1^2 Royal Australasian Ornithologists' Union. [isf"}' 



Emu 

 an. 



pale, and approaches the colour of M. c. cyanochlamys. Many of 

 these birds were nesting. 



Stlpiturus raalachurus (5. malachurus tvegellasi). Victorian Emu- 

 Wren.— Plentiful amidst the cutting-grass near the coast. Numb-rs 

 were found nesting. The young males take the blue colouration 

 with the first feathers in the nest. 



Sphenura brachyptera (S. brachypiera). Bristle-Bird. — Rare, 

 frequenting the low, stunted tea-tree growing on marshy country 

 near the coast. 



Artamus sordidus (Pseudartamus cyanopterus) Wood-Swallow. — 

 A common bird. Nesting. 



Artamus superciliosus {Campbellornis superciliosiis superciliosus). 

 — One company of birds was seen and one nest, containing eggs, was 

 observed. 



Colluricincla harmonica (C. harmonica viciorice). Victorian Grey 

 Shrike-Thrush. — Met with in nearly every locality. 



Grallina picata (G. cyanoleuca cyanoleuca') Magpie-Lark. — One or 

 two birds came under notice, and a nest was seen. 



Gymnorhina leuconota (G. hypoleuca leuconota). White-backed 

 Magpie. — Not a plentiful bird. 



Cracticus destructor (Bulestes iorquatus torquatus). Collared Butcher- 

 Bird. — Only one or two birds were seen. 



Neositta chrysoptera {N . chrysoptera lathami). Victorian Tree- 

 runner. — A small party of five or six, comprising parent and im- 

 mature birds, were moving about very silently high up in the gums. 

 Climacteris leucophaea (C. leucophcea leucophcea). White-throated 

 Tree-creeper. — Very plentiful, especially amongst the Angophora trees 

 near the coast. They were nesting at the time of our visit, and 

 nests containing young were observed. Many of the immature birds, 

 in their first year's plumage, accompanied the mature birds. The 

 females of the former were adorned with deep rufous upper tail coverts, 

 which colouration appears on the young in the nest, and which they 

 retain for the first year. Strange to say, two singular features are 

 connected with the females of this species. One is having a small 

 orange-coloured spot just below the ear coverts — this distinguishes 

 the female at once from the male ; the other is that it seems almost 

 certain that the immature of this sex alone develop the bright rufous 

 colouration on the rump and upper tail coverts. John Gould, like 

 others, described the immature female of this species as a distinct 

 species (C. pyrrhonota), but afterwards found his mistake. On 

 comparing adult specimens with those from South Australia, it is 

 found that the latter birds are larger and lighter on the back, while 

 those from Queensland are much darker above and below. The nest 

 is in a hollow branch, deep down, neatly constructed of grass ; it 

 usually contained three eggs. One nest observed contained two young 

 and an egg ; both young birds showed the red colouration appearing 

 with the first feathers on the rump. 



Zosterops dorsalis (Z. lateralis westernensis). Southern White-eye. 

 — Very plentiful. They were breeding in many localities. Several 

 nests containing eggs were seen, and the eggs appeared to be a little 

 larger than the average of those of the South Australian bird. On 

 comparing the birds I find that the specimens from Mallacoota 



