A. J. 
Data Campbell's No. of 
No. 
235A 
No. in 
J 
Book. 
596 
Eggs. 
THE JACKSONIAN OOLOGICAL COLLECTION. 
extremely long toes (six inches and a half from back to front) and toe-nails which it possesses ; with 
these it is enabled to travel with great rapidity over weeds and other floating a@quatic herbage on the 
swamps and fresh water creeks. It isa grand spectacle to watch these curious birds parading among 
the bright and handsome blooms of the giant blue Water Lilies on the swamps, etc., as my brother 
and I have frequently had the pleasure of witnessing, during our residence in the Clarence River district 
of North-eastern New South Wales. 
The illustration showing the large blue Water Lilies and the nest and bird, is from a photograph 
which I succeeded in taking one very windy day during November of 1897, but only after standing 
nearly four hours ina swamp, and up to my waist in mud and water, to say nothing of the stings I 
received from the various fresh water insects, etc. 
Having found the 
nest, placed in such a 
magnificent position, I 
decided not to lose the 
golden opportunity, and 
made up my mind to 
photograph it, and after 
a long walk home got 
my camera and tripod, 
and also a_ preserved 
specimen of the Parra 
itself, which latter I 
placed on a large lily 
leaf near the nest. When 
the wind had consider- 
ably abated, the photo- 
graph was taken, two 
exposures of 4 seconds T. A. Brittlebank and F. T .A. Jackson hunting for the nests of the Parra, on 
each being finally made Caramana Swamp, Clarence River, N.S.W. 
after six o'clock p.m. 
The eggs of this curious bird are glossy and very handsome, the bizarre markings on them consisting 
of a labyrinth of black and dark yellowish-olive lines, turning and twisting in every conceivable 
direction, on a grcund colouring which varies from yellowish to yellowish-olive, and possess quite a hand- 
painted appearance. It was the eggs of this species which so greatly 
interested His Excellency, Lord Northcote, G.C.M.G., G.C.S.L., 
C.B., Governor-General of Australia, and His Excellency Sir Harry 
H. Rawson, K.C.B., etc., State Governor of New South Wales, during 
their inspection of this collection at Federal Government House, 
Sydney, on the 18th August, 1904. I have from time to time helped 
many collections with these handsome eggs. Specimen A. of the 
clutch under notice measures = 1°18 x 0°84. 
This set of five eggs contains the very large specimen which I 
have already mentioned in the above notes on the Parra. This 
splendid clutch was taken on Duck Swamp, South Grafton, New 
South Wales, by A. Amos and Sid. W. Jackson, on zoth November, 
1894. Four eggs of this interesting set are of the normal size, shape, 
and markings, etc., but specimen E is most extraordinary, and very Jarge and remarkable egg of the 
appears decidedly foreign to the others of the set, and as already es found with clutch Data No. 
‘ , : : ° 39A- 
stated is of a very dull greenish white, and rather like a freshly_laid (Natural Size). 
38 
