2l6 Stray Feathers. (^^ 



Emu 

 April 



to come from the east, then from the north, and always from far 

 away. Thinking it best to start the search from home, I stood 

 first under one tree, then another, until, coming to an old, partially 

 leafless eucalypt outside the school fence, I distinctly heard, above 

 my head, the sounds, " More pork, more pork," uttered very 

 rapidly from seven to ten times in succession, with a pause of a 

 minute or two before the next series of calls. I could not discern 

 the bird, but it happened to fly down to a low branch, and, being 

 between me and the setting moon, I could see it plainly — in fact, 

 I could have touched it. It was a Frogmouth. For about 

 twenty minutes I stood watching and listening, comparing the two 

 calls as they happened to be uttered together. Then I followed 

 the Frogmouth from tree to tree until it went to a distant 

 paddock, where I could not follow. As a result of my observa- 

 tions, I would say, firstly, that the Frogmouth does call " More 

 pork," and secondly, that no one who has heard the Boobook 

 Owl's and the Frogmouth' s calls could ever mistake one for the 

 other. I will indicate what I consider to be the chief points of 

 dissimilarity : — The Boobook Owl has a leisurely call, the Frog- 

 mouth a quick call ; the Boobook utters one call at a time, the 

 Frogmouth from seven to ten calls in succession ; the Owl makes 

 a sHght pause between the two syllables " Boo-book," the Frog- 

 mouth makes no appreciable pause between the two syllables ; 

 the Owl has the distinct vowel sound " oo," whereas P. strigoides 

 utters the " aw " in a guttural manner, not nasal. Heard at 

 close range, it sounds like a hoarse whisper ; at a little distance 

 it sounds metallic. Constable Montgomery, of Eldorado, was able 

 to confirm my observations. He has seen and heard the Frog- 

 mouth many times. — Muriel Cheney. Carraragarmungee, 

 18/1/14. 



Owlet-Nightjar Nestlings. — A farm hand at Caermarthen, Manilla, 

 N.S.W., at the end of August last selected an old stump in the 

 ranges for the purpose of steadying his rifle while testing its 

 accuracy in a long shot at a rabbit ; but before he could open fire 

 an Owlet-Nightjar {Mgotheles novce-hoUandic?) blundered out of 

 the butt. The hollow stump contained four white eggs just 

 within arm's reach from the top of the spout. I visited the spot 

 on igth September and found the stump situated in a dry gully 

 between two mountains. The adult birds were absent, but the 

 nest contained four nestlings. Two of the brood appeared to be 

 a day or two older than the others, but all were in the down. The 

 following morning I returned, and was rather surprised to find 

 that the two advanced chicks had left the nest, but I was con\anced. 

 after witnessing the activity of the others, that they had departed 

 on their own accord. Some patience was required to obtain 

 photographs. The nesthngs would persist in scahng the spout, 

 like mice, or fluttering off in opposite directions from the aperture 

 below. After making exposures, I examined the nest. It was 



