86 LlTTLKR, Notes on Some Birds Peculiar to Tasmania. [ Is foct. 



(3) 1^ in. x 1 in., (4) if in. x f in. This so-called " Jackass" 

 is a very familiar bird, either to dwellers in town or country. 

 Its favoured haunts are thickly timbered tracts, where it can 

 find an abundance of both insect and animal life to satisfy its 

 wants. It is a familiar object around bush dwellings, where, 

 w th its loud or discordant notes, it strikes terror into the hearts 

 of chickens and cage birds. Woe betide the latter if their cages 

 are not properly fastened over by an outside cover of fine wire 

 netting against the long hooked beak of this marauder. Dwellers 

 in towns are also visited and their cages robbed. So far as my 

 observations go, the autumn and winter months are when the 

 " Jackass " is most frequently seen about town gardens. A 

 Jackass " is much in favour as a pet, being either caged or 

 allowed the run of the garden, where it does good. work among 

 many noxious insects. A young bird may, by dint of persever- 

 ance, be taught to whistle scraps of airs with a certain degree 

 of accuracy. The food of this species consists of large insects, 

 mice, and small birds. To some considerable extent it may be 

 ranked among the beneficial species. During the winter it may 

 often be observed picking scraps of fat oft sheep and other skins 

 hanging on farm fences. Like its English cousin, our Butcher- 

 Bird often impales its victims on long thorns. In many instances 

 each bird has its particular bush which it uses as a larder, and 

 this is usually near its nest. Recently I came across a larder 

 which consisted of two callow nestlings of some small bird, the 

 remains of a mouse, and a number of large beetles. On another 

 occasion a couple of Sparrows were found impaled. The Butcher- 

 Bird does not at first kill its victims, but impales them alive, 

 for he knows well that dead bodies soon decay, and, as a rule, 

 he does not like his game " high." The notes of the Butcher- 

 Bird are hard to describe, they being rather " a jumble of dis- 

 cordant sounds." Nevertheless, the vocal efforts of a number of 

 these birds singing in the early morning are far from being 

 unpleasant. The notes are very loud, and can be heard for some 

 considerable distance. 



Yellow-throated Honey-eater (Ptilotis fLavigularis). — This is 

 one of the finest of our Honey-eaters ; the general tone of its 

 plumage is more handsome than the majority. It is fairly well 

 distributed over the island, in some districts being fairly plentiful, 

 while in others, where the nature of the country does not suit, 

 it is rare if not altogether wanting. The plumage of the species 

 is marked as follows : — The upper surface, including wings and 

 tail, is olive-yellow ; the crown of the head, breast, ear coverts, 

 and under surface are all dark grey ; some of the ear coverts are 

 tipped with yellow ; the chin and upper part of the throat are 

 bright yellow ; the abdomen and flanks washed with olive ; bill, 

 legs, and feet alike black. There is practically no difference in 

 the plumage of the female, but in point of size she is somewhat 

 smaller than her mate. 



The nest is cup-shaped and somewhat deep, the materials 



