BIRD NOTES AND NEWS. 



73 



THE BRUSH TURKEY. 



Another Australian bird which is disappear- 

 ing, but for other reasons, is the well-known 

 Brush Turkey, which is unhappily being 

 exterminated by the use of poisoned pollard, 

 introduced for the destruction of rabbits. As 

 these birds are also killed in numbers by the 

 timber-fellers in the forests, they have alto- 

 gether fallen on evil days ; and their decrease 

 is held at least partially responsible for the 

 prevalence of the blow-fly pest which is 

 working havoc among Australian sheep. The 

 most curious characteristic of the Brush 

 Turkey is its method of nest building. With 

 their big strong feet they rake together large 

 mounds of earth and vegetable stuff, and 

 within this the eggs are laid. This natural 

 hot-bed acts as an incubator, and the hens 

 do not return to the place until the time for 

 hatching. The mounds being used by several 

 pairs, and piled up with fresh material each 

 season, grow to an immense size, the largest 

 recorded being 14 feet high. If the Gould Bird 

 Protection Society, which is being formed for 

 New South Wales, is able to do anything for 

 the protection and preservation of such birds 

 as these it will deserve well of posterity. 



Kingfishers (one at Camborne and one at 

 Lelant), and a Bittern at Mullion. In no 

 county can Peregrines breed if it is possible 

 to reach and rob the nest. 



RARE BIRDS IN BRITAIN. 



England is in no position to exhibit herself 

 as a model to New South Wales while her 

 own " ornithological " records are a perpetual 

 record of the destruction of rare species. The 

 watchers of the R.S.P.B. do good work, it 

 is true, but what are a half-a-dozen or so 

 watchers (and the income has to be stretched 

 to its utmost to employ these) throughout 

 the length and breadth of Great Britain ? 

 In one small county one bird-stuffer had in 

 his possession at one time during the present 

 breeding- season a Harrier, two Ravens, and 

 a Bee-eater. In Cornwall, where the County 

 Council pays no attention to Bird Protection, 

 the Cornish Post, commenting on the shooting 

 of a Spoonbill, mentions as recent events the 

 shooting of a pair of Crested Grebe at Cam- 

 borne, a Common Buzzard at Gwithian. two 



252 PENNIES. 



The following eloquent little letter needs 

 no explanation, save that it was sent to the 

 R.S.P.B., together with a donation of one 

 guinea, through the Hon. Local Secretary for 

 Loughborough, Mr. Frisby : 



" We want to do something for the birds, and we 

 thought we could save up some money to buy caged 

 larks and other birds and then set them free. We 

 have saved up our pennies for about a year, and 

 some friends have kindly helped us, but now we are 

 afraid it will not be much good, because we could 

 not buy many birds, and then the dealers would 

 only go and catch some more. So now we think it 

 will be better to give the money to the R.S.P.B. to 

 help the Inspectors to try to stop bird catching. 

 Will you please send the money to the Society. 



" From Nancy Allcock, aged 9 ; Althea Cook, 

 aged 12; Barbara Cook, aged 11; Alice Oakes, 

 aged 14; Doeeen Oakes, aged 12." 



The Inspector's report (page 70) shows to 



some extent what has been done with this 



and other subscriptions for the same purpose. 



THE BUILDER AND THE BIRDS. 



A novel idea in providing dwellings at 

 once for men and birds has been carried out 

 by Mr. R. H. Watt, the Society's Hon. Local 

 Secretary at Knutsford, and may serve as a 

 hint to architects and builders among the 

 readers of Bird Notes and News. A corres- 

 pondent of the Manchester Guardian tells how 

 he was delighted to find in some new houses 

 in that quaint old Cheshire town, carefully 

 contrived nesting places for birds. " Instead 

 of filling up the holes left by the scaffolding, 

 the architect had closed them with a thin 

 covering of stucco, pierced with a round 

 hole. The birds enter and build inside. 

 Sometimes you may see a tiny step just 

 below for the bird to alight on, and a little 

 cornice over the gap to keep out the rain." 

 These are Mr. Watt's houses, and he has 

 also purposely left other holes in the brick- 

 work for nests, completing the arrangements 

 when the stucco is added. The birds under- 

 stand it all perfectly. 



