 TIMELIIDiE. District, in the south-western portion of the State, Dr. AIacgilh\Tay noted this species breeding in 1901 from June to the end of October. Near Lake Austin, in the Murchison District, Western Australia, Mr. C. G. Gibson informs me that he found a nest on the 28th August, 1903, built in a small hollow stump, containing six eggs, all fresh; and another on the following day, built in the hollow limb of a dead mulga, with eight eggs, some being fresh, others slightly incubated. In each instance only one pair was observed about each nest. Aphelocephala nigricincta. BLACK-liANDED SQUEAKER. Xerophila nigricincta. North, Ibis, ISO.'), p. 340; id., Rep. Horn Sci. E.xped., Pt. II, Zool., p. 82 pi. 7, upp. tig. (1896). Aphelocephala niyricincta, Oberliol., Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. riiilad., IS'.i'J, p. 214; Sliarpe, Haud-l. Bds., Vol. IV, p. 342 (1903). AnuLT MAi.K — General colour above pale chiiiamon, hecoraiiuj licher ami darker on the back and rump; upper winy-coverts brown; quills broivu, the innermost secondaries dark broimi a^id broadly inargined irith pale ciymamon, the remainder of the secondaries narrowly edged externally with pale cinnamon and tipped icith white slightly ivashed with cinnamo7i; tipper tail-coverts pale cinnamon ; two central tail feathers dull blackish- brown, faintly ivashed and tipped rvitli. pale cinnamon, the remainder blackish-broivn ivith a spot of irhite at the tip of the inner iveb, increasing ill extent towards the oiilermost feather, rvhich is broadly tipped and narroivly edged on the outer web witli white; cro/rn of the head brown washed with cinnamon and having small darker brown centres to lite feathers ; forehead, lores, and fore part of cheeks buffy-white, narrowly margined above with an indistinct blackish line; ear-coverts cinnamon- brown; sides of the neck pale cinnamon; chin, throat, and all the under surface dull white slightly tinged ivi/h buff, and crossed on ihj: breast with a distinct narrow black band ; feathers on the lower sides of the body suhterminally barred with rich chestnut; under tail-coverts white slightly tinged u-ith buff; bill black; legs and feet purplish-black. Total length S'd inches, iving 2-2, tail loo, bill 03, tarsus 0-7. Adxjlt fem.\le — Similar in plumage to the adult male. Distribution. — Central Australia. /T^HIS species was one of the novelties obtained by the members of the Horn Scientific -L Expedition when in Central Australia in 1894. It may be distinguished from Aphelo- cephala pcctoralis, to which it is more nearly allied, by having the breast crossed by a narrow black band instead of a broad band of cinnamon-brown across the chest as in that species. Mr. Keartland has forwarded me a nest and several sets of eggs of this species, received from Mr. C. E. Cowie, and the latter has kindly favoured me with the following notes; — "The eggs oi Xerophila nigriiinda, taken in March, 1899, were obtained from out of a big domed nest in a 'raspberry bush.' It was composed of long dead pieces of cotton and raspberry bush, with an entrance in the side, and lined with grass and feathers of many kinds, and too large to conveniently carry on horseback. I saw the bird leave the nest. In June and July of the same year they were nesting all about the stony plain between Erldunda and Attitara. They IlLACK-li.VNDED SQUEAKER. SKRICOIiNIS. 2&5 favour most the 'Raspberry,' or 'Dead Finish Y.-lurcw nlianaj. One was placed in a thick cotton-bush, and another, whicii I am sending you, was in a spht rotten mulga. The general appearance of the nest, when built in bushes, is old, unkempt, and rough, like that of Powatos- tomns ruhendus. All the nests I took during July and August, also of Xcroplula lauvpsis, which I found breeding at the same time, had three eggs in." The nest sent by Mr. Cowle, and taken by him from a rotten mulga, is a long cylinder in shape, with an enlarged entrance near the centre, and is constructed of fine shreds of bark, dead grasses, and debris; the nesting cavity, which is very small, is lined with feathers. It measures eight inches in length by three inches and a half in breadth, the inner portion of the nest measuring three and a half inches in height by two inches and a half in diameter, and across the entrance one inch and a half. As with the nests of Aphclncephala lauvpsis, the size and shape would xary according to the position in which they are built, those placed in bushes being, as a rule, more bulky structures than others formed in hollow branches. The eg-s are usually three or four in number for a sitting, oval in form, the shell being close-grained, smooth, and slightly lustrous. In ground colour they vary from dull white to buff and a warm brownish-white, which is thickly freckled and occasionally blotched with dull reddish or faint umber-brown, in some specimens uniformly over the shell, in others entirely at or predominating on the thicker end, where, intermingled with similar markings of dull violet- grey, well defined zones are formed. A set taken by Mr. C. E. Cowle in April, 1898, measures as follows :-Len-th (A) 0-65 x 0-49 inches; (B) 0-65 x 0-49 inches; (C) 0-63 x 0-5 inches. A set taken at Erldunda, m the following July, measures:— (A) o'65 x 0-5 inches; (B) o-68 x 0-52 inches; (C) 0-67 x 0-52 inches. Mr. Cowle has usually noted this species nesting from the latter end of February to the middle of August; but after hea\-y rains, he found them breeding freely in December, 1902, and January, 1903. C^en-Q-S SEI^IOOIS3>TIS, Gould. Sericornis citreogularis. YELLOW-THROATED SCEUB-WBEN. Sericornis citreogularis, Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc, 1837, p. 133; id., Bds. Austr., fob, Vol. III., pi. 46(1848); id., Haiidbk. Bds. Austr., Vol.1., p. 354(1865); Sliarpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., VoL VIL, p. 302 (1883); id., Hand-1. Bds., Vok IV., p. •2'20 (1003). Adult ualu— General colour above dull olive tinged u'ilh yelloiv, becoming slightly richer in colotir on the rump and upper tail-coverts; lesser wing-coverts like the back, the median and greater coverts blackish, margined ivith yellowish-olive; primary coverts black: quills blackish-brown, basal portion of the median series 0/ the primaries externally edged with light olive-yelloiv, the outer webs 0/ the outermost secondaries, and both webs of the innermost series olive-brown shaded with yellow ; tail feathers ruddy-brown, the central pair and outer rvebs of the remainder rich olive-brotvn ; crown of the head olive-brown tinged with yellow; forehead, lores, and feathers above and below the eye extending in a broad band beyond the ear-coverts black, bordered above with a narrow ivhite line over the lores, and tvidening out into a broad light greenish-yellow streak above the ear-coverts; sides oj the neck dark greenish-yellow; cheeks and throat yellow; fore-neck pale olive-broivn tvashed ivilh yellow; centre of the breast and abdomen white washed with yellow; sides of the breast olive-brown; under tail-coverts dull white: bill dark broirn : legs and feet fleshy-brown; iris yellowish-white. Total length inthe^fiesh 5 S inches, wing ^7, tail 21, bill 0-55, tarsus 1-1. Adult pe.male— SimiZar to the male, bm the forehead is olive-brown like the crown, and the broad patch extending from the lores above and below the eye on to the ear-coverts, instead of being black, is dull olive-green with a dusky wash on the lores. Distributian. — Eastern Queensland, Eastern New South Wales. 296 TIMELllD.E /"T^IIE Yellow-throated Scrub-Wren is distributed in favourable situations throughout the -L coastal districts of the greater portion of Eastern Queensland and Eastern New South Wales. It is represented in the Australian Museum collection by skins obtained as far north as the Bloomfield River District, by numerous examples from the Cairns and Herberton Districts, Queensland, and by others procured as far south as the Illawarra District of New South Wales. It is usually met with in pairs, searching for insects in the bed of a creek, on logs, or among fallen leaves. The female is of a tame and fearless disposition, often building her nest within a few yards of an intruder. Seldom, except for the purposes of nest-building does this species perch in trees. It utters a pleasing and ricli clear note, which may be heard some distance away. Individual variation exists in the colour of this species. Some specimens ha\e the fore- neck entirely yellow like the throat, others have the sides of the breast more strongly washed with olive-brown. Compared with examples obtained in New South Wales, adult males from the Bloomfield River and Herbert River Districts, North-eastern Queensland, have the median and greater wing-coverts more distinctly margined with yellow, the edges of the outer webs of the primaries a deeper yellow and the secondaries a richer olive-brown. The average wing- measurement of birds from these parts is 2'55 inches, but it \aries from 2'5 to 2-7 inches. The average wing-measurement of adult males obtained by me at Ourimbah, New South Wales, is i"j inches. In New South Wales it is essentially an inhabitant of the rich brushes of the coastal districts, and the secluded valleys of the con- tiguous humid mountain-ranges. In favourable situations, wherever palms and cycads flourish, this species is found. It haunts the sides of creek banks and leaf-strewn open mossy glades, sheltered above with a thick umbrageous growth. Although abundantly distributed just beyond the northern and southern boundaries of the County of Cumberland, it is only found in a few places towards the northern and southern boundaries of it, chiefly about Narrabeen Lagoon and the Cabbage palm scrubs near Lily \'ale, Otford, and liuHi. It is plentiful at Gosford and Ourimbah, on the northern side of the Hawkesbury River, and is freely distributed in similar situations throughout the Illawarra I^istrict, in the south-eastern portion of the State. The nests are large, bulky pear-shaped or domed structures, with an entrance in the lower portion more or less protected by a hood. Hxternally they are formed of rootlets, skeletons of leaves, and mosses intermingled together, and lined inside at the bottom with feathers. When they are built in the brush, tiiey are usually thickly coated externally with mosses, but seldom have this outer covering when overhanging w-ater, and then resemble more a mass of debris attached to an overhanging branch. An average nest measures externally twelve inches in length by six inches in breadth, and across the entrance one inch and a quarter; but they vary much in size, and frequently from nine to twelve inches of nesting material may be built around a branch before the domed portion is commenced. They are attached near the ends of drooping leafy branches, at an altitude varying from two to forty feet. More often they are built in trees or vines overhanging water, frequently five or six feet above the surface, sometimes as low as two feet, and rarely higher than twelve feet when placed in this situation. Little or no preference seems to be shown in the selection of a tree as a nesting-site, but I have in\ariably noticed that they are built higher in the forest than when overhanging water. YKLLOVV-TIIROATKD SCRUR-WRKN'. SKHICORNIS. 297 Mr. W. M. Thomas presented to the Trustees of the Australian Museum five nests of this species attached to one another, built on a long vine which he found in December, 1897, growing under a rock shelter near the Macquarie Pass in the Illavvarra District. This is a most unusual site for this species to build in, and, judging by the different appearance and condition of the nests, it had probably been resorted to by the same pair of birds year after year. The entrance to two of the nests was blocked up by the others being built against them, and in one, of which I was able to e.xamine the interior, I found several pieces of egg-shell. The eggs are two or three in number for a sitting. On the Richmond and Clarence Kivers seldom more than two are laid, but about Ourimbah I found more nests witli three eggs than 1 did with two. They vary much in shape, size, and colour, even when found in nests near one another. Ovals, elongate-ovals, and swollen o\"aIs are common, and among the latter type may be found specimens tapering sharply towards both ends; the shell is close-grained, and its surface smooth and glossy. In ground colour they vary from pale chocolate-brown to almost pure white with a tinge of choco- late-pink, and as a rule are lighter in colour on the smaller end; some have a faint slaty shade in the ground colour; occasionally, in others, it is as nearly dark as is found in the eggs of PyrrholiTniHS brnniuus. On the larger end is almost invariably a zone or cap formed of clouded markings of a ilistinctly darker shade than the ground colour. In a very dark set of two, taken by me at Ourimbah, on the 27th Novem- ber, igoi, the larger ends are a uniform dark slaty-brown. This set measures: — Length (A) 0-93 x 0-67 inches; (B) o"95 x 0-7 inches. Another set of three, taken on the same day in a nest close by, measures: — Length (A) 1-05 x 077 inches; (B) 1-03 xo-73 inches; (C) I'Oj x 0-74 inches. Nidification, which I had many opportunities of observing, is performed by the female alone, and usually occupies about eleven days. The nest is shaped as the work proceeds, there is no thin skeleton or framework made first, to be filled in afterwards. \'iewing the nest from Aa-.:o NKST OF THK YKLI.OW-THROATKD .SCRUIi WREN. 298 TIMELIID.E below, when about half built, it resembles in shape a bell suspended to a branch, a place being left for the entrance, and the domed lower portion s-radually worked on after; it is then thickly lined inside at the bottom with feathers. It is a remarkable fact that in some scores of these nests I have examined, the entrance was always, with one exception, on the same side as the under surface of the lea\-es of the branch to which it was attached, and consequently when built over water always facing the bank. The exception to this rule is the nest here figured, built in a Maiden's Blush tree, at a height of thirty-fi\e feet from the ground. An entrance had been made in the usual place in this nest, but had been closed up at the back by the birds and another formed in the same side as the front or upper surface of the leaves. I have never known of an instance of Seyiconiis citreogiilaris forming its nest in a bunch of moss hanging from a bough. Two nests that the writer had under observation at Ourimhah were commenced on the 7th November, 1901, and on the 25tli instant three eggs were taken from each. The eggs were deposited on alternate days. Fretiuently two or more nests are found on branches of the same tree, presumably the labour of the same pair of birds during previous seasons. I iiave sawn off branches with nests containing eggs, and four days latt-r found the birds building on the next branch. The nests are almost invariably conspicuous objects and -easily seen. One I found on the 27th November, 1901, containing two incubated eggs, however, was fairly well concealed. It was attached to the underside of a dead leafy bough of a large Maiden's Blush tree that had fallen into a creek, the nest being only two feet from the water. The nest figured on the preceding page was found close by the same day, and contained two fresh eggs. Mr. Edwin Ashby forwarded me a box of specimens for examination, collected by him in the Blackall Ranges, Southern Queensland, at an altitude of about 1,500 feet, and among them are two nests of this species and several of its eggs. They are somewhat similar structures to those described above, but are built in Lawyer-vines (Calamus australis). With them Mr. Ashby sent the following information : — " I found about ten or a dozen nests of 5. citrcogularis during the three days I was in the Blackall Ranges, the 2gth September to the ist October, 1903. All were suspended on Lawyer-vines, mostly eight to ten feet from the ground, one as high as sixteen feet. The first nest found must have been twelve feet high, and contained three eggs, two olive-brown and one light cream colour. In one place a lawyer-vine, probably blown off some tree by the wind, had fallen right across a running creek, lodging on some low bushes on the other side, thus making a suspension bridge over the water. There were four nests on this vine, two directly over the water, one almost over it, and the fourth about two yards from the edge of the bank. In company with Mr. W. L. May, during the two days available, we visited this spot and spent some time watching the nests in the hope of seeing the birds go in. One was soon found to be occupied by an Acantkiza, wdth nearly fledged young, and of the same species as I send you skins. The second nest contained typical eggs of Scricornis citrco- gularis. On the 1st October we took the eggs from the middle nest, and were surprised to find that they were the eggs of another species of Sericornis, not S. citreogiilaris." The skins o{ Acantkiza, forwarded by Mr. Ashby, are those of Acanthiza pusilla. One of the two eggs taken on the ist October from the nest of Scricornis citreogiilaris, is that of S. magnirostris, and is precisely similar to two eggs of the latter species taken by Dr. Ramsay in the Richmond River District, on the 3rd November, 1866. Sericornis magnirostris often takes possession of the deserted nests of Scricornis citreogularis. In the northern coastal districts of New South \\'ales, the breeding season usually com- mences at the latter end of August or early in September, and continues during the four following months. In the Hawkesbury River and lUawarra Districts, nidification begins about the middle of October, and fresh eggs have been taken at the end of December. SEIUCOHNIS. 299 Sericornis frontalis. WHITE-FRONTED SCRUB-WREN. Acanlhiza frontalis? Vig. 1- Horsf., Trans. Linn. .Soc, Vol. XV., p. 22G (1826). Sericornis osctdans, Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc, 1847, p. 2; id., Bds. Austr., fol., Vol. III., pi. 48 (1848); id., Handbk. Bds. Austr, Vol. I., p. 3.58 (1865); Sharpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mas., Vol. VIII., p. 309 (1883); id., Hand-1. Bds., Vol. IV., p. 221 (1903). Sericornis frontalis, Gould, Syn. Bds. Austr., Pt. IV., pi. 3, tig. (1838); id., Bds. Austr., fol., Vol. III., text only opp. pi. 49 (1848); id., Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. 359 (1865). Adult male — General colour above hroion, with a rufescent-olive wash, which is more pro- nounced on the rump and upper tail-coverts ; lesser and median wing-coverts like the bach, indistinctly tipped with white ; the i/reater coverts blackish with -while tips; priinary coverts black ; bastard wing feathers blackish, the outer webs narroiiiy edged and the inner webs broadly margined with white at the tips: quills dark ashy-brown externally washed with rufescent olive, the latter colour more pro- nounced on lice innermost secondaries : tail featliers brown quashed with rufescent-olive, and crossed by a distinct broivnish-black band except the central pair and the outer web of the outermost feather ; forehead, feathers in front and extending in a line below the eye blackish; a supraloral spot and a streak over the eye white, bordered on the forehead with a line of blackish feathers ; ear-coverts dusky broivn: chin and cheeks white ; throat yellowish-white with broad blackish-brown streaks; fore-neck and centre of the breast pale yelloiv washed zvith ashy on the chest; sides of the neck and breast ashy- brown; flanks olive-brown ; under tail-coverts yellowish-buff, with dark brotvn centres to the feathers ; bill blackish-brown; legs feshy brown; feet dark brown; iris yellowish-white. Total length in the flesh Jfl i)iches, tving 2'2, tail 1'85, bill 0'Jf7, tarsus O'S. Adult female — Differs from the male in having the line over the eye of a dull wldte, and narrower and not so clearly defined; the lores and feathers in front of the eye are dusky-broivn like the ear-coverts ; the cheeks, chin, and throat are dull white, the latter devoid of blackish-brown streaks, and the tail feathers uniform in colour, or, with only a slight indication of the subterniinal hlackish- brown band. Distribution. — New South Wales, \'ictoria. South Australia. /T^HE type of Sericornis frontalis was described by \'igors and Horsfield in the "Trans- -L actions of the Linnean Society,"'-' but the locality is not given. In describing the adult of this species, Dr. Sharpe, who had the advantage of examining Vigors and Horsfield's type in the British Museum collection, states that "the ear-coverts are rufous," I although in the key to the species of the genus Seyicornis,\ it is given of S. frontalis as "ear-coverts light rufous (juv.) or blackish (ad.)." Above his description of Sericornis frontalis, both Sericornis minimus, Gould, and Sericornis brunneopygiits. Masters, are placed as synonyms of this species. If the ear-coverts of the type of Sericornis frontalis, Vig. and Horsf., are rufous, as stated by Dr. Sharpe in his description, then 5. minimus, Gould, and 5. hrnnncopygius, Masters, are rightly placed as synonyms of it. The species, too, hitherto known in New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia, under the name of Sericornis frontalis, must in future bear the name of Sericornis osculans, Gould, which is only the adult male of S. frontalis. If, however, the ear- coverts of Sericornis frontalis, Vig. and Horsf., are blackish or dusky-brown then Gould's name of Sericornis minimus must stand for the Cape York species, and Sericornis osculans, Gould, rank as a synonym of Sericornis frontalis. Dr. Sharpe gives the habitat of Sericornis frontalis as "South Australia and \'ictoria, e.xtending into the interior, through New South Wales, along the east coast of Australia to ' Trans. Linn. Soc, Vol. xv., p. 226 (1826). t Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. vii., p. 303 (1883). I Loc. cit., Vol. vii., p. 301 (1883). 300 TIMELIID^. Cape York, and to the Gulf of Carpentaria on the north coast." This is undoubtedly an error. The North-eastern Australian and the South-eastern Australian species are quite distinct. Although doubtless the Scriawin's frontalis of Gould's " Handbook to the Birds of Australia,"' maj' be found in Southern Queensland, I have never seen a specimen in any collection from there; but Sericovnis lievigaster is not uncommon. I received for examination, from Mr. Edwin Ashby, an adult female of the latter species which he procured in October, 1903, in the Blackall Ranges, about sixty miles north of Brisbane. There is not any species of Sericoynis found in Western New South Wales, or the interior of the continent, unless one regards Pyyrholcemits hrunneus, Gould, as a Sen'coriiis, which Dr. Sharpe does. I have examined the type of So'iconiis brunncopygius, Masters, in the Macleay Museum, at the University of Sydney, which is synonymous with Gould's Scricornis minimus. The latter is unquestionably distinct from the New South Wales, N'ictorian, and South .\ustralian species, the adult male having the ear-coverts light rufous instead of dusky brown. A fully adult specimen in the Australian Museum, obtained at Cape York, has the lores, feathers below the eye, and the ear-coverts light rufous, the throat dull white, remainder of the under surface faint yellowish-white, sides of the chest pale brown. It a<;rees fairly well with Gould's figure of the adult female of 5. minimus, but has the tlanks only slightly darker than the breast. Total length 3-9 inches, wing 2-15, tail i-6, bill 0-5, tisrsus 07. The White-fronted Scrub-Wren is chiefly an inhabitant of humid mountain ranges and gullies, although I have often met with it in low scrub, brush, and belts of tea-tree. Generally it is seen on or near the ground in search of insects, w'hich constitute its sole food. Under shelving banks, and low fern-covered rocky sides of gullies, are its favourite haunts, and if one remains quiet it may be seen hopping about, looking under logs and rocks, disappearing perhaps from view for a time, and re-appearing later on some distance away. It is the same among the low undergrowth, almost constantly on the move, and seldom remains long in one place. The notes of this species resemble those of Oi'igma rubncata, Latham, but are not so loud, and are varied occasionally with a succession of low creaking sounds. Specimens procured by Mr. J. A. Thorpe at Gosford, on the northern side of the Hawkesbury River, New South Wales, are precisely similar to an example sent to me for examination by Mr. Edwin .\sbby, obtained at Cape Otway, 'Victoria. -Ml of them have the under surface more strongly washed with yellow than typical examples. Specimens received on loan from the Trustees of the South Australian Museum, obtained at Square Waterhole, South .\ustralia, are similar to examples procured by Mr. K. Grant at Lithgow, on the Blue Mountains, New South Wales, and have the feathers more broadly streaked w-ith black. Examples procured in the Illawarra District of New South Wales, are similar to specimens obtained in South Gippsland, Victoria. Formerly I regarded the species inhabiting the latter district as Sericornis osculans, but I have since proved that the latter is only the adult male of what I have here described under the name of Sericornis frontalis, \ igors and Horsfield. Typically adult males from mountainous districts, and the south-eastern portion of the con- tinent have the throat more distinctly streaked with blackish-brown, and the subterminal bar on the tail feathers more pronounced, but I have never seen from any part of South Australia examples with the throat and fore-neck so conspicuously streaked as is shown in Gould's figures of his Sericornis osculans,'''- neither have I seen any such specimens with the under parts as are represented in his figures of Sericornis frontalis,^: which are at variance with his description of this species on the page opposite to it. • Bds. Austr., fol.. Vol. iii., pi. 48 (1848). t Loc. cit., fol., Vol. iii., pi. 49 (1848). SERICORNIS. 301 The nest is a dome-shaped structure, with a rounded entrance in tlie side; it is outwardly formed of strips of bark and skeletons of leaves, and thickly lined inside with feathers, hair, or fur. Others are constructed externally of rootlets and debris, and resemble a heap of rubbish. They vary much in size, some being smaller and neater than others; an average one measures externally five inches in length by three inches and a half in breadth, and across the entrance one inch. The nesting-site is varied. In \'ictoria I have frequently found them about eight or ten feet from the ground, packed between two upright stems of tea-tree, or where one branch crossed another, and more or less hidden by the pieces of loose hanging bark; or among debris collected under bushes or long grass. In the humid mountain ranges of South Gippsland, I found them built at the bottom of a clump of "sword grass," the entrance alone in many instances being visible; at other times I have been startled when gathering the smaller species of ferns, by flushing the female from her nest built under the shelter of a projecting fern- covered bank. In New South Wales I have generally found them on the ground in low under- growth, hidden by long coarse grass or bracken fern, and one I discovered at Ashfield, containing a young Fan -tailed Cuckoo, was built in the dead leafy top of a fallen gum sapling. The birds seldom betray the whereabouts of their nest, and at all times sit very close, so much so that I have unknowingly placed my hand over the entrance of the nest while the female was sitting. The eggs are three in number for a sitting, oval in form, the shell being close-grained, smooth, and lustrous. In ground colour they vary from a faint purplish-white to pale purplish- brown, which is usually sparingly freckled with a darker shade of the ground colour, except on the larger end where there is a well defined zone or cap of dull purplish-brown. In rare instances the ground colour is almost pure white, in some it is darker on the larger end, others are only sparingly freckled with a slightly darker shade than the ground colour. Typically, however, the eggs of this species are distinctly zoned on a light ground. A set of three, taken at Middle Harbour, on the nth Au^aist, 1893, measures: — Length (A) 0-83 x 0-62 inches; (B) 0-87 X 0-63 inches; (C) 0-85 x 0-62 inches. Another set of three measures: — (A) 078 x o-6 inches; (B) 0-8 X 0'57 inches; (C) 0-78 x 0-59 inches. For several seasons Mr. E. H. Lane and his son found many nests of this species, con- taining eggs or young, in the Canoblas Range, near Orange, New South Wales. Writing under date i6th December, 1899, '^Ir. Lane remarks: — "A nest of Sericornis frontalis, which my son and a friend found building on the 29th August, I took three fresh eggs from on the 12th of last September; and I found two more nests, with three young ones in each, a week later. On the 24th and the 29th September, I found on each occasion a nest with two young ones and an addled egg. I found another nest on the 6th October with three young birds, and on the 9th December saw three young birds that had just left the nest. One of these nests was built about fifteen feet from the ground, among some shoots and vines at the bottom of a small tree. Another was among some vine growth overhanging a stream, and was about a foot from the bank. A third was built under some coarse grass a yard away from a tree, and a fourth among some rubbish at the butt of a tree. None of these nests could possibly be seen, only for watching the birds going to them, and then we had to open out the bushes or grass before we could find them. The nest from which I took three fresh eggs on the 12th September, the bird sat very close, and although I repeatedly struck some rubbish just above it with a stick, the bird did not leave her eggs until I put my hand against the nest." Young birds resemble the adults, but are duller in colour, there is no subterminal dark band on the tail feathers, the white eyebrow is not so well defined, and the lores and ear-coverts are dusky brown. Nidification usually commences in July, and eggs may be found at the end of the month, but are more common during August. There are two, if not three broods reared during the season, for fledgelings are numerous in September, and nests containing young ones may be frequently found during the early part of January. Aa21 302 TIMEUID^. Sericornis magnirostris. LARGE-BILLED SCEUB-WREN. Acanthiza magnirostra, Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc, 1837, p. 14G. Sericornis magniroslrix, Gould, Bds. Austr., fol., Vol. III., pi. 52 (1848); id, Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. 362 (18(i.5); Sl.arpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. VII., p. 30.5 (188.3); id., Hand-1. Bds., Vol. IV., p. 221 (1903). Adult m.^le — General colour above dull olive-green ; upper iving-coverts like the back, the outer and greater series tvitli dusky centres and narroiv yellotvish-ivhite margins at the tips; quills dark hrown, the primaries narroivly edged externally with dull yellorvish-olive which gradually passes into olive-broivn on the innermost secondaries ; upper tail-coverts olive-broivn ivith a rufescent shade; tail brown, the two central feathers and the outer webs of the remainder rufescent olive-broivn ; head olive-broton with a rufescent wash on the frontal feathers; sides of the head pale hvffy-brown ; chin and throat dull while tinged ivith buff: remainder of the under surface drill n-hite rvaslied ivith olive- green, zvhich is more pronounceil on the abdomen and lower sides of the body ; under tail-coverts pale b'lffy-broivn tinged ivith olive; bill black; legs and feet Jleshybroivn : iris broivn. Total length in thejtesh 4'S inches, wing 3 2, tail 1'8, bill 0'52, tarsus 0-7. Adult female — Similar in plumage to the male. Distribution. — Queensland, Xevv South Wales, Eastern Victoria. |i\N favourable situations, the present species is distributed throughout the coastal scrubs and -L contiguous mountain ranges of Eastern Australia. Its large bill, and almost uniform coloured plumage, will readily serve to distinguish it from any species of the genus. It is represented in nearly every collection made by the Australian Museum collectors in the coastal districts of Queensland and New South Wales. In the latter State it is common in the brushes of the Tweed, Richmond, Clarence, and Bellinger Rivers. This species inhabits chiefly the same lu.xuriant subtropical growth as its congener, the Yellow-throated Scrub-Wren. On the northern side of the Hawkesbury River, I have usually observed it haunting the trees on the sides of creeks; but in the Illawarra District I once observed it in a tea-tree scrub on the beach. Like the Cat-bird, and other brush loving species, it is not found south of the Hawkes- bury River until a similar \egetation flourishes about National Park, Waterfall, and Otford. South its range extends throughout the Illawarra District of New South Wales, into Eastern Victoria. Mr. Edwin Ashby has kindly forwarded me for e.xamination an e.vample obtained by him in Victoria, in July, i886, in a fern gully at Boolarra, South Gippsland. The food of the Large-billed Scrub-Wren consists entirely of small insects of various kinds and their larva. Relative to this species in the Bloomfield River District, Xorth-eastern Queensland, Mr. Frank Hislop writes me: — "The Large-billed Scrub- Wren is generally met with in the scrubby flats about the foot-hills, and is seldom seen at any height on the mountain ranges. It is one of the first birds to breed on the Bloomfield River, usually starting to build early in July. The nest is a dome-shaped structure, outwardly constructed of fibre and pieces of Lawyer-vine leaves, and lined inside with feathers. It is usually built in a Lawyer-vine, or among a tangled mass of creepers, close to the ground." The nest is oval in form, with a rounded entrance in the side. Outwardly it is chiefly constructed of skeletons of various leaves and dried portions of leaves of the Lawyer-vine, the wall of the nest also being formed of the latter material, which is lined inside with fibre, and again at the bottom with feathers. An average nest measures e.\ternally seven inches and a half iri height by four inches and a half in width, and across the entrance one inch. It is generally placed between several leafy stems of a Lawyer-vine or among dense vegetation. SERICORNIS. 303 Mr. II. R. EKery, of Alston\-ille, near Dallina, from whom the nest described on the preceding page was received, drew my attention to the fact that the Sericoniis magnirostris more frequently appropriated the deserted nest of another species than used one of its own construction. This I have since had frequent opportunities of verifying myself, and found that in every instance in my experience the abandoned nest of Sevicornis citreogiilnris was used. At Ourimbah, on the 24th November, 1899, I found two nests of the latter species attached to drooping branches of a tree overhanging a creek. They were only three feet apart, and about seven feet from the water. On approaching close to them I could see that one, from which I flushed the female, was a new nest, and the other an old one, probably the nest of the previous season of the same pair of birds, but from which flew out Serkoruis mngnirosiii's. Both birds kept within a few yards of the nests, while I drew them towards me and examined them. In the former were three partially incubated eggs of Scricornis citrcogidans, in the other two fresh eggs ol Scricornis magnirostris. The nests, which I removed, were typical ones in form and material of S. citreogiilnris. On carefully pulling to pieces the old one, containing the eggs of 5. magnirostris, I found that it had been freshly lined again at the bottom with feathers, and imbedded underneath was an egg of 5. citreogularis, in which the contents had dried up; also abundant proof that young birds had been reared in the structure. Since then I have examined many nests from this district, also two from the Blue Mountains, in which the eggs of .S. niagnirostris have been deposited, and found in every instance that the deserted tenement of S. citreogularis had been relined and used. Personally I have never discovered or heard of an instance of 5. magnirostris constructing a nest of its own in the Hawkesbury River and Ilhiwarra Districts, or in the i^ullies of the Blue ^fountains, and which is an entirely distinct and differently situated structure from that of 5. citreogularis. The eggs are usually three, sometimes four in number for a sitting. They are oval or swollen oval in form, the shell being fine, close-grained, and more or less lustrous. TypicaUy in ground colour they vary from a famt purplish-white to light purple and pale purplish-brown, which is minutely freckled and marked with dark brown, or purplish-brown, particularly on the larger end, where, as a rule, a well defined zone or cap is formed. Some have small streaks— rarely blotches; others have very small but distinct caps or zones on the larger end only, and in several instances I have seen one egg in a set pure white and entirely devoid of markings. Among the different types of eggs of this species may be found some closely resembling typical eggs of Scricornis frontalis and S. citreogularis, but of course they are much smaller. A set of four, taken in the Tweed River District, measures as follows :— Length (A) 077x0-57 inches; (B) 073 x 0-57 inches; (C) 077x0-55 inches; (D) 0-76x0-56 inches. This set also contained an egg of the Fan-tailed Cuckoo. A set of three, taken at Ourimbah, measures:— Length (A) 0-73 x 0-57 inches; (B) 3-73 x 0-55 inches; (C) 0-75 x 0-55 inches. Young birds may be distinguished by having the upper parts olive-brown, the forehead and sides of the head buff, throat pale buff, and the remainder of the under surface pale buff tinged with olive. Frequently the task of incubating the egg and rearing the young of the Fan-tailed Cuckoo, devolves upon this species. At Ourimbah, on the 27th November, 1901, I watched for some time a young Fan-tailed Cuckoo being fed by a pair of Large-billed Scrub-Wrens. Apparently its wants were never satisfied, although the diminutive foster-parents were assiduous in their attention to it, for I heard its incessant cries for food during a long time that I remained in the neighbourhood. In North-eastern Queensland the breeding season usually commences in July and continues until the end of January. In the northern coastal scrubs of New South Wales, it begins a month later. In the Hawkesbury River and the lUawarra Districts, eggs are seldom obtained before the middle of November, and on the Blue Mountains I have seen fresh eggs that were taken early in januarv. 304 TIMELIID.E. Sericornis maculata. STRIATED SCRUB-WREN. Sericornis maculatus, Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc, 1847. p. 2; id., Bds. Austr., fol, V^ol. Ill, pi. 51 (18G9); id., Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. 301 (186.5). Sericornis mnculata, Sliarpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. VII, p. 307 (1883); id., lIand-1. Bds., Vol. IV., p. 221 (1903). Adult m.\le — General colour above olive-hrown, becoming a clearer and brighter olive on the rum]) and upper tail-coverts : upper tving-coverts like the back, the outer series of the median and greater coverts black tipped with while; primary-coverts and basiard-wing feathers black, the latter broadly margined nitli 1 1 -hit e on their apical portion; quills brown, the primaries edged with ashy- vjhite on their outer webs, the secowlaries broadly margined irith olive-hrown ; tail olive-brown, crossed by a sjibterminal blackish band on all but the two central feathers, the lateral feathers margined with white at the tip of the inner iveb ; a narrow frontal band and a trinngidar-shaped patch in front of the eye black; superciliary stripe and a small spot below the eye ivhite, the former bordered above with a narrorv line of black feathers ; ear-coverts ashy-brown ; chin and cheeks white; throat and fore-neck greyish-white ivith a blackish streak down the centre of each feather, the chest similar but less distinctly marked and washed with yellow; breast and abdomen pale yellow; sides of body olive-brown, the flanks and thighs slightly darker; under tail-coverts pale ydlotv, with short indistinct broivnish streaks in the centre of some of the feathers. Total length 4"4 inches, wing 2-15, tail i .9, bill 0^8, tarsus O'S. Adult female — Similar to the male, but having the lores dusky-bro7vn instead of black, and the black streaks on the throat and fore-neck less pronounced and not e.ctending quite so loiv dotvn on the chest. Distribution. — Western Australia, South .\ustralia, Kangaroo Island. a A HE Striated Scrub-Wren is an inhabitant of Western and South Australia, and some of the adjacent islands. Although tolerably numerous in the former State, it is extremely rare in South Australia. It does not occur in \'ictoria, New South Wales, and the interior of the .\ustralian continent, as recorded by Dr. Ramsay." The eggs collected by the late Mr. K. H. Bennett near Mossgiel in October, 1883, and at Mount Manara, in Western New South Wales, on the gth September, 1885, and attributed by Dr. Ramsay to this species, proved, on receipt of a skin obtained at the nest found at Mossgiel, to he those of Pyrrholamus bruimetis. Collecting at King George's Sound, Western Australia, on behalf of the Trustees of the Australian Museum, Mr. George Masters was successful in obtaining eighteen adult specimens, also the nest and eggs of this species. Mr. Masters also procured two adult specimens at Port Lincoln, South Australia, in September, 1865. From the South Australian Museum, Adelaide, I have also received for e.xamination a specimen obtained by Dr. Angove at Queenscliff, on Kangaroo Island, in igoi. Gould remarks of this species: — "The present bird, to which I have assigned the specific term of maculatus, has always been a source of perplexity to me, from the circumstances of its varying considerably in its markings; after mature consideration, however, I am inclined to regard the specimens from Southern and Western Australia, and the north coast, as referrable to one and the same species, each, however, possessing trivial differences by which it may be known from where it was received. Specimens from the Houtman's Abrolhos are of a rather smaller size, of a much greyer tint on the back, and have much darker coloured legs. I believe that the bright yellow wash on the under surface of some individuals is characteristic of newly- moulted birds." The series of birds now before me amply justifies Gould's remarks. Some • Tab. List. Austr. Bds., p. 9 (1888), t Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. i., p. 361 (1865). SERICORNIS. 305 specimens collected by Mr. blasters at King George's Sound have the chest and breast pale yellow, in others these parts are almost pure white. Those from Port Lincoln, South Australia, have the upper surface less distinctly washed with olive, and the adult male procured by Dr. Angove on Kangaroo Island has the general colour above tinged with dark ashy-grey, and agrees more with the insular form described by Gould from Houtman's Abrolhos. The nest is a dome-shaped structure, with a rounded entrance in the side, and is formed of strips of bark, rootlets and grasses, warmly lined inside with feathers, and was placed in scrubby undergrowth near the ground. The eggs are two or three in number for a sitting, oval in form, the shell being close-grained, smooth, and lustrous. They vary from a faint buffy to a dull greyish-white ground colour, which is minutely freckled and streaked with dark purple and slaty-grey, the markings being more thickly disposed towards the larger end. They measure: — Length (A) 078 x o- 5.). inches; (B) 0-79 x 0-55 inches; (C) 078 x 0-56 inches. A set of two, taken by Mr. Masters at King George's Sound, in December, 1868, are of a greyish-white ground colour, slightly tinged with buff, and freckled with a slightly richer shade of the ground colour, the markings becoming confluent and darker on the larger end, where in one specimen they form a clouded cap, and in the other a small but well defined zone: — Length (A) 0'8 X o'55 inches; (B) 0-78 x o'55 inches. Sericornis humilis. SOMBRE SCRUB-WEEN. Sericornis hiunilis, Gould, Proc. Zool. Soo , 1847, p. 13-3; id., Bds. Austr, fol.. Vol. III., pi. 47 (1848); id., Handbk. Bds. Austr,, Vol. I., p. 356 (1865); Sharpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. VII., p. 310 (1883); id., Hand-1. Bds., Vol. IV., p. 222(1903). Adult male — General colour above rich olive-brown, ivith a rufescent tinge ivhich is more pronounced on the lower hack and rump ; upper iving-coverts like the back, the outer series of the greater coverts blackish narrowly edged with white at the tip of the outer web; primary -coverts black; bastard-wing black, margined with white at the tip of the inner web; outer webs of the quills olive- brown with a rufescent tinge, the inner webs blackish-brown; upper tail-coverts and tail reddish- brown; feathers below and in front of the eye dusky-blackish, above which, is a narrow dull zvhite stripe not extending beyond the eye; chin ayid cheeks whitish, indistinctly mottled with blackish- hroivn; sides of the neck like the hack: throat dull white with blackish centres to the feathers; fore- neck pale yelloiv, with indistinct dusky centres to the feathers; chest, breast, and abdomen, pale yelloiv, the former and the sides of the body light reddish-brown: ''bill dark brown; legs and feet dark fleshy-brown ; iris buff'y-yellow" (AtklxMon). Total length in the flesh t) inches, wing 2 o, tail 2-1, bill 0-56, tarsus 1. Adult female — Similar in plumage to the male, hut havinq the feathers around the eye ashy- broivn, the supraloral white stripe oidy faintly indicated, and the feathers on the throat dull greyish-rohite, with indistinct dusky-brown centres. Distribution. — Tasmania, and some of the larger islands in Bass Strait. ^"I^HIS species is generally distributed in favourable situations over most parts of J- Tasmania, and it also inhabits some of the larger islands in Bass Strait. There are specimens in the Australian Museum collection, obtained by Mr. George Masters in May, 1867, at Newtown Creek and Mount Wellington, in Southern Tasmania, also others procured near Launceston. Dr. L. Holden has found numbers of its nests, with eggs or young, on the north-western coast of Tasmania; so also has Mr. R. N. Atkinson, at W'aratah, a tin-mining township at the foot of Mount Bischoff, about sixty miles in a direct line west from Launceston. Aa22 306 TIMELIID.E. Stomachs I examined of birds received in the flesh from Mr. Atkinson in June, 1902, contained the remains of insects and seeds. Others had seeds only and a few pieces of gravel. The walls of the stomach are thick and muscular. From notes made by Dr. L. Holden while resident at Circular Head, Tasmania, I have extracted the following: — "On the 29th August, 1886, in a dense shrub, seven feet from the ground, I found a nest of Scriconiis humilis, with two eggs. It was a domed-shaped structure, with a side entrance, formed of dry grass, fragments of bark, and thickly lined with feathers. Usually they are built close to the ground. Near Circular Head I found another nest of this species on the 20th October, containing three eggs. It was built in the bushy top of a dead half fallen tea-tree, being well concealed by the leafy twigs, and was fully five feet from the ground. This nest was outwardly formed of dry grass, bark, and dead leaves, and the interior was lined w-ith feathers. Two days later I found a nest built in a tussock, about eighteen inches from the ground, containing three newly fledged young; and in the following week another, in a similar position, with three young; also two nests, each containing two eggs. On the 23rd August, 1887, I found two nests built in a tangle at the foot of tea-trees. They were between two and three feet from the ground, and each contained two eggs. Three days later I took one egg from each nest. These nests must have been begun at the end of July. One of them looked so much like a last season's nest that I plucked it from its site and carried it some yards in that belief. I carefully replaced it, and visiting these nests again on the 31st August, found each of the remaining eggs hatched. On the 3rd September I came across two newly- fledged young in some tea-tree scrub, but could not find the nest. The parents chattered anxiously, but they did not feign lameness, although one perched within a few inches of my face in its anxiety to attract my attention. On the 30th August, 1888, I found a nest in the village paddock with two eggs almost hatched. The nest was placed near the edge of some open scrub, and built absolutely on the ground, being protected and hidden by a few dried twigs and blades of grass." With several nests and sets of eggs of this species, received from Mr. R. X. .\tkinson, he sent the following information: — "At Waratah, Mount Bischoff, Scriconiis humilis is generally met with in the undergrowth or on the ground. When in search for food, it may be seen hopping over or under logs, flitting about from stone to stone, or in and out of the young Beech-trees (Fagus cunninghami), locally called 'myrtles,' and of which the forests here are principally formed. I have seen these birds eat insects and their larvae, also worms. The nest is usually built in a low bush close to the ground, sometimes by the side of a log. It is generally well concealed, and although I found one conspicuously placed on top of a cut rush clump, I have more often found them by watching the birds. Three eggs are laid for a sitting, and the breeding season commences here in August, and continues until the end of December. I have found the nest of this species in August, when there was a foot deep of snow on the ground." The nest is domed, or nearly spherical in form, with a small rounded entrance in the side. It is outwardly formed of coarse grasses and their sheaths, intermingled with a small quantity of bark fibre and green mosses; the inside is lined with fine grasses, bark fibre, and a thick layer of hair, fur, and feathers; in the nests now before me, are a number of feathers from the Yellow-bellied Parrakeet. An average nest measures seven inches and a half in height, by five inches and a half in diameter, and across the entrance one inch and a quarter. The eggs are two or three in number for a sitting, oval, thick oval, or elongate-oval in form, the shell being close-grained, smooth and slightly lustrous. The ground colour varies from pale purplish-buflf to purplish-white, and has numerous minute freckles, scratches, or irregular-shaped markings of umber or purplish-brown, confined as a rule to the thicker end of the shell, where the markings are confluent and form a more or less well defined cap or zone. Occasionally specimens are found almost pure white, or having only a few isolated pvi!ui:oL,EMus. 307 irregular-shaped markings of umber or pale purplish-brown on the thicker end. A set of two, taken on the 6th October, i8S6, by Dr. Holden, at Circular Head, measures: — Length (A) 0-85 X 0-65 inches; (B) 0-84 x 0-67 inches. A set of three, taken on the 31st August, 1899, by- Mr. K. X. Atkmson, at Waratah, measures: — Length (A) 0-92 x o'66 inches; (B) 0-93 x 0-65 inches; (C) 0-9 x 0-65 inches. A set of three, taken in the same locality, on the i2th October 1899, measures: — (A) 0-93 x 07 inches; (B) 0-93 x 07 inches; (C) 0-92 x 07 inches. July, and the five following months, constitute the usual breeding season of this species. Pyrrholeemus brunneus. RED-THKOAT. Pyrrhohiinnx hrnuueus, Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc, 1840, p. 173; id., Bds. Austr., fol., Vol. III., pi. 68 (18-t8); vl, Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. 384 (186.5). Sericornis brunnea, Sliarpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. VII., p. 302 (1883); id., Haad-1. Bds., Vol. IV,, p. -220 (1903). Adult m.\le — General colour ahoce broivn; the lower back, rump, aitd upper tail-coverts brown washed ivilh olive; upper ^ving-coverts brown, the greater series with paler brown margins; quills brown, the primaries narroivly edged externally with brownish-white; tail feathers blackish-broivn, with paler broivn margins, the four outermost feathers on either side being largely lipped tvith white; forehead blackish-broivn, with broad dull whitish margins to all the feathers; lores, and a narrow indistinct eyebrow dull white, the feathers at the base of the upper mandible having a rufous wash; sides of the face and neck ashy-grey ; ear-coverts brown; chin and centre of the throat rufous ; fore-neck and chest ashy-grey; centre of the breast and abdomen dull white; thighs brown; sides of the breast, abdomen, and under tail-coverts sandy-buf: ''hill black, the lower mandible horn colour except at the tip; legs and feet black ; iris light brown" {Mov-^n). Total length io inches, wing •2-2, tail lo, hill 04., tarsus OS. Adult female — Similar in plumage to the male, but having the chin ivhite and the centre of the throat ashy-grey instead 0/ rufous. Distribution. — New South Wales, \'ictoria, South Australia, Central Australia, Western Australia, Xorth-western Australia. AT^HE Red-Throat, a name which is applicable to the male only, is widely distributed over -L the dry inland portions of Southern Australia. Gould, who described the type, states that he found it "tolerably abundant in the belts of the Murray, about fifty miles to the north- ward of Lake Alexandrina, in South Australia." There are specimens from Port Augusta in the Australian Museum collection, also unlocalised e.xamples from other parts of South Australia. Mr. James Ramsay found its nest and eggs at Tyndarie, in Western New South Wales, in September, 1880; and in the same State the late Mr. K. H. Bennett, in October, 1883, procured birds, nests, and eggs, in the and scrubs of the Mossgiel District, and again in September, 1885, at Mount Manara. It was met with by members of the Horn Scientific E.xpedition in Central Australia in 1894; and at Illamurta, Mr. C. E. Cowle has on many occasions found its nest and eggs. Gilbert procured specimens in Western Australia, so like- wise did the members of the Calvert E.xploring Expedition, but the skins were abandoned with the remainder of the first collection, near Johanna Springs. In August, 1901, Mr. Edwin Ashby obtained specimens and saw numerous examples at Callion, about eighty-five miles north of Coolgardie, Western Australia, and three hundred miles from the coast. Mr. W. D. 308 TIMELIID.E. Campbell, of the Geological Survey of Western Australia, also found it breeding in October, 1901, near Hannan's Lake, and forwarded its nests and eggs to the Trustees of the Australian Museum. At Point Cloates, North-western Australia, Mr. Tom Carter informs me that it occurs both near the coast and inland, although it would not be much noticed but for its beautiful song. Mr. G. A. Keartland sends me the following notes: — "Red-throats (Pyi-flioltniins bruunciis) are modest-plumaged little birds, but beautiful songsters. I first saw them near .Mice Springs, in Central Australia, in thick mulga scrub. They were very tame, and whether among the branches of the low bushes, or hopping about the ground in search of small insects, they keep up a constant twitter. They were again seen in Western Australia, along the Cue road, and up to the neighbourhood of Lake Augusta, but were not noticed in the north of the desert. Wherever these birds exist, their notes soon betray their presence. They breed in low bushes, making a nest much like that of a Mahinis, and lay three or four eggs for a sitting." Dr. .\. M. iNIorgan noted this species as being fairly common between Port .Augusta and Mount Gunson, in South Australia, and found a pair building on the 14th .Vugust, igoo, at Port Augusta, in a depression in the ground under a thick bush. During a trip he made to the Gawler Ranges in .\ugust, 1902; and again, in company with Dr. Chenery, an adult female of this species was obtained, which he kindly sent me with the following note: — " PyrrlwUrMus bninncus was common wherever there was any cover at all. A female, shot on the 12th .\ugust, at Wippipipee, had a grey throat. While watching some Maliiri, a pair came quite close to me, one of which had a red, the other a grey throat; both were singing, taking it in turns. They are beautiful songsters. The song is like that of Acrocephalus, but is not so loud, and is more sustained. The note of the female is similar to but harsher than that of the male. They are shy birds, and as a rule require a good deal of stalking to secure specimens." The nests of this species vary somewhat in size and in the materials of which tiiey are formed. One now before me, found by Mr. W. D. Campbell on the 27th October, 1901, on the eastern side of Hannan's Lake, in Western Australia, is spherical in form, with a rounded entrance in the side, and is outwardly formed of very long thin strips of bark and bark fibre, intermingled witli line dried grasses and warmly lined inside with feathers. This nest was built in the stems of a low hush, close to the ground, and contained three fresh eggs. It measures externally four inches in diameter, and across the entrance one inch. Another one, taken bv Mr. C. E. Cowle in .August, 1899, at lllamurta, Central Australia, is likewise spherical in form, but is constructed throughout of dead soft dull grey grasses, and has no other lining; it averages five inches and a half in external diameter. With this nest Mr. Cowle sent the following note: — "I took the Red-throat's nest at the foot of a dead Cassia bush; it was about eight inches off the ground, on some dry grass, and contained three eggs, but I have found them with four. At first sight I took it for a Chestnut-eared Finch's nest, but the latter birds here always use a straw-coloured material for the construction of their nests. I found another nest the same day, built in dead spinifex, containing three fresh eggs." The eggs are three or four in number for a sitting, oval or elongate-oval in form, the shell being close-grained, smooth, and more of less lustrous. The ground colour varies from olive- brown to clove-brown, and dark brown slightly tinged with purple to purplish-brown, some specimens being uniform in colour, but as a rule having a clouded zone or cap on the larger end, of a darker shade of the ground colour. A rare variety is of a faint purplish-grey ground colour, with an indistinct zone on the larger end formed of numerous fleecy markings of purplish-brown. 1 have also seen specimens of an olive-brown ground colour, with a well defined blackish band on the larger end. A set of three, taken on the i8th September, 1880, at Tyndarie, New South Wales, by Mr. James Ramsay, measures as follows: — Length (A) 078 X 0'58 inches; (B) 079 x 0-58 inches; (C) 078x0-59 inches. .\ set of three, taken in PYCNOPTILUS. 309 April, 189S, at Illanuuta, Central Australia, by Mr. C. E. Cowle, measures:— (A) 075 x 0-56 inches; (B) 076 x 0-37 inches; (Cj 072x0-54 inches. Xests with eggs are more often found in New South Wales during August and the two following months, but in Central Australia the breeding season usually commences after a heavy downfall of rain in March and April. Mr. Cowle has also obtained nests with eggs early in December. Se\-eral of the sets of eggs of Pyrrhohemus hyiinnais received from Mr. Cowle, and taken by him in Central Australia, each contained an egg of the Black-eared Cuckoo (Misocaliics palliolattis). Since I described the egg of the latter species, '^ Mr. A. Zietz, the Assistant Director of the South Australian Museum, wrote me as follows:— "It may interest you to learn that I received in 1893 from Mr. R. Hawker, an egg of the Black-eared Cuckoo (Misocalms palUoIatus, Lath.), which he found in a nest of Pyrrhohemus hninncus, at Parallana, Flinders Range, South Australia. Two eggs from the nest of the latter species, Mr. Hawker also sent with it. The egg of the Black-eared Cuckoo agrees in colour and size with your description in the 'Report of the Horn Scientific Expedition,' and may be described as chocolate-brown with a rusty tinge. Mr. Hawker has often noticed the Black-eared Cuckoo, in the neighbourhood of Parallana.'" O-en-iAS I="5rcnsr02=TIILjXT3, Gould. Pycnoptilus floccosus. PILOr-BIED. Pycnoptilus floccosus, Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc, 18.50, p. 95; id., Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. 348 (1865); id., Bds. Austr., fob, Suppl, pi. 27 (1869); Sharpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. VII, p. 342 (1883); id, Hand-1. Bds., Vol. IV., p. 4 (1903). Addlt male — General colour above hroivn, loith a rufescent wash which is more pronounced on the lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts; tail rufescent-brown ; upper wing-coverts like the back, the outermost feathers of the median and greater series with an indistinct ochraceous-brown spot at the tip; quills dark brown, ivith a rufescent wash on their outer ivebs, which extends all over the innermost secondaries, also the greater wing-coverts; ear-coverts brown; lores and forehead ru/escent- ochre; feathers above and beloiu the eye, the cheeks, throat, and breast, similar in colour, but with a less pronounced rufescent shade, the feathers of the upper breast having brown centres, giving this part a scaly appearance; centre of the breast white; abdomen and flanks rufous-brown; under tail-coverts chestnut; bill dark broivn, base of the bwer mandible pale broum; legs dark reddish- brown, the feet of a slightly deeper tint; iris brown. Total length in the flesh 6-5 indies, wing 2-75, tail 2-75, bill 0:5, tarsus 11.5. Adult female— .S'imi/ar in plumage to the male. Distribution. — New South Wales, \'ictoria. /T^HE Downy Pycnoptilus, or Pilot-bird, is an inhabitant of the heavily-timbered mountain -L ranges and humid scrubs of Eastern Victoria and South-eastern New South Wales. During my first visit to South Gippsland, Victoria, in August, 1878, these birds were unusually plentiful in the luxuriant undergrowth that clothed the sides of the fern gullies and hills of the Strzelecki Ranges. At that tmie only a few clearings had been made in the virgin growth of this part of the State, and as one slowly toiled along the track through the mud on horseback, the rich and beautiful notes of this species would be more frequently heard than the bird itself was seen. Subsequently I found it by no means a shy species, and the animated little puffy * Rep. Horn. Sci. Exped., Vol. ii., Zool., p. 65 (1896). 310 TIMELIID.E. brown ball of feathers often ventured on to a track, threw back its head, and poured forth its oft-repeated clear double note while I was seated only a few feet away. The difficulty was to get far enoufjh awav from the bird, without losing sight of it, if one wanted to procure a specimen. In habits it resembles Scricorms frontalis, passing most of its time upon the ground hopping in and out of the tangled masses of vegetation, sometimes out on a clearing, or among the fallen and decaying timber in search of insects, which constitute its food. Two nests were found during my second visit, at Childers, in October, 1878, built on the ground among low ferns, and each containing two fresh eggs. For many years in this neighbourhood, and between Yarragon and the Narracan River, it was, with the exception of Scrtcornis frontalis, one of the commonest ground-frequenting species haunting these humid localities, but the clearings made by selectors and bush fires eventually drove most of these birds to a more thickly wooded and secure retreat. In similar country Mr. Joseph Gabriel has found these birds breeding at Bayswater, in the Dandenong Ranges, Victoria. Their range in favourable situations extends throughout the coastal ranges of Eastern Victoria into the humid scrubs and mountain gullies of the Illawarra District of New South Wales. Mr. J. A. Thorpe and Mr. J. Yardley obtained specimens at Cambewarra, where it was also found breeding by Mr. Sinclair, a timber-getter, in November, 1886, the nest and eggs together with the parents being forwarded to the Trustees of the Australian Museum. Mr. Thorpe had, however, previously obtained specimens near Helensburgh in May, 1881; and in September, 1893, the Curator (Mr. R. Etheridge, Junr.), and Mr. Thorpe met with this bird in the deep gullies running down to the sea-shore at Gera, on the south-eastern confines of the National Park. On the Blue Mountains Mr. Robt. Grant first procured these birds at Lithgow in 1878, and since that time he informs me that he has obtained between forty and fifty specimens, and found two of their nests. One, built in some debris a few yards away from the edge of a creek bank, contained a single fresh egg, but on visiting the place a week later he found that the nest and surroundings had been destroyed by a bush fire. The other, built close to a fallen log, contained two young ones. He also met with this species in a deep gorge between Wallerawang and Mudgee, the northern limit of its known range. Of a series of seventeen adult specimens now before me, twelve were obtained by Mr. Grant in the vicinity of Lithgow. I have also heard this species in the Kanimbla \'alley, and near the Katoomba, Leura, and Wentworth Falls. Some, which I take to be very old birds, are much darker and richer in colour than others, the ear-coverts are rufescent-ochre like the lores, and the outermost feathers of the median wing-coverts have no ochraceous-brown tips; in others the ear-coverts are brown and have the basal portion only rufescent-ochre. The wing- measurent of adult males varies from 2'6 to 2-9 inches. Detailing his experience of the nesting-habits of this species, Mr. Joseph Gabriel sent me the following notes with a nest and two eggs he had taken at Bayswater, \'ictoria, on the Sth December, 1897: — "Pilot-birds, when building their nest, do not travel far for material, and work very rapidly, hence they finish their nest in a few days. This I know to my sorrow, for I lost the eggs from the first nest I found through over-sitting. As far as I have observed, these birds do not confine themselves to breeding near creek banks. Three nests which were found for me by my friends, were all well up on the hill-side; one was cosily placed at the base of a fern (Aspidium aciileatum); another, which I am sending you, was built under the shelter of some undergrowth several hundred yards away from water; the third was built in my friend's garden, close to the house, and much to my chagrin was never laid in. I found another nest on the 8th December, containing two young. When these birds are building is the best time to locate their nests, except of course when feeding their young." The nest is a rather large and loosely-built dome-shaped structure, with an oval entrance in the side. It is outwardly formed of very thin strips of bark and bark-fibre, with which is inter- mingled a few dead eucalyptus leaves, and the black hair-like roots of a tree-fern. Inside it ORIOMA. 311 has a very thick layer of bark-fibre, and at the bottom of the nest a warm lining of feathers. The nest forwarded by Mr. Gabriel is lined principally with the long downy feathers from the flanks of the Lyre-bird, and also some from the Yellow-breasted Robin. Externally it measures fi\-e inches and a half in width by four inches and a half in height, and across the entrance one inch and a quarter. The eggs are two in number for a sitting, and \ary from swollen to elongate-oval in form, the shell to the naked eye being apparently close-grained, smooth, and more or less lustrous, but when e.xamined with a lens numerous pittings will be found over the entire surface, which are more pronounced in some specimens than others. In ground colour they vary from drab to smoky-brown and dusky-grey, being as a rule darker on the larger end, where there is a more or less distinct band formed of small confluent spots or fleecy markings of a darker shade of the ground colour. Others are uniform in colour, while some have ill-defined blackish irregular-shaped spots and dots distributed over the entire surface of the shell. On looking closely into the eggs of this species, the ground colour in some specimens appears to be cracked in fine faint undulating rings, quite encircling the shell. Others have the narrower half of a distinctly lighter shade of the ground colour, and in marked contrast to the remainder of the shell. A specimen now before me has a broad wreath of blackish dots and spots on the larger end, enclosing a much smaller and less distinct band on the top of the egg. An egg of a set of two, taken at Childers, South Gippsland, Victoria, in October, 1878, measures; — Length 1-04 x 073 inches. A set of two, taken at Cambewarra, New South Wales, in November, 1886, measures: — Lenrjth (A) 1-07 xo'8 inches; (B) i-i x 0-77 inches. A set taken at Bayswater, \'ictoria, on the 8th December, 1897, measures: — Length (A) i-i X077 inches; (B) I -07 X o'8 inches. October and the three following months constitute the usual breeding season of this species. Origrna rubricata. EOCK WARBLER. Sylvia rubricata Latli., Ind. Orn,, SuppL, p. Iv., (1801). Origma rubricata, Gould, Bds. Austr., fol., Vol. III., pi. 69 (1848) ; id., Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. 385 (186.5); Sharpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. VII., p. 135 (1883); id., Hand-1. Bds., Vol. IV., p. 207 (1903). Adult male — General colour above dark ashy-brown, the rump slightly tinged tvilh rufous; upper tail-coverts blackisli; upper wing-coverts like the back; quills dark brown; tail feathers blackish; head dark ashy-brown; forehead and feathers in front of and around the eye washed ivith rufous; ear-coverts dull rufous-brown; feathers of the chin and throat greyish-white ivith blackish bases; remainder of the under surface dark ferruginous, and washed with broivn on the flanks and thighs; under tail-coverts dark broiun with a ferruginous wash tvhich is more conspiciwus on the edges of tlie feathers ; bill brownish-black ; legs and feet brownish-hlack; iris reddish-brown. Total length in the flesh 5-6 inches, wing J-6o, tail 2-3, bill 0:5, tarsxis 0-9. Adult frmale — Similar in plumage to the male. Distribution. — New South Wales. C?N O far as I have observed, the northern and central portions of Eastern New South Wales V«-_? constitute the exclusive habitat of this species. Nowhere is it more abundantly distributed than in the numerous rocky ravines and gullies lying between the Hawkesbury River and Port Jackson; its range extending in a southerly direction into the Illawarra District, and west to the gullies of the inland slopes of the Blue Mountains. 312 TIMELIID^. During the past seven years, in the neighbourhood of Middle Harbour and Lane Cove River, I have had frequent opportunities of observing the habits of this species. It is usually met with in pairs, and resorts chiefly to the vicinity of rocky ravines and gullies, and is never found far away from permanent water. In actions it is extremely lively, and it passes with great rapidity over the surface of rocks and fallen logs. Only on two occasions have I seen it perch on a branch, and then when I was in the vicinity of their nests. It is strictly insectivorous, and most of its food, wiiich consists of small moths, is captured in the crevices of rocks. The clear notes of this bird, which are uttered at intervals, resemble those of Sencoi'itis frontalis, more than any other species, but are much louder. ^ . Caley's vernacular name of "Cataract-bird" is a more appropriate one for this species than that of " Rock Warbler," for its nests are almost invariably built in close proximity to running water, and it cannot by any means be regarded as a warbler. During the late spring and summer months, when many of these small mountain rivulets cease to run, these places are abandoned by the birds for more favoured localities, water apparently being essential. Owing to the peculiar situations resorted to by these birds as nesting-sites, — several within half-a-mile of my house, — I have paid particular attention to their nesting habits. The nest of the Rock Warbler is a dome-shaped structure with a rounded entrance in the side, occasionally more or less protected with a hood. The walls are formed of short strips of bark or bark-fibre, which are externally coated with fine green moss and a slight addition of cob-web and the silky covering of the egg-bags of spiders. As a rule, at the bottom of the nest inside, it is sparingly lined with feathers; but several I have examined, containing eggs, were lined only with fine bark-fibre. An average nest, found by me at Roseville, measures ten inches in length by four inches and a half in breadth, and across the entrance one inch and a quarter. The upper portion of the nest, where it is attached to the ceiling of the cave, is formed almost entirely of cob-web. In some nests there may be two or three inches of the upper portion fastened to the rock; in others I have seen the top run to a point no thicker than a pen-holder. Typically there are only a few inches of nesting material above the domed portion of the nest, but it varies in length considerably, even in nests built by the same pair of birds. A nest taken by Mr. R. Grant, at Lithgow, was abnormally long and measured three feet over all. The upper portion of it was very thin, and it is remarkable that the material of which it was formed did not pull asunder by the weight of the nest. The nest is usually attached to a flake of rock in the roof of a cave or rock-shelter, and preferably in those close to running water. The nests I have found were mostly built in partially darkened chambers, sufficiently large to walk into erect, or in a slightly stooping posture; others in crevices I could just manage to crawl into; and one where the entrance was only a foot from the ground. A favourite place, judging by the nests found at various times, and the remains of others, was under the rocky sides of a deep well-like hole in the bed of a creek near Middle Harbour. Around this place, which resembled the crater of an extinct volcano, one could walk in a slightly stooping position or crawl for a distance of fifteen to twenty feet, and in the most obscure parts of it the nests were built. Low shallow rock-shelters, over which water con- tinually drips, partially hidden by low ferns and other moisture-loving vegetation, are used as nesting-sites; also cavities formed by large masses of rock placed one against another. About coal-mining localities in the Blue Mountains, it is frequently fastened to the timbers in the roof of disused tunnels. .At Jenolan there is one attached to a stalactite in the Nettle Cave. Once I found two nests within a foot of each other, but one was, judging by its appearance, probably the work of the same pair of birds during the pre\ious season, .^s a rule they are built within a few feet of the ground, and seldom out of hand's reach. I have never found more than one tenanted nest in the same cave or rock-shelter. I found the very same nesting- ORIGMA. 313 site resorted to for several seasons, and presumably by the same pair of birds. An unusual nesting-site was one I discovered by seeing botli birds enter with nesting-material into a small chamber formed by boulders on the top of a hill, and away from water. On the 7th October, 1902, a fortnight later, the nest was complete and contained three fresh eggs. The scene represented here is reproduced from a photograph I took of a haunt frequented by a pair of Rock Warblers, not far from my house. Beneath the largest of the three rocks on the right-hand side is a chamber about six feet high at the entrance, and four feet in width, of which a glimpse may be seen in the small dark acute-angled patch at the junc- tion of the lower and the middle rocks. This cham- ber extends back for about fifteen feet, and has a small exit in the rear; the greater part of the floor is covered with water, and en- tirely so during some months of the year. The roof slopes up- wards, and on the same flake of rock this pair of birds have constructed their nest for the last five years. I did not visit it in the spring of 1903, but on going to photograph the spot on the 19th April, found the nest in the usual place, which contained portions of shell of Rock Warbler's eggs, and abundant proof that young birds had been in the nest. At that time, after a comparatively dry summer, there was only a small trickling stream in the creek, but usually in September, when these birds breed, there is a large and rapid flow of water covering the entire bed of the creek. I heard the birds in the neighbourhood while engaged in photographing. NESTING-HAUNT OF THE ROCK WARULER. 314 TIMF,LIII>/E. In a large number of nests examined, I found that three eggs were invariably laid for a sitting, except when a Fan-tailed Cuckoo deposited her egg in the nest when never more than two eggs of the Rock Warbler were found. The eggs vary from oval to rounded and elongate-oval in form, the shell being close-grained, smooth, and slightly lustrous. When fresh they are of a delicate apricot shade, but after being emptied of their contents are pure white. Several sets taken, especially those which contained an egg of the Fan-tailed Cuckoo, had the thicker ends of the eggs sparingly pepjiered or dusted with almost invisible markings of pinkish-red. A set of three, taken by Mr. Frank Hislop at Lithgow, on the i8th September, 1899, measures as follows: — -Length (.\) o-83 x o-6i inches; (B) o'Sj x o'62 inches; (C) O'Sj x 0-63 inches. Another set of three, taken at Middle Harbour on the 28th October, 1900, measures: — (A) o-8xo-6 inches; (B)o-8xo-6 inches; (C) 0'79xo-6i inches. .\ set of two, taken from the same nesting-place on the 5th October, 1901, and which also contained an efrc of the Fan-tailed Cuckoo, measures: — (A) 0-79 x 0-65 inches; (B) o-8 xo-62 inches. Oi. . October, 1898, I found a nest in a gully at Chatswood. My attention was drawn to it by seeing one of these birds with an insect in its bill, disappear behind some rocks and then fly into a dark recess close at hand. This was near a small waterfall, and on making an examination of the cave, which had the floor covered with water, the nest was discovered attac: roof. On a ledge of rock, and crouched tightly into it, I found a young Fan-tailed Cuckoo. 1 ms both Rock Warblers continued to feed for some time. On securing the young Cuckoo, it pecked vigorously at my finger, the foster-parents at the same time utter- ing shrill notes of distress and coming so close to me that I could almost have caught them. Knowing that the Rock Warblers, of which there was only this pair in the gully, would build again in the same locality, the place was visited on the 8th inst., in company with Mr. S. W. Moore. Following down the creek for a distance of three hundred yards from their previous nesting-place, the latter discovered their partially-built nest in a small rocky cavern in the bed of the creek, and over which the water was slowly trickling. We watched the sp)Ot for some time, and although the note of the birds could be heard, we did not see them enter the nesting- place. On going to t ce, we saw one of the birds with /ss in its bill close to the nest, this it quickly Uioijp<-u and disappeared through a small noi-j ortunity occurred of visiting this nest for several weeks, but Mr. C. G. Johnston, who was with me, examined it on the 9th November, and found it contained one egg of the Rock Warbler and one of a Fan-tailed Cuckoo. On visiting it again on the 12th in'^t. he found that some one had removed the eggs. The Rock Warbler had not been included among the foster-parents of any of the Cuculidae prior to my discovery of a young Fantailed Cuckoo near one of their nests. That it was not. ORIGMA. 315 however, a solitary instance of Cacomantis flabclliformis utilizing the nest of this cave-hatmtino' species, was proved by my frequently ' : _ . . ^ " :":iis Cuckoo iu the nests of Origma rubrkata. Nidification, in which both sexes ; , - commences in Augiir: _: r_r,y m. September, and the nest is usually completed in fifteen to eighteen days. These birds are exceedingly wary during nest-buUding when an intruder ventures near, slipping quietly behind large boulder- irr i r n^ rave, or through some narrow entrance at the back if there is one sufficiently large (T lit them. In some instances, however, four and even five weeks elapse before a nest was completed. On the other hand, if a pair of birds have their nest taken, another is usuall}- built within ten or twelve days. A nest found aV . ive at Middle Harbour on the 12th August, 1900, only contained three . _ js on the 7th Six days later one of the birds flew out of an adjoining recess as I crawled into 11 -:i\\- down on my hands and knees. Fifteen feet from the entrance I found the nest about half-built, and on the 28th October flushed the female as she sat on three slightly incubated eggs. This nest was more slovenly built, the entrance oval and very large, and the inside of lower portion containing the eggs was only one inch and a half in depth. Only three weeks had elapsed since taking the previous set of eggs from this pair of birds. On the ist September of the following year, I found the nest constructed in its old position, and took from it three fresh eggs of the Rock Warbler on the 14th September, and three weeks later, on the 6th October, an e^g of the Fan-tailed Cuckoo. On the same date I flushed the female Rock Warbler from a iiest on the opposite side of the cave, containing two of her eggs and one of the Fan : A nest foimd in the same locaJity, on the 7th August, contained, on the ist October, a young Fan-tailed Cuckoo that had just emerged from the sheLL WMle sitting under the rock to which this nest was attached, a large Water Lizard ( Physigiiathus leseuri) approached, evidently intent on ha\Tng a meal, but I managed to disable him with a stick. On pre\-ious occasions I had disturbed one of these reptiles feasting on the eggs belonging to two nests of this same pair of birds. WTnat with the Fan-tailed Cuckoo depositing its egg and leaving it to be hatched in the nest of the Rock Warbler, and the Water Lizards eating so many of their eggs, it is a wonder they are not exterminated in this district. I visited the above nest again on the 6th October, and was surprised to find it torn open and lying on the floor of the cave, but the young Cuckoo buried in the lining of the nest alive and well. It had been probably pulled down by a dog, for there were the paw-marks of one on the sandy floor of the cave. With the aid of some long thin strips of green bark and skewers formed of twigs, I managed to get it somewhat into its original shape and attached it again to the roof. In the meantime both Rock Warblers were flying or running about the cave, and directly the nest was placed in position, one with a small moth in its bill fed the young Cuckoo and remained in possession of the nest, a yard away from the rock on which I was sitting. Precisely twelve months afterwards to date, on the 6th October, 1901, I foimd the nest of this pair of birds in a cave about fifty yards away. The female was again sitting on a young Fan-tailed Cuckoo, about two days old, while beneath the nest were two recently broke: of the Rock Warbler, containing almost matured voung birds. Another nest, the last ^-isited that season, was bmlt in a cave behind a waterfeJl in a gully near Middle Harbour, and contained two fresh eggs of the Rock Warbler and one egg of the Fan-tailed Cuckoo. Of five Rock Warblers' nests examined within a fortnight endii^ I2th October, 1901, four contained an egg each of the Fan-tailed Cuckoo in addition to two eggs of the rightful owner, and the fifth the young Cuckoo jnst referred to. As is the general rule, in every instance where an egg of a Cuckoo was deposited, those nests contained one egg less than the usual number laid bv the Rock Warbler for a sitting — that "s. rr^? instead of 316 TIM KLUDGE. three eggs. On two occasions I have seen new nests containing an egg of the Fan-tailed Cuckoo, that were picked up on the floor of the cave they were built in, apparently broken down hv the weight of the Cuckoo while depositing its egg. Generally suspended only by its silky hinge, formed of spider's web, even when the Rock Warbler leaves the nest it oscillates backwards and forwards with a pendulum-like movement. Mr. Frank Hislop, who took several sets of this species in the neighbourhood of Lithgow, on the Blue Mountains, writes me as follows: — "On the nth September, 1899, I saw Origma rubricata enter into a deserted coal tunnel with some nesting-material in its bill. A week later I visited the place again and entered the tunnel, taking with me the acetylene gas lamp from my bicycle. It was pitch dark, and my lamp did not give any light except directly in front. About fifteen yards from the entrance I found the nest suspended from the side of one of the uprights which the miners had put in to hold up the roof of the mine. The nest was diflerent to the ones you showed me at Roseville and Middle Harbour, the entrance being so large that I could see the single egg it contained lying inside at the bottom of the structure. Subsequently I took three eggs from this nest." When menaced by danger, these birds are exceedingly solicitous for the welfare of their young. On the 5th October, igoi, at Middle Harbour, I watched a pair running about the flat-topped rocks, and from their actions concluded that they had a nest in the vicinity. Moving quietly about, three fledgelings were at last discovered perched in a row between two rocks. After a long chase, with the aid of a youthful companion, two of them were captured that had sought refuge in crannies of rocks. The cries of one of the young ones, held in my hand while resting against a breast-higli rock, attracted the attention of the parents, who, with trailing wings and outspread tail feathers ran rapidly hither and thither over the table-topped surface of the rock, at the same time uttering their shrill notes, and exhibiting every symptom of distress. After comparing it with the parents, who were frequently only two feet away, it was restored to liberty. The other was accidently killed, and is now a specimen in the Australian Museum Reference Collection. Except for being slightly duller in colour, and having but little indication of the greyish -white throat, the young are similar in plumage to the adult when they leave the nest. The nest figured on Plate A. 7, which contained three eggs, I photographed at Roseville on the nth September, 1900. In form it is a fairly typical one, and measures externally ten inches in length by four inches and a half in breadth. The nesting-material above the structure where it is attached to the rock, is however somewhat shorter and tapers less to a point than usual. These birds resort to the same nesting-site year after year. If the nest is removed, it is generally built in another cave or rock-shelter not far away, and frequently in a different part of the same cave from which the nest has been taken. August and the four following months constitute the usual breeding season of this species. ORTnoNTX. 317 C3-erL-U.S OI^TIi02Sr"2"2^, Temminck. Orthonyx temmincki. SPINE-TAIL. Orthonyx temmincki, Vig. &. Horsf., Trans. Linn. Soc, Vol. XV., p. 294 (1826). Orthonyx spinicaudus, Temm., Planch. Col, Tom. IV., pis. 428, 429 (1827); Gould, Bds. Austr., fol, Vol. IV., pi. 99 (1848); id, Handbk. Bds. Austr, Vol. I., p. 607 (1865). Orthonyx spinicmula, Sharpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. VII., p. 329 (1883). Orthonyx temmincki, Sharpe, Hand). Bds., Vol. IV., p. 2 (1903). Adult m.\le — General colour above fulvous-brown, the feathers of the mantle and upper back having white shaft-lines and a broad longitudinal mark of black chiefly confined to their inner tvebs; lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts ochreoiis-rust colour; upper tving-coverts black, broadly tipped with grey, the lesser coverts entirely grey on their outer webs; quills brown crossed near their base with a greyish-white band, which is succeeded by a broad blackish-brown band, and a narrower one of ashy fulvous, the latter on the outer webs only; the innermost secondaries blackish, broadly margined on the apical portion of the outer web and lipped ivitli fulvous-brown; tail feathers reddish- brown; crown of the head dark fulvous-brown with a rufesceut shade near the margins of the feathers which are edged with black ; forehead, lores, sides of the face and cheeks dark ashy-yrey : all the under surf ace tvhite ; sides of the neck and breast ashy-grey, the latter washed tvith fulvous-brown; on the lower throat a crescentic black band, broken in the centre and widening out on the sides of the neck; thighs and under tail-coverts ashy-grey, the tips of some of the longer coverts fulvous-brown; bill black; legs and feet brownish-black; iris broivn. Total length in the flesh SS inches, wing S-7, tail (to ends of central spines) -J'-i, bill 0 55, tarsus PS. Adult female — Like the male, but smaller, and having the throat and fore-neck orange-rufous, and the sides of the breast distinctly washed ivith ochraceous-rust colotir. Total length in the flesh 7-7 inches, wing SS, tail (to ends of central spines) o-^, bill 0-55, tarsus 1-2. Distribution. — South-eastern Queensland, Eastern New South Wales. /^AHE coastal brushes of New South Wales are the stronghold of the present species. JL Numerous examples have been obtained by various collectors in the Tweed, Clarence, Richmond, Macleay, and Belhnger River Districts, its range extending in similar country to near the northern bank of the Hawkesbury River. Like many other coastal brush species, it is not met with at all in the northern portions of the adjoining county of Cumberland, but occurs again where a similar favourable vegetation flourishes at Port Hacking, Bulli, Wollon- gong, Kiama, and as far south as the Shoalhaven River, where, in the latter neighbourhood, Mr. J. .\. Thorpe procured several specimens. The nearest locality to Sydney I have met with this species was at Ourimbah, where a small flock was observed scratching among the fallen leaves near the side of a timber-getter's track, one of which, an adult female, I secured. Of a large series of these birds in the .Australian Museum collection, the greater number was procured by Mr. J. \. Thorpe on the Richmond River, and by Mr. Robt. Grant on the Bellinger River. Stomachs of these birds I examined contained the remains of insects, principally beetles; also fragments of shells of small land molluscs. Count Salvadori places the genus Orthonyx in the family Menuridae. A nest of this species in the Australian Museum collection is dome-shaped, the base and sides being formed of thick twigs about six inches in length, and the nest proper— which has a lateral entrance— entirely of mosses; the whole structure, with the exception of the opening, being covered and well concealed with dead leaves. It measures exteriorly from back to front of the base fourteen inches and a half, width nine inches and a half, height at the centre of the Aa25 318 TIMELIID^. nest seven inches, from front of the base to entrance of the nest proper seven inches; the interior, which is rounded in form, averaging four inches in diameter. This nest, which some- what resembles a miniature Lyre-bird's, was placed between the buttresses of a fig-tree, in a scrub on the Richmond River, and contained two eggs. The eggs of this species are usually two in number for a sitting, pure white, and vary from an elongate-oval to a compressed ellipse in form, the shell being close-grained, smooth, and slightly lustrous. A set of two, taken at Glennifer, on the Bellinger River, in June, 1892, measures: — Length (A) 1-15 x 079 inches; (B) i-i5xo-8i inches. A set taken in the scrubs of the Tweed River in September, 1890, measures: — (A) 1-28 x 0-87 inches; (B) 1-2 x 0-85 inches. An unusually small-sized set, taken near Ballina, on the Richmond River, in August, 1897, measures: — (A) 1-02 x 079 inches; (B) 1-05 x o-8 inches. From Alstonville, near Ballina, Mr. H. R. Elvery writes me: — "The nest of Orthonyx spinicanda is always placed on or near the ground, and generally close to decaying timber. Sometimes it is built on or close to a log, and on two occasions I found it placed on top of a small stone. A favourite nesting-site is in a thick bunch of lawyer-vines, and one I found in this situation, built unusually high, was placed six feet from the ground. This species will frequently return to the old nesting-site, even after being robbed of its eggs. July is the principal month for this bird to breed, but I have taken eggs in every month inclusive from March to September." Young birds are rich rufous-brown above, with broad blackish margins to the feathers of the head, hind-neck, and upper back, the latter also having golden-buft shaft-lines; lower back, rump, upper tail-coverts, tail, and quills as in the adult ; upper wing-coverts blackish, broadly tipped w-ith golden-buff; all the under-surface pale ochreous-rust colour, with blackish margins to the feathers, those on the breast and abdomen being almost white except at the tip; sides of the lower breast like the back, but paler, and having the remains of indistinct blackish cross- bars. Wing 3-25 inches. In the Tweed River District, this species, which is locally known as the "Scrub-Quail," generally breeds in May, June, and July, and I have one set of eggs that was taken there as late as the 25th September, but they were heavily incubated. From the Upper Clarence River District, Mr. G. Savidge writes me: — "Orthonyx spinicanda is an autumn and winter breeder, nesting in April, May, June, and July, nests with eggs being more frequently found in the latter month. This bird frequently betrays the position of its nest by its cries. It is by no means shy; when one discovers its nest generally it runs a short distance away and then stands and watches the intruder." At Glennifer, on the Bellinger River, Mr. Robt. Grant found two nests of this species built between buttresses of trees, each containing fresh eggs, in June, 1892. Orthonyx spaldingi. SPALDING'S SPINE-TAIL. Orthonyx spaldingi, Ramsay, Proc. Zool. Soc, 1868, p. 386; Gould, Bds. Austr., fol., Suppl., pi. .53 (1869); Sharpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. VII., p. 331 (1883); North, Rec. Austr. Mas., Vol. L, p. 38, pi. 1, fig. 2 (1890); Sharpe, H»nd-1. Bds., Vol. IV., p. 2 (1903). Adult male — General colour above dark olive-brotmi, loith a blackish wash on the feathers of the upper back; upper wing-coverts blackish-brown; quills dull chocolate-brotvn, their inner webs dark brown ; upper tail-coverts like the back, but of a slightly more pronounced shade of olive; tail feathers blackish-brorvn ; head, hind-neck, lores, cheeks, ear-coverts, and sides of the neck black ; chin, throat, fore-neck, and cetUre of the breast white; the sides of the upper breast blackish-brown, of the lower ORTHONYX. 319 breast olive-broivn ; abdomen dull slaty-brown, with narrow indistinct whitish tips to the feathers ; thighs and under lail-coverls dull olive-brown ; bill black; leys and feet blackish-brown ; iris dark broivn. Total length lOS inches, wing 5-2, tail 4-^, bill 0 7, tarsus 1-9. Adult female — Like the male, but smaller, an I having more of a rufescent-olive wash to the upper parts, and the throat and fore-neck orange-rufous instead of white. Total length 9 o inches, iving JfO, tail 4, bill OGo, tarsus 175. Distribution. — North-eastern Queensland. AT^HIS species was discovered by the late Mr. Edward Spalding, about twenty-five miles -L inland from Cardwell, and it was named after him by Dr. Ramsay, who described it in the "Proceedings of the Zoological Society," in i868. Although its range extends northward as far as the Bloomfield River District, it was for many years an extremely rare species in collections. Consequent upon Messrs. E. J. Cairns and Robt. Grant being sent by the Trustees of the Australian Museum on two occasions to the Bellenden Ker Range, the Institution was enriched by numerous examples in all stages of plumage; the Tooth-billed Bower-bird and the present species being the two commonest birds in the collections brought back by them. Mr. Grant has supplied me with the following notes; — "We usually found Orthonyx spaldingi in the ranges around Boar Pocket, Lake Eicham, the L'pper Russell and biarron Rivers. Just at daybreak its beautiful, clear, chirping call-notes may be heard. If one proceeds cautiously towards the singing bird, a small company of five or six individuals may be found scratching among the fallen leaves, or the decaying wood of a fallen tree. It is extremely shy, and usually on being disturbed instantly runs around the trunk or disappears in the surrounding dense undergrowth; but occasionally one will run along the top of a log, evidently with the purpose of watching the intruder. Their loosely constructed and partially dome- shaped nests are built of thin sticks, twigs, dead leaves, and mosses, and are usually placed in a mass of lawyer-vines, or in a stag-horn or bird-nest fern growing on a tree, at a height of six to eight feet from the ground. One, found built in a bird-nest fern, and in which the female was sitting, Mr. Cairn reached by standing on my shoulders. This nest contained two eggs, but in all the others we found only one egg for a sitting." From further north, in the Bloomfield River District, Mr. Frank Hislop writes me;— "Spalding's Spine-tail is only found in the scrub on the mountains, and generally in small flocks from four to six in number. They live on insects, worms, and berries. Their nests, which are dome-shaped, are outwardly made of small sticks, and lined inside with moss, and are placed on a log or in a bunch of lawyer-vines; I have also found them among the leaves in the side of a lawyer-palm. Generally they are not higher than two feet from the ground, and only one egg is laid for a sitting." The eggs are pure white, and vary in shape from swollen-oval, somewhat sharply pointed at the smaller end, to elongate-oval, the shell being close-grained, smooth, and slightly lustrous. Two average specimens measure ;— Length (A) 1-45x1 inches; (B) 1-38 xi-i inches. .\n abnormally elongated specimen, in the collection of Mr. Charles French, Junr., taken in the Bloomfield River District, on the Sth iNIarch, 1899, measures; — i-6x i-o2 inches. Young birds have the general colour above brownish-black, the feathers of the upper back being conspicuously centred with light ochraceous-brown ; rump and upper tail-coverts dull chocolate-brown; upper wing-coverts blackish-brown, broadly tipped with light chocolate- brown; quills blackish-brown, the apical half of the outer webs of the primaries margined with dull brown, becoming richer in colour on the secondaries, the innermost series of which are broadly margined on both webs with chocolate-brown; tail-feathers blackish-brown; head and hind-neck blackish-brown; a line of feathers from the nostril over the eye chocolate-brown, as are also the tips of the feathers on the sides of the hind-neck; chin, throat, fore-neck, and 320 TIMELIIDiE. breast blackish-brown, conspicuously mottled with pale brown, the feathers on the abdomen broadly tipped with brownish-white, and those on the sides of the body with chocolate-brown; under tail-coverts blackish. Wing 4-4 mches. Nearly adult birds of both sexes have the feathers of the breast and abdomen stained with rusty-brown; and a young male now before me has a few pure white feathers intermingled with the black ones on the sides of the head and the hind-neck. From the date of taking the egg in the collection of Mr. French, Junr., it is apparent that this species, like its southern ally Ortltoiiyx temmincki, is an autumn and winter breeder. Messrs. Cairn and Grant procured several recently-fledged birds early in June, also fresh eggs during the same month, and as late as the middle of August. Drymaoedus brunneipygius. SCEUB-KOBIN. Drymodes brunneopygia, Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc, IStO, p. 170; id., Bds. Austr., fol., Vol. Ill, pi. 10 (1848); id., Handhk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. 290 (186.^)); Sharpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. VII , p. 343 (1883). Dryinandus brunnaipygius, Sharpe. llaiul-I. I'.ds., Vol. 1\., p. 1 (11)03). Adult male — General colonr above brown, the feathers of the back indistinctly margined tvilh ashy-brown at the tips; the rump slightly tinged with rufous-brown ; lesser wing-coverts like the back; the median and greater coverts dark brown, externally margined ivith brown and tipped tvith ashy-while ; quills dark brown, all except the outermost primaries and innermost secondaries crossed near the base of the inner tveh rvith a narrow ivhite bar; outer icbs of the primaries near the middle externally edged with ashywhit", those of the secondaries margined with fulvous brown; upper tail- coverts rufous-brown; tail feathers brown, externally margined with rufous-brown, and having the lateral feathers tipped with white ; lores and a ring of feathers around the eye dull brownish-white, the latter broken on the upper and anterior portions by a small blackish spot; ear-coverts brorvn, blackish at the base; all the under surface ashy-brown, paler on the throat, browner on the chest and sides of the body ; centre of the abdomen and vent whitish; under tail-coverts taiunybroivn ; bill dark broivn; legs and feet dark brown. Total length 8-2 inches, wing 3-7, tail i' 2, bill 0 H, tar.ius IJf.^. Adult female — Similar in plumage to the male, but smaller. Distribution. — New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia. AT^HE range of this ground-frequenting species e.xtends throughout the dry scrubby portion -L of South-western New South Wales into North-western Victoria, and the Murray scrub in the adjoining portion of South Australia, where Gould procured the type, its range extending into Western Australia. Specimens in the .Australian Museum, procured by Mr. George Masters at Mongup, Salt River, Western Australia, in January and February, 1869, are indistinguishable from examples obtained in South-western New South Wales and the Murray scrub in South Australia. One example in the Macleay Museum, from King George's Sound, is darker than average examples from Eastern .\ustralia. Gould's vernacular name of "Scrub-Robin" for the different species of this genus is not an appropriate one, for it tends to give an impression tliat they belong to the Muscicapidas. "Northern Scrub-Robin," too, would more fittingly distinguish Drymaadtis stipcrciliaris than that of "Eastern Scrub-Robin," for it is found only in the extreme northern portion of the Cape York Peninsula. DRYMACEDUS. 321 Through Mr. C. French, Junr., I have received the following notes from Mr. C. McLennan relative to this species: — " Diyiiuimhis hrunneipygius is not uncommon on Pine Plains Station, in the Winimera District, North-western Victoria. It is usually met with in pairs in the thick mallee, although tiie male is more shy than tiie female. Often when setting dingo traps I have had one of the latter sex come within a yard or two of me to see what I was doing, at the same time uttering a sharp shrill note. In habits these birds resemble the Chestnut-backed Ground- Thrush, being usually seen on the ground. They emit a shrill whistling note, and frequently keep moving the tail up and down. In igo2 I found three nests of this species, each containing a single egg, which is the usual number for a sitting. One, with a fresh egg, on the loth September; another on the 6th October, with a fresh egg; and the third on the loth December, with an egg slightly incubated. One was built on the ground, another on the knob of a mallee bush a foot from the ground. They make a foundation, about eight or nine inches in diameter, of thin sticks, and build a nice round nest composed of grass and bark in the centre. I am sorry that 1 cannot send vou the nests just as they are built, for the sticks are all laid very neatly around and nearly level with the rim, but on attempting to remove the sticks they all fall apart. I am sending you two nests, each with the collection of sticks surrounding them. One is the most perfect I have e\er seen." The latter nest is an open cup-shaped structure, formed externaUy of very thin strips of dead blackish-grey bark, and is lined inside with pale brownish-white wiry rootlets. Externally it measures four inches in diameter by two inches and a half in depth, the inner cup measuring two inches and three-quarters in diameter by one inch and a half in depth. It is tolerably compactly formed, and bears a general resemblance to the inner lining of some nests of CoUyyiociiida hai'inonica or Oveoica cristata, but the walls are thicker and the inner cup slightly smaller. The sticks forming the foundation, some of which are slightly curved, others nearly straight, average se\'en inches in length, and from an eighth to a quarter of an inch in thickness, and there are about one hundred and fifty of them. The other nest is much smaller and more saucer-shaped, the lining consisting entirely of fine yellowish-white dried grasses, and the sticks surrounding it are shorter and fewer in number. The eggs taken by :Mr. McLennan from the above-described nests are oval in form, one is somewhat sharply pointed at the smaller end, and the shell is smooth and slightly lustrous. They are of a very faint greenish-grey ground colour, which is freckled, spotted, and blotched with different shades of brown; on one specimen the markings are uniformly distributed over the shell, on the other they predominate on the larger end where they are confluent and form a broad and well defined zone. Length (A) 1-03x073 inches; (B) 1-07 x 071 inches. These eggs in colour and markings resemble some varieties of the eggs of Artamns supevcihosus or A. persoiiatiis. An egg in the collection of Mr. Charles French, Junr., taken by Mr. J. C. Goudie about fifteen miles from Birchip, in the Western District of Victoria, is oval in form the shell being close-grained, smooth, and lustrous. It is of a pale bluish-grey ground colour which is freckled, spotted, and blotched with dull brown, yellowish-brown, wood-brown, and slaty-grey, the markings predominating on the thicker end and forming confluent patches. Length 0-99 x 076 inches. Another egg, taken by Mr. Goudie on the 28th January, 1899, measures i x 075 inches. These eggs are larger, but otherwise resemble, like those of Dvymacedus superciliaris, a not uncommon variety of the egg of the introduced House-Sparrow (Passer domesticus ). The late Mr. K. H. Bennett, when living at iMossgiel, in Western New South Wales, wrote as follows: — " Drymacedus hvtiiincipygins is verv rare here, and during my long residence in this part of the Colony I have only met with it three times, and on one of these occasions I was fortunate enough to discover its nest. It was placed on the ground at the foot of a small tree in thick mallee scrub, and contained a nearly fledged young bird, which assimilated very closely to the surrounding dead leaves, etc., amongst which the nest was built. I certainly Aa2S 322 TIMELIID.E. should never have noticed it but for the actions of the old birds, who kept hopping around me, utterinfj a shrill wliistling note, and moving their tails up and down all the time; indeed it is doubtful if I should have discovered the nest even then, although not more than a yard from my feet, if the young one had not moved." Drymaoedus superciliaris. NORTHERN SCRUB-ROBIN. Dn/imiiles superciliaris, Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc, 18.50, p. 200; id., Handbk. Pxls. Austr., Vol. I, p. 291 (18(55); id., Bds. Austr., fol., Suppl,, pi. IG (1869). Drymaoedus superciliaris, Hliarpe, Cat. BJs. Urit. Mus., Vol. Vll., p. 314 (1883); id., Hiiud-1. Bds., Vol. IV., p. 4 (1903). Adult m.^le — General colour above rufous-broivn, the plumes of i!ie loimr back anil rump, long, donmy, and richer in colour ; lesser wing-coverts slightly browner than the back; median and greater coverts black tipped mith luhite; quills blackish-brown, darker in the centre, all except the outermost primiries and the innermost secondaries crossed near the base of the inner web iritli a white bar; the primaries externally margined with white, and the secondaries margined and tipped with white, the innermost secondaries washed ivith rufous-brown on their outer tvebs; npper tail- coverts cliestnut-red ; central tail feathers dull chestnut-red, the remainder blackisli-broivn margined with dull chestnut-red. for two-thirds of their length and tipped with white; lores and feathers behind the upper portion of the eye white; a small spot above and an oblique streak below the eye black; ear-coverts pale sandy-brown ; chin, cheeks, and throat white; remainder of the under surface white, washed with sandy-brown, which is darker on the sides of the body,; lower Jlanks light sandy-brown; under tail-coverts white washed with sandy-brown. Total length 8'2 inches, wing Jfl, tail Jf, bill Oil, tarsus 165. Adult fem.\LE — Similar in plumage to the male, but smaller. Distribution, — Cape York Peninsula. "^^T O specimen of the present species has been recorded from any other part of the ±- » Australian continent than the neighbourhood of Cape York, where it was discovered by MacGillivray in 1848, also its nest and eggs. Mr. J. .\. Thorpe obtained specimens at Cape York in 1867-8, and Mr. George Masters procured an adult male in the same locality in 1875, during the stay there of the "Che vert" E.\pedition, under the command of the late Sir William Macleay. From Somerset, Mr. Bertie L. Jardine writes me: — " Drymaadus superciliaris is a very common species here, and may be seen hopping about the scrub or making a short flight close to the ground. Frequently, as it perches on a log or dead branch near the ground, it will utter a loud shrill whistle, at the same time moving its tail up and down after the manner of a Rail. In habits and actions it resembles very much the Pitta, passing most of its time on the ground, and feeding upon insects and their larva', and a small species of Hcli.x found among the fallen leaves, .\lthough b}' no means a shy bird, when startled it will hop away with great speed and quickly disappear among the vines and imdergrovvth. The nest, which is generally placed at the foot of a small tree, consists of a circular hole scooped in the ground, about four inches in diameter and one inch and a half in depth, and this is roughly lined with the long wiry tendrils of a scrub plant. Around this cupped portion of the structure is built a compact wall, about an inch or more in height, of sticks and leaves. As the nesting season, which begins in November and continues until the end of January, is during our heavy rains, this wall is, I think, in all probability raised with the motive of preventing the water from running into the nest. The structure measures e.xternally over all about nine inches, and two eggs are usually laid for a sitting." CINCLOSOMA. 323 Two egi^s in Mr. Keartland's collection, that were taken by Mr. Jardine, are short ovals in form, the shell being close-grained, dull, and lustreless. They are of a dull white or very light stone-grey ground colour, which is freckled and spotted with different shades of brown, inter- mingled with similar underlying freckles and spots of faint bluish-grey; the markings are of irregular shape and are almost uniformly distributed over the shell, but they are more thickly disposed on one specimen than the otiier. They measure alike 0-87 xo-y inches, and resemble in colour and markings a variety of the egg of the common introduced House Sparrow (Passer domesiicHs). ^> O-en-U-S CI3SrOIjOS03S^.^^, Vigors (fc Horsjield. Cinclosoma punctatum. SPOTTED GEOUND-THRtrSH. Turdns punctatus, Lath., Ind. Orn., Suppl., p. xliv., (1801). Ciniclosoma jiutictatum, Gould, Bcls. Austr., foL, Vol. IV., pi. 4 (1848); id., Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. 4.33 (186.5); yharpe. Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. VTI., p. 332 (1883); Hand-1. Bds., Vol. IV., p. 2 (1903). Adult male — General colour above hrown, ivith blackish centres to the feathers, narrower and less distinct on the crown of the head, hind-neck, rump, and upper tail-coverts, the latter tvith a greyisli ivash towards the tips; upper iving-coverts glossy black with a spot of white at the tip; primaries brotvn, margined externally with ashy-grey at the base, tvhite in the centre; the outermost secondaries dark brown, broadly margined externally with broivn, the iiinermost series chestnut, ^, bro^unish at tlie tips, with a broad longitudinal stripe of black on the outer web; two central tail featliers brown, slightly washed with grey except near the shaft, and having narroiv whitish edges and a small indistinct blackish spot at the lip; tlie remainder black largely tipped tvith wliite; forehead grey ; cheeks, lores, feathers around and extending in a narrow line behind the eye black, bordered above with a broad n-hite superciliary stripe; ear-coverts broivn, greyisli at the base; a large oval spot on the side of the neck pure tvhite, margined tvith a narroiv black line which joins the glossy blue-black feathers of the chin and throat; fore-neck grey, the lower feathers next the breast largely tipped with black; breast and abdomen ivhite, tvith a very faint creamy-buff tinge; sides of the body rich fulvous-brown, whitish at the tips, tvith a large tear-shaped spot of black in the centre of each feather ; under tail-coverts creamy-buff mesially streaked with black, some of the longer feathers whitish at the tip; bill black; legs and feet pale flesh colotir ; iris dark grey. Total length in the flesh 10 75 inches, tving J^ 3, tail 4 5, bill 0 7, tarsus 1-2. Adult female — Distinguished from the male by being slightly duller in colour and less distinctly marked on the upper parts ; the upper wing-coverts are grey with black centres and white tips; the superciliary stripe is pale creamy-btiff; lores and feathers around the eye tvhitish; chin and throat very pale creamy-buff; the large spot on the side of the neck orange-buff instead of white; no SPOTTED GROU.N'D-THRUSH. 324 TIMELIID.E. black band separating the grey feathers of the fore-neck from those of the breast, and the feathers on the centre of the body more distinctly vms/ied ivith creamy-buff. Distribution. — Southern Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and Tasmania. /"I^HE present species is generally distributed in favourable situations over the greater J- portion of South-eastern Australia and Tasmania. On the continent it evinces a decided preference for fern and scrub-covered wastes, and lightl)' timbered country near the coast. Inland its favourite haunts are the stony and drier portions of mountain ranges. In \'ictoria it used to be common in the scrub near the beach at Cheltenham, iMordialloc, and Frankston, also in the adjacent hills and open forest country e.xtending across to Western Port Bay. It is fairly numerous in the coastal districts of New South Wales, and I ha\e noted it on the Blue mountains, and stony scrub-covered ranges near the head of navigation of the Clarence River. At Roseville, Middle Harbour, and in the National Park, I have frequently flushed it from low ferns and grass-trees, but always where sheltered above by trees of larger growth. When disturbed it does not fly far, even after being shot at, but suddenly drops into cover, and then runs very rapidly over the ground and fallen logs. So one sees it generally some distance away from the spot that it was first observed or flushed from. 1 have also seen it take refuge in high trees. As Gould has remarked, it rises with a loud burring noise, like a Quail; and, as he observed in Hobart, so it is at the present time in Sydney, often seen exposed for sale in poulterers' shops. The wing-measurement of adult males varies from 4-3 to 4'5 inches. In the "Catalogue of Birds in the British Museum," Dr. Sharpe has correctly pointed out in his key" the distinguishing characters of the sexes of this species, but in the following pages both of his descriptions are those of females. Mr. A. Zietz has kindly sent me for examination a semi-adult male, procured at Lobenthal, South Australia, also two young birds obtained about eight miles south of Adelaide. Dr. Morgan informs me that this species is fairly common in the neighbourhood of the latter city, but is nowhere plentiful. Stomachs of these birds I liave examined contained the remains of various insects and their larva}. The nest is a round, open, and loosely-built structure, composed of strips of bark, leaves, and grasses, and so loosely placed together that it will seldom bear removal. An average nest measures externally five inches in diameter, and the inner cup three inches and a half in diameter by one inch and a half in depth. It is always built on the ground, sometimes in a slight depression, and generally close to a fallen log, stone, the base of a sapling or tree, or sheltered by a bush, or hidden by low ferns. At Colo Vale, New South Wales, where these birds are common, Mr. N. Etheridge found a nest in a hollow at the bottom of a burnt out stump. While collecting in company with the late Mr. W. Kershaw, at Cheltenham, Victoria, he informed me that he had on several occasions found in that locality eggs of this species, dropped by the birds on the bare ground under low spreadmg bushes. The eggs are usually two, sometimes three in number for a sitting, oval, elongate-oval, or elliptical in form, the shell being close-grained, smooth, and slightly lustrous. They are of a dull white, and in rare instances of a faint creamy-white ground colour, which is freely freckled, spotted, and blotched with wood-brown, umber-brown, and similar underlying marks of faint bluish-grey. Generally the smaller markings are uniformly distributed over the shell, while the larger ones are irregularly scattered or predominate at the thicker end. Sometimes the underlying spots or blotches are larger and more numerous than the markings on the outer • Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. vii., p 331 (1883). CINCLOSOMA 325 surface. In a set before me the specimens are broadly blotched all over, in another they are very small and confined almost to the larger end. .\. set of two, taken at Copmanhurst, New South Wales, measures: — Length (A) 1-28 xo-t)^ inches; (B) i'3xo-96 inches. A set of two, taken at Cheltenham, \'ictoria, measures: — Length (A) i'23 x cSy inches; (B) i'25x 0-85 inches. Young birds have the general colour above dull ashy-brown, the apical portion of the featliers of the back and rump dull rufous, and having distinct blackish margins; upper tail- coverts ashy-brown with blackish centres; under surface pale buff, whitish on the centre of the breast, all the feathers having more or less distinct blackish tips or margins, especially those on the fore-neck; under tail-coverts pale buff with a longitudinal streak of black down the centre. Wing 4 inches. The first indication of the sex of the young male is seen in some specimens in the blackish wash on the lores, and some of the dull whitish feathers on the throat are mottled with blue- black, and the black markings on the upper parts and on the sides of the body are darker and more distinct than in the adult female. In others the lesser upper wing-coverts are black, and there is a broken band formed by subterminal black spots on the lower dark grey feathers on the fore-neck. The breeding season of this species commences in August, and continues until the middle of February, but nests with eggs are usually found from September to December. In A'ictoria I liave found their nests generally in October; but in New South Wales I have seen eggs that were taken at the end of August, and young birds fully fledged in September. At Stony Pinch, Copmanhurst, Mr. Savidge pointed out a nest to me that he had taken eggs from on the loth October; while at Lithgow, Mr. Robt. Grant found a nest about the same date containing a newly hatched young one and a chipped egg. There are undoubtedly two, if not three broods reared in the season, for I have seen two fresh eggs that were taken near Bathurst on the 27th January, 1893; and, in company with Mr. Frank Hislop, a fledging was captured in the low undergrowth at Roseville in March, 1902. I kept it for a day and a night, during which time it uttered a note like a young chicken, and then took it to the same place and restored it to liberty. Cinclosoma castanonotum. CHESTNUT-BACKED GROUND-THRUSH. Cinclosoma castanonotus, Gould, Proo. Zool. Soc, 1840, p. 113; id., Bds. Austr., fol., Vol. IV., pi. 5 (1848). Cinclosoma castaneonotum, Gould, Handhk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. 4.3.5 (186.5). Cinclosoma castanonotum, Sliarpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. VIE , p. 333 (1883); id., Hand-1. Bds., Vol. IV., p. 2 (1903). Adult male — General colour above rich broivn; scapulars, lower back, and rump, dark reddish- chestnut; upper tail-coverts broivn; u/iper wiiuj-coverts black, tipped tvith white; quills dark brown, margined e.Hernally tvith lighter brown, the outer webs 0/ some of the primaries edged with dull white in the centre, the apical portion of the outer web of the outermost feather wldle; central tail feathers brown, the remainder blackish brown gradually passing into black on the outermost featlter, and all largely tipped with tvhite; lores and feathers below the eye black; a stripe over the eye extending on to the sides of the nape, and a broader one reaching from the base of the lower mandible to the sides of the neck tvhite; ear-coverts brown; chin, centre of the throat, and fore-neck, glossy black; breast and abdomen pure white, the outer webs of the feathers at the sides black; sides of fore-neck and 326 TIMELIID^. breast dull ashy-grey ; flanks hroivn ; under tail-coverts tvhite, brown on the outer iceb except at the tip, and having a Imigitudinal streak of black next the shaft. Total length OS inches, iving J/.'!, tail 4-1, bill 07, tarsus 12. Adult female — Duller in plumage than the male, the feathers of the lower back and rump brown, indistinctly margined with chestnut; upper wing-coverts brown tipped with white; lores and feathers below the eye ashy-brown : chin and centre of the throat dull ashy-grey, with whitish mottlings to most of the feathers ; fore-neck dull ashy-grey. Total length. ',) inches, wing SS, tail 3'S, bill 0-65, tarsus 1'2. Distribution. — Western New South Wales, Western \'ictoria, South AustraHa, Western AustraHa, North-western Australia. /"I^Ml-^ Chestnut-backed Ground Thrush is widely distributed over the southern half of the -L Australian continent. Gould procured the types in the belts of the Murray River in South Australia, and I have examined specimens and eggs that were obtained in the Wimmera District, in North-western Victoria. There is a skin of a semi-adult male in the Australian Museum, procured by the late Mr. K. H. Bennett at Mossgiel, Western New South Wales, who remarked in his MS. notes: — "This species is frequently met with in the timbered country to the north of Mossgiel, but is never found on the plains, or the clumps of timber, or the sandhills scattered over them." Mr. G. .\. Keartland secured specimens while a member of the Calvert Exploring Expedition, in Western .Vustralia, about forty miles south of Separation Well, but they were abandoned later on, with the remainder of the first collection, at Johanna Springs. Mr. George Masters obtained a series of adults and young at Mongup, Salt River, in January, 1869; and in the same State an adult male was obtained in the \'ictoria Desert, by the Elder Exploring Expedition. Regarding this species, Mr. Keartland writes me: — "The Chestnut-backed Ground Thrush is a rather shy bird, and although it passes much of its time on the ground, and generally seeks shelter under a bush, it will also fly on to the branch of a neighbouring tree. In North-western Australia several were observed feeding on the ground in open forest country. When one was shot, the remainder flew into the trees close by." Erom the South Australian Museum, Mr. A. /ietz, tlie Assistant-Director, writes me: — "Cindosoma castanonotitm does not seem to occur in the neighbourhood of Adelaide. I have seen one specimen from Parallana, in the Flinders Range, procured by Mr. R. M. Hawker; and you will find amongst our Museum specimens which I send you for examination, a nearly adult male from Leigh Creek, which is three hundred and seventy-four miles north of .\delaide. This is about the same latitude as Callabonna Creek, where I have also seen the bird myself. I do not remember that we ever had a fresh shot specimen at the Museum." Dr. A. M. Morgan informs me that he met with these birds at Mount Gunson, about one hundred miles to the north-west of Port .Augusta, in August, 1900. They were very shy, and closely resembled in habits Cindosoma pundatum. Their note is a feeble chirrup. He did not find any of their nests. Again, in company with Dr. A. Chenery, in August, 1902, during a trip made from Port .\ugusta to the Gawler Ranges, this species was met with, and Dr. Morgan sends me the following note: — "Cindosoma castanoiiim does not seem to be numerous, but is a shy bird and may have been overlooked. They were in mulga scrub at Wippipipee, and in mallee at Donal's Plain. They run well, do not hop; we only saw one fly which had been shot at and missed; it then only flew a short distance." Mr. W. D. Campbell, of the Geological Survey, found a nest and two eggs of this species at Menzies, Western Australia, which he forwarded with the nesting-material to the Trustees of the Australian Museum, with the following note: — "This nest I found early in .\ugust, 1898, being merely a hollow in the red-chocolate soil from diorite rocks, and loosely lined with the CINCLOSOMA. 327 material I am sending you. It was sheltered above by a dead bush, and averaged about three inches in internal diameter." The nesting-material consists of a quantity of short twigs, strips of bark, and long narrow dead leaves. The eggs are oval or elongate-oval in form, the shell being close-grained, smooth, and lustrous. They are dull white or greyish-white in ground colour, and have, as a rule, uniformly distributed over the shell, numerous freckles and small irregular-shaped spots, varying from pale brown to dark wood-brown, and intermingled with a few similar underlying markings of pale bluish or inky-grey. In some they are more thickly disposed on the larger end, where they coalesce and form small confluent patches, caps, or an irregular-formed zone. A rare variety has the surface markings nearly black, and the underlying ones which are more numerous, light grey. A set of two measures as follows:— Length (A) 1-23 x 0-84 mches; (B) 1-22 x'o-t^ inches. A set of two, taken in the Wmimera District, North-western Victoria, measures:— Length (A) 1-23 x 0-83 inches; (1!) 1-2 x 0-82 inches. Young birds resemble the adult female, but are paler, and have the feathers of the chin and throat dulUvhite. and those of the fore-neck pale ashy-grey, the former indistinctly tipped and the latter parts margined with dusky-brown. Young males have the lower feathers of the back and rump distinctly margined with chestnut; those of the centre of the throat and fore-neck dull ashy-grey, like the adult female, but the former are mottled with black. Nearly adult males may be distinguished by having a few of the feathers on the throat and centre of the fore- neck dull ashy-grey instead of glossy-black. Cinclosoma cinnamomeum. CINNAMON-COLOURED GROUND-THRUSH. Cinclosoma cinnamonieus, Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc, 1846, p. 68; id, Bds. Austr., fol., IV., pi. 6 (1848). Cinclosoma cinnamomeum, Gould, Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. 437 (1865); Sharpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus, Yol. VII., p. 334 (1883); id., Hand-1. Bds., Vol. IV., p. 2 (1903). Adult yiM^^^General colour above cinnamon-rufous, the head and hind-neck distinctly washed with brown; upper wlng-coverls Mack, largely tipped with white; quills dark brown, externally margined rvith pale cinnamon, these margins becoming broader and darker on the secondaries which have the innermost series entirely cinnamon-rufous, as are also the inner greater-coverts; two central tail feathers cinnamon-rufous, the next on either side black, the remainder black largely tipped with white; superciliary stripe pale buff ; lores, feathers below the eye and continuing in a narrow line down the sides of the neck black ; ear-coverts cinnamon-broimi ; chin and centre of the throat glossy black; cheeks and sides of the throat white; fore-neck cinnamon, ivhitish in the centre, and followed by a broad glossy black patch across the upper breast: centre of the breast and the abdomen white ; sides of the body cinnamon, separated from the former by a line of black streaks on the feathers; under tail-coverts white, the outer ivebs of some brotvn and having a longitudinal black streak close to the shaft; hill dark brown; legs and feet olive. Total length 8 inches, wing SS, tail S-2, bdl 0-6S, tarsus 1. Adult female— "/)ijers /ram the opposite sex in the absence of the black markings of the throat, breast, and wings, these parts being brownish-grey." (Gould). Distribution.—Western New South Wales, Central Australia, Western Australia. ' Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. i., p. 437 (iS^s) 328 TIMELIID^. /Tf^HIS species was discovered by Captain Charles Sturt in North-western New South -L Wales, in 1845, who writes as follows in his "Narrative of an Expedition into Central Australia"*: — "This third species of Cinclosoma appeared at the Depot in Lat. 29-r Long. 142° during the winter months in considerable numbers, and a ,i,'ood many specimens were procured." Three examples of the Cinnamon-coloured Ground-Thrush were obtained by the members of the Horn Scientific Expedition in Central Australia in 1894, and were subsei]uently recei\'ed by me when the collection was sent for examination. From the South Australian Museum I have also received on loan an adult and an immature male procured at Mount Burrell, to the north of the Macdonnell Ranges in Central Australia. Mr. (}. A. Keartland has kindly favoured me with the following notes: — "Cinclosoma cinnamomcnm is a lover of the most and stony country, where their colour harmonises so closely with their surroundings that they are not easily seen. During the early morning they roam about the open land in search of food, but as the sun grows hot they seek the shelter of low dense bushes, beneath whose shade they pass the day. If disturbed they immediately fly to another bush, but I have never seen them perch. During the journey of the Calvert Exploring Expedition m Western Australia, I took my first clutch of these eggs under rather peculiar circumstances. I was staying behind collecting, when Mr. C. F. Wells called out tiiat he had discovered a nest of this Ground-Thrush, containing two eggs. He offered to mind my camel whilst I waited for the return of the bird. My camel became restive, and Mr. Wells called me to 'come on.' I secured the eggs; but the nest, which was simply a few acacia leaves placed in a slight depression under a low bush, fell to pieces on being lifted. I wrapped one egg in my handkerchief, and had placed it in the quart-pot on my saddle, when 'Warrior' (the camel) tried to get away. I mounted with the egg in one hand, my gun in the other, and the reins in my teeth. The camel bolted after the caravan, which was about a mile away, on the opposite side of a boggy clay-pan. Instead of following the track, he tried a short cut, with the result that he floundered through the mud and nearly lost his rider, but on nearing the team he became steady, and the eggs were safely packed. Several other clutches were afterwards found in similar situations. This Ground-Thrush is met with in the driest parts of Central and Western .Australia." In forwarding the eggs of this species taken at Erldunda, Central Australia, Mr. C. E. Cowle wrote as follows: — "The nest, an open cup-shaped one, was built at the foot of a low Ercmophila bush, and was formed of a few twigs and dead leaves, and fell to pieces when I attempted to remove it. Another nest, containing young ones, was found at the base of a bush, and close to a dry lake." The eggs are oval or elongate-oval in form, the shell being close-grained, smooth, and more or less glossy. In ground colour they vary from dull greyish-white and whity-brown to brownish -grey, over which is distributed, in typical specimens, large blotches and longi- tudinal streaks of umber-brovvn, wood-brown, and a few similar underlying markings of dull bluish-grey. Others have the ground colour almost obscured by freckles, irregular-shaped spots and mottlings of different shades of brown, intermingled with a few small ink-like stains appearing as if beneath the surface of the shell. The markings on this type resemble those seen in a variety of the egg of Turnix vclox. A set of two, taken by Mr. C. E. Cowle, near Illamurta, Central Australia, in April, i8g8, measures as follows: — Length (A) i-i x o-8i inches; (B) I'l X o'8 inches. Another set of two, taken by the same gentleman at Erldunda, in March, 1900, varies somewhat in shape and size, the markings too on one specimen are very much darker than on the other: — Length (A) IT4 x o--j6 inches; (B) i-og x o'8 inches. * Vol. ii., App., p. 28 (1849). CIN'CLOSOMA. 329 The immature male has the head and liind-neck brown, the lesser and median wing-coverts black with pale buffy-white tips, the greater coverts cinnamon-rufous, the tips of the outermost series white washed with cinnamon-rufous; lores whitish with narrow dusky tips; the glossy black patch on the centre of the throat is smaller and mottled with white; fore-neck pale brown with only a wash of cinnamon in the centre; the black band on the upper breast is smaller and duller in colour, and the sides of the breast destitute of the line of black streaks on the feathers. t " Depot Glen," : where Sturt's party stayed for nearly five months, and observed so many of the birds referred to in his work, is the only place where there is permanent water in an other- wise arid region. It is situated on Evelyn Creek, about L'i.Ljht miles to the left of the main load midway be- tween Milparinka and Tibboburra, in North-western New South Wales, and about eight hun- dred and sixty miles north-west of Syd- ney. For an oppor- tunity of being able to give a represent- ation of this in- teresting spot I am indebted tothe Rev. [. Milne Curran, F.G.S., who took several photographs during a visit there. Sturt's Expedi- tion, which left Adelaide in 1844, traversed Western New South Wales, entered South Australia again, and journeyed for a short distance in a northerly direction in Western Queensland. The intrepid explorer then retraced his steps to Depot Glen, without ever penetrating to the centre of the continent— - the goal he had set out to attain. This was, however, accomplished later on by a member of the same expedition, Mr. John McDouall Stuart, who, on the 22nd April, i860, was the first explorer to reach the centre of the continent, and in a subsequent expedition to cross it. Among the historic relics in the Australian Museum are three pieces of planks, remains of the boat left Aa28 STURTS DEPOT GLEN. 330 TIMKLIID.E. by Captain Sturt at Evelyn Creek, Depot Glen, in 1845. They were obtained by Mr. T. Boultbee, of the Department of Mines, Sydney, from Mr. Lang, at Mount Poole Station, in 1894. Cinclosoma castanothorax. CHESTNUT- UKEASTED (iKOUND-THRUSH. Cinclosoma castaneothorax, Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc, 1848, p. 139; id, Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. -438 (1865): id., Bds. Austr., fol., Suppl., pi. 32 (1869). Cinclosoma castanothorax, Sliarpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. VII., p. 33o (1883); id., Hand-1. Bds., Vol. IV., p. 2 (1903). Adult male — "Crown of the he.ad, ear-coverts, back of the neck, and upper tail-coverts broivn; stripe over the eye and another from the base of the lower mandible down tite side of the neck icltite; shoulders atid icing-coverts black, each feather with a spot of wliite at the tip; remainder of the upper surface, the outer margins of the scapulars, and a broad longitudinal stripe on their inner ivebs next the shaft, deep rust-red; primaries, secondaries, a7id the central portion of the scapulars dark brown; tail black, all but the two central feathers largely tipped with white; chin and throat black; chest crossed by a band of rich rust-red; sides of the chest and flanks brotvnish-grey , the latter blotched with black; centre of the abdomen white; under tail-coverts brown deepening into black near the tip, and margined with uhite ; bill black ; feel black. Total length di\ indies, wing A, tail \\, tarsi I." (Gould).* Adult female — General colour above chestnut-broivn, becoming slightly lighter on the rump ; head and neck limber-brown; scapulars chestnut-brown; inner series of the lesser wing-coverts chestnut-brown; the remainder, also the median and greater wing-coverts blackish-brown ivith white tips, more or less washed with ochraceous-buff, the margins of the outer webs of the inner greater coverts light brown; primary coverts blackish-brown tipped with white; quills dark brown, the median portion of the outer web of the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth primary dull white; the outer webs of the secondaries with rufous-brown n\argins, the innermost series ivith a broad rufous- brown stripe on the inner web next the shaft; upper tail-coverts dusky broivn tvith paler broivn margins; ttvo central tail feathers blackish-brown, the remainder black largely tipped with white; a stripe extending from, the nostril over the eye and on to the sides of the nape, and another from the base of the lower mandible to below the ear-coverts white with a slight ochraceous-buff ivash which is more distinct on the posterior half; lores and feathers below the eye blackish; ear-coverts umber-brown tvith indistinct blackish margins and bvffy-white bases; chin white; upper throat grey, whitish in the centre; fore-neck grey, forming a broad band ivhich extends on to the sides of the chest; centre of the breast white washed tvith creamy-buff; sides of the breast grey with ati ochraceous wash: abdomen white, lower sides of the body ochraceous-buff; under tail-coverts white on inner webs and tips, broivn on the outer with a narrow blackish streak next the shaft, some of the shorter under tail-coverts washed with creamy-buff ; bill black. Total length 'J inches, wing 38, tail ^-1, bill 0-7, tarsus 1-65. Distribution.— Southern Queensland, Central Australia. /■ |3\HE present species is undoubtedly the rarest passerine bird in .Vustralia. Since Gould JL described the type, an adult male, in 1848, up to the present no other specimen has been recorded, although an apparently closely allied representative — Cinclosoma marginatum — has been described by Dr. Sharpe, also from a single specimen, obtained in North-western Australia. The type of Cinclosoma castanothorax was procured by the late 'Sh. Charles Coxen "in the scrubby belts of trees growing on the table-land to the northward of the Darling Downs, Queensland." In the original description, Gould states the stripe over the eye is white; this is * Proc. Zool. Soc, 1848, p. 139. CINX'LOKA.MPHUS. 331 undoubtedly a lapsus calami, which he copied in his " Handbook," - and "Supplement to the Birds of Australia,"! although he figures it in the latter work with an ochraceous-buff eyebrow, and states in other places in both works that it has a buffy stripe over the eye. The female described on tlie preceding page was procured by Mr. G. A. Keartland at Deering Creek, Central Australia, during the journey of the Horn Scientific Expedition. This specimen has the superciliary stripe, also the one on the side of the throat, almost pure white, with only a faint wash of ochraceous-buff on the posterior portions, which led me formerly to believe it was an abnormally plumaged young male of Cinclosoma castanonotum. The acquisition and examination of a larger series of the latter species, has proved me wrong in so doing. Relative to this specimen, Mr. Keartland writes me:— "The different species of the genus Cinclosoma are usually shy, and when once disturbed difficult to find again, as they run very fast immediately they alight. A remarkable exception was the female I shot at Deering Creek, Central Australia, which 1 followed from bush to bush, and e\entually shot from a branch about fifteen feet high." An egg received by Mr. Keartland, referrable to this species, for it is entirely distinct from any other Ground-Thrush's egg received from Central Australia, was taken by Mr. C. E. Cowle. It is a swollen-oval in form, the shell being close-grained, smooth, and slightly lustrous; of a dull white ground colour, thickly sprinkled over with irregular-shaped dots, spots, and small blotches of blackish-brown, intermingled with similar underlying markings of inky-grey, which predominate on the larger end:— -Length i-i2 x o-g inches. This egg resembles a small swollen one of Cinclosoma pnnctatum. GenVLS OIISTOI-.OI3-A.3yCI=I3:'Cr3, Gould. Cincloramphus cruralis. BKOWX SIXGIXG-LAKK. Megalurus cruralis, Vig. k Horsf., Trans. Linn. Soc, Vol. XV., p. '228 (1826). Cincloramphus cruralis, Gould, Bds. Austr., fol.. Vol. III., pi. 71 (1848); id, Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. 394 (186.5); Sharpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. VII., p. 498 (1883); id., Hand-1. Bds., Vol. IV., p. 26 (1903). Cincloramphus cantillans, Gould, Bd.s. Austr., fol., Vol. IV., pi. 75 (1848); id, Handbk. Bds. Austr, Vol. I., p. .39.5 (186.5). Adult ii.KLE—(In breeding plumage): General colour above dark brown, each feather margined with jiale fulcous-brown ; rump broivn ; upper tail-coverts ashy-brown; upper wing-coverts like the back, the greater series e.cternally margined ivith fulvous ; quills brown, edged with pale fulvous- broum, irhilish around the tips, /he innermost secondaries darker brotvn, and externally more broadly margined with fulvous, like the greater wing -coverts ; tail feathers broivn, edged with whity-brown ; head ashy-brown, the centres of the feathers slightly darker; a triangidar-shaped patch in front, and the feathers below the eye black; ear-coverts brown, icith fulvous-tvhite shaft lines; cheeks, chin, and throat blackish-brown; remainder of the under surface dusky brown; thighs pale brown; under tad- coverts dark brown, broadly margined with whity-brown; bill black; legs and feet jleshy-broivu tvith a dusky wash; iris greyish-brown. Total length in the flesh 10 inches, tving 4.-2, tail 4, bill Odo, tarsus 1 6. Adult female — (In breeding plumage): Differs from the male in being much smaller and lighter in colour, the feathers of the upper parts slightly paler and broadly margined with fulvous, * Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. i., p. 438 (1865). t Bds. Austr., fol., Suppl , pi. 32 (1869). 332 TIMELIID.E. the centres of the feathers on the head darker, and those on the hind-necTc margined with wliity-hroion; lores, and a distinct eyebrow fulvous-white ; in front of the eye a small brown spot; chin and throat dull white; remainder of the under surface pale fulvous white, with a brownish wash on the sides of the fore-neck and breast, most of the feathers having either a small spot in the centre or a dark brown shaft-line; centre of the lower breast and of the abdomen brownish-black; thighs and under tail- coverts fulvous-white, some of the latter centred n-ith broivn ; bill fleshy-brown, darker on the culmen; legs and feet pale fleshy-broicn. Total length in the flesh 7-2 inches, icing 3 1, tail 2 6, bill 055, tarsus 1. Distribution. — North-western Australia, Northern Territory of South AustraHa, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia. /~f^^ HIS migratory species is found in one season or another in favourable situations in most JL parts of the Australian continent. In South-eastern Australia it usually arrives at the latter end of August, or early in September, and departs again in February. In New South Wales, however, its appearance is greatly influenced by the state of the season, for in periods of drought it is seldom seen, or only in diminished numbers; while after an abundant rainfall, when there is a luxuriant growth of grasses and herbage, it is tolerably common, and then may be absent from the same district for several years. It chiefly frequents open expanses of well grassed and pastoral lands, cultivation paddocks, and near the coast fern and heath-covered sandy wastes. At one time it used to frequent in the spring and summer months the low-lying fern and scrub-lands at the mouth of the Yarra River, near Melbourne, and it still occasionally visits Randwick and Botany, near Sydney. Although passing most of its time on the ground, this species frequently perches on a stump, fence, or tree, but at all times I have found it far more wary than its lesser congener Cincloramphus rufescens, and more especially the male during the breeding season. The preceding descriptions are taken from a pair of birds shot at Kenmore, near Goulburn, New South Wales, by Mr. E. Payten, on the 13th November, igoo, which he forwarded to the Trustees of the Australian Museum on the following day, together with their nest and two eggs. An adult male, in similar plumage, was shot at Randwick by Mr. H. Newcombe on the 28th November, 1901. As a rule, however, adult males obtained in New South Wales during December, have more or less of the dusky-brown feathers of the under surface narrowly margined with pale ashy-brown, these margins gradually increasing in size throughout the late summer and the autumn months, until the centre of the breast is dusky-brown, and the remainder of the under parts ashy-brown, with the feathers of the throat and fore-neck mottled with dusky-brown. Individual variation, especially in the colour and markings on the under parts, however, exists in specimens obtained in the same month, and even in the same locality. Most of the adult males in the .Xustralian Museum collection, obtained in New South Wales, with the under surface uniform dusky-brown, were procured in No\ember. An adult male, obtained at Port Denison, Queensland, in the same month, has the chin, throat, and fore-neck ashy-brown, slightly tinged with dusky-brown, and the breast and abdomen only uniform dusky-brown. I cannot find any specific difiference in specimens obtained in North-western Australia from others procured in New South Wales. Adult females differ very little in their winter and summer plumage. An adult female I shot on Weebollabolla Station, near Moree, on the loth November, 1897, is similar to the one described above, but the feathers are more broadly margined with whity-brown, and it is barely through the moult. On their first arrival in New South Wales, at the end of August or early in September, they are paler and less mottled on the under surface. As pointed out by Gould, there is a great disparity in size in the sexes of this species, the female being very mucli smaller than the male. Stomachs I have examined contained the remains of insects, principally beetles, and also the skins of caterpillars, and in some a few seeds. CISCLORAMPnUS. 333 The rich organ-like notes of the male are usually uttered while it mounts up high in the air, and is accompanied with a tremulous motion of the wings. They are extremely loud and melodious, and may be heard a considerable distance away. As a songster it ranks in New South Wales with the acclimatised Skylark ('.•I /(7;/(/(J a rvaisis J, which is common in the same haunts at Randwick and Botany. Captain Sturt, who in 1849 bestowed the vernacular name of "Singing-Lark" on this species, remarks: — "This bird is good eating."'^ From Point Cloates, North-western Australia, Mr. Tom Carter writes me: — "Ciiiclnrainphiis cniralis is a common winter visitor, both on the coast and inland, where its loud cheerful song may be heard all day and sometimes at night. The nest, a neatly rounded structure, is placed in a tussock of grass, and eggs may be found from June to September, accordmg to the season." Dr. W. Macgilli\ray has kindly sent me the following notes:— '' Ciuilorampkiis cniralis was very plentiful during the seasons 1897 and 1898, in the Hamilton District, \'ictoria, one or more pairs being met with in every well grassed paddock; during the two following years they were not nearly so numerous. One or two first appeared in September, but they did not become plentiful until October. They were soon occupied in nesting operations, and if any one desires to put his patience to the test, a search for this bird's nest can be recommended as an efficient means of doing so. On approaching a locality where there is a nest, the cock bird, generally perched on a fence, bush, or some other point of vantage, utters a few warning notes, then soars up into the air and passing over the nest warns the female to leave the nest; when assured of this he flies right away from the nest. The female usually leaves the nest very quietly, running through the grass some distance before taking flight, and as she is so much smaller and less conspicuous than her mate this action as a rule passes unobserved. The earliest record I have of eggs being taken is the 6th November, and the latest 15th December. After the eggs are hatched, the song of the cock bird ceases, and as soon as the young are able to fly, they leave the district for northern latitudes. I have not seen a single bird later than the 7th February, and most of them leave in January. I noted this bird for the first time in the Broken Hill District, New South Wales, on the 15th September, 1901. It soon became numerous, and engaged in domestic affairs. In 1902, owing to the drought and complete absence of all herbage, the place looking like a desert for forty miles around, no bird appeared. In 1903, rain did not fall until September, so that our spring was late and was continued owint,' to repeated falls of rain, until late in the summer, even now (25th February) the herbage is everywhere green. These birds were very numerous in October, and soon paired off for breeding purposes; they were in pairs all over the place until January. On 30th January the breeding season was evidently over, as I noted young and old birds in numbers amongst patches of "wild geranium," content there to feed on young grasshoppers. The crops of those shot contained mostly grasshoppers and a few other insects." Mr. G. A. Keartland writes me:— "Near my place at Preston, \'ictoria, I took a set of three slightly incubated eggs oi Cimloramphiis cvuraUs on the ist January. 1904. I knew that the bird laid again, but did not find the nest. However, my son William was near the spot on the nth February following. The old birds fluttered around him, and he discovered and eventually succeeded in catching a young one that was unable to fly far. This is very late breeding." The nest of this species consists of a deep cup-shaped hole in the ground, lined entirely with dried grasses. An average one measures externally three inches in diameter by three inches and a half in depth. Usually it is formsd close to or underneath a tuft of overhanging grass or weeds, and the hole is often made in a slanting direction so as to be more closely concealed by the surrounding vegetation. Exped. Cent. Austr.. Vol. ii., App., p. 31 (1849). 334 TIMELIID.E. The eggs are three or four in number for a sitting, oval in form, some specimens being rather pointed at the smaller end, and the shell is close-grained, smooth, and slightly lustrous. They vary in ground colour from a faint salmon-white to a dull reddish-salmon colour, which, as a rule, is almost obscured by numerous freckles or fleecy markings of a slightly darker tint, forming in some instances a zone around the larger end, in others so faint and thickly disposed as to be hardly distinguishable from the ground colour. A set of four, taken by the late Mr. K. H. Bennett, at Yandembah, on the loth September, 1889, measures as follows: — Length (A) 0-92 x 0-63 inches; (B) eg x o"66 inches; (C) 0-9 x 0-64 inches; (Dj 0-92 x o-66 inches. A set of four, taken by Mr. A. M. N. Rose, at Campbelltown, New South Wales, on the i6th December, 1897, measures: — (A) o'95 x 0-65 inches; (B) 0-92 x o'66 inches; (C) o'93 x 0'68 inches; (D) 0-94 x 0-67 inches. The breeding season of this species in the inland portions of New South Wales is generally in September and October; and nearer the coast, November and December. The earliest and latest records I have of fresh eggs being taken in this State are given with the above- mentioned sets. Young males resemble the adult male in its winter plumage, but tlie feathers of the upper parts, including those of the rump, also the upper tail-coverts, are margined with sandy-fulvous; an indistinct collar on the hind-neck velvety-brown, with dark brown centres to the feathers; over the eye a fulvous stripe; chin and throat dull white, the latter mottled with dark brown; remainder of the under surface dull brownish-white, with small darker brown centres to the feathers, except those on the sides of the breast, which have only short indistinct streaks. Total length 8 inches, wing 4, tail 3, bill o"j, tarsus i'38. Cincloramphus rufescens. RUFOUS-RUMPED SIXGING-LARK. Anthus rufescens, Vig.