v°'-_;'^' ] Slyay Feathers. 211 



a fit rival to any Bower-Bird. Just al)out sunrise, when we were 

 sitting at our breakfast round the camp fire, the bird came, and 

 the entertainment only ceased when we had to leave the camp. 

 The calls most easily identified and perfectly rendered were those 

 of the Wedge-tailed Eagle, Black-backed Magpie, Butcher-Bird, 

 Blue-faced and other Honey-eaters, and Red- breasted Babbler ; 

 but his repertoire embraced several other birds, which the Oriole 

 was apparently only learning, and could not render aright. — 

 Ernest D. Barnard. Kurrajong, via Gladstone (Q.), 23/9/11. 



* * * 



Birds Killed by Lightning. — Apropos of the remarkable discovery 

 lately in the Northern Territory of a cave containing the remains 

 of 40 or 50 aborigines, sujijiosed to have been killed by a flash of 

 lightning (however, other causes may be assigned for this native 

 holocaust), the following incident may be of interest : — Some 

 years ago our member, Mr. H. L. White, was travelling along 

 the Braidwood road, about 2 miles out of Goulburn, when a heavy 

 thunderstorm came up, and he saw a flash of lightning pass 

 through a large flock of Ibis {Carphibis spinicollis), killing 30 of 

 the unfortunate birds. It is the first time I have known of such 

 an event having been observed. Ibis, like most Waders, fly in a 

 fairly compact company, which will account for the heavy 

 mortality. — D. Le Souef.. Melbourne. 



* * :•: 



New Eggs from the Mallee District, Victoria. — Appended are 

 the descriptions of the eggs of two new sub-species, according to 

 Mr. Gregory Mathews, of Australian birds : — 



Diaphorillas striatiis howei. — Clutch two to three ; texture of 

 shell fine and glossy, and the colour pure white, with small spots 

 of reddish-brown and lilac fairly distributed, but inchned to a 

 zone about the larger end. Measurement in inches : — (i) .81 x 

 .6, (2) .81 X .61. This pair I took myself from a nest in a small 

 bunch of porcupine grass. Locality, Kow Plains, Victoria. 



Podargus rossi. — Clutch two, elliptical in shape, colour pure 

 white ; texture of shell fairly coarse and glossy, and is very 

 minutely pitted. Measurements in inches : — (i) 1.7 x 1.23, 

 (2) 1.73 X i.ig. Taken by myself at Underbool, North- Western 

 Victoria. Another set measures — (i) 1.64 x 1.2, (2) 1.59 x 1.23. 

 — F. E. Howe. Canterbury (Vic), 10/12/11. 



* * * 



Swallows Nesting on Railway Train. — There have been recorded 

 some curious nesting-places for the Swallow [Hirundo neoxena), 

 but I do not recollect a moving train being mentioned. Recently, 

 Mr. Brown, fireman, at the station (Somerville) drew my attention 

 to a Swallow's nest buflt on the iron framework on the under 

 part of a carriage (second class portion). I felt the inside of the 

 nest, which was warm and contained five eggs. The train is in 

 motion twice a day — from Stony Point to Mornington Junction 

 and back (15 miles each way). Occasionally the train goes on to 



