Emu 

 U July 



1^5 Stray Feathers. [. 



Stray Feathers. 



Scarlet-breasted Robins. — A pair of Scarlet-breasted Robins 

 {Fetroica leggii) nested near our house last season (1915), and 

 successfully reared their young. The male was still in immature 

 plumage, which indicates that the adult plumage is not fully 

 developed for two years or more. — C. C. Currie. Lardner (Vic.) 



Pelicans and Cormorants. — Captain S. A. White states that he 

 is endeavouring to have Pelicans protected for part of the year 

 — from ist July to 20th December. The South Australian 

 Ornithological Association has taken a lease of the islands in the 

 Coorong where the Pelicans breed, and will have a warden there 

 during the nesting season. Captain White is also studying 

 Cormorants, and, with the great amount of data he has gathered, 

 will soon be able to prove that these are useful birds. He will 

 not rest until the species is protected during the nesting season. 

 He has been instrumental in getting the royalty of id. a head 

 for Cormorants removed. He has gathered much information 

 regarding crabs in relation to Pelicans, Cormorants, lishing-nets, 

 and fish. 



Wary Cockatoos. — That the White Cockatoo {Cacatna gidcrita 

 is aware of the approach of man at a considerable distance, without 

 seeing him, is very evident. I had the opportunity of observing 

 the habits of a pair of the birds that nested here last season, the 

 nest being five feet down in the hollow of a limb 30 feet from 

 the ground. When I approached the nest the bird always flew 

 quietly away when I was about 300 yards distant. Although 

 I walked as silently as possible, against the wind, it made no 

 difference ; the bird always flew away. This is only one instance 

 of many of the kind that I have observed. The question arises, 

 Has the Cockatoo some means of detecting danger ? I do not 

 know of any other bird that has a similar habit ; perhaps some of 

 our Waders have. — J. A. Hill. Golton South, via Lubeck (Vic.) 



Highest Nest in Victoria. — On 28th December, 1915, a party, 

 consisting of members of the Melbourne Amateur Walking Club, 

 found a nest of the Australian Pipit {Anthus anstralis), containing 

 three eggs, on the top of Mount Bogong (6,508 feet), the highest 

 mountain in Victoria. The bird was flushed from the nest. The 

 ascent of the mount was made from the Little Snowy Creek, and 

 on that (the north) side the timber ceased at 5,320 feet, as 

 recorded by an aneroid. In the final belt of snow gums was a 

 flock of seven Gang-Gang Cockatoos (Callocephalon galeahim), 

 which, I thought, were unusually light in colour, and several 

 Robins {Petroica phocnicea?). Near one of Homan's cattle huts, 



