Il6 NESTS AXD EGGS OF AUSTRALIAN BIRDS. 



B. alhiscapa, but its beautiful fan-like tail, with four snow-white feathers 

 on each side of a dark centre, rendered a closer examination necessary. 

 Others were also shot at Petermann and Adminga Creeks." 



Tlie description of its eggs is taken from an example in Mr. Keartland's 

 collection. 



93. — Rhipidura phasiana, De Vis. 

 PHEASANT OR WHITE-FRONTED FANTAIL. 



Reference. — Proc Roy. Soc, Queensland, vol. i , p 158 (1S84). 



Geographical Distribution. — North Queensland and Northern Tenitory 

 (probably). 



Nest and Eygs. — Undescribed. 



Observations. — The White-fronted Fantail was first collected by 

 Mr. Kendall Broadbent, at Kimberley, near the mouth of the Norman 

 River, Gulf of Carpentaria. It was found close to the mangi-oves. 



94. — Rhipidura tricolor, Vieillot. — (139 and 1-10) 



Sauloprocta motacoUoides, Vigors and Horsfield. 



BLACK AND-WHITE FANTAIL. 



Figure. — Gould ; Birds of Australia, £ol., vol. ii., pi. 86. 



Reference. — Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., vol. iv., p. 339. 



Previous Descriptions of Eggs. — Gould : Birds of Australia (1848), also 

 Handbook, vol. i., p. 245 (1865): North: Austn, Mus Cat., 

 p. 88 (1889). also Trans. Roy. Soc. S.A , vol. xxii , p 163 (1898) ; 

 Le Souef : Victorian Naturalist, vol .\vi , p. 65 (1899). 



Geoyrapliical Distrihution. — Austraha in general, also New Guinea, 

 Aru Islands, Solomon Islands, and New Ireland. 



Nest. — Cup-shaped, neat and symmetrical, with naiTow but well-built 

 sides, composed of dried gi'ass or fine shreds of bark, felted outwardly with 

 spiders' webs, some of the webs being worked round and underneath the 

 fork or branch on which the nest is placed ; Hned inside with finer grass, 

 a few fibrous rootlets, feathers, hair, &c., and usually situated on the dead- 

 portion of a low horizontal branch a few feet from the ground, more fre- 

 quently above water. Dimensions over all, 2| inches by 1| inches m 

 depth; egg cavity, 2+ inches across by \l inches deep. (Sec illustration.) 



Eggs. — Clutch, three to foiu' ; incUned to be oval in shape, prominently 

 rounded at one end ; texture fine ; surface slightly glossy ; coloiu", light 

 creamy-buff or yellowish-white, marked and spotted, usually faintly but 



