BIRDS OF THE BRUSHES AND BIG SCRUBS I 9 
similar in habits to the Southern Fig-bird. Food: native fruits and 
berries. 
nest. A neatly made, saucer-shaped structure, without lining, com¬ 
posed of long pieces of vine-tendrils and a few twigs. Generally attached 
to the end of a drooping branch of a tree, at heights up to 50 feet 
from the ground. This species often nests in the same tree as the 
Drongo or the Helmeted Friar-bird. 
eggs. Usually three, greenish to greenish-white or greenish-brown, 
spotted and blotched with reddish-brown or purplish-red; many of 
the markings appear as if beneath the shell. Breeding-season: October 
to January. 
9. Spotted Cat-bird Ailurccdus melanotus Gray 
A il-ur-ccd'-us—Gk, ailouros, cat; Gk , eidos, form: mel'-an-o-tus-Gk. 
melas (melanos ), black; Gk, otos, genitive of ous , ear. 
distribution. Northern Queensland; also occurs in the Aru 
Islands. 
notes. Usually in pairs or small flocks, frequenting the big scrubs 
and brushes. It is very similar in habits to the Green Cat-biid and uttcis 
the same cat-like cries. Food: native fruits and berries. 
nest. A large, open, bowl-shaped structure, composed of long twigs 
and broad leaves; lined with twigs and dead wiry^ stems of climbing 
plants. Usually placed near the top of a bushy sapling or small tree in 
dense scrub, at heights up to 20 feet from the ground. 
eggs. Usually two, rarely three, cream-coloured. Breeding-season: 
September to December or January. 
10. Green Cat-bird Ailurccdus crassirostris Paykull 
crass-i-ros'-tris— L., crassus , thick; L., rostrum , bill. 
distribution. South-eastern Queensland and eastern New South 
Wales. . 
notes. Usually in pairs or flocks, frequenting chiefly the big scrubs 
and brushes of the coastal districts. It is often observed in the company 
of the Regent and Satin Bower-birds, feeding upon difoent kinds^of 
native fruits and berries. Its quaint call a cat-like Meow uttered 
more frequently at daybreak and towards dusk, is a feature_o£ the 
brushes. Apart from the rather loud Me-ow , it ias ' ‘ , ? 
call, a low plantive “hiss”, used mostly when alarmed. Tood. native 
fruits and berries; it is very fond of the seeds of the bangalow and 
cabbage-tree palms; also insects, chiefly beetles. 
nest. A bowl-shaped structure, composed of long twigs and stems 
of climbing plants entwined around a layer of long broad leaves, and 
occasionally moss; lined with fine dried twigs. Usua y p acec 
top of a low bushy tree, or in a leafy mass of vines, at heights up to 
40 feet from the ground. 
eggs. Usually two, sometimes three, cream or pale creamy-white. 
Breeding-season: September to December or January. 
