Feb., 1909.] THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 167 



exploring with a party of aborigines the neighbourhood for 

 Newton's and the Tooth-billed Bower-birds, but without success. 

 Hearing that the birds were to be found in the vicinity of Evelyn, 

 I proceeded there on the ist October, and some miles distant, 

 with the aid of local blacks, found the haunt of Newton's 

 Bower-bird, also one of their bovvers. We all searched for nests, 

 the boys climbing the trees to find them, but, not knowing where 

 to look for them, failed to obtain any. On the 8th October I 

 walked to Cedar Creek, and got another party together, consisting 

 of members of the Glen Alice tribe, of whom the best were the 

 brothers Jack and Dick Gerambie, Toby, Jimmy, and ' King ' 

 Billy, and of the little boys Norman, Tommy, and Billy, and 

 arrived at Glen Alice on the 14th inst, when I had by tact gained 

 the complete confidence of the men. I was upon the point of 

 starting out when a message-stick was received that the Cedar 

 Creek and Tully River blacks were to fight the Glen Alice and 

 Herberton tribes, and I gave them permission to leave ; they re- 

 turned three days later, after the fight was over. From that time up 

 to the first week in November diligent search was made for the nests 

 of both Bower-birds. On the 7th November we all left the camp 

 together, and had not gone 200 yards before a little boy, Norman, 

 caught sight of a Tooth-billed Bower-bird sitting on her nest, and 

 called out ' Werimber,' which is the native name of the Glen Alice 

 tribe for this species, and on his doing so the bird flew off the 

 nest. It was in a tree in the thickest part of the scrub, and about 

 17 feet from the ground, and we could hardly discern the nest, 

 it was so small. We sat quiet, waiting for the bird to return, 

 which she did in a little while, when I went up as close as 

 possible, shook a vine, and again the bird left the nest. Then I 

 sent the boy up to the nest, who reported that there were two 

 ' bambo ' (eggs) in it. The bird sat close and was frightened off 

 the nest several times, when I determined to shoot it after it had 

 got some little distance away from the nest, but although I tried 

 five cartridges they were all damp and proved useless. Night 

 coming on, the bird was left, and, returning the following morning, 

 I secured both the female and her eggs. Later on the same day 

 we found another nest of the same species, also with two 

 eggs. 



" I now turned my attention to Newton's Bower-bird, and on 

 the 9th November, as three of the boys and I were returning 

 to camp about 4 p.m., fairly tired of hunting, and looking forward 

 to a good tea, as we had shot two Scrub-hens, the boys singing 

 and beating time with sticks, Toby, one of the best collectors, 

 suddenly called out ' Coleman,' the native name for this species, 

 also ' bambo ' (eggs). The nest was built about three feet from 

 the ground, in a cavity in a tree-trunk, and contained two eggs, 

 which the bird was loth to leave ; in fact, I could have caught 



