A'ESTS A.VD RCGS OF .U'.STA'.lA/.l.V fUKPS. jr)^ 



the eggs being too far advanced in incubation to bo blown. Tlio 

 remaining five nests nil contained voung birds covered witli down, and 

 in one nest I found one young bird possessing four legs, and I regret I did 

 not keep the curiosity, instead of placing it back into the nest. 



" In all, I only procured seven eggs, which varied much in size and 

 colour. Out of the ten nests found, the following is the detailed 

 result : — 



I nest contained set of 3 eggs (fresh). 



I ,, ,. ,, 2 eggs (almost fresh). 



1 ,, ., ,. I egg (addled) and i bird. 

 4 nests ,, ,, 3 young birds each 



2 ,, , .. 2 eggs each (heavily incubated). 



I nest ,. ,, 3 eggs (r addled, 2 heavily incubated). 



" The majority of the nests were one hundred or two hundred yards 

 apart, at an elevation of about twenty to thirty feet, and mostly placed 

 near the trunk of the tree, just where the smaller twigs branch off near 

 the topmost part. The birds were very tame, and allowed their nests to 

 be robl)ed without attempting to attack the intruder. 



" I spent four days by myself in this wild hush, away from all civili 

 sation. and tried my best to find more nests of the Bower Bird, but only 

 succeeded in finding two old nests (perhaps last season .s). 



" While I was busily climbing up to one of the Satin Bird's nests, 

 and when nearing the same, I got rather an unexpected shock at finding 

 an iguana (a reptile about three or four feet long) eating, or starting to 

 eat, one of the heavily incubated eggs. The ugly creature, in its sudden 

 amazement, jumped on my head, and then descended to the gi'ound. 

 The feeling to me was very unpleasant, and of rather a rare nature." 



The breeding months extend from October to January. 



160. — .il^LURCEDUS M.vcuLosus. Rauisay. 

 SPOTTED CAT BIRD 



Figure.— GouldSharpe : Birds of New Guinea, vol i , p 38. 



Reference. — Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., vi., p, 385. 



Previous Dtscriftions oj Eggs. — North: Proc. Linn. Soc, N.S. Wales, 

 vol. iii., 2nd ser., p. 147, pi. 3, fig 2 (1SS8); I,e Souijf : Proc 

 Roy. Soc, Victoria, vol. vii , new ser., p 20 (1895) ; Campbell: 

 Proc. Roy. Phys. Soc. Edin., vol .\iv , p. 21 (189S). 



Gengraphii-nl Distribution. — North Queensland. 



Ne.'it. — Open, bulky ; outwardly composed of leaves and twigs, mixed 

 with fine rootlets ; lined inside with fine wire-like tendrils ; usually situ- 

 ated near the top of a slender tree in dense scr-ub. Dimensions over all, 

 about 9 inches by 4.', inches in depth; egg cavity, 5^ inches across by 

 2 inches deep. 



Ei/f/x. — Clutch, two to three, usually two ; shape nearly true oval ; 

 texture of shell somewhat fine ; surface glossy, and of a uniform cream- 



