190 Cleland, Some Bird Observations. [-.nf April 



for the Cape, so they could not have reached the open sea by 

 these means. 



Ptilotis penicillata and an Enemy. — The presence of a 

 bird of prey in the neighbourhood of Honey-eaters of this species 

 is at once notified, as in the case of the Miner {Manorlmia garriita), 

 by the loud alarm notes they utter. In September, 1895, I 

 found them at fault through a mistake. A great chattering 

 and screeching of " Greenies " was heard, and on going to 

 ascertain the cause found some dozen of them, much excited, 

 flying down on to a low overhanging branch and back again, 

 screaming and fluttering. On the ground just below was the 

 wing of a brown bird, lying flat, which somehow to our eyes 

 suggested a coiled snake or lizard. We believe that the Honey- 

 eaters also supposed it to be of this nature, and were making 

 efforts in their own way to drive it off. Has anyone noticed their 

 behaviour, or that of Miners, towards snakes ? Is it possible 

 that, in some of the supposed instances where snakes have 

 " charmed " birds towards them, the real explanation is that the 

 birds have been trying to drive the intruder off and at last have 

 unintentionally approached too near the enemy and so 

 perished ? 



The Laughing Jackass {Dacelo gigas). — A friend of mine has 

 pointed out an interesting fact in connection with the " laughing " 

 of a pair of Jackasses in his garden. The note, as anyone will 

 remember, consists of two parts — a " chuckle " when the beak 

 is closed and a "laugh" with it open. In watching his birds 

 he has observed that whenever one is *' chuckling," if the other 

 joins in it will be with a " laugh ; " if the first one changes to a 

 " laugh," the second is straightway heard " chuckling," and so 

 on ; but never do both " laugh " at the same time or " chuckle " 

 at the same time. 



What is the explanation of the dark brown band that extends 

 backwards behind the eye of the Laughing Jackass ? It is of 

 the same width and colour as the eye, and must be surely an 

 attempt to hide the conspicuousness of that organ. The Laugh- 

 ing Jackass, perched on the dead limb of a tree, and fully on 

 the alert for prey, did no such mask as this dark band exist, 

 would show a brilliant and conspicuous eye, that must force 

 itself on the attention of any small reptile or marsupial that 

 might happen to peer forth before leaving its hiding-place. To 

 prevent this and so secure more easily its prey, the eye is 

 rendered much less conspicuous by being placed on a dark 

 background, much in the same way as a man from underneath 

 the shadow of large and over-arching bushy eyebrows can survey 

 his neighbour calmly without unduly attracting his attention. 

 Thus the small animal, the Laughing Jackass's predestined prey, 

 peeping cautiously and curiously around, sees only the broken 



