264 



artamida;. 



In Queensland it is apparently common, and there are specimens in the AustraHan Museum 

 Collection from Cairns, procured by Mr. R. Beveridge; from Cardvvell, by Mr. K. Broadbent, 

 and from Port Denison by Mr. George Masters. Dr. W. Macgillivray informs me that he met 

 with it near Cloncurry in the Burke District ; Mr. A. F. Smith, sent me a note of its appearance 

 during a period of drought at Ingham, on the Herbert Ri\ er : for many years past Mr. H. G. 

 Barnard has taken its nests and eggs in the Dawson River District, and Mr. S. Robinson informs 

 me that he found this species breeding at Burrenbilla, near Cunnamulla. In 1886 Mr. E. J. 

 Cairn and the late Mr. T. H. Bowyer-Bower obtained a number of specimens in the vicinity of 

 Derby, North-western Australia, Mr. G. A. Keartland, while a member of the Horn Scientific 

 Expedition in 1894, observed a number of these little birds soaring over the Levi Range in 

 Central Australia, and Dr. E. Hartert has recorded' two specimens from Eureka and Nellie 

 Creek in the Northern Territory of South Australia. 



Artamus minor mostly resembles a miniature A. tciuiirosiis, irom which in other respects 

 it may be chiefly distinguished by the absence of the white margin to the outer webs of the 

 second, third and fourth primaries, and by its under wing-coverts being pale brown instead of 

 pure white, characters which show to advantage when A. fnichmsus is on the wing. 



Mr. G. A. Keartland writes me as follows: — "I only met with Artamus w/wr on one occasion 

 in June 1894, in the western extremity of the West Macdonnell Range, Central Australia. They 

 were flying backwards and forwards in a deep ravine, or perched on trees and shrubs projecting 

 out of the rocky wall. Although there appeared to be over one hundred of these little Wood 

 Swallows scattered around within two hundred yards of where I stood, each bird seemed to lead 

 an independent life. The only simultaneous action was for all the perched birds to fly when I 

 fired a shot. They sought their food on the ground or darted from their perches to capture a 

 passing insect. I have heard from Mr. Jas. F. Field, that they afterwards visited Alice Springs, 

 where they bred and enabled him to forward me two sets of their eggs." 



Mr. A. F. Smith writes me: — "While in the Herbert River District, North-eastern 

 Queensland, I only once met with Artamus minor. It was during a period of drought in May, 

 1902, when I saw a small flock of six birds perched on the telegraph wire." 



While resident at Point Cloates, North-western Australia, Mr. Tom Carter wrote me: — 

 "Artamus minor is fairly common about the clifl's and gullies of the ranges where they breed, 

 but I have not seen them away from there." 



Mr. S. Robinson sends me the following note from Cunnamulla, Queensland: — "Artamus 

 minor is not very plentiful here, and until 1905 I had never taken their nest, as I could not find 

 them. Now I know where to look, they make their nest in the end of a small hollow spout, 

 Mulga preferred, a very poor structure, a few bits of dried grass and small leaves. I took one set 

 with two eggs, one richly marked, the other white, with dark brown blotches at smaller end." 



Mr. H. L. White of Belltrees, Scone, New South Wales, has kindly forwarded me notes, 

 made on his behalf by Mr. F. Lawson Whitlock, while collecting for him on the De Grey and 

 Coongan Rivers, North-western Australia, inland from Port Headland, and about midway 

 between Point Cloates and Derby, from which I have extracted the following information: — "I 

 first met with Artamus minor, at Gorge Creek where it haunted the rocky hill sides, and afterwards 

 secured three specimens on the Upper Coongan, a still more rocky locality. This Wood Swallow 

 never seems to be away from rocks. It is by no means timid and will fly right up to and perch 

 within a few feet of an intruder examining its nest. It has a very pleasing song, resembling that 

 of Hirundo neoxena, and while on the wing its small size and the two central and outer tail feathers 

 being uniform in colour in contrast with the white tips of the remainder renders identification 

 easy. It was not until September 1908, that I found its nest. I had followed a pair of Thrushes 



Nov. Zool., Vol. XII., p. 240 (1905). 



