240 Broadbent, Birds of Cardwell and Herbert River. [j^^ ^^" 



September, mountains, head of Gowrie's Creek, Hell's Gate Camp. 

 j<,ooo feet. I saw and heard the call of this bird in the great scrubby 

 mountains in the " boongarry " country. Around our camp this was 

 the last bird heard at night and first in the morning. Raining most 

 of the time. 



Chalcococcyx plagosus (Bronze-Cuckoo). — August, Herbert River. 



Chalcococcyx pcecilurus (russatus) (Rufous-throated Bronze- 

 Cuckoo). — November, Herbert River. This bird stays here all the 

 year. I have shot specimens at all times, but in the springtime it is 

 more common. It is a noisy bird in the breeding time, and is alwa3-s 

 about the edges of scrubs. I have seen this bird in scores at Cape York 

 in March. 



ScYTHROPS NOv^-HOLLANDi/E (Channclbill). — The Channelbill is 

 a migratory bird here in October. It is fondest of hill scrubs. In 

 the Gowrie Creek scrubs these birds lay in the nests of Strepera 

 graculina (Pied Crow-Shrike). At the head of the Murray River, 

 25 miles out of Cardwell, in January, in the scrub at the base of the 

 mountains, Channelbills were numerous. They appeared to be col- 

 lecting together for migration purposes. They are high fliers, and 

 keep in the highest trees in the forest and scrub, feeding on small 

 figs. The figs appear to be their favourite diet, but they eat insects, and 

 even meat (tame ones). In the breeding time these birds are flying 

 about and screeching all night — in fact, they appear to be more lively 

 in the night than in the daytime. I am fully convinced that they 

 feed their young all night, and the foster-parents all day. A 

 pair of these birds lived on Mount Graham, near where I was staying 

 at Mr. Richard Lee's, Gowrie Creek Gorge. In the daytime they 

 would not be heard, but after dark, until dawn, they were busy all 

 the time, flying from peak to peak up the mountain, and screeching 

 the whole time. In the daytime the Crow-Shrikes were at work, 

 and no Cuckoos were to be seen or heard. At Cape York I have seen 

 specimens of these birds in February. I shot four feeding in a fig- 

 tree — two adult and two young, the latter being as large as the old 

 ones. At Cape York in March all kinds of Cuckoos were quite 

 common. Their stay there was about a month, and then they all 

 disappeared except Chalcococcyx russatus and Cacomantis tymbonomus 

 (variolosus). They were nearly all young birds. 



EuDYNAMis CYANOCEPHALA (Koel). — November, Herbert River. 



Centropus phasianus (Coucal). — Murray River. On 17th January 

 I found a nest of this bird built on the ground in long grass. The 

 nest is about i foot in diameter by 1 1 inches high, composed of small 

 branches of bloodwood (Eucalyptus) twisted together and lined with 

 grass, with entrance on top. The nest contained three young, covered 

 with long down, and one egg, white in colour. Common on all the 

 east coast of Queensland on grassy flats. At Cardwell common at all 

 times. 



Cacatua galerita (White Cockatoo). — August. The specimens 

 of this bird are smaller here than in the south. Common in all the 

 Cardwell district. 



Calyptorhynchus banksi (Banksian Cockatoo). — August, Card- 

 well. These red-tailed black Cockatoos assemble in large flocks this 

 month ; have seen 60 in one flock.- 



Aprosmictus cyanopvgius (King Lorj-). — August, Cardwell. 



