^"iQio^ ] Macgillivray, The Region of the Barrier Range. 03 



acuminatwn), laden with ripe fruit, was admired, and some of its 

 fruit sampled. White-fronted Honey-eaters {Glycyphila albijrons) 

 were heard in a thicker clump of neelia and black oak on the creek, 

 and also the Red-throated Thickhead {Pachycephala gilberti). A 

 nest of G. albifrons was built in the top of a broken stump, 2 feet from 

 the ground, and contained one young bird, fully feathered. Many 

 other pairs were watched, but no more nests were found. Glycyphila 

 albifrons we expected to find in fair numbers this year, but were 

 disa])pointed. This species feeds on insects and honey — at this 

 time mainly the honey from the mistletoe. The nest, constructed 

 of wool and fibrous herbs, is usually placed in a fork of a low bush, 

 the turpentine-bush being most often favoured. We found nests, 

 however, in all manner of situations — at the tops of high or low 

 stumps, in the thick fork of a neelia, or in a bunch of mistletoe. 

 I have not known the species to lay more than two eggs at a sitting. 

 The ground colour varies as much as that of the Singing Honey- 

 eater — from dark salmon to an almost pure white. 



Circling out to the right and round towards the Woolshed, we 

 found very little of interest. On a long march to a box flat in 

 towards the shearing shed we disturbed a Whistling Eagle from 

 her nest, 20 feet up in a box tree. There were two eggs resting on 

 a bed of green leaves. We returned to camp round the other side 

 of the lake. 



On the following morning four of the party made out across the 

 sand-hill at the back, where they were interested for a time in the 

 tracks on its surface, and endeavoured to elucidate them. There 

 were tracks of mammals, from the fox to the smallest marsupials ; 

 of reptiles, from the " goanna " to small lizards and slow worms; 

 of scorpions, leading to the crescentic entrance of burrows, and of 

 beetles, caterpillars, and spiders ; and lastly, of the early morning 

 birds over them all. Out of the sand and through some country 

 clothed in stunted scrub. A number of "Budgerigars" were about 

 the box, prospecting for nesting sites. A few White-shouldered 

 Caterpillar-eaters were mating. In a hollow a nest of Climacteris 

 picumnus was noted. Entering the real mulga scrub we soon 

 came across Chestnut-rumped Tits and Black Honey-eaters 

 (M. nigra). The Tits are always busy in the branches of the 

 mulga, searching for scale and small insects, also in the dead scrub 

 lying on the ground, and on the ground itself. The Black Honey- 

 eaters (M. nigra) were either feeding on the mistletoe or occupied 

 with nesting cares. When a turpentine-bush dies, usually from 

 being ringbarked by rabbits in the drought, the dead branches 

 arch over till the tips touch the ground. It is here that the Black 

 Honey-eater usually places its little nest on the convexity of the 

 arch, where there is a sufiicient fork to fix it to. The nest is com- 

 posed of fine twigs, cobwebs, and cottony ])lants. It has an 

 external diameter of 3 inches and an internal of i| inches, with 

 an internal depth of i inch. Two eggs constitute the invariable 

 clutch. 



Having parted from the others, I strolled quietly through the 



