voi.xviii.j Cleland, Birds of the Pilliga Scnib. N.S.W. 281 



560. Artamus superclliosus {Campbellovnis s. superciliosus). White- 

 browed Wood-Swallow.— A few birds of this species and of the 

 following were seen throughout the journey at odd places, but in 

 the neighbourhood of :\Ierebene and Wangan they were found in 

 large numbers, resting in white cypress pines (Callitris vohusta), 

 eucalypts, and dead ring-barked trees on the edges of cleared land. 

 Early one morning, every half-hour or so, they rose in a cloud into 

 the air, probably 200 or more being seen at one time. The cloud of 

 birds gradually circled higher and higher, making a great noise, and 

 separating as they rose Finally they made their descent and 

 returned to the trees. The two species were intermixed, though 

 probably A. personatus predominated. Noticing that the birds were 

 congregating on the upper branches of some of the white cypress 

 pines, I approached close to them, and was surprised and interested 

 to notice that they were apparently feeding on something, and were 

 not assembling together prior to further migration. Looking care- 

 fully on the trees where they had been feeding, a few scale insects at 

 once arrested attention, and seemed a reasonable explanation for 

 the attraction of the birds. However, shortly afterwards one of 

 my companions, Mr. Taylor, called my attention to glistening points, 

 on the fine branchlets of some of these pines, that caught and reflected 

 the morning light. It was, he said, a honey secretion that appeared 

 when " the sap began to move " — i.e., about the time of flowering. 

 When the small twigs of such a tree were handled, the hands became 

 very sticky, whilst the branchlets and leaves, when sucked, gave a 

 sweet taste. A small bunch, taken to Sydney, was still quite sticky 

 on arrival, and was handed over to Mr. H. G. Smith, of the Techno- 

 logical Museum, who was able to ascertain that the exudation, which 

 was not associated with any insect parasite, was a true sugar. This 

 phenomenon has apparently not been recorded previously. After 

 having this interesting feature pointed out to me, I returned to my 

 Wood-Swallows, and, by watching them, satisfied myself that they 

 were indeed feeding on this secretion. I then recalled that, whilst 

 skinning a Wood-Swallow on the previous evening, I had found the 

 crown of the head sticky, as if from honey. One of each species shot 

 was, it may be added, rolling in fat. It would be of interest to know 

 whether the migration of these Wood-Swallows is in search, in part, 

 of pines bearing this secretion, and whether annually they repair to 

 particular areas for it. Iris very dark brown ; bill black at the tip, 

 base bluey-grey ; pharynx blackish ; legs black, with a whitish bloom. 

 No entozoa. 



561. Artamus personatus {Caniphellornis personatus miinna). 

 Masked Wood-Swallow. — This was met with in company with the 

 preceding, and predominating, perhaps greatly, in numbers. Over 

 218 birds of the two species were counted whilst travelling, thus 

 avoiding counting the same birds again. Probably many more were 

 actually seen altogether. Iris very dark brown ; bill black at the 

 tip, base bluey-grey, inside of bill black ; pharynx flesh-coloured ; 

 legs greyish-black, with white bloom. No entozoa. 



564. Artamus sordidus {Pseiidartamus cyanopterus). Wood- 

 Swallow. — Nineteen birds were counted, distributed throughout the 

 journey, giving a minimum population for the Pilliga Scrub of 1,254. 

 The difference between the migratory congregational habits of the 

 two former species and the endemic distribution and more isolated 

 habits of A. sordidus support their generic separation by Mathews. 



