Vol. III. 

 1903 i 



Stray Feathers. 5 9 



of the black variety in the nest, and they were both black. Mr. Le 

 Souef tenders the same evidence. About Cairns it is very 

 noticeable that whilst the brown variety favours the stunted 

 scrubs along the sea shore, and even haunts the mangroves a 

 great deal, the black one prefers the deeper shades of the jungle 

 proper, or the melaleuca swamps. I have hitherto felt quite 

 satisfied that they were two distinct varieties, but after what 



I saw on the 21st ult. my opinion has been shaken. 



* * * 



Snakes on King Island. — No account of King Island would be 

 complete without reference to the snakes, both copper-headed and 

 tiger, so frequently met with in moist places. Before a collector 

 has been an hour at work he would have material for several 

 " snake yarns," though the reptiles are not now as plentiful as 

 they were in former years. Credit can hardly be given to the 

 statement that bracken fern is so thickly matted that snakes can 

 travel as easily along the top as on the ground ; but a visit to the 

 island, and the meeting with several snakes sunning themselves 

 breast high, will convince the doubter. When hunting about one 

 morning for a Robin recently shot, I found a snake "pointing" the 

 dead bird, possibly contemplating making my prey his. Another 

 sight of which I was witness suggests the probability of there 

 being method in the way a snake procures its food. A number 

 of small birds (Wrens, Scrub-Wrens, and Tits, eight in all), 

 actively jumping about in a bush and scolding their loudest, 

 proclaimed the presence of an enemy. If the snake had not been 

 disturbed from its position on the top of a tussock, it would 

 doubtless have had an opportunity of fascinating or striking at 



one of the birds when it came within reach. — A. G. Campbell. 



* * * 



" The Development of Colour in the Definitive Feather." — 

 When concluding the note on Mr. Le Souef s paper {The Emu, 

 vol. ii., p. 196) the conjecture was put forward that " to arrive 

 at a satisfactory conclusion .... microscopical research 

 into the structure of living feathers will have to play a large 

 part in the inquiry." Since writing this the news comes that 

 science has taken a prominent part in the discussion of the 

 " moult or no moult " question, and that the microscope has 

 been effectively used to solve some of its problems. In 1899 

 Dr. R. M. Strong, a thoroughly qualified histologist, began a 

 series of investigations into the development of colour in feathers. 

 As the work was done in the famous Harvard Zoological 

 Laboratory, where every facility for proper observation is at 

 hand, where none but a thoroughly qualified man would be 

 employed, and where everything is under the direction of Dr. 

 E. L. Mark, the results should be reliable. Remiges from living 

 birds, feather-germs, and dry feathers were used. The results 

 are embodied in a technical paper (under the above title) by the 

 investigator (" Bulletin Mus. Compt. Zool.," vol. xl., No. 3, 

 pp. 146-186), and are accompanied by nine plates. Dr. Strong 



