Oct.,] 

 i9'5 J 



Field Naturalists' Club — Proceedings . 83 



Mr. F. G. A. Barnard said that, in common with other 

 members of the Club, he regretted the continued absence through 

 ill health of Dr. T. S. Hall from the meetings. It was well known 

 that our past president took a keen interest in the welfare of 

 the Club. At the recent Club visit to the University Biological 

 School, Dr. Hall, acting in the capacity of leader, had, he was 

 afraid, overtaxed his strength. No doubt it would be cheering 

 to him to receive some communication, written or oral, from 

 the Club, assuring him of the members' hearty wishes for a 

 speedy return to good health. He would move a resolution to 

 that effect. 



Messrs. Wisewould, Pitcher, Chapman, and the chairman 

 spoke in favour of the resolution, which was carried un. 

 animously. paper read. 



By Mr. G. A. Keartland, entitled " A Study of Birds at 

 Nesting Time." 



In detailing a number of interesting observations arising out 

 of a long study of birds at the nesting time, the author expressed 

 as his opinion that the same set of rules which influenced the 

 nidification of our domestic breeds also operated in the case 

 of wild birds. The dominant factor was the desire of per- 

 petuating the species, and this was as strong in the wild as in 

 the domestic stock. The cause actuating the male bird in 

 many species of the feathered tribe to destroy the eggs of the 

 female needed elucidating. The male Green Leek Parrot, 

 Polytelis barrabandi, was a pronounced malefactor in this 

 respect. The eggs he exhibited that evening comprised one 

 of several clutches destroyed by the male of a pair he had had 

 in captivity. The female, when in the wild state, circum- 

 vented this inexplicable behaviour of her mate by selecting 

 a hole wherein to rear her young which, whilst it afforded 

 sufficient room for him to descend and feed her, prevented him 

 reaching the eggs save by a frontal attempt, that she readily 

 and easily repulsed. 



Mr. J. Gabriel, in discussing the subject, stated that he had 

 known a female Grass-Parrakeet, Neophcnia elegans, to lay 

 thirty-four eggs (many more were broken) in a season whilst 

 in captivity, and a ("alifornian Quail to lay sixty-two eggs. 



NATURAL HISTORY NOTE. 



The president, Dr. C. S. Sutton, said that whilst standing at 

 a break in the mangroves bordering Kororoit Creek on Satur- 

 day, nth September, watching the movements of a beaver 

 rat, he noticed a Little Penguin, Eudyptula minor, in pursuit 

 of a shoal of minnows. The bird did not evidence the slightest 

 fear of him, and on several occasions followed its quarry almost 

 to his feet. 



