ig^'^'l White, Description of Neiv Austratian Birds' Eggs. ^Q 



(F. frontatus) is not easy to obtain, while the Western form 

 {F. leucogaster) baffled me for many years ; therefore I had small 

 hope of ever securing the eggs of my namesake. 



Nest. — Placed in the topmost twigs of a tall stringy-bark 

 (eucalypt) sapling. It is deep and cup-shaped, constructed of 

 shreds of stringy-bark held together with cobwebs ; lined with 

 very fine stringy-bark and grass. Outside measurements : — 

 Depth, 4 inches ; width, 3 inches ; inside depth, i^ inches ; width, 

 i| inches. 



Eggs. — Clutch, two ; shape round oval ; texture of shell, colour, 

 and markings similar to those of the Southern bird, but size 

 smaller. Measurements in inches : — (a) .82 x .64, (b) .8 x .62. 



A single egg, forming another clutch, appears to be of abnormal 

 •shape, and measures .8y x .6. 



Locality. — Taken by H. G. Barnard at Borroloola, Macarthur 

 River, Gulf of Carpentaria, Northern Territory, 22nd January, 

 1914. 



Malurus coronatus (M. c. macgillivrayi, Mathews). Mauve-crowned 

 Wren. 



Although eggs of the North-West bird, Malurus coronatus, have 

 been in my collection for years, I hesitated to describe them, being 

 under the impression that someone had already done so. A search 

 reveals no prior description, and of our two principal local 

 authorities, Mr. A. J. Campbell states " Eggs undescribed," while 

 Mr. A. J. North apparently ignores the species altogether. Why 

 he does so is a mystery. For these reasons I feel justified in giving 

 a description of the eggs of Mr. Mathews' new sub-species. 



Along with two clutches of eggs (both of which contained an egg 

 of the Cuckoo, Cacomantis dumetorum, Gould), Mr. H. G. Barnard 

 forwarded a fine series of skins, the colouration of the crown of the 

 full-plumaged male being of a distinct shade to that of the North- 

 West form ; in my opinion Mr. Mathews was justified in separating 

 the two. See also previous remarks by Messrs. Campbell and 

 Kershaw in Emu, vol. xii., p. 274. 



Nest. — A bulky structure, composed of strips of paper-bark and 

 blades of cane-grass, lined with fine grass-roots ; the opening, at 

 the side, near the top, has a platform of grass built out under it 

 for a distance of about 3 inches. 



Eggs. — Clutch, three ; stout ovals in shape ; texture of shell 

 close-grained and without gloss. Ground colour, pinkish-white, 

 marked all over, but principally at the larger end, with ill-defined 

 spots and splashes of dark brownish-pink. Measurements in 

 inches : — (a) .66 x .51, {b) .66 x .49, (c) .62 x .54. 



Locality. — Collected by H. G. Barnard at Borroloola, Macarthur 

 River, Gulf of Carpentaria, Northern Territory, 12th January, 

 1914. 



* Austral Avian Record, vol. ii., p. 9. 



