172 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



Whistling Eagles, Brown Hawks, and Nankeen Kestrels passed 

 over the camp. The White-throated Gerygone, G. albigularis, 

 hopped about the logs and fences with the Brown Tree-creepers, 

 Climacteris scandeu.s, and the Red-capped Robins, Petrceca goode- 

 novii, were seen in the scrub, but the Maluri were conspicuous by 

 their absence. On picking up a local newspaper to pack some of 

 our specimens, I discovered an advertisement notifying that any 

 persons trespassing on the estate on which our camp had been 

 pitched would be prosecuted, but my alarm was allayed by our 

 pilot, who had thoughtfully obtained an exemption in our favour. 

 On the return journey we called and partook of tea with the 

 owner, who has kindly given us another invitation for next year. 

 Since our return some nice young parrots of several species have 

 been sent us, which will enable further information to be obtained 

 concerning the stages of moulting. 



The BuTCHER-niRD, Cracticus destructor, Temm. — Though 

 familiar with the Butcher-bird, locally known as the " Derwent 

 Jackass," I was not aware until early in October last that it 

 sometimes follows the same practice as some magpies in flying 

 savagely at any passer-by. While going through some scrub near 

 Kongwak' township I was attacked by this bird, which snapped 

 its beak viciously in passing, emitting at the same time loud notes 

 of remonstrance. It made repeated darts and snaps at me until 

 I was out of the scrub, and instead of perching well out of reach, 

 as the magpie usually does on such occasions, it lit on low twigs 

 only a few feet away from me. Again, in contrast with the mag- 

 pie, which usually gives no warning of its intended dart, this 

 Butcher-bird was all the time very noisy and excited. On that 

 occasion I had not time to look for the nest, but later on, after 

 some searching, aided by the greater vehemence and celerity of 

 the attacks, I found it and three young ones almost fully fledged. 

 The nest was a poorly-built one, in an exposed position, against the 

 trunk of a sapling, and part of it had apparently been blown down. 

 Two of the young birds were in it when found, while the third 

 was on a twig near the ground. The parent birds — female as 

 well as male, and not the latter only, as is the case with magpies 

 — were very savage, while I was looking at and handling the 

 young ones, and continually struck my hat sharply with their 

 beaks in passing backwards and forwards close behind each 

 other. I brought away what appeared to be a male bird, and 

 kept it for some days, feeding it on beetles, cockroaches, spiders, 

 grubs, worms, lizards, and raw fresh meat, and the quantity of 

 food of this kind it ate was surprising. It is now in possession 

 of a fellow-naturalist in Melbourne. I might also mention that 

 most of the magpies in this locality, both near and a long dis- 

 tance from the township, seem to belong to the pugnacious class. 

 — A, E. KiTSON, Geological Survey Camp, Kongwak. 



