I06 Stray Feathers. [^ 



Emu 

 St Oct. 



Western Australian Notes. — A Lusus Natures. — On 

 Monday, the 2nd June, I shot, on the Canning River, near South 

 Perth, a Western Scarlet-breasted Robin {^Petrceca campbellt), 

 wholly white barring the red breast, and except a faint tinge 

 on the abnormal white feathers covering the crown of the head. 

 The eyes in colour were almost black. In his " Nests and 

 Eggs," p. 136, Mr. Campbell mentions a similar case of- this 

 Robin. Strange to say last spring-time I shot, at about the 

 same spot, a Long-billed Honey-eater {Meliornis longirostris) 

 which exhibited evidences of partial albinism. 



I also saw on the same day, and in the same locality, a pair of 

 Sacred Kingfishers (^Halcyon sanctus), or, if Mr. Campbell's pro- 

 visional new species can be established, then Halcyon ivestral- 

 asiau7is. I saw a pair of similar birds in the same locality 

 during last winter. 



Melissa Worshippers. — The banksia scrubs in and around the 

 Perth district (the trees of which are now bearing candelabra of 

 handsome crimson and honey-coloured cones) are alive with 

 companies of Tawny-crowned Honey-eaters, Brown Honey- 

 eaters, Singing Honey-eaters, Long-billed Honey-eaters, 

 Moustached Ploney-eaters, and the Little Wattle-Birds. 



Wood-Swallows. — The Wood-Swallows are still with us, and 

 doubtless will, as hitherto, remain all the year round. 



Bee-eaters. — The Bee-eaters, which arrived here last year in 

 the first week of October, left us in March. 



A Late Brood. — On Good Friday last (28/3/02) whilst at 

 Applecross, on the Swan River, near Perth, I observed two 

 young Swamp Hawks in the nest, being fed by their parents. 



Musk Ducks. — A company of these birds, numbering some 

 eight or nine, were moving about the shallows on the South Perth 

 side, about 100 yards from the course of the ferry boat. 

 My attention was drawn by a succession of " ponks," inter- 

 mingled with similar monosyllabic notes, which appeared to be 

 the same sound stripped of its resonance. The surmise proved 

 to be correct, as I plainly perceived. The " ponk " followed the 

 action of the bird (which appeared to be the male bird disport- 

 ing himself before the females) when he thrust his head quickly 

 under the water. Simultaneously with the thrusting of the head 

 under the water the bird struck the water with the feet and 

 swished the tail. The lighter and less resonant sound was 

 uttered above water, and was accompanied with a prolongation 

 of the neck and a lateral swish of the tail. It is quite probable 

 that the striking of the water with the foot, mentioned in the 

 former case, has given rise to the local idea that the sound was 

 produced by such action and not in the normal way. — A. W. 

 MiLLlGAN. Perth, 1 1/6/02. 



An Interesting Outing. — White-faced Ternlets, 

 Nankeen Herons, &c. — In November, 1900, I was invited by 



