Page:The Emu volume 20.djvu/236

 flock had the plumage much like that of the English Blackbird when changing from the mottled blackish-brown to the fully adult glossy black of maturity. Dimensions in millimeters:—Length, 440; wing, 310; culmen, 50; tarsus, 53; iris brown. In another adult the iris was white with a tinge of blue around the pupil.

Sphenostoma cristatus. Wedgebill.—Fairly common near Denham. but absent from Dirk Hartog. In September young were on the wing.

Zosterops gouldi. Grey-backed White-eye.—Extremely common on Dirk Hartog. and only less so on Peron. It was nesting in a variety of situations. Young were on the wing in the middle of June, and the species was still breeding at the end of September.

Dicaeum hirundinaceum. Mistletoe-Bird.—On my first visit to Dirk Hartog Island I saw one or two birds near the homestead. Mr. Carter records it as well. I saw nothing of it on Peron Peninsula, though mistletoe there was plentiful enough.

Glyciphila alblfrons. White-fronted Honey-eater.—Mr. Carter observed a few in the mangroves on Peron.

Stigmatops ocularis. Brown Honey-eater.—A few singing in dwarf eucalypts in the ram paddock on Dirk Hartog, and a pair at the Eight-mile well. On Peron only seen near the Little Lagoon.

Ptilotis sonora. Singing Honey-eater.—One of the commonest and certainly the most obtrusive bird both on Dirk Hartog and Peron Peninsula. It was nesting in both localities, large Acacia bushes being the favourite haunt. It is stated that the type specimen was obtained bv the Uranie expedition in 1818.

Acanthogenys flavacanthus. Western Spiny-cheeked Honey-eater.—Mr. Carter records two on Peron Peninsula.

Anthus australis. Pipit or Ground-Lark.—Distributed all over Dirk Hartog Island. Young were on the wing when I landed, middle of June. I found nests containing both young and eggs during the season. Two nests near my camp were swamped out by the heavy falls of rain in August (see also Campbell, Emu. xviii., p. 264).

Tæniopygia castanotis. Chestnut-eared Finch.—I did not see much of this species either on Dirk Hartog or Peron, perhaps owing to its being the breeding season, when the flocks break up. I found a typical nest, containing four eggs, near the West well.

DESCRIPTION OF NEW AUSTRALIAN EGGS COLLECTED BY F. LAWSON WHITLOCK, R.A.O.U., AT DIRK HARTOG ISLAND, WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

By H. L. White, M.B.O.U., R.A.O.U.

Malurus leucopterus, Quoy and Gaimard. Black-and-White Wren-Warbler.

Nest.—Strongly constructed, of the usual Malurus shape, domed, with side entrance near top; length about 5 inches, breadth about 2¾ inches; entrance hole, if inches in diameter: depth inside, below entrance, 2½ inches: constructed of very fine dried grass matted together with spiders' web, cocoons, and small