Birds' -eggs from Queensland. 397 



rufous brown ; some lighter ones appear of a greyish-blue 

 hue. Tliey have the appearance of being painted on by 

 hand, one often overlapping the other, and darker markings 

 sometimes appear as if beneath the lighter ones. They 

 measure: A, l.Sl x 1-04 inch; B, 1-24 x I'OS inch. 



Type B. — The ground-colour cream-buff, the elongated 

 markings thinner than in the preceding and commencing 

 further from the apex. Many of the markings are greyish 

 blue at their larger end, darkening gradually towards their 

 point to rufous brown. The smaller end of the egg generally 

 has few markings on it, and those mostly small. They 

 measure : A, 1-22 X '88 inch ; B, 1-28 x '89 inch. 



Rifle-birds' eggs are without exception the most beautiful 

 and striking of all the Australian birds'-eggs. 



6. Arses candidior, De Vis. White-breasted Flycatcher. 

 (Fig. 2, p. 398.) 



The nest and two eggs of this pretty Frill-necked Fly- 

 catcher were found at Somerset, Cape York, by Mr. H. G. 

 Barnard on December 12th, 1896. He states that " it was 

 found in the scrub, built between two thin vines, which 

 hung down from the trees above, and was about thirty feet 

 from the ground. When on the nest the birds seem very 

 tame, almost letting one catch them before flying, though 

 otherwise they are very shy." 



Their beautiful open nest has the appearance of a hanging 

 basket, and is listened between two upright hanging vines by 

 cobwebs. The interior is composed of fine dark-coloured 

 rootlets, and the exterior of small light-coloured twigs, rather 

 loosely put together, and ornamented on the outside Avith 

 green lichen, the whole being lightly covered with cobweb. 

 It is a very similar structure to that of Arses kaupi, which I 

 described last year. It measures — external depth 3| inches, 

 internal If inch; external diameter 2\ inches, internal 1^ 

 inch. The eggs have a white ground-colour and are freckled 

 all over, especially on the larger end, with small irregular 

 reddish-brown markings, some on the apex appearing as if 

 beneath the surface of the shell and of a pink colour. Tiiey 

 measure: A, •73X-52 inch; B, -72 x 53 inch. 



