680 Agricultural Gazette of N.S.JF. [Aug. 3, 1908. 



A Native Bird destroying the Sparrow. 



C. T. MUSSON, 

 Hawkesbury Agricultural College. 



In the Luchlaiulcr and CoiulohoJi n JJixtrict Recorder, 2Glh l'"cljruury, 



1908 (sent by Mr. G. L. Sutton, with paragraph marked), the following 



statement appeared : — 



Mr. A. J. Taylor, of Wheatacre, informs ws that during the past few nioutLs he has 

 noticed the presence of numbers of large birds, blue in colour, with black heads, w liich 

 are very destructive to sparrows. In fact since the arrival of these aerial cannibals, 

 sparrows are practically an unknown quantity al)Out \Yheatacre. 



"We wrote Mr. Taylor for furtlier information, and received the follow- 

 ing reply : — " lit the bird that takes the sparrows, it is quite trtie there 

 is not a sparrow left about the place, and there were hundreds here. I 

 tried in every way to get rid of them, but since those birds came we got 

 rid of them. We never saw the birds before; they are strangers. There 

 are aljout four of tliem in a Huck, and they keep together. 1 (hj not think 

 it is a hawk, though they balance in the air like a haAvk. They keep after 

 the grasshoppers, but they are death on the sparrows. The other birds 

 are not frightened of them. They are very (piick on the wing, and, when 

 flying, spread out the tail." 



Three days later came a specimen for identification : it is tlie Ground 

 Cuckoo-Slirike {Fteropodocys 'phasianella). The head and neck are dark- 

 grey; breast and lower back dull white crossed by narrow black l)urs; 

 wings, uppL'r side black ; under side white ; tail forked ; the terminal half 

 black. It is abotit the size of a small pigeon, but more slender: total 

 length from tip of bill to end of tail, 14 inches. Commonly, they make 

 use of their legs a good deal, not flying much. Insects are the chief food, 

 and we do not hear of them doing any damage. 



This is a most interesting fact, which should be noted Ijy all dwellers 

 west of the range whore the bird is found. If this is to become a flxed 

 haliit, whicli probably it now will, it would appear that the spariow has 

 at least one enemy in its new abode. Sportsmen should take note and act 

 up to the fact stated. Nature would here seem to be coming in. foi- evi- 

 dently the cheeky little interloper is no longer to have such a peaceful time 

 as it has had in the past. The " balance is beginning to kick," and we 

 may congratulate ourselves that at least one catise is in operation which 

 will help in bringing the sparrow down in numbers to such reasonable 

 limits as will preserve a due balance of life forms, and not allow this jiar- 

 ticular bird to l^ecome undidy plentiftd. 



