Cornell Mniversity Library BOUGHT WITH THE INCOME FROM THE SAGE ENDOWMENT FUND THE GIFT OF Henry W. Sage 1891 5931 RETURN TO ALBERT R. MANN LIBRARY ITHACA, N. Y. AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM, SYDNEY. (CATALOGUE No. 12.) DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OFr THE NESTS & EGGS OF BIRDS FOUND BREEDING IN AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA, vo ow x A. J. NORTH, F.LS. a Printed by order of the Trustees of the Australian Museum. Dr. E. P. Ramsay, Curator. SYDNEY: ¥. W. WHITE, GENERAL PRINTER, 1889, wt ~~ DRE. REY # LEIPZIG “f Flossplatz Ul 3 390 VAULT Gk 642 Nvb N20 yy PREFACE. TuE present Descriptive Catalogue of the Nests and Eggs of Australian Birds, has been prepared by Mr. A. J. North, who has been engaged by the Trustees as an Assistant in the Zoological Department of the Museum. It contains a careful description of such authentic eggs of each species as have been accessible to the author, wherever there was any doubt as to the authenticity of the eggs of any species they have been discarded, typical specimens have always been selected, supplemented with descrip- tions of such other distinct varieties as occasionally occur. No egg is here described of which the history is unknown, with the exception of a few taken from Gould’s “ Handbook to the Birds of Australia.” Ep. P. RAMSAY, CuRATOR. INTRODUCTION. THE object of this Catalogue is to give authentic descriptions of the Nests and Eggs, as far as are known, of the Birds found breeding in Australia, Tasmania and on the adjacent islands, and especially of such specimens as are to be found in the Collection of the Australian Museum. In the preparation of this work Iam deeply indebted to Dr. Ramsay the Curator, and Messrs. Ramsay Bros. of Dobroyde, who kindly placed their MS. notes, which have been kept since 1858 up to the present time, and the whole of the Dobroyde Collection at my disposal; and it isa matter for congratulation that the work so ably done by the late Mr. Gould, should have been followed up in the same accurate and systematic manner by these gentlemen. Of later years, Mr. K. H. Bennett of ‘“Yandembah,” whose name frequently occurs through these pages, has by a series of close observations, contributed largely to our knowledge of the habits and nidification of many species which had previously been unobserved, and it is to the perusal of his MS. notes taken on the spot, together with the use of his collection, which he kindly placed at my disposal, that I am enabled to give additional information regarding the breeding of , many birds in the interior of New South Wales, and more particularly as to the members of the Accipitres and Psittacide. Through the courtesy of the Hon. William Macleay, who has always been the foremost to assist the advancement of Natural History in Australia, I have been enabled to examine and describe a number of nests and eggs in the collection of the Macleayan Museum, and I am also indebted to Mr. George Masters, the Curator, for supplying me with information relative to the same, and for a knowledge of the nidification of many of the Western vi. Australian birds, collected by him during his visits to that colony in 1863, and in 1868. Mr. George Barnard of Coomooboolaroo, Queensland, and his sons, have contributed largely towards a knowledge of the nidification of a number of the birds of Central Queensland, and I have to acknowledge the assistance.and the loan of specimens for description from Dr. James C. Cox, and Dr. George Hurst of Sydney, and Mr. E. D. Atkinson of Tasmania. It must be borne in mind that this is a Descriptive Catalogue of the Nests and Eggs of Australian Birds, remarks therefore on each species are necessarily very brief, but in order to some- what relieve the monotony of one technical description following another, and where the eggs have been previously described, I have given in full in some instances, papers contributed at various times by Dr. Ramsay to the “Ibis,” entitled “ Notes on Birds breeding in the Neighbourhood of Sydney,” and in addition given extracts, which I thought might prove of interest, from other papers furnished. by the same author to kindred societies and publications. Of the 469 species here described, with the exception of those of 34 taken from Mr. Gould’s “Handbook to the Birds of Australia,” I have personally examined those of every species, and need hardly state that they have been taken only from thoroughly authentic specimens. Appended is a list of those birds of which, as far as is known, no authentic information has been recorded of their having been found breeding in Australia or Tasmania, but which have been found in other parts of the world, and fully described by different authors ; these being only visitors or stragglers to Australia, are not included in this work. For the nomencldture I have followed the authors of the Catalogues of Birds in the British Museum, and Dr. Ramsay’s List of the Birds of Australia, the habitats also being taken from the latter work. No systematic arrangement has been adopted vii. except that used by Mr. Gould in his Handbook to the Birds of Australia, and to which reference is made. In conclusion I would ask those favourably situated, to add to our knowledge of the nidification of those birds which are still a desiderata, and by the contribution of any new or rare specimens to the Museum, to assist in completing as far as possible, the National Collection. Order ACCIPITRES. Sub-Family ACCIPITRINZA. Genus CIRCUS, Lacepéde. 4-3, CIRCUS ASSIMILIS, Jardine and Selby. (C. Jardinii, Gould.) Allied Harrier. Gould, Handbk. Birds Aust., Vol. i. sp. 27, p. 60. HF. The nest of this species is a flat structure, outwardly composed of small sticks and twigs, lined inside with a few green Eucalyptus leaves, and usually placed among the thick branches of a low tree. Eggs two to three in number for a sitting, white, with a bluish-green tinge on the inner surface of the shell. Two specimens taken on the 30th September, 1884, measure in length (A) 2 x 1°‘5 inches; (B) 2°05 x I1- oe inches. 30,8 38,3 52) This species breeds during September et the tw) following months. Hab. Derby, N. W. Australia, Port Denison, Wide Bay, Richmond and Clarence River District, New South Wales, Interior, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, Cobar and Bourke Districts, Dawson River. (Ramsay.) A 2 FALCONIDE. 3. CIRCUS GOULDI, Bonaparte. (C. assimilis, Gould, non Jardine and Selby.) Gould’s Harrier. Gould, Handbk. Bds. Aust., Vol. i., sp. 26, p. 58. Z, 3 This species is found breeding in swampy localities, or in the inlets and bays of the coast, constructing a nest of sticks and twigs on the top of a low thick bush, or clump of rushes. A set of eggs, three in number, taken from a nest built in some low bushes at Western Port Bay, Victoria, on the 15th November, 1884, are white with a bluish-green tinge inside. Length (A) 1:98 x 1'5 inches, (B) 2:03 x 1:53 inches, (C) 2-1 x 1:56 inches. 33,/- $),6 38,9. $13, Ub. The breeding season of this species extends during September and the three following months. Hab. Derby, N.W. Australia, Rockingham Bay, Port Denison, Wide Bay District, Dawson River, Richmond and Clarence River District, New South Wales, Interior, Victoria and South Australia, Tasmania. (Ramsay.) Genus ASTUR, Lacepéde. ‘2 ASTUR CINEREUS, Vieiillot. Grey-backed or New Holland Goshawk. Gould, Handbk. Bds. Aust., Vol. i., sp. 14, p. 37. Some naturalists consider that the Tasmanian bird, which is purely white in both sexes, is a distinct species from the continental form, in which the male alone is white, the females having an ashy-grey back, and in the young stage both sexes have ashy-grey bars on the under surface of the body. As the Tasmanian form is purely white it will perhaps be better to - distinguish these varieties (or species?) under the names of the ASTUR. 3 Tasmanian Goshawk, and the continental form the New Holland Goshawk, (the name of the Australian Goshawk being retained for Astur approximans ) which is distributed over the whole continent. A smaller variety of White Goshawk, the female of which has a ashy-grey back and a few bars of the same colour on the under surface of the body has been separated by Mr. R. B. Sharpe under the name of Astur leucosomus. It appears to be confined to Cape York and the southern portions of New Guinea, the adult male in this case is also purely white. The nest of Astwr cinereus (the large continental form) is an open structure composed of thin sticks, and lined with twigs and leaves. One found near the Cape Otway Forest, Victoria, in October, 1865, was placed in the topmost boughs of a lofty Eucalyptus, and contained two eggs in form nearly oval, slightly swollen at one end, of a dull bluish-white, smeared and blotched with faded markings of yellowish and reddish-brown, particularly towards the larger end, and which, were it not for their size, might be easily mistaken for those of Astur approximans which they closely resemble. Length (A) 1:97 x 1:48 inches; (B) 2°05 x 1:51 inches. oe aa ed 33,4. Hab. Derby, Rockingham Bay, Port Denison, Wide Bay District, Dawson River, Richmond and Clarence River District, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. (Hamsay.) wi ASTUR APPROXIMANS, Vigors and Horsfield. Australian Goshawk. ’ Gould, Handbk. Bds. Aust., Vol. i, sp. 17, p. 41. The nest of the Australian Goshawk is comparatively a large structure, composed of sticks and lined with Eucalyptus leaves, and placed ina lofty tree, usually a Eucalyptus or Casuarina, The 4 FALCONIDA. eges are three in number for a sitting, nearly oval in form, being but slightly swollen at the larger end. The eggs (set A) are of a long narrow oval; colour dull white, smeared with yellowish- buff; averuge length 1-74 x 1-3 inches. A second set (B) shows . smears to a less extent, and there area few scattered spots of a deep reddish-brown ; form a round-oval ; average lengeh 5 x14 inches in breadth. (Ramsay, Note-book, 1880-1, p. 53” P.L.S., ‘WS. W., 2nd Series, Vol. i. p. 1141.) This species commences to breed in August and continues through the three following months. Hab. Derby, N.W. Australia, Cape York, Rockingham Bay, Port Denison, Wide Bay District, Dawson River, Richmond and Clarence River District, New South Wales, Interior, Victoria and South Australia, Tasmania, W. and S. W. Australia. (Ramsay.) ASTUR RADIATUS, Latham. Radiated Goshawk. Gould, Handbk. Bds. Aust., Vol. i., sp. 16, p. 40. Z #4. The following description is from Dr. Ramsay’s note-book, under date 11th October, 1884, p. 25 :— “The egg of Astur radiatus, just received from Mr. Barnard, of Coomooboolaroo, in the Dawson River District, Queensland, is much like a large egg of Astur approwimans or that of Aquila morphnoides. It is of a dull white, roundish, with a few blackish-brown smears and blotches, and irregular markings and dots of a slightly darker shade; the shell is slightly rough. Length 2-2 inches, diameter 1°8 inches.” (P.L.S., WS.W., 2nd Series, Vol. i., p. 1141. Ramsay.) Hab. Wide Bay District, Dawson River, Richmond and Clarence River Districts, New South Wales, Interior. (Ramsay. ) ACCIPITER—AQUILA. 5 Genus ACCIPITER, Brisson. (2)-3 ACCIPITER CIRRHOCEPHALUS, Vivillut. (A. torquatus, Vig. and Horsf.) Collared Sparrow-Hawk. Gould, Handbk, Bds. Aust., Vol. i., sp. 19, p. 45. DT. 6. é The nest is a scanty structure of a few sticks generally placed crosswise over a horizontal bough, where twigs spring to support it, and is lined with leaves. Being often at a considerable distance from the ground and near the extremity of the boughs it is difficult to get at. The eggs are usually three for a sitting but sometimes only two, and are the smallest of any of our Australian Hawk’s eggs. The ground colour is greenish- white, with smears and specks of yellowish-buff, with here and there an irregular shaped spot of the same tint. Length (A) 1-74 x 1:43 inches, (B) 1°8 x 1:42 inches. (Dobr. Alus. P.LS., N.S.W., Vol. vii, p. 53. Ramsay.) Hab. Derby, N.W. Australia, Cape York, Rockingham Bay’ Port Denison, Wide Bay District, Dawson River, Richmond and Clarence River Districts, New South Wales, Interior, Victoria and South Australia, Tasmania, W. and 8.W. Australia, South Coast New Guinea. (Ramsay.) Sub-Family AQUILIN. Genus AQUILA, Brisson. 2. AQUILA AUDAX, Lath. Wedge-tailed Hagle. Gould, Handb. Bds. Aust., Vol. i., sp. 1, p. 8. Le wh “The nests of this species are easily found, for, indeed, they are large and conspicuous. They are often three feet high, and consist of a mass of sticks piled up between the forks of the 6 FALCONID2, topmost branches of the larger Eucalypti, or placed at the end of a leaning bough. The lower part of the nest is made of thick sticks, smaller ones being used for the top, and the whole lined with twigs and grasses. The first eggs I obtained were taken in August, 1860, and were given to me by Mr. James Ramsay, at Cardington, a station on the Bell River, near Molong. They were taken from the nest by a black boy who had “stepped” the tree. The nest was placed upon a fork near the end of one of the main branches of a large Eucalyptus. It was fully 70 feet from the ground, and no easy task to get to it. The structure was about 34 feet high by 4 or 5 broad, and about 18 inches deep, lined with tufts of grass and with down and feathers plucked from the breasts of the birds, upon which the eggs were placed. The eggs were two in number, nearly round, and very thick and rough in the shell. One egg is 3 inches long by 22 broad; the ground colour white, thickly blotched and minutely freckled with rust-red, light yellowish brown, and obselete spots of a lilac tint. The other egg is nearly all white, having only a few blotches of light yellowish brown, and some fine dots of light rust-red ; it is 2% inches in length by 2% in breadth.’”’ (Zbis, 1863, Vol. v., p. 446, Ramsay.) Two eggs of this species in the Australian Museum Collection measure as follows :—length (A) 3-01 x 2°18 inches; (B) 3-02 x 2-22 inches. Hab. Derby, N.W. Australia, Gulf of Carpentaria, Cape York, Rockingham Bay, Port Denison, Wide Bay District, Dawson River, Richmond and Clarence River District, New South Wales, Interior, Victoria and South Australia, Tasmania, W. and S.W. Australia. (Ramsay.) 2. AQUILA MORPHNOIDES, Gould. Little Eagle. Gould, Handbk. Bds. Aust., Vol. i., sp. 2, p. 11. Zs The nest of this Eagle is about the size of that of Corvus coronoides, and composed of similar materials, sticks and twigs, HALIAETUS. 7 and lined with Eucalyptus leaves ; sometimes the birds take possession of an old crow’s nest of the previous year. The eggs are two in number for a sitting, but not unfrequently only one is found ; the ground colour is dull white, with a few smears of buff; length (A) 2-2 x 1:8 inches, (B) 2-2 x 1:83 inches; each taken from different nests of one each. (Jr. Bennett's Coll.) (P.L.8., NS.W., Vol. vii, p. 412. Ramsay.) Specimens of these eggs in my collection, taken by Mr. Geo. Barnard, of Coomooboolaroo, Queensland, in 1883, are similar in colour but not quite as rounded in form ; they measure as follows : length (A) 2°22 x 1-7 inches; (B) 2°17 x 1-7 inches. Hab. Port Denison, Wide Bay District, Dawson River, Richmond and Clarence Rivers Districts, New South Wales, Interior, W. &8.W. Australia, South Coast N. Guinea. (Ramsay.) Genus HALIAETUS. 2 HALIAETUS LEUCOGASTER, Gel. White-bellicd Sea Hagle. Gould, Handbk. Bds. Aust., Vol. i, sp. 3, p. 13. De 8; The White-bellied Sea Eagle is found at intervals all along the coast-line of Australia frequenting the bays, inlets, and estuaries of rivers. Its nest is a large flat structure composed of sticks, and lined with finer twigs, the site chosen for its situation is very variable, at times being placed on a lofty Eucalyptus, the top of a thick mangrove, and on the summit of a rock. Although finding several nests of this species, I was never fortunate enough to have the pleasure of taking the eggs myself, the nests I saw at all times being placed out of the way of any one desirous of taking them. Two eggs taken by Mr. Ralph Hargrave, at Wattamolla, New South Wales, from different nests, are white smeared with light yellowish buff, or stained with dull light brownish yellow, one specimen (B) has only light yellowish smears 8 ‘ FALCONIDE. in the centre, the texture of the shell is rough and slightly granular. Length (A) 2°98 x 2°16 inches, taken 9th August, 1875; (B) 2:72 x 2-06 inches, taken in August, 1870. The breeding season commences in July in New South Wales, and I have seen young birds in the nest in Victoria, during the month of November. Hab. Port Darwin and Port Essington, Gulf of Carpentaria, Cape York, Rockingham Bay, Port Denison, Wide Bay District, Dawson River, Richmond and Clarence Rivers Districts, New South Wales, Interior, Victoria and South Australia, Tasmania, W. and 8.W. Australia, South Coast New Guinea. (Ramsay.) Genus HALIASTUR, Selby. HALIASTUR INDUS, Bodd. Sub-Species H. GIRRENERA, Vieillot. (ZZ. leucosternus, Gould.) White-breasted or Red-backed Fish Eagle. Gould, Handbk. Bds. Aust., Vol. i., sp. 4, p. 17. Upon the authority of Mr. Rainbird, Dr. Ramsay gives the following account of the nidification of this interesting species :— “The nest of the Red-backed Fish Eagle is by no means so bulky a structure as that of many of its allies, nor is it so large as one would expect from a member of the family to which it belongs. In almost every instance the examples found by Mr. Rainbird were placed near the tops of the larger trees in belts of mangroves skirting the edges of salt-water swamps and marshes in the neighbourhood of Port Denison. They were composed of twigs and dead branches of mangrove, lined with a finer material. One, from which that gentleman shot the bird, and brought me the egg upon which she was sitting, was lined with tufts of lichen ; and in this instance the egg was placed on HALIASTUR, 9 various fish-bones, shells and claws of crabs, &c. ; the edges and sides were beautifully ornamented with long streamers of bleached seaweed, which gave the nest a novel and pleasing appearance. The egg has a rough ground of a bluish-white color, with a few minute spots of brownish-red near the larger end ; it is of an oval form 2 inches by 1 inch 6 lines in breadth. Mr. Rainbird states that this species of Hawk is far from rare about Port Denison. Throughout the whole year many may be seen hovering over the water near the mouth of the creeks, and over the salt-marshes which are invariably edged with dense belts of high mangroves.” (Ramsay, Ibis, 1865, Vol. i, New Series, p. 83.) Hab. Derby, N.W.A., Port Darwin and Port Essington, Gulf of Carpentaria, Cape York, Rockingham Bay, Port Denison, Wide Bay District, Richmond and Clarence River Districts, New South Wales, and South Coast New Guinea. (Ramsay.) a HALIASTUR SPHENURUS, Viezilot. Whistling Eagle. Gould, Handbk. Bds. Aust., Vol. i., sp. 5, p. 20. TE /,24. With the exception of the extreme southern portions of the continent, this bird is distributed over the whole of Australia, and is found both on the open plains and in the timbered country. The nest is a large open structure composed of sticks and twigs, lined with a few Eucalyptus leaves, and is generally placed on the horizontal branch of a tree at a great height from the ground. Eggs two in number for a sitting, varying in form from true- to rounded-ovals, of a faint bluish-white, some specimens being heavily blotched with irregular shaped markings of reddish- chestnut, similar to those of Lophoictinia iswra, others being but - slightly marked with dull yellowish-brown, and in some instances almost devoid of markings of any kind, with the exception of a few fine scratches and smears hardly discernible on the smaller end of the egg. 10 FALCONIDE. Dimensions of two eggs taken by Mr. K. H. Bennett at Ivanhoe, in October, 1884, length (A) 2:17 inches x 1:68 inch; (B) 2°15 x 1-71 inch. Three eggs in my collection, taken by Mr. Geo. Barnard of Coomooboolaroo, Duaringa, Queensland, during 1881, measure as follows: length (A) 2:22 inches x 1:68 inch; (B) 2°07 inches x 165 inch; (C) 2:3 inches x 1°67 inch; B and C are from the same nest. This bird commences to breed about the middle of September, and continues the two following months. Hab. Derby, 'N.W.A., Port Darwin and Port Essington, Gulf of Carpentaria, Cape York, Rockingham Bay, Port Denison, Wide Bay District, Dawson River, Richmond and Clarence River Districts, New South Wales, Interior, Victoria and South Australia, W. and 8. W. Australia, South Coast New Guinea. (Ramsay.) . Genus MILVUS, Cuvier. 3 MILVUS AFFINIS, Gould. Allied Kite. Gould, Handbk. Bds. Aust., Vol. i. sp. 21, p.49. Ze. © 6 Eggs three for a sitting, of a dull white ground colour, with reddish irregular spots and dots. No. 1 has rather large spots, rather evenly dispersed over the surface. No. 2 has only a few spots and smears. Length (1) 1°84 x 1:48 inch; (2) 1-75 x 15 inches. (Dobr. Mus. P.L.S., NS.W., Vol. vii., p. 413. Famsay.) Hab. Derby, N.W.A., Cape York, Rockingham Bay, Port Denison, Wide Bay District, Dawson River, Richmond and Clarence River Districts, New South Wales, Interior, Victoria and South Australia, W. and S.W. Australia, South Coast New Guinea. (Jamsay.) LOPHOICTINIA—GYPOICTINIA. 11 Genus LOPHOICTINIA, Kaup. »» t w LOPHOICTINIA ISURA, Gould. Square-tailed Kite. Gould, Handbk. Bds. Aust, Vol.i., sp. 22, p.51. ZF. 3. % Nest, of sticks and twigs rather loosely constructed, and lined with a few Eucalyptus leaves, placed in a fork of some of the higher branches of the trees, or in the interior where the trees are stunted and low, in any suitable branch that will bear its weight. Eggs two to three in number, the ground colour white, on the thicker end are blotches, smudges and scattered irregular spots of reddish-brown or rusty-red, with minute dots here and there sprinkled over the surface, frequently one egg in a set is blotched at the thin end, some are more heavily and deeply marked than others, one specimen is covered (more numerously at the thin end) with irregular freckles only, in many places superimposed. Length (A) 2-03 x 1:57; (B) 1:97 x 1-76 ; (C) 2-06 x 1:67 inches. (Alus. Dobr. P.LS., N.S.W., Vol, vii., p. 53, Ramsay.) Hab. Wide Bay District, Dawson River, Richmond and Clarence River Districts, New South Wales, Interior, Victoria and South Australia, W. and 8.W. Australia. (Ramsay.) Genus GYPOICTINIA, Kaup. 2 GYPOICTINIA MELANOSTERNON, Gould. Black-breasted Buzzard. Gould, Handbk. Bds, Aust., Vol. i., sp. 20, p.47. “Z. 3. % Respecting the nidification and habits of this species Mr. K. H. Bennett writes as follows :— “The range of this bird—so far as my experience goes—is confined to the plains which border the banks of the Murrumbidgee and Lachlan Rivers, and the wide expanse of open country on the north bank of the latter stream appears to be its especial 12 FALCONIDE. habitat, for it is most frequently seen in that locality, and here also on several occasions J have discovered its nests. Its prey to a great extent, consists of various reptiles—such as snakes, frill- necked and sleepy lizards—it also has the singular habit of robbing the nests of Emus and Bustards of their eggs. My first information on this point I obtained from the blacks, and for some time I was inclined to disbelieve their assertion though the same story was told by blacks from all parts of the district, as it was so contrary to my experience of the Accipiter family. At length, however, I was compelled to alter my opinion, for I subsequently found portions of Emu egg shells in the nest of one of these Buzzards. The manner in which they effect the abstraction of the Emu eggs—as told me by the blacks—shows an amount of cunning and sagacity that one would scarcely give the bird credit for, and is as follows :—‘On discovering a nest, the Buzzard searches about for a stone, or what is much more frequently found here, a hard lump of calcined earth. Armed with ,this the Buzzard returns (and should the Emu be on the nest) alights on the ground some distance off, and approaches with outstretched flapping wings, the Emu alarmed at this, to it, strange looking object, hastily abandons the nest and runs away, the Buzzard then takes quiet possession, and with the stone breaks a hole in the Side of each egg into which it inserts its claw and carries them off at its leisure ; for when the eggs are broken the Emu abandons the nest.’ So much for the blacks’ story !” “This however, is in a great measure corroborated by a friend of mine, who lives on the adjoining station, and who told me that in August last, (1881) he found the nest of an Emu containing five eggs, and that all of them had a broken hole in the side, and that the fracture had been done quite recently, and in the nest also was one of these lumps of calcined earth about the size of a man’s fist.” “In a nest to which I recently ascended, I found amongst the remains of various reptiles, the shells of a couple of Bustards’ eggs. In this nest were a couple of young Buzzards lately hatched.” GYPOICTINIA, 13 “T think after all this testimony there can be little doubt of its nest-robbing proclivities, a habit which I think is peculiar to this bird, and is not shared by any other member of the Accipiter family so far as I know. Ihave often asked the blacks, if the ‘Wedge-tailed Eagle robs nests, but they always say no.” “The nest of this bird is arough structure, generally placed on a forked horizontal branch, and is often quite as large as that of the Wedge-tailed Eagle. It lays two eggs, which in colour and shape resemble those of the above mentioned bird, but are much smaller. Length 2:16 x 1°85, being strongly blotched with bright rust-red, with spots and dots of the same colour.” “Tt usually lays about the middle of August, and the young birds leave the nest about the beginning of December. If undisturbed, the old birds resort year after year to the same nest, but should it be robbed, they abandon it for ever, and it is never occupied by birds of the same species again, although other species of hawks, notably the Brown Hawk—/( Hieracidea orientalis ) sometimes takes possession. I have never known the Buzzard to touch carrion, or to feed upon anything it did not capture, and except at the nest I have never seen them perch on a tree, but I have often seen them alight on the ground. The note which is something between a whistle and a scream is only uttered when visiting the nest.” (P.L.8., V.S.I., Vol. vi., p. 146, Bennett.) T have a series of these handsome eggs now before me, taken by Mr. K. H. Bennett at different times, they vary considerably, some being heavily and richly blotched with reddish-brown and lilac, others with bright rust-red, and a few being but sparingly marked with freckles and hair lines of purplish-brown. The measurements are as follows :—One specimen taken in September 1884, at Mossgiel, length 2:6 inches x 1:96 inch. Two eggs taken in October 1884, length (A) 2°42 inches x 1°89 inch; (B) 2°42 inches x 1:91 inch (dark var.) An egg taken from a nest which contained a young bird also, measures length 2°36 inches x 1:9 inch. Three light varieties taken from different nests, during November 1885, measure length (A) 2°35 inches x 1°67 inch ; (B) 2:27 inches x 1°68 inch ; (C) 2:5 inches x 1°8 inch, 14 °=~« FALCONIDE. Hab. Derby, N.W.A., New South Wales, Interior, Victoria and South Australia, W. and 8.W. Australia, (Ramsay.) Genus ELANUS, Savigny. Soy ELANUS AXILLARIS, Latham. Black-shouldered Kite. Goull, Handbk. Bds. Aust. Vol. i, sp. 23, p. 53. ZZ. 6. Dr. Ramsay writes in the Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales as follows :— “ During the last six years several pairs of these hawks have been known to breed on the Iindah Estate, on the Mary River in Queensland, but it was only in November last (1877) that a pair gave my brother (Mr. John Ramsay) an opportunity of taking their nest and eggs, which was not lost.” “ Thenest in question was placed among the topmost forked branches of a Flindersia, and as usual, composed of sticks and twigs ; it was not, however a bulky structure, as is often the case with the Australian hawk’s nests. The eggs were three in number but my brother assures me that four is the correct number for a sitting. The ground colour, where visible, is of a dull white, but it is mostly obscured by blotches and smears of a dark reddish- chocolate. Length (A) 16 x 1:25 inch; (B) 1:72 x 1:25 inch; (C) 1:58 x 1-27 inch. Onespecimen (A) is reddish rusty chocolate smeared and clouded with a darker tinge.” (P.L8., N.S.W., Vol. ii, p. 109, Ramsay.) Dr. Cox has a very handsome set of the eggs of this bird in his collection ; taken on the Hawkesbury River, New South Wales, they are heavily blotched all over with rich, reddish-chocolate markings, and measure as follows. Length (A) 1:65 x 1-23 inch; (B) 1:67 x 1:24 inch; (C) 1:66 x 1:23 inch... Hab. Gulf of Carpentaria, Cape York, Rockingham Bay, Port Denison, Wide Bay District, Dawson River, Richmond and Clarence River Districts, New South Wales, Interior, Victoria and South Australia, W. and 8,W. Australia. (Ramsay.) BAZA, 15 3 ELANUS SCRIPTUS, Gould. Letter-winged Kite. Gould, Handbk., Bds. Aust., Vol. i., sp. 24, p. 55. The Letter-winged Kite was at one time common on the Keilor Plains near Melbourne ; the last specimen I procured was a fine male, it was hovering at dusk in a paddock at Moonee Ponds, catching the field mice which constitute its food. The mode of nidification, and the colour and disposition of the markings of the eggs are similar to the preceding species. Eggs three in number for a sitting. An average specimen in my own collection, taken at Keilor in September 1881, is of a dull white ground colour, heavily blotched with chocolate-brown markings, the only part of the ground colour clearly visible being at the smaller end. Length 1-7 inch x 1:27 inch in breadth. This species breeds during the months of September and October. Hab. Wide Bay District, Richmond and Clarence: Rivers District, New South Wales, Interior, Victoria and South Australia. (Ramsay.) Genus BAZA, Hodgson. 2. BAZA SUBCRISTATA, Gould. Crested Hawk. Gould, Handbk. Bds, Aust., Vol. i., sp. 25, p. 56. LF, The nidification of this species, the single representative of the genus found in Australia is described by Dr. Ramsay, as follows : “ During my recent trip to the North Richmond River, via Grafton, I met with this rare species upon several occasions. I found it giving preference to the edges of the scrubs on the Richmond and Clarence Rivers, whence it would sally out to the more open parts in the mornings and evenings in search of food, and not unfrequently visit the slaughtering establishments in the vicinity of the townships.” 16 FALCONIDE. “T was fortunate enough to procure three eggs of this species, taken by Mr. Macgillivray’s blackfellow “Daddy.” Mr. Macgillivray informs me that, when Daddy was taking the eggs, the female dashed so close to him that he killed it with his tomahawk, The male bird belonging to the nest had been shot the day before. The nest was a comparatively small structure of sticks placed upon a horizontal bough, at a considerable distance from the ground. It contained three eggs, much smaller than I expected to find them. They have the peculiarity of being very much rounded at the larger end, are short upon the whole, and have the thin end pointed abruptly. Their average length is 133; by 1ys inch in breadth; the ground colour greenish-white (the inside of the shell being of a pale sea-green), very sparingly smeared and blotched or spotted with light brown ; one specimen has but two or three spots of a light brownish tint.’ (P.Z.S., 1867, p. 392, Ramsay). Mr. Geo. Barnard of Coomooboolaroo, has been successful in taking sexeral nests of this species in the Dawson River District. Two eggs received from him in 1884, measure as follows :—length (A) 1:73 x 1-41 inch ; (B) 1:75 x 1:4 inch. Hab. Port Darwin and Port Essington, Cape York, Rockingham Bay, Port Denison, Wide Bay District, Dawson River, Richmond and Clarence Rivers District, New South Wales. Genus FALCO, 2-3 FALCO MELANOGENYS, Gould. Black-cheeked Falcon. Gould, Handbk. Bds. Aust., Vol. i., sp. 8, p. 26. MW % This species builds its nest upon the side of a cliff or precipitous rock. Mr. K. H. Bennett found a nest of this species at Mount Manara, in the Wilcannia District on the 9th September, 1885, which contained three eggs, the nest was about 70 feet from the FALCO. 17 ground, and very difficult to obtain, being placed upon the face of an almost perpendicular rock; upon visiting the same place the following year in the month of October, he found that the same(?) pair of birds had repaired the old nest, and that it contained a single fresh egg, but when disturbed again by his climbing to it, they abandoned it, aud built a new nest afew yards higher up, out of reach, the rock on which it was placed completely overhanging the site of the old nest. The eggs are two to three in number for a sitting, of a warm flesh or ruddy ground colour, almost obscured by freckles, spots, and confluent patches of a rich reddish-brown, in a few places the spots are nearly black. Length (A) 2-1 x 1-64 inch; (B) 1:97 x 0°65 inch ; (C) 2-1 x 1:57 inch. An egg taken by Mr. Bennett from the same nest the following year, and which he kindly gave me, is of a very light variety, the ground colour being pinky-white, with reddish-brown or light chestnut markings, confined to the smaller end of the ege. Length 2-1 x_:6 inch. The eggs of this species are usually laid during the months of August and September. Hab. Derby, N.W.A., Port Denison, Wide Bay District, Richmond and Clarence Rivers Districts, New South Wales, Interior, Victoria and South Australia, Tasmania, W. and S.W. . Australia. (Ramsay.) 3 FALCO HYPOLEUCUS, Gould. Grey Falcon. Gould, Handbk. Bds. Aust., Vol. i, sp. 7, p. 24. ZZ. 3, “This is a rare species not plentiful in any part of Australia, but occasionally obtained in the northern portion of the interior of Queensland, and Mr. Gould records it from Western Australia. I am indebted to Mr. J. B. White for specimens of the eggs taken on the upper Thomson River in Queensland.” B 18 FALCONIDA. “The nest, from his description is like that of an Hieracidea, composed of sticks and twigs, and placed on a horizontal bough ; the eggs were three in number, length (A) 2-07 inches x 1°51 inch ; (B) 2 inches x 1°52 inch; they are oblong ovals, the whole of the ground colour obscured by minute dots and freckles of rusty-ved ; there is in one an indistinct band on the larger end, the shell is smooth and slightly glossy ; the bird was seen on the nest. (Mus. Dobr., from Mr. 7. B. Whites Collection.”) P.LAS., N.S.W., Vol. vii. p. 414, Ramsay. Hab, Gulf of Carpentaria, Wide Bay District, Dawson River, Interior, W. and S.W. Australia. (Ramsay.) 4 FALCO SUBNIGER, G. R. Gray. Black Falcon. Gould, Handbk. Bds. Aust., Vol. i., sp. 9, p. 28. a “Ttis through Mr. K. H. Bennett’s exertions and liberality that I am enabled to describe the eggs of this rare species, taken by himself on the 27th of September, 1884. There were four laid for a sitting, which closely resemble large specimens of the Merlin’s, and are not unlike finely freckled eggs of Jieracidea orientalis, but of a richer or brighter red, the ground colour being obscured with rich reddish dots and freckles all over the surface ; in some these dots form con luent markings on one end of the egg, or patches on the side ; they are almost identical in colour and shape with those of J. hypoleweus, but larger ; the shell is of finer grain than is shown in those of the HWieracidew. In form they are almost true ovals, being but slightly swollen at the thicker end ; one is rather elongate in form. Length (A) 2:1 x 1:6 inches; (B) 2:13 x 1-58 inches ; (C) 2:18 x 1°55 inches.” (PLS, MSW, 2nd Series, Vol. i., p. 1146, Hamsay.) From a most interesting and exhaustive account of the habits of this bird, given by Mr. K. H. Bennett in the P.L.S., N.S.W., Vol. x., p. 167, I also extract the following :— FALCO. 19 “The Black Falcon sometimes breeds here in the interior of New South Wales, but not often, for during my long residence (over 20 years) in this locality, I have only met with their nests on four occasions, (one only a few days since). It breeds in September, and lays four eggs which much resemble those of Hieracidea orientalis.” “The nest I recently found was a clear case of appropriation, as last year it was occupied by a pair of G'ypoictinia melanosternon, the Falcons had possession however this year, and the nest contained four eggs. Immediately beneath the edge of the nest a pair-of Xerophila leucopsis had constructed theirs, which contained young, and the old birds were flying in and out, apparently quite unconcerned at the proximity of their dangerous neighbours, well knowing that the interstices between the large sticks of which the upper nest was composed, afforded them a secure asylum.” Hab. Wide Bay District, New South Wales, Interior, Victoria and South Australia. (Ramsay.) 3 FALCO LUNULATUOUS, Latham. White-fronted Falcon. Gould, Handbk. Bds. Aust., Vol. i, sp. 10, p. 29. This species is almost entirely dispersed over the continent of Australia, specimens having been recently received in the collec. tions formed by the late Mr. T. H. Boyer-Bower, from the vicinity of Derby, North Western Australia ; the only districts it has not yet been reported from being Port Darwin and Port Essington. The nest is rather a large structure, outwardly composed of sticks securely woven together, and lined with fine strips of fibrous bark, and usually placed in the topmost branches of a lofty Eucalyptus. Eggs three in number for a sitting, oval in form, buffy-white, thickly freckled and blotched with very light reddish-brown 20 FALCONIDE. markings, which in some places are confluent, not unfrequently being on the smaller end of the egg. Specimens received from Mr. Geo. Barnard of Coomooboolaroo, Queensland, in 1883, measure as follows, length (A) 1:83 x 1:33 inch ; (B) 1:85 x 1:34 inch. Hab. Derby, N.W. Australia, Gulf of Carpentaria, Cape York, Rockingham Bay, Port Denison, Wide Bay District, Dawson River, Richmond and Clarence Rivers Districts, New South Wales, Interior, Victoria and South Australia, Tasmania, West and South-West Australia. (Ramesay.) Genus HIERACIDEA, Gould, 2-9 HIERACIDEA ORIENTALIS, Schlegel. -(H. berigora, Gray.) Brown Hawk. Gould, Handbk. Bds. Aust., Vol.i. sp. 11, p.31. ZZ. 2. The Brown Hawk is without exception, the most common species of the Falconide inhabiting New South Wales and Victoria. It builds its nest sometimes in the topmost branches of a Eucalyptus or Casuarina, or at other times within a few feet of the ground; it isan open structure composed of sticks, lined with fine twigs, leaves, de. The eggs are two to three in number for a sitting, and are very variable, both in their size and markings ; from a number of sets now before me, I give the description of two, which are of the most usual form. Var. (A). Eggs two in number, nearly oval in form, being slightly swollen at the larger end, of a warm reddish-white ground colour, minutely freckled, spotted, and blotched with rich reddish- brown, insome places these markings are confluent, on one specimen HIERACIDEA. 21 (A) a coalesced patch of markings extends nearly over half the entire surface of the egg on the larger end ; in the other specimen ‘ (B), the markings are more uniform and evenly dispersed over the surface of the shell. Length (A) 2 inches x 1-45 inch; (B) 1:94 x1-47inch. Taken at Mossgiel, by Mr. K. H. Bennett, September 9th, 1885. Var. (B). Eggs two in number, oval in form, of a buffy-white ground colour, with minute freckles of reddish-brown, all over the surface, in one specimen (A) intermingled with dark reddish- black blotches, closely resembling the markings of Pandion leucocephalus, in the other (B) the markings are neither so large, dark, nor numerous, and are confined entirely to the smaller end of the egg. Length (A) 2 inches x 1-47 inch; (B) 1:97 x 1:46 inch. Taken at Mossgiel, by Mr. K. H. Bennett, September 16th, 1885. This species breeds during the months of September, October, and November. Hab. Derby, N.W. Australia, Port Darwin and Port Essington, Gulf of Carpentaria, Cape York, Rockingham Bay, Port Denison, Wide Bay District, Dawson River, Richmond and Clarence Rivers Districts, New South Wales, Interior, Victoria and South Australia, Tasmania, West and South-West Australia. (2amsay.) SS HIERACIDEA BERIGORA, Vigors and Horsjield. (H. occidentalis, Gould.) Western Brown Hawk. Gould, Handbk. Bds. Aust., Vol. i., sp. 12, p. 33. The nidification of the Western Brown Hawk is similar to that of the preceding species. Eggs two to three in number for a sitting, usually more rounded in form than those of Z. orientalis, the ground colour being almost obscured with small rich reddish- 22 FALCONIDE. brown markings, uniformly dispersed over the whole surface of the shell. A set taken by Mr. Joseph Hill, at Kewell, in the Wimmera District, Victoria, on the 9th September, 1887, measures length (A) 1:98 x 1:55 inch; (B) 2 inches x 1:6 inch. The breeding season commences during the latter end of August and continues the two following months. Hab. Derby, N.W. Australia, Interior, Victoria and South Australia, West and South-West Australia, (Ramsay) Genus TINNUNCULUS, Vieillot. TINNUNCULUS CENCHROIDES, Vigors and Horsfield. + Nankeen Kestrel. Gould, Handbk. Bds. Aust., Vol. i., sp. 13, p. 35. . s& This species usually deposits its eggs, four in number for a sitting, on the decaying wood in a hollow limb of a tree. The eggs vary in form, from short to rounded ovals, and are of a reddish- white ground colour, minutely freckled, and heavily blotched all over with rich reddish-brown markings; in some instances the blotches are confined entirely to the smaller end. On two occasions I have seen eggs of this species nearly white. A set taken at Cardington, on the Bell River, New South Wales, in September 1867, measure as follows :—length (A) 1:55 x 1-15 inch; (B) 1-48 x 1:18 inch ; (C) 15 x 1-2 inch; (D) 1:48 x 1-19 inch, The breeding season comprises the months of September October, and November. Hab. Derby, N.W. Australia, Port Denison, Wide Bay District, Dawson River, New South Wales, Interior, Victoria and South Australia. (Runsay.) PANDION. 23 Sub-Order PANDIONES. Genus PANDION, Suviyny. 3 PANDION LEUCOCEPHALUS, Gould. White-headed Osprey. Gould, Handbk. Bds. Aust., Vol. i., sp. 6, p. 22. TE 74 2. This species constructs a large nest of sticks lined with twigs and seaweed, and is sometimes placed on the summit of a rock, but more often in the top of some high tree. Mr. John S8. Ramsay took a nest of this species, containing two eggs, (Var. A.) in the Wide Bay district, on the 15th of August, 1880, and another with three eggs (Var. B.) at Iindah, on the Mary River, Queensland, in 1882. Var. A. Eggs two in number, elongated in form, of a deep yellowish-white ground colour, heavily blotched and spotted with rich reddish-brown markings, but particularly on the larger end, where they form a coalesced patch. Length (A) 2°56 x 1:73 inches ; (B) 2:57 x 1:72 inches. Var. B. Eggs three in nuinber, oval in form, of a rich flesh- white ground colour, spotted and blotched with deep reddish- brown, and minutely freckled with small dots of the same colour, intermingled with obsolete splashes of purple appearing as if beneath the surface of the shell. Length (A) 2°27 x 1/7 inches ; (B) 2-27 x 1-68 inches ; (C) 2°31 x 1:68 inches. The breeding season which commences early in July, continues during the three following months. Hab. Derby, N.W. Australia, Port Darwin and Port Essington, Gulf of Carpentaria, Cape York, Rockingham Bay, Port Denison, Wide Bay District, Richmond and Clarence Rivers Districts, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, Tasmania, West and South-West Australia, South Coast of New Guinea. (Ramsay.) 24 STRIGIDA. hat Ciedes go MS sub Orgs: 2 Pa. 2 Es Family STRIGIDAL. Genus STRIX, Linneus. (2) STRIX CANDIDA, Tickell. Grass Owl, Gould, Suppl. Bds. Aust., Pl. i. zz. 6. Respecting this rare Australian Owl, Dr. Ramsay remarks :— “T am indebted to my friend Mr. J. A. Boyd, for a set of the eggs of this species, taken in the Herbert District, Queensland ; like those of all others of the genus, they are white, but have a slight bluish tinge ; in form oval, rather swollen about the centres; length (A) 1:68 x 1-25 inches in breadth ; (B) 1:7 x 1:25 inches.” (P.LS., NSW, Ind Series, Vol. i., p. 1060, Ramsay.) Hab. Rockingham Bay, Wide Bay District, New South Wales. (Ramsay.) r STRIX FLAMMEA, Linneus. Sub-Species STRIX DELICATULA, Gould. Delicate Owl. Gould, Handbk, Bds. Aust., Vol. i., sp. 31, p. 66. On two occasions, Mr. K. H. Bennett found nests of this species at Ivanhoe, in the interior of New South Wales. The eggs were in both instances six in number, of a dull uniform white, and were deposited on the decayed wood in the hollow limb of a Box tree. An average specimen measures 1:55 inch in length x 1:28 inch in breadth, Hab. Derby, N.W. Australia, Gulf of Carpentaria, Cape York, Rockingham Bay, Port Denison, Wide Bay District, Richmond and Clarence River Districts, New South Wales, Interior, Victoria NINOX, 25 and South Australia, West and South-West Australia, South Coast New Guinea. (Ramsay.) Sub-Family BUBONINA. Genus NINOX, Hodgson. 3, NINOX BOOBOOK, Latham. Boobook Owl. Gould, Handbk. Bds. Aust., Vol. i., sp. 36, p. 74. WE 6. This species makes no nest, but lays its eggs, three in number, on the decayed wood, in some hole or spout of a Gum tree. Egg white, the shell minutely pitted as if with the point of a pin ; one of a set of three taken in South Gippsland, measures :—length 1°42 inch x 1:2 inch in width. The breeding season commences in October and lasts during the two following months. Hab. Port Darwin and Port Essington, Cape York, Rockingham Bay, Port Denison, Wide Bay District, Dawson River, Richmond and Clarence Rivers Districts, New South Wales, Interior, Victoria and South Australia, West and South-West Australia. (Ramsay.) NINOX CONNIVENS, Latham. Winking Owl. Gould, Handb. Bds, Aust., Vol. i., sp. 34, p. 71. ‘Gilbert procured an egg of this species in Western Australia, it was pure white, somewhat round in form, and large for the size of the bird, measuring two inches in length by one and five- eights in breadth.” (Gould.) 26 CAPRIMULGIDA. Hab. Gulf of Carpentaria, Cape York, Rockingham Bay, Port Denison, Wide Bay District, Richmond and Clarence Rivers Districts, New South Wales, Interior, Victoria and South Australia. (Ramsay.) Order INSESSORES. Family CAPRIMULGID. Grnus AGOTHELES, Vigors and Horsfield. AEGOTHELES NOV A-HOLLANDIA, Viyors and Horsfield. The Owlet Nightjar. Gould, Handbk, Birds Aust., Vol. i, sp. 38, p. 79. RTE 4. This species deposits its eggs, which are white and from three to four in number on the debris at the bottom of a hollow branch of a tree, usually a Eucalyptus. A set of three taken at Cardington, in December, 1867, by Mr. John 8. Ramsay, measure as follows :-—- length (A) 1:15 x 0°87 inch ; (B) 1:1 x 0°85 inch; (C) 1:15 x 0-87 inch. The shell is thick and hard in texture. The breeding season commences in October and lasts. during the three following months. Hab. Rockingham Bay, Wide Bay District, Dawson River, Richmond and Clarence Rivers Districts, New South Wales, Interior, Victoria and South Australia, Tasmania, West and South-West Australia. (Aamsay.) Genus PODARGUS, Cuvier. PODARGUS STRIGOIDES, Latham. Tawny-shouldered Podargus. Gould, Haudbk. Bds. Aust., Vol. i, sp. 40, p. 84, ZZ. 3. This bird is universally dispersed throughout New South Wales and Victoria ; it builds a flat nest of sticks loosely placed together PODARGUS—EUROSTOPODUS. 27 on the horizontal branch of any suitable tree. Eggs three in number for a sitting, perfectly white, elongated in form, shell finely granulate. Dimensions of a set taken at Dobroyde, October 16th, 1862. Length (A) 1:88 x 1:32 inch; (B) 1°85 x 1:35 inch ; (C) 1:94 x 1°32 inch, The breeding season commences in September, and is at its height in October, and continues the two following months. Hab. Port Denison, Wide Bay District, Dawson River, Richmond and Clarence Rivers Districts, New South Wales, Interior, Victoria and South Australia. (Ramsay. ) PODARGUS CUVIERI, Vigors and Horsjieli. Cuvier’s Podargus. Gould, Handbk. Bds. Aust., Vol.i, sp. 41, p. 87. ZZ 4%. The nidification of this species is similar to that of 1’, strigoides, but the nest is more compactly and securely built. Eggs white, of a uniform size at both ends; specimens taken in Tasmania, in October, 1885, measure as follows :—length (A) 1-71 x 1-23 inch ; (B) 1°73 x 1-23 inch. Hab. Victoria and Tasmania. (Ramsay.) Grenus EUROSTOPODUS, / EUROSTOPODUS GUTTATUS, Vigors and Horsfield. Spotted Nightjar. Gould, Handbk. Bds. Aust., Vol. i. sp. 49, p. 98. 2Z 9. “Tts single egg is laid on the ground without any preparation for it, usually near some stone or stump on the side of a stony ridge ; the ground colour is of a light greenish creamy-white, sparingly 28 CAPRIMULGID2. marked all over with dots and oval spots of blackish and slaty- brown, a few markings appearing as if beneath the surface of the shell. Length 1:38 x linch in breadth, both ends nearly equal.” (P.Z.8., 1875, p. 581, Ramsay.) An egg of this species in my possession taken by Mr. George Barnard in 1886, measures 1:31 inch in length by 0°97 inch in breadth. Hab. Derby, N.W. Australia, Port Darwin and Port Essington, Gulf of Carpentaria, Cape York, Rockinghain Bay, Port Denison, Wide Bay District, Dawson River, Richmond and Clarence Rivers Districts, New South Wales, Interior, Victoria and South Australia, West and South-West Australia. (Ramsay.) EUROSTOPODUS ALBIGULARIS, Vigors and Horsfield. White-throated Nightjar. Gould, Handbk. Bds. Aust., Vol. i, sp. 48, p. 96. XZ 3 “ The egg resembles that of #. guttatus, without the greenish tinge on the ground-colour, which is of a rich, light cream-colour, spotted sparingly all over with round dots and oval-shaped marks of black, blackish-brown, and slaty-black, which latter appear as if , beneath the surface of the shell; length from 1-41 to 1:5 inch, — breadth from 1:03 to 1:13, equal at both ends.” “T found this species breeding both at Brisbane and on the Mary River. My brother, Mr. James Ramsay, of Nanama, forwarded to me authentic eggs from the Merule in the Riverina district, of New South Wales.” “The Australian Museum having recently received from Mr. A. Clarke, a very fine specimen of the egg of this species, which differs in size and colour from all I have before examined, I cannot let the occasion slip by without describing so fine a specimen, The eggs taken at Gootchy by Mr. D. Helsham, were CAPRIMULGUS. 29 evidently quite authentic, as the birds were flushed off them, and several specimens shot by myself at the time, The Gootchy eggs are smaller than the present specimen, but slightly larger than those of F. guttatus. The egg at present under consideration, in size is almost as large as that of Podargus humeralis. An egg from Gootehy is 1:53 x 1:05 inch; colour light cream with black round dots. That received from Mr. A. Clarke, is of a rich deep cream-yellow, having on one side a cluster of round black spots, which touch one another here and there, and a few similar dots sprinkled over the remaining surface ; length 1-55 inches x 1:15 inches in breadth. In consequence of the great width of the ege it appears to be larger than it really is.” (Ramsay, P.ZS., 1875, p. 581; and P.L.S., VS.W., Vol. i, 2nd Series, p. 1142.) Hab, Wide Bay District, Dawson River, Richmond and Clarence Rivers Districts, New South Wales, Interior, Victoria and South Australia. (Hamsay.) Genus CAPRIMULGUS, Linneus. 2 CAPRIMULGUS MACRURUS, Aorsjield. Large-tailed Nightjar. Gould, Handbk. Bds. Aust., Vol. i., sp. 50, p. 100. “T am indebted to Inspector Robert Johnstone for a fine pair of these eggs; they were found on the ground on the side of a ridge near the Herbert River, Queensland ; and are of a light rich cream colour, fading to whitish after being emptied, clouded all over with fleecy markings of pale slaty lilac, which appear as if beneath the surface of the shell ; length 1-1 x 81 inch in breadth. (Ramsay, P.Z.S., 1875, p. 581.) Hab. Port Darwin and Port Essington, Gulf of Carpentaria, Cape York, Rockingham Bay, Port Denison, Wide Bay District, New South Wales, Interior, Victoria and South Australia, West and South-West Australia, South Coast New Guinea. (Ramsay.) 30 HIRUNDINIDE. Family HIRUNDINIDA. Genus HIRUNDO, Linneus. iS HIRUNDO NEOXENA, Gould. (IT. frontalis, Quoy et Gaimard.) Welcome Swallow. Gould, Handbk., Bls. Aust., Vol. i, sp. 53, p. 107. * Although this species is strictly migratory, yet it is no easy task to determine the exact date of its arrival in the neighbourhood of Sydney, or its departure therefrom, owing to the number of stragglers which remain with us during the whole of the year. I believe however, that the visitants arrive early in July, or perhaps late in June, and leave us again in the end of January and February. After their arrival, and again just before their departure, they may be seen in great numbers flying to and fro over the fields, and often skimming over the water-holes and lagoons ; but keeping very high sometimes almost out of sight, during the middle of the day.” “T have frequently observed them, in company with the Fairy Martin (Lagenoplastes ariel) flying over the lawn of the inner Domainin Sydney. Tree Swallows (/etrochelidon nigricans ) also accompany this species in search of food. We met withall three species mixed up in one immense flock during December 1864, at Lake Bathurst; here they were following in our wake as we walked through the rushes on a small island, obtaining a rich feast on the small Libellula, which flew up in countless numbers at every step we took. The pupa-cases of these insects were lying piled up between the rushes to the height of two, and even three feet, while the edges of the island at dusk were alive with the pupe crawling out of the water. The proper breeding season of Hirundo neoxena is during the months of August and throughout to the end of December; stragglers, however, may be found breeding at almost any time. I have found them building in the Dobroyde stables, both in the months of February and June; and HIRUNDO. 31 on April 17th, 1864, I took a nest with fresh eggs from the same buildings.” “Tn choosingasite for the nest they seem to beeven less particular than in their time of breeding. Almost any building will serve them where they can obtain a horizontal beam or ledge. On this they place their round bowl-shaped nest, the wall of which is composed of pellets of mud, mingled with grass, and securely fastened on the beam. As soon as the mud-work is dry, it is warmly lined with grasses, horsehair, or feathers ; and the nest is then ready for the eggs, which are usally from three to five in nuniber, 0°75 irich in length by 0°5 in breadth. The ground colour is of a delicate white, having numerous dots and freckles of yellowish-brown and faint lilac sprinkled over the whole surface, but more thickly at the larger end. The nests are + to 6 inches ( wide by 2°5 inches deep.” “Tn 1858, while fishing off a small steamer, which having been out of use for some months, was moored a few hundred yards from the North Shore, in the Sydney Harbour, I observed a pair of these Swallows fiy round the boat, and frequently dive underneath the paddle-box. After a long search I discovered their nest, which was composed of black pitchy mud, lined with seaweed and feathers. It was placed upon one of the horizontal beams of the paddle-box, and contained three young ones about half fledged. The man in charge informed me that the nest had been made when the steamer was lying lower down the harbour, and upon its being tugged to where it then lay the birds flew round and round it the whole time, evidently in a great state of excitement.” (Ramsay, Ibis, 1868, Vol. iv., New Series, p. 275.) A set of the eggs of this species in the Australian Museum Collection measures as follows :—length (A) 0°73 x 0°5 inch ; (B) 0-74 x 0-59 inch ; (C) 0°72 x 0-58 inch ; (D) 0-76 x 0-6 inch ; (I) 0-73 x 0°58 inch. Hab. Gulf of Carpentaria, Cape York, Rockingham Bay, Port Denison, Wide Bay District, Dawson River, Richmond and Clarence Rivers Districts, New South Wales, Interior, Victoria and South Australia, Tasmania, West and South-West Australia, (ltamsay.) 32 HIRUNDINIDE. Genus PETROCHELIDON, Cabanis. > PETROCHELIDON NIGRICANS, Vieillos. Tree Swallow. Gould, Handbk. Bds. Aust, Vol. i., sp. 55, p. 111. BZ. 7% This species is to be found throughout the whole of Australia, Tasmania, and southern portions of New Guinea. It arrives in New South Wales and Victoria in August, and leaves again at the latter end of February. It deposits its eggs three in number, on the decayed wood, in a hollow branch, or hole in a tree; the ground colour being of a pinky-white, covered with minute freckles of light rusty-brown, particularly towards the larger end, where in some instances, intermingled with lilac spots they form a zone, others again are of a pure white, with a few fine dots of light red at the larger end. A set taken by Mr. K. H. Bennett, at Mossgiel on the 16th of September, 1885, measure as follows :— (A) 0:73 x 0°55 inch 3 (B) 0:72 x 0°54 inch ; (C) 0-68 x 0°54 inch. “ Hab. Gulf of Carpentaria, Cape York, Rockingham Bay, Port Denison, Wide Bay District, Dawson River, Richmond and Clarence River Districts, New South Wales, Interior, Victoria and South Australia, Tasmania, West and South-West Australia, South Coast New Guinea, (Ramsay.) Genus LAGENOPLASTES, Gould. LAGENOPLASTES ARIEL, Guild. Fairy Martin. Gould, Handbk. Bds. Aust., Vol. i, sp. 56, p. 113. vw “ About the end of November 1860, I discovered a large batch of nests of this species fastened under an overhanging rock upon the banks of the Bell River. I counted upwards of one hundred nests, all built so closely together, that of many, the entrances were alone visible.” gh, CHERAMCA, 33 The Martins were flying to and from the nests in great numbers, some carrying in grass for the linings, others busily employed in repairing the old, and building new nests with the mud from the river's bank. Many also I found brooding their eggs, and this gave me a good opportunity of procuring some specimens, which Idid not fail to seize. There were usually from three to five eggs, but some nests contained seven. Many of the eggs were altogether white, others were-spotted with light brownish-yellow occasionally all over, in other instances only at the larger end. They vary in length from 7 to 8} lines, and from 6 to 6} lines in breadth.” (Ramsay, Ibis 1865, Vol. i., New Series, p. 299.) On September 29th, 1886, in company with Mr. Geo. Masters we took a number of the nests of this species at Chatsworth, on the Eastern Creek, the eggs varied both in size, shape, and colour, some being white without markings of any kind, others being elongated and heavily marked with yellowish-brown spots, they measure as follows :—length (A) 0°67 x 0°47 inch; (B) 0-69 x 0-48 inch ; (C) 0°75 x 0:49 inch ; (D) 0-73 x 0-48 inch ; (E) 0-68 x 0°47 inch. During a visit to Dubbo in August 1887, these birds arrived in great numbers, commencing to build on the 17th, and covering the eaves of the schools, churches, and public buildings with their curiously retort-shaped nests. Hab. Port Denison, Wide Bay District, Dawson River, Richmond and Clarence Rivers Districts, New South Wales, Interior, Victoria and South Australia. (Ramsay.) Genus CHERAM(CECA, Cabanis. CHERAMCCA LEUCOSTERNUM, Gould. White-breasted Swallow. Gould, Handbk. Bds. Aust, Vol. i, sp. 57 p.115 2HE. A I extract the following from Mr. K. H. Beunett’s MS. notes on the nidification of this bird :-- - ¢ 34 MEROPIDA. “This species of Swallow is the only one with which I am acquainted, that is not migratory, being found in this locality, (Mossgiel New South Wales) and to the same extent as regards numbers all the year round, It is widely distributed throughout the timbered or “ back ” country, but is never found on the plains, and is generally seen in small flocks of five or six in number. It breeds here during the month of October, in holes in the sides of the entrances to the burrows of either the Bettongia, or Peragales whether inhabited by these animals or not. I have never yet found more than four eggs in a nest.” A set of three taken by Mr. Bennett on October 19th, 1885, at Mossgiel, are pure white, and measures as follows :—(A) 0-64 x 0-48 inch ; (B) 0°63 x 0°48 inch; (C) 0°64 x 0°47 inch. Specimens in my possession taken by Mr. Gardner in South Australia, give the same measurements. . Hab. New South Wales, Interior, Victoria and South Australia, West and South-West Australia. (Ramsay.) Family MEROPIDZ. Genus MEROPS, Linneus. si MEROPS ORNATUS, Latham. Australian Bee-eater. Gould, Handbk. Bds, Aust. Vol. i., sp. 58, p. 117. This bird is universally dispersed throughout the whole of Australia, and tunnels a narrow hole in the sandy bank of a river or creek at the extremity of which it lays its eggs, five in number. Eggs, beautiful pearly-white ; a set taken at Buldery, measures as follows :—(A) 0°87 x 0-72 inch; (B) 0-85 x 0:70 inch; (C) 0:85 x 0°73 inch ; (D) 0°85 x 0-72 inch ; (E) 0°84 x 0°73 inch. EURYSTOMUS. 35 It breeds in New South Wales during October and the two following months. Hab. Derby, N.W.A., Port Darwin and Port Essington, Gulf of Carpentaria, Cape York, Rockingham Bay, Port Denison, Wide Bay District, Dawson River, Richmond and Clarence River Districts, New South Wales, Interior, Victoria and South Australia, W. and 8. W. Australia, South Coast New Guinea. (Ramsay.) Family CORACIDAE. Genus EURYSTOMUS, Vieillot. as EURYSTOMUS PACIFICUS, Latham. Australian Roller. Gould, Handbk. Bds. Aust., Vol. i. sp. 59, p. 119. a, 4 ‘“‘T found this bird nesting in the hollow Eucalyptus boughs on the Richmond River, in October, 1867; they make no nest but lay their eggs on the dust formed by the decayed wood—not unfrequently they fight with, and dispossess the Dacelo gigas, and I have seen them take the young of this bird and throw them out of the nest The eggs are two or three in number, of a dull white, rather glossy, and sometimes variable in form, some being oval and pointed, others almost round. Length (A) 1:45 x 1:05, oblong ; (B) 1°34 x 1:1, roundish.” (Dodr. Mus. P.L.S., N.S. W., Vol. vii., p.46. Ramsay.) Hab. Derby, N.W.A., Cape York, Rockingham Bay, Port Denison, Wide Bay District, Dawson River, Richmond and Clarence River Districts, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, South Coast New Guinea: (Ramsay.) 36 ALCEDINIDE. Family ALCEDINID:. Genus DACELO, Leach. 3-%. DACELO GIGAS, Bodd. Great Brown Kingfisher. Gould, Handbk. Bds. Aust., Vol. i., sp..60, p. 122, ZZ. This well known bird deposits its eggs on the decaying wood in a hollow branch or hole in a tree, usually a Eucalyptus. 4 Eggs three or four in number for a sitting, of a beautiful pearly-white. Dimensions of a set taken at Cardington, on the Bell River, New South Wales, in October, 1860. Length (A) 1-68 x 1-4 inch ; (B) 1°72 x 1:41 inch; (C) 1:8 x 1:45 inch; (D) 1-72 x 1:4 inch. On one occasion, on Ash Island, a nest of this species was found formed in the side of a clump of Stag-horn fern. When the young birds are fully fledged they crowd to the entrance of the aperture, in their eagerness to obtain the coveted morsel, which the parent bird procures for them, usually a lizar or field mouse, and their united and incessant clamourings for the same can be heard a considerable distance away. This species breeds during the months of August, September, and October. Hab. Wide Bay District, Dawson River, Richmond and Clarence Rivers Districts, New South Wales, Interior, Victoria and South Australia. (Ramsay.) 4. DACELO LEACHII, Vigors and Horsfield. Leach’s Kingfisher. Gould, Handbk. Bds, Aust., Vol. i., sp. 61, p. 124. 22 2. “This species takes the place in the North of D. gigas in the South. Eggs four in number for a sitting, placed in a hollow bough, or at the end of tunnels excavated in the nest of the Termites. Colour of a pure pearly-white. Length(A) 1:72x 1:3 inch, oval in shape ; (B) 1:6 x 1:34, rather round.” HALCYON, 37 “They breed during the months of September, October, and November.” (Ramsay, P.L.S., N.S.W., Vol. vii., p. 45.) Hab. Port Darwin and Port Essington, Gulf of Carpentaria, Cape York, Rockingham Bay, Port Denison, Wide Bay District, Dawson River, South Coast New Guinea. (Ramsay.) Genus HALCYON Swainson. ee HALCYON SANCTUS, Vigors and Horsfield, Sacred Kingfisher. Gould, Handbk. Bds. Aust., Vol. i., sp. 63, p. 128. This bird is now known to be universally dispersed throughout the continent of Australia, it having lately been received from North-western Australia, in the collection formed by Mr. Cairn in the vicinity of Derby last year (1886), being the only portion of the continent from which specimens had not been previously received. The Sacred Kingfisher deposits its eggs which are pearly-white and usually five in number, on the decaying wood in a hollow branch, or hole of a tree, usually a Eucalyptus. A set taken in October 1870, measure as follows :—length (A) 1-03 x 0°88 inch ; (B) 1:03 x 0°89 inch ; (C) 1:03 x 0°87 inch ; (D) 1:02 x 0°82 inch ; -(E) 1:05 x 0°88 inch. The breeding season commences in September, and lasts the two - following months. Hab. Derby, N.W. Australia, Port Darwin and Port Essington, Gulf of Carpentaria, Cape York, Rockingham Bay, Port Denison, Wide Bay District, Dawson River, Richmond and Clarence Rivers Districts, New South Wales, Interior, Victoria and South Australia, Tasmania, W. and 8.W. Australia, South Coast New Guinea. (Ramsay.) 38. ALCEDINIDE. s HALCYON PYRRHOPYGIUS, Gould. Red-backed Kingfisher. Gould, Handbk. Bds. Aust., Vol. i, sp. 64, p. 130. This species breeds in the Bourke and Cobar districts during October and November, it nests in hollow boughs of trees, but on one occasion Mr. James Ramsay took five eggs from the end of a tunnel in the bank of a recently made dam or tank; these specimens, accompanied by a skin of the parent bird, were sent to me, and measure as follows :—(A) 1-02 x 0°88; (B) 1:02 x 0°88; . (C) 1:02 x 0-88; (D) 1-02 x 0:78; (E) 1:04 x 0°87 inch ; they are a pure glossy white colour. (Dobr. Mus. P.L.S., N.S.W., Vol. vii. p. 45, Ramsay.) Hab. Derby, N.W. Australia, Port Darwin and Port Essington, Gulf of Carpentaria, Cape York, Rockingham Bay, Port Denison, Wide Bay District, Dawson River, New South Wales, Interior, Victoria and South Australia. (Ramsay.) s HALCYON MACLEAYI, Jardine and Selby. Macleay’s Kingfisher. Gould, Handb. Bds. Aust., Vol. i., sp. 66, p. 133. This beautiful Kingfisher has an extensive range of habitat, being found in the northern provinces of New South Wales, and the whole of Queensland, and has lately been received from North Western Australia, in the collection formed by the late Mr. T. H. Boyer-Bower. It often deposits its eggs in the hollow branch of a tree, at other times, digging a tunnel in the nest of the White Ants, it lays them in a rounded chamber at the extremity. During Dr. Ramsay’s visit to Queensland in 1874 a nest was TANYSIPTERA. 39 found in the grounds of Mr. Coxen, near Brisbane, on the 6th of January ; it was a narrow tunnel about twelve inches or less in length, made ina White Ant’s nest ona treea few yards from the ground, it contained five fresh eggs of a clear pearly white, somewhat transparent shell, and abruptly pointed at the smaller Length (A) 1 inch x 0°83 inch ; (B) 1-01 x 0°82 inch; (C) 1:03 end. x 0°83 inch ; (D) 1:05 x 0-82 inch; (E) 1-05 x 0°85 inch. This species breeds during the months of November, December, and January. Hab. Derby, N.W.A., Port Darwin and Port Essington, Gulf of Carpentaria, Cape York, Rockingham Bay, Port Denison, Wide Bay District, Dawson River, Richmond and Clarence Rivers Districts, New South Wales, South Coast New Guinea. (Ramsay.) Genus TANYSIPTERA, Vigors. . TANYSIPTERA SYLVIA, Gould. White-tailed Kingfisher.| Gould, Handbk. Bds. Aust., Vol. i., sp. 68, p. 187. Mr, J. A. Thorpe of the Australian Museum, informs me that he found this species breeding plentifully during the months of September and October, in the hills or nests of the White Ants (Termites ) situated in the dense scrubs in the neighbourhood of Cape York. It tunnels a hole a few feet from the ground in one of these hills, about fifteen inches in length, and lays four or five pure white eggs near the extremity, where it is hollowed out in the form of a chamber.