162 IN AUSTRALIAN WILDS 



sweeping over my former hiding place, wheeled 

 sharply, and alighted on a clothes line. After a 

 minute's hesitation, it flew to the nest and fed one of 

 the chicks. I did not miss the opportunity, but the 

 bird was on the wing a moment later. 



In a sapling growing close to the schoolhouse we 

 found a nest of the Masked Wood-Swallow [A. per- 

 sonatus], which had been built while children romped 

 and laughed in the vicinity. The eggs were heavily 

 incubated, and there seemed to be every prospect of 

 a brood being reared. Since the Gould League of 

 Bird Lovers was formed, some years ago, Australian 

 boys and girls have learned to observe and protect wild 

 birds, and egg-collecting is rapidly becoming an 

 obsolete pastime. The league has over 61,000 mem- 

 bers in Victoria alone, and it is hoped that ultimately 

 the total for the Commonwealth will be 250,000. 



Nests of the Wood-Swallow [A. sordidus] were 

 seen in many gardens. It was surprising, at first, 

 to find such numbers of birds nesting within the 

 town boundaries. But I learned that their value as 

 insect destroyers was recognised, and they were 

 strictly protected. A Chinese gardener's fruit trees 

 were full of "Skies' " nests, and he was "jolly glad" 

 to harbour the birds, because they ate "glassoppers 

 and glubs." The local name, "Sky," for all species 

 of Wood-Swallow frequenting the district, is not in- 

 appropriate, for the birds soar at great altitudes, and 

 are most graceful on the wing. 



There was no resident photographer at Jeril- 

 derie while I was in the town, and during my rambles 

 with the camera I had some amusing experiences. A 

 prosperous Chinese, whose waistcoat was banded by 

 a gold cable chain, from which dangled a huge locket, 

 hailed me in the street one morning and asked, "How 

 much you chlarge?" He was incredulous when I 

 explained that I was photographing wild birds for 

 pleasure, shaking his head and smiling. A woman 



