2IO NESTS ANP EGGS OF AUSTRAL/AN BIRDS. 



in various stages of plumage, and females) came to regale themselves on 

 the bunches of hard yellow berries. But althovigh well aided by a hardy 

 companion — Mr. W. T. Bailej' — I prosecuted a vigorous and toilsome 

 search through dense labyrinths of humid scrub and thorny brakes of 

 prodigal gi-owth, while the thick foliage of the taller trees caused a per- 

 petual twilight imdemeath, yet I returned without the eggs. It was an 

 experience akin to seeking for the proverbial needle in a haystack. The 

 picture, " The Haunt of the Regent and Rifle Birds," may convey some 

 idea of the thickness of the scrub, with its bulwarks of spine-covered 

 " lawyer " vines. 



From evidence gained by dissection and otherwise, it appeared that 

 November was too early for the majority of these birds. Just prior to 

 quitting the district (19th November) we detected a female Regent Bird 

 carrying a twig, and after much laborious work we succeeded in tracking 

 her through an entanglement of wild raspberries and stinging trees, and 

 were satisfied that she was building in a certain bushy buoyong (Tarrietiaj 

 tree, after seeing her return several times, each time with a twig in her 

 bill. Marldng the tree, we pointed it out to two young fanners, requesting 

 them to send the eggs after us. Some weeks subsequently I received a 

 doleful letter stating they were iinable to climb the tree. However, the 

 next month (the last week of December) another farmer, Mr. Robert 

 Newberry, whose scrub paddock I had scoured, following up my instruc- 

 tions, found therein a Regent's nest containing a pair of fresh eggs, which 

 I had the pleasure of describing before the Royal Society of Victoria on 

 the 8th September, 1892. The nest was placed in the scrub, about 

 fifteen feet from the ground, and was observed by the bii-d sitting thereon. 

 The stiiicture was of such a loose natiu'e — merely a few twigs, &c., 

 forming a flat shelf — that it fell to pieces on removal from the tree. 



One evening we discovered a bower on the ground, underneath thick 

 scrub, and a male bird gaily tripping through. It was perfect, but not so 

 large as those usually bviilt by other bower-building birds, being only seven 

 or eight inches liigh, with walls seven inches broad at the base, and an 

 average width inside of 3i inches. After much difiieulty a photograph 

 was taken of the interesting structiu'e. (See illustration.) 



The following are the dimensions of another bower subsequently 

 observed by my son near the same locality. It was situated on a trodden- 

 down bed of short sticks, within a wreath or ckcle about fom- feet in 

 diameter, of lawyer palm plants (Calamus australis). Bed of sticks about 

 one inch in thickness varied in breadth from nineteen to twenty-two 

 inches. Walls at base seven and three-quarter inches broad by six inches 

 high, tapering to a point. Width of avenue (between walls) four inches. 

 One wall in thickest part two inches, in the other two and seven-eights 

 inches. Archie's own observations concerning birds he saw performing in 

 this bower are : — "When first seen there were three birds playing in the 

 bower ; two were what we took to be males — but they were immature — 

 and the other was a female. The antics they went through were extra- 

 ordinary, and they were not in the least disturbed by our presence. One 

 would go into the centre of the bower and, picking up a shell, of which 

 there were three, would dance, half opening its wings and then tossing 



