Vol. XVI 



•"] I.E SouEF, Birds in Melbourne Zoological Gardens. in 



is green, and it is some montlis before it gradually 

 becomes l^lack, but the young White-plumed Honey-eaters 

 are practically like their parents when fully feathered. 

 It is interesting to note how much longer some birds 

 take than others to assume the fully adult plumage. We know 

 little about this matter, mostly on account of not making the 

 best of our opportunities when we have them, and lack of 

 observation. The beautiful dark blue plumage of the male 

 Satin Bower-Bird {Ptilonorhynchus holosericeus) is a case in point ; 

 the facts were first ascertained from observation of birds in the 

 Melbourne Zoological Gardens. Then, again, there is the Pacific 

 Gull {Gabianiis pacificits), which takes about four years (at present 

 I am not certain as to the exact time — it may be a little longer) 

 to attain the fully adult plumage. It is curious to note that in 

 the young birds the feet and eyes are brown, like the plumage, 

 and the beak whitish, and dark at the end ; but the adults have 

 the beak and eyes bright yellow and the legs whitish-yellow. These 

 birds are not content with changing the colour of their feathers 

 only. Again, in many of the Albatrosses the beak is almost black 

 in the young birds, but changes to whitish later. The Straw- 

 necked Ibis [Carphibis spinicollis), when young, has the top of 

 its head covered with small blackish feathers, but in about three 

 or four years these are all moulted, and the bare black skin shows 

 instead ; light -coloured lines appear later across the top of the 

 head, and give the appearance of cracks in the skin. 



In the flight aviary a pair of Yellow-breasted Shrike-Robins 

 [Eopsaltria australis) live in company with the Honey-eaters, but 

 woe betide any other bird of the former species that may be put 

 in ; the male Robin dashes at it at once, and the newcomer is 

 usually soon killed. The Yellow-breasted Shrike-Robin is far 

 more pugnacious than the Honey-eaters, frequently driving them 

 away from their feeding dishes. The Honey-eaters do not seem 

 to treat newcomers so harshly, but they are bad enough. Wood- 

 Swallows {Artamus sordidus), Blue Wren-Warblers (Malurus), 

 and White-browed Scrub-Wrens {Sericornis frontalis) live peace- 

 ably, possibly because they have plenty of room and cover. 

 Most of these birds object to strong wind, and are usually to be 

 found on the sheltered side of the a\nary. In hot weather they 

 are all very fond of bathing, and fly to and fro through the fine 

 spray of the fountain, or else sit on a branch where the water can 

 fall on them, and become nearly drenched. 



When the Gardens were first formed, more than fifty years 

 ago. Nankeen Night-Herons {Nycticorax caledonicus) used to camp 

 during the day in the large eucalyptus trees {E. rubra), and they 

 and their descendants have continued to do so ever since. The 

 birds probably breed in the tall trees on the Murray swamps in 

 New South Wales, therefore during the nesting season only the 

 young birds of the last season are here, and the young males have 

 not got their adult plumage. Directly the Garden bell rings, 

 and the visitors depart, these birds fly down to the Gull and 



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