'^°gj^'] Dove, Some SoutJiern Swallozvs. 1 9 



Some Southern Swallows. 



By H. Stuart Dove, F.Z.S., West Devon port, Tasmania. 



Our spring equinox, in late September, proved very wet and 

 stormy, and on the evening of the 23rd, after a day indoors, we 

 were just at sunset strolling up and down the verandah, search- 

 ing the face of the sky in the endeavour to discover what the 

 morrow would bring forth. There had been an unpleasantly 

 moist wind from the eastward^ — that is, off the sea — all day, 

 accompanied by a constant drizzle of small rain, and now, as 

 the sky cleared somewhat at sunset, a strange commotion was 

 visible up aloft. A rapid scud of stratus cloud flew over from 

 the northward, from the direction of Bass Strait and the Aus- 

 tralian continent, and this was sandwiched between two layers 

 of cloud, both of which came from the south-west, usually our 

 fine quarter. All were flying over in detached pieces only, so 

 that the direction of each was plainly visible. After a while, 

 and before daylight had faded, the scud from the Strait seemed 

 to be lifted high and become cirrus, while on earth a south- 

 westerly wind sprang up, and all the lower clouds sailed with it. 

 In the midst of all this cyclonic disturbance, there appeared, 

 high up over the tops of the tall stringybarks, some brave little 

 Wood-Swallows {Artamus sordidus), newly arrived from over 

 the water ; they did not seem to be at all disturbed by the 

 elemental warfare just described, but sailed gracefully on their 

 distinctively broad pinions, some tracing whole circles, some 

 half-circles, others gliding along in straight lines. Were they 

 making a survey of their new territory, and settling upon likely 

 spots, in their mind's eye, for summer abodes and nesting-places, 

 or had they struck on a calm space between the opposing 

 winds, and were there coursing the insects which had lighted on 

 the same haven .-' The Wood-Swallow is our one Tasmanian 

 representative of the family Artamidae, and section Starling- 

 like Passeres, " distinguished by the possession of 10 primaries," 

 the first rudimentary. This structural difference divides it from 

 our other two Swallow visitors — the Welcome and Tree 

 Swallows — which possess 9 primaries. Its manner of flying is 

 quite characteristic among its relatives, as it sails gracefully, 

 quite in Starling fashion, taking short flights from tree to tree, 

 or to stump or fence. This bird betrays no fear, preferring the 

 clearings to the forest, and is a universal favourite on account of 

 its graceful movements and familiarity. We have known an 

 occasional settler shoot a few because he said they ate his bees, 

 but we suspect it was the drones only which were taken. Very 

 few birds willingly take a stinging insect unless the latter is first 

 disabled from some accident. Mistakes are sometimes made, 

 too, through casual observers confounding the " eristalis " or 

 " drone-fly " with the honey bee. The former is very bee-like, 



