ARTAirns. 45 



others of the steins of grasses and small plants ; it is built either in 

 a scrubby bush or among the grass-like leaves of the Xanthorrhcea 

 and is deeper and more cup-shaped than those of the other members 

 of the group. The eggs are subjected to considerable variation 

 in colour and in the character of their markings ; they are usually 

 bluish-white, spotted and blotched with lively reddish-brown, 

 intermitigled with obscure spots. and dashes of purplish-grey, all 

 the markings being most numerous towards the larger end ; they 

 are about eleven lines long by eight lines broad." {Gould, Handhk. 

 Bds. Aust., Vol. i., p. 148.) 



Hob. Western Australia. {Gould.) 



3 ARTAMUS ALBIVENTRIS, Gould. 



■White-vented Wood Swallo-w. 



Gould, Handhk. Bds. Aust, Vol. i., sp. 76, p. 149. 



The White-vented Wood Swallow is an inhabitant of Queensland 

 and the northern portion of New South Wales. The nest of this 

 species is similar to that of other members of the genus, being an 

 open shallow structure composed of fine pliant twigs, and lined 

 inside with fine grasses, and usually placed on the forked branch 

 of a tree. The eggs are three in number for a sitting, in form 

 swollen ovals, some specimens being somewhat sharply pointed at 

 the smaller end, of a dull white ground colour, with irregular 

 shaped blotches, spots, and dots of reddish- and yellowish-brown, 

 intermingled with superimposed markings of greyish-lilac, which 

 are more thickly disposed towards the larger end, where they 

 become confluent, forming a well defined zone ; the markings are 

 very sparingly distributed over the remainder of the surface of 

 the shell. A set before me, taken by Mr. George Barnard of 

 Coomooboolaroo, Queensland, measures as follows :— length (A) 

 0-87 X 0-69 inch ; (B) 0-85 x 0'69 inch ; (C) 0-87 x 0-68 inch. 



