74 Stray Feathers. f^isfS" 



Iher >outh ; they ai)j>earecl to be feeding on the ground, and small 

 rtock> were often disturbed by the train j ; Rosella {Platyccrcus 

 exam'ius) (21); Red-backed Parrot {Pscpliotus hccmat'onotxis) 

 (55); Laughing Kingfisher (Docelo !/i(/as) (11); Magpie-Lark 

 {Gral/iiia cyanolcuca) (H); White-winj^ed Chough (Corcora.x niclan- 

 orhainphiis) (10; isolated flock, only ones noted on journey) ; 

 Rlack-backed Magpie (Gxnuiorhina tibicen) (31). — A. S. Le 

 SoEUF, C.M.Z.S., R.A.O.U., Taronga Park, Sydney. 



Mantis and Younj;^ Birds.- -The following remarkable story 

 was told me quite recently by a man in whose testimony I can 

 place every reliance. 



A pair of (what I take to be by his description) Yellow-rumped 

 Tits {Acanthica clirysorrhoa) had built a nest in a vine growing 

 round the verandah of his house, on the Barwon River. 



The distressed state of the birds aUracted his attention one 

 morning, and looking into the \ ine he saw a large mantis with 

 a tiny naked bird securely j^rasped in its sjjiked arms and appar- 

 ently eating at its head. Thinking the occurrence most unusual, 

 and needing a .second witness to the act, he jumi)ed on his horse 

 and rode after a friend who had just left. Together they came 

 back and made further investigation. The mantis had gone, but 

 had droi)ped its prey, which they found lying under the bush 

 with three other tiny birds, each one of which had a tiny round 

 hole in the top of its head and all the brains extracted there- 

 from. — F. C. MoKSE, Aloree. 



Mortality amongst Swallows.— During the heavy storm of 

 wind and rain in December last, about .^0 Welcome Swallows 

 (Hirntido ncoxetia) that usually frequent the homestead all per- 

 ished. Dr. P)radby and my.self brought six into the house and 

 tried U) bring them round by warmth and food, but the} would 

 not eat by hand, and all died. They had not a particle of food 

 in the stomach when opened, and evidently died of starvation 

 through there being no insects on the wing owing to the very 

 wet and cold weather with gales of wind. Great numbers of 

 these lovely little birds must perish in heavy, wet and cold 

 weather during the summer months. — ]. F. 11. GonERLEv, 

 R.A.O.U., Ellerslie, Wallis Lake, X.S.W. " 



Nesting: «f Grey Duck. Herewith you will find two i»holo- 

 graphs of a white i)inc ( Poiiocarfus dacrydioidcs), in which, 

 evidently, a Grey Duck (.hias suf'crciliosa) built its nest at a 



