Vol. XVI. 



1017 



] Whitk, S'est and Eg^'s of the Desert Chat. ity 



that struck me upon seeing the eggs was their reseml^lance to 

 those of Honey-eaters, and since comparing them with the eggs 

 of Melithrephis it is found that they could be easily assigned to 

 members of that genus. The photograph of the nest and eggs. 

 taken in situ by Mr. Waite, and reproduced in illustration of 

 this paper (Plate XXXVII.), does not convey a correct idea of 

 the position of the nest, owing to the salt-bush being between it 

 and the camera. The nest was just beyond the bush, on the 

 bare ground. When the nest was removed the hollow in the 

 ground looked as if a rounded stone had been taken out. As 

 the eggs were fresh, and as fully fledged young birds were taken 

 a few days previously, it is evident that the breeding season was 

 very much extended this year, most likely owing to the good 

 season, with early and late rains. The photograph of the eggs 

 was taken by Mr. Waite upon our return to Adelaide, the material 

 of the nest forming the background. The photograph of the 

 gibber country (Plate XXXVI.) was taken by myself at Inna- 

 mincka, close to where we secured specimens of the Desert Chat, 

 the foreground giving a good idea of the stony habitat of this 

 bird. 



Note on the Finding of the Nest and Eggs of the 

 Desert Chat (Ashbyia lovensis^ Ashby). 



By Edgar R. Waite, F.L.S., Director of the South Aus- 

 tralian Museum. 

 Much of the country traversed by the expedition is in the nature 

 of what Sturt called the " Stony Desert," locally known as 

 " gibber country," and further differentiated as large gibber 

 and small gibber. The latter, with which we are at present only 

 concerned, consists of reddish-brown stones, nowhere larger than 

 a walnut ; they lie close together, and in places are so even that 

 one might almost imagine they had been levelled by a road 

 roller. The interstices are filled with fine sand, the constant 

 movement of which under action of the wind has smoothed all 

 asperities from the stones, and a mosaic appearance is produced. 

 In other places walking is less comfortable, and in crossing the 

 big gibber riding a camel is preferable to walking. Such a desert 

 may extend for 20 miles or more, and it supports very little 

 herbage indeed, low and scattered salt-bushes being the only 

 indication of vegetation. 



The Desert Chat was found only in the gibber country, and 

 was nowhere very common. Though the breast of the bird is 

 bright yellow, the colour is not specially noticeable, while its 

 brown back harmonizes so well with the colour of the stones, 

 tempered with that of the sand, that a sitting bird must be quite 

 inconspicuous. That the bird relies on such similarity to its 

 surroundings when sitting is evidenced by its actions, as hereafter 

 described. 



