^°iVi^'"'J Jackson, Haunts of the Spotted Bower-Bird. 03 



of Harmonious Thrush. Visited nest of Ground Cuckoo-Shrike in 

 the cooUbah ; difficult chmb. It contained three handsome greenish 

 eggs. Took Umb and all. (Plate XIV.) Nest composed of small 

 pieces of dead plants and twigs and all matted together with cobwebs 

 and lined inside with rabbit-fur. Found nest of the Little Wood- 

 Swallow {Artamus minor), containing three young ones, in the dead 

 upright spout of a coolibah. There were a few small dead cooUbah 

 leaves laid on the bottom of the hollow which formed the nest The 

 birds flew close to my face as I climbed up. Nest 12 feet up. Visited 

 No. 4 bower, under the native red currant bush, and a bird flew up 

 from it into a dead coolibah. Found that many objects had been 

 added to decorations, including 11 seed-pods of the leopard- wood 

 and several more bleached bones from Emus' toes. Saw several more 

 Little Wood-Swallows busily engaged feeding young in hollow Umbs. 

 Noticed several domestic cats '^gone wild) about rabbit-burrows. 



yth December. — Found Bee-eaters {Merops ornatus) nesting on sandy 

 parts. Collected a billy-can full of native limes and crushed the 

 fruit and bottled the juice, with sugar, in pickle bottles. The ripe 

 fruit is about the size of a small nutmeg. Found another nest of 

 Little Wood-Swallows containing three young. These birds must 

 have started to lay here while I was in Sydnev. Found beautiful 

 nest of Orange-winged Tree-runner {Neositta chrysopiera) in a dead 

 coolibah, containing one young bird. Crested Bell-Birds calling 

 again in many places. Took clutch of two eggs of Lalage tricolor 



Sth December. — Fruit on nypang vines starting to ripen, and Bower- 

 Birds often feeding on it. Saw nest of Brown Flycatcher containing 

 two eggs Took nest and two eggs of Singing Honey-eater (Ptilotis 

 sonora^, from a broom (Apophyllum anomalitnt, F. v. M.) Saw more 

 Restless Flycatchers (Sisura inquiefa\ Green shoots in the grass 

 in some places since the recent showers. Crossed into Dumicndi 

 station, on the east side of Cambo Cambo Had a long and hot day's 

 tramp. 



gth December. — Visited the Bower-Bird's nest in the cypress pine 

 east of camp and near No. 3 bower, which contained an egg on the 

 5th inst. Greatly disappointed to find nest empty. At the foot of 

 the tree were goanna tracks on the bare, sandy ground. Visited 

 No. 5 bower, and found therein 14 beautiful and perfect heart-shaped 

 berries ; other articles, including two galvanized roofing screws, had 

 been added to the decorations, as well as a bleached claw of a fresh- 

 water crayfish and various seed-pods. Heat intense (116 in the shade 

 at 2 p.m.), and could not walk far without resting. Saw a nuinber 

 of the long, oval, cigar-shaped pods in No. i bower, collected from 

 vines {Marsdenia leichhardtiana, F. v. M.) ; many other objects had 

 been added to the decorations, including more very old glass stoppers. 



^oth December. — Five Bower-Birds in front of camp early, and 

 eating sun-dried pieces of damper. Being short of food, we cooked 

 some Crested Pigeons (Qcyphaps lophotes) to-dav, and found them 

 excellent eating. 



wth December. — Remained in camp to repair lai'ge camera and dark 

 slides 



\2th December. — Sand-ridge honeysuckle {Canthium oleifolvum, 

 Hook.^i in flower ; the sweet-smelling blossoms attract the Spiny- 

 cheeked Honey-eaters and others. Severe heat : hunted bats out of 

 a great many trees. Birds all silent. The temperature rose to 



