MYIAGBA. 93 



to pour out its guttural squeaking note, which is always 

 accompanied by a tremulous motion of the wings, as if it 

 were anxious to be off again. It has another melancholy but 

 pleasing note, which, when heard far off in the bush, is never to 

 be forgotten, and at once warns you of its return. Although it is 

 not so numerous during the months of November and December 

 as when it first arrives in September, still many remain and breed 

 with us, pairing off and beginning to build sometimes as early as 

 October, but more usually during the two following months. They 

 then leave the closely wooded sides of the creeks and watercourses, 

 and show a decided preference to the more open or half-cleared 

 land, choosing as sites for their nests the horizontal boughs of the 

 larger trees, upon which they build neat round open nests, two 

 inches in diameter by one and a-half deep, and composed of the 

 inner stringy bark of the Eucalyptus obliqua, bound and fastened 

 together with cobwebs, the outside being ornamented with scales 

 of bark glued on with cobwebs, and made to resemble, as much as 

 possible, the boughs to which they are fastened. They are lined 

 with grass and thinner strips of bark. The eggs, which are two 

 or three in number, have the ground colour bluish-white with a 

 zone of slate-blue and lilac dots near the larger end. In some 

 the markings are of a wood-brown tint, or consist of lilac spots 

 alone, with a dot of deeper tint, in the centre of each spot. Their 

 length is from eight to eight and a-half lines, and the breadth 

 from six to seven lines." (Bamsay, Ibis, 1865, .Vol. i., New 

 Series, p. 401.) 



Two sets of the eggs of this species taken at Dobroyde, give the 

 following measurements, length (A) 0-73 x 0-57 inch ; (B) 0-74 x 

 0-55 inch ; (C) 0-74 x 0-56 inch ; (D) 0-74 x 0-55 inch ; (E) 0-76 

 X 0-57 inch ; (F) 0-73 x 0-55 inch. 



Bob. Derby, N.W. Australia, Port Darwin and Port Essington, 

 Gulf of Carpentaria, Cape York, Rockingham Bay, Port Denison, 

 Wide Bay District, Dawson River,- Richmond and Clarence 

 Rivers Districts, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, 

 Tasmania, South Coast New Guinea. (RwmsoAj.) 



