^°i9^2"'] Jackson, Haunts of the Spotted Bower-Bird. y(\ 



With the glasses I observed a flock of seven Native Companions 

 {Antigone australasiana) flying and circling at a very great height. 

 They appeared like specks, yet their notes were audible, and I heard 

 them calling long before I could see them. Ultimately, the birds 

 stopped circling, and flew due south. 



nth October. — Four Emus came up close to the camp this morning. 

 Bower-Birds also came to visit me Walked south-west, but nothing 

 special noted. Decorations in No. i bower have again been re- 

 arranged by the birds, and many of the objects at the northern end 

 of the play-ground have been transferred to the southern end, and 

 vice versa. Birds playing in it to-day again, and displaying their 

 Hlac nape-frills. Found new nest of Crested Bell-Bird (Oreoica 

 cristata) built in a wilga where fresh branches had grown from an old 

 cut in the tree. Nest rather like that of Harmonious Thrush {Collyrio- 

 cincla harmonica). The latter bird is very rare here. Saw huge mud 

 nest of Chough (Corcorax melanorhamphus) built on a horizontal limb 

 of bibble box {Eucalyptus populifolius, Hook.), and placed up about 

 35 feet. This is the largest nest of its kind that I have ever seen. 

 Saw numbers of Brown Tree-creepers (Climacteris picumna) about in 

 the belts of dead belah timber, and out on a plain south-west from 

 camp came across an Emu's egg, whole, but bleached pure white all 

 over. Found nest of Soldier-Bird or Noisy ISlinGr {My zantha garrula) 

 in green belah, containing two eggs, also saw flock of Straw-necked 

 Ibis (Carphibis spinicollis) flying overhead. Worked round eastwards 

 and visited No. 3 bower, at which were found two birds playin"-. 

 To date I had not noticed more than three birds playing at and 

 frequenting the one bower at the one time. 



i2th October. — Wind from the west. Found new nest of Crested 

 Bell-Bird, placed in a dense and flowering mass of nypang vines 

 {Capparis lasiantha, R. Br.) creeping over a green budda tree. Nest 

 well hidden, and placed some 7 feet up. Found another old nest of 

 Spotted Bower-Bird west of camp, and placed 20 feet from "-round 

 in the top of a dead and ring-barked budda tree. To-day I found 

 the nest of a Whistling Eagle (Haliastur sphenurus), flushing the bird 

 from it, but after a good climb of fully 70 feet up a dead belah tree 

 {Casuarina lepidophloia, F. v. M.), the nest was found to contain 

 only a few old bones. In a belt of dead and ring-barked belahs 

 13 nests of the Grey Stiaithidea (Struthidea cinerea) were examined 

 but all proved to be old or empty, notwithstanding the fact that the 

 birds were near. Later my climbing was rewarded by findin"- one 

 nest containing four eggs, placed only 8 inches from an old and rather 

 flattened one. The nests are lined inside with dry grass-stems 

 The Crimson-bellied Parrakeets (Psephotus hcsmaforrhous) have a verv 

 peculiar and uncommon call ; I came across the birds frequentlv 

 Disturbed about a dozen kangaroos and four Emus. Flushed an 

 Owlet Nightjar {JEgotheles novcs-hoUandicB) from hollow limb of dead 

 coolibah. Passed some handsome gruie or Emu-apple trees on the 

 plains ; they are usually nicely shaped and give great shade. The 

 fruit, when ripe, turns red, and contains a large, round, and hard 

 woody seed, which constitutes the bulk of the fruit. Heard several 

 Bush-Curlews (Burhinus grallarius) about to-night. 



i^th October. — Five Bower-Birds, which were quite tame were 

 feeding about at camp this morning. Walked northwards to-dav- 

 Found nest and two eggs of Barred-shouldered Dove (Geopelia 



