216 
OOLOGICAL NOTES, 
deep cup-shaped nest of the Green-backed Oriole (Mimeta viridis), 
one of the most notorious orchard marauders in New South Wales t 
From Mr. J ackson's letter accompanying this egg, I have extracted 
the following information : — 
"While collecting on the 31st of October, 1894, in a scrub 
near South Grafton I heard the loud and peculiar " coo-ee " of 
Flinder's Cuckoo, and upon approaching a large " Box- tree " 
( Eucalyptus robusta ), I observed in it a pair of Eudynamis 
cyanocephala, the female being perched close to a nest of Mimeta 
viridis. Thinking perhaps that the Cuckoo had laid in it, I 
climbed the tree, and found that the nest contained three fresh 
eggs of the Oriole; these I left and descended to the ground. The 
female Cuckoo, which I had frightened away when starting to 
climb the tree, now returned, and calling to her mate both sat 
near the nest. After watching them for a few minutes the male 
flew away, and to my joy the female took possession of the 
Oriole's nest. I did not leave the spot, but sat down in the shade 
of the Eucalyptus, and after waiting about half-an-hour got up 
and suddenly clapped my hands, but she would not leave the 
nest. I started again to climb the tree, when off she flew and 
never returned. Upon reaching the nest, and making a further 
examination of its contents, I was greatly delighted to find that 
in addition to the three eggs of the Oriole it now contained the 
previously unknown egg of Flinder's Cuckoo. During the time 
the Cuckoo had possession of the Oriole's nest both the male and 
the female of the latter sat in the tree, but did not interfere with 
the occupant of the nest." 
The egg of Eudynamis cyanocephala is oval in form and of a 
pale reddish-salmon ground colour, minutely dotted and spotted 
with different shades of reddish and purplish-brown, the latter 
colour predominating and appearing as if beneath the surface of 
the shell; the smaller end of the egg is more sparingly marked, 
but towards its thicker axis are a few small blotches of umber 
brown. There are many indistinct underlying blotches and 
smears of dull purplish-brown, of which the largest is a longitu- 
dinal marking measuring 1-1 inch in length by 0*4 inch in 
