af 2 THE JACKSONIAN OOLOGICAL COLLECTION. 
Data ( ampbell’s No. of 
No. Book. Eggs. 
nove hollandie@) which we found in it. The latter nest I found by noticing the female tugging at a very 
long piece of cast off snake skin, which was caught in amongst some Barrister vines (Mezoneuron 
Scortechinit), and after releasing it she flew with it to the nest, and carefully arranged it on same. After 
witnessing this I rested in the shade a little further away, and with the field glasses watched her visit 
the nest again four times within half an hour, and each trip she brought snake skins to it. I then 
carefully took the bearings of the tree containing the nest, and left the spot feeling thoroughly satisfied 
that it would be ready for eggs in a few days. I returned again in six days in great hopes of procuring 
a set, but was very much upset and disappointed on finding half an egg shell on the ground at the very 
foot of the tree, and on climbing up to the nest I was more than surprised to find two newly-hatched 
young birds, which were quite black and devoid of feathers or down of any kind. This now proves 
Showing a pair of N.S.W. Rifle Birds of Paradise, in their natural positions, with their Nest and Eggs. 
(About One-third of the natural size.) 
(See data No. 557, page 115.) 
that the nest contained eggs the day I saw her building, or rather putting snake skins on it, though I, 
of course, naturally fancied the nest was not finished. The two young birds looked very remark- 
able, and_ possessed large horny cones on their bills, 
just above the nostrils, and @ something similar to that 
= of the Friar Bird or Leather 
on the young Rifle Bird of 
a concentrated growth, 
found on the upper mandible 
Head. This protuberance 
Paradise, is in all probability 
which would naturally slowly diminish as the bill started to grow and lengthen, and ultimately disappear 
altogether. The adult birds have long bills, which are rather curved, and average about 2} inches in 
length. In company with W. McEnerny, I again visited this nest eight days later, in hopes of caging 
the two young ones, knowing they were very rare items to get alive, and seldom seen in captivity ; but 
we were again unsuccessful—they had gone—and the accumulation of debris in the nest proved beyond 
all doubt that they had been successfully reared. In the decoration of the five nests of this beautiful 
120 
