40 Stray Feathers. [,^j 'j",y 



that species, a few Wattle-Birds and a mob of eight Warty-faced 

 Honey-eaters. For nearly a week all three species wrangled over 

 the blossoms. The last-mentioned is a rare visitor to these parts. 



In the gardens the White-plumed Honey-eater has developed a 

 knowing trick. Large flowers hke tecomas and cannas it cannot 

 easily search, so it coolly nips a hole in the side of the bell to devom- 

 the nectar. The Spinebill is a constant autumn visitor to the city 

 gardens. Away at Melton, on the timbered sides of a sunken creek, 

 great numbers were seen one day, busily prospecting the late 

 blossoms of the mistletoes, which were there in great quantity. The 

 bird seems fitted to the flower, and comes away dusted about the 

 face with pollen. A little later, when the fruit is ripe, there will 

 be a tine harvest for the Mistletoe-Bird [Diccewn). Already about 

 Melbourne this bird is dropping the slimy seeds of an earlier-fruiting 

 mistletoe upon the oaks and elms and fruit trees. 



At Rockbank on 15th Ma}', 1905, a walk was taken across the 

 basalt plains, and where the Werribee River is flanked by long 

 lines of box- tree forest, several species of birds were noted which 

 belong properly to the northern portion of Victoria. The Whiteface 

 [Xerophila), the Restless Flycatcher, the Brown Tree-creeper, the 

 Fuscous Honey-eater, and the Black-chinned Honey-eater all 

 witnessed to the possibility of forms creeping southward along open 

 and dry areas suitable to their needs. 



A Delicate (Lesser Masked) Owl was recorded here a week or two 

 back — a rare bird now. It must have ventured out from the hills. 

 At Riddell (35 miles from Melbourne, to the northward) a pair of 

 Crimson-winged Lories was shot in February. Their presence is 

 unaccounted for. Another bird that seems to have wandered far 

 from its habitat this autumn is the Little Turtle Dove, one of which 

 was seen at Burnley last month and another at Myrniong.* 



Lorikeets are in great numbers wherever eucalpyts are flowering, 

 and this season many hundreds of acres on the Mornington Penin- 

 sula have blossomed. The trees will get a valuable clearing of 

 scale-insects from these worthy foresters. Though the birds 

 primarily are attracted by the gum blossoms, they have a sweet 

 tooth for the timber-destroying scale-insects in the forests they 

 patrol. 



At Burnley last month another little forester put in an appear- 

 ance — a Spotted Pardalote. It lived a solitary life for some time 

 in a patch of young gum trees planted for shelter in a public garden. 

 It prospected high and low for eggs and young of leaf -destroying 

 insects, which are unfortunately all too common on our native 

 plants. If there were more of these little tree-top feeding birds 

 about, with Tree-creepers and Sittellas to second their efforts by 

 borer-catching upon the bark and branches, I am sure we should 

 not find the gum trees languishing as they do, and leaving their 

 gaunt skeletons near the city, a mute witness to the folly of 

 driving away insectivorous birds. — A. G. Campbell. Melbourne. 



* See "Nature Notes," Argus, 5/5/05. 



