520 



NESTS AND EGGS OF AUSTRALIAN BIRDS. 



Tho following is the " record " kiudly furnished to me by 

 Mr. Gabriel : — " First egg found in nest at foot of gum tree about 

 thirty feet up-liill from creek. Measm-ement of nest 28 inches liigh, 

 24 inches broad, and 16 inches from back to front. 



" Second egg (last year's) in nest foot of gum tree twenty feet from 

 creek. A stick had fallen across the ucst and flattened it. Evidently 

 the bird could not get to her egg. 



" Third egg in nest found ou side of creek on a jutting mossy bank, 

 very prettily situated. 



" Fourth egg in nest at head of tributary, nicely placed on a Ixuik. 

 Two of us were talking here for ten minutes, disturbing the bird, which 

 flew outj at the same time reveahng her nest wliich we would liave 

 otherwise missed. You may guess I flew too down that bank ! 



" Fifth egg in nest in fork of musk tree growing in the creek ; it was 

 about ten feet from the ground. 



" Sixth egg (last year's) in nest on fork of leaning fern-tree in bed 

 of creek. 



" Seventh egg in nest in bunch of grass well up the hill near 

 Invermay house. 



" Eighth egg in nest built at foot of gum tree only fourtein feet 

 from selector's hut, or rather, I should say, the bark had been stripped 

 off the tree to build the hut. Nest was found three weeks before the 

 egg was laid. 



" Ninth egg in nest on ground at butt of gum tree in creek. 



" Tenth egg in nest placed on stump about twelve feet from gi'ound 

 well up-hill. 



" Eleventh egg in nest in Pemn's Creek, at foot of feni-tree. 



" Twelfth egg in nest in tributary of Perrin's Creek, on leaning 

 fern-tree. 



" Thirteenth egg in nest well up on side of hill. 



" Fourteenth egg in nest on leaning fem-tree, well up the head of 

 Sassafras Gully." 



Mr. Gabriel added that the average measurements of the eggs were 

 2'52 X r66 inches. All the eggs, with the exception of the two addled 

 ones, were either quite fresh or just turning. They were all dark- 

 coloiu'ed specimens excepting two, which were a trifle lighter. 



E.xceptions prove the rale. The L)'re Bird invariably lays a single 

 egg a season, but rare instances of doublets are known. In the course 

 of Mr. Chandler s long experience in the vrilds of Gippsland, he has 

 found nests containing a pair of eggs, notably on the 24th July one 

 season, when he found two nests with each a pair of precious eggs — 

 one lot was fresh, the other slightly incubated. Mr. Chandler kindly 

 presented me with a pair, which at a glance one could see were as like 

 as two peas, as the saying goes, but they were slightly smaller in their 

 dimensions than the usual average size. 



Mr. Le Souef has also found a nest containing a doublet. It was 

 the 25th August, 1893. Both eggs were fresh, but oue was slightly 

 lighter and larger than the other. On the following day he discovered 

 on the steep bank of a creek another nest containing one fresli egg. 

 Passing the same nest three weeks later, he was mvich surpiised to see 



