LARGE-BILLED ELYEATER. 
Adult female. Similar to the adult male. 
Immature. Practically the same as adult. 
Nest. Placed in a patch of dense mangrove, about seven feet from the ground. It is nine 
inches long by three and one half wide. The hooded entrance is five inches from 
the top. The materials used are fine bark, woven together with wool and spiders’ 
webs, and lined with feathers. 
Eggs. Clutch, two, white, heavily marked on the larger end with reddish-brown, 15 mm. 
by 10. November (Melville Island). 
Breeding-season. November. 
Of G. magnirostris, Gould, who described it, stated : “ Of this species I regret 
to say but little information has as yet been received, the two examples in 
my collection are all that have come under my notice ; and these were shot 
by Gilbert on Greenhill Island near Port Essington, while hovering over the 
blossoms of the mangroves and engaged in capturing the smaller kinds of 
insects, during which occupation they gave utterance to an extremely weak 
twittering song ; unfortunately he had no further opportunity of making 
himself acquainted with its habits and manners, but they doubtless resemble 
those of the other members of the genus.” 
Mr. J. P. Rogers observed : “ Nov. 12th, 1911. Cooper’s Camp, Melville 
Island, Northern Territory. A few are seen in the mangroves, but is not 
nearly so numerous as G. Icevigaster was at Derby, North-west Australia, 
with which species I at first confused it ; but on Dec. 5th, 1911, I secured an 
immature specimen which has no yellow on the under-surface, while the bones 
of the skull were quite soft. At Derby the young of Icevigaster has a yellowish 
under-surface, and this fact enabled me to note my error. They are always 
to be seen in the mangroves.” 
Pampbell gave a series of criticisms of specimens received from the King 
River, Northern Territory, which he called the “ Gouldian-Gilbert type 
locality, Northern Australia,” though it was eighty miles, as the crow flies, 
from Port Essington. Under the name Gerygone magnirostris Gould he 
recorded : “ Two 1 $. Gilbert shot his historic pair on Greenhill Island, 
near Port Essington. There is no difference in these type locality birds and 
Mathews’s cairnsensis of North Queensland. The latter are certainly not 
‘ much paler grey coloration above and paler below.’ ” 
It will be seen that after a thorough study I am separating the North 
Queensland forms as a distinct species : this is a curious commentary upon 
the view that “ there is no difference.” I would like to see a “ Gilbertian ” 
specimen. 
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