Vol. IV. 



'905 



J Stray Feathers. 1 7 7 



Pallid Cuckoo obtained, in which the plumage is much diversified. 

 White predominates in its plumage, in many places tinged with 

 buff and brown, resembling the colour of sealskin. Brown and 

 white intermingle on the head ; the feathers of the mantle are 

 brown with buff tips ; the body feathers on the back are white 

 with brown centres ; the upper tail coverts are brown with whitish 

 edges, lanceolate in shape and ornamental in character, the ends 

 of the barbs being unconnected ; the tail feathers are sooty-brown 

 and deeply toothed with whitish. The throat is like the head ; 

 towards the lower part of the under surface the brown gradually 

 disappears, and on the abdomen all the feathers are white ; pri- 

 maries dark brown, toothed with white on the outer webs, and 

 having buff spots on the margins of the inner webs ; secondaries 

 similar to primaries but without buff spots ; wing coverts brown, 

 or brown with buffy tips ; lower surface of wings and tail grey, 

 toothed with white, except the lower wing coverts, which are grey 

 with wavy brown markings ; axillaries white, tinged with buff ; 

 iris brown ; feet horn-coloured ; bill yellowish-brown. Wing, 6.9 

 inches ; bill, i inch ; tarsus, 0.8 inch. 



Tern {Sterna bergii (?) ). — A young Tern was brought to my 

 residence on the 21st of March, 1904. As the bill was yellow and 

 the iris black and the tarsi and webs of the feet wholly black, I 

 assumed it to be an example of Sterna bergii, Licht. (Thalasseus 

 poliocercus, Gld.) It was in the pied plumage of the young of that 

 species. Back and wings mottled with sooty-brown and white ; all 

 the under surface white ; head black, and the feathers of the head 

 slightly elongated ; nape white. It lived on the premises until the 

 5th of August, but never attained the use of its wings in flight. 



Little Cormorant {Phalacrocorax melanoleucus). — This is the least 

 shy of the Cormorants which frequent the Derwent, and permits 

 one to approach within about fifty yards. A specimen received on 

 the i8th July, 1904, had the culmen brownish-black and the 

 remainder of the bill yellow ; feet black. 



Little Penguin {Eudyptitla minor). — 3rd November, 1903. — Three 

 Little Penguin's eggs from Bruni Island measure in inches as 

 follows : — (i) 2.25 and 1.60 ; (2) 2.26 and 1.64 ; (3) 2.25 and 1.65. 

 Another egg of this Penguin measures 2.36 inches long and 1.70 

 inches broad. A partially incubated egg of medium size weighs 

 about 2 ozs. — James R. M'Clymont, M.A. Sandy Bay. 



From Magazines, &c. 



Yellow-rumped Finch. — " A specimen of the extremely rare 

 Miinia flaviprynina, Gould, from North- Western Australia, pro- 

 bably the first living specimen ever brought to Europe, was ex- 

 hibited at the Crystal Palace Show, 25th, 26th, and 27th October. 

 The judge, taking it for a hybrid, awarded it only a second prize, 

 the first going to a specimen of the familiar Zonogastris vielha." — 

 Avicultural Magazine (Nov., 1904), p. 53. 



