Nests, Eggs, and Play-grouTids of Australian Bower-Birds. 35 



Chlamydodera cerviniventris, Gould. 

 Fawn-breasted Bower-Bird. 



Figure.— GoVildi, Birds of Australia, fol., Sup., pi. 36. 



Reference.— QQ.i. B. Brit. Mus., vi. p. 393. 



Description of Eggs.— l^orth, P.L.S., N.S. W., 2nd Series, vol. i. (1886). 



Geographical Distribution. — North Queensland, also New 

 Guinea. 



Nest. — Open, cup-shaped; composed of twigs, pieces of 

 bark and moss, and lined with grass, etc. ; usually built 

 near the ground (North). 



Eggs. — Clutch most probably 2. Very like that of 

 C. maculata in colour, with the same peculiar linear 

 markings crossing and recrossing each other all around; 

 but confined more to the larger end of the egg than is 

 usually the case in G. maculata. A specimen of this Qgg 

 in the Australian Museum collection, taken at Cape York, 

 measures 1*4 inch in length by 1"03 inch in breadth 

 (North). 



Olservations. — As recorded by Gould, the discovery of this 

 species is due to Mr Macgillivray, who procured a specimen 

 at Cape York, which, with its curious bower, was transmitted 

 to the British Museum. 



The Fawn-breasted Bower- Bird is also found on the 

 adjacent coast of New Guinea, as well as on some of the 

 intermediate islands in Torres Straits, and may be recognised 

 by the absence of the rose-pink frill on the back of the neck, 

 as worn by the males of the other members of this interesting 

 genus. Mr Macgillivray hinted that this bird was a mocking- 

 bird. 



The bower above mentioned has its walls, which are very 

 thick, nearly upright, or but little inclining to each other at 

 the top, so that the passage through is very narrow. It is 

 formed of fine twigs, is placed on a very thick platform of 

 thicker twigs, and is nearly 4 feet in length by about the 

 same in breadth, and 18 inches high. Mr Macgillivray found 

 the bower situated near the border of a scrub, which was not 

 more than 10 feet high, growing on smooth sandy soil with- 



