MELIORNIS. 59 



deserted all of them when they were completed. Of five nests I found last year, the only one 

 the birds laid in was the one I sent you." 



The ef,'gs are three in number for a sitting, rounded oval in form, the shell being close- 

 grained, snrooth, and lustreless. They vary from a delicate bluish-wliite to a greenish-grey 

 ground colour, which is minutely freckled and spotted with slaty-grey, slaty-black and sepia, 

 with which are intermingled a few larger irregular-shaped darker blotches, and some fainter 

 inky-grey underlying markings. In some specimens the markings are more numerous, and 

 thickly disposed around the larger end, where they assume the form of an irregular zone. Two 

 eggs received from the late Mr. George Barnard, and taken during 1883 at Coomooboolaroo, 

 Duaringa, Queensland, measure— Length (A) 0-63 x 0-51 inches. Two eggs in the Australian 

 Museum collection, taken in the same locality, measure alike, length 0-63 x o'62 inches. A set 

 of three taken on the 25th September, 1892, measures: — Length (A) o-6i x 0-49 inches; 

 (B) 0-6 X 0-5 inches ; (C) 0'6i x 0-51 inches. There is nothing to distinguish the eggs of the 

 different species of the genus Neositta from one another. All are alike in colour, and in the varying 

 disposition of the character of their markings. The set taken by Mr. H. G. Barnard, on the 

 14th March, 1905, measures :--Length (.A.) o'63 x 0-5 inches; (B) 0-64 x 0-49 inches; (C) 

 o'62 x o'5 inches. 



Immature birds of both sexes resemble the adults, but have the upper wing-coverts tipped 

 with brown, and the quills are narrowly edged with greyish-brown at the tips; the feathers of 

 the head, cheeks and chin are white with a greyish wash, and the throat and fore neck are 

 dusky-grey; the remainder of the under surface is dusky greyish-white, and there is only a faint 

 indication of the darker brown centres on a few of the feathers on the upper breast. 



Family MELIPHAGID.^. 

 Meliornis novae-hollandiae. 



NEW HOLLAND UuNEY-EiTER. 

 Certhia jwirr-IiollaiKliti', Lath. Iiid. Oni , Vol. I , p. 206 (1790). 

 Meliphnga novrelioUandiiv, Gould, lids Austr , fol.. Vol. IV., pi. 2:3 (1848). 



Meliornis nonf-hollnndur. Gould, Handlik. Hds. Austr, Vol. 1., p. 48G (186.5); Gadow, Cat. Bds. 

 Brit. Mus., Vol. IX., p. 2.53 (1884). 



AnuLT MALE. — (JfNrni/ rnhurr „horr Uin-Lls/,-/,,;,,,-,!, thf.ufhrrs ,,i, thr hiii'l-H,;-l' „„n;,\ii.d 

 irith ,ir,,ii-<h-hru,n,, ,n,d thn.<,- .,„ thr iipp.rhu,-].- ,r]th ,r}i\t<' : h.inr l„irl- .nul runipUmini, slmil.;-,! 

 ir'it], hlnrl/ish-l.nun, ,• „/,/„,■ ,rn,,i-,;,rrrts ,i„'hi„]>U l,J,„-!.Uh-l.r<,in,, thr ,„ilrr ml.s ,./thr hittn- „iu,;jn,r,J 

 r.rt,n,„lhi irith ,inl,lr„-,irll,„r, „„<rr /,;■„,„//,/ „t thr l„isr. ,n,d /„n„nnj „ rnirydrnnHs patch irli,-ii the 



/(■nil/ IS r/i,sri/, thr ilj,;,;l/ /inrtlnii nf tlir nlltrr !rrl, ,,/ ,„ir, llll'l S'lriirtiliirs t IVn I if till' illliermOSt SeOOTUl- 



arirs. iiiirrnirli, rijijril n-'ith irhitr : l„;i-/rathirs hl,i,-l/ish-l,r„ivii, ,„iir,j'iiiril nt thr Imsr of th-ir ontof 

 tvehu irith i/r//i„r, thr tiitrnil fi'iithrrs with <i irhitr ~<i,i,t nt th,- nrl nf thr iinirr lo'li. mid irhirh iiirrrii>,rH 

 in Sixi' tninirds thr mltr, ,„i,st nil rithrr sidr ; rri.irii mid sidrs,,/ thr hnld and thr riir-r, irrrts liliirk : 

 tips of thr friltJirrs 1,11 tlir fnnliriid, mid ,1 iiiirniir liiiriiii rilrJi sidr ,f thr lliljir, irhitr; „ tuft nf 

 fiathrrs nil thr rhrrhs, mid mmthrr l,rhil,d thr nir-n.rrrts irhitr ; rhill mid rriitrr iftlir lliiprr thrnnt 

 hi, irk: friitJirrs 1,1, tin l„„-rr thmiit. irhirh iirr U,i„i m,d hiiirdikr^ irhitr irilh hhirkish-hrniri, hnsrs : 

 rrmmiidrr iij tin- imdrr siirjiirr purr irliitr, riiiisj,iriiniis/i/ gfreii/crd with hlurkish-hroirii more broadly 

 OH tlir rriitrr nftlir rlirst : iiiidrr tail-rnnrts irliilr strruked ivith bhckigh-brown ; fhii/hs brown; bill 



