^°';^^/^-] Stray Feathers. IO9 



Porosity of the Lyre-Bird's Egg. — On 12th July, igi6, a nest 

 of the Victoria Lyre-Bird, Mcnura novcehollandicB victorice {Menura 

 victories), was found in South Gippsland. The nest was domed, 

 and made of small sticks, lined with fine rootlets twisted together, 

 and finished off with breast feathers of the bird ; it was placed 

 6 feet from the ground on a stump of blue gum {Eucalyptus 

 globulus), the entrance facing north-east and away from the creek, 

 which was about three chains away. The nest contained the usual 

 single egg, which was quite typical of the bird in size and shape, 

 the surface somewhat smooth and slightly glossy, ground colour 

 purplish-grey, and blotched and spotted with umber and darkish- 

 purple ; incubation, ^o- The nest was not further interfered 

 with, and on 9th August following it contained another egg laid 

 by the same bird, identical in shape and colour with the first egg, 

 but covered over nearly the whole surface with small limy 

 excrescences ; incubation, ^b-. The shells of both these eggs 

 were so very porous that during the process of blowing beads of 

 water exuded over the whole surface, as though the egg had been 

 left out on a very dewy night. — A. Chas. Stone. 



Resident Swallows and Cuckoos. — In a recent letter from 

 Launceston. I\Ir. Thompson remarks that each season the number 

 of Swallows and Fan-tailed Cuckoos which remain in his district 

 seems to increase. Six years ago there appeared to be only one 

 pair of Swallows which stayed ; now there are a good many. My 

 correspondent's idea is that the latest-hatched brood stays with 

 the parents, and, as the latter remain, so do the young. If this 

 be so, there should be a very rapid increase in the resident party, 

 as the following season the young themselves will be parents, 

 and will remain with their latest brood, in addition to the old birds 

 of the previous season. The Swallows do not remain on the coast 

 here, but the number of Cuckoos is certainly on the increase ; 

 this winter I could have put my hand on half a dozen within a 

 short radius of the cottage, and, as there is no reason to suppose 

 that this particular portion of the coast is more favoured than 

 others, the number wintering with us must be very considerable. 

 A somewhat singular thing is that they appear to be in pairs this 

 season instead of isolated individuals, as usual. It will be very 

 interesting if we develop a non-migratory race of Cuckoos as 

 well as of Swallows. The species referred to are, of course, the 

 Welcome Swallow {Hirundo neoxena), and the Fan-tailed Cuckoo 

 Cacomantis flabelliformis. — H. Stuart Dove. West Devon port 

 (Tas.), 24/8/16. 



* * * 



Bird Notes from Camp. — Opportunities for bird-observing in 

 a military camp are rather rare, but during my two months' 

 sojourn at Royal Park, Vic, I have been able to glean a few notes 

 regarding some familiar species. The Starling and the Sparrow 



