OF VICTORIA. 



239 



INIay, 1896, Tunstall was the scene of a gathering of its 

 forces for migration. Several hundreds, if not thousands, of 

 birds were flying grouped overhead, doing what I believe 

 to have been the gathering of their forces. One of my 

 young friends, told off for special duty as a day watcher, 



\\\ 



it 



Fig. 53. Red-wattle Bird. One-fifth natural size. 



saw these birds return in company at 3 p.m. after being 

 away since 9 a.m. They made a short circuit, returned, 

 and finally flew off, not to return for a season. However, 

 all the birds of this species did not join the main body, as 

 I saw, six weeks later, two on familar ground, and appearing 



