58 Jackson, Haunts of the Spotted Bower-Bird. [isf o"i. 



from the eyes of these birds. It is wonderful to note the way in which they 

 can swallow or gulp large pieces of hard, sun-dried damper crust — one would 

 think it enough to choke them. Empty jam-tins were at all times picked 

 clean, and little or nothing left for the myriads of pestering black ants 

 {Iridomynnex rufoniger). 



22nd September. — Sometimes during a whole day's tramp of many miles 

 through the bush and across the plains, not a single Bower-Bird would be 

 noticed ; this, of course, as I came to recognize later on, was due to the fact 

 that they were then not very abundant. Saw another new play-ground 

 to-day, which was placed under the shade of a boobialla tree {Myoporum 

 acuviitiatum^ R. Br.), nearly 3 miles northwards from camp ; only one 

 bird was noticed leaving it. This is bower No. 2. In construction it was 

 similar to that of No. i ; the walls of the passage being formed of long 

 dead stems of the local blue-grass {A/idropogoti sericeiis., R. Br.) The 

 decorations included the following articles : — Small bleached bones of 

 sheep and Emus, various native seeds and berries, glass, two glass stoppers 

 from sauce bottles, thin clippings of galvanized iron, stones, two brass 

 cartridge cases, few freshwater shells {P/iysn), one valve of a river mussel 

 shell {Unio a/igasi), pieces of tea lead, three large, green cigar-shaped pods 

 of the native silk-vine {Marsdenta Icichliardttatia, F. v. M.), &;c. The 

 bower was 18 inches long, the walls of which stood i foot high, and the 

 passage-way was 8 inches across inside. It pleased me to tind the birds 

 occupying their play-grounds, as it went to show that probably they had 

 some inclination to breed, notwithstanding the dry period then existing. 



NEW BIRD. 



A Fly-eater {Pseudogetygone), referred to later, was frequently heard 

 to-day. The bird puzzled me, and has since turned out to be a new species, 

 which has now been recorded as the Reddish-crowned Fly-eater {Psciido- 

 gerye^one jacksoni, Campbell) — vide Emu, vol. xi., p. 247. Altogether eight 

 of the birds were collected during the trip, also five nests and five sets of 

 the eggs {vide Emu, vol. xi., p. 249). 



To-day I again came across many Emus {Dromceus novce-kolianditc) 

 of starved appearance, and disturbed several Bush-Curlews {Bterhinus 

 grallaritis). Noticed old and new nests of two species of Babblers 

 {Pomatostomus temporalis and P. superciliosiis)., also birds. The latter 

 species is not noisy, and builds chiefly in the native lime trees {Atalaiitia 

 glauca, Hook.) on the plain to the east of my camp, some of these trees 

 being 16 to 20 feet high. Although P. superciliosiis is the smallest species 

 of the genus, they often construct immense nests. The Crested Oreoica 

 or Bell-Bird [preoica cristatd) greatly interested me ; it renders a peculiar 

 and uncommon note, which resembles somewhat — " Te — Te — T T T — 

 Te wock wock " ; the first two and the fifth note have a slight pause 

 after each, though these first six are rendered rapidly and are bell- 

 like, while the last two notes ("wock wock") are in a much lower 

 key, and not unlike some of those made by the Butcher-Bird (Cracticus 

 destructor). The beautiful Bicheno Finch {Stictoptcra bichenovii) was plenti- 

 ful, and found nesting freely, and one nest containing four eggs was built 

 in a broom tree {Apophyllum anoinnlum, F. v. M.) at a height of about 5 feet 

 from the ground. A handsome nest of the Striped Honey-eater {Pleeto- 

 rhamphus lanceolatus) was found just ready for eggs, and placed at the 

 extremity of a drooping branch of a green belah tree [Casuariiia lepido- 

 phloia, F. v. M.) which was about 16 feet from the ground. Orey Struthideas 

 {Struthidea cinerea) were plentiful and noisy, but Magpies {Gymiiorhi/ui 

 iibicen) scarce. Great numbers of trees are attacked by mistletoe and other 

 parasitic growths, of which there are a good number of species. The 

 leopard-wood {Flindcrsia maculosa., F. v. M.), which has a peculiarly spotted 

 bark, was in particular a host for the yellow-blossom mistletoe {Loranthus 

 (juandang.1 Lindl.), and it was in these large and dense growths that the 



