46 Dove, Bird Kotes from- Tasmania. [^nd'^Tiiiv 



not know the. birds are there until right in amongst them. Even 

 then they do not care about moving far, and when forced to fly 

 often do so in silence, although at other times the famous " kling- 

 klang " notes (from which the species derived its name) are very 

 much in evidence. My friend has the idea that the assembly is 

 partly for the purpose of choosing mates for the ensuing season, 

 but I think this is not so ; the probability is that this fine bird, 

 once mated, retains his partner for life. It has struck me that 

 there may be some narcotic quality in the berries consumed at 

 this period, which may account for the comparative sluggishness 

 of this usually very alert species. 



An Unusual Visitor. — A loud, clear, oft-repeated double whistle 

 attracted my attention early in the morning of the nth Novem- 

 ber, and. on going out to inspect, I found a Caterpillar-eater 

 [Lalage tricolor) in one of the gum trees. He was very shy, and 

 flew on my appearing, but next morning was there again ; failing,, 

 however, to find a mate, to my regret he made a permanent 

 departure. During a long residence on the coast, this is the 

 first time I have encountered the bird. 



Is the "Summer-Bird" a Migrant? — Some months ago a 

 correspondent found fault with me (in a genial way) for referring 

 in some notes which appeared in The Emu to our Summer-Bird 

 or Small-billed Cuckoo-Shrike {Graucaliis parvirostris) as a 

 migrant. I was referred to Campbell's " Nests and Eggs of Aus- 

 tralian Birds," p. 97, in which the author mentions having 

 received the skin of a bird shot at Burnie in July, also that 

 numerous observers testified to having seen the species in mid- 

 winter. I admit the possibility of obtaining skins at that period. 

 Exactly the same may be said of the Fan-tailed Cuckoo [Caco- 

 mantis flabelliformis), yet no one will, I think, deny that at least 

 90 per cent, of the latter recross Bass Strait to winter on the 

 Australian mainland. My reasons for regarding our Graiicalus 

 as non-resident are briefly these : — (i) In springitme (September) 

 I usually notice small parties coming across Devonport from a 

 N.W. direction and passing away to S.E. or inland ; (2) in 

 autumn (March and April) small companies pass along this coast, 

 flitting in a leisureh^ way from one group of gums to the next, 

 but all coming from a general easterly direction and making west 

 to north-west ; (3) the very name by which the species is uni- 

 versally known" here indicates that the early settlers regarded 

 its advent as a sign of the approach of the warm season. 



Some Birds in the Bush. — In October Mr. L. A. Thruston and 

 myself had a run to the Gawler, on the North-West Coast, and, 

 while my friend tried his lures on the elusive trout, I went off over 

 hill and dale to find the Gawlei Falls. After breasting a long 

 hill with wooded bank on one side and deep timbered gully on 

 the other, I reached more open country, and saw a nice lot 

 of Firetails {Zoncegintlms bellus), whose delicately-pencilled 



