March, 1929 
The Queensland Naturalist 
II 
All the above are on the Islet proper, the other 
wooded portion, i mile distant, being mainly a belt of 
mangroves, principally composed of Rhizophora muchon- 
ata, with its arched roots forming an intricate network 
at some distance above the mud. 
In this mud swamp is a small area, more shingly in 
nature, where 3 or 4 other forms of beach bushes have 
collected, and on the exposed reef outside the coral ridge 
• is a considerable area of what appears to be the Ficoid 
Sesuvium portulacastrum, while the common dugong 
grass (Zostera) is to be found in places around the 
lagoon. 
Bird life, during the period in which I was on the 
island, May — September, was not very abundant, land 
birds being particularly limited in species. The Man- 
grove Kingfisher (Halcyon sordidus) was fairly common 
around the mangrove area, feeding on the flats at low 
tide, and doubtless breeding later in the hollow spouts 
of decaying mangrove branches. A single specimen of 
the Magpie Lark (Grallina), which was evidently 
marooned, was always about. 
The varied Honey Eater (Meliphaga versicolor) was 
the most abundant, and no- mean singer either. A listener 
awakening at the first streak of dawn, would hear a low 
croon coming from some nearby bushes, the voice gradu- 
ally growing in volume as the light increased, until by the 
time the sun should be making its appearance, the 
feathered songster would be fairly shouting aloud with 
joy and anticipation of another day, this being magnified 
many times according to the number of performers, pro- 
vided a concert worth listening to. Owing to the scarcity 
of blossom at the season, I noticed them busily engaged 
sucking the juices of the ripe Terminalias, and the menu 
might be eked out by various insects, spiders, etc. As, 
for instance, the same birds in Cairns were regularly to 
be seen, of a morning, eating the spiders under the bal- 
conies of the hotels. 
A few specimens of the white-bellied wood swallow 
occasionally visited us. 
The nutmeg pigeon (Myristicivora bicolor) is a mig- 
rant, arriving during September, and nesting in consider- 
able numbers amongst the mangroves. Unfortunately, 
though protected, these are still destroyed in great num- 
bers during this season. 
The white-bellied sea eagle was present, and also 
nested in the thickness of the mangroves. 
