1 6 Stray Feathers \^^ 



Emu 

 d July 



fully dissected and proved to be a female.* Therefore Dr. Hans 

 Gadovv's description of the type (Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., vol. viii., 

 p. 364) may be read for that of the female instead of male; 

 while the description for the female — " Only the top of the head 

 black," &c. — may be transposed for that of the male. Mr. 

 Berney writes : — " I shot two birds, a black-crowned one, which 

 proved to be a male — without any doubt (testes largely 

 developed) — and the bird sent you herewith." 



Mr, Berney has observed this Sittella breeding in March. 



Cuculns pallidus (Pallid Cuckoo). — Adverting to the new 

 foster-parents recorded for this Cuckoo {Emu, vol. v., p. 197), 

 Mr. Sep. Robinson, Bathurst, N.S.W., has been good enough to 

 furnish the following supplementary names from examples in his 

 oological collection, namely : — 



Satin Flycatcher {Mywgra nitidci) 



Grey-tailed Thickhead {PacJiyccphala glaucura). 



Puffinus ie^iuirostj^is {Shoxi-\.B.\\e.d Petrel). —My cousin, Mr. J. 

 P. Campbell, informs me that when he visited Cape Wollomai, 

 Phillip Island, on the night of 30th April last, he found all the 

 young "Mutton-Birds" fully feathered, scampering about the 

 grass and trying their new wings preparatory to following 

 their parents on migration. 



The oological collection of Mr. T. A. Brittlebank, Bonsai, 

 Myrniong, is now a first-class one. I had the pleasure recently 

 of examining the cabinets, which contain over 500 species of 

 Australian eggs, in beautiful order and mostly in complete 

 clutches. In the collection is a set of seven Musk-Duck's eggs — 

 an unusual complement for this Duck. One might have 

 ventured the opinion that it was a double set — laid by two 

 birds — had not Mr. Brittlebank mentioned the fact that the 

 same season he took those, and in the same locality, he observed 

 several nests with large complements (five to seven) of either 

 eggs or young. — A. J. Campbell. 



Sea-Eagle and Tree-Snakes. — Two days of rough 

 weather, and the blue bay had become discoloured with mud, 

 churned up by the sea, and the P^agle (rufous-backed species — 

 Haliastur girrencra) found fishing poor and unremunerative sport. 

 Even his keen eyesight could not distinguisli in the murky 

 water the coming and going of the fish. Just below the house 

 there is a small area of partly cleared flat, and we saw the brave 

 fellow roaming and swooping about with more than usual 

 interest in the affairs of dry land. At this time of year green 

 snakes are fairly plentiful. Harmless and handsome, they prey 

 upon small birds and frogs, and the Eagle had abandoned his 



* Obtained Flinders River, 30 miles below Hughenden, 15/3/06. 



