Vol. VIII. 

 1909 



J Hall, Notes on the Migration of A pus pacificus. 149 



disturbed my investigation of a Martin's nest on a river-bank. He 

 was furious at my breaking into the home of a sacred bird, and seemed 

 resolved that I must stay my hand or drop below into the river, 

 A strange altercation ensued, during which I was only able to use 

 the words " Ispravink " and " Musee " (" Police " and " Museum ") 

 in defence. These had the desired effect, however, and he went 

 away in great wrath. Even the hospitable Chief of Police, whose 

 guests we were, was not anxious to satisfy such enthusiasm. It 

 could not be done in daylight, even for scientific purposes, and, as 

 we had a sun that did not fully set, there seemed to be no 

 opportunity for us. After a week's stay, we were accommodated 

 with the services of a peasant and a ladder, and finally witnessed 

 and handled the real things- -eggs, nest, adult bird, rafters ; even 

 the atmosphere was there. The young were just leaving the nest. 

 One fully-fledged bird was miserably thin ; there was scarcely any 

 fatty tissue about its body, and the sternum was only covered with 

 dwarfed muscles. A second young bird was particularly fat. 



These birds congregate in large numbers, but do not breed in 

 close company. They fly quickly, and have a single shrill 

 note. The bird has a strong grasp (with its four toes in the same 

 plane), which is enough to pierce the fingers and draw blood. 

 The nest consists of a few straws and feathers cemented by 

 saliva. The eggs were two or three to a clutch. The parents 

 occasionally worry the feather-bred Swallows which associate with 

 them in nesting. This species was not met with lower down the 

 river than Yakutsk. From 40° S. in Victoria to 62° N. in Siberia is 

 a long fly. The period of flight from the time of leaving the south 

 in early autumn to the time of arriving in the Japan Sea could be 

 gauged if only some ornitliologist had the date of leaving Victoria 

 in 1903. 



The illustration shows the outer verandah of the market 

 square in Yakutsk, under which Apus {Micropus) pacificus. Lath., 

 had built many small and strangely constituted nests. The 

 negative is by the Czar's officer, Mons. Zooyef, Governor of 

 Olekminsk. 



Stray Feathers. 



New Foster-parents.— In a recent letter received from Mr. 

 C. M'Lennan, Carina, Victoria, he named Hylacola cauta and 

 Makirus melanotus as new foster-parents for Chakococcyx 

 plagosus.—Y. E. Howe. Albert Park (Vic), io/i2/c8. 

 # * * 



Rhipidura dryas (Math., Handl., p. 65).— I received this 

 bird in a small collection of skins sent me from near Wyndham, 

 N W. Australia, by Mr. J. P. Rogers. I think this is a new 

 locality for this species.— GREGORY M. MATHEWS. Watford, 

 England. 



