^°'^^g^'-] Stray Feathers. 207 



deserved the name, not being associated in any particular way 

 with rocks, and spendint^ their time on the face of the waters. 

 Then suddenly it occurred to me that the interestinc^ method of 

 flight I had already observed had struck the fancy of the 

 mariners of old as well, and that they had dedicated the bird to 

 St. Peter, since like him it too seemed to walk on the strong 

 waters. On my return to civilized parts I found, on reference to 

 an encyclopaedia, that my surmise was correct, and that Buffon 

 had likewise attributed the name to this origin. It is an 

 interesting point, not only as showing the accurate observation 

 of the old voyagers, but also as emphasizing an important and 

 characteristic trait, illustrating the conservation of energy, in the 

 birds in question. — (Dr.) J. BURTON Cleland. 



* * * 



Birds of Kangaroo Lslanu. — During the last week of 1897 

 a friend and myself paid a visit to Kangaroo Island, walking 

 along the north coast from Point Morison to Hog Bay. Un- 

 fortunately we experienced during our whole stay one of the 

 severest heat waves felt for some while, which materially 

 hindered collecting. Of the birds encountered I can only add 

 to Mr. A. G. Campbell's list {Enm, vol. v., No. 3) the Honey- 

 eater Ptilotis pcnicillata, which my notes say we met with at 

 Queenscliff. I secured a specimen of Acanthorhyuclius Jialma- 

 turina, and, noticing points of difference between it and the 

 Adelaide bird, showed it both at the Adelaide Museum and later 

 at the Australian Museum in Sydney, but nothing further came 

 of the inspection. Of Acanthiza Jialviaturina we obtained 

 specimens, and my notes say : — " A little Acanthiza inhabiting 

 the trees near the coast at once attracted us by its whistle, the 

 'swish-swish' note being varied by a low bugle-like sound which 

 gives the bird its vernacular name of ' Trumpeter ' — in fact, the 

 first time that I heard it, I thought it must be an imported 

 Goldfinch singing." Of Pardalotus ornatus the notes say : — " A 

 pair of these birds had built their nest in a most pecuHar 

 position, but so placed as to be out of reach and sight. During 

 our walks we came upon a well and trough on an exceed- 

 ingly hot day in the midst of dry mallee country about 

 5 miles from Hog Bay. In the trough an iguana lay immersed 

 up to his neck, apparently on the watch for the numerous small 

 birds which continually flew there to drink. Amongst these the 

 pair of Pardalotes were conspicuous, since they bore in their 

 beaks green grasshoppers and other insects nearly half as long 

 as themselves. They would fly on to the rope, hop downwards 

 a little, head foremost and then drop down the well, the upper 

 part of which was brick-lined, but the lower was unprotected 

 and shelved away. From the latter part, on the arrival of the 

 old birds, the cries of the young could be heard. We sat by 



