230 Strax Feathers. 



1st Jan. 



crowded out by the lusty youngsters. It was most amusing to 

 watch his antics wliile I was takin<T the pictures. He tried his 

 best to shield his progeny trom my view, but failed utterly. It 

 was not until the young were well grown, about the eighth or 

 ninth day from the egg, that the hen bird allowed me to snap her. 

 The youngsters had huge appetites, and both parents were fully 

 occupied feeding them. It was most interesting to note how the 

 young were fed in their proper turn. Although I watched for 

 some time, I did not detect a single instance of a young one be- 

 ing fed out of its proi)er turn. — K. M. Cornwall, R.A.O.U.,. 

 Mackay, O. 



Stray Feathers 



The "White Gallinule" (Xotornis alba), an extinct bird. — In 

 addition to the Dinornis, or Moa, there is another Australasian 

 bird— once, it is said, fairly common on Lord Howe and Nor- 

 folk Islands — which has also become extinct, namely, the "White 

 Gallinule" {Notornis alba), which is described and figured in 

 "Phillip's Voyage to New South Wales," published in 1789. 

 "This beautiful bird" (says the account given in the famous 

 "Voyage") "resembles the Purple Gallinule in shape and make, 

 but is much superior in size, being as large as a dunghil (sic) 

 fowl. The length from the end of the bill to that of the claws 

 is two feet three inches ; the bill is very stout, and the colour of 

 it, the whole top of the head and the irides red. The rest of the 

 plumage is white, and the legs red. This species is pretty com- 

 mon on Lord Howe's Island, Norfolk Island, and other places, 

 and is a very tame species." The male was said to have haji 

 some blue on the wings, therefore, apparently, this description 

 refers to a female s])ecimen. One "A. Latham" is the artist re- 

 sponsible for the painting of the "White Gallinule" reproduced 

 in "Phillip's Voyage," and it is doubtless the first drawing made 

 from a specimen of this long-extinct bird, the tameness of which, 

 coupled with its limited range, no doubt assisted in sealing its 

 fate. The compilers of "The Voyage" gratefully acknowledge 

 the assistance they received from "Mr. Latham" as regards the 

 descriptions, etc., of the birds and beasts figured in it, and there- 

 fore Latham is probably the individual responsible for the de- 

 scription of the "White Gallinule." A s])ecimen of this extinct 

 bird is said to exist in a museum at Vienna. It corresponded, 

 no doubt, to the Notornis of New Zealand, once believed to be 

 extinct, but which, I think, is still seen occasionally in remote 

 parts of that country. Birds of the Notornis species have a re- 

 markable resemblance to the Bald Coot, but are built on a much 

 larger scale. There is apparently no record of the time at which 

 Notornis alba became extinct, but in all probability the mutineers 

 of the "Bounty" during their residence at Lord Howe Island 

 used this bird as food, and so helped in its extinction. — H. V. 

 Edwards, R.A.O.U., Bega, N.S.W. 



