Vol. xix.-j Alexander, Changes in Colour of Bill of Mooi'-Hen. ^Q 



I do not know whether tlie legs and feet undergo similar 

 changes, but, whereas the adult Black Moor-Hen has green legs 

 with bright red coloration on the joints, the immature birds 

 collected by Mr. Carter had feet and legs described in the male as 

 olive-green and in the female as grass-green. What colour are 

 the legs of the chicks ? I would suggest that some of The Emu'?, 

 coloured plates be devoted to hitherto unligured nestlings of 

 some of our common species, which would probably be of more 

 value to members of the R.A.O.U. than pictures of rare birds 

 from North Queensland and Northern Territory, which they are 

 never likely to see. 



Notes from Western Australia. 



By W. B. Alexander, M.A., Perth (W.A.) 



I. Grey-headed MoUymawk {Diomedea chrysostoma). — A specimen 

 of this bird was picked up on the beach at Fremantle in June, 

 1917, by Mr. F. L. Stronach, and is now in the Western Austrahan 

 Museum. This is, as far as I can ascertain, the first definite 

 record of the species from Western Australia, though the seas of 

 this State have been included in its range in most lists of Aus- 

 tralian birds, presumably on theoretical grounds. The name of 

 Grey-headed Mollymawk, or Albatross, seems to me much more 

 satisfactory than Flat-billed or Culminated as a vernacular for 

 this species, since its grey head differentiates it from all the other 

 Australian species, whilst the bill is closely similar to that of the 

 Yellow-nosed Albatross, and the differences which exist can only 

 be recognized on careful comparison. 



2. White Egret [Herodias alba syrmatophora). — This l)ird is 

 recorded in all the books as occurring throughout Australia and 

 Tasmania, but it is certainly very uncommon in the south-west, 

 and the only definite record of its occurrence here which I can 

 discover is the entry in Ramsay's " Tabular List," indicating 

 that a specimen from Western Australia was in the Australian 

 Museum in 1888. (Ramsay's hst is, however, not always reliable.) 

 There were no specimens from the south-west in the Western 

 Austrahan Museum collection until recently. In February, 1917, 

 one was received from Bremer Bay, on the south coast, about 

 TOO miles east of Albany, where it was shot by Mr. R. Wellstead. 

 In March, 1919, two male birds out of a small flock were shot on 

 Herdsman's Lake, near Perth, and are also now in the Museum. 

 I am informed that in April, 1919, another party visited Herds- 

 man's Lake, where I hope they were not molested. 



Quite a number of water-fowl which are common in south- 

 east Australia are rarely, if ever, met with in the south-west. 

 It is possible that some of these are only now finding their way 

 down occasionally from further north. As an instance, I may 

 mention that the White Ibis has not yet been recorded from this 

 State except in the extreme north (though many books give its 



