o 



g S/ray Feathers. ['^t Tul 



which occurred within my own experience. A neighbour ol mine 

 fostered a young male Magpie, and although Magpies were 

 numerous in the vicinity and this one had full freedom, it could be 

 heard crowing like a " rooster" and singing from the tops of tall 

 trees " Merrily danced the Quaker's wife." Until it was two 

 years old it had none of the native bird song. At that age it joined 

 the wild birds, and soon procured a mate. Occasionally it returned 

 to the house, and sometimes followed the plough when food was 

 to be easily got. In time it became not unusual to hear a strain 

 of " Merrily danced the Quaker's wife " amongst the notes of many 

 wild Magpies scattered over a considerable surrounding area. It 

 seems not unreasonable to infer that the young of the domesticated 

 bird had learned from the parent part of the tune above mentioned 

 and intermixed it with the wild notes of the species. 



A Canary in my possession — a splendid songster — lost its song 

 for a long time and picked up the twitterings and chirjnngs of the 

 Sparrows which infested the place. When another Canary was 

 brought as a mate the first bird regained its full power of song, 

 although it for a long time intermingled with its own proper song 

 the chirpings of Sparrows. 



It has been urged that the Cuckoo is an example of a bird which 

 necessarily inherits its notes. However, although its call suffices 

 to bring the sexes together at pairing time it is a very simple matter 

 compared with the varied song of many species of birds. I feel 

 convinced that it is acquired by the young Cuckoo from members 

 of its own species long after leaving its foster-parents, with whom 

 it hardly remains long enough to acquire any of their notes. 



Of course the structure of the vocal organs may make it impossible 

 for some sj^ecies to imitate others. For instance, the guttural- 

 voiced Wattle-Bird {Acanthochccra) or the Laughing Jackass (Dacelo) 

 could never be expected to learn the clear piping notes of the 

 Butcher-Bird {Cradiciis) or the Magpie {Gymnorhina).- — George 

 Graham. Scott's Creek (Vic), 6/3/05. 



Autumn Notes. — Autumn is the time to look for man\' interesting 

 notes among the birds. To the naturalist autumn is as full of 

 meaning as the springtime, when even the hardest head finds some- 

 thing to rejoice over in the breaking forth of new hfe. A certain 

 steady preparation for the coming winter can be detected every- 

 where. Trees, withdrawing their active sap from the branchlets, 

 allow their leaves to chase each other like brown butterflies along 

 the streets. Birds come, birds go, in search of more suitable winter 

 quarters, and they, like animals, lay by great layers of reserve 

 tissue for the trying season. All this suggests to us in the city the 

 great concentrating movement of Dame Nature in all her forms. 

 She, at this time of the year, lays up her stores for the winter 

 months, and also sufficient energy to meet the first call of the 

 following si)ring. 



