°'i9i8 J IMacgillivray, OrnitJwlogists in North Queensland. 205 



Myzoraela pectoralis (Cissomela pectovalis). — On the Archer River 

 Mr. IM'Lcnnan noted Banded Honey-eaters as numerous in the 

 blossoming trees. On the 25th July he flushed one from its nest 

 18 inches from the ground in a small bush ; it contained two eggs. 



Glyciphila modesta {Ramsayovnis modestus suhfasciatus). — Brown- 

 backed Honey-eaters were very common birds in the trees and shrubs 

 in the open forest. They usually nest in the tea-tree — a few before 

 the wet season, but the majority after it has started. We found a 

 number of their nests, mostly commencing or half-built, in a tea-tree 

 swamp on the 9th January. They are usually suspended from the 

 ends of branches over the water. By the 21st January the nests 

 mostly contained eggs, usually a pair. These nests are formed wholly 

 of the fibrous bark of the tea-tree and lined with soft flaky bark from 

 the same tree. On the 27th we waded through the tea-tree swamps 

 near the sandalwood landing and examined numbers of these nests. 

 The first swamp had tall tea-trees in it and clumps of small tea-tree 

 saplings, all standing in about 2 feet of clear water. It is on the 

 saplings that this Honey-eater suspends its nest. The first nest 

 examined contained an egg of the Square-tailed Cuckoo ; most of the 

 others, incubating eggs of the Honey-eater. In a deeper portion of 

 the same swamp we found two nests, the first containing a Cuckoo's 

 egg and two of the Honey-eater, the other an eg§, of each bird. Next 

 day, in another swamp, we found nests containing newly-hatched 

 young. The eyes of the young birds were not open ; the skin flesh- 

 coloured and naked, and the gape pale yellow. This bird is also 

 common on the Archer River. 



■ Glyciphila fasciata {Ramsayovnis fasciatus inkevmani). — A few 

 White-breasted Honey-eaters were found amongst the blossoming 

 trees on the Archer River. 



Conopophila rufogularis {ConopopJiila rufogularis queenslandica). — 

 A few Rufous-breasted Honev-eaters were noted on the Archer River. 



Conopophila albogularis yorki. — The Red-throated Honey-eater 



seems to me to be an immature stage of the above species. 



Stigmatops ocularis {Stigmatops indistincta ouida). — Brown Honey- 

 eaters were common on the Archer River, where they were feeding 

 on the flowering paper-barks {Melaleuca). On the 25th July Mr. 

 M'Lennan flushed one from its nest 4 feet from the ground in a small- 

 leaved paper-bark ; it contained two eggs just chipping. 



Ptilotis notata. — The Yellow-spotted Honey-eater was common 

 both in open forest and scrub. A few were in scrub along the Archer 

 River. 



Ptilotis gracilis {Micvoptiloiis gracilis). — ■ Lesser Yellow-spotted 

 Honey-eaters were very common in the trees about our camp, and 

 especially so after rain, which drives them out of the scrub. They 

 are fairly plentiful on the Archer River. Mr. M'Lennan found a 

 pair building in a Melaleuca overhanging the river. The eggs of this 

 Honey-eater are beautifully and richly coloured. 



Ptilotis versicolor {Meliphaga versicolor versicolor). — This fine Honey- 

 eater (the Varied Honey -eater) is never found out of the mangroves, 

 where it is quite common either along the shore or on the islands. 

 When staying at any time at Lloyd's Island we were in the habit of 

 sleeping on one of the cutters, anchored opposite the mangroves, in 



