He says : — " About the end of November in the year 1860, I discovered a large batch of 

 nests of this species fastened under an overhanging rock upon the banks of the Bell 

 River. I counted upwards of one hundred nests, all built up together so closely that 

 of many the entrances were alone visible, the nest itself being built round by others. 



" No Pardalotes were here to disturb them, and the Martins were flying to and from, 

 the nests in great numbers, some carrying in grass for the linings, others busily employed 

 in repairing the old and building new nests with the mud from the river's bank. Many 

 also I found were brooding their eggs, and this gave me a good opportunity of procuring 

 some specimens, which I did not fail to seize. There were usually from three to five 

 eggs, but some nests contained seven. Many of the eggs were altogether white, others 

 were spotted with light brownish yellow, occasionally all over, in other instances only 

 at the larger end. They vary in length from 7 to 8J lines, and from 6 to 6^ lines in 

 breadth." 



It is evident from the above note that Mr. Gould was mistaken in supposing that 

 the present bird did not breed near Sydney, unless its emigration to the neighbourhood 

 of the town has taken place since Mr. Gould visited Australia. Mr. Ramsay states that 

 he has known the Fairy Cliff-Swallow to take possession of the upper story of some 

 deserted house, along witli Rirundo frontalis, the PetrocheUdon building its long 

 flask-shaped nests in clusters under the eaves, while the Swallow enters at the windows 

 and takes possession of the cross-beams and rafters. He has seen both species breeding 

 under the same roof at the Glebe, Sydney. 



We are indebted to Mr. E. P. Ramsay for photographs of a nesting colony of the 

 present bird, from which Mr. Wyatt has drawn the accompanying Plate. The cluster of 

 nests was fixed under a ledge of a bank on the Bell River, Wellington valley, and the 

 photographs were taken at the end of September 1884. The bird figured is in the 

 British Museum, and is the one described in the ' Catalogue of Birds.' 



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