Vol. X. 



'■ ,^' ] Stray Feathers. 4Q 



Stray Feathers. 



A Curious Clutch.— Mr. H. L. White, Belltrees, N.S.W., 

 reports the finding of a Spotted Pardalote's (Pardn/oius 

 punctatus) nest containing three eggs, together with two eggs of 

 the Narrow-billed Bronze-Cuckoo {Chalcococcyx basalt's) and one 

 egg of the Bronze-Cuckoo {C. plagosus). 



The Pugnacity of " Magpies" (Gymnorhina). — As regards 

 the pugnacity of the common Magpies {G. leuconota) when nest- 

 ing, I rather think such is a natural propensity with these birds. 

 I settled at Jackson's Creek 27th January, 1846. Any time 

 between that date and 1850 Magpies "pegged" youngsters for 

 climbing to a nest. The old birds also attacked me. We did 

 not molest nests, and there were no children on the three 

 stations that adjoined us. On skinning a bird, on one occasion, 

 nothing was found in the stomach, thereby indicating it had 

 come a good distance without feeding. A bird came back in 

 search of its mate, and hung about some little time. — Isaac 

 Batey. Drouin, 21/4/1G. 



White-eared Honey-eater (Ptilotis leucotis). — Mr. F. 

 E. Wilson, A.O.U., recently wrote me on the above, which ap- 

 peared in my list of Drouin birds in the last issue of The Emu 

 under the name of P. auricomis. Previously, in the same maga- 

 zine (vol. vii., page 9), in " Sunbury Birds of Sixty Years Ago," 

 this bird was referred to as P. auricomis, ^o Mr. Wilson asked me 

 to forward a specimen in the flesh. Having a stuffed one, it was 

 sent, when in due course a reply came to the effect that instead 

 of being P. auricomis or P. cassidix it was really P. leucotis. 

 The manuscript was roughly written, and unfortunately Mr. 

 Campbell's volumes were lent, thus I was not in a position to 

 supply technical nomenclature. I take this opportunity of 

 correcting a mistake. — Isaac Batf;y, Drouin, 6/5/10. 



Eggs of Pachycephala meridionalis. — Although these 

 eggs have been previously described,* the description of the first 

 set taken in Victoria may not be out of place : — Clutch two, 

 roundish-oval in shape ; texture of shell fine, surface glossy ; 

 colour yellowish-white in specimen (<?), but much darker in {b), 

 speckled all over, more particularly about the larger end, 

 with spots of dark umber or brown, and dark-grey spots and 

 blotches, which appear as if beneath the surface of the shell ; 

 approaching nearest to those of P. pectoralis. Dimensions in 



* North, "Nests and Eygs of Birds,'' vol. ii., p. 25. 



