338 !^ESTS AND EGGS OF AUSTRALIAN BIRDS. 



FAMILY— PODARGID^. 



Sub-family — Podargin^e. 



430. — PoDARGus PAi'UENSis, Quoy and Gaimard. — (45 and 46) 

 P. 2>!ii'"ifc'"'^, Gould. 



PLUMED FROGMOUTH. 



Figuri. — Gould : Birds of Australia, ful., vul. 11., pi. 6, and supp., 



pl.3- 

 Reference. — Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., xvi., p. 630. 



Preiious Descriptions of Eggs. — Le Souef : Ibis, p. 312 (iSyb), also 

 Victorian Naturalist (1896). 



Geographical Distribution. — Queensland and New South Wales; 

 also New Guinea. 



Next. — Flat, slightly concave ; constructed of fine sticks or twigs, 

 brownish coloured at the base, greyish on the top. Usually situated 

 on horizontal hiulj of a tree in open forest. Diameter, 8 inches by 2i 

 inches in tliickest part. 



Eijijx. — Clutch, one usually; elliptical in sliape ; tc.\ture compara- 

 tively fine ; surface sliglitly glossy and very faintly pitted ; colour, pure 

 white. Dimensions in inches of single examples; (1) 1-93 x 1-31, 

 (2) 1-86 X 1-4. 



Observations. — Mr. E. Hartert states: — "Dr. E. P. Kamsay 

 considers P. plumiferus to be a distinct species; but 1 cannot dis- 

 tinguish it from P. papuensis, and if I am correct the range of the 

 latter must be extended to the Richmond River district of New South 

 Wales." 



For the eggs of this species — the largest of Australian Frogmouths — 

 I am indebted to Mi'. D. Le Souiif, who procured thcni from the Bloom- 

 field Rivor chstrict of Northern Queensland, and who first described a 

 nest and egg taken by Mr. R. Hislop 20tli October, 1894. 



This bird is mo.st difficult to detect on account of its colour being 

 so much in harmony witii that of its surroundings. When on the 

 nest or on a branch it holds its iicad in a line with its l)ody, and ha« 

 the exact appearance of a piece of dead wood ; even the markings ana 

 coloiu- of its broad bill arc similar to those of the feathers. They are 

 fond of sleeping in casuai'inas. 



After one of his deligiitful trips to Northern Queensland, Mr. Le 

 Souef wrote: — "A Papuan Podargiis was found sitting on it.s nest, 

 which contained one egg, and on dis.section the bird jiroved to be tho 

 male. The female was roosting in a ncighlioin-jng tree, and wa,s not 

 cUsturbed by the firing of the gun. We found three nests of the 



