Voi.^xi.-j MiLLiGAN, Description of a New Ptilotis. 125 



white faintly washed with yellow ; rest of under surface, including 

 ai)d(,)nien, sides of body, and under tail coverts, dark brown, 

 relieved with yellowish-grey striations ; irides dark brown ; legs 

 slate coloured ; l)ill black. Measurements in inches : — Total 

 length, 8.25 ; tail, 4 : t-uhnen. .75 ; tarsi, i. 



Observations. — The habitat oi this bird is Rottnest Island, off 

 Fremantle, Western Australia, where it is coninion. It is very 

 like Ptilotis soiiora in general appearance and colour markings, 

 but may be readily distinguished from that species by being more 

 rol)ust in all its pro})ortions. The under surface of the new bird 

 is uniformly dark brown, with striations, and lacks the whitish 

 abdomen and under tail coverts of P. sonora. There are also 

 many other minor differences in colouration. I have compared 

 a number of the skins of the new species with skins of P. sonora 

 from the mainland, Bernier Island, North-West Australia, South 

 Australia, and Victoria. The type is in the Western Australian 

 Museum, Perth, the director of which institution, Mr. Bernard H. 

 Woodward, F.G.S., was kind enough to place the skins at my 

 disposal. In the vernacular I suggest the name Rottnest Honey- 

 eater for the new bird. 



Stray Feathers. 



Frogmouths and Butcher-Birds. — While reading my brother 

 Harry's notes from Cape York, in The Emu, I was struck 

 by the partiality which the Manucodes evince for the Black 

 Butcher-Bird, apparently in almost every case building their 

 nests close to those of the Butcher-Birds. In this connection 

 it may be worth mentioning that some years ago, at " Coomoo.," 

 my brothers noticed a like partiality of the Tawny Frogmouth 

 {Podargiis strigoides) for the common Butcher-Bird [Cracticus 

 destructor). Numbers of the Frogmouths' nests were found one 

 season, and, if not placed directly in the tree where the Butcher- 

 Bird had its nest, were built in close proximity. Recognizing, I 

 suppose, the Butcher-Bird's pugnacious habits, the Frogmouths 

 took the opportunity of building near, so that the Butcher-Birds 

 should defend their neighbours' homes as well as their own. — 

 Ernest D. Barnard. Kurrajong, Gladstone (Q.), 29/7/11. 



Scolding Honey-eaters. — 1 notice some smaller l)irds have a 

 very keen eye and a good memory for their enemies, the Hawk 

 tribe. Some time ago I shot a Sparrow-Hawk which was making 

 itself a nuisance in the poutry-yard, and, not making good 

 work of the skin, threw it out on to a rubbish heap where the 

 winter's i)runing had been deposited. It fell down among the 

 branches for some distance, almost out of sight ; but it was not 

 long before it was discovered by some Fuscous Honey-eaters 

 {Ptilotis jusca). which assembled round the Hawk-skin, making a 



