On the Nest and Eggs of the Coach-whip Bird, ^c. 143 



general appearance and motions, is by no means uncommon 

 round Melbourne. 



]\Ir. Gould writes as follows in his notice of this species : — 

 " I first met with it in a state of nature on the small islands 

 in Bass^ Straits, where it had e\-identlY been breeding, as I 

 observed several old nests in the barilla and other stunted 

 shrubs — its natiu'al province is the ground, to Mliich it habi- 

 tually resorts, and decidedly evinces a preference for spots of 

 a sterile and barren character ; it trips along with amazing 

 swiftness, with a motion that can neither be described as a 

 hop or a run, but something between the two, accompanied 

 by a bobbing action of the tail. Of its nidification I regret 

 to say nothing is at present knoAA^l,'^ 



It may be met with in the dry portion of the SAvamps ex- 

 tending between the Saltwater and Yarra rivers. I discovered 

 its nest about four feet from the ground, in a stunted bush, 

 on the edge of the dense " teatree^^ scrub which covers part 

 of that locality. The structure is cupshaped, somewhat deep, 

 and about four inches outside diameter ; dried fibres, fine 

 twigs, and stalks form the exterior, and the lining is composed 

 of horsehair and fine grasses. It contained three fresh-laid 

 eggs; length, ll-16ths inch; extreme width, 17-32nds inch; 

 shape, not much pointed ; ground-colour, Avhite, with fine red- 

 bro'SATi markings, consisting of points, streaks, and roundish 

 dots, the larger markings being most abundant at the thicker 

 end, where they form a sort of wreath, while some of the 

 smaller ones are scattered over the other parts of the surface. 

 The markings are, in nearly every case, surrounded by a faint 

 ashy margin of their own colour, imitating the appearance of 

 their liaAang been painted on the Avhite ground before the 

 latter had properly dried, thus causing them partially to run 

 into the white surface. This seems to be a decided charac- 

 teristic in these eggs. The nest was discovered about October. 



Mr, Dobrce tlien proceeded to make some general remarks on the most 

 interesting forms of nidilioation of Australian birds, in which respect, he 

 stated, this coimtry maintained its reputation for siugxilarity. He alluded to 

 the mound-raising Leipoa, or mallee-scrub pheasant, an egg of which he ex- 

 hibited ; the Yellow-tailed Acanthiza, of whose singidar double-roomed pen- 

 dant nest a specimen was shown ; and remarked on the bmTowing hal)its of 

 the Paradolotus, as well as the hanging structure of the Yellow-tliroated 

 Sericomis, which he produced for inspection, he also recurred to the fact of 

 the Australian representatives of the Cuckcjo-family, though de])rived of the 

 familiar note, difteiing in no way from their Em-opean cousins ii\ the habit 

 of confiding their progeny to foster-jiarents. He fmther exhibited a valuable 

 collection of Australian eggs, inchiding tliat of the Lyre-bird ( Mt^nura 

 superba) of which hitherto only a limited niuubcr of specuneua have been 



