)1. XX, 



102 1 



] Jackson, Secnnd Trip to Marphemnn Eanf^e. Q. 201 



it ceased calling when we were about too yards away. Going in 

 his direction we heard the note of a female, and presently saw her 

 among a mass of fallen palm fronds. She was close to us, and 

 we had a good sight of her rusty breast ; we did not disturb her. 

 The locality resembled that where we obtained the nest, egg, and 

 female at 'Tom's Creek. There were many ledges of dripping 

 rock covered with large-leaved reeds, birds' -nest ferns, &c. 

 Piccabeen or Bangalow palms {Archontophccnix cunninghami) were 

 in rich profusion, and their fallen fronds covered the ground to 

 ;i depth of fully 2 feet, and were difhcult to get over without noise. 

 Here the humid heat was severe, and the perspiration simply 

 ran off us. Not hearing the male Atrichornis call again, we made 

 our way towards another bird calling below us. We found it in 

 a gully, which was the " real home of rolling stones." The trees 

 were scarred with blows from boulders coming down this steep 

 place. It was devoid of much undergrowth, and dislodged rocks 

 were everywhere, showing what a dangerous place it was to 

 explore. The bird was calling loudly about 30 yards away, and 

 as we approached we stood on a flat rock. From a cavity under 

 this rock came the unmistakable faint " ticking " note of a female, 

 accompanied by excited fluttering, which lasted several seconds. 

 Then she suddenly hopped into view and disappeared among 

 some tall, wide-leaved rushes. When fussing about, her tail was 

 rather well cocked, and wings drooped. After she called, the 

 male ceased calling, came down within several yards of us, called 

 once, and finally disappeared down the gully. As at the Tom's 

 Creek nest, this locality of rock cavities seemed more suited to 

 Rock- Warblers (Origma rubricata) than to Atrichornis. In the 

 scrubs of tWe Dorrigo and Richmond Rivers, in New South 

 Wales, I have never known Scrub-Birds to frequent rocky places ; 

 probably here rock-cavities are retreats for them in times of danger. 



On the steep side of the Albert River Gorge we found some 

 mounds of the Scrub-Turkey {Cathetiirus lathami). It amazed 

 me to find them in such a place. Portion of one of these mounds 

 had slipped down the steep side fully 50 yards. The climb back 

 up the steep side of this gorge was a heavy one, and took us nearly 

 three hours. At each step the loose earth and stones gave way 

 under our feet as we struggled on and grasped at anything for 

 support. During the climb thousands of large broken scrub- 

 snail shells {Helix falconari, H. dupiiyana, and H. mithlfeldtiana), 

 which Lyre- Birds and others had smashed, were seen. Lyre- 

 Birds frequently scratch for their food on sloping ground, as it 

 renders the work much easier for them. 



A few miles to the south-east of the camp stand Mount 

 Bithongabel and Mount Wanungara, from which a splendid view 

 is obtained of the Tweed River district and the dense scrub 

 thousands of feet below in New South Wales. While standing 

 on the great precipice forming the eastern face of the latter 

 mountain we heard several Atrichornis calling straight down below 

 us, exactly at the same places as we heard them in 1919- 



