^°'- ^g^^^'l Macgillivray, Oniilholoi^isls in North Queensland. ig^ 



different parts of the scrub. Like the other species, it could be 

 called up to within view by imitating the call. On the 22nd January- 

 Mr. jNI'Lennan found the first nest, artfully concealed at about 5 feet 

 from the ground on a platform made by a dead bough which had 

 fallen and caught on a tree. The female was flushed from the nest. 

 We visited this nest again on the 24th, and, approaching it quietly, 

 got to within two feet of the entrance. The sitting bird then looked 

 out and remained with head and neck out watching us for several 

 minutes. It was only when we moved nearer that she darted out 

 and away. The base of the nest was composed of sticks, forming a 

 substantial foundation ; the upper part of leaves and fibres, skeleton 

 leaves roofing it over ; the lining was of fine fibres — these are mostly 

 fine aerial rootlets, of which there is an abundant supply in the scrub. 



On the same day Mr. Kershaw and I were together in the scrub, 

 and I was explaining to him the usual situation of a Pitta's nest, 

 pointing to the angular space between the buttressed roots of a fig- 

 tree, when a Blue-breasted Pitta rushed out from one of the angles. 

 This nest was on the ground, and contained three eggs. Another nest 

 of this species was placed on a shelf on the side of one of the buttresses 

 of a big scrub tree, and was two feet from the ground. At first glance 

 the nest looked an old and dishevelled one, as a good deal of founda- 

 tion material had fallen to the ground, and the skeleton leaves 

 roofing it looked sodden and old from having Been wetted during the 

 recent heavy rains. The bird, however, flushed from the nest, which 

 contained three eggs at an early stage of incubation. The call is a 

 mournful whistle of two notes. 



Petrochelidon nigricans {Hylochelidon nigricans nigricans). — -Mr. 

 M'Lennan noted a few Tree-Swallows about the Archer River 

 swamps. 



Petrochelidon ariel {Lagenoplasfes ariel ariel). — At Albatross Bay 

 Cape York Peninsula, on the 27th May, 1914, Mr. M'Lennan notes 

 that " a large flock of Fairy Martins flew across at dusk." 



Micrceca flavigaster (^Kempia fiavigaster ierraregincs). — The Yellow- 

 breasted Fly-catcher is quite a common bird in open forest about 

 our camp, where on one occasion I watched one feeding a fully- 

 fledged young bird. The parent captured a large caterpillar on the 

 grass, flew up to a branch, beat it about, then to another branch, 

 repeated the procedure, and finally flew to the young one and gave 

 it the caterpillar. The young bird tried to swallow it, but dropped 

 it ; the parent bird skilfully caught it before it reached the ground, 

 subjected it to another knocking before again giving it to the young 

 one, who this time managed with an effort to gulp it down. 



These birds are also common on the Archer and Watson Rivers. 



Smicrornis flaves6ens (Smicrornis brevirostris pallescens). — Mr. 

 M'Lennan noted a few scattered pairs of Yellow-tinted Tree-Tits in 

 forest country along the Archer River. This seems to be their 

 eastern limit, as they have not been noted at Cape York, but are 

 numerous in the Gulf country. 



Gerygone magnirostris {Ethelornis niagnirostris cairnsensis). — The 

 long, pendent nests of the Large-billed Fly-eater were common objects 

 all along the Claudie, hanging well over the water. Most of these 

 could be reached from the boat, but several were well up out of reach 

 even at high tide. Many were built so low that they became sub- 

 merged when the river rose in flood when the wet season set in. 



