117 



wliilo those found by Gilbort at Port Essington oitlior containod 

 a single egg or a single young bird. 



The eggs vaiy in shape from an ellipse to an elongated oval, 

 are pure white, the texture of the shell being line, one specimen 

 being lustreless, the other slightly glossy. Length (A) I'S x 1-3 

 inch; (B) 1-83 x 1-2 inch. 



It may not be out of place to mention here that migratorial 

 birds are in some seasons more abundant in the localities they 

 usually visit than others, vv^hich is not always due to climatic 

 influences or an abundance of food. The Top-knot Pigeons ( Lopho- 

 laimus antarcticus ), especially, have been very numerous this 

 season in New South Wales, my attention first being drawn to 

 the fact by the unusually large number of these pigeons that were 

 exposed for sale in the poulterers' shops about Sydney during 

 July and August. 



On the 9th of August some notes were contributed to the 

 "Sydney Mail," referring to the unusual number of Top-knot 

 Pigeons which were on the brushes at that time in the neighbour- 

 hood of Gosford, several of which had made nests and laid their 

 eggs. Mr. W. J. Grime also informs me that " the Top-knot 

 Pigeons were particularly plentiful this season in the neighbour- 

 hood of the Tweed River, and that flocks of them, numbering 

 .some thousands, could be seen during September, flying round at 

 any time through the day from the mountains to the coast, and 

 back." Mr. Boyd writes, " The Top-knot Pigeons have been very 

 plentiful this season ; thev have not been so numei'ous since 

 1882."" 



Tins season has not been a better one than the last for the 

 l)erry-l)earing trees that provide the food for these pigeons, yet 

 in both colonies has the Top-knot Pigeon been more than usually 

 abundant this year.* 



Hah. South Coast of New Guinea, Islands of Torres Straits, 

 and ort' the Coast of North-eastern Queensland, Northern and 

 North-eastern Queensland. 



Macropyoia piiasiaxella, I'emmincl:. The Large-tailed Pigeon. 



Go^ihl, Handhk. Bds. AvMr., Vol. ii., sp. 47o, p. 148. 



The Large-tailed Pigeon is freely dispersed throughout the rich 

 brushes of the Eastern coast of Australia, from Cape York to the 

 southern boundary of New South Wales. Young liirds were 

 obtained by Messrs. Cairn and Gi'ant in the scrubs that clothe 

 the sides of the Mulgrave and Russell Rivers in tropical Queens- 

 land during November 1887, and Meston in his Report of the 

 Scientific Expedition to Bellenden-Ker Range in the near vicinity 



* North, Proc. Linn. Soc, N.S.W., Vol. v.. Second Series, (1890) p. 8S0. 



