7 [Vol. xxix. 



skimming about. All along the banks many birds were 

 preying upon them — Merops, Eurystomus, Rhipidura, and 

 M. robertsoni in flocks. Strange to say, there was also a 

 small Kingfisher, Ceyoc solitaria, representing a genus which 

 I had hitherto thought to be exclusively a fish-eater. After 

 our base-camp had been established for some time, it was 

 visited every evening by a number of Nightjars {Caprimulgus 

 macrurus), which no doubt found such a large open space an 

 admirable hunting-ground, and their graceful evolutions gave 

 us much pleasure to observe. When long grass had sprung up 

 in the clearing outside the stockade, a small Finch {Munia 

 tristissima) put in an appearance. Behind the village at the 

 back of the camp lay a swamp which every night was the 

 roosting-place of thousands of Lories, chiefly Eos fuscata, 

 and there were also smaller flocks of Trichoglossus cyano- 

 grammus. Long before sunset and until it was quite dusk 

 flocks of many hundreds coming from all directions flew 

 over with a deafening noise. Often some weak branch 

 would give way under their weight and cause a panic just 

 as the noise was beginning to subside ; clouds of them 

 would again circle around seeking a fresh roostiug-place 

 and keeping up a continual din. Although Lorius ergthro- 

 thorax and Chalcopsittacus scintillatus were also common 

 (especially the latter species) in the same neighbourhood, 

 I never observed them roosting with the other Lories. 



" On those tedious journeys between the base-camp and 

 Parimau the gloomy banks were occasionally enlivened 

 by a momentary flash of bright colour from some such 

 species as Todopsis bonapartei and the little Kingfisher 

 Ceyx solitaria, previously mentioned. Merops ornatus also 

 swarmed in some places after the month of April ; previous 

 to that we had not seen any. Small flocks of the pale- 

 coloured Crow Gymnocorax senex were frequently to be 

 seen, their shrill but weak call always striking one as quite 

 uncrow-like. At some of the stopping-places on the river 

 night was made hideous by the mournful call of the Frog- 

 mouth (^Podargus papuensis), repeated to distraction on every 

 side, and finishing up with a peculiar sharp snap. 



