164 Pescott, Reprodtictiov of Terrestrial Orchids, [vorxxxiv 



growth by producing a flowering stem. Even so, a juvenile 

 tuber is capable of becoming a parent tuber in its second 

 season, before it has produced a flower. 

 [To he continued.) 



The Home of the Black Cockatoo. — " Wanda," in an 

 interesting article in the Argus of Saturday, 2nd February, 

 gives some account of a visit paid to the uninhabited country 

 beyond the Grampians along the upper reaches of the Glenelg. 

 He speaks of it as one of the homes of the Black Cockatoo, which 

 he regards as the queen of the forest. He says : — " Curiously, 

 the first cockatoo I saw was the Gang-Gang. The Gang-Gang 

 is one of the prettiest of the black Cockatoos. A flock of three 

 flew away in front of me. Then, through the trees, but never 

 above them, came a flock of seven of the Funereal Cockatoos. 

 They were calHng loudly as they flew, evidently in protest 

 against our desecration of their home. We were passing through 

 a dense forest of Swamp Gvims— small, undersized, gnarled 

 trees. Here and there grew a Wild Cherry tree, always close 

 to a gum, for it is a botanical theory that the cherry is a 

 parasite on the gum, and unless it mingles its roots with those 

 of its host it will not thrive. W'e passed into denser comitry. 

 It was early summer, but the place had all the appearance of 

 late spring. I never saw such a wealth of flowers. The 

 Grampians arc famous for their wild-flowers. Wild violets 

 decorated the side of the track, while sarsaparilla trailed over 

 every log. We were within half a mile of the Glenelg when 

 we passed an old stump of a tree. It had been burned by a 

 fire, and was only some ten or twelve feet high, ivight on 

 the top was a Black Cockatoo. I could hardly believe my 

 eyes. There she sat until we got within a few yards of her ; 

 then she flew away, my boy remarking — ' She is nesting,' and 

 so she was, and in a most curious place. Evidently, from th(> 

 manner in which she stuck to the nest, the eggs were nearly 

 hatched. The nest could have been reached with very little 

 trouble, but I was not a collector, so, not wishing to worry the 

 parents, passed on. It was a striking tribute to the loneliness 

 of the jjlace, and its extreme (luictness. A little farther on we 

 came to a small group of the birds on a small honeysuckle 

 (Banksia) tree They were at their usual work of tearing oft 

 the seeds and flowers of the tree. They do this to practically 

 aU the trees in the forest." 



Aboi'T Members. — ^Mr. E. ( ). .\rmytage, late of Beacons- 

 field, has been severely wounded while serving as lieutenant in 

 the famous Scottish regiment, the Black Watch. Dr. W. 

 Macgillivray, of Broken Hill, has enlisted, and is \M)\\ in Europe 

 with the A.A.M.C. 



