REPORT FOR THE YEAR 1900. 159 



Fifty-three specimens in all were received in this Section, forty- 

 eight by donation, four by purchase, and one by collection. 



AVES. 



(Mr. A. J. North, Assistant-in-Charge). 



Mr. North reports that he was "chiefly occupied in the prepara- 

 tion of the MS. of Part I. of the second edition of the ' Catalogue 

 of Nests and Eggs of Birds found breeding in Australia and 

 Tasmania.' No inconsiderable amount of time was devoted to 

 preliminary work in connection with the process blocks for the 

 illustration of the whole, and in supervising the colouring of the 

 plates of eggs. Towards the end of the year I visited Melbourne and 

 Adelaide, and through the courtesy of the Directors of the National 

 Museum in the former city, and South Australian Museum in the 

 latter, I was enabled to examine the cabinet collections in those 

 Institutions. Opportunity was also taken of inspecting many of 

 the private collections. In addition to ordinary routine work, 

 assistance was afforded to the artist of the Department of Agricul- 

 ture in the preparation of two plates to illustrate the remainder of 

 the long delayed paper on the 'Insectivorous Birds of New South 

 Wales.'' A collection of Australian Birds'-eggs was determined 

 for Capt. Farquhar, r.n , and other small collections for diff"erent 

 persons." 



We were fortunate enough, through the good offices of Mr. W. 

 Loder, to acquire another Gymnorhiiia nest, formed of a mass of 

 fence lacing wire (Plate xx., tig. 2). This consists of fragments of 

 galvanised wire used in the lacing together of wire-netting used in 

 Kabbit-proof fencing. Such pieces are casually thrown on the 

 ground, and gathered up by the bird for the purpose in question. 

 The cavity is lined with small twigs, then a layer of frayed bark, 

 followed by a thin lining of hair, leaving a concavity hardly large 

 enough for a "Magpie." The general mass of the wire is also inter- 

 laced with twigs and small pieces of creeper. The whole structure 

 is tifteen inches in diameter by nine and a half inches in height. 



In his Report, Mr. North further states that "our series of 

 types was enriched by the addition of that of Carter's Desert-bird 

 ( Eremiornis carteri, North), presented by Mr. T. Carter, and the 

 type of Platycercus macgillivrayi, North, donated by Dr. W. 

 Macgillivray. Worthy of note amongst many contributions re- 

 ceived from Mr. H. Newcombe, were specimens of the Short-toed 

 Sandpiper (Totamis hrevipes, Vieill.)' 



Of the two birds previously mentioned, Eremioryiis carteri, and 

 Platycercus macgillivray, one is a new genus and both are new 

 species described by Mr. North." 



5 The former parts were published in the N. S. W. Agricultural Gazette, 

 vii., 1897, and viii., 1898. 



6 North— Vict. Nat., xvii., 4, 1900, pp. 73 - 80 ; 5, pp. 91-93; and 6, 

 p. 113. 



