THK VICTOKIAN NATURALIST. 157 



on he came with the doleful tale that his cat had got four of the 

 five as they practised their flight. It seemed a hard trial for the 

 parents. 



In the Ibis for July last year appears an article on a bird, 

 classed Turdus iliacus x Titrdtis pilaris, appearing in a wild 

 state in nature. Now, such a similar state of affairs has just been 

 brought under my notice. The male bird was a Blackbird, 

 Turdus merula, the female a Thrush, Turdus mnsicus, and 

 their nest was placed in a climbing rose-bush, some 8 feet from 

 the ground, last November. The colour and markings of the 

 eggs were not noted, but the young descended in the maternal 

 line, so that the egg-shells would probably be of the thrush type. 

 At an early date one young one died, and being found barely 

 beneath the sandy soil adjacent, my friend supposes the parents 

 buried it there, which seems natural. When the remaining three 

 were ready to fly one tumbled out of the nest, was hurt, put back, 

 and died. The others were handled, and the sensitive parents, 

 being offended or frightened, deserted, and all died, and were 

 duly buried instead of being handed over to me. 



The Goldfinch, Carduelis eleyans, Stephens, is now a well- 

 known bird. Annually in August it arrives in different parts of 

 southern Victoria, and spends the spring and summer with us. 

 Quickly breaking up their flocks, they settle to house-building, 

 and lay five to six coloured eggs in each, one being laid daily. 

 The eggs are much opposed to the standard whites of all our 

 finches. In February plain-plumaged birds are found among the 

 company, indicating that the young birds have not donned the 

 gayer plumage of maturity. 



The Greenfinch, Coccothraustes chloris, Linn., was introduced 

 to this colony nearly twenty years ago; at least, I know of one 

 which was in the possession of a bird fancier from 1879 to 1893, 

 when it died, apparently of old age, and is believed to have been 

 totally blind for a considerable time before. 



The Greenfinch has learned the new course of its annual 

 migration, or instinctively took to it at once, for yearly it arrives 

 in this district late in July or early in August. Then begins the 

 supposed call of the Cicada, but we are all deceived, for it is the 

 finch. I fell into this trap on its first visit to us, and did not 

 know it until the following year, when I wanted Cicadas and 

 could only find finches. " No matter what other birds may be 

 tuning their lays, the harsh monotone of the Greenfinch, if one be 

 near, will be heard among them, harmonizing with none, and 

 suggestive of heat and weariness." So writes the Rev. C. A. 

 Johns, in "British Birds in their Haunts." With "want of 

 harmony" I do not agree as concerns Australia, for the call of 

 our Cicada has broken the once wearisome monotone of the 



