Voi.vn. 



] Baxfihld, The Sf^angled Dvongo-Shrike. l8l 



moist soil. Then the Drongo comes, and, apologising for his 

 intrusion at such, an unseemly hour with a few meek "cheeps," 

 makes the best use of his time. Game being abundant and 

 delicious, sport becomes exciting, and he swoops and darts 

 Until bewildered by darkness. How intensely human is the 

 Drongo ! In his distress he sets up a loud and appealing 

 "jangle,"' which is immediately answered by his home-keeping 

 spouse, and off he flutters blindly, guided by her shrill and 

 beseeching calls ; and the upbraiding and the explanations and 

 consolations conixnwG, ciiniitmendo, for full five minutes. 



A few domestic hens, taught by the example of the Drongo, 

 wait up after the others have gone to roost to hunt the 

 booming beetles with terrible earnestness ; but they sneak off 

 to their perches without exciting comment. Mark the unconcern 

 of the pol)'gamist ! 



A Visit to the Furneaux Group, Bass Strait. 



By W. J. T. Armstrong, Hexham, Victoria. 



Accompanied by Mr. E. D. Atkinson, of Tasmania, I spent, 

 during November last, an enjoyable ten-days' cruise amongst 

 the islands of this group, Mr. James Holt, a local resident, in his 

 ten-ton cutter-rigged boat, being our pilot. 



The islets in Franklin Sound and off the east coast of Flinders 

 (including the famous Gannet rookery) were, of course, touched 

 at, but as these places are now fairly well known, and have been 

 described by previous visitors, it will hardly be necessary to do 

 more than just mention them. 



Both Mr. Atkinson and I were disappointed with our 

 experiences on the whole in Franklin Sound. Birds were much 

 less numerous than we expected, even the commoner varieties, 

 while sorne species we confidently counted on meeting were 

 missing altogether. I refer principally to the Southern Tern 

 {Sterna frontalis) and Sterna nereis, both of which have been 

 reported from here. We were very keen to see the Southern 

 Tern, and kept a sharp look-out, but nowhere did they appear. 

 Both species seem to have disappeared from these waters 

 absolutel}^ It is not surprising that the sea-birds are 

 diminishing and disappearing from the inner islands. The 

 nests are harried continuously by the half-castes and boys ; 

 eggs are taken wholesale, and eaten or broken; if these are 

 missed, all the resultant young birds are sure to be discovered 

 and despatched to Launceston, where they are sold for is. per 

 head. A case in pc^'nt : We called at Drum Island, which is in 

 an out-of-the-way position between Barren and Clarke. On our 

 arrival many birds of sorts were flying over and lighting upon 

 it. On examination, however, though nests of the Silver and 



