Vol. V. 

 1905 



J Brent, The Black-headed Honcy-ealer. \.Z. 



being of elastic materials, increases in size with his own growth. 

 No one without seeing it could ever imagine a Pallid Cuckoo living 

 in the nest of this Honey-eater, and were it not for the elasticity 

 of the material used in its construction it would ho. an impossi- 

 bility. 

 This Honey-cater is among the protected birds in Tasmania. 



Field Notes on Birds of the Richmond District^ 

 North Queensland. 



By Fredc. L. Berne y. 



Part I. 



Roughly speaking, this district, which lies within a radius of 70 

 miles of the township of Richmond, is situated 250 miles south of 

 the Gulf of Carpentaria and a like distance from the east coast. 

 Through the middle of it passes the Flinders River, which, like 

 all the western waterways, only runs during the wet season. 



Its southern half consists of open, practically treeless, downs, 

 well watered by bore streams (artesian), along which beds of 

 bulrushes {Typha angiistifolia)* have formed, making excellent shelter 

 for many semi-aquatic birds. The northern portion may be again 

 divided into half downs and open timbered country, and half 

 rough, low basalt ranges, more or less covered with gidea (acacia) 

 and boree scrub. Along the river grow tall white-barked gums, 

 while coolibahs (both eucalypts) take their place on the creeks. 



Spotted Harrier (Circus assiniilis). — Not uncommon. On the 

 wing their movements are slow and measured, as they beat round 

 the edge of a swamp or along the edge of a bulrush-covered bore 

 stream. Again, stretching their wings high above their back, often 

 at nearly a right angle to one another, the extremity of the primaries 

 turned upwards, they sail for a couple of hundred yards on rigid pinions, 

 and using the line of the vertebral column as an axis they roll from 

 side to side like a ship at sea. They seldom rise to any height — just 

 sufficient to clear natural obstacles — and when flying they carry their 

 legs extended straight out under the tail, shifting them, still extended, 

 to a right angle with the body to regulate the balance upon any sudden 

 turn becoming necessary, on the sighting of a desired lizard or grass- 

 hopper. They are handsome-plumaged birds, spotted above, while 

 the under surface of the wings looks like mother-of-pearl. Though the 

 bulrush beds are their favourite " haunt, they also hunt the open 

 downs. 



H.\RRiER (Circus gouldi). — ]\Iucli less frcquendy seen than its spotted 

 relative, and ahvaj-s about bulrush beds. 



* The seed of Typha angustifolia is one of the smallest known, and being 

 provided with a pappus or tuft of hairs can be carried far and wide upon the wind, 

 but only where it meets the requisite conditions of permanent swampy water is it 

 likely to germinate and grow. It is truly remarkable how the plant appears. Some 

 of the great desert tracts of Central Australia have been destitute of vegetation for 

 untold time, yet if an artesian bore is struck, with its attendant stream, so surely do 

 the " bulrushes" immediately spring up along its course. — Eds. 



