Vol. IX 

 igog 



] Stray Feather^. oe 



as they had made it their quarters and slept in the ivy all 

 through the previous winter. As I wished to photograph the 

 parents (see Plate II.), I did not pry into the nest, for fear of 

 disturbing them, until the young were hatched, therefore I am 

 at a loss as to dates of egg-laying and time spent in incubation. 

 Thirty-seven days elapsed between that of laying the foundation 

 and desertion by young of the nest. On /th November, at 7 

 a.m., I sat by the nest and timed the parents feeding the four 

 young birds. Within 15 minutes the male bird brought twelve 

 insects, and cleaned the nest out three times, carrying the 

 droppings away in his bill. The female brought one insect only, 

 but visited the nest three times during the male's absence, and 

 stayed with the young till his majesty returned. I have watched 

 them on several occasions, with similar results, the male always 

 doing the greater share of cleaning the nest and supplying the 

 wants of the fledglings ; these operations were apparently 

 continuous from daylight till dark, as I am about the garden often 

 during the day, and on my approaching the nest at all times they 

 seemed to be as busy as ever with their task. The enormous 

 quantity of insects these birds must destroy, feeding their brood 

 and satisfying their own voracious appetites, is certainly food for 

 reflection. As far as I could detect, they fed their young princi- 

 pally on moths, spiders, caterpillars, small grasshoppers, and some 

 white pulpy substance. On loth November the young birds 

 left their nest, but stayed about the garden, in the trees, for three 

 days. By that time they became fairly strong fliers, and, led 

 by their parents, flew off to the river-banks, where thistles of 

 various kinds grow in abundance. On 19th November the 

 happy family returned again, perhaps to rear a second brood, 

 but, alas ! the nest, a pretty, dome-shaped structure, during their 

 absence had been torn to shreds by some disappointed person 

 intent on egg-collecting, thus ending my observations. — Harry 

 BURRELL. Manilla (N.S.VV.), 2/3/09. 



* ^ * 



Some Queensland Notes — The following notes, which I 

 cull from a letter from a bird-lover living in Central Queensland, 

 will be read with interest — the picturesque account of the 

 Galahs' movements especially. My friend writes : — 



" Bird -life of late has not been very plentiful here, beyond 

 the everyday visitors, owing probably to the great amount of 

 rain over Central Queensland this summer. Every creek and 

 waterhole is full, and the growth of grass so luxuriant that it is 

 difficult often to get near the birds, which you know are there. 



*' Finches of several species have returned lately, after an 

 absence (except in small, isolated flocks) of years, and some 

 Large-tailed Grass-Wrens {Aniytis viacrurd)^ — rare visitors here 



* This bird is not a Queensland species. — Eds. 



