Vol 



xvil.n Macgillivray, Ornithologists in North Queensland 7^ 



a very fine lily in flower. The flowering head is somewhat cone- 

 shaped, consisting of a number of brilliantly scarlet bracts, like 

 in shape to the tubular florets of a dahlia. The top ones have a 

 yellow flower in each bract ; the bracts remain below as the flowering 

 ones expand. The bracts are quite hard. These flowering heads 

 are borne on stalks varying in height from i8 inches to 4 feet. 

 Several large leaves come up from a common root-centre, and are 

 large and very much divided, and about a foot in diameter. There 

 were quite a number of them growing in sandy soil, with plenty 

 of moisture and under perpetual shade. This flower is a very 

 much handsomer thing than the waraiah. One wet day we came 

 across a carpet snake sunning himself lull stretch on a leg ; he 

 was not very active, and allowed us to handle him without much 

 show of resentment. Every day we got wet through ; the long 

 grass and herbage was always wet, and all depressions, whether 

 in scrub or open, full of water. Mr. Kershaw and Ian had 

 developed sores on legs and feet, and had to limit their ex- 

 cursions. 



On the 26th January we packed our things to shift to the 

 sandalwood landing, sending them down by boat, whilst we walked, 

 and were ferried across by the boat. We found two black-boys 

 had also arrived at the landing with twelve pack-horses to get 

 stores for the sandalwood-getters inland. The horses were all 

 gathered together in the smoke of two fires lighted to keep the 

 March flies off the poor animals. A large dark variety of these 

 pests was very numerous, and persistent in its attacks on man 

 or beast. We found quite a number of the nqsts of Trichodere 

 cockerelli within a short distance of this camp, and the blacks 

 speared a small dasyure (native cat) that had been hiding amongst 

 the pack bags. We spent our time exploring the tea-tree and 

 mangrove swamps for the next few days, the wading being often 

 difficult, owing to the amount of fallen timber, mostly submerged, 

 deep holes into which we woifld unsuspectingly plunge, clumps 

 of ferns, climbing ferns and rushes, and dangerous, as they were 

 infested with crocodiles. 



On the 30th the cutter came for us, and we transferred our 

 belongings to it and went down-stream. A crocodile's nest was 

 noted on the right bank, in the mangrove portion, and we landed 

 to examine it. The mangroves were small, the bank about 

 18 inches above high tide mark, and the nest 8 feet in from the 

 water's edge. It had a base diameter of about 4^ feet, and 2 feet 

 across the top ; it was 3 feet high, composed of decaying vegeta- 

 tion and sand. Uncovering it, the eggs, 43 in number, were 

 found within a foot of the top, all in a heap. A piece of stick 

 was laid across the middle of the eggs — whether by accident or , 

 design it is hard to say ; but the blacks aver that it is always so. 

 The surrounding ground for 10 or 12 yards showed where the 

 reptile had scraped the earth and leaves from ; in many places it 

 had been done quite deeply, and showed the imprint of its claws. 

 We soon left the river and arrived at Lloyd's Island, leaving next 



