30 stray Feathers. \_JC]l\y 



Effects of Rabbit-poisoning on Birds. — Hawks, 

 Ravens, and Magpies, so far as I have observed, do not eat 

 the poison at first hand. Crows, and more rarely Magpies, 

 attack the carcasses, going straight for the stomach, which 

 probably in most cases contains a quantity of unoxydized 

 phosphorus, ready to burn whenever the contents of the 

 stomach are dry enough. The birds get the benefit of this, 

 and succumb. The roosting-places of the Crows are marked 

 by their bodies in the morning, but the Magpies die all 

 over the place. The Hawks seem to act as complete 

 scavengers, except that they leave the digestive organs alone. 

 The Hawks seen about the flats just now are rarely seen at 

 any other season. Fights between Crows and Hawks are 

 common, especially about 6 a.m. Two Crows will attack one 

 Hawk, not very savagely, but just enough to let him know 

 that his presence at a distance is desired. The Hawks 

 generally accompany the Cockatoos (Sulphur-crested), which 

 put an end to sleep anywhere within a mile. I have never 

 seen enough Cockatoos' feathers to lead me to think that 

 the Hawks had killed one. So far as I have noticed, the 

 Cockatoo is pugnacious until figliting begins. I think many 

 of the farmers' friends could be saved from self-destruction 

 if the farmers would bury the rabbits. This could be done 

 to advantage by pushing them into the burrows near at 

 hand. A forked stick is the only tool required, and, as a 

 rule, a round of the paddock after each poisoning will suf- 

 fice. — James Wilson. Tawonga, Vic. 



Western Notes. — I bought a young Red-tailed Cockatoo 

 the other day from a man who took it from the nest at Mt. 

 Malcolm. It was a Calyptorhynchus stellatns, and died, but I am 

 getting an older one from him, which has lived for some time 

 in captivity. I have a lovely pair of young Kites, I think the 

 Square-tailed. There are a fine lot of Hawks over here. I am 

 nearly certain that I saw a Grey Falcon {Falco liypoleucus) a day 

 or two ago. Mr. Hall does not give it as found here. It flew 

 just over my head, with a fine mullet, about 2 lbs., in its claws, 

 and I particularly noted the black centres of the feathers. The 

 Whistling Eagles nest within a couple of miles of the Zoo, and 

 often fly over with fish, and one went last season with a big 

 snake (black, I think). I went shooting the other day, and saw 

 a, lot of Emus ; they live in very poor country, and seem, from 

 their droppings, to live principally on cranberries, or Emu berries, 

 as they are called over here. On the plains I noted Singing 

 Honey-eaters, and also two other kinds which I couldn't identify; 

 they were miles from water. There are many Bustards up 

 there, and in the jarrah belts many Twenty-eight or Yellow- 

 collared Parrakeets and Red-capped Parrakeets [Porphyro- 



