66 
The Queensland Naturalist 
November, 1943 
come in troops, and chase each other among the bushes 
along the edge, and in and out of the creex, unti' you'd 
think they'd be well-nigh exhausted. Then there are 
great preenings of ruffled feathers until, the morning 
bath being over, they fly off with squeaks of joy for 
some fresh game among the ironbarks. The white- 
naped and brown honeyeaters are with us all the year. 
When the first nip of winter is in the air, and the 
westerly strews clouds careless-like across the sky, you'll 
hear your first blood-bird, and with him, or a little later, 
the yellow-faced honeyeater or chick-up. An occasional 
blood-bird stays the summer out but few remain after 
October. 
Another charming winter bird is the mistletoe- 
bird which has a single note absolutely identical with 
one of this "careless cardinal's" notes. Both keep high 
among the leaves and, as a flash of scarlet is the only 
indication of their presence, mistakes are easily made. 
Our winter birds have a more exciting time on the 
whole. When a good stiff westerly is blowing it is 
exhilarating to watch the lapwings swooping and turn- 
ing in the wind, or the fig-birds with the wind behind 
them literally accelerating through the air. They keep 
up such a chatter, too, that the winter would not be 
the same without them. The lapwing, incidentally, is 
the black-faced cuckoo-shrike — blue-jay to some — and 
nicknamed lapwing because when he alights on a branch 
before settling down, he will flap his wings — not with 
any haste or confusion, but quietly, as if he would feel 
more comfortable after having so flapped. 
Always, of course, mixed up in everything is 
"Cranky Fan" or the Grey Fantail — she has earned my 
heartiest approval by not being afraid of me. In April we 
first hear her squeaky, cheeky song and, friendly and in- 
quisitive, she stays all through winter. How wise of her 
not to outstay her welcome — she must know how extra 
glad we will be to see her next April ! But then she 
misses our spring — and spring in my domain is very 
lovely — soft billowing clouds, and leaves that blow ever 
so softly, vivid greens, dark greens and greys. To 
cuote the "Sentimental Bloke": "The bonzer smell of 
flowers is on the breeze," and, well, spring does some- 
thing to the birds, too. To begin with, the Pallid 
Cuckoo arrives. Of course, the crazy thing arrived a 
