1^4 From Magazines, &c. [ j^^"".' 



Emu 

 an. 



an acre in extent, was inhabited by a colony of about lOO 

 Storm-Petrels. The burrows (from 2 to 4 feet in length) were 

 made in the sand beneath the roots of McsembryantJiemum. 

 On the south-eastern side, where the early arrivals had made 

 their homes, the burrows contained partly-incubated eggs ; on 

 the middle of the island the eggs were fresh, while on the north- 

 western side the latest arrivals were sitting in their burrows, 



preparatory to laying. 



* * * 



The Shining Cuckoo. — An interesting discussion regard- 

 ing the migration and nidification of the Shining Cuckoo 

 {Chalcococcyx liicidus) was carried on recently in the columns of 

 The Lyttelton Times, New Zealand. Mr. James Drummond, 

 F.L.S., F.Z.S., contributed an interesting article on the migration 

 of birds generally, with special reference to the Shining Cuckoo, 

 and a number of correspondents forwarded notes of more or less 

 value on the subject. Mr. Drummond stated that the country in 

 which this Cuckoo spends the winter months had not yet been 

 ascertained, but further observations would probably fix New 

 Guinea as the place of its winter residence. The species had 

 been reported from Java, Sumatra, and several other islands in 

 the Malay Archipelago, New Guinea, the western, northern, and 

 eastern parts of Australia, Tasmania, New Caledonia, and the 

 Kermadecs. Truly an extensive range. In regard to the 

 parasitical habits of C. hicidus, Mr. Drummond received a mass 

 of interesting notes from correspondents, which were summarized 

 in the nature column which he conducts in The Lyttelton Times. 

 Messrs. F. G. Sparrow, L. F. Beeson, and R. C. Bruce gave 

 evidence as to the adult Cuckoos sometimes feeding their young, 

 instead of leaving this duty to foster-parents. Several of Mr. 

 Drummond's correspondents bore testimony as to the ventri- 

 loquial powers of the Shining Cuckoo. Dr. Fulton, a Cuckoo 

 specialist, stated that the ventriloquistic whistle is characteristic 

 of birds of parasitic habit. 



Reviews. 



[" A Bush Calendar." By Amy E. Mack (Mrs. L. Harrison).] 



The author of "A Bush Calendar" is well known to many 

 members of the Australasian Ornithologists' Union, of which 

 she is a valued member (Mr. L. Harrison is a member 

 of the Council), and her charming little volume of bird 

 and plant lore is assured of a place on their book-shelves. 

 It appeals not alone to nature-lovers, but to every lover of 

 pleasant books ; for that "A Bush Calendar" is a real contribu- 

 tion to the slender stream of Australian literature few critics of 

 sensibility will deny. Mrs. Harrison takes us round the year 

 with nature as she knows it about her home. From August to 



