THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
side with a dense coat of thistles and weeds, which appear to attract the 
Cockatoos. During several mornings lately the pointed top of the hill has 
been covered by thousands of Cockatoos, crowded so closely together that 
from a distance the mass presents the exact appearance of snow; in fact, 
several people who witnessed the sight for the first time declared that the 
hill was capped by snow.” 
Dr. W. Macgillivray in the Emu , Vol. XIII., p. 156, 1914, under the 
name Gacatua queenslandica, wrote : “ This bird was also fairly common on 
the Gulf rivers. One nest was examined on the Leichhardt River on 18th 
June, 1910, and found to contain two newly hatched young. At Cape York 
this species is also common, nesting in the early spring months in trees growing 
in the open pockets. The earliest record of a nest containing eggs was on the 
9th August, 1911. This nest was in a hollow in a Moreton Bay ash in which 
a pair of Owls ( N . peninsularis) had reared a brood in the previous season. In 
all about thirty nests were noted in August and the early part of September. 
One note, made on the 7th September, 1911, gives an idea of the 
difficulties the birds have to contend with in rearing their young : — “ Had a 
look at nest of White Cockatoo that contained one egg on 27th August. The 
egg was still there, so also was an 8-foot carpet snake. The Cockatoo was 
inside the snake. The tree, a Moreton Bay ash, was 2 ft. 6 inches in diameter, 
and the hollow about 30 feet from the ground.” This bird, unlike its southern 
variation, does not feed on the ground, and is never seen in flocks. 
Barnard notes : “ Very common all along the river (M’ Arthur, Northern 
Territory). They bred freely during September in the hollow spouts of the 
gum and melalenca trees growing along the river flats ” ( Emu , Vol. XIV., 
p. 46, 1914). 
Reporting upon Heartland’s collection in the Trams . Roy. Soc., South 
Australia, Vol. XXII., Dec., 1898, North wrote (p. 129) : “ Gacatua galerita. 
One freshly-moulted adult female, some of the quills and tail feathers being 
not full grown. This specimen is smaller than examples from other parts of 
Australia. Total length 17 inches; wing 11-8; tail 7. Camp about five 
miles from the junction of the Fitzroy and Margaret Rivers.” Heartland’s 
own note quoted is : “ During February a few of these birds visited the Fitzroy 
River, but they are regarded as rare in that locality. I shot one, which proved 
to be a female, evidently on the look out for a nest, as the ovaries were well 
developed. This bird was much smaller in size than any of the species I have 
seen.” 
When Broadbent’s notes on the Birds of Cardwell were published ( Emu , 
Vol. X., 1910, p. 240) it was recorded : “ The specimens of this bird are 
smaller here than in the south. Common in all the Cardwell district.” 
178 
