^°' i^^s''^ 1 Fletcher, Bird Notes from Boat Harbour District. lOl 



formis, generally arrive at the same time, but these were three 

 weeks later this year, not appearing till about the second week 

 in August. This last week the Bronze-Cuckoo {Chalcococcyx 

 plagosiis) has been calling from the hedges. 



Contrary to the general rule, the Black-faced Cuckoo-Shrike 

 {Grancalus melanops) was the first of the migratory birds to be 

 noted this year. As a rule it is the last. Possibly these earl}) 

 individuals may have wintered on some part of the coast. 



The profusion of flowering heaths and shrubs and grass-trees, 

 and the presence of the giant banksia on the barren ranges known 

 as The Sisters Hills, attract the various members of the Honey- 

 eater family ; but, as I intend to deal with the birds of that 

 locality in a separate paper later on, I will only stay now to 

 mention that during the winter, while the tree-lucernes are in 

 flower, the school-ground is melodious with the calls of Ptilotis 

 flavigitla, Lichmeni anstralasiana, Melioruis novce-hollandice — the 

 two latter even flying into the schoolroom. This year, for a 

 fortnight, a solitary Yellow Wattle-Bird {Anthochcera inauris) 

 lived amongst the flowering lucernes ; he was the first of his kind 

 I had noted during my two years' residence here. Strange to say, 

 I have not yet seen them on the banksian tracts of the hills, 

 though in the Midlands every clump has its pair. 



Throughout the year the Spinebill {Ac author hynchus diibins) is 

 a visitor to the flowers in the garden. 



I had almost forgotten the beautiful little frequenter of the 

 banks of the rivers, the Blue Kingfisher {Alcyone aziirea), which 

 is to be seen along the Flowerdale River. 



Occasionally a pair of Sea-Eagles {Haliceetus leucosternus) fly 

 upwards from their haunt a few miles further west, where they 

 have their eyrie in a tall tree on the side of a wooded hill which 

 runs sheer to the sea, and from which they have a fine outlook 

 over the waters of Bass Strait. 



A Trip in Search of the Spotted Scrub' Wren 



(Sericornis maculata) and the Little Wattle^Bird' 

 (Anellobia lunulata). 



By C. L. E. Orton, R.A.O.U., Petworth Park, Moora (W.A.) 



Ox the 15th August, 1917, Mr. Phil. Sandland and myself made a 

 journey into the sand plain countr}- about 25 miles north-west 

 of Moora, Western Australia, where I knew the Sericornis had 

 previously nested, having three clutches of eggs given me by a 

 friend M'ho flushed the bird from the nest when riding through 

 the low scrulj. He found two nests in the middle of July, and the 

 other about the end of September, evidently being the second 

 clutch for the season. 



In our drive across the sand-plain bird-life was very scarce : 



