^'''•^,^'] Front Mae^azines, 6-c. 47 



King George as a Bird-Lover. — In connection with the coronation 

 ol tlie Ivnig ;iii(l Oiu'cn - the I^oyal Patrons of the R.A.O.U. — 

 members will learn with interest that King George is not only a 

 great bird-lover, but His Majesty possesses a good knowledge of 

 ornithology. The Queen shares with the King his love for birds. 



According to an English paper {The Daily Mirror), the King 

 has an aviary of small birds in addition to Canaries, chiefly 

 Gouldian Finches {Pocphila i^duhlia'), Si)otted-sided Finches 

 {Sta^aiioplciira guttata), P>aiul('d Finches {Slictoptcra lichenovii), 

 Sec. When he was at Marlhoiougli House tliis a\'iary was in a 

 room adjoining his bedroom, and it has now been removed to 

 Buckingham Palace, to an ai)artment close to the King's. The 

 King knows his birds individually, and to a large extent attends 

 to them personally, making real pets of them, his favourite being 

 a sj)rightly Australian species, a Cockatoo-Parrakeet {Calopsittaciis 

 novce-hollandicc). Strange to state, it was found as a " stray " 

 in the gardens of Marlborough House some years ago. Now it 

 sleeps in the King's bedroom, and delights to perch itself on 

 the King's finger or on his shoulder, and chatters in soft, con- 

 fiding voice, now and again repeating " Poor Joey," " Poor old 

 Joey." 



A New Petrel for Australia. — In the Proc. Linn. Sac. N.S. 

 Wales, vol. xxxv., part 4, 26th October, Mr. A. F. Basset 

 Hull, Sydney, has described a new Petrel, which he has named 

 (Estrelata niontana (Lord Howe Petrel). It is one of the largest 

 and most robust of the Gistrelata, and does not closely resemble 

 any other member of its genus. An adult skin and a series of 

 eggs were taken on 3rd June, 1910, for Mr. Hull by Mr. Herbert 

 Wilson, who also furnished interesting particulars concerning the 

 habits of the bird. The bird, which is locally known as the " Big 

 Hill Muttoii-Bird," breeds on Mount Gower, Lord Howe Island. 

 The mountain is 2,840 feet in height, and, together with Mount 

 Lidgbird, rising sheer out of the ocean, makes an imposing picture, 

 judging by the excellent photograph (taken by Mr. Hull during 

 a previous trip) which accompanies the article. There are three 

 other plates, from photographs by Mr. A. R. M'CuUoch, showing 

 the breeding-place of (E. niontana, an adult bird at entrance to 

 burrow under overhanging rock, and a downy nestling. The 

 locality was very rocky, with a few patches of cutting-grass. The 

 nests examined were in burrows some 6 feet in length, and mostly 

 in wet ground. No nest was found in the open, but many were 

 under the beetling boulders in inaccessible places. The nest 

 itself was a large accumulation of cutting-grass, in which the 

 single egg was almost concealed. All the burrows examined had 

 two outlets. Average dimensions in inches of an egg, 2.52 x i.g. 

 Mr. Hull is to be congratulated upon the work he is doing amongst 

 he little-known Petrels off our coast. 



