^"'.-gls"-] ^tray Feathers. IO3 



almost identical in the two birds, except that one is in a sharper 

 key. The Bristle-Birds feed on beetles, earth grubs, and 

 cranberries, and could be photographed in their home with ease. 

 The Bristle-Bird is found at Anglesea, and also at Airey's 

 Inlet, two tidal creeks between Point Addis and the Otway 

 forest. There appear now to be no further belts of tea-tree 

 north of Point Addis into which the birds can spread, so this 

 fact will always keep them a remarkable restricted colony, 

 which we trust will be of perennial interest to bird observers, and 

 which we hope (being the nearest Bristle-Birds to Melbourne) 

 will not suffer decimation at the hands of city folk. — A. G. 

 Campbell. 



[N.B. — This is additional to notes in Emu, January, 1907, 

 page 134.— A. G. C] 



Notes on Amytis (Amytornis) varia, or Marlock Grass- 

 Wren. — When walking through one of my paddocks on 13th June, 

 igo8, hoping to get a shot with a 440 Winchester rifle at some 

 Wedge-tailed Eagles (Uroaetus audax) that were killing lambs, my 

 attention was attracted by what, at first glance, appeared to be a 

 small banded ant-eater {Myrmecobiits fasciatus) running, as is their 

 custom, at great speed with tail erect from some rough ground 

 towards a clump of marlock scrub. A driving rain was falling at 

 the time, which helped to form this impression, but immediately 

 after a dark-coloured bird ran or fluttered close behind the sup- 

 posed ant-eater, and then I knew I was watching something 

 uncommon in bird-life. The clump of marlock was only about 12 

 yards by 2 yards, but a considerable amount of trampling heavily 

 through it was necessary before the birds darted out from almost 

 under my feet. One of them hopped on to a dead log at a short 

 distance, and gave me a good view, for a moment or two, but, not 

 thinking it any use to risk a shot with the 440, I hurried home 

 (i| miles) for my gun, but rain and wind increasing caused me to 

 defer further investigations for that day. On three occasions 

 shortly after the above date I systematically tramped all over the 

 small stony hillock where the birds were first seen, but only once 

 sighted them. They darted out of the same small patch of 

 marlock as at first, after much trampling, and, coming out some- 

 what behind me, gave no chance of a shot. As with Amytis 

 striata (which I had met in the north-west of this State), the speed 

 of the birds is extraordinary. 21st June found me at the same 

 locaHty, and almost immediately one bird was sighted in a fresh 

 patch of marlock, but for some little time it gave no chance of a 

 fair shot, and then disappeared in a tangle of fallen white gum 

 limbs and dead leaves, which was surrounded by clumps of marlock 

 in full bloom. Among these blooms numbers of Melithreptiis 

 hrevirostris {leitcogenys, Milligan) were busily feeding, and a bullying 

 Wattle-I-5ird {Acanthnchcrra carunculata) kept makmg angry dashes 



