70 Stray Feathers. Tisffur 



Cuckoo's Eg-jfs. — Some interesting notes made on a Cuckoo 

 during the deposition of its eggs appear in British Birds for 

 March. The author, Mr. Edgar Chance, kept a single female 

 tmder observation throughout the whole of this time, which 

 lasted until no fewer than twenty-one eggs had been laid. All 

 were droi)ped, at intervals of forty-eight hours, into the nests of 

 IVIeadow Pipits, save in the case of the fifteenth egg, for which 

 the nest of a Tree-Pipit was selected, there being no Meadow- 

 Pipit's nest available. Deposition always took place in the after- 

 noon, and an egg was never left in a nest until after the first 

 egg of the foster-parents had been laid. On each occasion, after 

 dropping her egg into the nest, she removed one of her dupe's 

 eggs, and this was either swallowed at the nest-side or borne 

 away and disposed of. Api)arently only when forced by dire 

 necessity will she leave an egg in a nest in which incubation has 

 commenced. — From Xature. Xo. 2683. Yo]. 107. 



State Secretaries' Reports 



OL'EEXSLAXD. 



As was forecast in last report, the handsome Xative Companion 

 (Antigone) has been transferred from the list of partially pro- 

 tected birds, and given sanctuary for the whole year throughout 

 Queensland. This action was taken by the Government chiefly 

 on the initiative of the Central Queensland Xative Birds' Pro- 

 tection Association, a bodv whose activities could be emulated 

 v/ith advantage in country centres throughout Australia. 



It is a custom of this Rockhampton association to conduct an 

 essay competition on birds in the schools of the district each year. 

 This will be repeated during the present year, but the associa- 

 tion has gone one better l)y offering a prize of five guineas for 

 the best essay on ''The X'alue of l>irds to the Man on the Land.' 

 the competition to be ojien to "all-comers" throughout the State. 

 Another very useful custom of the association is the periodical 

 advertising in the press of information relating to close and open 

 seasons for bird.-. They have done this for the past five or 

 six years, and so weakened the excuse of poachers, who say 

 they "didn't know it was close season." The last successful 

 prosecution conducted by the association ( tiirough Mr. P. \'. 

 Maloney. hon. secretary) was against a man who shot two Bus- 

 lards (Plain Turkeys)' two davs before the scascMi opened. The 

 Police Magistrate, in inflicting a fine of £3. said it was quite 

 common knowledge that the association had been making groat 

 efforts for years pa>t to protect birds. 



