62 Campbell, The Yellow-breasted Bush-Chat. \J^ 



Emu 

 Oct. 



plumage and black band at once attracted attention, but the 

 mode of life was very different from that of E. aitrifrons. Whilst 

 the latter delights in searching for its insect food amongst salt- 

 bush, or on the ground, E. crocea is more at home in the branches 

 of trees about 15 or 20 feet high, where it hops about searching 

 for insects, either in the bark or on the foliage. Occasionally the 

 birds may be seen on the ground. They do not appear to associate 

 in flocks, like any of the other species of the genus, but each works 

 on its own account. Their nests are built in the usual cup-shaped 

 form, and the one from which my set of eggs was taken was placed 

 in a thistle about four feet high." On the other hand, the late 

 Mr. Price Fletcher (" Bush Naturalist ") stated that in the neigh- 

 bourhood of the Gulf of Carpentaria he usually observed these 

 birds frequenting marshy and long grassy swamps instead of the 

 dry plains, as do the other EphthianuraS or Bush-Chats. 



The range of Ephthianura crocea, at present known, is North- 

 West Australia, Northern Territory, and Queensland. 



Traffic in Wild Birds' Feathers.— Notwithstanding that feathers 

 and down are prohibited articles, at present, in the United 

 Kingdom, quantities of wild birds' plumages are still arriving 

 there, and, it is stated, chiefly through enemy-alien agents in 

 British oversea dominions. If this be true, it is scandalous. The 

 ever- watchful and indefatigable Mr. James Buckland has 

 addressed a circular letter on the subject to members of Parlia- 

 ment and to the leading newspapers in the United Kingdom. 

 The following strong reference to the matter appeared in The 

 Humanitarian for May last : — " It is a matter for great satisfaction 

 that among the articles of which the importation was forbidden 

 (under an order issued on 23rd February, 1917) are included 

 ' ornamental feathers and down.' It is sincerely to be hoped 

 that this prohibition will not be removed when the war is over.' 

 The importation of hundreds of thousands of pounds weight of 

 wild birds' feathers annually, at a time when there is a shortage 

 of food, has long been a public scandal of the first magnitude ; 

 the more so as this trade in the plumage — that is, in the destruc- 

 tion of birds — is in every way cruel and wasteful. It is to Mr. 

 James Buckland, whose unceasing labours in this matter are well 

 known, that the thanks of all humanitarians and lovers of 

 bird-life are primarily due for the suspension of this hideous 

 traffic." 



