74 TCRNICID^. PTEROCLllJlD^. 



In the eggs of the Swift-flj'ing Bastard-Quail the ground-coloiu- 

 is pinkish, and this is covered in varying degrees with speckles, 

 spots and small blotches, all of them more or less conilucnt, of 

 dark reddish brown, pale purple, yellowish brown arid chocolate- 

 brown. On some specimens the blotches are of considerable size. 

 Some examples are pyriform, others broad ovals, and they measure 

 from -0 to 1 in length, and from -Go to -75 in breadth. 



1. Austi-aha. Salvin-Godman Coll. 



10. West Australia. Gould Coll. 



4. South Australia. Gould Coll. 



Genus PEDIONOMUS, Gould. 



Pedionomus torquatus, Gould. 



Pedionomus torquatus, Gould, Handh. Birds Aus/r. ii. p. 187 (I860) : 

 Campbell, A^ests ^- Eyys Austr. Birds, p. 51 (1883) ; North, Nests ^■ 

 EygsAustr. Birds, p. 288, pi. xvi. tig. 12 (18s9); Grant, Cat. Binls 

 B. M. xxii. p. 554 (1893) ; Sharps, Hand-l. i. p. 49 (1899). 



The eggs of the Collared Plain- Wanderer are somewhat remark- 

 able. Two specimens in the Collection are pyriform, very lengthened 

 and pointed, and closely resembling in shape those of some of the 

 Plovers. They are of a pale green colour, thickly speckled and 

 blotched with underlying markings of pale purple and surface- 

 markings of dark brown and yellowish brown. A third specimen 

 is white with numerous shell-markings of pale purple and a few 

 surface-spots of brown. This latter is much shorter than the two 

 above described. The three examples measure respectively : 1-4 by 

 •97 ; 1-35 by -90 ; 1-2 by -96. 



2. New South Wales {Nelson). Gould Coll. 



1. South Australia. Gould Cull. 



Older PTEROCLIDIFORMES. 

 Family PTEROCLIDID.E. 



The eggs of the Sand-Grouse are long and cylindrical, both ends 

 being equally rounded. Occasionally an example is biconical or 

 slightly compressed at either end. 



The'te.xture is fine and smooth and the shell has a fine gloss. 



All the eggs of the Sand-Grouse are double-spotted. The shell- 

 markings consist of spots and blotches of irregular shape and of 

 various shades of grey, lavender and pale purple. They are always 

 numerous and distinctly visible. The eggs of all the species are 

 so similar in colour and markings that no particular reference to 

 their coloration need be made. 



