Vol VIII. 



1909 



] Jackson, In the Barron River Valley, N.Q. 261 



dwellers ; but there was no mistaking their description, both of 

 the bird and the huge play-grounds of sticks of this species, the 

 stack of sticks of which is sometimes equal to over the height of 

 a man ; moreover, their information was borne out by that of 

 two other aborigines who had come from the higher country. 

 I also ascertained that these birds were plentiful in elevated 

 scrubs at Evelyn, on the Herberton Range, about 40 miles from 

 my Tinaroo headquarters. However, it is the Tooth-billed 

 Bower-Birds right at my camp that will engross my att-ention 

 till I find out all about them, their nests and eggs. We found 

 the nest and eggs (new to science) of the Scaly-breasted Tit 

 i^AcantJiiza squamata), which are described on p. 284. 



To-day (12th November) yet another disappointment ! I had 

 found a high-placed nest in a mass of vines right over a Tooth- 

 bill's play-ground. Surely, I thought, this at last must be the 

 long-looked-for solution of the puzzle. The bird left the play- 

 ground on my approach, and hopped up towards the nest. Not 

 a bit of it ! We went to the trouble of rigging up a cross-stayed 

 sapling, so that we could climb to examine the nest, otherwise 

 inaccessible. After all our elaborate preparations it turned out 

 to be the nest of the black scrub-squirrel, known by the local 

 blackfellows' name of " Chal-goey." Scrub-itch terrible again 

 to-day. Saw more large kauri pines with colonies of the Shining 

 Calornis nesting in the inaccessible tips of their branches. The 

 birds are a noisy crowd, and easily scared to swift and gregarious 

 flight. The ground beneath the nests was literally covered with 

 the shells of their eggs. I followed up a splendid specimen of 

 the Pied Flycatcher for quite a long distance, but failed to 

 locate the rare nest. I, however, got my reward in an unex- 

 pected find of the rare White-faced Robin {Paxilodryas albifacics). 

 I had to watch the bird for a long time through my glasses, but 

 at last found the nest, in process of building; it was about 15 

 feet from the ground, attached to a lawyer vine, and I may 

 mention that later on I got two highly prized eggs from it. 

 {Vide illustration.) 



I heard many of the Lesser Pittas, and still more of the 

 Tooth-bills. The latter do not appear to originate much, 

 their mimicry being necessarily limited to the sounds generally 

 incident to their own locality. I made up my mind to shoot 

 one or two well away from the camp, and dissect the first female 

 secured, so as to arrive at their condition regarding the breeding 

 season. My record of discovered play-grounds now reached 

 117. Where and when, I wondered, would my memoranda 

 include the long-looked-for " nursery "? Up to this point I had 

 patiently watched and located no less than eight distinct pairs, 

 and, having got so far, felt that the finding of the nests should 

 follow at short date. Fever is worrying me just now, robbing 

 active research of much of its delight ; still the interest is strong 



