2l8 ^ stray FcntJurs. i^.^ 



Artmnus cinereus honey-eating, but they never, so far as I can 

 see, mob with the two previously mentioned. Gould makes no 

 mention of this habit of the Artami. — Fred L. Berney, 

 Richmond (N.O.), 18/9/02. 



Varied Lorikeet {Ptilosclera versicolor). — I am forwarding 

 a skin of a Lorikeet (female) obtained on the river here, where 

 during the past month it has been numerous, feeding on the 

 honey of the bauhinia blossoms and the river gums. Never 

 saw it on the ground except when down at water. It apparently 

 lives almost entirely on honey. One we caught, and which has 

 taken very kindly to captivity, is reported never to eat seed, but 

 to subsist on sugar and water, with perhaps now and again a 

 small portion of bread soaked in sugar and water. I examined 

 three specimens recently that suicided in a well. They were all 

 females, and, like the one I skinned, contained in their ovaries 

 only very minute eggs. The bird sent fell into the sheep water- 

 trough. I rescued it (only to make a specimen), when it 

 squealed so vigorously that in an instant I was standing in a 

 cloud of the Parrots, which settled on my arms, hands, shoulders, 

 and hat till they weighed down the broad felt brim of the 

 latter, almost to shut out my sight. There must have been two 

 or three dozen on me. It was a wonderfully pretty sight, and 

 I should much have liked to have caught the picture with a 

 camera. — Fred. L. Berney. Richmond (N.O.), 2/11/02. 



Fly LARV.ii in Living Squabs.* — At Distillery Creek, 

 about three miles from Launceston, a New Holland Honey- 

 eater built in a tea-tree, about 6 feet from the ground. The 

 nest contained three young, a few days old, with small pin 

 feathers in the wings, the body being still bare. On first look- 

 ing in the nest I thought one of the young birds was deformed. 

 On closer examination this was found to be due to large 

 maggots — one across the front of the bird's head, over the eyes, 

 another on top of its head, several under the skin on its body, 

 and one on its foot; there were also two in the legs, which gave 

 them a very deformed appearance. These maggots were just 

 under the skin, with the larger end out, and when touched 

 would draw themselves in. I removed nine from one bird by 

 pressing near where they were situated, and making them 

 protrude, then passing a pin through them. When removed the 

 wound discharged blood and a watery fluid. Two out of the 

 three birds were affected, yet appeared quite as healthy as the 

 remaining one. On going a few days after, one from which I 



* This occurrence is not uncommon among frogs and lizards. The larva- are 

 deposited by a difl'erent species of Diptera from the ordinary blow-Hy. — Eds. 



