■J Notes and Notices. 



,go6 J i\oies ana isiotices. I'll 



Last year, according to statistics, the municipalities of Victoria 

 paid for the destruction of 48,000. It is obvious that there must 

 be more of these animals remaining in the bush than were 

 destroyed. But suppose we take the same number (48,000) as 

 remaining. In another 27 years if these arc not checked, and 

 taking the same ratio of increase, there will be 192,000,000 

 foxes in the land. But, alas ! where will some of our native 

 birds be? Swept off the face of the earth, and all for sport. 



Mr. J. VV. Mellor, as leader of the A.O.U. expedition to 

 Kangaroo Island last October, when the picturesque falls on 

 Middle River were christened " Strepera Falls," because a pair 

 of Black-winged Crow-Shrikes had a nest in a tree near the top 

 of the cascade, informed the Surveyor-General of the incident. 

 The following reply has been addressed to Mr. Mellor : — 



" Surveyor-General's Office, S.A., 



" Adelaide, 19th December, 1905. 

 " Sir, — I have to acknowledge receipt of your letter of the 

 15th inst., and to inform you that 'Strepera Falls' will be 

 adopted as the name for the falls on Middle River, Kangaroo 

 Island, as suggested by you. 



" I am, sir, 



" Your obedient servant, 

 " W. N. Strawbridge, Surveyor-General." 



Introduction of Australian Magpies to Ceylon. — 

 Mr. Herbert Campbell, of Yalta, Nuwara Eliya, Ceylon, is 

 desirous of introducing Magpies — "one of the finest birds in 

 existence," in Mr. Campbell's opinion — on to his plantation, 

 which stands about 6,200 feet above sea-level, with a climate 

 like a cool English summer. Writing to one of the editors of 

 The Emu, under date of 31st December, 1905, Mr. Campbell 

 states : — " Nine Magpies (the Black-backed species) reached me 

 this morning by the early train— all in excellent condition, 

 except that one appears to be a little cramped about the feet. 

 I put them at once into a large outhouse (with a window) 

 pending the erection of an aviary where they can await the 

 growth of their wings. I gave them raw meat and worms, which 

 they evidently appreciated, and a big bowl of water, where they 

 at once began washing, and then I turned them all but in the 

 sun to preen. We were much amused to find them absolutely 

 fearless — even with a dog ! 



" I do hope they will do all right here. The fine weather is 

 just setting in, with white frosts at night, so that they ought to 

 find it much like the hill climate of New South Wales. I fancy 

 they will probably regard June to September as the winter, as 

 we have cold rains then, but no frost. The frosts now, however, 

 are so very mild that they only serve to brisk up the air. 



