94 



CACATUIll.K, 



1 )r. Walter E. Koth, late Xortheni Protector of Aborigines, (Queensland, thus refers to the 

 mode of capture of se\eral species of Cockatoos by the natives: — " Corellas {Licijuiis uasica), 

 Galahs (Cacatua roscicapilla j and White Cockatoos (Cacatiia galcn'la) are entrapped on the water 

 in the late afternoon in the Upper Georgina River District. The hunter, after tying numerous 

 grasses, twigs and leafy boughs round his head, necl: and face, which are thus completely 

 coTicealed, will swim out to some log or snag projecting just out of the water, on which, he has 

 learnt by previous observation, these birds have been accustomed to alight ; here he supports 

 himself with only his head abo\ e the surface. As the birds come down to drink they lly around 

 the bushes, and resting on the log are easily caught by the legs, pulled under the water, their 

 necks wrung, and stuck one after another in the hunter's waist belt, .\nother and very common 

 method throughout the North-western Districts of catching these and other birds which fly in 

 mobs, is to throw- a light boomerang into their \ ery midst when on the wing. On the Lower 

 Tully River the capture of the W'hite Cockatoo is somewhat of a difficult undertaking, but is 

 mastered as follows : — Having noticed the particular branch and tree on which these birds are 

 wont to camp, the natives will, during the day time, climb the tree and fix a lawyer cane to the 

 branch in question ; the cane is of such length that it reaches to the ground. At night he will 

 climb it hand over hand fashion, fixing his feet as he progresses by grasping with the big and 

 second toes ; at the same time he carries with him a long thin stick hanging down behind, and 

 attached to a ring of lawyer cane round his forehead or neck. Having reached the branch 

 singled out, he \ ery steadily crawls along it, and sneaking up very carefully knocks the birds 

 over with the stick. This method of capture is somewhat of a hazardous one for the hunter, 

 but is commonly and successfully employed, l^arrakeets and Cockatoos can also be caught 

 with bird-lime." 



I'or the purposes of breeding it usually chooses the most inaccessible hollows in trees as 

 nesting sites. 



The eggs are two or three in number for a sitting, o\al in form, somewhat pointed at the 

 snmller end, and dull white, the shell being close-grained, minutely pitted and slightly lustrous. 

 A set of three measures : — Length (A) 1-45 x i-i2 inches; (B) 144 x 1-13 inches; (C) 1-46 

 X 1-13 inches. A set of two in the Australian Museum Collection, taken by Mr. E. L. Ramsay 

 in Noxember, iS.ST, at Wattagoona Station, midway between Louth and Cobar, measures: — 

 Length (A) 1-47 x 1-15 inches; (L) 1-5 x 1-14 inches. 



When fully Hedged young birds are indistinguishable, except from their slightly smaller 

 size, from the adults. Wing yq inches. 



The normal breeding season commences in .'\ugust and continues until tiie end of November. 



Licmetis pastinator. 



WESTERN LONG-BILLED COCKATOO. 



Licme/ia jias/inatv); Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc, lt'40, p. 175; iiL, llandbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. IL, p. 12 

 (18G5) ; Salvad., Oat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. XX., p. 134 (1891) ; Sharpe, Hand-1. Bds., Vol. 

 IL, p. 11 (1900). 



Adult male. — Liki- flip odiill (/«(/''//' Licmetis sasica, //»(< hnyr .■ t/n- lurfs, hasp of iln- fpniliers 

 of the luail, liiud-nrek ami tlimnt sahnuii i-n/inired ; fhe inner irebs of (In ijiiiZ/a and tail fnlliers, except 

 till' ceiUrnl jinir, rich snl/iliur-i/'dhno. Total le.tiijtli IS'-'i inclos, tcniij 1 .'•./, laV 7'1, hill I'Oi^ , tarsus 1. 



Adult FKMALH. — ^tmilirr in jilnmaye to tlii' tnide. 



Distribution — Western .\ustralia. 



