78 Macgillivray, Ornithologists in North Queensland, {^^^"oct. 



On the i6th he went up the river in the boat, and reached the 

 limit of the tidal waters a little before sundown ; further progress 

 barred by rocks. The banks of the river are here about 30 feet 

 high, and the channel about 50 yards across. This is about 

 10 miles from the main camp. The notes for the rest of the 

 month are a daily record of collecting about the main camp. 



July was spent in collecting — 8 miles above the camp for the 

 first week, then 12 miles further down, mostly in scrub and the 

 more open country. • Early in July several days were spent in 

 the mangroves getting specimens of the birds that frequent them, 

 such as Myzomela erythrocephala, Myiagra latirostris, Pcecilodryas 

 pulverulenhis, Alcyone pusilla, A. pulchra, and others. August 

 was spent in much the same way, and, as provisions and cartridges 

 were exhausted, a return to Thursday Island made at the end of 

 the month. One hundred and sixty-one species were identified. 



A second trip was made by Mr. M'Lennan to the Archer River 

 in 1915, when he left Thursday Island on 30th March, reaching 

 and anchoring inside the mouth of the river at sunset on the 4th 

 April. Here some natives told him of a breeding- place of birds 

 on Archer Creek, which runs into the Archer River a few miles 

 from its mouth. He anchored a few miles up the creek, and went 

 ashore to explore some swamps. Plover, Egret, and Ibis were 

 plentiful on the small swamps near the river. He writes : — " Go 

 on to a big swamp about 3 miles from the river, and wade through 

 about 2 miles of it ; water waist-deep, going very heavy. Semi- 

 palmated Geese numerous ; found several half-built nests and 

 numbers that the natives had robbed. No eggs." 



On the 9th April he went on to another river down the coast, 

 and went up it for about 3 miles before anchoring. The river 

 here widens out into a big shallow bay, 2 miles across by 3 miles 

 long. In this are two big mangrove-covered islands, and 

 numerous creeks or channels running into it. Egrets, Pelicans, 

 Mangrove Ducks, and Stilts were noted on the mud-banks. On 

 exploring the creeks hundreds of old nests were noted in the 

 mangroves ; along several of them Pied Egrets, Great-billed 

 Herons, and small flocks of Black-billed Spoonbills and Ibis were 

 noted. 



On 13th April he returned to the Archer River, and went up 

 a tributaiy stream, the Watson River. On his first day here 

 he came across Bathilda ruficauda clarescens and the Golden- 

 shouldered Parrakeet. On the following day he explored a big 

 rush-grown swamp, noting a Jabiru, Plovers, Native Companions, 

 Black and Mangrove Ducks, Pied, Little, and Great Egrets, White 

 Ibis, and Sharp-tailed Stints. Numbers of Galahs were in the 

 trees round the swamp. 



Leaving the Watson River on the 17th April, he went up 

 Archer Creek, exploring the creeks and islands along it. Some 

 distance up on the right bank he found a swamp which was alive 

 with birds — White and Straw-necked Ibis, Royal Spoonbill, 

 Glossy Ibis, Egrets, Little Egrets, Pied Egrets, Plumed Egrets, 



