Three Rare Species of Efifj^. 125 



einploj'ed, not even a lew i-oots as a lining," Ijut is at 

 variance with Mr. North's statement, which precedes his 

 description of the egg taken from the oviduct of a bird by 

 Mr, C'ockerell, the collector, the only other egg at present 

 known. 



Incidentally,, the sti'eaky markings of the eggs o})en np a 

 speculation in reference to coloration. A clever paper read 

 before this Society some time ago, suggested the bowers or 

 pla}^ houses of the birds as attributive to the cause. Perliaps 

 Mr. Lucas had in his mind Jacob and the flocks that con- 

 ceived before the rods and bi'ought fortli cattle, 

 " ringstreaked, speckled, and spotted." But all bower- 

 building birds do not la}^ streaky-coloured eggs, to wit, the 

 Satin Bower-bird {Ptilonorlcy ncltits) . I succeeded in taking 

 a good |)hotograph of the Regent-bird's bower. 



2. ScYTHROPS N()V.E-HoLLA.NDLE, Latham (Channel-bill) 



Locality. — This bird is a wanderer over the whole of 

 Australia, but has not yet been received from the South 

 West ])ortion, and sometimes reaches Tasmania. Is recorded 

 from New Guinea. 



Observations. — Th. Channel-bill is manifestly interesting, 

 because it is the lai'gest of Australian Cuckoos. It is some- 

 times known inland as the "flood" bird, ai'riving with such 

 occurrences. Gould described an egg from the oviduct. Mr. 

 North described a similar immature egg from a bird shot on 

 the Macleay River during the first week in November 1884. 

 An egg collected for me (taken from a crow's nest, if I 

 recollect rightly) at Coopei-'s Creek, was unfortunately 

 broken in transit. 



The Egg. — A mature example, in tiie possession of Mr. 

 D. Le Souef, Zoological Gardens, Melbourne, may be 

 described as light Vjufl'or pinkish-brown in colour, mediumly 

 spotted with pinkish-red and chestnut, with a number of 

 light purplish markings under the shell's surface. In shape 

 and in general coloration, it is not unlike a Strepera's (Crow- 

 shrike) small egg. Texture of shell a little coarse ; surface 

 almost lustreless ; length -t-2 cm. by a breadth of 2'84 cm. 

 The egg was taken in October 1880, near Inglewood, 

 Queensland, where the Channel-bills were fairly numei'ous, 

 by Mr. Herman Lau, an observing naturalist, and, as 

 remarkable as it may appear, from the nest of the Sparrow- 

 hawk {Accipiter), together with an egg of the bird of prey. 



