58 THE VICTORIAN NATUKALIST. 



parents chosen, and have often been noted feeding sometimes 

 one and at other times a pair of young cuckoos. 



Centropus phasianus. — The Coucal, once very numerous, is 

 now becoming scarce. It is a very handsome bird, and its 

 pecuhar call once heard can never be iorgotten. 



Ptilosclera versicolor. — The handsome Varied Lorikeet 

 frequents the bloodwoods (eucalypts) when in flower. 



Calyptorhynchus. — A Black Cockatoo is often seen in the 

 scrubs near Cloncurry. 



Cacatua galerita and roseicapilla. — The White and Rose- 

 breasted Cockatoos are well-known residents, and breed along 

 the creeks in the larger gum trees. 



C. sanguinea. — The Blood-stained Cockatoo, which seems to 

 be quite indistinguishable from the Bare-eyed, C. gymnopsis, is in 

 point of numbers the commonest cockatoo in the Gulf district, 

 and, in fact, in all the western border of Queensland, coming as 

 far south as the neighbourhood of Broken Hill, in New South 

 Wales, where it breeds yearly and is fairly numerous. In the 

 Gulf they nest during the wet season, the usual clutch being three, 

 placed, like those of other cockatoos, in the hollow spout of a 

 tree — most often one of the stunted coolibahs which line the 

 watercourses. I do not know of a more mischievous bird. They 

 go about in immense flocks, and usually commence the day by 

 flying out at sunrise on to^the downs to feed for about two hours 

 upon seeds and a small bulbous plant, which grows in patches, 

 and which they dig up. They then fly in together to the creek, 

 and take possession of two or three unfortunate trees — unfortunate 

 because they amuse themselves by biting off all the leaves, smaller 

 twigs, and stripping off bark until the trees are left quite bare, 

 when they go to some other. This amusement is kept up 

 until late in the afternoon, when they all fly off on to the plain 

 for another meal, coming in just before dusk to roost. 



Calopsittacus nov^>hollandi^. — The Cockatoo Parrakeets 

 are more numerous some seasons than others, and they usually 

 nest after the winter rains. 



Ptistes erythropterus. — The Red-winged Lory occurs in 

 twos and threes, and may often be seen leeding on the bell- 

 shaped, honey-laden flowers of the bauhinia, a tree that sheds 

 most of its leaves before flowering in early spring. 



Melopsittacus undulatus. — The Warbling Grass-Parrakeets, 

 though common at all times, come in enormous numbers when 

 conditions are unfavourable elsewhere. I well remember one 

 breeding season when they were in such numbers along the 

 scantily timbered creeks that all ordinary holes and spouts soon 

 became occupied, and the birds had recourse to hollow logs on 

 the ground, where they nested side by side along the entire 



