Vol. X. 

 igio 



] Mellor, Birds of the Blackalls; 20y 



and the whirring noise of a strong clock spring suddenly 

 unwinding, the note being extremely difficult to imitate, and 

 generally made in the thick scrub. At times the mature males, 

 in all their glory of velvety-black and burnished steel-blue, will 

 come out on some extremely high dead tree, and there " perform." 

 On one occasion I was entertained for over an hour in watching 

 the antics of a fine male bird in his endeavours to fascinate the 

 female. He would bow and scrape, proceeding and receding at 

 times with his wings thrown right up over his head until the tips 

 met, and with the bright morning sun shining on his burnished 

 breast-plate and helmet. At one time a fine male Regent-Bird 

 came within his reach, and the Rifle-Bird also "performed" to 

 it, the pair making a picture that will long remain in my memory. 

 I left the birds unmolested. The Regent-Bird {Sericulus 

 meliniis) was fairly plentiful, but the well-plumaged males were 

 very shy and wary, and it was only with difficulty that I got a 

 couple of specimens for museum purposes by " planting " near 

 a feeding-tree and waiting until the birds arrived. I saw several 

 females carrying sticks for nesting, but did not succeed in finding 

 a nest, as the scrub is extensive and dense. Wishing to secure 

 a pair of the Purple-breasted Fruit-Pigeons (M egaloprepia mag- 

 iiifica), commonly known as the " Whampoo," on account of their 

 deep note, we set out one morning for a thick patch of scrub about 

 3 miles from Cooroy, and it was not long before we came upon 

 these splendid Pigeons, with their bright green backs, with royal 

 purple and rith yellow beneath, their presence being made known 

 by the " whampoo " note uttered at long intervals ; and but for 

 this the birds would go almost unseen, on account of their keeping 

 to the topmost branches of the highest forest trees, about 200 feet 

 up, and their colour harmonizing so well with the green of the 

 foliage. They feed on the fruit of the gigantic parasitic fig-tree, 

 which they swallow whole. In this locality the large Topknot- 

 Pigeon [LopholcBmus antarcHcus) was noted flying high in little 

 flocks of about half a dozen. These birds do not lay here, but 

 go further north when the breeding season arrives. 



The most plentiful Pigeon in the jungle was the beautifully 

 coloured Pink-crowned Fruit-Pigeon (Ptilinopus swainsoni). The 

 comparatively loud " cooing " note of this bird was heard on 

 every hand, but it was seldom seen, except when it flew from one 

 tree to another in search of food ; the beautiful shade of green 

 of its plumage acted as a perfect protective colouration in the 

 high trees which it inhabited. The Pheasant-tailed Pigeon {Macro- 

 pygia phasianella) was seen on more than one occasion, its note 

 being peculiar, and resembling the words " Too-hoot, too-hoot." 

 The Little Green-Pigeon {Chalcophaps chrysochlora) was more 

 ground-loving in its habits, often coming to the settlers' sheds to 

 get the wheat and maize that were scattered to feed the fowls. 

 This pretty Pigeon would often run along the track in front of 

 us, fly a few dozen yards ahead when we approached too 

 near, alight again, and repeat its little run along the road. 



