616 On Nests and Ei/f/s from Neir Guinea. 



from a thiu fork near ilie end of a Iji-aiicli, and measure; — 

 external diameter 2^ inches, internal 2; external depth 2 J 

 inches, internal 1|. The eggs are slightly larger and lighter 

 in colour than those found in Australia, having a pale 

 reddish-white ground-colour, with a zone round the larger 

 end of very dark brown markings ; the smaller end is very 

 blunt; and they measure : A 086 x 0-58, B 079 X 0-56 iuch. 



Ptilopus coronulatus. 



These beautiful little Green Fruit- Pigeons nre most difficult 

 to detect among the thick green foliage in which they make 

 their home, and one is fortunate to be able to secure a 

 specimen. They have the curious habit of laying their 

 single egg on the leaf of a palm-tree, as when these large 

 leaves branch out horizontally they are slightly concave^ and 

 often have a few dead leaves and twigs on their surface that 

 have fallen from the surrounding trees. This Pigeon just 

 lays its egg on the leaf, but makes no nest of any kind, and 

 directly anyone approaches the sitting bird darts oft' and 

 flies away as if wounded, and is soon lost to sight ; but 

 Mr. Barnard succeeded in securing one bird as it flew off its 

 egg, which was on a palm-leaf about 3^ feet from the ground. 

 The egg is creamy white and an elongated oval, and measures 

 1 •24x0-72 inch. 



Dacelo gaudichaudi. 



Mr. Barnard noticed these birds generally in the dense 

 scrub, both on the hill-tops and near the beach. They were 

 plentiful, and generally seen in pairs, but occasionally a few 

 birds congregated together to utter their curious note iu 

 chorus ; it is something like the laughing sound made by 

 the Dacelo f/iffas, but not so loud. If their eggs are well 

 incubated, they dart at the intruder if he goes near the nest ; 

 but if the eggs aro fresh they do not, but only fly about close 

 by. Mr. Barnard found four of their nests on Sariba Island. 

 They were hollows made in the mounds which the termites 

 had constructed in the trees, of varying heights from the 

 ground, from 4 to about 40 feet. The nest has no 



