266 STUBNID.E. 



nest in communities, their nests sometimes being placed close together, at other times apart, the 

 same tree being resorted to as a nesting-site year after year. Mr. George Masters informs me 

 that while a member of the " Chevert Expedition," fitted out by the late Sir William Macleay, 

 in 1875, it was estimated that a single tree, cut down on Yule Island, contained upwards of 

 eleven tons of nests. An exarnination of a number of the nests proved by no means an easy 

 task, for the branches of the tree were found to be infested by a small species of green ant, which 

 inflicted a severe and extremely painful bite. 



Mr. Frank Hislop sends me the following notes: — "The Shining Calornis is a migratory 

 species, arriving in the valley of the Bloomfield River at the latter end of August. These birds 

 are very common, and breed usually either in " White Pine" or "Milk Wood" trees, both of 

 which have very smooth bark. Generally they build about the foothills, owing, I think, to the 

 timber being taller than higher up on the hill sides ; there are exceptions, however, for I have 

 seen trees in which they have built their nests growing at an altitude of over one thousand feet. 

 The eggs are usually two or three in number for a sitting. After these birds have done breeding 

 in March they leave the district, and are not seen again until the following season. The 

 aboriginal name for this species is ' Boodgier-boodgier.' " 



Messrs. E. J. Cairn and Robert Grant obtained a large number of these birds while collecting 

 near Cairns on behalf of the Trustees of the Australian Museum, and the latter has supplied 

 me with the following notes : — " Calornis mdalUca used to nest in a large tree right in the centre 

 of the track leading to the Pyramid Sugar Plantation, every branch, from the lowest to the 

 highest, containing clusters of nests. I have seen branches of this tree lying on the ground 

 eight inches or more in thickness, broken ofl, I presume, by the weight of nests built on them, 

 as the break was fresh and free from flaws. I am certain that some of these broken branches 

 contained over a hundred weight of nests. The chattering of the birds was deafening, and 

 throughout the day, from sunrise to sunset, flocks could be seen coming from or going to the tree. 

 On one occasion I fired a shot into one of these flocks, when just returning to the tree, and 

 picked up fifteen dead birds. I only knew of another nesting tree in the district, and that was 

 about five miles from the one referred to above. This was not nearly so large, and did not 

 contain more than half the number of nests, but under both trees there were always a lot of 

 broken egg-shells and dead young ones lying beneath them. We did not meet with this species 

 on the Bellenden Ker Range." 



Mr. J. A. Boyd, while resident at Ripple Creek Plantation, Herbert River, North-eastern 

 Queensland, sent at various times the following information relative to this species : — 

 " 1888 — 31st August : Noted the arrival of Calornis inetallica to-day. 



1891 — nth September : Calornis inetallica arrived yesterday. 



1892 — loth November : Plenty of the Weaver Birds breeding. 



1893 — 9th September : Noted first Calornis inetallica. Began building on the 17th instant. 



1894 — 28th February : Calornis inetallica still here. 



1895 — 15th March: Calornis inetallica still here. Rollers gone. 

 This bird is not a resident, arriving in September to breed and leaving about March. Although 

 in olden times they used to patronise the fig-trees they have quite deserted them now and almost 

 invariably breed in the "White-wood," one of our largest scrub trees, having a barrel running 

 up for over one hundred feet without a limb. Unless they use the same nest for the second 

 brood, they only lay once, certainly a few this year began to start a colony in September, but as 

 soon as the rain came they desisted, and this is the only case I have known. On the i6th 

 November, 1895, I got an aboriginal to climb a tall "White-wood" and lower down with a rope 

 two branches covered with nests of Calornis inetallica ; to my intense disgust there was not an egg, 

 though they have been building for months. The blacks assert that they raise three broods in 



