104 Kershaw, A Naturalist in Northern Queensland. [voL xxxi. 



detect in the semi-darkened sciub. We occasionally saw them 

 flying silently through the trees, and more often heard their 

 characteristic call. Several nests were found, sometimes low 

 down in a small sapling or vine, others high up in the branches. 

 Most of these contained two eggs, and one a partly-fledged 

 young one. Starlings and Blue Mountain Parrots were every- 

 where, the Red-sided Parrots, Edeclits pectoralia macgillivrayi, 

 usually frequenting the larger hg-trees in company with 

 Sulphur-crested Cockatoos and Starlings. Mr. M'Lennan 

 cUmbed several trees for the eggs of the Red-sided Parrot, and 

 also visited the nests of the Grey Goshawk, built in the same 

 trees, in one of the latter finding eggs. He had perilous climbs 

 — in one instance to 93 feet, the lowest bough being 60 feet 

 from the ground, the last 30 feet being reached by cutting 

 niches in the smooth-barked tree just large enough to obtain 

 a hold for his big toe. The brilliantly-coloured Purple King- 

 fisher, Alcyone pulchra, was often seen along the river, while 

 the Lesser Brown Kingfisher, Dacelo gigas, var. minor, a small 

 variety of our southern Laughing Jackass, as well as Leach's 

 and Macleay's Kingfishers, all breed in termites' nests in the 

 trees of the open country. The rare Rufous Owl, Ninox rufa, 

 was flushed from a clump of bamboos — a favourite cami)ing- 

 place also for the Papuan Podargus. 



Emerging quietly from the scrub on the ri\-er, we suddenly 

 came on a full-grown Cassowary bathing and ])reening its 

 feathers in the shallow water. We had frequently seen traces 

 of these birds, which are apparently plentiful in the scrubs, 

 and occasionally heard their deep drumming note, but this was 

 the first we had seen. 



Quite a number of butterflies were taken, including further 

 specimens of the new Lyca;nid, Pepliophorus amphissa claudia, 

 Tellervo zoiliis, Elodina angulipennis, E. perdita, and Mdanitis 

 Icda, the latter being common, but dilficult to capture, owing 

 • to its habit of settling among the dead leaves, which it so closely 

 resembles. Several specimens of the brilliantly blue Papilio 

 joesa were seen flying down the river, and a few rare moths 

 taken, including Tigridoptera mariami, Enschema mars, Hypsa 

 basilissu, H. dama, and others. 



The Kapok Tree, Bombax malabaricum, grows here, their 

 presence being usually indicated by the numbers of dry, dark 

 brown pods on the ground, where they had burst open, ex- 

 posing the silky-white down. Another tree was remarkable 

 from the fact that its seeds, attached to long, slender stalks 

 in bunches, were covered with a strong, sticky substance 

 resembling Ijird-lime. When ripe they fall to the ground and 

 stick to anything they come in contact with. We often had 

 bunches of them stuck to our boots and clothes, while Dr. 



