122 Kershaw, A Naturalist in Northern Queensland, [v^i'^xxxi 



growing trees tower up above us, and, with the various creepers 

 and vines, form a canopy through which the sun only pene- 

 trates here and there. The rather uncanny stillness is intensified 

 by the thick carpeting of leaves and decaying vegetation which 

 silences our footsteps, and is only broken by the occasional 

 calls of the birds overhead, or the monotonous, shrill song of 

 the cicada. Broad gutters, which drain the scrub in the wet 

 season, but are now dry and covered with decaying leaves, 

 &c., wind about through the trees, eventually finding their 

 way to the river. Great lawyer vines, armed with their strong, 

 curved thorns, hang in wonderful festoons from the trees, and, 

 with various other vines, continually -bar our way. One of our 

 greatest troubles for the first few days, however, was the green 

 ants. These creatures are to be found on almost every tree, 

 shrub, palm, log, or piece of grass, as well as on the ground, 

 both in and out of the scrub. Their nests are formed of leaves, 

 the edges of which ar^ drawn together and fastened with silk, 

 and one has only to brush against one of these to be im- 

 mediately covered with dozens of the ants. Time after time 

 we had to hurriedly drop everything and strip off our coats 

 and hats and help one another to get rid of them. Their bite, 

 however, is not severe, and does not last long, so that after a 

 time we did not worry about them. Experience also taught 

 us to keep a keen look-out for these and other pests, and so 

 evade them to some extent. A small black ant, which forms 

 its nests on the leaves of a palm, was much more annoying, 

 as, although not so numerous, its sting was very severe and 

 lasting. Another insect to be avoided is a small wasp, Polistes 

 sp., which attaches its small papery comb to the under side of 

 the palm fronds, or a small branch, always low enough for one 

 to brush against. 



The Scrub-Fowl, Megapodius tumulus, is common here, and 

 their enormous conical mounds of earth, leaves, and sticks are 

 frequently met with. One of the largest of these was fully 

 15 feet high and 25 to 30 feet in diameter at the base. The 

 Bi"ush-Turkey, Talegallus purpureicollis, also frequents the 

 scrubs. Its nesting-mound is, however, much smaller than 

 that of the Scrub-Fowl. The beautiful Rifle-bird, Ptilorhis 

 alherti, was frequently seen fl3nng rapidly through the scrub, 

 and its loud call could be readily distinguished. Several 

 nests were found, some of which contained two beauti- 

 fully-streaked eggs. The nest is an open, loosely-built 

 structure, composed of the broad leaves of a tree common to 

 these scrubs, and lined with long, slender leaf midribs. They 

 were found in slender shrubs or among the lawyer vines, 

 usually from 8 to 10 feet from the ground. One of the most 

 interesting birds was the large Red-sided Parrot, Eclectus 



