N'INUX. 307 



to climb up and see if she had laid. When I was about halfway up out flew an Owl, so of 

 course I thought I was sure of getting a set of eggs, and imagine my disappointment when I 

 saw the young ones. In the nest was the hind half of a young rabbit. Before climbing this 

 tree I had visited the other nesting tree I knew of, the one where I took my set of three eggs 

 last year, and was fortunate enough to flush this bird by throwing sticks; the result was another 

 set of three eggs almost fresh. I did not see the bird fly from the hollow ; she must have done 

 so after I had thrown a few sticks and then walked away a few yards to gel some more; while 

 1 was gathering these I heard a peculiar noise, which appeared to come from the opposite bank 

 of the river. I turned round, thinking it was a small dog, as the noise resembled a half bark, 

 half growl, such as a small dog utters when \ery frightened. I could see nothing and hear 

 nothing, so thought I must have been mistaken. I threw another stick, then I heard the same 

 peculiar noise again. 1 then knew it must be the Owl; just then two Ptilotis pcnicillata arrived, 

 and in their usual manner soon showed me the Owl. When nearly up to the nesting hole one 

 of the birds came and perched upon a branch within forty feet of me, and started the peculiar 

 growling noise again, which slowly changed into the well known call note of " Boobook, 

 mopoke," uttered about half a dozen times, at interxals of a few seconds, and in a very low tone. 

 I just kept quiet and watched her for a few minutes, when she flew into a neighbouring tree. 

 While I was sitting under the tree blowing the eggs, the other Owl arrived, and the two of them 

 sat together and held forth the note ' mopoke, mopoke, mopoke,' about twenty times very quickly 

 and loudly, such as f have never heard it before. It sounded so strange to hear the well known 

 note in broad daylight. \'ou will see from these notes that it is not only the Boohook Owl that 

 has the ' mopoke ' call." 



During a visit to Cohborah Station, Mr. .Austin climbed on thei2th October, lyog, to a 

 ne-ting place of a pair of these birds in a large Red Gum-tree, on the bank of the Talbragar River, 

 and from which he had previously taken two sets of three eggs, and found two young birds. 

 The nesting-place was fully seventy feet from the ground, and the place where the eggs were 

 deposited about two feet six inches from the entrance, and which he informed me contained the 

 usual mass of fur, bones, Ovc. The pair of Owls were seen sitting in the nest tree. 



Mr. G. A. Keartland, of Melbourne, \ictoria, has sent me the following note :— '■ Winking 

 Owls (Ninox connivcns) are sometimes seen in the vicinity of Melton, \'ictoria, where 

 they pass the day in the crevices between the rocks, or in the thick foliage of the bushes on the 

 margin of the creeks. Twice I disturbed them from rabbit burrows in the bank of the river, 

 when using ferrets for rabbits. Mr. .Vlex. M'Innes dislodged one from between two rocks on 

 the Werribee River, and on examining the spot the bird had just left, discovered a fresh egg 

 lying on a few dry gum leaves, .\nother friend, Mr. Percy Bond, informed me he found 

 an egg of this bird in a rabbit burrow, about eighteen inches from the entrance, from which his 

 ferret had just driven the Owl, which was shot." 



Dr. Ernest D'Ombrain writing me on the Owls of the Casterton District, Victoria, 

 remarks:— " -V/w.v I o;»/KY7is is quite plentiful here, but I regret I cannot tell you much of its 

 habits in the wild state. It is often caught in the rabbit traps by the legs, and on two occasions 

 I have had live examples so taken. The killing and destruction of rabbits by poison, and so of 

 many birds, is thus responsible for the destruction of vermin killers, and in the shape of Owls 

 by traps also. The legs are very stout and strong, also the talons. The eyes are large, and 

 have splendid bright yellow irides. There is a constantly repeated wink, hence the name. I 

 am quite positive that this Owl utters the cry of 'boo-book,' for my specimen used to call thus, 

 and I frequently assured myself of the fact." 



The eggs are usually three in number for a sitting, but sometimes only two are laid. They 

 are of a rounded-oval in form, pure white, and rather coarse-grained; this roughness, 

 however, is usually due to numerous small rounded and short linear limy excrescences, although 



