BIBDS OF TASMANIA. 85 



Mr. A. J. Campbell records the fact that Mr. A. E. Brent once 

 found in a Brown-tail's nest two eggs of that species and one each 

 of the Fan-tailed, Bronze, and Narrow-billed Bronze Cuckoos. 



*NAEEOW-BILLED BRONZE-CUCKOO 



{Chalcococcyx basalis, Horsf.) 



Male. — Upper surface brown glossed with metallic green; 



outer webs of quills narrowly margined with dusky-white; two 



centre tail feathers brown washed with metallic gloss; rest of 



feathers with terminal white spot on inner webs and a subterminal 



blackish bar; outer feather blackish broadly barred and notched 



with white, next three pairs with basal three-fourths rufous, rest 



greenish-brown, with two white spots on inner webs; a broad white 



'Streak on sides of head form an extended eyebrow ; under surface 



white, shaded and mottled with brown on throat and sides ; sides 



of breast barred with brown ; under wing coverts white, barred with 



brown ; bill black ; legs and feet blackish-brown. Dimensions in 



mm.: — Length, 158; bill, 12; wing, 100; tail, 74; tarsus, 17. 



Female. — Similar to male. 



Eggs. — Oval in shape; texture fine; surface slightly glossy; 

 colour pinkish-white, finely freckled all over with pinkish-red. 

 Dimensions in mm. of odd examples : — (1) 17 x 13, (2) 17 x 13.5. 

 Breeding Season. — September to December. 

 Geographical Distribution. — Tasmania, King Island, the whole 

 of Australia, Timor, Lombok, Java, Flores, and the Aru Islands. 



Observations. — To all intents and purposes the general habits 

 of this species and those of the Bronze-Cuckoo may be said to be 

 very similar. In common with other species, the Narrow-billed 

 Bronze-Cuckoo arrives early in September and departs towards 

 the end of March. Its food consists of insects of various descrip- 

 tions gathered from off the ground and from the leaves and branches 

 of trees. One very good trait that it and the Bronze species has 

 lately developed to some considerable extent is that of feeding 

 on the larvae of a chrysomelid beetle very common wherever the 

 silver wattle grows. These larvae are responsible for the defolia- 

 tion and subsequent destruction of very many wattles, especially 

 young ones, every year. 



So far as my knowledge goes, the following are the foster- 

 parents of the Narrow-billed Bronze-Cuckoo in Tasmania : — 

 Scarlet-breasted Eobin (Petrceca leggei) 

 Yellow-rumped Tit {Acanthiza chrysorrhoa) 

 Tasmanian Tit [Aoanthiza diemenensis) 

 Blue Wren (Malurus gouldi) 

 Emu- Wren {Stipiturus malachurus) 

 White-fronted Chat {Ephthianura albifrons) 

 Striated Field- Wren (Calamanthus fuliginosus) 

 White-eye {Zosterops caerulesoens) 

 New Holland Honey-eater {Melior^iis novm-hollandia). 



