136 Stray feathers. [ .J''"]",, 



grass, measures about 3^ inches across from side to side, and 

 half an inch from the rim to the bottom. The entrance, which is 

 roughly formed by the sides and back of the nest being 

 extended upward and over, usually faces away from the 

 prevalent wind, which comes from the south-west. The 

 structure is placed about 3 feet from the ground, either in a 

 mass of coastal sword-grass or in a dense tuft of tea-tree. 



A remarkable circumstance about the eggs is that one is as a 

 rule infertile. This is probably accounted for by the great size 

 of the egg in comparison to the bird, with the deficiency of some 

 important element of food. No less than five old nests con- 

 tained addled eggs, and two others contained a broken shell. 

 One new nest contained a beautiful pair of eggs recently broken 

 and sucked by some bush miscreants, probably mice. The nest 

 of this animal was discovered built inside another nest of the 

 Bristle-Bird. Two other nests, in which the birds were sitting, 

 contained each a pair of eggs, and while one egg was partly 

 incubated the other proved infertile. As far as we could judge 

 the female alone builds the nest and sits upon the eggs, while 

 the male brings her food and also helps to feed the young. The 

 call of the jnale bird is loud and penetrating, and is always 

 answered by the mate, wherever she may be. — A. G. CAMPBELL. 

 Melbourne, 15th November, 1906. 



Annotations.— P///(?/w fasciogularis (Fasciated Honey- 

 eater). — Mr. G. A. Young, Fairymead, Queensland, has kindly 

 sent for my collection the nest and eggs of this interesting bird. 

 His field note says that the species is plentiful in the man- 

 groves bordering the Burnett River, where during the breeding 

 season the Honey-eaters were continuously calling and singing. 

 On the 13th August Mr. Young observed two nests in small, 

 dense mangroves, each with a single egg. Returning in five 

 days he found the nests deserted, the eggs gone, and one nest 

 destroyed, but was rewarded by finding a third nest containing 

 a pair of beautiful eggs. These birds appear to build at from 

 between 4 and 6 feet from the ground, suspending their nests in 

 the smaller mangroves. 



Going out again on the 29th September Mr. Young found a 

 fourth nest, containing two fresh eggs, suspended from a 

 horizontal branch not more than 2 feet 6 inches above high tide 

 mark. (Possibly the birds choose these positions to avoid such 

 enemies as snakes or iguanas, which, no, doubt, took two of the 

 previous nests mentioned.) The specimens may be thus 

 described : — 



Nest. — Outwardly constructed of dry grass, matted with 

 yellowish and whitish spiders' cocoons, and lined inside with 

 finer grass, a few long hairs, and portions of thistle-down. 



