294 SriDOhrU, Birds Observed near Wellington. ffi^l^ru 



28. Grey Duck (Anas superciliosa) , Parera. — Frequents the 

 Hutt River, and occasionally the harbour about I'oint Howard, 

 Lowny Bay. 



IMollymawks ( ? species) ^•ery rarely enter the harbour. 

 Whale-birds (Prions) sometimes are picked up dead on the 

 beaches after storms. A couple or so years back a Bittern 

 (Botaunis poiciloptilus) , and a White Heron {/i<rnfta alba) 

 were shot near the mouth of the Hutt River, but none of 

 these can be claimed as inhabitants of the district, only chance 

 visitors, which, in the case of the \\'hite Heron, may not occur 

 again for a lifetime. 



Of introduced birds, all more or less common, there are many. 

 They are: — Song Thrush (Tardus niusicus) ; Blackbird (Tjir- 

 dus nieriila) ; Hedge Sparrow (.Iccentor modularis) ; Goldfinch 

 (CarducHs carduclis)\ Greenfinch (Lignriniis chloris) ; House 

 Sparrow (Passer do)iiesficus) ; Chaffinch (Friugilla coelehs) ; 

 Redpoll (Linota rufescens) ; Yellow-hammer (Eniberiza citrin- 

 ella) ; Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) ; Indian IMyna (Acridotheres 

 tristis) ; Skylark (Alauda arvensis) ; Black Swan (Chenopis 

 atrata) ; Rock-dove (descendants) (Columba livia) ; Californian 

 Quail (Lopliortyx californiciis) ; W'hite-backed Magpie (Gym- 

 norhina hypoleuca) — a total of sixteen. 



I do not claim the above list to be complete. It is quite prob- 

 able that other species of birds may be found — for instance. 

 Dottrels, or some of the migratory shore birds. I have men- 

 tioned, however, all I have myself noted, or had authentically 

 reported to me by careful and reliable observers, especially Dr. 

 C. M. Hector and Mr. H. H. Travers, to whom I am much 

 indebted. 



Great Bower-Bird and its playthinjfs.— I notice in Dr. Mor- 

 gan's interesting account of his trip to Xorth-W'estern Australia, 

 in the January number of the South Australian Ornithologist, 

 where he found several bowers of the Great Bower-Bird 

 (Chlamydera nuchalis). He states there that he noticed that 

 the birds in collecting glass, stones, etc., for ornamenting the 

 back and front of the bowers, put the same coloured article in 

 each patch, one being of dull green glass, another of lumps of 

 charcoal, and so on ; the colour of the glass in each patch was 

 exactly the same. I have noticed in the bowers of these birds, 

 not far from Cape Yorke, where the birds, having no glass, 

 stones, etc., to collect, got flowers instead, they being very plen- 

 tiful, but the birds did the same thing with the flowers: each 

 patch they made was formed of flowers of the one colour, and 

 altlKJUgh I saw many jiatches, they never mixed i^he colours, as 

 far as I knew of, practically doing the same as Dr. Morgan found 

 in North-Western .'\ustralia. Possibly other members may have 

 noticed the same thing with other r.owcr-Birds. — W. Lk Souef. 



