A'ESTS AiVD ECGS Ol- M'STKAIJAX hWA'/'S 



250 



near the coast, and not fiu'tlun- inland tlian the Blue Mountains. 

 It ia also a fairly common bird in the mountainous and in the licavy 

 forested districts of Victoria, wiiere it is, I think, not found further 

 west than the Cape Otway forest, if found there at all. 



As there have been no little " heart-burnings " about the first 

 discovery and the first description of the eggs of tiiis most interesting 

 and unique forest bird, I shall endeavour to give the actual histoiy. 



Undoubtedly the first authenticated finds came under the notice 

 of my friend and valued correspondent Mr. Percy Seymour. I here 

 quote his own communication; — "My specimens of ri/rnoptihis 

 fliirrDsiis were taken in tiie parish of Buln-Buin, South Gippsland, 

 when I was surveying it in 1874. The first was brought to ,nie by 

 some of the .sciiib-cutters on the 26th November, in a nest which also 

 contained a second egg broken and containing an embryo. The, other 

 was sound and contained no embiyo, so 1 ha<l no ilifficulty, but 

 I cracked it afterwards. It is very dark-brown in colour, and the 

 broken one resembled it but had a darker zone round one end. The 

 shell is extremely fragile. The nest was built on the gi'ound luider 

 a tussock of sword-grass, and originally contained three eggs (at least 

 so the scnib-cutters said). 



" On tlie 2nd December I found a second nest on tlie ground on 

 a sloping hill side. It was evidently deserted and contained only one 

 egg, from which the coloiu- had faded, leaving it a gi-eyish tint. The 

 scinb-cutters found a third nest under a tussock containing three young 

 birds. The parents flew about and gave me a good opportunity of 

 observing them, for the scrub cutters did not remove the nest but 

 pointed it out to me. Tlie nests were domed, with the entrance at 

 the side, and loosely built extoraally of grass, fibrous roots, and fragments 

 of sword gi'ass. Within was a close layer composed principally of dried 

 giMss, and lined copiously with soft dark feathers." 



About 1878 Mr. A. J. North took specimens in Gipp.sland and 

 kindly presented me with one, which, together with anotlier I received 

 from the Fernshawe district, was described in the " Southern Science 

 Record," 1882, vol. ii.. p. 130. 



Four years subsequently Dr. Ramsay writes (vide Proc. Linn. Soc, 

 New South Wales, 2nd ser.. vol. i., p. 1139): — "This species has 

 hitherto been considered a scarce bird in New South Wales, prior to 

 which it had only been recorded from our more southern provinces. 

 Our taxidemiist, Mr. J. A. Thorpe, procured some beautiful specimens 

 in the flesh at Cambewarra, about one bundled miles south of Port 

 Jackson ; and Mr. Yardley, of that district, has forwarded quite 

 recently the nest and eggs taken by Mr. Sinclair, a timber-getter, 

 working in the adjacent scnibs. Tlie nest, I am informed, was placed 

 on or very near the ground among some debris on a bank or slope ; 

 it is a rather loose stnicture, built of shreds of bark chiefly, and lined 

 with feathers of various kinds, among which may be distinguished 

 those of the Lyre Bird, Cat Bird, and some of the PyrndptiluK itself. 

 In form it is somewhat dome-shaped, placed on its side, and with a 

 large, rough, ill-defined opening, which was probably narrowed by the 

 adjacent debris among which it was placed. Tlie eggs, two in 



