Mr. G, KrefFt on the Brown-capped Pomatorhinus. 75 



among the foliage of another tree, or run at a quick pace along the 

 ground. They are very restless, and keep constantly moving up and 

 down the branches and in the shade of the foliage ; so that it is very 

 difficult to obtain a shot at them. 



DiflPerent kinds of insects appear to be their principal food, as I 

 have found the remains of grasshoppers, &c. in their stomach. 



Their nests are very remarkable structures, and about 30 to 36 in. 

 long by 2 feet in circumference ; the entrance is at the top, and pro- 

 tected by overhanging sticks. The whole fabric is very strongly 

 constructed of dry branches, and at first appearance would never be 

 taken to be the work of such a small bird. The inside of the nest 

 is very small, consisting of a tunnel of about 14 or 15 in. in depth by 

 3 or 4 in. in diameter. The roof-like sticks covering the entrance are 

 a good protection against the depredations of the spotted Dasyurus 

 and other enemies to the eggs and young brood, showing the deep 

 sagacity of this singular bird. 



Travelling along the banks of the Murray, and now and then cut- 

 ting off a bend of the river by crossing through the scrubble, the 

 traveller cannot help noticing a great many of these nests buried be- 

 tween the forked branches of Eucalyptus dumosa^ or into the very 

 crown of the Huon pine. Whenever I asked my native companions 

 to which birds these nests might belong, they would tell me their 

 native name for it, which is Tannekun, but which left me as wise as 

 before, as no Brown-capped Pomatorhinus was to be met with. It 

 was not until Mr. Blandowski had returned to Melbourne, leaving 

 me in charge of the expedition, that I was informed by that gentle- 

 man that this bird was not described by Mr. Gould, urging me 

 to procure every information about its habits and economy ; but 

 very soon after this a splendid life-like representation appeared in 

 the Supplement to the ' Birds of Australia.' 



Measurements : — Weight hardly 2 oz. ; between wings 1 P' ; 

 length 9^". 



It was not so easy as I thought, to procure the eggs ; and for two 

 days I was unsuccessful — not one nest of more than a score which 

 were searched contained any eggs ; but on the 20th of September 

 an inhabited nest was found in the top of a pine tree, which con- 

 tained five fresh eggs of a light greenish-blue colour, with a few very 

 indistinctly marked darker spots, and divided in the middle by a 

 band paler than any other part of the egg. 



When the nest was first seen there were about ten or fifteen birds 

 hopping about it, by which and by the size of the nest I should sup- 

 pose that more than one female deposits her eggs in it. The eggs 

 which the natives brought in after this were almost all set upon : at 

 the same time they brought some young birds ; and about a fortnight 

 later I shot several young birds on the wing. 



July 13, 1858.— Dr. Gray, F.R.S., V.P., in the Chair. 

 On a New Species of Ptarmigan. By John Gould, F.R.S. &c. 

 Everything which tends to increase our knowledge of so important 



