LOVE — Notes on Ashbyia lo-vensis,. 11 



In January, 1913, while travelling overland to Darwin, 

 my two companions and I found the bird at intervals from 

 Lyndhurst Siding to Oodnadatta, being quite plentiful at 

 Stewart's Creek, where several skins were obtained. Two 

 of these have been obtained for the Adelaide Museum from Mr. 

 E. Ashby. and a third I forward with these notes. 



At Stewart's Creek I saw the bird run down a rabbit 

 burrow on several occasions, which at fir§t led me to wonder 

 if the bird nested below the surface. This final point, how- 

 ever, was cleared up by the discovery of the nest, near 

 Macumba, in January, 1913. 



The nest was placed in a small depression in the earth, 

 as with Anthus, , and contained two eggs. The eggs are 

 pyriform, midway in size between the eggs of EpMhianura 

 and Anthus; and are white, with brown to buff spots, assum- 

 ing a band near the larger end. Seen by themselves, the 

 eggs might be mistaken for those of the Fulvous-fronted 

 Honey-eater. These two eggs are now in the possession of Mr. 

 A. L. Merrotsy. 



We thereafter met with the bird as far Xorth as Charlotte 

 Waters, which was the last place at which we found it. 



It has thus been found on the gibber plains of the Lake 

 Eyre Basin to the East. South, West and North-West. The 

 township of Leigh's Creek is on the watershed separating the 

 Lake Eyre from the Lake Torrens basin. 



The first specimens found seem to be a small flock which 

 had strayed just to the extreme edge of the Lake Eyre basin. 

 As Ashbyia lovensis was found to be numerous a few miles 

 North of Leigh's Creek, it would seem to belong properly to 

 the Lake Evre basin itself. 



The above notes were written and handed to the ornitho- 

 logist of the S.A. Museum (Mr. F. E. Zietz), about three years 

 ago by Mr. J. R. B. Love, who remarked that they were a 

 few notes on Ashbyia lovensis. 



The paper was not read at the time, but was put aside 

 for the time being, and unfortunately has been lost sight of 

 among other papers until a month ago. when on perusal it was 

 found to contain descriptions of the eggs and nest, which 

 until quite recently had not been recorded. 



— Editors 



