THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST 111 
Kingfishers, Dacelo Leachit, or as they are commonly called Queens- 
land Jackasses. They are very fine birds and have a most peculiar 
laugh, not at all like the one we hear around Melbourne. I have 
stood under a tree and watched them frequently. One will sit 
almost erect on the branch, with its bill pointing straight upwards, 
and its tail thrown over its back, and while in that position will 
make a noise something like the short, sharp bark of a dog: mean- 
while its mate will sit on a bough opposite, and leaning forward 
towards the other, will make a peculiar cackling noise. Phe best 
time to hear this laugh, if laugh it is, 1s just before dark. When 
the twilight has given ‘place to dusk, and the light foliage of the 
trees looks dark al gloomy, then suddenly you will be startled by 
this almost unearthly music, coming from you know not where, and 
ceasing as suddenly as it began, only to commence again in some 
other unexpected quarter, till one who was ignorant of its origin 
would almost think he was encompassed by a legion of eyil s pirits, 
During the early part of the following week, we had more rain, 
but nevertheless managed to get some very good specimens, 
including three Sanguineous Honey- eaters, Myzomela sanguinolenta, 
two Red-backed Wrens, Malurus melanocephalus, a Western Brown 
Hawk, Jeracidea occidentalis, and a pair of Coucals or Swamp 
Pheasants, Centropus pies? em. This bird is, I. believe, a species 
of Cuckoo: it is generally found in the grass, and w hen disturbed 
will fly into the lower branches of the nearest tree, from which it 
will hop up and up, until it reaches the dense foliage at the top, 
where it will endeavour to hide until the danger has passed, when 
it will return to the grass as before. I have several times lost this 
bird by taking my eyes from it for an instant: as sure as vou look 
away, it will slide from the tree without making the slightest rustle, 
and as it takes care to keep the tree between, you will rar ely see it 
execute this manoeuvre. It has rather a harsh note, but when 
mellowed by distance, it may easily be mistaken for the coo of a 
pigeon, only it is of much longer duration. The flesh is very good 
eating, so they were very acceptable to us. 
After staying at Stewart’s Creek about a week, we packed our 
horse, which, by the way, was rather giyen to straying, and gaye us 
no little trouble on that account, and Started for the Alligator Creek, 
which we reached after a walk of four hours. We camped there 
on the ground of Mr. Gilbert, the proprietor of the Alligator Creek 
Boiling Down Works, who, I may say, was very kind to us, and 
gave us all the assistance in his power. 
The site we chose for our tent was very pretty; it was the top of 
a long sand ridge, about two miles in length, covered with tropical 
trees and shrubs of all descriptions, There were the Pandanus or 
Bread Fruit Trees, Wild Plums, a variety of the Acacia, and 
towering above all others, the magnificent Ti-Tree, not at all like 
