Vol. XII. 

 1913 



] Stray Feathers. 193 



July and October, 1912, pp. 552 and 684), I claim that the clutch 

 taken by Mr. H. G. Barnard, and recorded above, is the type.* 



Nest. — A hollow in the ground, lined with a few dead leaves. 



Locality. — Cape York. Date, loth January, igii. 



Eggs. — Four, pure white, shape roundish oval, surface of shell 

 smooth and glossy. Dimensions in inches : — {a) 1.55 x i.ii ; 

 (&) 1.5 X 1. 13 ; (c) 1.5 X 1. 12 ; {d) 1.55 X 1. 15. 



Ptilotis novcB-norcicB (Milligan). — Eggs of this species have been 

 in my collection for some years, and I understood that they had 

 been described before coming into my possession. A careful 

 search, however, reveals no record. 



Nest (taken by Mr. F. Lawson Whitlock at Dundas Goldfield, 

 Western Australia). — ^A neat, cup-shaped structure of grasses, 

 well lined with vegetable down, and placed about 3 feet from the 

 ground in a small bush ; situation, open country, free of large 

 timber. Date, ist August, 1905. 



Eggs. — Clutch, two ; shape, long oval ; surface glossy, ground 

 colour very light flesh, lightly spotted at larger end with a few 

 dots and splashes of brownish-red. Dimensions in inches : — {a) 

 .83 X .61 ; (b) .82 X .59. 



A second clutch, obtained by Mr. L. G. Chandler, 6/9/12, near 

 Kow Plains, North- West Victoria, is similar in shape and 

 markings to the Western Australian clutch. The nest in this case 

 was composed of bark with a lining of rabbit-fur ; it was placed 2 

 feet from the ground in a wild myrtle tree. Dimensions : — {a) .85 

 X .58 ; {h) .81 X .59. 



Another set taken by Mr. Chandler, 19/9/ 12, in the same 

 locality, from a nest placed 4 feet from the ground in a tea-tree, 

 consists of two eggs, much rounder specimens than those pre- 

 viously mentioned ; almost devoid of markings, a few indistinct 

 reddish specks only being noticeable at the larger ends. Dimen- 

 sions : — [a) .78 X .6; (b) .78 x .61. — H. L. White. Belltrees 



(N.S.W.), 7/12/12. 



* * * 



Birds and Frogs, &c. — On 15th September I found a nest of 

 the Tawny Frogmouth {Podargus strigoides) placed in a Moreton 

 Bay fig-tree growing in the garden at Fairymead Plantation, near 

 Bundaberg. The bird was sitting, and to my surprise would not 

 leave the nest when I climbed the tree, and all efforts to induce 

 her to do so were unavailing. Finally I put my handkerchief 

 over her head, and so was able to gently extract the eggs from 

 beneath her. They were fresh, although I had expected to find 

 them heavily incubated. Desiring to test the power of the bird's 

 beak, I placed my finger in the mouth. The pressure of her bill 

 would scarcely have hurt a fly. Just then one of the boys on the 

 ground below tossed me up a large green frog. This I placed in 

 the bird's open mouth. There was an instant's hesitation, then 

 the beak closed and the frog was swallowed. In a Tree- 



*See Emu, vol. x., p. 244 (footnote). — Eds. 



