I 1.0 yi \cc.iLhi\' RAY, Noies on Some N. Quccnstimd Birds. r,,f''""„, 



York until 2i.st January, 191 -2, when one was heard calhng in the 

 rubber garden at Paira, and afterwards seen. Two days later several 

 were heard at Lockerbie. After this they were heard almost nightly, 

 their calling being kept up until about 7 a.m., when it ceased, 

 to recommence after sundown. All search for a nest proved 

 unsuccessful until the end of March. The birds usually frequented 

 long grass ,^ to 5 feet in height, very dense, with i"eeds 7 to 9 feet and 

 pandanus up to 15 feet, all growing together, so that searching was 

 a very difficult matter. One liird was located in a small paddock 

 where wild mint grew thickly and to 6 feet in height, and on the 

 1st April, 191 2, Mr. M'Lennan made a thorough search of this. His 

 note is as follows : — " I went down to the Bull Paddock, to where I 

 heard the Moor-Hens calling last night, and began my search. To 

 start with, I parted a strip 25 to 30 feet long and about 10 feet from 

 where the bird was calling, and worked to and fro along the line till 

 a patch of about 30 by 30 feet had been completed. After a rest the 

 search was recommenced, and the nest found ; it contained three 

 fresh eggs. No birds had been seen, so I cut a narrow track from the 

 nest to a spot about 12 feet away, and sat there and waited for the 

 bird to return. I waited for neaiiy five hours, but no bird returned, 

 though I heard the call once about 20 feet away. After this I went 

 away, and paid three surprise visits to the nest, but did not see the 

 bird. I returned at sundown and sat in the old spot, and had not 

 been there long when I heard the birds calling about 50 yards away ; 

 they appeared to be heading for the nest. Soon I saw the 

 lips of the mint shaking near the nest, and at last the bird hopped 

 on to it." 



The nest was 4 inches from the ground, placed amongst stalks of 

 wild mint 3 feet high ; it was roughly constructed of pieces of dry 

 and green mint and dry twigs of syndratura, the twigs and pieces of 

 mint being about 4 inches long. It was 9 inches across by 5 inches 

 in depth externally ; egg chamber, ^\ inches in diameter by 2-|- inches 

 deep. The eggs measured, in millimetres, 35 x 25, 35 x 25, 38 x 25, 

 and were of a white ground colour spotted with dull red and purplish 

 markings. Such eggs have been sent for many years past from 

 various parts of the Cape York Peninsula as the eggs of the Red- 

 necked Rail. 



An average male bird measured in the flesh 1 1 inches from tip of 

 bill to tail, and 15^- inches to tip of toes. Irides rich brown; bill 

 green, with base of culmen orange-yellow; legs olive-yellow. Stomach 

 contents, portions of beetles and greenstuff. A female measured 

 from bill to tail 9f inches, from bill to toes I3|- inches ; irides rich 

 brown ; upper mandible olive-brown, base of culmen tinged with 

 orange, cutting edge from nostrils to gape yellowish-green ; lower 

 mandible, terminal half olive-brown merging into yellowish-olive. 

 Stomach contents, grass seeds and beetle remains. 



Tribonyx ventralis. Black-tailed Native-Hen. — Plentiful on the 

 rivers and swamps of " Gulf," but not noted at Cape York. 



Porphyrio melanonotus. Bald-Coot. — Many seen in Gulf country, 

 and also al Cape York. 



Fulica australis. Coot. — Common on the waters of the Gulf country 



Podiceps poliocephalus. Hoary-headed Grebe. — Noted occasionally 

 al Cape Yorli, and numerous in the Gulf waters. 



PufTinus sphenurus. Wedge-tailed Petrel. — This species, which I 



