- fe® s o u t h , th e C W e
i - e c o g t S ’i . f t h / t L ! ! / ! r t “ Z S e r f e S t "®
? B !r lS £ !B S £ S “ # ^ th a t o f f l m a ^ a y i b e ing p / e w h ^ Z e i t i r / l d l ^ f t ' ; ! r e / Z o Z Z f “ “ ' " ’
^ W B ü
'his *•■ ft® S'™“ ™ ‘»» following mtei-cstmg n o t e : -
c t e . , A S ' t ! z r J U 5 7 . i . : ; “ « f e . r t .
í 7 h a b i t a ? t Z / l ¥ 7 '■ ft*"®® ®°ft" ‘f t “ ‘"® Cft®®“ ®» KiVer d ïtrie fc f?
™ a , and n o t alwaye o / Z e Z “ Z a i ^ e
S : ; ïïe /™ d “ Æ t e Z a A ¥ i Z 3 4 i T / ‘'^ ' *"” ‘ft®® ®"
The foUowmg are Mr. Gould’s notes on the species ( lc .) —
o f th e t o t Z Z L / ' Z r ^ » f t ' / S / ° f ‘»fe » M ™ u ld indicate th a t i t is a n a tiv e
the fact th a t iH t o /w t s i l t a f ®°“ “ ‘®y’ ‘»“ correctness o f this inference is borne o u t by
BOTtitos o f t b e Z f ! th e e astern p rovinces from Moreton Bay to th e ex treme n o r th e r !
p o rtio n s ot th e c o n tin e n t; i t is to le rab ly abu n d an t a t P o r t E ssinvton aud it is slsn snrmil
Z b Z l f t h 7 7 " A ‘ f t *»® , C / ? “®S P en in su la suited to its h ib its : l ik e 'th e / h e r
members o f th e genus to which i t belongs i t is ra re ly i f ever seen near w-ater and evinces
f: b Z K i n / / “ ’®?®® f® ‘» c fe®cste o f th e in te rio r th a t i t has obtained the name of
. ?» -S'Ugfishei from the residents a t P o r t Essington ; i t is g enerally disnersed shoot
Z ! t t e r ! d trito * ™ C“®“» ®cptUes, insects and th e ir larvæ ; its general note is a loud ™e-
t i m o T Z T n T t ®°“ ®;».®®“»fe ®“pu » ‘y- I t incubates in November and December, s o /e -
S f i i f t™ / f s t o f T e t / e t 7 * 7 ” f t “ ■®®®’ " f tn e n e st ot th e tre e -an ts, which present so p rominte n"*t a°*n»d® ®s®in gular a fea tuur »eo ilne tfhoer
T ™ h itr a d to t r f ' f ‘ 7 -‘ ‘f t fe »"‘fry discovered, for on the approach
r i t h e ? ™ “ ? ft" ‘e’y eommence flying about in a very w fld manner, u tte rin v
pTe aTily Twiu!te ’ andf n e a7rly P r“o®u®n‘7d i n® ®foy rfmt , "b'"e®in'“g ie le*»v®e n® lgign®e s" ®loe nt»g® beye °t®en f oburor aind. ”n um ber ™ S
seme i ' t F fl® “ “ Ormthology o f A u s tr a lia ” has figm-ed only the male On the
" i r #n'®® * Be calls “ flafcywi sanetus," b u t the illu stra tio n is a capital
3 7 7 7 ™ ‘Be y o u n g male f l. Macleayi, .and I have no h esitation in r e f o iT T h i s
® ® ‘“J » e ,p r e s e n t bird. His account o f its h abits is subjoined .—
I h is handsome species is found in Queensland and th e n o rth e rn portions o f
Australia. I t is known as the “ Bush Kingfisher,” from its being frequently seen in
thickly-wooded country. The food consists o f insects generally, b u t more especially
beetles. I t differs from the H. sanetus in being confined to the coast, and it is seldom
found inland a t a g reater distance than th ir ty miles. I t may often be seen iu gardens
in th e neighbourhood o f Brisbane, and Avhen undisturbed becomes very familiar. Its
n est is usually to be found in the tea-tree swamps, o r on the banks of creeks ; the
deserted n e st o f the white ant is holloAved out for the purpose o f incubation, Avhich takes
place d u rin g the month o f November, the eggs being merely deposited on the bare earth or
material present. Nests may h e often seen bulging out from the sides o f iron-bark, swamp-
oak and other trees. Macleay’s Halcyon is plentiful at Cape Y'ork, iu the vdnter and
spring, b u t migrates to the southward durmg the h o tter months of the year. The eggs,
four o r five in number, are much rounder in form and pearly-white—eleven by ten lines.”
‘fh e figures and descriptions are from Queensland specimens.
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