^°goV'] Reviezvs. 203 



Quite a chapter, graphically written, describes the historical 

 finding of the first and as yet the only nest of the rare Rufous 

 Scrub-Bird [Atrichia rufesccns), the female of which has not yet 

 been described.* But undoubtedly the piece dc resistance is the 

 account (with photo, pictures) concerning the, finding of several 

 nests of the Rifle Bird-of-Paradise {Ptilorhis paradisea). Regard- 

 ing the discovery of the nest first found, Mr, Jackson writes : — 



" I arrived at the Booyong scrubs from Sydney on the 4th of October, 

 1899, and on the second morning, at twenty minutes to five, was awakened 

 by one of these birds making its grating or rasping-Hke noise just at the back 

 of the camp, and behind me as I reclined in my bunk. I took no notice, 

 however, but next morning it was repeated, and I was awakened at 4.30 a.m., 

 and then became very interested, deciding to visit the spot next morning if 

 the noise, or note, was for the third time made. Next morning I was again 

 awakened by this bird, this time at nearly 5 o'clock, so I slipped on a pair of 

 boots, and in my pyjamas made my way through the treacherous lawyer 

 vines and thorn bushes to a part from which the sound appeared to come. 

 I had not gone far when I saw a female Rifle-Bird fly from a dark clump on 

 top of a scrub cherry tree clown upon a water vine ( Viiis hypo^lauca)^ which 

 hung swing-like between two trees. When I witnessed this I stood motion- 

 less, and almost breathless with excitement, and watched the female on the 

 vine ; she sat there for fully fifteen minutes, eyeing me in all ways, and 

 turning around and looking down at me sideways ; then she would spend a 

 few minutes combing and cleaning her feathers with her long, curved bill. 

 During this performance a handsome male bird suddenly put in an 

 appearance, and deliberately flew down on the side of the rough-barked 

 trunk of a tall red cedar tree (Cedrela australis)^ within about 3 

 feet of me. After carefully scrutinising me all over, in a somewhat 

 inquisitive manner, and having remained on the side of the tree for 

 about fifteen seconds, it gave two dreadful screeches, and then disappeared 

 very suddenly, and just as mysteriously as it came. All kinds of pictures 

 then flashed across my mind. I imagined the nest was not far off, and that 

 it contained a lovely set of eggs ; then again I thought it must have young 

 in it, as the hen bird sat so long in the one place. At last I tried to raise 

 my hopes by surmising she was building, when off she flew, and went in 

 almost a straight line through the scrub. It was a relief to me, as I was 

 cjuite cramped standing in the same position, and unable to kill the large 

 mosquitoes that had been feeding on my hands and face, as well as remove 

 the blood-thirsty scrub-leeches, which had also found me. I did not go 

 away, however, but sat down behind a tree for fully another twenty minutes ; 

 still she did not return, and my hopes began to fall again. By this time, 

 about 5.30 a.m., the scrub was better lighted, and I walked over and looked 

 up at the dark clusters of lawyer vines {Calainis australis) and scrub cane 

 {Flagellaria indica\ which were interlaced with the foliage at the top of the 

 cherry tree, and could see an isolated clump up near the top. However, on 

 examining the ground directly beneath this nest-like object, I found several 

 freshly plucked portions of a small round-leaved climbing fern {Polypodium 

 serpens)^ which, of course, told me that there was a nest of some kind in 

 course of construction overhead. I was now satisfied, and immediately 

 quitted the spot, returned to camp, and found W. M'Enerny, my assistant, 

 wondering what had become of me ; and when I related my find to him it 



* I.e. scientifically ; but one of Mr. Jackson's correspondents (Isaac J. Foster) 

 furnishes the following description of a female Atrichia, curiously captured alive in 

 the scrub (p. 19.) :—" About one inch shorter than the male, and possesses no 

 whitish mark under the throat, as is the case with the male, the underneath parts 

 being devoid of rufous and are grey instead; the back and other p?rts ai'e sinrilar to 

 those of the male." 



