36 Campbeli, and Barnard, Birds of N . Queevsland . [^nd luiy 



as common as Canaries. They love the precincts of dwelhngb, and 

 frequently breed in the trees of gardens. 



[When I was at the homestead of i\lr. Isaac Henry, Bellenden 

 Plains, November, 1914, Yellow Fig-Birds had nests in almost every 

 orange-ti^ee. — A. J. C] 



The birds are very noisy at times, and their chicken-like chirpings 

 are a bit monotonous, especially at daybreak. 



Chibia bracteata. Spangled Drongo. 



Dicruropis bracteatus hr act eat us. 



The Drongo was often seen, and might be sometimes mistaken for 

 a Black Butcher-Bird as it darts through the timber. 



If this bird migrates from New Guinea (one of us has observed it 

 doing so), why does Mathews make two sub-species of the Drongc — 

 one for Queensland and the other for Northern Territory ? 



Calornis metallica. Shining Starling. 

 Metallopsar metallicus pnrpurasceus. 



These socialistic birds with Starling-like activity arrived shortly 

 after our appearance in the district, and subsequently a breeding- 

 tree here and there in the scrubs was observed, notably at Deep 

 Creek crossing and on " Crescent Lagoon " Farm, on the Upper 

 Murray. The first young were hatched loth October. 



[During a collecting trip to Cape York Peninsula, in 189O, these 

 birds were observed fiying from a northerly direction in large and 

 small flocks during September. They came across the open sea, and 

 landed in the scrubs of the extreme end of the peninsula. — H. G. B.] 



According to the statement of Mr. E. 'M. Cornwall, the Calornis 

 breeds as far south as some of the islands in the Whitsunday Passage 

 and on the mainland near St. Helens (Port Newry). 



For a fine example of a Calornis nesting-tree see Emu, vol. viii., 

 pi. xxvi. 



Scenopseetes dentirostris. Tooth-billed Bower-Bird. 



Figures — ^F.mu, vol. viii., pis. xxi. and xxii. 



This remarkable bird was first observed in the hills behind Card • 

 well, and was found numerous in the Kirrama Range, where their 

 playing-places were obser\ed everj' hundred yards or so in the dense 

 scrubs. By stealthily moving through " lawyers " and tangled 

 scrub you come upon a chattering " Tooth-bill " perched a few feet 

 above his play-ground. One play-ground we measured was a cleared 

 oval place, 5 feet 7 inches long by 4 feet 4 inches broad. The cleared 

 place contained 103 large, freshly-plucked green leaves, placed, 

 without exception, the under side uppermost. We could not ascer- 

 tain their botanical names, but there were evidently- two kinds — 

 a dark green and a lighter-coloured one — averaging from 7 to o inches 

 in length by 3 or 4 inches in breadth. 



Excellent pictures of play-grounds appear in The Emit. vol. iii., 

 pi. xi., and vol viii., pi. xxiii. : and of nests and nesting-sites, vol. 

 viii., pis. xxxii. to xxxiv. 



Ailuroedus maculosus. Spotted Cat-Bird. 

 Aiiurd'dus melaiiotits maculosus. 



We observed Cat-Birds in the scrub by the sea, as well as in the 

 mountains, where thev were more numerous Thev were la\in'4 

 during October. For illustration of nest see Emu, vol. viii., pi. xxiv. 



