Vol. IX. 

 1910 



J Stray Feathers. I73 



in plenty, and may be seen soaring in undulations to a moderate 

 height, and uttering their somewhat sibilant notes, which can 

 hardly be dignified v/ith the name of song. 



On the 8th September the first immigration of Graucahis 

 parvirostris took place. At noon a party of twelve individuals 

 passed inland from seaward, flying low — that is, at about 30 to 

 40 feet up — from north-west to south-east, the wind being light 

 from N.E. with a drizzling rain. Always, when at Devonport in 

 spring, I notice these small companies of " Summer-Birds " 

 passing over in September, and always from the north-west. 

 One would much like to know where they have wintered, this 

 being at present a matter of conjecture. — H. Stuart Dove. 

 West Devonport. 



From Magazines, &c. 



New Acanthiza for Australia.— In TJie Vict. Nat., 

 xxvi., p. 55, Mr. A. J. North, C.M.Z.S., has described from Mr. 

 H. L. White's collection a new species of Acanthiaa found in 

 Western Australia. It has been named A. wJiitlocki, after its 

 discoverer, Mr. F. Lawson Whitlock, who obtained it near Lake 

 Way. A. wJiitlocki is apparently closely allied to A. apicalis, 

 from which species it may be distinguished by its greyish-brown 

 instead of olive-brown upper parts, by its purer white under 

 parts, and by the broader black sub-terminal band on the tail 



feathers. 



* * * 



Introducing German Owls into New Zealand. — The 

 Auckland Weekly Neivs (7th October, 1909) furnishes a half-tone 

 (photo.) illustration of a cage containing 10 little Owls imported 

 from Germany by the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral 

 Association. It is stated a number of these little Owls were 

 imported some time ago, and several that had taken up their 

 quarters in farm-yards were said to be doing good work in 

 clearing the place of Sparrows and other small birds. " Other 

 small birds " has rather an ominous signification. May they 



not be useful native birds ? 



* * * 



Petrels off the New South Wales Coast. — In TJie 

 Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W., xxxiv., p. 419, Mr. A. J. North, 

 C.M.Z.S., records an adult male Forster Petrel {Puffinus gavia) 

 having been picked up dead by Mr. Wm. Barnes after an 

 easterly gale in September, 1908. In the same volume, p. 589, 

 Mr. A. F. Basset Hull records that he found the White-faced 

 Storm-Petrel {Pelagodroma marina) breeding on Tom Thumb 

 Island (Five Islands Group), near WoUongong, on 17th October, 

 1909. Hitherto this little Petrel had not been recorded as 

 breeding on the New South Wales coast. The island, barely half 



