Vol. xvii.-j sfy^y Feathers. 237 



Babblers and Sparrows. — Last month my son heard, early in 

 the morning, a company of White-eyebrowed Babblers {Poma- 

 tostomus supcfciliosiis) making a great row outside our back 

 door. On inspection he found that one of their number was 

 up a small gum-tree in which was a Sparrow's nest. The 

 Sparrows were buffeting and scolding the Babbler, but without 

 avail, as he forced his way into the nest, took out a young 

 Sparrow, and tossed it down to the other members of his company 

 below, who then performed a sort of war dance around the victim. 

 So pleased was the bird at the result that he again ascended to 

 the nest, drew forth another fledgeling, and threw it down. 

 Whether it was sheer love of cruelty or retribution for some 

 offensive act or bad language on behalf of the Sparrows it is 

 impossible to say, but undoubtedly while the cruel deed was done 

 by one bird the rest were parties to it, and seemed to find some 

 pleasure and excitement in the proceedings. — Edwin Ashby. 

 " Wittunga," Blackwood, South Australia. 



Nesting of White-fronted Herons. — Once Vv-e were boring 

 on a creek flat 15 miles west of Bendigo, and near our work 

 was a yellow box tree with a White-fronted Heron's {Noto- 

 phoyx novcB-hollandicB), a Magpie-Lurk's {Grallina picata), and 

 three Spotted-sided Finches' {Stagonopleiira guttata) nests in it. 

 One of the Finches' nests was just under the Heron's nest. We 

 noted that the Herons, when sitting, relieved each other at 

 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. — that is, in six-hour spells. At 9 a.m. a bird 

 would come to next tree to nest, give a little croak, when the 

 one on nest would get up, walk a few feet, and fly away. Then 

 the other would go on the nest and sit till 3 p.m., when the mate 

 came back and took up the sitting. We were alongside the 

 nesting tree for a fortnight, and noted these actions of the birds 

 daily. It was remarkable how close they kept to 9 a.m. and 

 3 p.m. in changing. I saw this pair of birds some weeks after 

 with five young ones. I may say we were at work from 8 a.m. 

 to 5 p.m., and do not know how the night sitting was done. — 

 H. W. Ford, R.A.O.U. 



Blue Wren {Malurus cyaneus). — Once we were camped on 

 Jackson's Creek, 8 miles south of Ararat, Victoria. It was 

 November when we pitched the three tents alongside an acacia 

 hedge. We saw a party of ten Blue Wrens about the hedge — 

 two full-plumaged males and eight grey birds. A few days after 

 we fixed camp two pairs of birds started to build a nest in bushes 

 on side rail of one of the tents, 3 feet from passage into the tent. 

 They finished nest and laid three eggs. Then the two female birds 

 took turn about at sitting, and the two full-plumaged males used 

 to feed them. (There is no doubt about this — I saw the females 



