G68 NESTS AND EGGS OF AUSTRALIAN BIRDS. 



the Cape York Peninsula, where it is fairly plentiful, and seems to 

 take the place of the other. 



Mr. North states : — " A nest of this species, found at Cape York, 

 by Mr. George Masters, on the 17th September, 1875, from which the 

 bird was flushed a-ud procured, was simply a few dried sticks placed 

 crosswise on a horizontal branch of a tree, about eight feet from the 

 ground. The nest contained two eggs (dimensions of one only given), 

 in an advanced state of incubation. ' 



Mr. Le Souef, to whom I am indebted for the eggs of this species, 

 when visiting the Bloomfield River, took three nests, on 23rd, 27th 

 October, and 3rd November respectively. Only one egg was in each 

 nest. 



Mr. W. B. Barnard says this Fiaiit Pigeon builds sometimes as 

 low as ten feet from the ground. The first nest he took was on the 

 30th August, and found others up to the middle of December. He 

 never found more than one egg in a nest. 



At Cape York, season 1896-7, his brother, Mr. Harry Barnard, 

 took no less than seventeen nests, namely, end of October, four; 

 diuing November, five ; December, two, and Januaiy, six. No nest 

 contained more than a single egg. 



Breeding months, August to January, or later. 



Sub-family — Carpophagin^. 



537. — Myristicivora spilorrhoa, G. R. Gray. — (457) 

 NUTMEG PIGEON. 



Figure-. — Gould: Birds of Australia, fol., vol. v., pi. 6o. 



Rejerencc. — Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., vol. xxi., p. 231. 



Previous Descriptions oj Eggs. — *Gould : Birds of Austr.ilia (1S45), 



also Handbook, vol. ii., p. 115 (1865); Ramsay: Troc. Zool. 



Soc, p. 115 (1876); North: Kec. Austn. Mus., vol. i., p. Ii5 



(1891). 



Geographical Dktrllmtioii. — Northern Territory, North Queens- 

 land; also New Guinea and adjacent islands. 



Nest. — Flat, slight, being merely a few sticks or twigs placed cross- 

 wise — some arc more substantial, being built of green bianchlcts ; 

 usually situated on a horizontal branch of any tree, not uiifie(iuciitly 

 in mangroves overhanging water, and occasionally near the gi-ound or 

 on rocks. Sometimes three or four nests are situated in one tree. 



E(j(jx. — Clutch, one invariably ; elliplieal in shape ; texture of shell 

 somewhat coarse, especially on the smaller end ; siuiace sUghtly 



* No dimensions given. 



