20 
some being very small; all have the same moth-like plumage and 
soft sailing flight. 
The Swifts and the Swallows have numerous representatives in 
Queensland. One species of swift is almost identical with the 
European species, but the other is a noble bird, the largest of the 
swifts of the world, and the grandest flyer on the face of the earth. 
It is the Spine-tailed Swift {chcetnra catidaaUa). A native of India, 
it nests in the Himalaya l^Iountains, and migrates for a summer 
holiday to Austmlia. Its powers of flight are most marvellous, 
indeed unequalled for mpidity and for ability to turn, and it is never 
known to rest from flight until the shades of night drop around, 
when it dives down and enters into the hollow spout of some old 
eucalypt of the primeval forest. 
There are seveml s|)ecies of swallows in the colony and they have, 
since the advent of civilized man, adopted the social habits of their 
congeners in the old world, and nest under the vei-andahs and eaves of 
the houses, both in the towms and the countiy. Previously to houses 
being built, they constructed their mud nests in hollow trees, and in 
caves and under piojectingrocks. One species, the Welcome Swallow 
{hirundo frontalis)y is very like the English swallow, and is voiy com¬ 
monly distributed. The Fairy Martin (lagenoplastes ariel) is another 
graceful swallow which crowds its long-necked, hemispherical, mud 
nests in scores under tlie verandahs. 
The Bee-Eater {merops omatxis) is very common in some parts of 
the colony, more particularly in sandy countiy. It is elegant in shape, 
graceful in flight, and beautiful in its green, blue, and oi-ange plumage. 
It nests in holes in the sand, the entrance to which is approached by a 
tunnel, often tw'o or tbi*ee feet in length. It is very destructive in the 
neighbourhood of an apiaiy. It arrives in Queen.sland in the SpHng 
time. Another bird which arnves about the same time as the Bee- 
Eater is the Dollar-bird, or Austnilian B^oWqv (eurystomus pacificus). 
It is sure to force itself upon the settler’s notice by reason of its green 
colour, its noisy chattering habit, and the peculiar white spot, about 
the size of a dollar, that ai)pear8 in each wing jis it flies. Hence its 
name. It nests in the holes of the gum-trees. It is useful by des¬ 
troying the larger beetles and moths, &c. 
The Kingfishers of this colony are individually very numerous, and 
there are sevei-al species of five or six distinct genem. The most 
noted of them is the “ Laughing Jackass” (dacelo gigas)^ a bird which 
is one of the oddities of the Austmlias, and is no^v world-rcnow'ned for 
its peculiarities, and absurdly comical, gurgling, laughing note or song. 
The bird is very common, and there is not a homestead in the country 
that it does not visit, for it shows little fear of man, indeed it is one 
of those birds wliicli takes kindly to the advent of civilized man, 
attending him while engaged in ploughing, or gardening, and always, 
on the lookout for any lizard, young snake, mouse, or other vermin 
that shows itself. Then this stolid, ungainly bird flies down from its 
observing place on some neighbouring tree, nips up its prey, flies back 
again to the brnueb, and, after beating the victim to death, swallows 
