18 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



ground, and also another nest with a young one in not more than 

 two feet from the ground, in a small bush. It is a puzzling thing 

 why the egg does not fall out of the nest, it being composed of 

 so few sticks that when the bird is not on it is very difficult to 

 find. Near the same river we found two nests of Ewing's Fruit 

 Pigeon, Ptilinopus Ewingii. One had a young one in, and the 

 other a fresh egg ; they were built on small trees overhanging 

 the water. We secured a specimen of the Brown Pheasant 

 Pigeon, Macropygia phasianella, which is said to build on a Bird's- 

 nest Fern and lay one egg, but we did not find a nest. The little 

 Peaceful Dove, Geopelia tranquilla, was occasionally seen, in the 

 open country only, and then generally on the ground. This bird 

 is also found in the Wimmera District in Victoria, so has a wide 

 range. I noticed two kinds of Friar Birds in the open country — 

 the Silvery-crowned, Tropidorhynchus argenticeps, and the Hel- 

 meted Friar Bird, Tropidorhynchus buceroides. Both were 

 numerous, and commenced building about the end of October. 

 They build similar nests, generally composed of grass and the 

 bark of trees, and hang from the fork at the end of a bough. I 

 got the nest and three eggs of the Silvery-crowned Leatherhead 

 or Friar Bird at Cooktown, and the nest of the Helmeted 

 Leatherhead at Townsville. The Northern Sphecotheres, Sphe- 

 cotheres Jlaviventris, were very plentiful, associating with the 

 Leatherheads. On one small gum tree we found five of their 

 nests, also one Silvery-crowned Leatherhead's nest. The eggs 

 were three in number, and the small nests were built of rootlets, 

 hanging on a fork at the thin end of a branch, and generally 

 impossible to get at. The eggs secured were pushed out of the 

 nest by a native on the tree by means of a long thin stick, and I 

 caught them in my hat as they fell. None were broken by this 

 means, although some fell from a considerable height. The male 

 and female birds differ considerably in colour, the former having 

 a bright yellow breast and the latter a brown mottled one. A. 

 pair of Crescent-marked Orioles, Mimeta Jiavocincta, were found 

 nesting in a Melaleuca tree growing close to a waterhole. The 

 nest was very similar to that of a Friar Bird, and had two eggs in 

 on the point of hatching. Dronga Shrikes, Chibia bracteata,. 

 were also plentiful in the open country, and were sometimes seen 

 in the scrub. They have a very curious note, very similar to the 

 Swainson's Graucalus, and which is difficult to describe. No 

 nests were seen, it being evidently too early for them, but on my 

 way down to Melbourne I heard of one which was being built on 

 Magnetic Island, near Townsville. and have since received the nest 

 and eggs from Mr. T. Gulliver. In the scrub the beautiful strong 

 note of the Quoy's Butcher Bird, Cracticus Quoyii, was generally to 

 be heard, the notes of the male and female birds being often heard 

 in concert while busily engaged looking for large grasshoppers, 



