rare Egys of Australian Birds. WA 



" In the clutch I got on December 27th there was one egg 

 which I think is that of Flinders^s Cuckoo^ and, strange 

 to say, it was the first egg laid in the nest ; it was in the 

 nest when we found it, and it was not until two or three 

 days later that the Friar-bird laid its two eggs, as on coming 

 back four days after we found the three in the nest." The 

 egg is A^ery similar in colour to that of a well-marked egg of 

 the Philemon argenticeps ; it has a reddish-pink ground- 

 colour, and is well marked all over with elongated reddish- 

 brown blotches : these are more numerous at the larger eud, 

 but do not form a zone. The egg measures 1*25 x 0*90 inch. 



6. PoEPHiLA NiGROTECTA Hartert. (Hartert's Finch.) 

 These Finches were found nesting by Mr. R. Hislop not 



far from Cooktown, North Queensland. The birds were 

 described last year by Mr. E. Hartert in 'The Ibis' (1899, 

 p. 647). 



These birds, like the majority of Finches, feed mostly on 

 the ground, where they can generally get a plentiful supply 

 of grass and other seeds. They nest apparently very early, 

 as Mr. Hislop found eggs on June 9th, 1899. The nest 

 contained five fresh eggs, and was the usual bulky domed 

 structure, composed of grass, aud built in a thick bush. 

 The full clutch is five ; the eggs are pure white, and a 

 swollen oval in shape. They measure : A 0*56xO"4I, B 0*52 

 X 0-42, C 0-52 X 0-42, D 052 X 0*42, E 0-53 x 0-42 inch. 



7. Smicrornis flavescexs Gould. (Yellow - tinted 

 Smicrornis.) 



The nest and eggs of this diminutive little bird, probably 

 the smallest of any Australian species, were found by 

 Mr. R. Hislop near Cooktown on October 22nd, 1899. He 

 writes : " I found this bird's nest in a melaleuca-tree, 

 about 15 feet from the ground. I shot both birds at the 

 nest. The female had one egg in her when shot, but it was 

 broken. I have found other nests, but they all contained 

 two young ones." These little birds are very difficult to 

 detect, from their habit of keeping among the topmost 

 branches of the trees, hunting for their insect prey. The 



