A. J. 
Data Campbell’s No. of 
No. 
No. in 
Book, 
Eggs. 
THE JACKSONIAN OOLOGICAL COLLECTION. 
23rd of December, 1896, I started from South Grafton at early morn, and proceeded on my bicycle to 
Nymboida, thence on towards Cloud’s Creek, which I subsequently passed. On reaching my 
destination, after a good day’s riding on the machine, which was loaded with tent, camera, rations, etc., 
I pitched “camp,” and being very anxious to do some egg hunting before dark, in this beautiful 
locality, I had a stroll among the Oak trees (Casuarina subeyosa and C. torulosa) that grew along the 
edge of the scrub. My desire to revisit the haunts of this Satin Bower Bird was very great, and I had 
not been so very long in the vicinity when strange cries came to my ears from down the gully. I then 
walked down very cautiously in that direction, when my attention was attracted to an Oak tree, through 
noticing a female fly suddenly from a cluster of Mistletoe (Loranthus linophyllus) in it. On climbing 
up I found a nest carefully concealed in this parasitical growth, which contained 3 beautiful eggs, quite 
fresh (see data No. 549.) It was a rough structure of sticks and twigs, and resembled very much the 
nest of the Black-throated Butcher Bird (Cvacticus nigrigularis), but was lined with dead leaves of the 
Spotted Eucalyptus instead of roots and grass, and was about the same size as that which we found at 
Nymboida during October 1895, and from which we took set No. 550A. I carefully emptied the nest 
of its contents, but unfortunately it could not be 
removed in perfect condition, on account of the 
sticks and twigs of same being so interlaced with 
those of the Mistletoe, and the latter were 
growing on rather a thick limb. After making 
further searches, I succeeded in finding nine 
more nests, within a radius of a mile of my 
camp, all of which were built in Oak trees 
(Casuarina), and in the same position as the 
first nest was found, with the exception that four 
of them were built in the upright forks of the 
trees, and not in the Mistletoe, as the other six 
were. Of the nine nests found there were eggs 
in four of them, out of which I got one fresh set 
of 2, anda few addled specimens, the balance 
of them being too far advanced in incubation to 
be blown. The remaining five nests all con- 
tained young birds covered with down, and in 
one nest I found a young bird possessing four 
NEST AND CLUTCH OF 3 EGGS OF THE SATIN 
BOWER BIRD. 
legs, and now regret I did not keep the curiosity (About one-eighth of the natural size.) 
instead of placing it back into the nest. In all Loc., near Cloud's Creek, Clarence River district, N.S.W. 
I procured seven eggs, which varied much in (See data No. 549, page 106.) 
size, shape and colour. Out of the ten nests 
found, the following is the detailed result :— 
One nest contained set of 3 eggs (fresh). 
2 
One ,, 5 ae »» (almost fresh). 
One ,, 43 3 9» I. y, (addled) and 1 bird. 
Four nests _,, > 9) 3 young birds each. 
Two: ;; - + «yy 2 eggs each (heavily incubated). 
One nest . » 99 3. 9 (addled, 2 heavily incubated). 
The nests were placed at elevations varying from twenty to thirty feet, and in cases where they were not 
built in the Mistletoe, they were situated in forks near the trunks or centres of the trees, at the topmost 
parts. The birds were very tame, and did not come near me when I was at the nest, my presence 
evidently not causing them much alarm, but they sat and poured forth their guttural cry from adjoining 
trees. I spent four days alone in these woods, away from all interruption, having a very busy time, 
and before packing up camp found two more nests, but very old ones, which had probably been a 
107 
