Vol. III. 

 1904 



Carter, Birds Occurring in the Region of N.W. Cape. 2 I 



arc referable to that species, which apparently, therefore, extends across 

 the Continent. 



Note. — I am indebted to Dr. Hartert, of Tring, for pointing out to me 

 that I had inadvertently labelled skins of Falco lunulatus as F. melano- 

 genys, so probably the birds referred to in these notes as melanogenys 

 were all referable to the former commoner species. 



From a Tasmanian Notebook. 



By Frank M. Littler, F.E.S. 



Owing to various reasons, I was not able to do the amount of 

 outdoor work among the birds I would have liked during the 

 past summer. In the hope they may be of interest to my fellow- 

 workers, I lay some extracts from my note-book before them. 



Ground-Lark (Antkus australis). — While young are in the nest the 

 parent birds feed them almost the whole night. Lhe state of the weather 

 makes no difference. At this season of the year they are very cheerful ; 

 their call notes can be heard continually, especially during the night. 

 They appear to move about a great deal under the cover of darkness. 



SWALLOW {Hirundo neoxena). — On almost any moonlight night, while 

 there are young to feed, the parent birds sally forth and gather food for 

 their insatiable young. This goes on nearly the whole night. This 

 especially applies to those about farm-houses that have come under my 

 notice. 



On the 26th September a couple of days were spent in a trip 

 to Eastfield, some four or five miles south of Cressy, which is 

 about 2"/ miles south of Launceston. My object was to ascertain 

 how far the breeding season had advanced. The land comprising 

 the Eastfield estate is of an undulating character, about one- 

 half being under cultivation, the other half moderately wooded 

 with fair-sized trees ; there is practically no scrub. Along the 

 southern and eastern boundaries of the estate runs a fair-sized 

 permanent creek. Some of the country through which this 

 creek runs is somewhat flat, consequently the land is marshy 

 for some distance round. The banks of the creek and the 

 surrounding swampy flats are the haunts of many wild-fowl. 

 Many species of birds had not started to build at the time of my 

 visit. This I partly attribute to the extreme wetness of the 

 spring. 



The following birds were observed during my short stay : — 



Swamp-Hawk (Circus gouldi~).—Very plentiful, always hunting in pairs 

 over the flats, some flying low down, while others were sailing high up 

 on majestic wing. Why does this Hawk persistently turn somersaults 

 in mid-air every few minutes ? At the same time it utters a short, sharp 

 cry. The somersaults are not performed forward, but backward, with a 

 swerve to the left or right as the bird is recovering itself. 



SPOTTED Owl (Ninox maculatd). — A solitary specimen was found in 

 the centre of a young blue gum near the house. From evidence 

 this bird had been in the habit of using this nesting-place for some time 

 past. When I approached within about a yard it merely watched closely 

 every movement on my part, without attempting to stir. The friend with 



