Vol 



j'gjo^'] Mellor, Birds of the Blackalls. 20Q 



The latter, with its black velvety coat relieved with a bright 

 orange mantle on the back, looked like a miniature artilleryman 

 as it strutted on the fern leaves in company with its little brown 

 mate. The Grass- Warbler {Cisticola exilis) was seen in the "'bladsy" 

 grass at " Levenholme," in which it no doubt builds its tiny 

 covered nest and lays its small greenish-blue eggs speckled with 

 brown spots. The cumbersome nests of the Yellow-throated 

 Scrub- Wren {Sericornis citreogularis) were observed in various 

 situations, but the inevitable lawyer cane seemed to be the favourite 

 spot, and from the vines of these thickly-barbed plants the domed 

 nests were suspended, and looked like large bunches of dark 

 fibre, such as would be lodged in the trees by high floods. The 

 birds w^ere breeding, as eggs were found in several of these safely- 

 guarded homes. The Large-billed Scrub-Wren {Sericornis niagni- 

 rostris) was also seen in a number of situations in the scrub. 



Several species of Fantails were conspicuous on account of their 

 animated habits, notably the White-shafted {Rhipidiira alhiscapa). 

 The Rufous-fronted Fantail {Rhipidura riififrons) was also common 

 — a sprightly creature, ever on the move to catch the small gnats 

 and other flying insects that abound near the streams. The 

 widely-dispersed Black-and-White Fantail {Rhipidura tricolor) 

 was present in more open situations, especiaUy about the home- 

 stead clearings, where it was carrying on its usual useful avocation 

 of catching flies and other insect pests. Two other Flycatchers — 

 the Black-faced {Monarcha melanops) and the Spectacled {Piezo- 

 yhynchiis goiildi) — were both fairly abundant in the scrub, as was 

 the Brown Fly-eater {Pseiidogerygone fiisca), this sprightly little 

 creature being often met with on the edge of the clearings in small 

 companies of three or four. As we wended our way through the 

 more open glades o'erspread with stately palms, or threaded a 

 path along some " snigging " track, cut for the purpose of timber 

 hauling, we ever and anon heard the peculiar whip-like crack of 

 the Coachwhip-Bird {Psophodes crepitans), which resounded 

 through the trees, answered quickly by the short note of the 

 female, sounding like an echo of the swishing note. The Grey 

 Shrike-Thrush {Collyriocincla harmonica) was breeding, a nest being 

 seen far up in a paper-bark {Melaleuca) tree. The liquid notes 

 of the birds were often heard in the dense forest, like the ripple 

 of a silvery stream as it flows over a pebbly bed in these sylvan 

 glades. The Rufous-breasted Shrike-Thrush {Pinarolestes riifi- 

 gaster) was on one occasion seen and identified. At night, in a 

 "dead tree" clearing, the mournful notes of the Boobook Owl 

 (Ninox boobook) were heard, and the bird seen as it flew 

 noiselessly past us in the gloaming. A bird noted twice was 

 the Pied Caterpillar-eater {Lalage lencomelcBna). The Dollar-Bird, 

 or Roller {Eurystomus aiistralis), kept in the open country, where 

 the dead giants left in the forest clearings }irovided good 

 breeding-holes. 



Birds of prey were present in the Wedge-tailed Eagle {Uroactus 

 audax), seen soaring aloft on its great wings, while in the scrub 



