^26 NESTS AND EGOS OF AUSTRALIAN BIRDS. 



Nest. — Somewhat small, flat, in instances fairly built ; composed of 

 line dead twigs, ike, occasionally a few spiders' cocoons ai'e added; 

 centre ILued with small quantity of soft brownish strings of bark or 

 other fibrous material; generally built in a closely -forked branch of 

 bush or tree. Dimensions over all of a well-built nest, 4 to 5 inches 

 by 2| to 4 inches in depth; egg cavity, 3 inches across by 1^ inches 

 deep. 



Egys. — Clutch, one to two, rai'ely three ; a long elhpse in 

 form ; sometimes oval ; textui-e fine ; surface slightly glossy ; 

 coloui', pinkish-bulT or sahuon-tint, moderately blotched and spotted 

 with reddish-brown or chestnut and dull pm-plish-gicy, the markings 

 being more uumerous about the apex. Dimensions in inches of single 

 examples: (1) 1-16 x -74, (2) 1-12 x -73. 



A pair from Tasmania is much darker and richer in the gi'ound- 

 colom-, and with markings larger and bolder : (1) Tl x '78, (2) 1-07 x -78. 



Observations. — The Brush Wattle Bii'd is nearly related to the Wattle 

 Bird proper, which it resembles in colour, but it is smaller in size, and 

 lacks the wattles ou the face. The length of a sjjecimen is betweeu 

 11 inches and 12 inches. In matured birds, the general gi'cyish and 

 dark-brown plumage is beautifully and conspicuously spotted with 

 white, while underneath the wings is reddish-brown. 



All round the eastern coast, and in some portions of Tasmania, 

 wherever the banksias flouiish, the harsh, guttural notes of the Bi-ush 

 Wattle wiU be heard. In such places as the shores of Lake King, 

 Gippsland, and the park-like land near Ararat, Victoria, I have seen 

 these bii'ds numerous. It was in the giilhes running into the foot-hills 

 of the Pyrenees that I secured the examples of eggs in my collection. 



Gould mentions that two of the Brush Wattle Bird's nests and eggs 

 forming part of his great collection, were taken from the shrubs growing 

 near the Botanical Gardens, Sydney, where these birds in those days 

 were plentiful. 



Breeding months August or September to December. 



358. ACANTUUCILEKA LUNULATA, Gould. (333) 



LITTLE WATTLE BIRD. 



Figure. — Gould : Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv., pi. 57. 



Reference. — Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., vol. ix., p. 265. 



Previous Descriptions of Eggs. — Gould: Birds of Australia (184S); 



ale^o Handbook, vol. i., p. 544 (1865) ; Campbell : Proc. Austn. 



Assoc, vol. vii., p. 645 (iSgS). 



Geo(jra2)h ical Distribution. — West Australia. 



Xest. — Slightly concave, and lightly constructed ; composed of very 

 fine twigs; centre hned with shreds of soft reddish-coloured bark. 



