^°''i^iV'l ^^CGiLLiVRAY, Ornithologisis in North Queensland 187 



numbers of Torres Strait Pigeons and Shining Starlings. The Parrots 

 are the first to leave for the mainland, many going off in semi- 

 darkness ; they keep flying off in increasing numbers for quite a time 

 before the Pigeons make a start. They feed on the flowering eucalypts 

 and Melaleucas on the mainland. Mr. M'Lennan found a nesting- 

 hollow on the 31st October, 35 feet from the ground, in a swamp 

 mahogany in open forest ; it contained two eggs. 



On the Archer River in June he noted " large flocks flying north 

 daily." 



Trichoglossus chlorolepidotus {Eutelipsitta chlorolepidota chlovo- 

 lepidota). — We did not meet with the Scaly-breasted Lorikeet in the 

 extreme north, but found it feeding on the blossoms of a fine rain-tree 

 {Pithecolobium saman) in the Towns ville Botanic Gardens. 



Ptilosclera versicolor. — On the Archer River Mr. M'Lennan noted 

 large flocks of Varied Lorikeets flying north daily in June, 19 14. 



Geoflroyus personatus raaclennani. — This was one of Mr. M'Lennan's 

 discoveries on the Pascoe Ri\er, where he found it to be fairly plentiful. 

 The first specimen was obtained on the 14th July, 191 3. He came 

 near to finding the nest on two occasions. On the 7th August a pair 

 were prospecting a hollow in a paper-bark at the edge of the scrub. 

 Although' he watched them for some time, examination of the hollow 

 a day or two later did not disclose any attempt at using it for nesting 

 purposes. On the 21st September, on the Claudie River, he disturbed 

 a couple at the edge of the scrub ; they flew into a tree about 100 yards 

 further on. The male started to feed the other, which Mr. M'Lennan 

 took to be a fully-fledged young bird, and shot both. On skinning 

 the birds, the one which he took for a young bird proved to be a 

 female with enlarged ovary and a greatly enlarged and dilated oviduct. 

 It had evidently just finished laying. She was very fat, but not so 

 the male. Mr. M'Lennan searched all the trees near where the birds 

 were taken for a likely hollow, but without success. 



When we came to the Claudie we could hear and see the bird any 

 day from our camp, in the scrub on the opposite side of the river or 

 feeding in some of the trees along or just outside the edge of the scrub. 

 A favourite food tree was the Alpinia. The ground under the trees 

 was strewn with the broken-up seed-vessels, from which the seeds 

 had been extracted, and we frequently flushed them from these 

 trees. They are not gregarious ; we rarely saw more than two or 

 three together, though Mr. M'Lennan has seen as many as eight. 

 When leaving a tree the birds usually scream in an alarmed manner, 

 but when feeding in a tree they are quiet. 



On the 19th December Mr. M'Lennan saw an immaturely-plumaged 

 male feeding a young one which had not long left the nest. The 

 plumage of the immature male resembles that of the female. If this 

 male was the parent of the young one, it is reasonable to suppose 

 that the males take two years or more to attain their full colouring. 

 The breeding season would seem to be the three spring months. 



Microglossus aterrimus {Solenoglossus aterrimus macgillivrayi). — 

 We often heard or saw these fine Palm-Cockatoos. They were 

 feeding on the hard seed-capsules or nuts of various open forest 

 trees. We occasionally flushed them from the ground where they 

 were splitting up Pandanus nuts. Their call was a familiar one about 

 our caiVip. My boy and I watched one in the scrub on one occasion 



