152 ^t'^y F'^if^'^'- [JT^n. 



The male was very industrious in scraping up earth and vege- 

 table ^Sn's into an egg-mound, which he attended regularly. 

 When cold he scraped on more litter, and in the warm weather 

 took some off. The keepers, not knowing the habits of the 

 young, were nonplussed by their bolting into the coppice, for 

 they are able to fly as soon as hatched. It is feared that the 

 majority perished of cold or fell a prey to some marauding 

 animal. Two or three were captured, however, and lived to be 

 full grown. The next season an enclosure was put about the 

 the mound, but whether the season was too cold, or whether the 

 male was not able to give proper attention to the mound, no 

 chicks were hatched out that season. — -E. T. Hubbard. 



Glenorchy, Tasmania. 



* * * 



St. Patrick's River (Tasmania) Note. — During the early 

 part of November I had the good fortune to spend a short 

 holiday at St. Patrick's River, in the Patersonia district. The 

 place at which I stayed was about 2 miles north and slightly to 

 the west of where the A.O.U. had their camp-out after the last 

 Hobart session. I found bird-life fairly plentiful, but some 

 species entirely absent that were noted round Prestidge's during 

 the camp-out. Thirty-five species were listed, as against eighteen 

 mentioned as having been noted by the members, who were 

 camped practically at the foot of Mt. Barrow. I have listed 

 twenty-one species not mentioned in the account of the trip, and 

 the campers saw six species not noted by myself It is rather 

 curious there should be such a difference in the lists when the 

 distance between the two places is so small. Certainly the 

 character of the country at St. Patrick's River is somewhat 

 different to that round the foot of Mt. Barrow, being in places 

 more open, with small, lightly-wooded flats along the river, and 

 the hills were not too heavily encumbered with undergrowth. 

 Where I was staying the Flame-breasted Robin [Petrcecaphccnicea) 

 was very plentiful, and three nests were found. Not a single 

 specimen of the Scarlet-breasted Robin {P. ieggii), noted so 

 plentifully round Prestidge's, was to be seen. The Pink-breasted 

 species {P. rhodinogastra) was recorded from Prestidge's, but I 

 cannot do the same for it for St. Patrick's. Take another 

 species of Robin, the Dusky {P. vittatd). It is recorded 

 by the campers, and I also have seen it plentifully in the same 

 locality, whereas at St. Patrick's I found it very scarce. I 

 noticed a nest of the Yellow-throated Honey-eater {Ptilotis 

 flavignlaris), containing three eggs, in a somewhat uncommon 

 position — i.e., in a tea-tree overhanging the river, some lo feet 

 from the surface. It was only discovered by seeing the birds 

 fly in and out of the bush. As a tree that had fallen into the 

 river had drifted under the nest, I was able, at the risk of a 

 ducking, to crawl along to the nest and investigate. The eggs 



