4 Ramsay, Birds in Upper Clarence River District. [ist^Xi ' 



Astur novae-hollandiae and Astur cinereus (clarus). White and Grey 

 Goshawks. — A nest found on the 15th October was built in a tall 

 red gum, overhanging a gully, at a height of about 80 feet. It con- 

 tained two young birds, which were attended to by one parent in 

 grey plumage and one pure white, the latter being by far the smaller. 

 It was intended to secure the whole family when the young were 

 more advanced, but the bush fires drove the young away before they 

 would otherwise have left, and the interesting opportunity was lost. 



Baza subcristata. Crested Hawk. — Only three specimens were seen 

 — two flying over Camp i, and one, a male, discovered near 

 Camp 2, sitting on two eggs in a slight nest built in a bunch of 

 dead mistletoe {Loranthus) at a height of about no fe'et. The eggs 

 were, unfortunately, so incubated that after a rather difficult " scoop " 

 one young bird chi|)ped through while in the collecting-box. The 

 male remained on the nest tiU nearly touched by the scoop, and then 

 flew off, to return almost at once with several twigs, which he carried 

 alternately with bill or feet during the whole time the climber was 

 up the tree. 



Ninox strenua. Powerful Owl. — This great Owl was heard on 

 many occasions at Camp 2, and the writer was shown a tree in 

 which a pair nested in September of the previous year (191 7). (See 

 Plate III.) Some miners were camped close to the nest, and shot 

 one of the " Night-Hawks " as it was taking a full-grown ring-tail 

 possum to the nest. The hole was in the main trunk of a great 

 grey gum in a fairly open position, among forest timber, and about 

 half a mile from the nearest scrub. Though we heard one bird calling 

 at all hours after dusk, we never h6ard an answering call, though a 

 shriek from the Owl on one side was commonly followed immediately 

 by a scream, as of fright or pain, from a squirrel or opossum at 

 a distance in another direction. There seemed no reason for this, 

 but it was sufficiently common to be noticeable. 



Strix tenebricosa. Sooty Owl. — One specimen was flushed from a 

 bushy tree in the scrub on the 21st October, and took refuge in a 

 tangled mass of fig-tree roots which wrapped a rotting tree-trunk ; 

 but, though for weeks after every likely tree (and many an unlikely 

 one) about was hammered with a tomahawk, no other was met with, 

 nor at any time did we dislodge an Owl of any kind by hammering. 

 As a matter of fact, most of the hollow spouts were in trees the 

 lower portion of which were sound and would not respond at all to 

 the most energetic hammering. The tenebricosa referred to refused 

 to budge from his fig-root refuge, notwithstanding a shower of sticks 

 and stones hurled at it. 



Trichoglossus novae-hollandiae. Blue-bellied Lorikeet. — At Camp 

 2, from soon after daylight till about 8.30 a.m., immense flocks 

 of this species dashed and dodged through the forest trees, flying east. 

 Their pace was tremendous, and the noise of their wings could be 

 heard at a great distance. At about 4.30 p.m. the first flock passed 

 again, returning west, and various flocks continued to pass until dusk. 



Menura superba. Lyre-Bird. — Only at Camp i were any Lyre- 

 Birds seen, and then prol)al)ly only a pair, as they were ahvavs in 

 the same locality. 



Pitta strepitans. Noisy Pitta. — The few Pittas noted answered 

 readily to a whistled imitation of " Want-a-whip," and were occasion- 

 ally heard calling at night. 



