Qo Stray Feathers. f ^^ 



Emu 

 Oct. 



ingthe musical utterances of this fine Honey-eater. During our 

 ramble between lunch and sundown many interesting nests 

 were inspected, although, of course, tenantless at this season ; 

 for instance, that of a Grey-tailed Thickhead about 15 feet up 

 in a prickly box, built of strips of peppermint bark, and lined 

 very neatly with fine native grasses. My companion has found 

 that the " Derwent Jackass " {Cractiais cinereus) always employs 

 the shining seed-stalks of a native grass for lining purposes. 

 The flask-like nests of Firetails were often under observation, 

 usually in a prickly shrub or a small bushy-topped wattle, 

 about 5 feet up, and constructed of coarse grass. While 

 travelling through the Buchan district of Victoria in company 

 with a friend, during the past summer, we discovered a nest of 

 this species in February with three fresh eggs — very late house- 

 keeping this ! When building, this bird uses a lot of green 

 grass. In a dogwood {^Poinaderris), where a convenient cavity 

 had been left among a lot of shoots at a height of about 6 feet 

 6 inches from the ground, was placed the home of a Shrike- 

 Thrush, formed of strips of dry cassinia bark, and lined with fine 

 grass and rootlets. Another was placed about 4 feet up in the 

 midst of a green cassinia bush — a fine, big, circular nest, which 

 measured 8^ inches in diameter taken right across the top, 4^ 

 inches inside diameter, and 3 inches deep. The method of con- 

 struction was most ingenious : on the outside strips of pepper- 

 mint gum bark were wound round and round ; inside this was a 

 layer of bark passed under the bottom of the nest instead of 

 being wound round it, the ends coming vertically up the sides.. 

 and with this were gum leaves, also placed vertically ; then 

 another wall of horizontal bark-strips and leaves, the latter being 

 also placed lengthwise to correspond with the bark. Where the 

 ends or sides of leaves had projected above the top of the wall, 

 the sharp beak of the Thrush had clipped off the offending 

 portions as neatly as if done with scissors. The usual inner 

 lining was employed, and a beautifully warm and secure home 

 was the result of the indefatigable labours of these clever archi- 

 tects. High up in a white gum which grew in the gully was 

 placed the nest of the Brown Hawk {Hzeraddea orientalis) on a 

 limb partl}^ dead ; two other of these bulky stick structures were 

 espied near the top of a giant gum of the same species, prob- 

 ably 150 feet up, and placed on branches which were very 

 conspicuous. These two would probably be built in different 

 seasons by the same birds, as it is improbable that two pairs 

 could exist in such close proximity. One of our most interesting 

 inspections was that of a Dusky Robin's {Petrceca vittata) home, 

 built in a very unusual spot. This plain-plumaged little bird 

 usually selects a niche in a hollow tree, or a site amid the 

 roots which project from the butt of an overturned giant; but 

 in this case it had chosen the horizontal limb of a dogwood tree 



