880 ON THE NIDIPICATION OF THE TORRES STRAITS PIGEON, 



NOTES ON THE NIDIFICATION OF THE TORRES 

 STRAITS PIGEON, MYRISTICIVORA SPILORRHOA. 



By a. J. North, F.L.S. 



From the month of October until the end of March the Torres 

 Straits or White Nutmeg Pigeon, during most seasons, is freely 

 dispersed over the dense brushes and mangrove-lined mouths of 

 the rivers of the North-eastern coast of Queensland. Mr. J. A. 

 Boyd, of the Herbert River, has kindly forwarded mc the eggs of 

 this species taken on North Barnard Island by Captain Proctor 

 at the latter end of last season, also the accompanying notes 

 kindly communicated by Mr. Wm. T. White, of Greenfield, 

 relative to the nidification of this tine pigeon. 



"A few years ago these birds came to the scrubs on the Herbert 

 River in great numbers, generally arriving about the beginning 

 of September and remaining until the end of March, but during 

 the last three or four years they have become very scarce, in fact, 

 I did not see a score altogether last year. The decrease in their 

 numbers is no doubt due to the wholesale slaughter of these poor 

 birds during the breeding season, and, unless this is prevented, 

 the Torres Straits pigeons will entirely disappear from this district 

 within the next four or five yea^s. I have found the eggs of these 

 birds during November and Decembei*. The nest is a very rude 

 structure, consisting simply of a few twigs laid across each other 

 in the fork of a horizontal branch generally not more than fifteen 

 or twenty feet from the ground, and so open that the eggs (two 

 in number) are visible from below. The birds appear to prefer 

 mangroves and tea-trees, and do not crowd their nests together, 

 although three or four pairs may sometimes build in the same 

 tree. I have frequently found their nests fully twenty miles 

 inland, but think most of them build very close to the sea." 



