112 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



two nests, apparently in course of construction, were found, and 

 two old ones — one being in a stiff-leafed Grevillea and one in 

 another kind of bush. 



One of the bird's calls — probably its alarm note — is loud and 

 sounds something like " chuc-chuc-chuc-chuc-chuc" repeated very 

 rapidly many times. Another noise is composed of jerky, rattle- 

 like notes. The birds are shy as well as noisy. 



Nest. — Cup-shaped ; fairly well built of very fine threads of 

 bark, felted or matted together with an abundance of spiders' 

 webs and torn cocoons, imparting to the structures a whitish 

 appearance externally ; lined inside with fine grass and a few 

 feathers ; usually suspended by the rim, at a height varying from 

 3 feet to 6 feet from the ground, in creeper in Mallee (Eucalyptus) 

 scrub. Dimensions over all, 2^ inches by 2^ inches in depth; 

 egg cavity, 2 inches across by 2 inches deep. 



Eggs. — Clutch 2 ; in the type set one is almost elliptical in 

 form, the other a roundish oval ; texture of shell fine ; surface 

 glassy ; colour white, sparingly and finely spotted with rufous or 

 reddish-brown and faint purplish-brown, the markings being more 

 numerous about the apex. Dimensions in inches — elliptical, 

 .84 X .6 ; roundish, .79 x .64. These eggs are among the 

 lightest-coloured of Ptilotis eggs. 



THE SOUTHERN SCIENCE RECORD. 



Some uncertainty seems to exist as to the number of issues of the 

 Southern Science Record, and being one of the few possessors of 

 what is, I believe, a complete set, some particulars about it may 

 enable others to note deficiencies existing in theirs. 



The journal was commenced as a 16-page octavo magazine, 

 price sixpence, in December, 1880, and its first volume consists 

 of thirteen numbers. Its second volume commenced as a 24- 

 page monthly in January, 1882, at the same price. In January, 

 1883, it came out as a 32-page journal, at the price of one 

 shilling, but the later numbers of that volume became gradually 

 smaller, owing to want of financial and other support, and did not 

 appear till some months after the months named on their covers, 

 consequently several were not issued until well on in 1884. With 

 the number for January, 1885, commenced vol. i. of a new 

 series, 24 pages at one shilling per month, of which, however, 

 only four numbers were issued, when it again ceased. However, 

 nothing daunted, the indefatigable proprietor started again, in 

 January, 1886, with the first number of vol. ii., 24 pages at 

 one shilling, intending to gradually supply the missing numbers 

 for the past year, but did not get any further. 



