673 
674 
No. in 
Book. 
Data Campbell's No. of 
No. 
Eggs. 
THE JACKSONIAN OOLOGICAL COLLECTION. 
Drawer i Bs e (Bottom Drawer on right side of Cabinet.) 
+» BULACK-NECKED STOCK OR JABIRU, 
Xenorhynchus asiaticus, Latham. 
One very rare egg, of a clutch of two, taken by my friend C. Woodlands, in the Nicholson River 
district, North-west Queensland, on the 25th of April, 1898. Unfortunately one of the clutch got badly 
damaged coming through the post, and I passed it out of the collection in rgot. The measurement 
given by A. J. Campbell in his book at the foot of page 970, for the remaining egg described here, is 
= 2:80 x 2'10. I make the measurements just a fraction smaller, thus = 2°78 x 2°09. C. Wood- 
lands, in writing to me from the Nicholson River, North-west Queensland, on the 2gth April, 1898, 
says :—‘I was greatly disappointed with the Jaberoo's eggs, and I think you will be likewise. They 
appear to be so insignificant, both in size and colour, for such a large and handsome bird, that I do 
not know what to say about them. The niggers throughout have assured me there would be no doubt 
about getting plenty of the eggs at ‘wind time,’ 7.2, south-east trades. Well these winds have not yet 
set in, but my black boys have returned unsuccessful in finding more, after being 10 days out searching 
for them, and they cast a gloom over me by saying ‘ foo many picaninni jump up,’ meaning young birds. 
I call most birds by the name as known to the tribe ; Jaberoos, for instance, they know as ‘ Catonga.’ 
By adopting this plan even other tribes can follow me. Many intelligent black boys described the 
number of eggs in a sitting as ‘full up’ or ‘big mob,’ meaning a quantity ; on the other hand many 
equally intelligent boys invariably hold up two fingers, while all agree that the birds either build on the 
Mangroves low down, or in a tall tree ‘ all the same Eagle Hawk.’ The set of 2 eggs posted was taken 
from a large stick nest placed high up in a big Gum tree (Eucalypt.)” The egg which got damaged 
coming through the post was a little larger than the specimen now in the collection, of which I have 
given the measurements above. It is very small for such a large bird to lay, and is a round oval in 
shape, and of a dirty white colour, free from markings, except nest stains, The shell is rather coarse 
and granular, and slightly glossy. If the ends are examined carefully with a lens, here and there will 
be seen isolated pittings, as if made with the point of a pin. I saw this fine bird on the Clarence 
River swamps of New South Wales during August of 1891, but have not seen it since. The only eggs 
of the Jabiru recorded from the latter locality, were taken by John L. Ayers, during August of 1887, 
and the pair measured in inches :—Specimen A. = 2°93 x 2°10; Specimen B. = 2°92 x arr2. The 
Jabiru flies very slowly, and measures when fully extended, from the feet to the tip of the bill, a little 
over six feet, the measurement across the open wings being in one case seven feet five inches. The 
weight of the bird averages from 1o} to 14 pounds. 
BLACK SWAN, 
Chenopsis atvata, Latham. 
(This bird is known to the aborigines of the Clarence River district as ‘ Ul-der-gun."’) 
Set of 4 eggs, taken on 26th August, 1894, on a swamp east of the Lake, near South Grafton, 
Clarence River, N.S.W., by W. McEnerny, Frank and Sid. W. Jackson. Two other nests were found, 
one containing one egg, and the other two, which we left until the following week, in order to get 
clutches. However, on revisiting the spot seven days later, we found to our great disappointment the 
eggs had disappeared, and the nests were pulled to pieces. Probably the duck shooters came across 
them, and deprived us of our bespoken specimens. The nests were very large, and constructed ot 
sticks, masses of rushes, and aquatic reeds heaped up well above the water, while the hollows or centres 
of them were lined with dead leaves of the Swamp Mahogany, and a few green ones of the Red 
Eucalyptus. Specimen A. measures = 4°03 * 2°66. 
159 
