'^°\^'] Siray Feathers. 71 



land section of the Empire Forestry Associati(jn. (^ne of the 

 sessions of the Conference was held at Imbil, adjacent to the 

 great Brooloo State Forest, about 100 miles north of Brisbane, 

 and at that gathering instructive reference to birds was made by 

 Mr. W. R. Petrie, deputy forester and capable bush naturalist. In 

 the course of "Some Notes on Problems of Silviculture in 

 Queensland," Mr. Petrie stated : "The harm done by insects can 

 1 am convinced, be contnjlled by increasing our bird life: the 

 Scrub Turkey not only destroys the casual cockchafer beetle 

 and lar\a by eating, but prexents immense numbers from doing 

 harm by supplying conditions which induce them to congregate 

 in huge nests to be eaten later. This bird is accused of pre- 

 venting hoop pine regeneration by scratching, but as its most 

 drastic scratchings (to form its huge nest) are not commenced 

 for six or seven months after hoop pine seed- fall, and discon- 

 tinued long before the next fall, I think that more good than 

 harm is done by giving the seed a beter chance of coming in con- 

 tact with the mineral soil." 



A. H. CHISHOLM, 



State Secretarv. 



Stray Feathers 



Bird Territories.— In The Etmi for April, 1922 (vol. xxi., part 

 4, pages 258-9, Mr. Charles Barrett states that, in studying the 

 Warblers, Eliot Howard "became aware of the fact that each 

 male isolates itself at the commencement of the breeding season, 

 and exercises dominion over a restricted area of ground." 

 "Here" Mr. Barrett interpolates, "is an untilled field for Australian 

 observers." Also, quoting again from Eliot Howard, "Often 

 enough the males fight after they have mated, or a male with 

 a nest building may attack an unmated bird which ventures into 

 his territory. The evidence in support of the theory of terri- 

 tory in bird life is lucidly discussed in Eliot Howard's work." 



I dealt with the subject of bird territories in the story of the 

 Blue Wren, or Superb Warbler, in my book, "Friends and Foes 

 in the Australian Bush," published in London and Australia by 

 IMessrs. Whitcombe and Tombs in 1914. The story was first 

 published in The Sxdney Mail in 1911, and reappears in "Spotty 

 the Bower Bird" published last year. I have not seen Eliot 

 Howard's book, but believe that it was published only recently. 



When following this matter, many years ago, I found that 

 even Crows hunted over restricted areas. One marked bird I 

 had under observation in the north-west corner of New South 

 Wales led to the discovery of a roosting tree. The marked Crow- 

 was always with one small company, and that company roosted 

 every night in one particular tree, though there were hundreds 

 of similar trees about. The birds hunted over miles of country 



