Stray Feathers. 



Emus in the Grampians. — Constable Curtain (Stawell W^est), 

 in a recent report for the Chief Commissioner of Police, states : — ■ 

 " There are a good many Emus in the valleys of the Grampians. 

 They are very tame — a good sign that they are not chased or shot 

 at. I will keep a good look-out and see that they are not interfered 

 with." 



:!: ^ :!: 



Spine-tailed vSwifts. — In the July issue of The Emu, page 39, 

 there appears a statement that some Spine-tailed Swifts {Chcetura 

 caudacuta) were observed making southward. I have been observing 

 the aerial movements of the birds of these parts for over 12 years, 

 and have seen Spine-tailed Swifts appear and disappear scores of 

 times, but never once have I seen them disappear to the south- 

 ward. They have always come from south to south-east and have 

 gone north to north-west. — F. M. Littler. Launceston (Tasmania). 



* * * 



Cormorants v. Yabbies, &c. — I had occasion to visit a district 

 of north-west Victoria which is intersected by irrigation channels, 

 in which I noticed many Cormorants feeding. I remarked to a 

 resident of the district who was accompanying me — " I suppose 

 there are fish in these channels ? " " Oh, no," he said, " there are 

 not any fish in them ! " "Well," I said, "what are the Cormorants 

 feeding upon ? " " Oh, yabbies [Crustacea) and shrimps," was the 

 laconic reply. " Do the yabbies bore through the walls of the 

 channel and allow the water to run to waste ? " " Yes." " Then 

 the Cormorants, by destroying the yabbies, save much water for 

 the irrigationist ? " "Yes, milhons of gallons!" — J. A. Ross. 

 Melbourne. 



* * * 



White-browed Babblers as Pillagers. — While in the Cool- 

 gardie district, about the end of July last, I observed a pair of the 

 above birds {Pomatorhinus superctliosus) pulling at what appeared 

 to be the remains of some old nest in a low bush, while four 

 Acanthizas were fluttering round them in a very excited state, 



