SERICORNIS. 303 



Mr. II. R. EKery, of Alston\-ille, near Dallina, from whom the nest described on the 

 preceding page was received, drew my attention to the fact that the Sericoniis magnirostris 

 more frequently appropriated the deserted nest of another species than used one of its own 

 construction. This I have since had frequent opportunities of verifying myself, and found that 

 in every instance in my experience the abandoned nest of Sevicornis citreogiilnris was used. 

 At Ourimbah, on the 24th November, 1899, I found two nests of the latter species attached to 

 drooping branches of a tree overhanging a creek. They were only three feet apart, and about 

 seven feet from the water. On approaching close to them I could see that one, from which I 

 flushed the female, was a new nest, and the other an old one, probably the nest of the previous 

 season of the same pair of birds, but from which flew out Serkoruis mngnirosiii's. Both birds 

 kept within a few yards of the nests, while I drew them towards me and examined them. In 

 the former were three partially incubated eggs of Scricornis citrcogidans, in the other two fresh 

 eggs ol Scricornis magnirostris. The nests, which I removed, were typical ones in form and 

 material of S. citreogiilnris. On carefully pulling to pieces the old one, containing the eggs of 5. 

 magnirostris, I found that it had been freshly lined again at the bottom with feathers, and 

 imbedded underneath was an egg of 5. citreogularis, in which the contents had dried up; also 

 abundant proof that young birds had been reared in the structure. Since then I have 

 examined many nests from this district, also two from the Blue Mountains, in which the eggs 

 of .S. niagnirostris have been deposited, and found in every instance that the deserted tenement of 

 S. citreogularis had been relined and used. Personally I have never discovered or heard of an 

 instance of 5. magnirostris constructing a nest of its own in the Hawkesbury River and 

 Ilhiwarra Districts, or in the i^ullies of the Blue ^fountains, and which is an entirely distinct 

 and differently situated structure from that of 5. citreogularis. 



The eggs are usually three, sometimes four in number for a sitting. They are oval or 

 swollen oval in form, the shell being fine, close-grained, and more or less lustrous. TypicaUy 

 in ground colour they vary from a famt purplish-white to light purple and pale purplish-brown, 

 which is minutely freckled and marked with dark brown, or purplish-brown, particularly on 

 the larger end, where, as a rule, a well defined zone or cap is formed. Some have small 

 streaks— rarely blotches; others have very small but distinct caps or zones on the larger end 

 only, and in several instances I have seen one egg in a set pure white and entirely devoid of 

 markings. Among the different types of eggs of this species may be found some closely 

 resembling typical eggs of Scricornis frontalis and S. citreogularis, but of course they are much 

 smaller. A set of four, taken in the Tweed River District, measures as follows :— Length 

 (A) 077x0-57 inches; (B) 073 x 0-57 inches; (C) 077x0-55 inches; (D) 0-76x0-56 inches. 

 This set also contained an egg of the Fan-tailed Cuckoo. A set of three, taken at Ourimbah, 

 measures:— Length (A) 0-73 x 0-57 inches; (B) 3-73 x 0-55 inches; (C) 0-75 x 0-55 inches. 



Young birds may be distinguished by having the upper parts olive-brown, the forehead 

 and sides of the head buff, throat pale buff, and the remainder of the under surface pale buff 

 tinged with olive. 



Frequently the task of incubating the egg and rearing the young of the Fan-tailed Cuckoo, 

 devolves upon this species. At Ourimbah, on the 27th November, 1901, I watched for some 

 time a young Fan-tailed Cuckoo being fed by a pair of Large-billed Scrub-Wrens. Apparently 

 its wants were never satisfied, although the diminutive foster-parents were assiduous in their 

 attention to it, for I heard its incessant cries for food during a long time that I remained in the 

 neighbourhood. 



In North-eastern Queensland the breeding season usually commences in July and continues 

 until the end of January. In the northern coastal scrubs of New South Wales, it begins a 

 month later. In the Hawkesbury River and the lUawarra Districts, eggs are seldom obtained 

 before the middle of November, and on the Blue Mountains I have seen fresh eggs that were 

 taken early in januarv. 



