Data 
No. 
577 
578 
No. in 
A. J. 
Sones No. of 
ook, 
Eggs. 
THE JACKSONIAN OOLOGICAL COLLECTION. 
further on. The egg measures in inches = 2°42 x 1°64, and was taken at the Booyong scrubs, in the 
Richmond River district of N.S.W., by W. McEnerny and myself, on the 6th of October, 1899. This 
bird is distinct from the other two, though its habits and haunts are similar; the side feathers of the 
tail are shorter, and the bar markings observable in the case of Victorie and superba are entirely absent, 
whilst the two central feathers, narrow and prolonged, cross each other at the base, curve outwards at 
the tip, and are webbed only on their external side. This bird, which frequents the scrubs between 
the Richmond River of north-eastern New South Wales, and the south-eastern parts of Queensland, 
has now become very rare. It was first located and described by the late John Gould, of London, in 
February of 1850; and the late James F. Wilcox, of the Clarence River district, found the first recorded 
nest and egg during August of 1852, in the Richmond River scrubs. The nest was placed on a rocky 
ledge, about 100 feet above the stream of the latter river, and was so difficult of access as to render its 
acquisition a task of no ordinary kind, the entrance being placed towards the rock. Whilst dealing 
with the subject of early discovery, it is interesting to find that the Il/ustvated London News, of March 
the roth, 1853, contains J. F. Wilcox’s account of its general habits, and the picture of the pair of 
Prince Albert’s Lyre Birds on the opposite page, reproduced from the pages of that journal, serves to 
indicate the progress of Australian ornithology, and the advances made in depicting the facts ascertained 
by exact research. This latter nest and egg were transmitted to the British Museum by J. F. Wilcox 
in September of 1852, and since then few persons have been privileged to obtain the bird, and fewer 
still to discover its nest and egg. During my long stay in the Richmond River scrubs in 1899-1900, I 
often saw the birds, and had splendid opportunities of listening to their truly wonderful powers of 
mimicry, in which vocalisation I am inclined to think they surpass the other two species. It was 
only after some years of repeated disappointments that Dudley Le Soiief, of Melbourne, acquired the 
rare egg of this species, and in quite a round about way ; for, during his visit to London in 1898, he 
was presented with an egg by the Hon. Walter Rothschild, which had been laid in his large private 
gardens at Tring, London, where many birds from various parts of the world are kept in captivity. 
Strange to say the egg in A. J. Campbell’s collection, which was found in Queensland, also came 
from London, and was from the famous oological collection of the late Philip Crowley. 
One egg, a clutch, which is ofa very rich purplish-brown, covered with markings of the same, and a 
darker colour scattered all over the surface. It is much more compressed, and is not so pointed at one 
end as is the case with the latter specimen (data No. 576). It was found by Isaac J. Foster in the 
scrubs near Bangalow, Richmond River, N.S.W., on the rgth of September, 1899. The egg measures 
in inches = 2°34 x 1°72. See foot of A. J. Campbell’s book, page 523, where he quotes this egg. 
BROWN KINGFISHER OR LAUGHING JACKASS. 
Dacelo gigas, Boddaert. 
Splendid set of 4 eggs, which are very round specimens, and were taken from a hollowed-out nest 
of the white ant (Zevmites), on the side of the dead trunk of an Ironbark Eucalypt, in Foley’s paddock, 
near South Grafton, Clarence River, N.S.W., on the 24th of October, 1897. The nest was placed 
about 40 feet from the ground, and in rather an awkward position to get at ; so I climbed a tall Swamp 
Oak (Casuarina glauca), which stood about fifteen feet away, and on reaching across with a long scoop- 
fitted rod, successfully removed the four eggs, one by one, from the hollow. Taken by W. McEnerny 
and myself. This is the only set of four eggs of this species that I have ever taken, and found that 
two to three usually formed the clutch. I noticed that in the Clarence River district these birds 
never resorted to hollow branches and holes in trees for the purpose of breeding, unless there was an 
absence of the nests of the tree white ant in the locality; nearly all the eggs I have taken were laid in 
these ants’ tree mounds or nests. The eggs are snow white when first laid, but they soon become dirty 
and nest stained. I have seen Jackasses killing snakes on several occasions, both in Queensland and 
New South Wales ; they fly up with them, and let them fall from a considerable height. My first 
experience in this direction was during 1887, when driving along the road at Nundah, between Sand- 
gate and Brisbane ; I witnessed what appeared to me a very novel and interesting incident, viz., a pair 
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