Q2 Jackson, Haunts of the Spotted Bower-Bird. [,sf"oct 



17//? November. — Several Bower- Birds early this morning were busy 

 picking holes into the damper cooked last night and left to cool on 

 the rustic camp-table inside the front of the tent. Emus and other 

 birds coming to the clay tank at camp lately in great numbers for 

 water. It was 116 degrees in the shade to-day at 1 p m. Walked 

 some miles, and visited No. 5 bower, but no birds about. The passage- 

 way had the following decorations added to it : — Seed-pods of pine, 

 five green and perfect heart-shaped berries of Pittosporum phiUyroides 

 (DL), also drj^ berries of the eurah tree (Eremophila bignoniflora, 

 F. V. M.) Saw much dr'bris on the ground under a Wedge-tailed 

 Eagle's nest, including numerous bones and skulls of rabbits and 

 large lizards, also large ejected pellets of fur. Examined two Bower- 

 Birds' old nests close together in a dead budda tree on edge of a 

 plain, at which place most of them appear to build. 



iSth November until 2nd December. — Absent in Sydney, owing to 

 family bereavement, my camp being left in charge of an assistant. 



Tird December. — Returned from Sydney yesterday. Took nest and 

 three eggs of Crested Bell-Bird in a green wilga tree, (Plate XIII.) 

 Took peculiar brown pair of Magpie's eggs from a nest in a wilga. 

 Found new nest of Ground Cuckoo-Shrike in a green coolibah, placed 

 about 40 feet from the ground. Eggs two, and left for a set of three. 

 The nest is much larger than those built by any of the other Cuckoo- 

 Shrikes. 



MORE bower-birds' NESTS. 



4th December. — Three Bower-Birds at camp at 5 a.m. Found 

 perfectly new bower (No. 6) under a wilga, north-east of camp a few 

 miles ; walls and foundation composed entirely of dead stems of the 

 blue-grass. The foundations of the bowers here are usually made 

 of thin sticks, but the walls of the passage way are always built 

 almost entirely from the long, dead stems of the blue-grass. Decora- 

 tions — pieces of bleached Emu egg-shell, tea lead, berries. &c. ; not 

 many articles placed in it yet. Took nest and eggs of Rufous Thick- 

 head {Pachvcephala rufioentris). Found six Bower-Birds' nests to-day 

 (four old and two new), one being built in a bumble tree just 40 yards 

 from the tree which contained the nest and two eggs on 14th 

 November. The other new one is half-built, and in a wilga, north of 

 camp ; birds near. Some of the old nests of the Bower-Birds were 

 built close to and under old ones of the Babbler (Pomatostomns 

 temporal-'';) The water in clav tank at camp is getting very low, 

 turning green, and full of insect life ; must always be boiled before 

 being used. 



5//; December. — Masked Wood-Swallows (Artamus per-ionatus) 

 breeding. Secured a pair of Pied Robins. Native limes {Atalaniia 

 glauca, Hook, f.) now laden with ripe fruit. Visited No. }, bower, 

 and found an old, weather-worn metal teaspoon amongst the added 

 articles of decoration. Only one bird present. .Vbout 300 yards 

 south-east of this bower a new nest was found containing one 

 handsome egg. It was placed 25 feet up in a green cvpress pine 

 (Callitris mbusta, R. Br.), and beside a Babbler's nest. Left it, in 

 hope of getting two eggs. Saw a Magpie Goose (Anseranas semi- 

 palmata) fly over the clay tank at camp after sundown. 



6th December. — Bunary trees (Heterodendron olecsfolium, Df.) in 

 flower. Took nest (three eggs) of Philemon citreogularis. Saw a 

 Bower-Bird feeding on ripe bumble fruit. Took clutch of three eggs 



