.VESTS AA'D BGGS Ol' AUSTKALIAN BIRDS. 



75 



crown of ;i pandamis tree growing close to the open beach. Although we 

 could not distinguish the nest itself, we could see the head of the bird aa 

 she sat on it. The nest was about ten feet from the ground, and the bird 

 sat quietly, notwithstanding we were camped about live feet away from 

 the tree." 



Meeting Mr. Le Souef at Brisbane on his return home, I was one 

 of the first to see his new and interesting discoveiy. He, with characteristic 

 thoughtfulness, peniiitted mo to describe the nest and egg. I took the 

 earliest opportunity of doing so by describing them at the next (December) 

 meeting of the Field Naturalists' Club, and thereby corrected my former 

 eiTor. The egg was aftorward.s figured by Mr. Lc 8ouef in the Proceedings 

 of the Royal Society of Victoiia, and finally found a secure resting-place, as 

 the type specimen, in the collection of the Australian Museimi, Sydney. 



It would appear that Messrs. Le Souef and Barnard visited the inner 

 Barnard Islands, and not the outer, where niv party and I found the Rifle 

 Birds so nimierous. 



Mr. Le Souef made furtiier inroads into the secluded domains of the 

 Rifle Bird, but this time on the mainland in the Bloomfield River district, 

 where he found the birds fairly plentiful in the scrubs, especially near the 

 coast, their harsh note being often heard. They were bv no means shy, 

 and seemed to be very local, but great difficulty is attached to finding their 

 nests. One was discovered 29th October in a fan palm, not far from the 

 groimd, by the blacks when clearing a place for their camp. It contained 

 a pair of beautifully-marked eggs. Before Mr. Le Souef left, he foiuid 

 another nest building in a cordyline, only about seven or eight feet from 

 the ground. The nest was carefidly watched, and the eggs were taken 

 20th November by Mr. R. Hislop for the finder. These eggs, a perfect 

 pair, the third recorded find, and with a history so complete, now adorn 

 my collection. 



Mr. Le Souef saw a pair of Rifle Birds endeavouring to drive a 

 Black (Quoy) Butcher Bird from the neighbourhood of their (the Rifles') 

 nest, when they uttered a different note to their usual one. 



In building, according to Mr. Le Souef, the Rifles seem to possess an 

 extraordinary fascination for shed snake skins, as in two instances he saw 

 pieces of snake skin worked into their nest, one piece being about three 

 feet long, most of which was hanging loose. The hen bird, when sitting on 

 her nest, is not easily disturbed. 



Mr. W. B. Bai-nard, who, with an EngUsh friend (Mr. Albert Meek). 

 was collecting in the vicinity of the Bloomfield River at the time of 

 Mr. Le Souef's visit, has kindly supplied liis field notes respecting the 

 nidificatiou of the Victoria Rifle Bird. He says; — "Three nests with two 

 eggs each were foimd. Two eggs were broken. The nest is often built 

 in the fan palm, right at the tnuik of the tree where the fronds join, fairly 

 well liidden amongst the fibre. Mr. Le Souef gives a good photograph of 

 the nest. In one nest a snake's skin himg from inside down two feet. 

 Tliese birds build from the first week in September till the end of 

 November." 



