171 



TROPIDORHYNCIIUS. 



has taken sets of these eg,s, in the Dawson River District, Q^^^^^^^''^''^^;^;;;^ 

 and the 14th December, 1892. In ^•ictoria I have seen >t nesting at tendon m October 

 November. 



Tropidorhynchus buceroides. 



HELMETED FRIAE-BIED. 

 Philemon buceroides, Swains,, Anin>. in Menag., p. 325; Gadow, Cat. Bds. Br.t. Mus., Vol. IX., 



p. 272 (1884). 

 Tropidorkynckus buceroides, Gould, Handblc. Bds„ Vol. I., pi. 547 (18G5); id., Bds. Austr., fob, Vol. 

 Suppl., pi. 44 (1869). 

 ADULT u.L.-General colour above brown; wings brown, darker on the inner .vebs of the 

 ,uills . taU feathers brown, slightly darker than the back, rale-brou,n around the.- t^ps -'^ -J- 

 ofa^inJwebs; sides of the head and neck mostly bare ; feathers on the fore ead, crown cfthe 

 Lad, and occiput lanceolate inform, very pale brown or whi^-bro.. wU f^^^^^JtdS^ 

 those on the upper portion of the hind neck somewhat simila. but longer, not lanceolate and shghty 

 ZZforlg a small ruff, and joined by a narrow band of short sil.ery-brown fea,..rsat the 

 1- to hose on the fore neck ; the lower portion of the hind neck is bare w.th the e.cept^on of a feu 

 sh2t dusky downy feathers: the cheeks and some short bristle-Uke feat,.ers partially conceaHng the ea, 

 tl^backish chin,fi^^^^^^^^ and upper portion of fore neck ^^-f^^wn 



:Z71ceolatei:form- remainder oftheundersurfacepalebrown^billandb^^^^^^^^ 

 Zckblack. Totallength U inches, wing 6, taUo, bill from hinder portion of elevated rulge on culmen 

 IS, tarsus l'f>- 



Adult fem.\le — <imU<tr In jihumn/e to the male. 



Distributiou-^orth-eastern Queensland, some of the islands of Torres Strait. 

 rX^HE Helmeted Friar-bird is an inhabitant of the coastal disnctsof Northeastern 

 ^ Queensland. It frequents the neighbourhood of the Mulgrave River, its range e.xtendmg 

 no— s to cape York. In the Zoology of the ^^ Cheverf | Mr. George Masters recc^ds a 

 n,ale and female obtained at Palm Island, and in the Report of the Voyage of H.M.S Ale t + 

 7k B. Sharpe records a female from Thursday Island, Torres Strart, procured m Ju y. 88t. 

 4mon. others there are specimens in the Australian Museum collection obtained by Mr. J A. 

 Thorpe at Cape York in t868, and by Mr. K. Broadbent and Mr. A. F. Smith at Cairns. It is 

 Immon in the Bloomf^eld and Endeavour River Districts, localities from wh.ch I have received 

 numerous sets of its eggs. 



Gould's figure of this species in his Supplement to the " Birds of Australia -; is that ot an 

 in:mature bird for when fully adult the lower portion of the hind neck is bare w.th the exception 

 oTr'aw short downy feathers, and those on the upper portion do not lie down flat, as shown m 

 the fi-ure, but are slightly recurved forming a small ruft. 



Mr Frank Hislop writes me as follows of this species:-'- The Helmeted Friar-b.rd generally 

 aooears' in the Bloomfield River District about August after the first rams come and the 

 Xdwood' (Encalyptus corymUsa) is in flower. They are found mostly on the low-lymg flats 

 a! !lmps, feeding on the nectar extracted from the blossom of the tea-tree. Insects and 

 cultivated fruits also form portion of the food of this species. They are very pugnacious and 

 Cently destroy the nests of other b^^^_p_ai^ofWhite^e^Cu^^ 



• Proc Linn. Soc. N.S, Wales, Vol. I., p. 55 (1876)- 



t Rep. Voy. H.M.S " Alert." p 20(1884). 



; Gould, Suppl. Bds. Auslr., fol., pi. 44 (1869). 



