Bird Notes. 45 



Legs and feet, blackish brown. Tris, pale yellow. Total 

 length of skin, 100 m.m. ; wing, 5:> ni.ni. ; tail, 4(5 ni.ni.; tarsus^ 

 20 ni.m. ; cnlmen, 12 ni.ni. 



Adnlt Female — The white superciliary stripe commences 

 at the base of the bill, the black frontal band being absent and 

 the triangnlar patch in front of the eye bnffy grey. The breast 

 feathers have a broader and more cmispicnons shaft streak. 



(lonld slates — t""Specimens from the Hontnmn's Abrolhos 

 are of a snmller size and a mnch greyer tint on the back, and 

 have mnch darker colonred legs." 



The grey upper surface and the almost white underside, as 

 well as the darker colouration of the bill, legs and feet, are 

 \ery cons]iicuous distinguishing features between this and the 

 mainland bird; but, according to measurements, there is very 

 little difference in size. Another sub-species ( *S'. nianildtiis 

 liitlsfoni) has been described by Grant''' from the Bernier 

 Islands, but as material and des(ri])tions are not available, 1 

 am unable to compare it \\'\fh this hir<l. 



Bird Notes. 



Bv J. W. :\Iell<)r. 



l)ecend)er 2. — The Shepherds' Companion { Lcucocirca tri- 

 color) which started to sit on Novendier 19, for the third time 

 this season, in a lemon scented ])ine near my back door at "Mel- 

 lor Park," hatched out her young on December 2. and on Decem- 

 ber 1!) the four young birds left the nest and were fed by both 

 parent birds. 



December 13. — Six black swan flew over Lockleys in the 

 evening, coming from the north and going south. Several 

 young white-backed mag|)ies hatched late in November, left 

 (he nest while yet quite young and barely able to Hy, but 

 happily they succeeded in growing u]). 



A White-plumed H(»ney-eater ( !*fih>fuhi pciiU-Uhiht irJiifri] 

 nested at my bedroom window early in Decend^er and hatched 

 out two young which ai-e now only quai-ter grown, but. owing 

 to the cold wet weatliei- that has at times i»revailed, the bii-d 

 li;is had an extremely hard time In sitting. The two ]iarent birds 

 In-ing food for the little mites; ai)h!s, scale blight, and tlu^ like, 

 seem to be the chief food. The hen may l»e sitting to kee]> the 



tGould'ii Handbook, Birds Auritr. i., 1865, p. .361. 

 *Bun. Rvit. Oni. Clu1>, xx'iiit, 19(>9, p. T2. 



