36 T/ie t^oiitli Austrnlian Ornitholoyiral AssoriaHon. 



iu great hopes that the animals would soou multiply. Mr. J, 

 \V. Melloi- reported that birds were mating late this season. 

 He had seen the young of brush wattle birds, harmonious 

 shrike thrushes, and white-plumed honey-eaters, quite lately. 

 The imported starlings have been more plentiful than ever, 

 and were sweeping off the fruit in spite of all efforts to pre 

 vent them. The Chairman directed attention to a letter from 

 iMr. Clarke, of Kangaroo Island, asking if he could obtain some 

 great brown kingfishers to liberate on the island. All present 

 agreed that it was risky to introduce any animal into a country 

 hitherto unknown to it, lest it should change its habits. Mr. 

 F. R. Zietz exhibited a specimen of the red-tailed tropic bird. 

 It had been forwarded to the Museum by Mr. Bradley, of Gran- 

 tala Farm, near Port Lincoln. The bird had been flying 

 round for several days. This is a new record for South Aus- 

 tralia, and the first ever known to have appeared in South 

 Australian waters. Mr. Zietz pointed out that when this bird 

 was being skinned no aural canals could be found. Upon Dr. 

 Morgan examining it, he stated that the wandering of the bird 

 out of his habitat may be attributed to this. Mr. J. W. Mellor 

 stated that the magpies were keeping up their raids upon the 

 young sparrows, and that they had diminished the imported 

 pests very much. The rest of the evening was taken up by 

 Mr. Frank Parsons iu describing a recent trip on the Murray 

 River, and the birds in the vicinity of the New South Wale.s 

 border. A few very nice skins were shown to illustrate the 

 birds found there. 



FEBRUARY 2Sth, 1910. 

 Capt. S. A. White, C.M.B.O.U., presided. Mr. Robert 

 Beck was proposed for membership. Dr. A. M. Morgan men 

 tioned that the blnck-throated giebe had mated twice in the 

 Botanical Garden lake this season, and said the old idea that 

 grebes could not walk on land was exploded, for he had seen 

 these birds in the gardens obtaining pieces of vegetation some 

 little distance from the water, and then returning with it to 

 their nest. The doctor exhibited a neat pair of collapsible 

 scales which he had made. He .said he had found it difficult 

 to get scales which would pack away in a small space for 

 travelling. He was using the scales in connection wTtL the 

 brain weights of birds which he was now investigating. Mr. 

 Edwin Ashby was welcomed back from Americii. This mem 

 ber stated that he was under the opinion that the swift lori- 

 keets {hdthatiiiiK (lisieolor) had visited Blackwood again thi» 



