9G Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant on the Birds collected 



cleared for the base-camj) at Wakatimi it was visited every 

 evening by a number of Nightjars, which no doubt found 

 such a large open space an admirable liunting-giound, and 

 the members of the Expedition derived great pleasure from 

 watching their graceful evolutions. Another very rare 

 Nightjar was Lyricoi'nis papuensis, not previously included 

 in the National Collection. Frog-mouths were represented 

 by the larger species, Podargus papuensis, and the smaller, 

 P. ocellatus. At some of the stopping-places on the river 

 night was made hideous by their mournful cries, repeated to 

 distraction on every side, and ending up with a sharp snap. 

 A single example of the rare Wallace's Owlet-Niglitjar 

 {^gotheles icallacei) was collected by Mr. G. C. Shortridge 

 on the Wataikwa River. It has a peculiar uniform blackish 

 upper plumage, without any trace of a distinct nuchal collar. 

 No doubt, like its Australian ally, it roosts in holes in trees 

 during the daytime and captures its prey on the wing at 

 night, like the true Nightjars, though the flight is said to 

 be less tortuous. 



Family Bucerotid/E — HoruhiUs, 



The only representative of the Bucerotidse is the Wreathed 

 Hornbill (Rhytidoceros plicnttis), a large bird with a casque 

 formed of overlapping plates on the base of the upper 

 mandible. The male is black with the head and neck 

 chestnut and the tail white, while the female differs in having 

 the head and neck black. It was plentiful everywhere, and 

 its flesh was reported to be good eating. It frequented the 

 fruit-bearing trees in company with various species ot 

 Pigeons, and Mr. Claude Grant on one or two occasions 

 observed pairs at what he took to be their nesting-holes 

 high up in the bai'e trunks of very tall trees. Their heavy 

 noisy flight and raucous call, continually repeated, render 

 these birds difficult to overlook. 



Family Meropid.e — Bee-eaters. 

 A species of Bee-eater, Merops ornata, was common about 

 the base-camp. It ranges to Australia, the Moluccas, and 



