I 70 Stray F eat hey s. [^^^ 



Emu 

 April 



A surveyor friend of mine told me that while out surveying 

 near Perth he found a nest of a Fawn-breasted Kingfisher with 

 big young ones in that had been attacked by termites, or white 

 ants. The young birds were just alive, and were coated with mud 

 by the termites, and the entrance to the nest blocked up, and their 

 mouths also closed with mud by the insects. 



There is a pretty little Black-and-White Fantail (Rhipidura 

 tricolor) which had a nest in an old garden by the river and in her 

 nest were two young ones, but one was the ordinary colour and 

 the other pure white. — Lance Le Souef. South Perth (W.A.) 



Yellow-throated Honey-eaters. — The cool, showery season 

 which has been experienced this summer in our Island-State appears 

 to favour not only a rank growth of vegetation, but also a some- 

 what abnormal production of bird-life. When Mr. H. C. Thompson 

 and myself went on a little exploring trip the other day to the 

 banks of a river, we were struck with the great numbers of Yellow- 

 throated Honey-eaters {Ptilotis flavigiilaris) which haunted the 

 tea-tree scrub near the stream. It was an ideal spot for birds, 

 masses of tea-tree, prickly wattle, and above these white gums, 

 affording splendid cover for various species. There was a fair 

 number of " New Hollands," and a Spinebill or two, but the Yellow- 

 throats were in such preponderance as quite to overshadow all 

 others. Every bush, almost, into which we looked contained some 

 of these fine birds, and the air was melodious with their notes. 

 Their tameness was remarkable ; in one instance our eyes were 

 close to an individual comfortably ensconced in a bush, the bird 

 sitting quietly there as if not at all objecting to a close examination. 

 May this Eden long remain unmolested ! — H. Stuart Dove. 

 W. Devonport (Tas.), 11/2/05. 



Bird- Visitors to the Botanic Gardens, Melbourne. — In 

 cleaning away water weeds it has been found necessary to partly 

 drain the lake in the Gardens, and it is surprising how quickly 

 native birds have discovered the food exposed upon the mudbanks 

 and along the margin, and come in some numbers to feed, with 

 but little concern, within a few yards of onlookers. No less than 

 15 species were noted just a week after the draining commenced. 

 The Bald-Coot {Porphyrio melanonotus), the Coot {Fiilica aiistralis), 

 of which there were a great number of young ones, the Rail {Hy- 

 potcenidia philippinensis), the Little Crake {Porzana paliistris), the 

 Magpie-Lark {Grallina picata), the Reed-Warbler (Acrocephahis 

 australis), and the Little Grass-Bird {Megalurvs gramineus) are 

 probably always present in the reeds and rushes ; but such as the 

 White-necked Heron {Ardea pacifica), the White-fronted Heron 

 (Ardea novcp-hollandice), the Little Cormorant [Phalacrocorax melano- 

 leiicus), the Black Duck {Anas super ciliostis), the White-eyed Duck 

 {Nyroca australis), the Teal [Nettion castaneum), the Bush-Chat 



