1^0 White, 'Notes upon Eggs of ihe Wedge-failed Eagle. r,sf"\an 



belonging to Halicsetus leucogaster ; but Mr. Bettington personally 

 verified the find, and states the female bird to be one of the 

 darkest he has seen ; the nest was robbed three times, the clutch 

 upon each occasion being white. 



Clutch " B " represents abnormally large eggs — (i) 3 inches 

 I line by 2 inches 6J lines, (2) 3 inches i line by 2| inches — the 

 cubic contents being greater than any other I have seen recorded. 

 The coloration is peculiar also, if not characteristic. 



Clutches " C " and " D," each containing a dark egg and a 

 light one, were taken (together with a third set) during the 

 present season from the same nest, and apparently laid by the 

 same bird. These are extremely interesting and most puzzling. 

 The fact of the bird laying three clutches all showing the com- 

 bination of dark and light eggs shows there must be some cause 

 for the variation. Unfortunately, it was not noted which egg 

 was laid first. I had previously noted this variation in a clutch 

 from Tasmania. It is the exception to find a well-matched pair 

 of Eagle's eggs, but, on the other hand, nearly all the clutches 

 of three I have examined were very well matched in size, shape, 

 and coloration. 



Clutch " E " — small, round eggs, a well-matched pair, with 

 light lavender underlying markings. I thought at first that 

 heavy incubation might account for the pale- colour, but Mr. 

 Bettington has a similarly coloured pair, taken fresh, from the 

 same nest. 



Clutch " F " represents a new phase in markings (bluish- white 

 ground — one specimen fairly marked, other almost free from 

 markings). I have seen nothing similar previously. 



I could exhibit many more variations, but as there is some risk 

 in sending eggs so far, I thought this exhibit would give some 

 slight idea of the variations in eggs of Uroaetits audax. 



Two Singing Species of Gerygone. 



By a. H. Chisholm, R.A.O.U., Brisbane. 

 Gerygone is undoubtedly one of the most engaging genera of Aus- 

 tralian birds. The remarkable activity of the little creatures, 

 their highly-insectivorous qualities, and, in particular cases, their 

 sweet songs, all combine to make them both valuable and lovable. 

 The question of the origin of this generic name has interested 

 me of late, and, being unable to determine it from ornithological 

 sources, I invited the opinion of a member of the staff of the 

 Queensland University. From this scholar came the suggestion 

 that the title is a compound of the Greek words gems, " a voice," 

 and gone, " the offspring of." Theocritus, in a poem called 

 "Syrinx" (280 A.D.), speaks of "maidens gerugonai" — i.e., 

 " born of sound." Gould first called the genus Psilopits, but 

 later found this to be pre-occupied.* Is it, then — lacking other 

 suggestion or explanation — too much to assume that, when 

 * " Handbook," vol. i., p. 265. 



