Vol.XUI 

 1914 



] Macgillivray, A^o/fs on Some N. Queensland Birds. 145 



high when standing, and had a spread of wing of nearly 5 feet. The 

 wing and tail feathers were grey and white, breast well feathered and 

 white ; back well feathered, greyish-brown in colour ; neck covered 

 with greyish-brown down : bill blackish, ii-ides brown, legs and 

 feet faint greyish-pink. The young bird was annoyed at being 

 disturbed, and made a loud clacking noise with its bill, occasionally 

 emitting a deep guttural grunt and making vicious drives at me, none 

 of which reached me, as I had previously tried the power of its bill 

 on a stick, and did not like the impression it made." 

 This species was occasionally seen at Cape York. 



Ardea sumatrana. Great-billed Heron. — First noted at Cape 

 Grenville. flying over the mangroves, on 4th July, 191 1. Another 

 specimen was seen several times on Charo beach or flying towards 

 Charo Swamp, in February, 1912. On 28th February, 1912, Mr. 

 M'Lennan writes : — " Went to Charo Bay and rowed up channel 

 or creek in mangroves. Found a nest of Ardea sumatrana, with a 

 fully fledged young one sitting on a limb close by. I climbed to the 

 nest to get a closer look at both it and the young bird. The latter 

 calmly walked out to the end of the limb, and stood watching me, 

 and did not show any sign of fear. Height, about 3 feet ; irides 

 silvery-cream colour, bill dull leaden-blue, legs dull leaden-blue with 

 patches of creamy-yellow : head, neck, and under surface rufous- 

 brown, under tail coverts and flanks of a lighter shade ; back, wing 

 coverts, and upper tail coverts dark brown Avith a rich rufous-brown 

 edging to each feather ; primaries and rectrices dark slate. 



The nest was placed in a horizontal fork of a mangrove overhanging 

 the channel, 2 feet from the surface of the water. It was composed 

 of dead mangrove sticks and twigs, and measured over all 3 feet long, 

 2 feet 6 inches wide, and i foot thick in the centre. A pair of fresh 

 eggs was taken from this nest in the past season by Mr. Vidgen's son. 



Herodias syrmatophorus (timoriensis). Egret. — Frcquentlv observed, 

 both in the Gulf country and at Cape York. 



Notophoyx novse-hollandise. White-fronted Heron. — Commonly 

 met with on all the waters of the Gulf. Found nesting in March, 



1910, out from the Cloncurry River, on the trees fringing several 

 billabongs on the plains. Seen on several occasions at Cape York. 



Notophoyx paciflca. White-necked Heron. — Noted on several 

 occasions in the Gulf country and at Cape York. 



Notophoyx flavirostris. Pied Egret. — This bird was first met with, 

 and a specimen secured, on Gheedinia Lagoon, Cape York, on 14th 

 November, 191 1. It proved to be a female. In February, 1912, 

 four were seen in the middle of a shallow salt-water swamp between 

 Peak Point and Cape York. One fine male, in full breeding plumage, 

 was secured. .\11 efforts to find their nesting-place in the 

 miles of mangrove and tea-tree swamp were, however, fruitless, 

 though they must have been nesting somewhere in the neighbourhood. 



Garzetta nigripes. — Noted on the Leichhardt River. 

 Demiegretta sacra. Reef-Heron. — The Reef-Heron nests near 

 Somerset, on Kypenny Rock and Bushy Island. On 27th February, 



191 1, Mr. M'Lennan flushed a white bird from a nest on Bushy Island, 

 with a grey bird close to the nest. On ist March, loii, in company 

 with Mr. Chum Jardine, he visited Kypenny and found seven nests 

 of the Reef-Heron containing cither eggs or young birds. He had 



