52 Stray Feathers. [^J 



Emu 

 July 



light breeze, taking insects as they went, as their movements 

 showed. They flew at various heights, from 30 feet up to 300 feet 

 or 400 feet, and must have accounted for a great quantity of 

 insects during their passage. Their appearance was coincident, 

 as usual, with atmospheric disturbance, a thunderstorm, with 

 heavy rain, having occurred on the previous day : and on the 

 afternoon of the day on which they were seen there was a 

 tremendous downpour to the west (the direction from which they 

 came), the papers next morning recording that some of the creeks 

 were up over the bridges in a very short period. On the evening 

 of 5th March, shortly before 6 o'clock, some 30 or 40 Spine-tailed 

 Swifts came from about E.S.E., and proceeded directly and 

 rapidly to N.W., ap if migrating ; the wind was from N.W., some- 

 what squally, and snow was lying on the Tiers, having fallen on 

 the previous evening. The birds flew low, just over the tree-tops, 

 the swish of their long wings being plainly audible. Early 

 next morning the wind blew fresh from S.E., bringing a heavy 

 shower. — H. Stuart Dove. West Devonport (Tas.), 8/3/16. 



On 2oth April about a dozen Spine-tailed Swifts were seen in 

 the forenoon, heading from west to east, near the beach, at heights 

 of perhaps 50 to 100 feet ; they were feeding as they went. There 

 had been a heavy shower in the early morning, the weather for 

 the remainder of the day being fine, but very humid. There was 

 a bank of cloud on W. and N.W. horizon when the birds were 

 seen, and the breeze was N.W., light. That same night a thunder- 

 storm came up, with heavy rain, which continued during the 

 remainder of the morning (Good Friday). On the 22nd it was 

 fair until evening, although the wind was bleak ; rain set in about 

 6 p.m. On the 23rd there was a N.W. gale with showers, and 

 very heavy sea running. Many visitors went out to Massey Bluff 

 to see the great sprays against the headland. On the 24th there 

 was a boisterous wind all day from the same quarter, with 

 showers at night. On the 25th heavy rain fell all day, from the 

 south-east, the greatest soaking we have had for some time. So 

 the Swifts once more proved their abihty to prognosticate dis- 

 turbances. This was their last appearance for the season. — 

 H. Stuart Dove, R.A.O.U. West Devonport (Tas.), May, 1916. 



Correspondence. 



To the Editors of " The Emu." 

 Sirs, — Will you kindly allow me to correct an item in the review 

 of my last work which appeared in the last issue of The Emu. It 

 is in reference to the new birds discovered, which number five, not 

 two, as stated — one new species and four new sub-species. They 

 are as follows : — 



Acanthiza mariana, S. A. White (S.A. Ornithologist, vol. ii.. No. 2, 

 1915). Everard Range Tit. 



