THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
of any other member of the great family of Psittacidce I have seen, and has 
frequently reminded me of the heavy flapping manner of the Pewit, except 
that the motion was even slower and more laboured. While on the wing, it 
frequently utters a loud screeching cry. Its food consists of berries, the fruit 
of a species of Loranthus and the pollen of flowers, to which is added a species 
of scaly bug-like insect, that infests the branches of its favourite trees ; and 
in all probability small caterpillars, for I have found them in the crops of 
several of the Platycerci . It breeds in the holes of the large Eucalypti growing 
on the banks of rivers ; the eggs, which are white, being four or five in number, 
about an inch and an eighth long by seven-eighths broad.” Little is known 
of the life history of this species, and I note that North, in the Austr. Mus. 
Spec. Cat., No. 1, Vol. III., only gives five items and these are almost entirely 
concerned with nesting habits. I extract the following : Dr. Macgillivray 
states at Cloncurry, N. Queensland. “ Ptistes erythropterus is always about. 
I have often noted it feeding upon the honey-laden flowers of the Bauhinia 
trees.” 
Mr. H. G. Barnard from Duaringa, Queensland, wrote : “ Ptistes erythrop- 
terus selects a large hollow tree to breed in, and frequently the eggs are deposited 
on the soft dirt thirty feet from the entrance. I have never found them 
nearer the entrance than ten feet : the male is away all day, returning about 
sundown ; he sits on a neighbouring tree and whistles till the female leaves 
the nest, when they fly some distance off to a tree, where the male feeds his 
mate. After the feeding is over the female returns to the nest, and the male 
flies away for the night.” Mr. Robert Grant adds : “ The Red- winged Lory 
( Ptistes erythropterus) was in former years not uncommon on the Macquarie 
River, at Narromine, New South Wales, where I found these beautiful birds 
breeding in holes in the dead branches of the large Eucalypti on the river 
banks. ... In New South Wales these birds are fairly distributed on the 
Macquarie, Bogan and Castlereagh Rivers, but they are never found far from 
water.” 
Mr. J. P. Rogers has given me the following item : “ At Marngle Creek 
this species was fairly numerous and very tame : many males in full plumage 
Were seen : these birds principally feed on native fruit and are rarely seen on 
the ground. At Mungi I saw none. On Jegurra Creek and the Fitzroy 
River they were very numerous. This is a common and widely spread species 
in West Kimberley and is usually found along creeks, rivers and watercourses.” 
From Melville Island he reported: “Nov. 6, 1911. Cooper’s Camp. These 
birds are very numerous here at times in flocks up to twenty individuals, but 
more often in small parties of up to half a dozen birds. In the large flocks 
there are usually several males in full plumage, but in the small lots generally 
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