1074 NESTS AND EGGS OF AUSTRALIAN BIRDS. 



building on the 18th October. It haxl also plentiful decorations of snake- 

 skin, one piece of which hung down three feet seven inches. 



Third nest, taken 29th November, contained a single egg in an 

 advanced stage of incubation. 



Fourth nest, found 30th November, aJid an-angements were made 

 to take it the following day. But during the night a violent storm 

 brovight down a giant fig-tree, which, clearing a path for itself in the sci^ub, 

 in turn brought down the tree with the Rifle's nest. In looking amongst 

 the fallen debris afterwards, Mr. Jackson found part of the nest and 

 fragments of egg shell. Hard luck ! 



The fifth nest was discovered 4th December, was situated in a mass 

 of parasitical fern (PiiJtjpoduim), on the top of a tree, and contained 

 young. Regarding this nest and other interesting items, Mr. Jackson 

 concludes : " I observed the female Rifle Bird placing a piece of snake- 

 skin, fully foiu- feet long, on the nest. I could see it quite plainly as I 

 lay in the shade with vcvj field glasses, therefore I concluded she had not 

 finished building. I returned again in seven days in hopes of procuring 

 a set of cg'gi, but I was very much upset and disappointed on finding 

 half an egg shell on the gi-ound, and on climbing up to the nest I was 

 more than siu^irised to find two newly-hatched young birds, which were 

 quite black and devoid of feathers or down of any kind. 



" This now proves that the Rifle Bird had eggs in the nest the day I 

 saw her building, or rather putting snake-skins on it, though I of course 

 naturally fancied the nest wa.s not finished. 



" My experience is that the Rifle Birds never come to the ground for 

 nnteri.al for their nests, because on several occasions I have noticed them 

 collecting snake-skins from limbs of trees and in among vines. It is 

 impossible to follow the birds when they fly through dense scnib to their 

 nests with the skin. 



" All material used in the Rifle Bird's nest is collected among the 

 topmost limbs of tall trees. I have watched for hoiu's the birds building. 

 The male does not feed the female while she is sitting, nor does lie build 

 any portion of the nest, all being done by the female as far as I have 

 observed. The female leaves her nest and goes to feed eveiy morning 

 at about 10.30, and again in the afternoon at 4.30." 



Subscpently I had the pleasure of examining the above mentioned 

 nests and eggs in Mr. Jackson's collection at Sydney. The nests 

 resembled the one I had described, bvit the singular ornamentations of 

 snake-skins were more intact. One nest seemed to have almo.st a 

 complete skin. In the first pair of eggs taken (November 2nd, 1899) 

 by Mr. Jackson, one (1) is similar in shape and character to the 

 colouring of the type egg described by me; while the other (2) is an 

 elongated oval, pinker in the ground-colour, and has the striped 

 markings about the apex more numerous and richer. Dimensions : 

 (1) 1-29 X -94, (2) 1-3SX-92. (This pair is now in the collection of 

 Dr. Charles Ryan, Melbourne.) The pair Mr. Jackson retained for 

 himself (taken November 20th, 1899) are elongated ovals. Dimen- 

 sions: (1) 1-36 X -92, (2) 1-36 X -9. 



The male belonging to the first nest was in a transition state of 

 plumage, as was the case with the male of the typo nest, proving 



