Vol. XIV. 

 1914 



] Stray Feathers-. 63 



Food of the Yellow-bellied Shrike-Tit (No. 422, Falctmcuhis 

 frontatiis, Latham). — Recently, the pleasant, self-satisfied two- 

 syllable note of some Yellow-bellied Shrike-Tits directed my 

 attention to a wattle tree, and, on glancing upwards, I observed a 

 pair of these dainty birds busily engaged devouring cotton scale, 

 which infested the wattle tree, and was slowly destroying it. 

 The birds worked from the outer twigs along the branches 

 inwards to the main trunk of the tree, and cleaned off the 

 scale in a workmanlike manner, uttering as they proceeded along 

 the boughs notes of pleasure, and raising and lowering their large 

 crests. For two days I observed "Nature's tree-sprayers," and 

 estimated that the work performed daily by each bird, when 

 compared to that of a man, was worth to the community at least 

 gd. Approximately, the value of the work performed by each 

 Yellow-beUied Shrike-Tit is £1^ per annum to the Commonwealth. 

 — A. H. E. Mattingley. Victoria, June, 1914. 



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lameness of Native Birds. — A lady member in Tasmania 

 writes : — " I amuse myself watching the birds a great deal. The 

 Wrens (Mahtrus), ten of them, will come to within 4 feet of my 

 couch on the verandah, and pick up crumbs. They are in sombre 

 plumage, with the exception of two, whose tails are becoming blue. 

 My Wrens scold each other, and hunt round the plants and grass. 

 A Scarlet-breast (Robin) comes and perches on a bamboo blind at 

 my head, about 5 feet away. He catches flies. The Silver-eyes 

 [Zosterops) spend their time on the cherry trees, about 10 feet 

 away. A Crescent Honey-eater has been coming for several days 

 to a delphinium flower about 6 feet from me. It seems to live 

 hereabouts, and I often hear its shrill call. Our half-tame 

 Whistling Shrike-Thrushes come and perch near. They will take 

 meat a foot distant from my head, and I hope that they will feed 

 from my hand before long. The female Thrush is the tamest. 

 She has a white feather in her plumage. She remains with a piece 

 of meat in her bill for about ten seconds, and watches me ; then she 

 flies up to her ' cupboard,' a crack in the roof of the wood-shed, 

 where she stores the meat, and tears it to pieces. Sometimes a 

 Butcher-Bird comes along and examines the 'cupboard,' knowing 

 that the Thrushes often leave food there. H they are hungry the 

 Thrushes will come on to the tank and give a loud call, clacking 

 their beaks together. The Dusky Flycatchers [Rhi-pidura) fly 

 round the wood-shed, where they capture many flies. They are 

 also fond of a big ivy-laden stump, where they spend hours 

 feeding, flying, and chattering. I saw a Yellow-throated Honey- 

 eater {Ptilotis) on it yesterday, and a Wattle-Bird previously. 

 One day a Green Parrot (Platycercus) sat on the pine and called 

 'Tussock ' for about a quarter of an hour." 



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Peculiar Actions of Leipoa ocellata. — In October, 1913, I 

 visited a tract of mallee scrub some 30 miles distant from my 



