Vol. VIII. 

 1901J 



1 Jackson, In the Barron River Valley, N.Q. 24Q 



trailing from the limbs of a small tree at a height of about 9 

 feet was a nest of most promising appearance. The question 

 was whether it would prove the Mecca of our hunt. Climbing 

 up an adjacent tree, I found on examination that it was new 

 and bore a certain amount of resemblance to that of the Spotted 

 Cat-Bird ; it was large, and framed on the outside with many 

 dead sticks, the inside being lined with large, brown dry leaves. 

 We were somewhat excited over the find, as the Tooth-bill had 

 vacated his play-ground with unusual and suspicious suddenness 

 at our approach, and what added to our hopes was the fact that 

 the nest faced the play-ground and was practically cut off by 

 the vines from access in any other direction ; moreover, from the 

 edge of the play-ground to the nest itself was in a direct line not 

 more than 12 feet. Surely we thought ourselves justified in a 

 flattering hope that we had really struck good fortune this time. 

 At any rate, to prove our anticipations as far as possible, we 

 stayed there listening patiently in case the call of the Spotted 

 Cat-Bird, or its arrival at the spot, would once more spell 

 disappointment for us. In patient silence we waited, enduring- 

 absolute torture from the bites of the red scrub animalculse 

 {Leptus, sp.), irritating parasites that can give points to all 

 ticks, sand-flies, and mosquitoes in the world. Finally we left 

 the spot for the present, enjoying the pleasant hope that our 

 find would prove to be the longed-for Tooth-bill's nest. To- 

 day we saw a beautiful specimen of the Manucode {Phonygama 

 gouldi) — like the Rifle-Bird, a Bird-of-Paradise. 



The next morning (ist November) at the first glimpse of day- 

 light we were up, my friend, Mr. Frizelle, working along the 

 Barron River with the commendable object of getting some 

 Ducks for the camp larder, whilst I made a bee-line for the nest 

 which had aroused so much hopeful expectation the day before. 

 Arriving at the spot, I could see the bird with serrated bill 

 hard at work rejecting his yesterday's carpet and replacing it 

 with fresh foliage. Through the field-glasses. I watched him at 

 his work, which he did very evenly, leaving i to 3 inches 

 between the leaves all over the cleared space (seldom letting 

 them overlap), which by later measurement proved to be 10 

 feet 9 inches long by 5 feet across at the widest part. I was 

 loth to disturb the bird, and so allowed him to entertain me with 

 his wonderful mimicry before startling him by emerging from 

 my hiding-place. One fact which I had recently come to notice 

 was that the power of imitation of the bird-notes and bush 

 sounds was daily increasing, and different from when I first 

 arrived in the district ; my theory is that such is the case as the 

 mating time draws closer, and that Nature thus provides the 

 bird with increased inclination and power in this respect so as 

 the better to win the attention of the female. The noisy, 

 alarmed buzz or pulsating rattle of a captured cicada was 



