64 Lighthouses and Bird Observations. f ^ 



Emu 

 t Oct. 



do not strike the light with great force, and usually remain about 

 the lantern till daylight and then fly away. I have never found 

 birds dead about the tower. The kinds that come are all land 

 birds. I have never observed any sea birds near the tower, 

 day or night." 



Mr. G. P. Huxley, Superintendent, Currie Harbour (King 

 Island), writes : — " It is very seldom that any birds strike this 

 lighthouse other than small sea-birds, and then only in calm, 

 thick, rainy weather. They chiefly strike it on the west side, 

 but not hard enough to kill themselves." 



Mr. Wm. Hawkins, writing from South Bruni, states : — " There 

 are no migratory birds in this locality excepting the Mutton-Bird, 

 which appears in September and departs the latter end of April 

 or early in May. In reference to birds striking the light, there 

 have only been two occasions that I recollect. On both occasions 

 the birds were Bronze-winged Pigeons and were stunned by the 

 impact." 



From Cape Wickham (King Island) Mr. Superintendent G. 

 Johnston writes : — " The direction of birds striking the light is 

 varied ; in fact, I have reason to believe that this will not be 

 a guide as to the direction of flight. For instance, a bird may 

 be flying north and raise or lower its flight until it gets into the 

 focal plane of the light, when it flies straight at it, perhaps at 

 right angles to its previous flight. This is accounted for by 

 catching small birds (that gather round the light in fine overcast 

 weather) and putting them low down under the balcony. No 

 matter how they take off, when they rise to the focal plane of 

 the light they dash at it, sometimes from the opposite direction 

 to that which you release them. Migratory birds that strike 

 the lantern are Ducks of different species. Swans never strike 

 the lantern, although they often fly past N.W. or S.E. about 

 sundown — a sure indication of S.E. winds. Have made notes of 

 this for 25 years and have never known it wrong. The half- 

 caste islanders on the eastern side of Bass Strait always remove 

 their boats for S.E. weather on seeing Swans fly over. The 

 weather is always more or less overcast when birds strike the 

 lantern ; never to my knowledge in clear weather. The names 

 of birds known to gather round the lantern in fine overcast 

 weather are : — Flame-breasted Robin, Pink-breasted Robin, 

 Dusky Robin, White-eye (Zosterops), Olivaceous Thickhead, 

 Pallid Cuckoo, Bronze-Cuckoo, Larks, Ground-Parrakeet, and 

 Summer-Bird (Graucalus), and on two occasions Bronze-winged 

 Pigeons. Some larger birds flutter on to the lantern, but never 

 strike hard enough to disable themselves. I will be pleased to 

 forward any time information that the Union may request." 



Mr. Tom Iredale, of Christchurch (N.Z.) writing under date 

 30/7/04 to the Hon. Secretary of the Aust. O.U., states: — "I 

 noticed in the daily papers here that notices had been distributed 

 to the lighthouses, and was very pleased, as I am certain much 

 that is new will be the result. I am an Englishman, and have 



