HELMETED FRIAR-BIRD. 
Nest. A very deep cup-shaped structure, composed of strips of bark, grasses, roots, etc., 
well woven in together, and lined with fine grasses and thin twigs. It is a bulky 
structui-e, and is suspended from a fork near the end of a branch of a tree, and is 
situated at heights varying from 10 to 40 feet or more from the ground. Dimensions 
over all, 8 to 10 inches across by 7 to 8 inches in depth. 
Breeding-months. August to January. 
When Gould added Swaiiison’s species to the Australian List he wrote : 
“ This bird may be regarded as the representative on the north coast of 
Tropidorhynchus corniculatus of the southern part of the country, for it was 
in the Cape York Peninsula that it was obtained; not, however, by Mr. 
MacgiUivi-ay, who, I beheve, mistook it for the common species, and did not 
procure examples ; which is much to be regretted, since the bird is so extremely 
rare in our collections.” 
Swainson had described his species from New Holland from a specimen 
in the Paris Museum and gave an accurate drawing of the head and tongue. 
As Gould determined the Cape York bird as Swainson’s species the usage 
continued until 1916, as will be shown later. 
Macgilhvray (not the one above mentioned) recorded it from Cooktown 
and Cape York, adding : “ Numerous all the year round in the forest country 
at Cape York, where they nest in the Moreton Bay ash trees in company Avith 
Sphecotheres, Drongo and Aplonis, laying three to four eggs. ?, Iiis dark orange, 
bill and naked skhi of head black, legs dark leaden-grey,” and “ Common in 
the open forest on the Claudie, where they nested in company with Fig-Birds 
and Drongos.” 
Barnard also noted that it was very plentiful all through the forest country, 
four usually forming the clutch of eggs. 
Broadbent regai-ded it as common at CardweU, and Campbell and Barnard 
wrote from the same locahty: “At first from field observation we thought 
this large species was argenticeps, because of its silvery crown, but on procuring 
a skin it was undoubtedly buceroides. Several of then large nests and handsome 
red-marked eggs were subsequently taken. These big bnds were always about 
the flowering trees, notably gums, and were very pugnacious towards smaller 
birds that came to the same tree. Among the curious calls of the Large 
Friar-Bird is one that resembles the words ‘ Poor devil, poor devil ’ repeated 
many times.” 
Campbell later gave McLennan’s note made on Moa Island, Torres Strait: 
“ Heard a bird caU that I thought was a Rail of some sort. Sat down, and 
started to imitate the call—^rather a difficult job. In about half an hour the 
bird called again, apparently from the ground, about 50 yards away. It 
called again, this time in the tree above me. It was a Fiiar-Bird. I never 
VOL. xn. 
105 
