^°';^i"-] Stray Feathers: 5 1 



reared nine young. The whole family come into the school garden, 

 and the other morning were round the house door-step feeding in 

 the grass and amongst the young cabbages. — (Miss) J. A. 

 Fletcher. Springfield, Tasmania, 10/5/13. 



From Magazines^ &c. 



Early History of the Australian Cassowary. — Records of the 



Australian Museum, vol. x., No. 4, 19th April, 1913, consists of 



Notes on the Early History of the Australian Cassowary {Casuarms 



australis), by Alfred J. North, C.M.Z.S., C.M.B.O.U., ornithologist. 



He states that the existence of a Cassowary inhabiting Australia 



was first made known in 1849 by the late Mr. Wm. Carron, 



botanist to the Kennedy Expedition from Rockingham Bay to 



Cape York. Carron, in his " Narrative," 4th November, 1848, 



writes : — " This morning Jackey went to examine a scrub through 



which we wanted to pass, and while out shot a fine Cassowary ; 



it was very dark and heavy, not so long in the leg as the common 



Emu, and had a larger body, shorter neck, with a large, red, stiff, 



horny comb on its head. Mr. Wall skinned it ; but, from the 



many difficulties with which he had to contend, the skin was 



spoiled before it could be properly preserved." The subsequent 



history of knowledge of the species is dealt with in an interesting 



manner. 



* * * 



The Passenger Pigeon. — Bird-Lore for March- April, 1913, 

 contains several interesting articles dealing with the Passenger 

 Pigeon of North America, and a series of unique photographic 

 illustrations showing the adult birds, young, and so forth. The 

 photographs were obtained by Mr. J. G. Hubbard at Woods 

 Hall, Massachusetts, in the summer of 1898, and represent bird^ 

 in the aviary of Dr. C. O. Whitman. The Passenger Pigeon is 

 doomed to extinction, as only one living specimen, in the Cincinnati 

 Zoological Gardens, is known to exist. The Passenger Pigeon 

 is a lengthened and elegant species, about 15 or 16 inches in 

 total length. The general colour of the upper surface is greyish- 

 blue, the region of the hind neck being iridescent with gold, 

 emerald-green, and crimson. Throat, breast, and sides are light 

 brown, the rest of the under parts being pure white. Eyes bright 

 red, bill black, and feet pinkish-purple complete an exquisite 

 figure. 



Under the caption, " A Vanished Race," Mr. Moritz Fischer 

 gives an account of the Passenger Pigeon. Writing of what has 

 long passed away, he says: — "About 1840, professional catchers 

 began to operate on the flocks. By degrees they bettered the 

 older methods of luring and taking. The chief contrivance 

 universally employed consisted of a capacious net, which could be 

 quickly dropped over a bed baited with salt, mud, or grain, and 



