32 ^iray Feathers. [J^fn^y 



White-breasted Cormorant (" Bur-oga "), Rose-crowned Fruit- 

 Pigeon (" ]\Ien-in-gee "), Drongo (" Pie-gin-gin "), White-shafted 

 Fantail (" Beran-gin "), Rufous Fantail (" Gin-gin-bulga "), Large- 

 tailed Nightjar (" Dar-go "), AcantJiiza squamata (" Mingi- 

 mingi "), Barred (Swainson) Cuckoo-Shrike (" Cher-am "), 

 Shining Starling (" War-ee-bidja ") ; Native Nutmeg Tree 

 (" Coorum-bah "), large edible scrub Fig ("Bun-bah"), Giant 

 Lawyer Vine (" Yah-bul-um ") ; Small Lawyer Vine, Calamus 

 aust rails (" Boo-gul ") ; Large-leaved Stinging Tree (" Doong-un "), 

 Red Cedar Tree (" Wong-garra-gar "), Kauri Pine Tree* 

 (" Tork-oi "), Fire (" Bur-rea "), Water (" Bonna "), Large Snails 

 (" Cad-doo-gal "), Small Snails (" Caro-gen "), Cicada (" Core- 

 men "), Grasshopper ("Bun-ting"), Crocodile ("Cun-yara"), Black 

 Snake (" Cun-doi "), Carpet Snake (" Tun-gul "), Tree-climbing 

 Kangaroo (" Map-pey," also known as " Boon-garra " at Card- 

 well) ; Bush Kangaroo (" Eur-ae "), Goanna (" Co-karra "), 

 Porcupine (" Yar-goin "), Platypus (" Un-bah "), Large White- 

 tailed Scrub-Rat (" Tur-gen "). 



Wood-Swallows as Honey-eaters. — In the last issue of 

 The Emu (viii., p. 219) I contributed some observations on these 

 birds in what was to me a new role — that of honey-eaters. 

 Since then I have taken other notes on this subject, and these 

 are appended. 



Owing probably to the luxuriant flowering of the eucalypts 

 this autumn, there has been an unusual influx of Honey-eaters 

 about here during the past few weeks — in fact, I hardly 

 remember a year when they have been as numerous. Lorikeets 

 — Musk, Little, and Purple-crowned {Glossopsittacus concinnus, 

 G. pusillus,2in6. G. porpJiyrocephalus') — are here in abundance, and 

 their loud screams ring out in sharp contrast to the pleasant 

 liquid three-note call of the pretty Warty-faced Honey-eaters 

 {Meliphaga p/irygia), in convention assembled. All these 

 numerous Honey-eaters proper had not been in possession of 

 the blossoms long when I was somewhat surprised to note that 

 their numbers had been reinforced by the arrival of a goodly 

 number of Wood-Swallows. As stated in my last note, these 

 birds proved but the advance guard of what were to follow, for 

 in a few days' time the trees were swarming with Wood- 

 Swallows, until they bade fair to outrival the Lorikeets in 

 numbers. On the last occasion I noted members of the Artamus 

 family eating honey it was the Masked and White-browed 

 species {A.personatus d,r\d A.superciliosus) that were represented, 

 feeding on the honey of the silky oak blossom. This time the 



* This pine is shown in The Emu, viii., pi. xxvi., and is known to botanists as 

 A^athis robusta. The Queensland kauri is found mainly in the Cairns district. — 



