116 



the Adelaide Museum, some of the specimens procured by Mr. 

 Zietz. All average egg is rounded in form, white, earth stained, 

 and measures 094 inch in length by 0'78 inch in breadth. 

 Hah. South Australia, and South-western Australia. 



Myristicivora spilorkhoa, G. R. dray. White Nutmeg-Pigeon. 

 Goxdd, Handbk. Bds. Aristr., Vol. ii., sp. 457, p. 114. 



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

 Straits or White Nutmeg Pigeon, dui'ing most seasons, is freely 

 dispersed over the dense brushes and mangrove-lined mouths of 

 the rivers of the North-eastern coast of Queensland. .Mi'. J. A. 

 Boyd, of the Herbert River, has kindly forwarded me 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 nidihcation of this tine pigeon. 



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

 River ill great numbers, generally arriving about the beginning 

 of September and remaining until the end of Mar'ch, 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 years. 1 have found the eggs of these 

 birds during November and December. 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 numl^er) 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 tlieir nests fully twenty miles 

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



Mr. Jjoyd also informs me that they breed sometimes in the 

 open forest Eucalypti, and that he has obtained very young 

 pigeons miles from the coast. Last year he did not observe any 

 pigeons till after Cliristmas, but obtained two specimens this 

 season on the 14th of September, and has since seen several small 

 flocks. Mr. Boyd is of opinion that the cause of the pigeons not 

 frequenting the lIcrlKii't Kiver district so mucii as formmly isdue 

 to the felling of hundreds of acres of sciul) tliat contained the 

 berry-bearing trees on which they fed. 



It is worthy of note that the nests of Myristicivora spilorrhoa, 

 found by Captain Proctor, Mr. W. T. White, and the late Mr. 

 John Macgillivray, each contained two eggs for a full sitting, 



