May, 1938 The Queensland Naturalist 
97 
BIRD NOTES FROM BINNA BURRA, 
LAMINGTON NATIONAL PARK 
(By MRS. COMRIE-SMITH.) 
In October, 1937, several Queensland and Victorian 
members of the R.A.O.U. held a camp-out in the Laming- 
ton National Park, and the following notes are taken from 
my field notebook of that time. 
Near the main track, through the scrub or rain forest, 
1 found a nest of Gerygone richmondi hanging from a 
lawyer vine. It was being built and was very long and 
narrow, with a long tail, and the birds were carrying tiny 
scraps of lichen and sticking them on. A week later the 
nest was much bulkier. They appear to build the whole 
length of the back first, including the tail; they then add 
the actual hollow part of the nest, finishing off with the 
hood and the lining, which takes a considerable time to 
complete to their satisfaction. 
I watched one of them going into the nearly completed 
nest several times and while she was busy inside the whole 
nest shook and trembled violently with her exertions. 
The nest of the yellow throated scrub-wren (Seri- 
cornis lathami) situated near but just below the other is 
the greatest contrast, very bulky and untidy and built of 
dark materials such as fibrous roots, so that it looks in the 
shadow, almost black. This bird also seemed to be finish- 
ing the lining of her nest ; she went in three times in as 
many minutes and each time she said “tchut.” 
Further along the track I watched a pair of yellow 
robins ( Eopsaltria chrysorrhoa) flying back and forth 
across the path at a rather open sunny spot. One alighted 
on a big log in the sun and called gently, and shivered her 
wings, and her mate came and fed her. I thought there 
must be a nest near, though it seemed hopeless to look for 
it in that thick scrub. However, I noticed that the birds 
crossed the tracks nearly always at the same spot, so I 
crept nearer and watched carefully, and all at once saw 
one of them fly on to a nest and feed young ones. The nest 
was on top of a leaf of lawyer vine about five feet up and 
on the next leaf below was the remnant of an old nest. 
The nest was a beautiful one decorated with bits of white 
lichen, and in it were three half -fledged young ones. 
While watching this, I heard some lewin honeyeaters 
( MeUphaga lewini) scolding excitedly, and suddenly, with 
a great swish and rush, a large goanna (Varanus varius) 
went up a small tree like a steam engine ! He went up the 
