^"'ig^J"'] ^^^^y leathers. 195 



Freak Colours of Rhipidura tricolor. — For three successive 

 seasons a neighbour has sent me young white birds of the Black- 

 and-White Fantail — rough skins on two occasions, and a hve bird 

 on the third. Becoming interested. I obtained some information 

 from him. All the young mentioned appear to have been the 

 progeny of the same birds, which built close to the house, and are 

 normal in colour. They have been under observation for three 

 years, in which time four clutches were reared — two white 

 birds only on three occasions, the fourth clutch consisting of two 

 each white and normal. None of the white birds appears to have 

 lived long after leaving the nest, though during last winter I 

 noticed a pure white one within four miles of my neighbour's 

 house. In some of the white birds a darker shade was observable 

 where the black usually exists. — H. L. White. Belltrees 

 (N.S.W.), 30/II./I3- 



Notes and Notices. 



The late Dr. P. L. Sclater, F.R.S, — Owing to unavoidably 

 restricted space, a notice, with portrait, of this late distinguished 

 ornithologist is held over until the next issue of The Emu. 



A Correction. — In vol. xiii., page 100, of The Emu, under the 

 heading " Charcoal in Finches' Nests," I made an error which I 

 wish to rectify. The fact of charcoal being placed in the nests 

 of Poephila pevsonata was previously recorded by Mr. G. F. Hill 

 (vol. X.. page 289, of The Emu). My friend Mr. T. P. Austin, of 

 Cobborah, N.S.W., drew attention to the mistake, he having 

 received a clutch of eggs from me, the data mentioning the fact 

 of charcoal being found in the nest. At the time of writing the 

 note for The Emu I was in the midst of shearing, and I presume 

 that my wits must have been " wool-gathering." — H. L. White. 

 Belltrees (N.S.W.), 30/11/13. 



Charcoal in Finches' Nests. — In connection with the foregoing 

 "Correction," Mr. G. F. Hill, Darwin, sends the following note, 

 which was accompanied by a photograph of the Finch's nest, i}i 

 situ, in scrub : — "Although this habit is common, if not general, in 

 the species, I do not think it occurs in any other nesting in 

 Northern Territory or North-West Austraha. The large size of the 

 pieces of charcoal, ' about the size of the eggs,' is somewhat 

 unusual, I think. The charcoal is generally in the form of powder 

 and small pieces about the size of grains of hemp seed. The habit 

 is not confined to nests built on the ground, but has been observed 

 in nests built in bushes in North-West Australia, also in bushes 

 and on Termites' nests near Roi)er River, Northern Territory. 

 Since some field notes on the situations chosen by Poephila 

 per sonata for nesting were published in The Emu (vol. xii., Part 4, 

 page 260), I have had some opportunities for observing their 

 nesting habits further north (about 20 miles south of Darwin, 



