CALAMANTHUS. 
147 
A nest of this species, in the Australian Museum Collection 
presented by Dr. Hurst together with its eggs, and taken by that 
gentleman on the 16th of October 1886, at Newington on the 
Parramatta River, was built in the forked branches of a young 
mangrove, it is a deep cup-shaped structure, the opening at the top 
being narrowed, and is outwardly composed of long fine twigs, lined 
with dried grasses and a few feathers, itmeasures six inches in height 
by four inches in breadth, and two inches and a-half in depth. It 
is a much longer nest than those built in tiic rushes. Eggs four in 
number for a sitting, in form lengthened ovals, of a reddish-white 
ground colour finely freckled all over with purplish-red markings ; 
length (A) 0-73 x 0*52 inch ■ (B) 0-76 x 0'53; (C) 0-75 x 0-54 
inch. A set taken by myself on the 8th of October 1876, in the 
Albert Park near Melbourne, are much darker and more heavily 
marked, the ground colour at the larger end of the eggs being 
almost obscured with deep reddish-brown and lilac markings, the 
latter colour appearing as if beneath the surface of the shell. 
Length (A) 0-68 x 0-5 inch ; (B) 0-72 x 0-5 inch ; (C) 0-75 x 0-52 
inch ; (D) 0-68 x 0-52 inch. 
September and the two following months constitute the breeding 
season of this species. 
Hab. Port Denison, Wide Bay District, Richmond and Clarence 
River Districts, New South Wales, Interior, Victoria and South 
Australia, Tasmania, West and South-West Australia. (Ramsay.) 
Genus CALAMANTHUS, Gould. 
CALAMANTHUS FULIGINOSUS, Vigors and Horsjield. 
Striated Calamanthus. 
Gould , Ilandbk. Bds. Aust. Vol. i., sp. 237, p. 388. 
This bird is confined to Tasmania, the manner of its nidification 
is similar in every respect to the following species C. campestris. 
Eggs three or four in number for a sitting, of a light chocolate- 
