1-- PKIilSTKHin*. 



everywhere, some of the iiests bein.i,' placed on the l)ranches of fallen trees, otiiers in low shrubs, 

 anil on the tops of discarded Finch's nests. One pair of eu,'A^ w'as placed on top of a nest of the 

 Spotted-sided Finch (Stagniioplnn-a !:iifttilij ). The Finch's nest contained four fresh ej^gs. The 

 birds remained till the following season, when they all disappeared, and have not returned since. 

 In September 1S82 I found these birds breeding at Comet Downs Station, eighty miles west 

 of here." 



I\lr. luibt. Giant has handed me the following note: — "The I^ittle Turtle I io\ e ( Gcopclia 

 cuncdta) is found sparingly distributed over New South Wales. I have met with it at Trangieon 

 the Western Line, at O'Connell Plains and Locksley on the F'ish Ri\er, and ha\e also shot 

 it at Bradley's Ouarries, Five Dock, near Sydney. It is sometimes met with m pairs, but more 

 often solitary birds. All procured by me were flushed from the ground, and they simply flew 

 and settled on the lower brandies of the nearest tree. The contents of crops e.xamined contained 

 very small dark-coloured seeds." 



From Melbourne, Victoria, Mr. G. .A. Heartland wrote me as follows : — " Whilst travelling 

 tlirough Central Australia with the Horn Scientific E.xploring E.xpedition, in 1^94, I saw the 

 Little Turtle E)o\e f6^('(i/'c//<7 (■////(VTi'i; } at every waterhole. During the day it came singly, in 

 pairs, or in flocks to drink, and wandered about feeding on the seed of I'liodia and I'ortidacca. 

 At first I was at a loss to account for the strange mournful note I heard all through the moon- 

 light nights, but soon ascertained that it proceeded from one of these Doves perched amongst 

 the foliage of a neighbouring tree. On our route we fret]uently disturbed flocks feeding on the 

 ground in the scrub or forest. They are plump-fleshed birds, and although they appear 

 small a few of them make a good meal for a man. They are easily caught, or as many as a 

 dozen may be killed at a shot, and their scanty feathers are easily removed. When I have 

 disturbed the bird suddenly from its nest the eggs frequently fell to the ground, being dislodged 

 by the slightest shake of the frail flat nest. They make e.xcellent pets, and thrive and breed 

 freely in an aviary if fed on canary seed, hi Western .Australia I found them within a mile of 

 nearly every waterhole or rock pool. In Victoria it may be seen in the ALallee country, near the 

 Wimmera, but I never met with them in a large stretch of open country." 



Mr. Tom Carter writes : — "GcopeUa cnncaia was very common at Point Cloates, also in the 

 Gascoyne District, North-western Australia. In the summer months, when water was getting 

 scarce, it congregated in great flocks in the scrub surrounding the remaining pools. The 

 eggs, two in number for a sitting, were laid in \ery frail nests in low bushes, and were noted 

 from I St May to the 15th September." 



The nest is usually built of the stems of herbaceous plants, or coarse dried grass stems; 

 one taken in Western New South Wales was built entirely of wiry rootlets and thin twigs; it 

 was slightly more cup-shaped and compactly built than any other nest I ha\e seen of this 

 species. Any suitable tree is selected as a nesting site, often being placed in the dead forked 

 branch of a fallen tree, or on top of a tree stump. Dr. \i. P. Ramsay states that Mr. John 

 S. Kamsay, in 1868, found this bird breeding in great numbers on Cardington Station, on the 

 Bell River, the nests being placed on the flattened tops of the vine-stakes in the \ ineyards, the 

 birds being remarkably tame and almost allowing themselves to be handled. 



Eggs, two in number for a sitting, are elliptical in form, pure white, after being emptied of 

 their contents, the shell being close-grained, smooth and almost lustreless. A set of two taken at 

 Cardington Station, New South Wales, measures ;— Length (.\) 078 x 0-62 inches; (B) 077 

 X 0-6 inches. A set of two taken on the Gwydir River, in November, 1897, measures : — Length 



(A) 076 X o-fii inches; (B) 077 x 0-62 inches. .A set of two taken by Mr. C. E. Cowle at 

 Illamurta, Central Australia, on the 3rd July, 1895, measures :— Length (.A) 0-83 x 0-63 inches; 



(B) 0-82 X 0-62 inches. 



