.VESTS AXD EGGS OF AUSTRALIAN H/RIXS. 2\ I 



the shell in the air or over its head would run out. While this was going 

 on the other two birds outside were scraping or sweeping the ground with 

 their wings, and when the shell fell, one would pick it up and enter the 

 bower to go through the same performance as the first bird, and so on. 

 There were four or five fresh young leaves in the bower at the time, and 

 on \'isiting the locality the following afternoon, these were seen to bo 

 thrown out and four fro.«h ones placed in their stead." , 



Regent Birds being fnigivorous, are voi-y destmctive to the fruit crops 

 of the selectors, and, like many other fniit-cating birds, are very partial 

 to the black, juicy berries of the ink weed (Plii/fohicra ), an introduced 

 plant, which flourishes breast high in nearly every clearing throughout the 

 district. 



On questioning the aborigines (Richmond River tribe) about the 

 Regent Bird, they called it " Yelgiin," which means the sun, and has 

 reference no doubt to the bird's splendid yellow plumage. 



A second pair of Regent Bird's eggs found by another farmer fell 

 to my collection. They were taken from a nest situated in a buoyong 

 sapling about twelve feet high, in scrub. — Date, 30th November, 1896. 

 I was fortunate in this instance in having the nest likewise foi^warded 

 to me. 



It often happens that when once a rare bird's nest and eggs have been 

 discovered, many such nests arc afterwards found. Mr. Heni-y R. Elvery, 

 Alstonville, Richmond River, has kindly sent me original notes of three 

 Regents' nests he found during the season 1896-97. 



Mr. Elvery says:^ — "At the beginning of November, 1896, I was 

 looking for nests on the edge of a standing scrub, when I noticed a bii-d 

 fly into a prickly tree. On approaching I saw that the bird was building, 

 the nest being nearly complete. I took up a convenient position and 

 watched the bird fly to and from the tree several times, and did not leave 

 until I was convinced the bird was a female Regent ( SericuJus melinus). 

 The tree in which the nest was built was small but veiy thorny, and 

 I could see there would be difficulty in getting the nest. 



"When I thought the nest might contain eggs, I climbed up a larger 

 tree near, to the height of a few feet above the nest, which I could not 

 plainly see for the mass of intervening prickly branches, but I managed 

 to ascertain it contained at least one egg. 



"Two days later, on the 16th November, I visited the place at dusk, 

 having with me a tomahawk, a pruning knife, and a pair of climbing irons, 

 such as are used for climbing telegraph poles. As I approached the tree, 

 the bird flew from the nest, therefore I knew that the full clutch had been 

 laid. Tlie nest was about twenty-five feet from the ground, and on the 

 tree in which it was placed was gi-owing a bunch of lawyer vines 

 (Calamua). I climbed the first distance up a pole, which I placed against 

 the tree, cutting my way up through the thorns as I wont, and thus 

 reached the head of the tree. The nest was an open structure of dry 

 twigs, and I could now plainly see the eggs through the bottom of the 

 nest. I then cut away the intervening branches before I could get my 

 hand through to the nest, which contained three eggs. Placing the eggs 

 in my hat, which I canied in my mouth, I reached the gi-ound safelv." 



