. Nests and eggs of Australian birds, including the geographical distribution of the species and popular observations thereon . -red bill and eyes to match. Tlie sexes ai-ealmost alike in colouring. Total length, 12 inches. As a flock of thesesplendid Lorikeets wheel simultaneously in mid-air, the flashing splen-dour of the deep crimson under the surface of the wings, intensified bythe light of a slanting sun, is a sight to be remembered. But there axeother sights. During February, 1896, thousands of these grand Lori-keets visited a vineyard about foiu- acres in extent, near Murcliison,on the
. Nests and eggs of Australian birds, including the geographical distribution of the species and popular observations thereon . -red bill and eyes to match. Tlie sexes ai-ealmost alike in colouring. Total length, 12 inches. As a flock of thesesplendid Lorikeets wheel simultaneously in mid-air, the flashing splen-dour of the deep crimson under the surface of the wings, intensified bythe light of a slanting sun, is a sight to be remembered. But there axeother sights. During February, 1896, thousands of these grand Lori-keets visited a vineyard about foiu- acres in extent, near Murcliison,on the Goulbum River, feasting for tliree days on grapes. Theyremained in one vineyard, although others were near. The undulyfavoured vigneron was .so exasperated, not only at the depredationscommitted, but with the terrible din of the multitudes of h;irsh,screeching voices, that in one day he shot no less than seventy bij-ds. In 1881 I was indebted to the late Mr. George Barnard for the eggs(those originally described) of the beautiful Blue-bellied Lorikeet, t^akenon his run, Coomooboolaroo, Queensland. He informed me that this. TAKING A BLUK-BELLihLJ LuKlKKKTS a Photo by S. IV. Jackson. NESTS AND EGGS OF AUSTRALIAN BIRDS. 593 bii-d invariably lays two eggs. Possibly the clutches are regulated bythe seasons nnd siipplv of food, because the late Mr. Grcgoiy Batcman,a most intelligent field obsei-ver and bird catclicr, told mo that in goodseasons near Stratford, Gippsland, he has seen four eggs in the nest ofthe Blue Moimtain Parrot, as he called the bird. Cliief breeding months, September or October to December orJanuary. But the Lorikeets sometimes lay during July and inSouth Queensland, while a record in the Catalogue of the AustralianMuseum stated that Mr. J. A. Boyd, Herbert River, Norlh Queens-land, foimd a nest containing young as late as the month of May (1888). With reference to Verreauxs Lorikeet, or Loi-y, T. verrrauxius,separated by Professor Mivart,* othe
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectbirdsne, bookyear1901
