XESTS A.\D EGGS Oh AUSTRALLAN BIRDS. 485 



tliat one pair, which built Ihoir nest in oui- bough sliade, was frequently 

 handled by oiu' Afghans at the camel depot, they remained there, laid 

 A full clulcli of bluish-wliito eggs, and reared their brood. Mr. Wells 

 found a Wedgebills nest near our camp which had been appropriated 

 by a p;ur of these Finches. It contained one egg when lirst discovered, 

 but before the clutch was completed the birds had linished roofing 

 it over." 



I received egg« that were taken by Mr. H. C. Biu-kitt at Cooper's 

 Creek, on 24th March, 1887, while I believe the eggs of this species 

 have been foiuid as late as May in the north-west interior of New 

 South Wales. A nest I found (2nd December, 1890) of this species, 

 which was placed in a polygonum bush not far from the Murray River, 

 contained a complement of six eggs, and exteriorly was composed en- 

 tirely of the dead flowering stalks of herbage, botanically called (Jala- 

 ceplialus sonderii. 



At Bcnjeroop, Victoria, November, 1896, a party of field naturalists 

 found a ucst of this little Finch, containing six eggs, attached to the 

 underneath portion of a Brown Hawk's nest. 



Concerning this Finch attaching its nest to that of a bird of prey, 

 Mr. A. Zeitz, of the Adelaide Museum, has favoured me with the 

 following interesting note : — " I found in a small waterless creek near 

 Callabonna Lake. November, 1894, all the nests of Square-tailed Kite 

 I l.itplidirtiiiKi isi/nij occupied by the Chestnut-cared Finch, or rather 

 their nests Iwing built quite into the lower portion of the Kite's nest. 

 Nearly eveiy Kite's nest contained one Finch's nest. I am sure 

 of the fact, as I got a number of the Finch's eggs taken in my 

 presence." 



The Chestnut-eared Finch readily breeds in aviaries. 



397. — Stictopteha hichenovii. Vigors and Horsfield. — (251) 



BANDED FINCH. 



Figure. — Gould : Birds of Australia, fol., vol. lii., pi. 80. 

 Reference. — Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., vol. .xiii., p. 313. 

 Previous Descriptions 0/ Eggs. — Campbell : Southern Science Record 

 (1883) ; North : Austn. Mus. Cat., p. 161 (1889). 



Geof/rcphic'il Dktrihufion. — North-west Australia, Northern Tern- 

 toi-y, Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia (interior). 



Nest. — The usual bulky, bottle-shaped constniction of gi-asses ; lined 

 inside with feathers and various soft vegetable substances; usually 

 situated in a bush or tall gi-ass. 



^^'.l'.l''■ — Clutch, four to five ; oval in shape ; texture of shell fine ; 

 surface without gloss ; colour, white, with the slightest perceptible tone. 

 Dimensions in inches of a proper clutch : (1) -6 x -4, (2) '55 x '42, 

 (3) -55 X -42, (4) -53 x -42, 



