3l6 Stray Feathers. [.s^Apui 



to be seen ; a bit of slicll at the [(^ot of the tree probably had 

 reference to the bird in the nest. Two days later the nest was 

 empty, with no clue pointing to the cause. At a guess I should 

 say some bird was to blame ; the gentle small boy has (or had) a 

 habit of taking nest and all. — A. H. Chisholm, State Seeretary. 

 Daily Mail, Brisbane. 



Drought and Bush Fires.~C)ne liardly reahzes the loss and 

 suffering to bird-life in Queensland during the severe drought. 

 Over a considerable extent of country many birds completely 

 disappear — whether they migrate to more favoured districts, or 

 whether they die out, is difficult to say. For instance, near 

 Duaringa, inland from Rockhampton, the Beautiful Parrakcet 

 {Pscphotiis piilcherrimus) was once plentiful, but a severe drought 

 took place in igo2, and the birds have not been seen since in 

 that district. We easily realize, also, how stock suffer and die. 

 Even human beings are hard pushed at times. When travelling 

 from Townsville to Prairie, near Hughenden, I counted, on an 

 average, about 50 empty bottles to the mile, alongside the railway 

 line on the 200-mile journey. The countr}^ there was mostly 

 open and lightly timbered, and it was only near the coast that we 

 passed through ranges. The Galahs, or Rose-breasted Cockatoos, 

 come to drink in the evening, and often in pairs ; although large 

 flocks of these birds assembled round the water at one time, they 

 belonged to different flocks ; the same applied to the other birds. 

 Birds evidently recognize one another, as they alwa3'S seem to 

 join the flock they belong to, whether large or small. I noticed 

 that, when the birds drank, they mostly put their beaks well into 

 the water, showing that they were evidently very thirsty. The 

 sheep arriving in small lots at the water troughs were in the same 

 thirsty state apparently, as many gave a short run when they 

 came close to the troughs. It was interesting to find ancient 

 fossils near the FHnders River and other places, which reminds 

 one of millions of years ago, when the Sea-Lizard, which was 

 over 20 feet long, lived ; also the ancient shell Ancylocera, and 

 many others. Probably there was no bird-life then as we know 

 it to-day. Bush |ires account for the destruction of many young 

 birds, as, at the time of my visit to Prairie, in October, mucli 

 of the country alongside the railway line had been burnt ; pos- 

 sibly the railway engine was largely the cause, and birds nesting 

 on the ground or in low bushes must have suffered considerably ; 

 but this trouble occurs in most parts of Australia. — 1). LESouiiF. 

 Zoological Gardens, Melbourne. 



