2o6 Jackson, Second Trip to Macpherson Range, Q. [.sf X^iii 



at once located. She soon departed, and both bh'ds came back 

 with material, whistling to one another all the time, the male 

 frequently carrying out the distant ventriloquizing calls. They 

 made several visits to the nest with twigs, then sat side by side 

 on the nest and combed each other's plumage with their bills in 

 a loving manner. The male then departed, while the female 

 fluttered and turned in the nest and spread out the twigs with her 

 bill. The male returned again and again, bringing a twig each 

 time. When both birds departed, and were calling to one another 

 some 80 yards away, we made a hurried inspection of the nest, 

 which apparently had only been started that day, and then left 

 the place. The nest and locality were strictly tabooed for ten days, 

 none of us going within hundreds of yards of the spot. A visit 

 was made on the 25th October, the morning after a great cyclonic 

 storm accompanied by severe hail. My expectations and fears 

 were only too well founded. There was the nest — a large, com- 

 pletely built, and beautiful structure, containing one fresh egg — 

 smashed beyond repair. In it also were fresh green leaves, which 

 the hail had beaten in after driving the bird from the nest. Not 

 a sign of the Thickheads could be detected, though we watched 

 and listened for over an hour. The storm had ruined and upset 

 everything. The broken egg and green leaves were carefully 

 removed with a pair of forceps, the nest being left for the time 

 being. During our wanderings we found another new nest con- 

 taining one fresh egg, badly smashed. The ,day before another 

 hailstorm had passed over the locality and played havoc with 

 the scrub. This damaged egg was also secured. The nests resemble 

 some of those built by the Harmonious Thrush {CoUynocincla 

 harmonica) and Crested Bell-Bird [Oreoica cristata). 



However, perseverance and hard work won us success at last, 

 and on 28th October we found the same birds building about 

 200 yards from the first nest. Now and then the male on 

 the ground immediately under the nest would carry on his 

 far-off ventriloquizing notes. We kept well behind a great clump 

 of large beech trees {Fagus Moorei), on which were many large 

 orchids (Dendrohium ■ fagicola) with a mass of creamy-white 

 blossoms. The nest was built 3 feet up in a spice-bush covered 

 with beautiful blossoms, over which were large-leaved wire-vines. 

 It resembled the other three nests in every detail. 



On 6th November we disturbed the female, and found a lovely 

 clutch of three eggs, comparatively large and fresh — the only 

 clutch extant. A description by Mr. H. L. White of the nest 

 and eggs appears in another part of this issue of The Emu. The 

 female was tame, and allowed me to get within a few feet before 

 she flew off. When I was removing the eggs she flew at me 

 several times. While we were at the nest the light in the jungle 

 was very bad, owing to the heavy mist, and everything was wet. 

 An hour later a heavy hailstorm passed over the place, and, had 

 the eggs been there, all would have been smashed again. 



