Vol. VII. 

 1907 



J Stray Feathers. 0-7 



(1894-5). ^ P^"' ^y^^ obtained at Spring Bay, April, 1895. 

 On ]\Ir. Hurst's evidence the bird may no longer be considered 

 " accidental " to the island, but indigenous. — El)S.] 



Eagles. — A pair of Wedge-tailed Eagles is generally to be 

 seen on the summit of the Buffalo Mountains. The surveyor, 

 Mr. O. A. L. Whitelaw, imforms me that whenever he places a 

 red flag as a trig, mark on a pole at the top of the Horn or the 

 Hump these Eagles tear the flags to pieces, often within two 

 hours of their being erected. Whether the birds object to the flag 

 because it is red I cannot say, but Mr. Whitelaw was going to 

 place a white flag on the pole, hoping it will not share the 

 same fate as the red ones, I saw the claw marks of the birds 

 on the pole when examining the torn remnants. — D. Le SouiiiF. 



Melbourne, April, '07. 



* * * 



Two Cuckoos Reared in One Nest. — In a letter lately 

 received from my friend Mr. F. L. Berney, North Queensland, 

 he makes the following statement : — " I made an interesting 

 discovery a few days ago — a Crow's nest containing a young 

 Crow and two young Scythrops or Channelbill Cuckoos, all 

 appearing strong and healthy, and will be leaving the nest in a 

 few days." The above note is of great interest, and it would be 

 helpful if our other Queensland members would state whether 

 they have noticed the same thing. If so, it would seem as 

 though some Cuckoos' habits vary, the early habits of this 

 particular bird being evidently well worth studying. — D. Le 



SOUEF. Melbourne. 



* * * 



The Hap.its of Tree-runners. — Concerning the inquiry 

 in connection with the habits of Tree-runners,* I may state that 

 I have observed both the male and female of the Black-capped 

 Tree-runner taking part in incubation. We only have the one 

 species {Sittella pileata) in our district, and they are very 

 peculiar in their habits. They generally go in small flocks of 

 eight or ten, and I have never seen more than one nest in 

 connection with one flock. More than one pair (possibly the 

 whole flock) help to build the nest. They often remove their 

 nest when built ; I have watched them on different occasions 

 pull the nest to pieces and remove it about 100 yards or more, 

 for reasons best known to themselves. The nest is often finished 

 for two or three weeks before they commence to lay eggs, but 

 this is not always the case. Only the one pair feed the young 

 ones, so far as I have been able to observe. — J. A. IIii.L. 

 Kevvell, Victoria, 7th April, 1907. 



* See Emu, vol. vi. , p. 183. 



