266 Jackson, Discovery of the Female Rufuns Scritb-Biul. [j^f''^'",,, 



then their fresh nests would have been found after the thorougli 

 and careful hunt that was made, together with my previous know- 

 ledge of their nidification. We found two of their domed-shaped 

 nests, one was very old and frail and falling to pieces, and the 

 other had the appearance of having been used in the previous 

 season ; they were identical in every detail with the three nests 

 found by me in New South Wales. This now brings the total 

 number of nests known to science up to five, and these I found. 

 Both the old nests were placed up six inches from the ground (as 

 before) in clumps or tufts of fiat scrub grass (Gahnia, sp.) drooping 

 slightly and facing down a gentle slope. The lining inside con- 

 sisted of the same hard, cardboard-like material or dried wood- 

 pulp as before, and devoid of any other material. On close ex- 

 amination of this hard and remarkable lining, one finds that it is 

 dried pulp of soft decayed wood and Gahnia grass that the bird 

 had probably worked up and put together while in a wet state, 

 and used it as a plaster all over the inside of the nest, eventually 

 forming a warm and waterproof lining for the domed-shaped 

 structure. One nest, in situ, in the tuft of scrub grass {Gahnia, sp.), 

 and just as we dug the lot up by the roots, was presented by me, 

 on behalf of Mr. H. L. White, to the Queensland Museum, and Mr. 

 H. A. Longman, R.A.O.U., the Director of that institution was 

 very pleased indeed to get it, and it is the only public institution 

 that has one, the others being in Mr. White's private collection at 

 Belltrees. 



This is the first record of the rare ])ird and its nest having been 

 collected m Queensland ; the Tweed River in New South Wales 

 having always been previously recognized as its northern limit, and 

 the scrubs of the Bellenger River (also in New South Wales) as 

 its southern boundary. The bird does not live more than about 

 j" to 55 miles inland from the sea, so that the whole area which it 

 Inhabits is indeed \'ery small. 



Other Birds Observed. 



The Albert Lyre-Birds [Mcnura alberti) were fairly plentiful , 

 but very shy, and they do not appear to be such good mimics as 

 the two more southern forms — viz., M. siiperba and M. victoria". 

 They did a vast amount of scratching for food, owing to the dry 

 state of the scrub, and often with their powerful feet they would 

 scratch and scoop out an old rotten log for lo or 20 feet when 

 hunting for grubs, &c., the log when left resembling a trough. We 

 found the remains, in the form of bundles of feathers, of some of 

 these remarkable birds in the scrub. Eagles and Dingoes were no 

 doubt the marauders — both are common there ; fortunately the 

 Fox has not found his way to that part yet. Wedge-.tailed Eagles 

 {Uroaetits audax) often settle on the ground in the scrub where 

 there is an opening, and these are often formed through very large 

 trees falling and clearing a space. Beech trees {Fagiis moorei) 

 grow to an immense size on some of the higher peaks on the range, 

 only a few miles from where we were camped, and the Lyre-Birds 



