October, 1931. 
The Queensland Naturalist 
13 
double wheeze for the first day, after which the note is 
only given once, repeatedly and loud. 
The Dollar Birds ( Eury stomas orient alis) came on 
October 3rd (last year on October 2nd, and in 1929 on 
September ^29th) . I notice that they are very regular in 
their coming, while other birds this year seem to be later 
and especially to be nesting later. 
The Pallid Cuckoo ( Cuculus pallidns) I did not hear 
until September 21st. 
The Little Friar Bird ( Philemon citreogularis) . — A 
pair always nests with us, but 1 have not seen or heard 
them this year. 
The Rainbow Birds (Merops ornatus) have been with 
us off and on all winter, and on 23rd September, two pairs 
started their nesting tunnels in our grass paddock, one in 
the side of a distinct bank, blit the other on the level ground 
only the opening being in a hump of grass a few inches 
above the general level. This tunnel is 42 inches long. 
White-headed Sitella ( Neositta leucocephala ) . — I 
found the most inconspicuous nest of this tiny pair plas- 
tered in an upright fork of a dead branch high up in a 
stringy -bark. It is neatly fitted into the narrow fork, the 
bottom of it smoothed on to the bark and it is so exactly 
the same dull greyish colour that one could never find it 
except by seeing the birds going to it. They are apt to 
desert the nest if watched while building. 
Jacky Winter ( Microeca fascinans) . — This tiny nest 
is very hard to find unless one sees the birds going to it — 
a small shallow saucer in the horizontal fork of a bare or 
dead branch, high up. The nest was just being finished 
when I found it on August 29th, and the single young 
bird left the nest on October 6th. 
Tawny Frogmouth (Bodargus strigoides). — I thought 
I had found a Butcher Bird's nest, but an old one. as there 
was a thick dead branch lying right across it. On closer 
examination with my glasses, I saw that the seeming dead 
branch was a Frogmouth sitting on its nest. It was a 
wonderful example of protective colouring and shape. 
DROUGHT-RESISTANT PROPERTIES OF EUCALYP- 
TUS PAPTTANA (F.r. MTJELL). 
(Extracts of letters from Mr. F. L. Berney.) 
Writing to the Government Botanist (Mr. C. T. 
White), under date of 27/2/29, during one of the worst 
droughts in Western Queensland. Mr. F. L. Berney, Jun- 
oah, stated • — 
"I have had nothing to trouble you about lately, 
everything botanical, owing to the shocking drought this 
