1 



38 stray Feathers^ [.^Emu^^ 



the most curious traits of the Spotted Bower-Eird is the great 

 variety of noises emitted by them if their nest be disturbed. As 

 you know, they are great mimics, and when disturbed from 

 their nests they will sit somewhere near (often in the same tree) 

 and make the most life-like noises imaginable — some faithfully 

 imitating wild cattle running in the scrub,* others resembling 

 branches of trees creaking and breaking, and many other start- 

 ling sounds calculated to draw the attention of the intruder away 

 from the nest. The egg-robber naturally stops to see where the 

 cattle are coming from. The sounds cease ; then, as he again 

 climbs towards the nest, they break out afresh, until, at last 

 locating them, the bird is seen close above in the boughs. The 

 nest is a frail structure of twigs, generally placed in a branch of 

 mistletoe, though I once found one in the fork of a dog-wood 

 tree." — A. H. Chisholm. Maryborough (Victoria), 8/5/08. 



ZOSTEROPS CCERULESCENS NESTING. — Though their general 

 nesting months are October to December, the White-eyes are 

 not very exact in this respect. During the past season, I found 

 one nest as early as August, and another as late as January. 

 The favoured spot for the nest is generally in a fruit tree, at a 

 height of about 6 feet from the ground, but, in the former case, 

 the nest was placed in a "monkey-nut," at a height of over 20 

 feet. 



In connection with this bird we discovered rather a peculiar 

 and pathetic little tragedy in the garden the other day. A 

 White-eye had built its nest in one of the pear-trees, and, 

 instead of the usual building material (fibres, grasses, &c.), 

 it had constructed the nest almost wholly of cotton and fine 

 string. While this novel building material made a very neat 

 domicile, it was the direct cause of the disaster referred to, for 

 in sitting on the nest, the unfortunate little bird had by some 

 mischance got its feet hopelessly entangled in the twine. All 

 its struggles failing to release it, the unnoticed little victim had 

 slowly perished. When found there was nothing but a few 

 feathers and a bleaching skeleton, with the feet still stuck fast 

 in the bottom of the nest. — A. H. Chisholm. Maryborough 

 (Vict.) 



Swallows and Swifts. — A friend in Launceston, Tasmania, 

 Mr. H. C. Thompson, A.O.U., wrote me in March that on the 

 second day of that month there was a great mustering of Tree- 

 Martins {Petrochelidon, nigricans) about the wharves on the 

 Tamar, the birds settling on the rigging of the small vessels 



* See also " Nests and Eggs" (Campbell), p. 201, 2nd par. — Eds. 



