Vol 'i 92 X 5 IV ] CHISHOLM, Yeppoon-Byfield Excursion 223 
It used frequently to be a matter for comment in South 
Queensland that where the Rufous Thrush ( Colluricincla mega - 
rhyncha) was seen, there also might be found the Varied Lalage, 
or Caterpillar-eater ( Lalage leucomela). Pseudo-jungle seems 
to attract them more than the rich, dark vegetation of the moun¬ 
tains. So in this case: the two widely-varying species were in 
abundance in the Yeppoon coastal belt, the curious “kar-r-r” of 
the Caterpillar-eater contrasting strongly with the rich melody of 
the Thrush. (The old name for the Varied Caterpillar-eater, 
“Pied,” was scarcely appropriate for a bird whose black and 
white is reinforced by warm buff on the under-parts.) Other 
birds of more than ordinary interest which found hospitality in 
this elongated patch of scrub were the Red-crowned Pigeon and 
Bar-shouldered Dove (both numerous), the Green Pigeon, and 
the Black-faced Flycatcher ( Monarcha melanopsis). Here, too, 
were seen several pairs of the Fairy Warbler, one pair feeding 
a young Bronze Cuckoo. 
It was, altogether, a very interesting area, this mile-long patch 
of weather-beaten vegetation between the bay and the road. 
Mosquitoes, of course, did their pestiforous best to lessen its 
attractiveness, and green tree-ants, whose nests are as cleverly 
constructed as those of birds, were quite common. These ants, 
however, seemed rather smaller than their fellow-warriors fur¬ 
ther north; and certainly they were less ferocious than those 
fightable little creatures that one encounters near Cardwell. 
Birds were to be found, also, along the immediate margin of 
the road, where lantana and grass mingled. The weather being 
damp, Swamp-pheasants ( Centropus phasianinus) were in high 
glee, and “whooping” to their hearts’ content. One of these 
long-tailed birds walked away from a motor car with the blase 
air of a domestic fowl. A little Grass-Warbler ( Cisticola exilis) 
was seen at close range, too, as it uttered its curiously varied, 
ventriloquial chirp. Once upon a time the plumage phases of 
this bird created a general puzzle; but we did not exercise our 
minds over this point so much as upon the identity of another 
small bird of the grass, the Red-backed Wren. Two species of 
this bird have previously been accepted, Malums melanocephalus 
in the south and M. dorsalis in the north. The Yeppoon bird, 
however, might well have been either. Its bright back sug¬ 
gested dorsalis , but was scarcely brighter than certain examples 
of the so-called orange-backed species, which occasionally is 
radiant. Another beautiful bird favouring the margin of that 
luring road, but away from the scrub, was the Rainbow-bird or 
Bee-eater (Mcrops). It was while gazing casually at these 
graceful fliers that Mr. Alexander and I saw a White-breasted 
vSea-Eagle, which was coasting low, suddenly drop and pick up a 
stranded sea-snake in its talons. 
The forest country surrounding Yeppoon was not particularly 
attractive, but we had an interesting hour or so among mangroves 
