THE WOMBAT. 



Observations. Some years ago I received from the late Dr. 

 Kutter a single example of the egg of the Black or 

 Quoy's Butcher-bird from the Aru Islands. I was under 

 the impression that the eggs from Australia had been 

 described until I found to the contrary, when recently 

 working up notes on the nests and eggs of the genus. 



To Messrs. Dudley Le Souef and W. B. Barnard I am 

 indebted for either specimens, or notes from personal 

 observations on the nidification of this fine northern 

 species. Mr. Le Souef informs me that during his visit 

 to the Bloomfield River district of Northern Queensland, 

 he noticed a pair of Black Butcher-birds frequently in 

 a patch of scrub, but they were shy, and he did not 

 often get a near view, although their clear liquid notes 

 were often heard, either singly or in concert. However, 

 after careful observation for some time the hen was 

 seen to fly into a thick leafy tree, and there remain. 

 Mr. Le Souef made his way through the scrub towards 

 the tree, and when a short distance off saw the bird fly 

 away. The nest was soon discovered, but had it not 

 been for seeing the bird fly off, the nest and its hand- 

 some eggs would probably have been missed, so thick 

 was the leafy covert. The nest was situated about 30 

 feet from the ground in a fork made by a fairly thick 

 bough branching from the parent stem. The eggs, 3 

 in number, were slightly incubated. Date 23rd October, 

 1894. A second nest was found on the 4th November, 

 but in this instance situated about 50 feet from the 

 ground near the top of a eucalypt by a small stream in 

 open forest country. One of the parent birds was 

 secured with the nest and eggs. The eggs, as in the 

 former instance, were slightly incubated. The chief 

 breeding months are October, November and December. 



PLATYCERCUS FLAVEOLUS, Gould. 

 Yellow Parrakeet. 



Figure. Gould, Birds of Australia, fol. V. pi. 25. 

 Reference. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. XX. p. 545. 

 Geographical Distribution. N.S.W., Vic, and S.A. 



Nest. A hole or hollow in a limb of usually a red-gum tree 

 (Eucalyptus rostrata), growing on a flat or bordering a 

 stream. 



Eggs: Clutch 4-5 ; round ovals in shape, more obtusely- 

 pointed at one end ; texture of shell fine ; pure white 

 with a slight trace of gloss upon the surface. Dimen- 

 sions of a proper clutch in inches : — (1) 1 16 x "93 ; (2) 

 i-i6 x -92 ; (3) i-i2 x -92 ; (4) no x -92. 



