Vol. XII. 1 From Magazines, S-c. 53 



and obvious feature of the landscape. The rearing of domestic 

 fowls has become almost an impossibility. Within the confines 

 of our garden in Suva I had little difficulty in killing over thirty 

 of these animals in less than a fortnight by means of two mongoose 

 traps. I frequently observed the mongoose spring on and 

 successfully catch small birds feeding in the long grass." 



Mr. C. Coles, of Sydney, writes stating that his remarks at the 

 session of the R.A.O.U. regarding the breeding of the mongoose 

 were not correctly reported in The Emu.* The statement (that 

 the mongooses in Fiji had already mated with the rats) was made 

 by a correspondent, and did not receive his (Mr. Coles's) endorse- 

 ment. He merely mentioned it in the course of a general dis- 

 cussion. 



* * * 



Two New Species of Australian Birds. —Mr. A. J. North, 

 C.M.Z.S., of the Austrahan Museum, has described in The Ibis 

 (1912), p. 118, two new birds. During the preparation of an 

 appendix to " Nests and Eggs," he discovered, in the Museum, 

 skins of two unnamed species. The skins of both were procured 

 by the late Mr. Alex. Morton, in February, 1879, at Port Essington, 

 Northern Territory. 



(i) Neositta mortoni. — " Adult male. — Like the adult male of 

 N. leucoptera, but the black on the forehead extends down to 

 the base of the bill ; the mantle and back are of a darker shade of 

 brown, and more broadly streaked with black ; only the chin, 

 throat, and centre of the forehead are white, the remainder of 

 the under surface being brownish-white, with darker brown 

 centres and tips to some of the feathers on the sides of the breast 

 and abdomen." 



(2) Alcyone ramsayi. — "Adult male. — Like adult male of A. 

 pusilla, but having the upper parts and sides of the breast rich 

 bright blue instead of ultramarine ; the outer webs of the inner 

 primaries are distinctly shaded with green ; there is a larger 

 extent of blue on the sides of the breast, and it nearly meets in 

 the centre, while the white under tail coverts are slightly tipped 



with blue." 



* * * 



Striated Field-Wren. — Mr. H. Stuart Dove, F.Z.S., contributes 

 to the April (191 2) issue of The Ibis some observations on the 

 Striated Field-Wren {Calamanthus fuliginosns). He states that 

 the species is plentiful on the swampy, tussocky plains near the 

 sea beach of the North-West Coast of Tasmania. It is a per- 

 sistent songster, and there are very few months of the year when 

 it may not be heard. It was formerly considered to be identical 

 with the Victorian form of the same species. The song is 

 usually uttered from the summit of a piece of scrub, or a large 

 tussock. " The Calamanthus," Mr. Dove continues, " is one of 

 our earliest breeders, beginning, probably, during the cold, frosty 



* Vol. xi., p. 149. 



