Vol. IV. 

 1905 . 



Stray Feathers. I J 5 



here at all this year, owing, I think, to the lack of winter rains. 

 One clutch of Duck's eggs was found in a creek close to the home- 

 stead, and in due time four young ones were brought out. Needless 

 to say there were not molested. 



The Brown Hawk is very rare this season. The Brown Quail is 

 just commencing to lay, and one will often start a pair getting 

 their simple though cosy nest ready. 



I saw a most interesting case of devotion on the part of a Black 

 Crow-Shrike {Strepera fuliginosa). A pair built a nest in some trees 

 close to the house, and when the young were hatched I used to watch, 

 with great interest, the parents feeding them. They both objected 

 to my surveillance very much, and used to fly to and fro past me, 

 almost striking me with their wings, and uttering loud cries. One 

 day, slightly annoyed at their clamour, I seized a small stick and 

 struck at one as it passed. Unfortunately, I struck it on the pinion 

 and it fell, unable to fly, to the ground, and ran quickly away. I 

 was very sorry for this, both on account of the poor bird, and also 

 for the young, fearing that the other parent, when it discovered 

 the loss of its mate, would probably desert them. But not so. 

 Next day I saw the one bird feeding its family, and it continued to 

 do so until they were fledged. After the birds had flown, happening 

 to go into the heart of the scrub, I saw two Black Crow-Shrikes 

 perched on a bough. I startled them, and they both flew a short 

 distance. One of them was the bird that I had hurt, as I noticed 

 that the pinion was injured, but it had so far recovered that it was 

 fairly strong on the wing. I presume that the bird had both 

 procured food for its young and also for its suffering partner. 



The Brush Bronze-wing [Phaps elee^ans) is very plentiful, and if 

 caught will get very tame. 



The Pacific Gull and Sooty and Pied Oyster-catchers are nesting 

 in fair numbers round the coast. — J. D. Maclaine. 5/1 1/04. 



Birds Observed and Bird-Skins Examined in 1903 and 1904 

 NEAR HoBART. — Long-tailed Blue Wren {Maliirus goiildi). — 9th 

 March, 1903. — -Two male Blue Wrens in a transitional stage of 

 plumage are seen. They take flight and maintain a fight on the 

 wing. A few light-blue feathers are visible below the eyes and a 

 few black feathers on the upper part of the breast. Black feathers 

 are continuous on the hind-neck and form a half-ring. 



Lesser White-backed Magpie {Gymnorhina hyperleuca). — 2nd 

 January, 1903. — I have had an opportunity of examining the skin of 

 a young male Gymnorhina hyperleuca about three months old. 

 The general colour of the back is ashy-grey, like that of the adult 

 female, but a few of the feathers on the back have brownish tips ; 

 the wing coverts are black and white ; the two outer tail feathers 

 are also parti-coloured, the outer webs being black and the inner 

 webs white, except the distal third of each feather, which has both 

 webs black. The lower wing coverts next the body are silky 

 white ; those farthest from the body are black, as also are the 



