14 
The Queensland Naturalist Sept., 1936. 
gurgitate them, no doubt, as crows and many birds dis- 
gorge the indigestable parts of their food. 
These notes refer to country on the Thomson, 140 
miles below Longreach. 
ROSE ROBIN. 
By N. Jack. 
Most naturalists would be familiar with that type of 
country vaguely known as “Scrub,” the “Rain Forest” 
of the Botanist. Should the traveller in these places stand 
and listen awhile he will hear many strange voices, the 
agonising wail of the Cat Bird, the “whirr” of the Satin 
Bird, the crack of the Whip Bird, the dialogue of the 
Noisy Pittas (“Want to work! Want to work!” they seem 
to sav), are among a few of the noisiest, and a host of 
others not so fortunate provide their own particular ac- 
companiment to the general ensemble, while his Majesty 
King Menura challenges them all. 
So when, admist all this clamour a certain elusive 
note fell upon the writer's ears, he had some difficulty in 
recognising it. It seemed that he had heard that same 
note many times before, though in quite a different set- 
ting, so he imitated it to the best of his ability, and pre- 
sently, with a flurry of wings, and a flash of a rosey breast, 
the owner appeared for long enough to convince the ob- 
server that he had met the Rose Robin in his summer re- 
treat. Hidden away among those forest giants he had 
built his lichen covered nest, a masterpiece of bird archi- 
tecture. I had no wish to disturb his mate in her domestic 
duties, much less poke my fingers into her nursery, so I 
pursued the matter no further. 
Now, the writer does not present this as an original 
discovery, because any one can pick up a Bird Book, and 
satisfy himself with the bald statement that the Rose 
Robin ( Petroica Rosea) frequents the open in winter, and 
retires to the mountains to breed in the summer, but I 
have often thought that it would be a good thing for all 
concerned, if some of our budding Ornithologists had their 
Bird Books confiscated, and were made to find out a few 
tilings for themselves. 
Rosie is a fascinating creature once you get to 
know him. To meet him in the tangle of a Queensland 
jungle is one way of making his acquaintance, but I first 
had the pleasure of meeting him in the Mt. Cootha dis- 
trict, and gradually pursued his range over a large area 
