76 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



The ground colour of the egg is olive-green, with dark brown 

 markings of varying intensity, and occasionally a few small black 

 ones, a few of the lighter appearing as if beneath the surface. 

 The spots are principally on the larger end. The clutch of three, 

 before referred to, I took on 18th December, 1896. They 

 measure — A, 1.16 x .86; B, 1.15 x .87 ; C, 1.14 x .84. — D. Le 

 Souef, Royal Park, 9th August, 1897. 



Rare Eggs. — The following particulars regarding three species 

 of the eggs exhibited by me at the Club's meeting to-night may 

 be of interest to oologists. Great Palm Cockatoo, Microglossia 

 aterrimus, Gmel. This egg is a dull, chalky white, surface 

 somewhat rough, with a few small excrescences. Length, 2.12 

 x 1.55 in. Taken early this year in North-East Australia. 

 Pied Honey-eater, Certhionyx leucomelas, Cuv. Although eggs 

 believed to belong to this species have been already described, I 

 have recently had ample opportunity of verifying the correctness of 

 my labelling, as I not only found the nests, but shot the birds 

 from them, and took the eggs, in Western Australia. Description — 

 Ground colour, dirty white, or pale stone colour, plentifully 

 spotted with dark-brown and pale slate colour, the latter appear- 

 ing as if beneath the surface of the shell. Size, .8 x .64 in. 

 Red-throated Honey-eater, Conopophila rvfigularis, Gould. I 

 exhibit four clutches of these eggs for the purpose of showing the 

 extent of variation in colour, markings, and size. No. 1 clutch — 

 Fleshy-white ground, heavily blotched with red, especially at the 

 larger end. No. 2 clutch — Ground colour, dull white, sparingly 

 spotted with dark brown at the larger end. No. 3 clutch — White 

 ground, finely freckled with red. No. 4 clutch are much smaller 

 than the others, perfectly white, and finely spotted with black at 

 the larger end. I not only took these eggs myself, but had pre- 

 viously watched the birds building their nests on many occasions, 

 as they were all found close to our camp, otherwise I should be 

 inclined to think they belonged to different species. — G. A. 

 Keartland. 9th August, 1897. 



A New Use for Spiders.— The note which appears under 

 the above heading in last month's Naturalist might have passed 

 without criticism — in spite of the fact that it comes from America 

 — had the writer omitted to give the names of the spiders said to 

 be employed by the wine merchants. Epeira sclopetaria (E. 

 vulgaris) and Nephila plumipes are both common in temperate 

 North America, where they spin large orb-shaped webs in the open, 

 but could not be induced to spin webs amongst bottles stored in 

 a cellar. That spiders could be utilized in the manner indicated 

 I have no doubt, but certainly not either of the species named. 

 Some species, common enough in Victoria, would do the work 

 admirably, but nothing less than a Royal Commission shall induce 

 me to give their names. — C. Frost. 



