no Stray Feathers. [J 



Emu 

 Oct. 



Nesting of Black-fronted Dottrel. — About the first week in 

 January, 1917, when on the banks of the Yarra River, near 

 Heidelberg, I noticed a pair of Black-fronted Dottrels [Mgialitis 

 melanops), and, after watching them for some time, saw the 

 female bird approach her nest and sit on the two eggs, which she 

 had left on my arrival. I then took a stand a little distance off, 

 partly hidden from the birds, and noticed the female return to 

 the nest and sit on the eggs for a short time and then leave again. 

 This she did several times ; but at other times when she went 

 to the nest she seemed to place a small drop of water on each egg, 

 but did not sit on them when she did that, and when I examined 

 the eggs I noticed the water. This she did on several occasions, 

 and, as the day was very hot and the eggs were exposed to the 

 sun, I was wondering whether the bird moistened the eggs with 

 the idea of better protecting them from the heat of the sun. 

 They were well advanced in incubation. I would be glad to 

 know whether any other bird observer has noticed the same thing. 

 — Donald Thomson. 



* * * 



Magpie-Lark. — Concerning that little favourite, the Magpie- 

 Lark (GraUina picata), the following incident may be of interest. 

 Behind my house is a box-tree in which a pair of these beauties 

 build. During the very dry spell last year they used a little 

 puddle-hole near my window for their " pug," which they made 

 from collected grass (very small pieces), and mud, hut only one 

 operated at a time. The male, carrying his quota of building 

 material, would fly in a bee-line for the nest, and immediately on 

 his arrival the female would leave the nest on the other side in such 

 a manner as to give the casual observer the impression that the 

 one bird flew right through the tree and out the other side. My 

 friend, Mr. H. Burrell, considers this to be a means of protective 

 deception on the part of the birds. It certainly seems like it, 

 especially as it was difficult, even at a distance of five j^ards, to 

 distinguish male from female, owing to their very muddied throats 

 and breasts. I am convinced that the birds understood all the 

 principles of the Monnier system of reinforced cement in mixing 

 the mud with grass. — T. J. Redhead. The Vicarage, Manilla, 



N.S.W., 2/7/17. 



* * * 



Simulation of Death by the White-eared Honey-eater {Ptilotis 

 leiicotis). — I was, during the season, greatly interested in the 

 wonderful mimicry of death by a female White-ear at Ferntree 

 Gully. In a dense thicket of dogwood [Prostanthera lasianthos) 

 I came across a very deep, cup-shaped nest of this Honey-eater 

 suspended from the frail branches .of a dogwood. It was, as 

 usual, beautifully constructed of dry grasses and strips of dry 

 bark, and lined with a very thick mat of black wallaby hair, and 

 contained two young birds, apparently about a couple of days 

 old. Whilst admiring the beautiful cradle, the female flew into 



