030 



NksTS ANt> EGGS OF AVSTRALIAiX BIRDS. 



the forest they describe as it were so mauy streaks of the richest Lriiiisou 

 coloiuing. Their beautiful dress is uot douued till the third year or 

 thereabouts. However, some of the birds breed before that stage. 



The forest tracts of Soulh-easteru Austraha, including Kangaroo 

 Island, are the home of this bii-d. I have noticed tlie birds nesting m 

 the foot-hills of the Pyrenees, and afterwards in the Upper Wembee 

 district, where, in conjunction with Messrs. Brittlebauk, several nests 

 were found. One in particular was interesting, from the fact that one 

 of the birds (apparently the female) belonging to the nest had the mottled 

 greenish uress, and was not in full plumage. The nest was iu a stringy- 

 bark tree that gi'ew in a deep secluded gully. The nesting hole was ten 

 or twelve feet from the ground, in a barrel near the junction of a 

 projecting hmb. The eggs, seven, shghtly incubated, were within aims' 

 length of the entrance. Date, 8th November, 1890. Another nest 

 was found on the 10th containing eight eggs, the parents of which were 

 both in immature dress. 



Apropos of Dr. Paul Levekiihn's work, " Another Bird's Egg iu the 

 Nest," the Messrs. Brittlebank took, on the 18th Octobei-, 1890, a clutch 

 of Pennant Panakeet's eggs, replacing in the nesting hole a clutch of 

 Rosella's. Unfortimately it was afterwards found that another bird 

 nester had discovered the nest and removed the eggs before the interesting 

 experiment was concluded. 



Breeding months, usually October to December, but yoimg have been 

 taken as late as Februaiy. 



495. — Platycercus elegans (sub-species) nigkescens, Ramsay. 

 CAMPBELL PARRAKEET. 



Reference. — Ramsay : Tabular List Austii. Birds, p. 34. 



Geographical Distribution. — North Queensland. 



Ntst and Eygs. — Undescribed. 



Observations. — On the outskirts of a dense sci-ub, feeding upon acacia 

 seeds, near our Cardwell camp. Northern Queensland (1885), we shot 

 several deep crimsoii-red Pairakeets, with blue cheeks and shoiUders like 

 the Crimson Parrakeet (Pennant) of (Jippslaiul, but evidently a variety, 

 being smaller, with feathers on tlie back anil neck almost black. Besides, 

 the bird jwssessed quite a dilTerent voice, which was the means of first 

 attracting our attention when we were at our tents. 



In passing through Sydney, I brought this new viuuety of i'arrot 

 under the notice of Dr. E. P. Ramsay. His verdict was " I'latycercus 

 jif'iiiianfii." With tliis decision 1 felt hardly satisfied, and had a specimen 

 noticed in tiio "Victorian Naturalist" (188G), subsequently presenting 

 the skin to tlie National Museum, Melbourne, where it is now set up in 

 the Queensland division. 



