176 stray Feathers. [J%. 



of a pair of Buff-tailed Tit-Warblers, placed among the clay- 

 clogged roots of a fallen gum-tree. I was in search of Pardalotes' 

 nesting-tunnels, and at first overlooked the Tits' nest, which was 

 cosily built in a tiny cave — a framework of roots, from between 

 which the earth had been delved or else had crumbled away. The 

 female bird flew from the nest as I chmbed a stairway of roots 

 to examine it. The camera was erected on the ground, the lens 

 being about 8 feet from the nest. The bird returned within lo 

 minutes to feed three nesthngs, which were, I judged, just ready 

 to fly. Two photographs of the bird at the nest were secured ; 

 then I was summoned to the house, which was not far away. 

 When I inspected the bird-home again, after a brief absence, it 

 was empty. The parent birds had taken the brood away, a 

 day, perhaps, before the appointed time, as a result of my 

 intrusion on domestic privacy. However, a search of the neigh- 

 bourhood was rewarded by the discovery of two of the young 

 Tits, which were captured, and ranged on a slender branch 

 close to the ground. They fluttered off the perch repeatedly, 

 encouraged by the notes — alternately angry and solicitous 

 — of their parents, which darted around me or flew over the 

 bough. They were joined by three other birds of the same 

 species, and there was a great commotion. A pair of White- 

 shafted Fantails {Rhipidiira alhiscapa) also displayed some interest 

 in the proceedings, and probably had a nest near by. 



At length one of the fledgelings remained still on the branch, 

 and cried for food, which its parents did not den3^ Though the 

 camera was standing within a few feet of the perch, one after 

 the other the old birds ministered to the needs of their hungry 

 offspring. Green caterpillars and small moths and other insects 

 were included in the menu. As the baby bird was beginning to 

 feel the sun-glare, I placed it in a shady spot, beneath the tree 

 to which the other fledgeling had flown, and presently saw it lured 

 away by its parents. — Charles Barrett. Melbourne, 5/ 12/ 14. 



From Magazines, &c. 



"Austral Avian Record." — The Austral Avian Record, vol. ii.. 

 No. 5, 24th September, 1914, shows that that prolific worker, Mr. 

 G. M. Mathews, still maintains his large output, and is studying 

 original sources with avidity and good results. All admit and 

 admire the fine work he is doing, and look forward to the day when 

 he will satisfy himself that his work on Australian birds cannot be 

 further improved. 



Mr. Mathews has now succeeded in fixing the place of origin of 

 several species " ascribed to Australia." He says, " Pucheron has 

 noted that some of these are Timor birds, and, therefore, can be 

 eliminated " from Appendix B. of the 1913 " List." 



An article entitled " Additions and Corrections to my List of the 

 Birds of Australia," by G. M. Mathews, makes, independent of 



