58 stray Feathers-. UTwy 



Extended Distribution of Phaethon rubricauda. — A specimen of 

 the Red-tailed Tropic-Bird was found dead upon the South Arm 

 beach of the estuary of the Derwent River, Tasmania, on 25th 

 February, 1917, the specimen being passed on to me by Mr. Geo. 

 Griffiths while still in a fresh condition. Apparently it is a new 

 record for Tasmania, and its most southerly recorded range to date 

 It was an adult female, in perfect plumage, but in poor fleshy con- 

 dition, there being no fat between the skin and the trunk. I 

 should say it was a prey to the easterly gale blowing about the 

 time of its death. Buller has reported that specimens have been 

 washed ashore on the North Cape of New Zealand as the result of 

 easterly gales. It is only an occasional visitant to the North 

 Island of New Zealand, while southern Tasmania is in a much 

 higher latitude, and quite beyond the range of the normal habitat 

 of the species. — Robert Hall. 



Myzantha garrula. — ^The writer has been but one month in 



this glorious north-west of New South Wales. Bird-life is 



remarkably plentiful, and, whether from the abnormally prolific 



season or not the writer does not claim to know, many young 



broods are still to be found. On the i8th inst. he witnessed a 



stirring example of the strong parental love of the Noisy Miner 



{Myzantha garrula) for its young. One of the parent birds had 



just fed the young brood when a fine specnnen of the Brown 



Hawk [Hieracidea orientalis) swooped down, and, seizing a young 



one, flew off with the plump young bird. The unfortunate 



parents vigorously attacked, daring to even light on the back of 



the rapidly-flying Hawk, from whose suspended legs hung the 



intended victim. As the trio disappgared through the timber 



the shrieking parent was on the back of the Hawk, fiercely but 



unavailingly pecking the feathers of the bird of prey, who was 



hotly pursued by scores of other noisy birds, but chiefly Miners 



and Grallinas. — S. A. Hanscombe. " Gleness," Warialda Railway 



Station, ig/2/17. 



* * * 



The Allied Harrier. — While on a driving trip along the north- 

 west of Tasmania in December, 1916, and January of the present 

 year, in company with Mr. W. G. Buck, we were greatly struck 

 with the large number of Harriers {Circus gouldi, Bp.) which were 

 visible during our journey. Almost every large paddock appeared 

 to have its individual or pair of these fine Hawks hunting over 

 it for prey. This increase in numbers we attribute to two reasons 

 — (i) owing to the heavy rainfall of spring and early summer, 

 there was a great growth of green feed and a heavy yield of grain, 

 and a proportionate increase in the rabbits and rats which form 

 the chief prey of the Harrier ; some of the stacks we saw had the 

 sides and thatch riddled with holes made by the bush rats. (2) 

 A great many of the farmers' sons, who carry guns and have a 



