Vol. XXII 

 1922 



J WHITE, Trip to Cape York Peninsula. 113 



grass, cattle hair and pieces of bark; a few pieces of cliarcoal were 

 with the eggs. 



While watching another bird saw a shadow on the ground as its 

 mate flew toward it from a hollow at my back. One bird came back 

 carrying a piece of charcoal and entered the hollow; nest there right 

 enough; two eggs. 



Take up a position and watch another pair of birds. For half an 

 hour they fly from tree to tree and on to the ground in an aimless 

 manner. It is an eye-strain watching these protectively coloured 

 birds; any movement of falling leaf or shadow of passing bird attracts 

 attention, and as you flash a glance at it that is the moment for your 

 quarry to disappear to another tree, silently and quickly, as if watch- 

 ing its opportunity. Eventually both birds flew to a hollow 15 feet 

 up, and visited this hollow four times, once with something in their 

 bills. I climb to this hollow, but can see no nest, but am not satis- 

 fied. After a while I see one of the birds carrying a large piece of 

 grass. It flew to a tree, and clung motionless, merging into the dark 

 spots and shadows on the bark. Slowly it hopped up to the topmost 

 branches, and then, fluttering like a wind-blown leaf, it planed to 

 the base of another tree, and repeated the performance. It sat still 

 for what seemed an interminable period, and then flew straight to a 

 hollow in a dry tree, where it was joined by its mate. The bird came 

 out minus the bill-load and flew out of sight. Examine the hollow 

 and find nest with one egg. 



Cut out a hollow to note construction of the nest. Hollow filled 

 for 7 inches with coarse tufts of grass, on top of this a layer of horse 

 dung (seme of the balls of which were unbroken), and dingo dung 

 for 5 inches. On top of this the nest proper consisting of short fine 

 grass, fine shredded bark, cattle hair, wallaby fur and snake scales, 

 with quite a lot of small pieces of charcoal. 



While observing another nest the bird came back carrying a piece 

 of charcoal in its bill. Still another nest had a large handful of char- 

 coal under it besides the usual base of coarse grass and dung. Ter- 

 mites sometimes start to eat the grass and dung. The greatest quan- 

 tity of material noted in a hollow consisted of 10 inches of coarse 

 grass and strips of paperbark up to 8 inches long, then 5 inches of 

 dung packed en top. Snake scales are found in some nests, some- 

 times not. [For description of eggs, with photo, cf nesting site see 

 Emu, xxi., pp. 166, 310, and pi. 64.] 



*Zosterops lateralis (Z /. ramsayi). Yellow-vented White-eye. — A 

 small party seen. 



Pardalotus rubricatus (P. r.yorki). Cape Red-browed Pardalote. — A 

 nest found in bank of river at end of 9-inch tunnel; three eggs. These 

 birds appear to me to differ from the same species in Western New 

 South Wales; yet their calls, four or five short, clear, whistling notes, 

 are exactly alike. 



'= Pardalotus itielanocephalus {P. m. barroni). Northern Black-headed 

 Pardalote.— I found a bird drilling its nesting burrow in the bank of 

 a small creek. 



*Mvzomela pectoralis. Banded Honey-eater.— This charming little 

 Honey-eater was numerous, and several of their small nests were 

 found hanging in paperbarks suspended by rim; eggs, usually two. 

 The male will not allow any other birds near the tree \yhere the mate 

 is sitting, even attacking and driving off large Friar-Birds. One nest 

 was two feet from the ground in a small sucker. Once a sittmg bud 

 allowed itself to be stroked by one's finger. 



