44 NicHOLLs, Notes on the Crested Penguin. [i.sf"juiy 



afternoon I went down to the beach to see if, by any chance, 

 he had returned, but the sea had called to him and he had 

 obeyed. No doubt upon some lonely rock-bound island of Bass 

 Strait he has found a home. 



Notes on the Regent-Bird (Sericulus melinus). 



By p. a. Gilbert, Sydney. 



At Ourimbah, during October and November, 1909, in the 

 company of Mr. H. Keane, a few observations were recorded, 

 during our days in the scrub, on the habits of Regent-Birds 

 {Sericulus melinus) found breeding. 



3rd October^ 1909. — Several pairs of Regent-Birds were seen 

 flying to and fro in search of food, and probably on the look-out 

 for a nesting site. They were observed feeding peacefully upon 

 the berries of vines. The brilliant orange-yellow and sheeny 

 black plumage of the male was in marked contrast to the sombre 

 verdure of the undergrowth, as the sun's rays fell upon him 

 whenever the foliage above permitted. The female, being more 

 secretive in her movements, invariably kept well within the 

 undergrowth. 



4th October, 1909. — The birds were again seen, the males, 

 owing to their conspicuous plumage, most frequently. 



Our next visit to the same locality was on 13th November, 

 1909. I watched a female Regent-Bird fly into a thick clump 

 of vine, and saw the leaves moving awhile as she hopped through. 

 I decided to clamber into the vines above and investigate, while 

 my friend, Mr. H. Keane, kept watch on the outskirts. My 

 efforts were rewarded by a nest containing two incubated eggs. 

 The nest was built in a tree densely covered with vines ( Vllls), 

 at an altitude of from 40 to 50 feet. The nest was constructed 

 of fine dry sticks placed on a scanty foundation of coarser ones, 

 the whole structure being secreted in a mass of the tangled vine, 

 which afforded ample support. 



14th November. — One male bird was seen on the wing, but 

 not in proximity to the brooding female. 



15th November.— Several female birds were observed, but, 

 owing to the density of the vegetation, it was not ascertainable 

 whether they were nesting. No males. I found another nest, 

 placed much higher than the one containing eggs, but in growth 

 less dense : height took the place of seclusion. This nest was 

 the temporary habitation of two nestlings, apparently about 

 eight or nine days old, and covered with a dull greyish down. I 

 noted that they sat in the nest with their heads pointing south, 

 and, as I had watched the parent bird fly in several times from 



