Art. VIII. — Three, rare Species of E<j(js liliherto only 

 described from the Oviduct of the Bird. 



By A. J. Campbell, F.L.S. 



(Coininuiiicated by Professor W. Baldwin Spencer, M.A.) 



[Read September 8, 1892.] 



1. Serici^^us melinus, Latham (Regent-bird). 



Localiijj. — Somewhat restricted, being ehietly confined to 

 the sub-tropical coastal scrubs of the Northern portion of 

 New South Wales and Southern Queensland ; but its 

 extreme limit appears to be Port Jackson in the South, 

 where the' bird has been occasionally observed, and the 

 Fitzroy River in the North. I have recorded having 

 received a skin of a young male from Duaringa, near that 

 Rivei-. 



Observations. — The Regent-bii-d, especially the adult male 

 with glorious black and yellow plumage, Gould has well 

 said is one of the finest of Australian Fauna. Last 

 November I undertook an excursion to the Richmond River 

 District, New South Wales, with a view of obtaining, 

 amongst other items, the eggs of the Regent-l)ird. I found 

 the luxuriant scrubs abounding with Regent-birds, in fact, 

 they were as plentiful there as the Wattle-birds about the 

 Banksia groves of our Southern coast. We experienced no 

 difficulty in yjrocuring our few specimen skins. All that 

 was necessary was to select a balmy day and recline under 

 a Canthium tree, wliere the birds (males in various stages of 

 plumage and females) came to regale themselves on the 

 bunches of hard yellow berries. Nevertheless, although 

 well aided with a hardy companion, I prosecuted a 

 vigorous and toilsome search through dense labyiinths 

 of hot scrub and thorny brakes of prodigal growth, 

 whei'e the thick foliage of the trees caused a perpetual 

 twilight underneath, but returned without the eggs. It 

 was an experience akin to seeking for the proverbial 

 needle in a haystack. From evidence gained by dissection 



