^''hS''] Stray Feathers. 151 



The Origin of Nullarbor.— Mr. W. 15. Alexander, M.A., 

 CF.A.O.U., formerly keejier of Biology, Perth Museum, and 

 now in charge of the prickly pear experimental station, West- 

 wood, near Rockhampton, in a letter states: "Xullarbor should 

 be spelt XuUabor. Sir John Forrest was the first to see the Xul- 

 labor I'lains, and I heard him say that he was greatly amused 

 that people should think he had made the name from the Latin 

 nulla arbor (no tree) as he did not know enough Latin to coin 

 such a word. It was an aboriginal name, probably connected 

 with nulla-nuUa (a club). 



Magpie Cannibalism. — Mention in the April number of The 

 Eimi of the ^Magpie (Gynuiorhina hyJ>olcitca) killing a Sparrow- 

 recalls to mind two cases of Magpie cannibalism I have wit- 

 nessed. Some years ago I noticed the Tasmanian lesser-white 

 backed Mag])ie sitting on a post with a Sparrow m its beak, and 

 on being disturbed, it dropped the unfortunate victim, which 

 when ])icked up was almost dead. On another occasion a year 

 or so later, I happened to be breaking down a patch of tall Scotch 

 thistles when a Pipit flew out from beneath my feet, uncovering 

 a nest of three dark-brown spotted eggs. In order to delude me, 

 the bird feigned a broken wing for a minute, dragging itself 

 slowly through the grass some }ards away. At that moment a 

 Mag]Me flashed down and picked up the little bird before it could 

 get away, and flying oft, stopped on a fence some distance away, 

 where it killed and devoured its victim. — !M. S. R. Sharlaxd, 



R.A.O.U., Hobart. 



* * * 



The Mopoke. — One of the most famous bird cries in Aus- 

 tralia is that of the Mopoke, and nothing has caused so much 

 argument as the identity of the bird that utters it. Some orni- 

 thologists give the credit to the Boobook Owl, a bird that has a 

 distinct and equally famous note. Many people identify it with 

 the Frogmouth (Podorgus), which does occasionally utter a 

 semblance of the much debated call. This bird, in fact, is com- 

 monly called Mopoke in many i)arts of the bush ; but the proper 

 Mopoke in my native field, north of the Richmond River, is the 

 Red Owl {Ninox hirida). The aborigines called it Mobok, 

 whereas Ninox boobook was known to them as Boobook, or Buk- 

 buk. In a great many cases the names given by them to birds 

 were imitative of the birds' call notes. Many a night I have 

 listened to the Boobook and the Mopoke calling in neighbouring 

 trees. Both voices were a great pleasure to hear, but while the 

 Boobook's notes were deep-sounding and quickly uttered, as 

 though the bird were excited, the ]\Iopoke's had much of the 

 quality of the Australian Cuckoo, a sweet, lingering, and far- 

 reaching sound. Xiiiox lurida is variously called Night Hawk, 

 ]\Iope Hawk, Hawk Owl, Red Owl, and Mopoke. Its cousin, the 

 Winking Owl (Ninox connivens) also utters the Mopoke note. — 

 E. S. SoRENSox, R.A.O.U., Sydney. 



