-30 Barnard, Field Notes from Cape York. fist^^luiv 



bower is usually placed undei" a low bush. The birds are very noisy 

 while using the bower to play in. The bower of C. cerviventris is 

 made of small sticks, not so strongly built as that of C. orientalis, 

 nor do the sticks meet in a complete arch. Height about 12 inches 

 Coutside), length about 15 inches, with a platform of sticks i inch 

 high right through. Very little clearing round, but at one end of 

 the bower, and about i foot away, is a platform, a foot in diameter, 

 of twigs placed horizontally to a depth of 3 inches. The birds use 

 tliis platform to play on. A few bunches of small green berries, about 

 six in the bunch, are placed between the platform and the end of 

 the bower. The birds make very Httle noise at the bower. C. 

 orientalis is an expert mimic, while C. cerviniventris was not heard to 

 imitate any sound. I found the first nest of C. orientalis on 22nd 

 October, 1910, and it contained one heavily incubated egg. My last 

 clutch, found on 9th January, iqit, also consisted of one egg. The 

 nest is a loosely constructed and flimsy affair of small sticks, which 

 are shghtly turned up at the edges of the nest. The eggs can be seen 

 plainly from below. The favourite site appears to be an exposed 

 position on the thin horizontal limb of a bloodwood {Eucalyptus) 

 tree, in open forest country. 



Chlamydodera cerviniventris. Fawn-breasted Bower-Bud. — My 

 observations on this bird are fully given above. 



Craspedophora alberti, Albert Rifle-Bird. — Fairly plentiful in the 

 scrubs. Their loud whistle is frequently heard, being different from 

 the call of the southern species in that respect. Nesting sites, 

 generally a clump of pandanus or screw palms, the nests being hidden 

 at the butts of the long leaves, at heights varying from 3 to }o feet 

 from the ground. The nest is composed of large dead leaves and 

 vine tendrils very loosely put together. Unlike the two southern, 

 species, the Albert Rifle-Bird does not decorate its nest with snake- 

 skins. I examined about 50 nests, and did not find snake-skins in 

 a single instance. Two eggs form a clutch If a nest were found 

 containing one egg, and left untouched in order to secure the full 

 clutch, on returning next day the egg was sure to have disappeared ; 

 but if a single egg were taken, and the nest visited on the following day. 

 the second egg would be found in the nest. I had the same experience 

 during my former visit to the locality, in 1896. The male bird is 

 never seen near the nest. 



Phonygama gouldi. Manucode. — These birds are only found in the 

 scrubs, and are very shy, except on the nest, when it is difficult to 

 flush them. The nest is constructed of vine tendrils, and somewhat 

 resembles that of Chibia bract eata, but is larger in size, while the 

 eggs can be seen through the nest from the ground. Nest is usually 

 placed in the topmost branches of a tree, at heights varying from 

 20 to 70 feet from the ground. All the clutches taken consisted of 

 two eggs. Measurements: — Clutch A — (i) 1.40 x 0.93, (2) 1.43 x 

 0.94; clutch B — (i) 1.33 X 0.92, (2) 1.36 X 0.92; clutch C — (i) 

 1.30 X 0.90, (2') T.34 X 0.92. 



The following notes on the Manucode may be of interest to bird- 

 lovers, and also be an aid to future collectors in securing their eggs. 

 Shortly after my arrival at Lockerbie, and while watching a 

 pair of Manucodes, I noticed a pair of Butcher-Birds {Cracticus 

 quoyi) (ritfescens) building their stick nest in a small tree, and soon 

 afterwards located the unfinished nest of the Manucodes in a tree 



