136 Records of Grampian Plants. [^^ 



ict. Nat. 

 Nov. 



tyros who believe thoroughly in the late Baron von Mueller's 

 '* Key " as a working text-book. I am not aware that it has 

 been superseded. — I am, &c., 



A. G. CAMPBELL. 

 Pomonal, via Stawell, 2^th October, 1910. 



Birds and Plantations. — In his " Bush Notes " in a recent 

 Australasian (loth September). " F. R." describes, in an inter- 

 esting way, the evening arrival of various kinds of birds at one 

 of the plantations which are becoming a feature of our Western 

 District plains. The plantation in question was only about an 

 acre in extent, and was composed chiefly of sugar gums and 

 acacias, with a few white gums. None of the trees were more 

 than twenty feet in height, but were all well-grown and leafy. 

 When he reached the spot a few minahs had already arrived. 

 Then came the White-eyed Trow, followed by magpies up to 

 the number of at least two hundred. A Harmonious Thrush 

 put in an appearance, then a pair of Restless Flycatchers and 

 a number of Yellow-rumped Tits ; then came parrots by the 

 score, Rosellas and the Blue-headed Grass-Parrakeet. The 

 former bird seems to have become much more common during 

 recent years. A pair of Black-and- White Fantails retired into 

 the depths of the foliage, and their pretty and characteristic 

 song — " sweet-pretty-little-creature " — would probably be heard 

 at intervals through the night. Blue Wrens were followed by 

 English goldfinches, which are becoming quite common on the 

 Western plains, and, fortunately, cannot be accused of any mis- 

 deeds. The Grallina, or Mud-Lark, turned up in large numbers. 

 This bird is an eminently useful one, clearing, as it does, the 

 small pools of the fluke snail, &c. Honey-eaters, re]H"esented 

 by the familiar " Greenies " and a pair of New Holland Honey- 

 eaters, arrived from another plantation. On another visit a 

 few weeks later scores of Flame-breasted and Scarlet-breasted 

 Robins were noted. As he confined his attention to one corner 

 of the plantation only (as moving about would have probably 

 frightened the birds), it is quite possible other species were also 

 present ; but the foregoing list will be sufficient to show the 

 value — at any rate, to the birds — of the plantations, which are 

 gradually altering the character of the treeless plains of Western 

 Victoria. 



Australian Heterocera. — Under the heading of •' Rhynchotal 

 Notes," Mr. W. L. Distant describes, in the October Annals and 

 Magazine of Natural History, about a dozen new species of 

 Australian wood-bugs, belonging to the family Pentatomidae, 

 from various parts of Australia. One of them, Austromalaya 

 sou'efi, is named in honour of Mr. D. Le Soucf, who forwarded 

 the specimen to the British Museum from Cooktown. Oucens- 

 land. 



