23 
altitude of twenty feet from the ground. The nests were placed 
in trees about fifty yards apart, and in the twelve nests examined 
each of them contained three eggs for a sitting ; in some the eggs 
were perfectly fresh, in others partly incubated, but none were 
found containing young ones. The eggs are oval in form, 
somewhat pointed at one end, and are of a very pale purplish- 
grey ground colour, with numerous scratches and irregular shaped 
markings of light reddish-purple, scattered over the entire surface 
of the shell, many of which are nearly obsolete. All the markings 
have a faded and washed out appearance, and the shell is dull 
and lustreless. A set measures, length (A) 1-2 x 083 inch; 
(B) 1'18 x 0-83 inch ; (0) 1-23 x 0’85 inch. 
BATHILDA RUFICAUDA, Gould. 
Red-tailed Finch. 
Gould, Ilandbk. Bds. Auslr., Vol. i., sp. 254, p. 412. 
This pretty little Finch, although by no means common, has a 
most extensive range of habitat, being found throughout Northern, 
North-eastern and North-western Australia, it is also very 
sparingly dispersed over the Northern and Interior portions of 
New South Wales, but in the latter districts it is considered a 
rare species, being very seldom obtained ; a small flock was seen 
near Lithgow in the Blue Mountains last winter’, one of which, an 
adult male specimen, was procured. This species evinces a 
preference for the country lying between Normanton on the Gulf 
of Carpentaria, and Townsville on the North-eastern coast of 
Queensland, on the grassy plains of which they are occasionally 
captured and sent to the southern markets. Like all the members 
of the Ploceidce family it constructs a large dome shaped nest of 
dried grasses, which is usually placed in a low bush or tuft of 
long grass. The eggs are five in number for a sitting, true ovals 
in form and pure white ; two specimens received from Dr. Henry 
Sinclair last season measure (A) 0'6 x 0-47 inch j (B) 0-6 x 0-45 
inch. 
