8o N7ISTS AXD EGGS OF AUSTRALIAN BIRDS. 



Effffs. — Clutch, three; inclined to oval in form; texture somewhat fine; 

 surface glossy ; colom-, varies from yellowish-white to rich cream, boldly 

 blotched, chiefly round the apex, with dark-imiber and bluish-gi-cy or slate. 

 Dimensions of a proper clutch : (1) 139 x -93, (2) 1-34 x -95, (3) 1-3 x -92. 



Ohservafiona. — -'ITie range of this good species extends across Northern 

 Australia. It inosculates in Queensland with its near ally and more 

 southern representative, 0. viridis, coming as far south as Fitzroy River 

 district, where the Messrs. Barnard secured specimens; and to their 

 father, the late Mr. George Barnard, I was first indebted in 1881 for eggs. 

 On the station eggs have been taken as lat« as 16th February. 



Gilbert (according to Gould) found the birds plentiful in every part 

 of the Coburg Peninsula and adjacent islands. A nest (the first recorded) 

 he foimd on 4th December containing two nearly hatched eggs. It was 

 attached to a chooping branch of a melaleuca, at a distance of about five 

 feet from the ground. 



59. — Oriolus FLAViciNCTi's, King. — (285) 

 YELLOW ORIOLE. 



Figure. — Gould : Birds of Australia, fol , vol iv., pi. 14. 

 Reference. — Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., vol. iii. p. 206. 



Previous Descriptions of Eggs. — Le Souef; Proc. Roy. See, Victoria, vol. 

 vii., new ser., p. 19 (1895), also Victorian Naturalist, fig. 3 (1S96). 



Geographical Distribution. — Northern Territory and North Queensland. 



Nest. — Open ; outwardly composed entirely of strips of the brown bark 

 of melaleuca worked on to a thin horizontal forked branch ; lined sparingly 

 inside with fine dark-brownish twigs and tendrils of vines or cUmbing 

 plants. Dimensions over all, aboait 7 inches b\' 4 inches in depth ; egg 

 cavity 3i inches across by 2i inches deep. 



Eggs. — Clutch, two to three ; oval in form ; textme of shell somewhat 

 fine ; siurface glossy, but sometimes in-egular by reason of limy nodules ; 

 colour, Ught-cream, spotted and blotched, chiefly about the apex, with dark- 

 brown or lunbcr and didl-slate. Dimensions in inches of a large pair : 

 (1) 1-3 X -92, (2) 1-34 X -92 ; of a small pair : (1) MS x -86. (2) l-2'4 x -86. 



Some clutches are still smaller in size and darker in colour, like those 

 of the southern species. 



Observations. — The Yellow or Cresceut^marked Oriole is the largest and 

 most richly-plumaged of the three Australian Orioles. It appears to be 

 restricted chiefly to the coastal forests and scrubs of Northern Austraha. 

 Little is really known about the bird, wliich has a pleasing pliunage of 

 dappled gieenish-yellow, set off with orange-tinted eyes and blood-red bill. 



At our Cai'dwell camp this bird sometimes found its way into oiu' 

 stew-pot. The flesh was excellent eating. The bird produces a somewhat 

 guttural note exceedingly loud for the size of the bu'd. Its song many 

 times alliu'ed us into quagmires among the mangroves when we wanted 

 to shoot a bird. 



