XllK V1C'10RIA^' NATUEALt&l^ 



remahii d uulviioAvn, bat for this ojiportiiiiity of exhibiting it to Dr. 

 jNIacgilliyraj. Any micro-worker is welcomo to examine the objects 

 on sending ]iis name to me, when the terms of his joining the 

 scheme may be ascertained. 



I remain,- 



Yom-s. etc., 



'No. 20, Wellington-street, HE^^RY WATTS. 



Colingwood, February 4, 1884:. 

 P.S. — With your permission I shall be happy to furnish you 

 Avith any notes on this exchange from month to month. 



YICTORIAN CUCKOOS. Oology, by Dr. T. P. Lucas. 



We have six, species of Yictorian Cuckoes. 



CucuLUs TxoTmATus, Yig. and Hors., pallidas ; Pallid Cuckoo. 

 Egg described. 



CiTcuLus (Cacomaktus) FLABELLiFoBMis, Lath ; Fau-tailed 

 Cuckoo. This species had been shot occasionally near Mel- 

 bourne, but its egg had not been obtained. I have been fortunate 

 this year and last year to obtain a specimen from Nunawading ; 

 also, one taken near Oakleigh in an Acanthiza's nest. They 

 agree with the description given by Groukl. 



Cucutus (Cacomantis) iNSPERATUS, Uould ; Timsh Cuckoo. 

 I received the skin of tlii^:* rare cuckoo from near VVoilonga. and 

 eggs from the Murray district. It is of the usual Cuckoo shape, 11 

 lines long by 8 lines broad, creamy white, with minute dots of 

 slatey grey, thicker at the larger end, and with a number of 

 purplish grey blotches or smears, forming a zone round the larger 

 end. One nest sent down contained apparently one blue wren'cs 

 egg, one brush cuckoo's, and one bronze cuckoo's. 



CucuLTJs (Calcites) osculaus, Gould sp. ; Black-eared 

 Cuckoo. This bird has been shot near Melbourne, also at 

 Sandhurst. Last New Year's Day. in company with my brother, 

 Mr. A. Lucas, I found a nest of the white shafted flycatcher, 

 near Box Hill, there wei'e two eggs in and a third, almost 

 identical in description with two I had previous! }'■ obtained, taken 

 from robins' nests. I saw a bird which I did not know running 

 up and flitting among the slight shrubs, and which, on comparing 

 notes with the Museum specimen was the B. Eared Cuckoo, 

 There can then be little doubt that the egg belongs to this 

 s'pecies— eggs rounded, one specimen oblong ovate, ground 

 colour dirty white, thinly spotted with dark slatey grey spots, 

 excepting round the largest circumference, where ashey brown, 

 slatey grey and purplish grey blotches form a conspicuous irreg- 

 ular zone, the purplish grey appears as if beneath the surface of 

 the shell. 



CucuLus (Lampbococctx) Plaqostjs, Lath ; Bronze Cuckoo, 

 described. 



CucuLus (Lampeococcyx) Basalis, Horsf ; Narrow Billed 

 Bronze Cuckoo, described. 



