Vol. XIX. j Royal Australasian Ornithologists' Union. 211 



a jaded condition found tlicmsclvcs possessing an almost lamb- 

 like f riskiness on the second day of their stay, and ever afterwards 

 there were no complaints of " that tired feeling," even after the 

 longest walk. If the movement to establish the Peruvian 

 astronomical observatory in Queensland comes to anything. 

 Mount MowbuUan must surely loom large in the consideration of 

 a site. It is very little lower than the highest peak of the Mac- 

 pherson Range, and, what is more, the clear air of the west frees 

 it from the cloud effects that preponderate about the mountains 

 nearer the seaboard. 



And so the days went by quickly and pleasantly, ornithologists, 

 botanists, entomologists, and geologists all finding plenty to 

 occupy their attention. In one respect, by the way, every 

 member of the party was an amateur entomologist ; for ticks 

 were so plentiful that campers had constantly to be battling 

 against their pestiferous attentions. " Heigho ! " sighed a southern 

 doctor, " there is too much work on ' tick ' here." Trials do but 

 add zest to camp life, however, and it was worth while braving 

 pests if only to see the profusion of orchids that bedeck the trees 

 and radiate on the sides of cliffs on the Bunyas. The beautiful 

 golden-yellow blooms of the rock lily [Dendrobium speciosum, var. 

 Hillii) challenged the eye from every vantage-point — glorious 

 masses of colour-^and the white purity of a smaller orchid known 

 as Sarcochiliis falcata was a winner of almost equal admiration. 

 Those who know sub-tropical orchids only in the artificial sur- 

 roundings of hot-houses have no idea how beautiful they really 

 are under natural conditions. 



A Glimpse of the Birds. 



The birds themselves, the chief incentive of the visit, were a 

 never-ending source of interest and pleasure. It is probable 

 that the nature of the season had the effect of limiting the variety 

 at the time, but something over fifty different species were noted, 

 and, of these, Rifle-Birds (Piiloris paradisea), Regent-Birds (Seri- 

 culus chrysocephalus), and Bower-Birds [Ptilonorhynchus holo- 

 sericeus) were pleasantly numerous. Personally, I have never 

 before seen so many Satin Bower-Birds as were playing and 

 feeding on the grassy slopes within a stone's throw of the camp 

 at the foot of Mowbullan. A member of the party reported 

 having counted fifty-three birds there at one time, nine in full 

 plumage. In addition, a fine male bird was often watched whilst 

 at play at his bower, close by the camp. The presence of the 

 beautiful Rifle-Bird was not surprising, for it has frequently been 

 remarked among Queensland naturalists that this species is very 

 fond of pine-trees — and there are plenty of hoop, as well as bunya, 

 pines on these highlands. It is to be hoped that every effort is 

 made to preserve the paradisical bird on the Bunyas, for it is 

 getting sadly rare elsewhere. Very few full-coloured male 

 Regent-Birds were seen, but examples in immature plumage 

 were often noted. 



