lojy 



.VESTS AND EGGS OF AUSTRALIAN BIRDS. 



The greatest favom-ite, and the most famihar object of oui- King 

 Islaad ramps, was the Dark Blue Wren, not only because of its trilling 

 Uttle song, but more especially for the rich-coloured plumage of the 

 male — the beautiful biilhant blue, sot in velvety-black. The birds did 

 not appear at all shy, but boldly displayed, with tail erect, their lovely 

 Little bodies from the top of any convenient bush. 



A nest I took in tussock gi-ass, near oiu' main camp on the Yellow 



Rock Rivulet, is suiiilar to those of other Blue Wrens, but the eggs are 



the largest of all the Maluri. Dimensions of the clutch in inches : 

 o 



(1) '7 X '52, (2) 'GS X -bo, (3) '68 x '52. In shape the eggs are rovuidish 

 ovals; texture of shell fine; smiace slightly glossy; colour, warm or 

 pinkish-white, lightly spotted and splashed with reddish-browii, the 

 markings being thickest about the uj:)per quarter. 



Comparative dimensions, in inches, of Blue Wrens (males) : — 



M. clizabetluB — Length 5-75 ; bill -33 ; wing 2-1 ; tail 2-35 ; tarsus 1-0 

 ill. goiddi— „ 5 0;,, -33 ; ,, 2-05 ; „ 23 ; ,, -H 



M. cijaneus— „ frO ; „ -28 ; „ 2-0 ; „ 2-2_ ; „ -8 



M. cijanochlamys ,, 4-75 ; ,, -3 ; ,, 2-0 ; ,, 2-05 ; ,, '75 



Dimensions of M. elizabethcB (female): Length 5'5 ; bill 02, 

 wing 2-08 ; tail 2-3 ; tarsus TO. 



163. — Chlamydodera guttata. 

 YELLOW-SPOTTiiD BOWER BIRD. 



That persevering field natiu'ahst, Mr. G. A. Keartland, is to be con 

 gratulated on receiving the first and only egg (up to the present) of the 

 rare Guttated Bower Bu'd of the interior. It was collected for him 

 by Mr. James F. Field, diuing the first week of February (18'J9), from 

 a frail nest — a few dried bits of cotton-bush, lined with coarse grass 

 stalks — built m a low bush in the neighbourhood of Alice Sprnigs. 



Mr. A. J. Nortli, who caane to Melbomiie to examine various oological 

 collections, was kindly permitted to describe the egg. Vide " Victorian 

 Naturalist," vol. xvi., page 10 (1899). The following is his description : 

 ■ It is elongate oval in form, of a faint gi'eenish-grey gi-ound-colour, with 

 the usual labyrintliine network of zig-zag wavy hair and thread-like loop- 

 lines, scrolls and figures, crossing and re-crossing each other, so character- 

 istic of typical eggs of the Chhiiinjdwliru:. In this specimen there ai'e 

 but veiy few underlying markings, nearly all of them being well defined, 

 and appearing as if they liad been placed on the shell with a pen dipped 

 in different shades of umber-brown and violet-gi-oy, the fonner colour 

 predominating and being more thickly disposed towards the thinner end, 

 where in some places the lines are confluent and form broad inegular- 

 shapcd patches and short wavy streaks. The textm-c of the shell is 

 very fine, and its surface lustreless. Length, 1-56 x 1-02 inches. In 

 shape, size, colour, and disposition of its markings it cannot be dis- 

 tinguislu'd from fairly typical eggs of its near ally C iiutcuhiia." 



