^°Q.l^'] Whitlock, On the East. MurcJiison. 219 



colour to cream. The feathers of the forehead and crown are very 

 small and dense, and the spots small and very numerous and of a 

 light hazel -brown colour, but half-hidden in a wash of silvery tint, 

 which somewhat reminds me of burnished tea-lead. On the lower 

 margin of the pink nuchal patch is an arrow-shaped mark of black. 

 This, though small, is very conspicuous when the male is displaying 

 before the female. The under parts agree with previous descriptions. 

 Beak black, the upper mandible being rather conspicuously longer than 

 the lower. The angle of the gape, in both adults and young, yellow ; 

 iris deep brown ; legs and feet yellowish-green (this colour fades 

 altogether in the skin). Much elated with my prizes, I returned to 

 camp, blew my eggs, and skinned and dissected the female. Whilst 

 thus engaged two Bower-Birds actually perched in the casuarinas 

 overhead. I then returned with the camera, photographing the nest 

 in situ, and also the patch of scrub containing the nesting-tree. 



I had yet to deal with the party at the clay-pan. On 1st 

 November I camped at an intervening well, the weather being very 

 hot and dry. I was destined to meet with a great disappointment 

 with this party. As I feared, the birds had deserted the locality. 

 The water in the clay-pan had quite evaporated, evidently soon after 

 my last visit. The nest I had based my hopes upon had progressed 

 no further. I spent the greater part of the day hunting the surrounding 

 scrubs, and I think I did the work thoroughly, but without success. 

 The only Bower-Bird I saw was an adult male at the play-ground. 



My work was now nearly finished. All small birds except Tcsniopygia 

 had finished breeding, and I began to think seriously of home. I left 

 Milly Pool for Wiluna a few days later. 



Examination of Contents of Stomachs and Crops of 

 Some Australian Birds. 



By J. Burton Cleland, M.D., Ch.M., Principal Assistant 

 Microbiologist, Government Bureau of Microbiology, 

 Sydney, N.S.W. 

 The following results of the examination of the stomach 

 contents of 57 birds may prove of interest. They are from 

 specimens collected for scientific purposes by myself in 1909. 

 In addition to an investigation of the food supply of birds, the 

 skins were also, of course, preserved, the intestines and tissues 

 were searched for parasitic worms, and blood-films made and 

 examined for protozoa, such as Hcxlteridiiun. A summary of 

 the interesting discoveries in the latter two directions it is hoped 

 will be available shortly. The utmost possible scientific use 

 has, I believe, been made of every specimen of bird thus 

 obtained. 



I desire especially to thank W. W. Froggatt, Esq., F.L.S., and 

 J. H. Maiden, Esq., F.L.S., whose results so materially enhance 

 the value of this paper, for their kindly assistance and co- 

 operation. 



M,, followed by a numeral, indicates the number of the bird 



