l6o White, Descriptions of New or Rare Eggs. [ 



i5ih Jan. 



The concluding paragraph to Mr. Barnard's note will be read 

 with regret by many ; he is such a wonderful tree-climber — 

 probably the best Australia has seen — that his retirement will 

 be a loss to oologists generally. Mr. Barnard has collected for 

 me for years, and on no occasion has he admitted a tree to be 

 too tall or too large for him to climb. -His work was mostly 

 amongst the big timber of the coastal districts of Queensland, 

 where nests at a height of loo feet are no rarity. His bushman- 

 ship and knowledge of the habits of birds are of the very highest 

 order, while his tally of new birds, let alone new eggs, secured 

 is a lengthy one. Mr. Barnard has returned to station life, 

 where, I think, I am safe in saying the good wishes of all Emu 

 readers will accompany him. 



" Notes on Finding Nest of Ninox humeralis. 

 " While on a trip to Cardvvell, North Queensland, for Mr. H. L. White, of 

 Belltrees, and in company of Mr. A. J. "Campbell, I had the good fortune 

 to discover a nest of this fine Owl. On Friday, the 8th of September, I was 

 hunting through a patch of tall Melaleuca or paper-bark trees, when I 

 noticed an Owl sitting on a branch high up in one of the trees. The 

 appearance of the solitary bird led me to suspect that the mate was 

 somewhere near in a nesting hollow. On looking round I noticed a large 

 tree about 70 yards away, with a dead hollow. Walking over to it, I hammered 

 the butt of the tree with my tomahawk ; there was a scramble inside, and an 

 Owl looked out of the hollow. I hit the tree again, and the bird flew on to 

 the bough of an adjoining tree. The bird I had just seen at once joined its 

 mate, and both birds ruffled their feathers and kept opening their wings, 

 showing signs of being very angry. They were a very fine pair, the female 

 being smaller and much darker than the male. The female was the bird 

 flushed from the hollow. Wishing to get a full clutch of eggs if possible, 1 

 did not attempt to climb the tree, but left it till Monday, the nth, when, in 

 company with Mr. Campbell, I again visited the spot, this time armed with 

 a length of wire rope as well as my tomahawk, Mr. Campbell being provided 

 with his camera. First cutting a long sapling with a fork at the end, I 

 placed it against the tree and climbed to the top ; this took me above an 

 awkward bump. I then placed the rope round the tree and myself, thus 

 giving me a support in case I got tired. I then cut my steps, slipping the 

 rope up as I went from step to step till 1 reached the first limb, about 68 

 feet from the ground ; from there to the hollow, about 12 feet, was soon 

 accomplished, and on looking in the hollow I was rewarded by the sight of 

 a fine pair of eggs, which had been incubated about a week, showing the 

 bird would not have laid any more. Mr. Campbell has placed the taking 

 of this nest on record by taking a couple of photos, of the proceedings. 

 Strange to say, neither of the birds made any protest while I was robbing 

 their nest. The tree was a large one, being 13 feet in girth at the butt. 

 This will probably be my last big climb, as I feel it is getting beyond me." 



Acanthiza pygmea. Milligan {Acanthiza nana pvgmea). Fairy 

 Tit. 



For some time past Mr. T. P. Austin, of Cobborah (N.S.W.), 

 has mentioned an Acanthiza which puzzled him, and has been 

 good enough to send me a series of skins, together with a nest 

 and eggs ; the last-named I now describe as the type clutch. 



In spite of my fine series of Acanthiza skins, I was very un- 

 certain about the Cobborah bird, thinking it was new, until Mr. 



