t6S Kershaw. A Naturalist in Northern Queensland, [vok xxxi. 



the river, but managed to spear a few mullet and a Spotted 

 Butter-fish, Ephippus argits. Numbers of small garfish and 

 another small species resembling the Rifle-fish frequented the 

 river, while a fair-sized Stingray was seen above our camp. 



As our stores were running very low, we left on 26th Novem- 

 ber for Lloyd Island, walking across country some eight or 

 nine miles to the coast opposite the island, which is about a 

 mile from the shore. All along the coast here is a thick belt 

 of mangrove and a fairly broad sandy beach, on which, at low 

 tide, are great armies of a small Soldier Crab. There were very 

 few shells, and most of these were bleached and worn, but in 

 the shallow water we found numbers of the flat Sea Urchin, 

 Arachnoides placenta, Linn., which buries itself under a thin 

 layer of sand. In the deeper water were also taken several 

 starfish. 



The recognized method adopted by the blacks of reaching 

 the island from here is to make a " smoke," when a boat would 

 be sent across. We made a " smoke " and fired our guns, 

 but had to wait for a couple of hours for the boat. We noticed 

 that three or four of the hechc-de-mer boats had recently arrived, 

 and soon learnt that the blacks had been celebrating the event, 

 hence our long delay. Getting our stores aboard a small 

 cutter, we started late in the afternoon for the Claudie River. 

 While passing Lloyd Island we had a splendid opportunity of 

 witnessing the wonderful flights of the Nutmeg-Pigeons, Blue 

 Mountain Parrots, and (ilossy Starlings. Thousands upon 

 thousands of these birds flew across from the mainland in con- 

 tinuous streams, filling the air with their cries. While the 

 Pigeons fly low down, usually close to the water, in twos or 

 threes or in small flocks, the Parrots fly high and very swiftly, 

 uttering their cries continuously. The most interesting sight 

 of all, however, is the extraordinary flights of the Starlings. 

 These could be seen far away over the mainland, rising above 

 the trees in small flocks, which gradually unite, until they form 

 several enormous, compact, black masses. Flying in great 

 circles, they are seen to suddenly dro)) low down, rising again 

 in a long spiral column, in the distance appearing like a column 

 of black smoke. Re-forming into a compact mass, then 

 breaking up and spreading out, only to come together again, 

 they gradually rise higher and higher, ever sweeping and 

 circling, yet always together, sometimes almost invisible in the 

 sky, then, as the light catches their shining black backs, 

 showing out with inky blackness. When they approach the 

 island they suddenly swoop down close to the water, over 

 which they skim with lightning speed, a whirling, noisy mass, 

 into the mangroves. Once seen, this sight is not likely to be 

 forgotten. 



