is one of the finest species of the Australian fauna. Last November I undertook an excursion to the Richmond 
River district, N. S. Wales, with a view of obtaining-, amongst other items, the eggs of the Regent Bird. I 
found the luxuriant scrubs abounding with the birds ; in fact they were as plentiful there as the Wattle-birds 
about the Banksia groves of our southern coast. We experienced no difficulty in procuring our few 
specimen skins. All that was necessary was to select a balmy day and recline under a Cant/num tree, where 
the birds, males in various stages of plumage and females, came to regale themselves on the bunches of 
hard yellow berries. Nevertheless, although well aided by a hardy companion, I prosecuted a vigorous and 
toilsome search through dense labyrinths of hot scrub and thorny brakes of prodigal growth, where the 
thick foliage of the trees caused a perpetual twilight underneath, I returned without the eggs. It was 
an experience akin to seeking for the proverbial needle in a haystack. From evidence gained by dissection 
and otherwise it appeared that November was too early for the majority of the birds. However, just prior 
to leaving on the 1 9th we detected a female carrying a stick, and after much laborious work we succeeded 
in tracing her through an entanglement of wild raspberries and stinging trees, and were satisfied that she 
was building in a certain bushy Buoyong ( Tarrietia ) tree, as we saw her return there several times, each 
time with a twig in her bill. Marking the tree we pointed it out to two young farmers, directing them to 
send the eggs after us. Some weeks afterwards I received a doleful letter stating they were unable to climb 
the tree. However, the next month another farmer, whose scrub-paddock I had scoured, followed up my 
instructions, and found therein a Regent Bird’s nest containing a pair of fresh eggs, which I now have 
pleasure in describing. 
“ Specimen A. A beautiful well-shaped specimen, with a fine texture of shell of a light yellowish stone 
colour, with a faint greenish tinge, and marked with blotches and spots of sienna, hut principally with 
hair-like markings of the same colour in fanciful shapes and figures, as if a person had painted them on 
with a fine brush. Intermingled are a few 7 greyish streaks, dull, as if under the shell’s surface. All the 
markings are fairly distributed, but are more abundant around the upper quarter of the egg. The 
dimensions are 4 cm. long by a breadth of 2’8 cm., somewhat large compared with the size of the 
parent. The markings much resemble those of the egg of its close ally the Spotted Bower-bird 
( Chlamydodera maculata ), which I found near Wentworth, River Darling, October 1887, with the 
difference that the ground-colour of the Regent is more yellowish and not of the greenish shade of the 
Bower-bird. 
“ Specimen B. Similar to the other specimen, but markings less pronounced and finer in character, with 
a greater proportion of the dull greyish hair-like streaks ; also a little smaller— -length 3'95 cm. by breadth 
2 - 75 cm. 
“The nest was discovered during the last week in December, was placed about 15 feet from the ground, 
and was observed by the bird sitting on it. The structure was of such a loose nature — merely a few tw'igs 
forming a flat shelf about five inches across — that it fell to pieces on removal from the tree. It w'as 
accounted remarkable how the eggs could retain their position in it. The description of the nest verifies the 
statement found in Gould that * it is rudely constructed of sticks, no other material being employed, not 
even a few' roots as a lining,’ but is at variance with Mr. North’s statement, which precedes his description 
of the egg taken from the oviduct of a bird by Mr. Cockerell, the collector, the only other egg at present 
known.” 
Adult male. Head, neck, and upper mantle of a velvety texture, and of a brilliant orange-yellow, 
deepening on the crown into reddish orange ; remainder of mantle and entire back, as well as the tail, 
black ; wing-coverts black, as also the primary-coverts ; first tw r o primaries black ; remainder of the 
primaries orange-yellow, except along the outer webs and at the tip, encroaching down the inner web ; 
secondaries orange-yellow, tipped with black, excepting the innermost; lores, eyebrow, sides of face and 
neck, as w'ell as the entire under surface of the body and under tail-coverts, black ; under wing-coverts 
black, the greater series golden yellow 7 , like the lining of the quills : “ bill yellow ; legs and feet black ; 
iris pale yellow” ( J ’. Gould'). Total length 9"5 inches, culmen 1T5, wing 5‘1, tail 4’75, tarsus T45. 
Adult female. Different from the male. General colour above brown, mottled with white centres to 
the feathers, edged with black ; scapulars like the back ; wing-coverts and quills plain brown, the latter 
dusky brown on the inner w 7 ebs, the innermost secondaries with an irregular white spot at the tip ; upper 
tail-coverts brown, the longer ones with a mesial streak of whitish ; tail-feathers brown, more dusky 
on the inner web; forehead light brown, mottled with minute dusky tips to the feathers ; hinder crown and 
occiput black ; sides of bead, eyebrow, and nape reddish brown, mottled with dusky edges to the feathers ; 
