206 Macgilliveay, Ornithologists in North Queensland. [,sf'Aprii 



order to escape the attentions of sand-flies and mosqiiitoes. Here 

 it was a great pleasure to wake at dawn and listen to the glorious 

 whistling of these birds before the shrieking of the Parrakeets and 

 the " Hoo-hooing " of the Pigeons began to obscure all other sounds. 



Ptilotis flava (Broadbentia flava flava). — Yellow Honey-eaters were 

 not common, and were only occasional in the open forest on the 

 Claudie. They were common on the Archer. They have a bold, 

 loud, clear whistling note. 



Trichodere cockerelli. — We first came across the Cockerell Honey- 

 eater out towards the ranges from our top camp, in hilly countr^'^ 

 covered with stunted tea-tree. At the sandalwood landing, and 

 between it and the tea-tree swamps, the country is sandy, covered 

 with a low growth of tea-tree and other small shrubs under a larger 

 growth of eucalypts and other forest trees. It was here that we 

 found them nesting under ideal conditions. The eucalypts and some 

 of the tea-tree were in flower, providing a plentiful supply of nectar 

 and insects attracted to it, with the smaller forms of insect life 

 abounding everywhere, especially after the advent of the wet season. 

 The first nest containing an egg was found on loth January by our 

 cook within a few yards of the camp. It was built in a small tea- 

 tree 18 inches from the ground. On the 26th, 27th, and 29th 

 January we found a number of these nests containing eggs. Nearly 

 all were placed in low bushes from 18 inches to 3 feet from the ground. 

 One was picturesquely situated in a tangle of wild grape vine, which 

 here grows freely in the open forest along the ground when it cannot 

 find a tree to cling to. On the 27th the first nest containing young 

 birds was found. The nest, usually firmly placed, is cup-shaped, 

 and constructed of fine fibres and grasses. The eggs are invariably 

 two. The young, when newly-hatched, have the skin yellowish ; 

 feather tracts are bluish-black, with a small amount of smoky-coloured 

 down on the dorsal, humeral, and femoral tracts ; culmen blackish ; 

 gape and mouth pale yellow ; legs pale slaty ; eyes not open. The 

 note of the adult is a clear, sharp whistle, much like that of the 

 Glyci'phila. 



This species was uncommon on the Archer River. 



Xanthotis filigera (A', flaviventer filigeva). — Streak-naped Honey- 

 eaters were always to be seen about the edge of the scrub, where the 

 leafage comes down to the view ; they also came out into the open 

 forest trees, especially during the wet season, and were common in 

 the trees over and about our camp. The roof of the scrub, where 

 the trees and interlacing climbers flower and fruit in the sunlight, 

 and where there must be a wealth of insect life, is the hunting-ground 

 of most of the scrub birds. This is usually at a height of from 70 to 

 100 feet, and well out of sight of anyone on the ground, and it is only 

 at the edge, where the trees and climbers come gradually down to the 

 ground, or along the banks of the river where it runs through the 

 scrub and the trees and shrubs festooned by climbing plants with 

 leafage of every form and colouring and adorned by flowers and fruits 

 of every hue that one can get an opportunity of watching many of 

 the birds. The nests of this Honey-eater are not easily found, as 

 they are usually placed high in some bushy scrub tree, where they 

 are hidden from below. We several times found old nests when 

 cutting down such trees in the scrub to enable us to use the rope 

 ladder. One nest was, however, detected near our camp at the 



