CINNYRIS. 207 



yellow; it was in company with the adult male. On the 20th September, 1895, a Sun-bird was 

 building a nest in my brother's verandah, and attached it to the tendril of a grape vine, whilst 

 here a pair are nesting on the string that opens and shuts the ventilator of my bedroom. On 

 the 15th November, 1895, I noticed a nest hanging from the wooden shutter that serves as a 

 window in the cottage occupied by our baker; there are two little children always playing 

 inside, and it is within a few yards of the main road. A Sun-bird has a nest now, 21st October, 



1896, in our stableman's verandah which is often occupied by himself, wife, four children and 

 three dogs, yet the birds do not show any sign of fear. The Sun-birds are now, ist January, 



1897, rearing their second brood, one nest here has two eggs, and at my brother's house a pair 

 have young; they generally use the old nest for the second hatching. A pair of Sun-birds that 

 built their nest here last May and then deserted it, returned some time ago and now, 3rd August, 

 1897, have young nearly ready to fly. Cinnyris frenata is sitting again, 3rd September, 1897, in 

 the old nest, they never even repaired it, the tail is gone and the aperture is nearly half across 

 the nest, but the female is quite content and let me touch her house before she flew out. On the 

 23rd January, 1897, and for the third time this season, Cinnyris frenata began building, choosing a 

 most peculiar place. Some time ago I got a flying squirrel's skin from a black, and hung a 

 by the tail in the back verandah close to one of the doors of the bedroom. The birds have 

 started their nest on the tail and are building down to the head; it was afterwards deserted, 

 probably by another skin falling down that was in close proximity." 



Writing on the 25th May, 1897, Mr. Boyd remarks: — "Cinnyris frenata is still building. My 

 pair started a nest on a bit of rope in the front verandah a few days ago, and now it is nearly 

 finished; this is their fourth nest, they had the first built on the 8th of August, 1896." 



Mr. Boyd kindly forwarded me the partially constructed nest, built on the furred side of a 

 flattened flying-squirrel's skin, also several completed nests and sets of eggs, and a photograph of 

 the nest suspended from the wooden shutter. 



A nest taken on the 30th January, 1891, is a long fusiform structure, with an entrance 

 about half way down one side, which is protected by a hood, there being a quantity of nesting 

 material above and below the nest proper, as is usually seen in the nests of Gerygonc albigulavis. 

 It is formed of shreds of bark and bark fibre, dried grasses, and portions of leaves, being lined 

 on the inside with finer grasses and white plant down. The whole e.\terior is ornamented and 

 held together with a fine network of spider's web. It measures ten inches in length over all, the 

 nest proper being five inches in length by three inches in diameter, and across-the entrance one 

 inch, from top to bottom of protecting hood three inches, from the bottom of nest to end of tail- 

 like appendage three and a half inches. Another nest is formed to a large e.xtent with small 

 pieces of white paper-like bark of a Mdalcuea and fine dried grasses, but has the same network 

 covering of spiders' webs. It measures fourteen inches in length, seven inches of it being 

 superfluous nesting material of the tail-like appendage below the nest proper. Some nests 

 are oval in form with only a few inches of nesting material above the domed portion of the 

 structure. 



The eggs are usually two in number for a sitting, oval in form, some specimens being rather 

 pointed at the smaller end, the shell being very close-grained, smooth and lustrous. They vary 

 from a dull greenish-grey to an ashy or greyish-white ground colour, which is more or less 

 obscured by numerous freckles or stipplings of light brown. Typically the markings are evenly 

 distributed over the shell, but in some they predominate or form a clouded band on the larger 

 end. Two specimens in the Australian Museum collection measure: — Length (A) o-65 x 0-42 

 inches; (B) o-(37 x 0-44 inches. A set of two taken by Mr. J. A. Boyd on the 30th December, 

 1890, measures:— Length (A) o-68 x 0-47 inches; (B) o-66 x 0-47 inches. 



Writing me from Hambledon, near Cairns, in January 1907, Mr. A. F. Smith remarks: — "I 

 am sending you two nests oi Cinnyris frenata, both depart in opposite directions from the usual 



