l66 White, Nest and Ei;gs of the Desert Chat. [.sdUan. 



lovensis) were taken. Through the courtesy of the Board and 

 of the Director I am able to describe these eggs. 



Although the Desert Chat was described by Mr. E. Ashby as 

 long ago as 1911 {Emu, vol. x., p. 251) as Ephthianura lovensis. 

 and subsequently placed in a new genus by Mr. A. J. North, no 

 knowledge of the eggs or nest of this bird could be gleaned. 

 Upon two occasions supposed eggs were taken of this bird, but 

 I deprecated describing them as such. Now I can positively say 

 they were not the eggs of the bird in question, and that the fol- 

 lowing is a description of the first authenticated eggs of Ashhyia 

 lovensis ever taken. 



I met with these birds west of Oodnadatta during June, 1914 

 (see Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia, vol. 

 xxxix., p. 752), and, although in my opinion they had then paired 

 off for breeding, nests were not met with. The type clutch now 

 in the South Australian Museum comprises three eggs, of which 

 the following is a description : — 



Ground colour before blowing pale pink or light flesh colour : 

 after blowing, yellowish-white ; reddish-brown spots are clustered 

 round the larger ends, and in two eggs {a and b) very small spots 

 are scattered over them ; the third (c) has the spots at the larger 

 end much more strongly pronounced in comparison to the other 

 two. Eggs pointed, measuring as follows : — (a) 10.93 x 10.45, 

 (b) 10.97 ^ IO-47' (^) 10-94 ^ 10-45 t^^^- respectively. 



Nest. — A deep, neat structure built in a comparatively deep 

 hole, the rim extending or overlapping all round, and slightly 

 higher than the level of the ground. Constructed with small 

 twigs (mostly parts of Bassia, sp.) and dry grass, neatly lined with 

 rootlets, the rim being exceedingly well and solidly formed with 

 rootlets intertwined with the pale yellow flower-heads of Gnephosis 

 eriocarpa, Benth. 



Note. — On 14th October, 1916, when the expedition was some 

 12 miles east of Mungeranie, I had taken my turn to ride a camel 

 for a rest, and Mr. Waite had assumed duty to search for water. 

 From my elevated position I had a good view of Mr. Waite 

 tramping over the gibbers or table-land. I saw him partly raise 

 his gun, and I could also plainly see a bird fluttering away. Soon 

 afterwards the gun was fired. I then saw Mr. Waite move 

 forward and pick up the bird. Mr. Waite signalled for me, and 

 when I reached him he was holding an adult Desert Chat in his 

 hand, and at his feet, within a foot or 18 inches of a small salt- 

 bush on the edge of a shallow crab-hole, he indicated a beautifully 

 constructed nest containing three eggs. I said. " Then this is 

 the nest of Ashhyia lovensis ? " and my friend, holding out the 

 bird, replied, " Shot from the nest." He told me that when he 

 flushed the bird it did the " broken wing " trick very well indeed, 

 and he had to wait until it was sufficiently distant before he shot 

 it. He also said that when he found the nest it contained but 

 two eggs ; the third was lying a few inches away, having evidently 

 been ejected by the bird in its hurried departure. The first thing 



