INSESSORES 453 



and purpose of such singular structures. This very curious 

 sort of nest, which was frequently found by myself and other 

 individuals of the party, not only along the sea-shore, but in 

 some instances at a distance of six or seven miles from it, I 

 once conceived must have belonged to a Kangaroo, until I 

 was informed that it was the run or playing-place of a species 

 of Chlamydodera. These structures were formed of dead grass 

 and parts of bushes, sunk a slight depth into two parallel 

 furrows in sandy soil, and then nicely arched above. But the 

 most remarkable fact connected with them was, that they were 

 always full of broken sea-shells, large heaps of which protruded 

 from each extremity. In one instance, in a bower the most 

 remote from the sea that we discovered, one of the men of 

 the party found and brought to me the stone of some fruit 

 which had evidently been rolled in the sea ; these stones he 

 found lying in a heap in the nest, and they are now in my 

 possession." 



The bird sent to me by Mr. Gregory is rather larger, but 

 bears a very general resemblance to the Chlamydodera macu- 

 lata, being spotted all over like that species ; but it differs in 

 the guttations of the upper surface being of a larger size and 

 much more distinct, in the abdomen being buff, and in the 

 shafts of the primaries being of a richer yellow. In all pro- 

 bability, the specimen is a female, since there is no trace of 

 the beautiful lilaceous imchal mark seen in the males only of 

 C. maculata and C. nuchalis. Since Mr. Gregory discovered 

 this interesting bird, Mr. Stuart, as all the world knows, has 

 crossed the continent of Australia from Adelaide to the 

 Victoria River ; and that he met with this bird in some part 

 of his journey is shown by his havhig khidly left at my house 

 the head of a male adorned with fine lilaceous feathers at the 

 back of the neck like C. nuchalis and C. maculata. 



General tint of the upper surface and wings deep brownish 

 black, with a spot of rich buff at the tip of each feather, 

 those of the head and nape being very small, while those on 



