^^^P^-'l Field Naturalists' Club — Proceedings. 67 



not think the parent Swallows threw the young out of the nest 

 to avoid the heat, being of opinion that the young birds throw 

 themselves out in their efforts to escape the heat of an adjacent 

 roof. 



Mr. H. B. Williamson desired to congratulate Miss Currie 

 on her paper, and suggested that, in view of the great variety 

 of birds to be met with in the district, an excursion be 

 arranged for the locality. 



Mr. F. Keep asked whether the statements made from time 

 to time about the cruelty of the Kookaburra were true. 



Mr. P. R. H. St. John, in reply, said the Kookaburra fully 

 deserved all the hard things said of it. He had not heard 

 before of the Brush Wattle-bird mimicking other birds. 



Mr. J. Gabriel said that he had recently seen numbers of 

 Zosterops at his grape-vines, but, as they continued visiting 

 the vines long after all the grapes had been picked, he con- 

 cluded they were searching for insects. He remarked that he 

 had recently seen a Brush Wattle-bird in the Botanic Gardens, 

 where they had become very tame, taking sugar from one of 

 the tables near the tea-house. 



. Mr. E. E. Pescott said that the Kookaburra was of consider- 

 able service to gardeners on account of its practice of kilhng 

 Miners, &c. ; at the same time he had to admit that it is a very 

 destructive bird among the smaller native birds. 



Mr. J. Gabriel mentioned the rather unusual case of a White- 

 fronted Heron making its home in Studley Park. 



Mr. J. Searle considered this was due to the Heron having 

 found a pond well stocked with tadpoles and yabbies (fresh- 

 water crayfish), and mentioned the peculiar habit these birds 

 have of disembowelhng tadpoles before eating them. 



Mr. St. John remarked on some unusual bird visitors to the 

 Botanic Gardens, and said that he had recently shot a fine 

 Darter on the lake. Only the second time this bird had been 

 seen in the vicinity. 



In reply to a question by the president as to the difference 

 between the Bell-bird and the Bell Miner, Mr. F. E. Wilson 

 said that the Bell-bird is never seen in Gippsland, its habitat 

 being the north-western parts of the State. He imitated the 

 notes of the two birds, showing the difference between them, 

 and said that the common Starling was an excellent mimic, 

 and its powers are such that if Starlings are known in the 

 locality no ornithologist should record a bird on hearing the 

 note only, as it may only be a Starling amusing itself, and he 

 was inclined to think that the Bell Miners mentioned by Miss 

 Currie as visiting her garden, being very shy birds, were 

 recorded by the note alone, which was probably produced by 

 a Starhng. 



