297 



It would be interesting to know if other readers have tried the above 

 method and with what success. 



Are not threads used to guard fruit and seed from the attacks of all 

 birds, and not only of Sparrows ? Hon. Mrs. S. Ward. 



Hmona tbe JBusb Birds.* 



By "L. B. J." 



{Continued from page 237). 



" Just before twilight the Parrots flock to the waterholes, and it is comparatively easy 

 " to get a shot at them as they come down to drink. The screams of a winged Parrot will 

 " attract scores of its companions to the immediate neighbourhood. Where a moment back 

 " there were only two or three, now they skim from branch to branch, called by curiosity as 

 " to their comrade\s mishap, and it is remarkable what tenacity of life these birds possess. 

 " The other evening I noticed a couple of Hawks wheeling high overhead, and how to get a 

 " chance at the winged pirates puzzled me not a little. Finally I hit upon the expedient of 

 "hanging a dead Parrot in the boughs of a jam sapling; and leaving it there I walked 

 " some distance from the spot following the windings of a narrow creek. Having reared 

 " their shy broods, most of the Wild Ducks have departed for the deep solitary pools of the 

 " river, but occasionally one may still be flushed from the thick weeds which fringe the 

 " banks of the scanty stream. One got up before me quite suddenly. There was no possi- 

 " bility of a snap shot, a cluster of wattle trees interposed between us, and so the opportunity 



" was lost A month or two ago Ibis were fairly plentiful in these parts, but they are 



" merely migratory, and now you could walk all day long and never see a sign of one. This 

 " bird is the Sacred Ibis of the Egyptians Yearly great flocks travel as methodically as a 

 " party of Cook's tourists from the banks of the mighty Nile South-Kast to ■ India's coral 

 " strand,' thence proceeding to the North-Western territories of Australia, passing South 

 " ill large numbers about the month of October. In the more remote parts of the bush the 

 " Black Cockatoo may be found, but he is not easy to approach. He has rather a plaintive 

 "call, not altogether dissimilar to the whistle of a Curlew or Stone Plover. The smaller or 

 " Silver-crested Cockatoo I have only noticed once, but I am told he is not infrequently to 

 " be seen during the summer months. As I retraced my steps in the direction of my hawk- 

 " trap, three squeekers flapped heavily from the sheltering boughs of a spreading gum 

 " tree, and winged away with harsh cries. In point of size, they are as large as the Curlew, 

 " and quite as excellent eating, somewhat resembling a Wild Duck in flavour. If one is 

 " shot, its mate may generally be secured likewise, as it will linger in the vicinity crying, 

 " out with a peculiar insistence. Leaving them to go uestwards in peace, for I had no wish 

 " to fire for fear of alarming the Hawks should they still be in the neighbourhood. I wound 

 " my way along the foot of the darkening hills, through prickly undergrowth, past 

 " grotesque blackboys, their spiky-tops a tremble in the breeze, with ever a soft rustling of 

 " leaves overhead and the liquid notes of a Magpie sounding from somewhere among the 

 "sombre shadows and so until I came to the slender jam sapling- with my Parrot hanging 

 " forlornly ill the branches. The Hawks were there sure enough; one was too wary for 

 " me, and swooped off, his easy graceful flight carrying him out of sight in a moment. The 

 " other perched at the summit of a dead skeleton-like tree, where he sat sharply defined 

 " against the pale opalescent sky, his white breast distinctly visible — a very tempting 

 "mark. Doubtless his keen eyes watche 1 my every movement with a contemptuous dis- 

 " regard. Being a longish shot, I gave him the choke-hore. There came a flutter, a heavy 

 '' fall and a feather or two floating in the still air. Although hit in the breast, he was full of 

 " fight. A single pellet, glancing aside, hail pierced the left wing near the apex. He tore 



* Sent by Mr. J, Hume. 



