(So Bl•;RXE^•, The Food of the Bivds. {^^ 



Emu 

 Oct. 



considerable value, as it contained a rare crab that previously 

 had been reported only from Cape York and Thursday Island. 



It will be noted that my list contains practically no seed- 

 eaters, I having separated these and forwarded them to Mr. F. 

 M, Bailey, the obliging Queensland Government Botanist, who 

 is propagating the seeds obtained thereby and will record the 

 result. Mr. Le Souef, too, I may add, is growing such seeds as 

 he found in the stomachs sent him. 



It will be noted also that no mention of honey is made in 

 connection with any of the MelipJiagidce, but this, I think, would 

 hardly be discernible in a dried state. 



If readers would only realise what a lot of really useful 

 information is thoughtlessly lost when a bird is thrown away, 

 they would at least save some of it by preserving the stomachs 

 of such as they are able, and this is easily done by removing the 

 outer fleshy covering and pinning on to a wall, out of reach of 

 cats and mice, until dry. Careful identification of the bird is 

 necessary, and a record should be kept of locality and date. 



I feel sure that Mr. Le Souef, or any of the authorities, would 

 be glad to receive specimens from anyone who, like myself, has 

 not got a microscope at hand or a museum at his back. 



Subjoined are the names of birds, with contents of stomachs, 

 and the birds were all obtained about the Flinders River, N.O., 

 on an area of a hundred miles to the west of Hughenden. 



ii6. Rufous Song-Lark {Cinder hamphus rw/escens). — Caterpillars, 



beetles. 

 117 and 136. Black-faced Wood-Swallow (.-J r/amws melanops). — Beetles 



of the families Cisterlidae and Allecula. 



118. Spotted Crake (Por2fl«fl fluminea). — Water beetles. 



119. Red-backed Kingfisher (Halcyon pyrrhopygius). — Beetles of the 



family Tenebrionidae ; 75 per cent, beetles and 2z, per cent, of 

 ground spiders. 



120. Night-Heron (Nycficorax caledonicus). — Crab (Tlielphitsa trans- 



versa). 



121. White-shafted Fantail {Rhipidiira albiscapa). — Small flies and a 



few small beetles. 



122. Black-headed Diamond-Bird (Par dale/ us melanocephahis). — ^loth 



eggs, flies, and caterpillars. 



123. Black-headed Diamond-Bird (P. melanocephalus). — Flies, cater- 



pillars. 



126. Butcher-Bird (Cracticus destructor). — Numerous small beetles. 



127. Babbler or Chdiiiexei (Pomatorhinus temporalis). — Small beetles. 



129. Yellow-throated Miner (My^aw/Zm flavigitla). — Caterpillars, ants. 



130. Little Friar-Bird (Philemon citreogularis, sub-sp. sordidus). — 



Spiders, many Coccidae (scale-insects), a fly of the family 

 Muscidse, beetles. 



131. Red-capped Robin (Petrceca goodenovii). — Small flies and beetles. 

 133. Brown Honej^-eater (Glycyphila ocularis). — Flies and small 



beetles. 

 138. Flock-Pigeon (Histriophaps hislrionica). — \'egetable matter, 

 seeds. 



