Vol. VIII. 



1909 



j Stray Feathers. 215 



the sea surface either by day or by night. When I was leading 

 a seafaring life it was my experience that these birds did not 

 follow a ship at night, but made their appearance an hour or two 

 after dawn. I remember on one occasion, when our ship was 

 tearing before a howling gale, we passed a little colony of Storm- 

 Petrels floating on an oasis of oil, unbroken by a ripple, while 

 all around were raging "white-caps." When I called the atten- 

 tion of an old sailor to this, he said he had several times seen 

 them taking their ease in a similar manner, and he added that 

 before arising on the wing again the birds would have drunk up 

 all the oil. — GEO. GRAHAM. Scott's Creek (Vic.) 



Gladstone (Q.) Notes.— I found a double set (four eggs) 

 in the nest of the Brown Flycatcher {MicrcBca fascinans). The 

 nest was built in a sapling at the height of about 12 feet. One 

 bird was on the nest and another on the edge close to it. When 

 the lad who was with me climbed the tree, two more birds 

 (apparently males) came flying up and joined in the chorus of 

 protest during inspection of the eggs. Two of these were of the 

 usual steely-grey colour, but the other pair was more beautiful, 

 being bluish-grey with a clearly-defined band of dark spots round 

 the larger end. 



Blood Honey-eaters {Myzomela saiiguineolenta) were very 

 numerous this year. They showed a partiality for clumps of 

 scrub, patches of brigalow chiefly, dotted about the open country, 

 and did not seem to care for the larger scrubs. I have never 

 observed them here before, so their visit was a pleasant surprise. 

 Two nests with eggs were seen, both in brigalows. 



A pair of Brown Hawks {Hieracidea orientalis) nested this 

 year in what appeared to me to be an unusual place — a huge 

 clump of orchids growing on the trunk of an ironbark. The 

 leaves of the plant at the top were tramped flat to make the nest, 

 with a thick fringe left round the sides that effectually screened 

 the sitting bird. — ERNEST D. Barnard. Kurrajong, 4/12/08. 



Movements of Wood-Swallows. — I quote a note taken 

 at the time of observation last summer : — "What would seem to 

 be a strange systematic trait of periodical changing of localities 

 has taken place among the Wood-Swallows here. Last year 

 these birds were represented by practically only one species — 

 viz., the Wood-Swallow {Artaimis sordtdus). This season things 

 have changed. Owing to the drought up north, the White- 

 browed {A. superciliosiis) and rarer Masked {A. personatus) 

 species are here in considerable numbers, whilst a Wood-Swallow 

 (a. sordidus) is a comparative rarity. In October-November of 

 this year I found White-brows and their nests (but no Masked) 



