26o Jackson, In the Barron River Valley, N.Q. [isf j 



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I could hear their call, which resembles their native name 

 (" Chura-qua"), sounding all through the scrub. 



lOth November. — I took a four-hour watch on a Tooth-bill's 

 play-ground, but without any further results. The whole scrub 

 was alive with bird-life, the Channelbills being particularly 

 noisy ; the smaller Cuckoos, with the exception of the Fan- 

 tailed species {Cacomantis flabelliformis), I did not find in these 

 scrubs. More Spotted Cat-Birds' and Black-headed Log- 

 runners' nests found to-day. Bee-eaters {Merops ornatus) were 

 plentiful along the banks of the Barron, and were busy digging 

 out their tunnel-nests. For the first time in these parts I saw a 

 Crow {Corvus coronoides) — quite a return of an old acquaintance ! 

 I noticed this day that the Tooth-billed Bower-Birds behind the 

 camp were imitating the Dollar-Bird {Eurystovuis aiistralis), or, 

 as it is known by the blacks, the " Tar-garra." The mimicry 

 was absolute perfection. The small excitements of the day — 

 while hunting for the nest and eggs of the Tooth-bill — included 

 an encounter with a large black snake {Pseudec/ns porphyriacus), 

 or, as the blacks here call it, " Cun-doi," and a startle by my 

 coming plump upon a dingo, which slunk away into the depths 

 of the scrub. Barred Cuckoo-Shrikes were plentiful. 



nth November. — The small tragedies and battles of the 

 scrubs are interesting to watch. During my morning ramble I 

 saw a Channelbill in full flight from Ziginbine Pocket, with a 

 Magpie {Gymnorhina tibicen) in hot pursuit ; the latter was 

 evidently hotly resenting an attempt to foist a strange &^^ upon 

 his sitting mate. More Tooth-bill play-grounds found, but, 

 alas 1 no more information. Our best black was climbing 

 nearly all day near the play-grounds to see if he could locate a 

 Tooth-bill's nest, but without avail ; it seems to me that the only 

 hope I shall have of final success will be to mark out a belt of 

 scrub frequented by the birds, subdivide it into strips by mark- 

 ing the trees, and set my staff of three " darkies" to climb every 

 tree in the selected area. There appears to be no other method, 

 the foliage is so dense and high. When I was on the track to 

 the foot-hills to-day I came across several Tooth-bills' play- 

 grounds; one of them had thirty odd leaves in it, nearly all in 

 the reverse position. The ribs of these leaves are very strong ; 

 it is possible that the birds choose these with a view to pre- 

 vent them curling from the heat, for the ribs are so thick and so 

 placed that they brace the whole leaf naturally and effectively. 

 I managed to get a little useful information from our aboriginal 

 followers as to the whereabouts of the Golden Bower-Bird 

 {Prionodura nezvtoniand), known to them as " Wargan-dilla." 

 They made me understand that they are found high up on the 

 Tinaroo Mountains, about 8 miles from our camp; it is difficult — 

 and to the onlooker amusing — to conduct a conversation by 

 signs eked out by " pidgin " English with these dusky scrub- 



