1 98 Campbell, Oolugical Notes and New Fruit-Pigeon. ^ .,^^"\^,r\\ 



birds out of their usual tracks. For instance, the Ground-Wren 

 {Hylacola pyrrliopyoia) has this season been shot in the Dande- 

 nong Ranges. The specimen was exhibited at the January 

 meeting of the Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria by Mr. C. 

 French, jun. 



Erismatura australis (Blue-billed Duck). 



As some doubt exists as to the full complement of eggs to a 

 clutch* laid by this little-known Duck, Mr. J. C. FitzGerald, 

 Neuarpurr, Victoria, has thoughtfully sent me the following 

 note : — " I have a lake at the foot of my garden where Black 

 Duck, Teal, and Mountain-Duck rear a number of clutches 

 every year, their only enemies being Swamp- Hawks (Harriers), 

 which kill a good many of the little ones before they are old 

 enough to look after themselves. Musk-Duck, and occasionally 

 Wood-Duck, also breed here. As I do not permit any shooting 

 on the lake, they are all very tame. 



" This year a pair of Blue-billed Ducks appeared, which 

 (thanks to your book) I was able to identify, not having seen 

 the species in this district before. The Duck laid six eggs about 



2 feet above the water in the fibrous roots of an osier-willow, 

 and has been sitting about 10 days. She is very tame, and will 

 allow one to approach within a few feet before diving into the 

 water." 



Subsequently Mr. FitzGerald wrote regretfully stating that the 

 clutch of the Blue-billed Duck had unfortunately been destroyed. 

 When the eggs were apparently within a few days of being 

 hatched three of them were found broken, while the other three 

 were in the shallow water by the nest unbroken. Mr. Fitz- 

 Gerald thinks the culprit was a Musk-Duck, which was observed 

 always hanging about the nest and annoying the Blue-bills by 

 pursuing them. 



Ptilopus MINUTUS (Small Green Fruit-Pigeon). 



Mr. Clifford Coles, taxidermist, &c., Victoria-arcade, Castle- 

 reagh-street, Sydney, writes : — " Referring to the new Fruit- 

 Pigeon mentioned in The Eviu, vol. v., p. 155, I would like to 

 submit a skin which appears to me like the missing male of the 

 bird in question. I secured it among a lot of North Queens- 

 land birds. I regret much to have no information respecting it 

 except that the person from whom I obtained it had been 

 collecting in the Atherton and Cairns districts for several years. 

 The bird was labelled 'Pigeon (male), N.O.'" 



The note and male specimen kindly sent by Mr. Coles are 

 very opportune, coming so soon after Mr. Cornwall's female 

 specimen, and confirm the new species which I ventured to 

 provisionally name Ptilopus iiiiiii/tus in the last issue of The 



* Gould, 2 to 9 or 10, " Handbook," vol. ii., p. 380 ; Campbell, 4 or 5, " Nest 

 and Eggs," p. 1052. 



