Vol. XXII. 

 1922 



WOLSTEXHOLME, .Yotcs from Wahroouiiu. 141 



Notes from Wahroonga, Sydney, N.S.W. 



I'.y II. WOLSTENHOLME, R.A.O.U. 



These notes are from observations of birds at Wahroonga, a 

 North- Shore-Hne suburb, 12 miles from Sydney. They were 

 made in the garden (or within 100 yards round it), largely from 

 the verandah, which has trees and shrubs close by and a small 

 bathing pool, hollowed out of a flat piece of sandstone, a fe\^' 

 steps away in the shade of an apple tree. On three sides is al 

 most virgin bush, with small areas here and there of tall euca- 

 lyptus, left by the timber-getters of last century and still hap- 

 pily untouched by the ruthless hand of civilisation. All the coun- 

 try north of the North Shore railway suburbs consists of the 

 Hawkesbury sandstone formation, usually hard and rocky, sterile 

 in appearance, and supporting its characteristic flora of Banksias, 

 Boronias, Heath (Epacris), Apple-tree {Angophora), etc., etc., 

 that Honeyeaters love, and where the shy Ground-Wren {Hyla- 

 cola pyrrhopygla) may sometimes be seen. The land falls away 

 into gullies which are studded and flanked with irregular masses 

 of weathered and waterworn sandstone, and grow deeper and 

 wider as their streams wind away to the salt waters of Cowan 

 Creek or Middle Harbour — plenty of cracks and caves for the 

 Rock Warbler (Origina ntbricafa ) , and thick scrub and under- 

 growth in places for the W' hip- Bird (Psophodes olivaceits) and 

 the Lyre-Bird (Menitra novcr-hollandice) . 



There would be 100 or more bush birds about these suburbs 

 on their northern side, beginning at Roseville, six miles from 

 Sydney, and it is a matter of surprise and regret that, with 

 this amount of interesting bird-life close to a city, there seem to 

 be so few individuals that go out among the birds and hear and 

 see them in their native haunts. 



Eurystomus orientalis. Dollar Bird or Australian Roller. — Very 

 common in summer, small parties taking up a position in hijjh trees, 

 preferably on dead branches and doin.e: short flying; stunts to and ±'ro 

 as though practising or "showing off," pei'haps catching insects at 

 the same time, ta an accompaniment of rough, hoarse notes from 

 both performers and spectators. Good glasses are needed to appre- 

 ciate their varied hues. They rarely come down low. 



Eurostopodus mystacalis. White-throated Nightjar. — At nightfall 

 every fine evening in April one was to be seen in continuous strong 

 and graceful flight of sweeping curves about the tops of the tall 

 eucalyptus. Once only (April 16th) were two birds seen at the same 

 time, when it was too dark to identify the species. 



Eudynamys orientalis. Koel. — Unmistakable "cooees" were heard 

 on two summer evenings, and a few nights later (January 14th) a 

 bix'd came into the tall trees in the back paddock and "cooeed" seve- 

 ral times. The birds have not been actually seen here, but have 

 frequently been seen nearer the coast at Pittwater, about 8 miles 

 away as the Crow flies. 



Microeca fascinans. Australian Brown Fly-catcher. — Jacky Win- 

 ters are very common indeed and great favourites. They have no 



