Vo | 90 I 3 IL ] Stray Feathers. 69 



25th December (1898). — Bustards "calling" at night. 

 26th December (1899). — Male bird "strutting." 

 With the exception of two instances (16th June and 13th July) 

 all these records point to January, February, and March as the 

 nesting months here. The "strutting " and " calling " are also 

 confined to these months, with the end of December thrown in. 

 I can find no mention made of the " calling " by any authority. 

 It is only done at night, and consequently hard to prove. I may 

 possibly be wrong, but don't fancy so. The " call " is a soft, 

 hollow roar, which one finds hard to describe in words, but it 

 can be produced by contracting the lips to a circle just large 

 enough to insert the point of one's little finger and then pro- 

 nouncing " who-o-o-o," drawn out by expressing the breath fairly 

 forcibly, so that the sound is produced by the rigid lips and not 

 the roof of the mouth. — Fred. L. Berney. Richmond (N.Q.), 



I5/4/03- 



* * * 



Casterton (Vict.) Notes. — On two occasions I have noted 

 male birds of Brown Song-Lark (Cinclor ham phus cruralis) after 

 the others had left. They were shy and quite songless. 



In the latter end of winter last year I found Sparrows (intro- 

 duced) rearing broods in the deserted homes of the Fairy Martin 

 (Pctrochelidon ariel). 



Two seasons ago saw nest with two eggs of White-browed 

 Sericornis (5. frontalis) in a hanging fern in a bush-house. They 

 were finally deserted. This season they reared two broods in 

 a large pampas grass in the garden. 



Swallows (Hirundo neoxena) in great numbers have remained 

 here this year. 



Last year I saw large numbers of Tree-Swallows (Pctrochiledon 

 nigricans) " camping " on the dry sandy bed of the Glenelg 

 River. They seemed to be simply resting. As the weather was 

 warm, could it be that they were " cooling off " ? They were 

 all packed together and when alarmed flew away, only to return 

 in a little while. 



1 6th April, 1903. — Saw first Robin (Flame-breasted). — Ernest 

 A. D'Ombrain. 26/4/03. 



Descriptions of a New Xerophila and a New Acanthiza 

 from Western Australia. 



By Alex. Wm. Milligan, Perth. 



Some twelve months ago a single skin of a Xerophila, obtained 

 at Pindar, in the Murchison district of this State, was submitted 

 to me for identification by Mr. B. H. Woodward, F.G.S.,'the 

 Director of the Western Australian Museum. 



A careful examination disclosed that major specific differences 

 (hereafter mentioned) existed between it and the already described 



