BY E. r. RAMSAY, P.L.S. 407 



grasses, and placed on a horizontal bough, often only a few feet 

 from the ground, but occasionally at a height of about 20 to 30 

 feet, the eggs are from three to four in number, but sometimes 

 five and seven have been takeu by Mr. James Ramsa}^ from a 

 single nest. They are of a milky- white, sometimes of a skimmed- 

 milk colour, with spots, and here and there a blotch of blackish 

 umber, and blackish- slate colour^some altogether without mark- 

 ings, or with only one or two blackish specks. A set of four 

 measure as follows, length 1-2G x 0*85 ; US x 0-85 ; 1*27 x 0*88 ; 

 118 X O-SD.—iMus. Bohr., J. B.) 



44. Artamus mixor, Vieill. PL 3, figs. 9 and 10. 



Mr. Greorge Barnard informs me that this species builds its 

 nests often in the end of a hollow branch, or in hollows in the 

 tops of stumps and broken trees, and posts, sometimes in old 

 mortice holes in fences, the nest is a very frail and scanty structure, 

 merely a few leaves, sticks, and twigs put together so loosely 

 that it will scarcely bear removal. The eggs two, three, or four 

 for a sitting, are of a dull white or cream colour, blotched with 

 yellowish-brown and obsolete markings of slaty-grey, which in 

 some specimens are almost as well defined as the primary spots ; 

 some specimens are heavily blotched wdth these colours, others 

 spotted, blotched, freckled or minutely dotted ; all are more or 

 less zoned at the thicker end, in some the spots are confluent, 

 forming ill-shapen figures, in others round or oval and well- 

 defined. Length (1) 0'75 x 0-55 {avemr/e size); (2) 0'71 x 0*45 ; 

 (3) 0-76 X 0-55 , (4) 0-75 x 0-57. 



45. Xerophila leucopsis, Gould. PI. 3, fig. 7. 



The eggs of this species have been unfortunately described as 

 being white by Mr. Grould ; that many of our Australian birds 

 lay eggs other than of the normal colour must be well known to 

 all Australian Oologists, who are not unfrequently a little puzzled 

 at getting eggs of the same species totally different from one 



