NIDIFICATIOX OF MEGALOPREriA MAGNIFICA — XORTH. 17 



hack and settle on a thick branch. I did not fire as it was a bit 

 too far, and its body protected by the limb it was sitting upon. 

 After having a good look round it flew into a thick patch of scrub 

 a few yards away and was lost to view, however, it soon came 

 back and settled about two feet from the nest, and facing us. I 

 was afraid the spread of shot might shatter the nest, but as it 

 was getting late I fired and the bird fell into a small pool of water 

 beneath. The egg was secured after some ti'ouble as the nest was 

 built on the end of a thin outspreading branch of a ' Scrub 

 Elm,' about twenty feet from the ground. The scoop had to 

 be used, and the nest was so small I was afraid the egg would 

 I'oU over, and it took the black some time before he got it safely 

 into the net. The limb was then chopped off and the nest secured. 

 Upon dissection of the bird, which proved to be the female, no 

 other egg was found in it approaching maturity, the largest being 

 the size of a pea." 



The nest of M. magnijica, is an exceedingly small and perfectly 

 flat structure, and with the exception of a few long straggling 

 sticks lying almost parallel to the branch on which it is placed, 

 barely averages five inches in diameter. It is built at the junction 

 of a forked horizontal branch of an Apliananthe jyhillipiiiensis, 

 which is partially covered with a growth of moss. The nest 

 is composed of thin sticks and twigs intermingled with the 

 wiry spiral tendrils of a vine ; the latter material wholly form- 

 ing the centre of the structure for the reception of the e^g. 

 When sitting the Magnificent Fruit Pigeon would almost conceal 

 the nest for very little of it is visible below the branch. The 

 green leafy twigs which sprout out in close proximity to the nest, 

 also harmonises well with the colour of the back, wings, and tail 

 of the sitting bird, and renders it less liable to detection. The 

 egg is pure white, elongate oval in form, and there is very little 

 difference in the shape of the two ends, the texture of the shell 

 being very fine and the surface lustreless. It measures 1-57 inch 

 in length by 1'2 inch in breadth. 



Specimens of Megaloprepia magnifica and 21. assimilis from 

 different localities measure as follows : — 



M. magnifica. 



Sex. Length. Wing. Tail. Bill. Tarsus. Locality. 



? ad. 17-2.5in. 9-1 7-6 0-83 M Clarence River, N.S.W. 

 (^ ad. 17-5 9 1 7-75 0-85 M Maryborough, Wide 



Bay, Queensland, 



M. assimilis. 



S ad. 13-.5 7-6 6-75 0-78 1-05 Cairns, N.E.Queensland 



? ad. 13 7-1 6-3 0-62 1 in. Cape York, N.Australia. 



7th January, 1S97. 



