l6o ^Iacgillu'RAV, Notes on Some N . Queensland Birds. { 



Emu 

 it I ail. 



Dacelo minor. Lesser Brown Kingfisher. — This smaller ' Laughing 

 Jackass" was found by Mr. M'Lennan to be fairly common on the 

 Jardine River, frequenting the tall messmate and bloodwood forest. 

 It has much the same habits as the better-known D. gigas. The 

 note is similar, but not so loud. The birds' old hollows were noted 

 in the termites' nests in trees at a height of from lo to 30 feet from 

 the ground. From a number of post-mortem examinations principal 

 food seemed to consist of beetles and grasshoppers. The iris is greyish- 

 brown, upper mandible black, lower dirty white with sides of base 

 brown, legs pale olive. Mr. Wheatlcy found this species nesting in 

 termites' nests high up in the trees near the Batavia River ; each 

 nest contained four eggs. 



Dacelo leachi. Leach Kingfisher. — Fairly common on the Clon- 

 curry, and numerous on the Leichhardt. At Cape York they were 

 also common, frequenting and nesting in the trees in open forest. 

 For nesting purposes they usually choose a hollow spout, whereas 

 D. minor usually burrows into a termites' nest in a tree ; on 

 one occasion, however, Mr. M'Lennan found a nesting-hole of D. 

 leachi in a termites' nest. At Cape York most of the nests found 

 contained only two eggs or one young bird. No doubt the extreme 

 and unusual drjaiess of the season accounted for the small clutches, 

 as I have noted the same to occur in Victoria in respect to D. gigas. 



Halcyon macleayi. Forest Kingfisher. — Noted all the way down the 

 Cloncurry River. 



At Cape York they were nimierous in the open forest all the year 

 round, nesting in termites' nests on the trees at an average height 

 of from 30 to 40 feet. The usual nesting time is from October until 

 the end of the year. A full clutch consists of five eggs, though a 

 smaller number is often found. At Lockerbie, when he was examin- 

 ing a nest containing four heavily incubated eggs, the bird attacked 

 Mr. M'Lennan savagely. 



Halcyon pyrrhopygius. Red-backed Kingfisher. — Found both at 

 Cloncurry and at Sedan. At the latter place the following note was 

 made, 21st February, 1910 : — "Found Red-backed Kingfisher's nest 

 with three eggs, and another containing five young birds. The latter 

 looked like little porcupines, all the feathers being encased in sheaths. 

 Body feathers about ^ inch long, primaries 2 inches, rectrices i ^- inches. 

 I got one of them out and was going to kill it for a skin, but it com- 

 menced to bite my thumb and try to swallow it. and it looked so 

 fearless that I had to put it back in the nest." 



They were common also on the Leichhardt River. 



Halcyon sanctus. Sacred Kingfisher. — Mr. M'Lennan did not come 

 across this species in the Gulf country, though I had previously 

 obtained skins from Cloncurry. At Cape York Mr. M'Lennan first 

 noted them as numerous in the mangroves on 19th March, 191 1. Of 

 three specimens obtained, all proved to be young birds. They were 

 also numerous on the Hannibal, Macarthor, and Bird Islands in June 

 and July, 191 i, and again in the Mud Bay mangroves in February 

 and ]March. 



Halcyon sordidus, ^Mangrove Kingfisher. — This fine species, (he 

 largest of the smaller Kingfishers, is migratory. Appealing first at 

 Cape York in September, it soon becomes quite numerous in the 

 mangroves, where it is always to be found, and never in open forest 

 or scrub. It feeds upon the smaller crustaceans, such as crabs, cray- 



