TAWNY FROGMOUTH. 
way she follows, but very slowly. In this position they just look like a huge 
lizard. They are exceedingly local and return to the same tree to nest year 
after year. In September, 1907, my brother found a nest containing one egg 
and gave me the directions in which to find it. These were followed out and 
the nest found. Passing that w'ay in 1908 (October 11th), we had a look at the 
tree and found the bird sitting on a heavily incubated egg. The egg was left to 
hatch out and a well-grown young was taken on the afternoon of November 
4th. The female was sitting on the young bird, and as Mr. Mattingley climbed 
the tree it allowed him to approach within a few feet before fiushing. At the 
same time the mate fiew from a tree close by. She only flew a few yards 
into an adjoining tree and with craning neck watched operations, and as the 
young was lifted from the nest uttered a fierce ‘ Oom oom oom oom, very 
quickly repeated. When sitting on eggs or young the mate is always found 
close by. I have seen them perched as low down as twelve feet from the ground, 
and then the eyes are nearly closed, leaving just a narrow slit, but throw a stick 
and see how soon they are on the alert. Mr. C. McLennan assures me that they 
utter the ‘ More Pork ’ call, but I have never heard it. In the Mallee scrubs, 
during September, 1908, we found two nests, each containing two eggs of a 
Podargus, The nests were very substantial structures and were composed of 
green twigs of an acacia, and in no way like those found near Melbourne ; the 
eggs, too, were only about three-quarter size of eggs found at Ringwood and 
others taken at Blacktovm, New South Wales, and it was unfortunate that a 
specimen was not obtained, as I believe it to be a new species or at least a 
subspecies.” 
Howe recorded this item regarding the Mallee bird in the Emu, Vol. VIII;, 
p. 135, 1909, and then in the next volume, p. 230, added : “ Regarding this 
form, I mentioned in a previous paper that it appeared to be variable if 
not new, and that the eggs were much smaller than those of P. strigoides. 
A few more nests, each containing two eggs, were found, and the variation 
was constant. Two males flushed from nests were secured as specimens. 
■ Specimen a measured 17 inches in length ; 5, 16f inches. Wing of a, from 
shoulder, 10 inches ; 6, 9| iuches. Tarsus of a, 3J inches ; 6, 3 inches. The 
irides were orange, and the bfil and feet black.” 
A specimen was sent to me, and when I prepared my Reference Li^t in 1912 
I reviewed the species and named •the Mallee form Podargus strigoides rossi. 
Wilson, in the Emu, Vol. XII;, p. 32, 1912, giving an account of an 
Oologist’s trip in the MaUee, wu’ote : “ Podargus rossi (Mathews). This 
bird, which Mr. Mathews has, I think, rightly described as a new species, 
was met with both at Ouyen and Kow Plains. At both these places a nest 
was found containing two fresh eggs. The eggs, as has been pointed out by 
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