4456 THE ZooLocist—May, 1875. 
Parrakeets and Locusts in Australiaa—The following extract from a 
letter written by a gentleman resident in Australia has been put into my 
hands, with permission to communicate it to the ‘ Zoologist.’ The writer’s 
family are well known to me, and I believe the statement may be relied 
on:—“ In November, 1872, there was a mighty army of locusts where I 
was then living—about five hundred miles from Adelaide—which I shall 
never forget; day was almost night, they fell more thickly than hail, 
covering everything. I was living in a hut, which became full of them, 
large fires were put out by them, and trees had all the leaves eaten off 
them for miles, for the army was over thirty miles long, and when it had 
passed the country was a wilderness; no leaves—no grass—nothing. They 
were nearly three days passing us. On the 23rd of that month I was pre- 
vented from travelling by my horse refusing to face the living hail. It was 
the most wonderful sight I ever saw, and was followed by another curious 
sight, the ground being covered by an innumerable host of small green 
parrots, evidently feasting on the dead: they were so thick as to resemble 
green grass, or a most beautiful green velvet carpet.”"—J. H. Gurney. 
Curious Thrush’s Nest.—There is now in my garden a nest built in some 
ivy, clothing one of the walls, in which are three eggs,—thrush’s eggs by 
their markings, and duly sat upon by a thrush. I was led to look for this 
nest by observing the actions of a blackbird. On finding it I told my two 
little boys it was a blackbird’s nest, for it was duly lined as a blackbird’s 
nest is, and there was no external difference observable. In a day or two 
my children came and told me I was mistaken—the eggs in the nest I had 
pronounced a blackbird’s were thrush’s eggs. I told them they were 
wrong; they must be, for the nest was unmistakable, and I went out 
myself to convict them by pointing out the resemblance—which I had 
several years ago commented on in the ‘ Zoologist’—between some 
blackbird’s eggs and some thrush’s eggs. But I was obliged, in taking two 
out of the three eggs out of the nest, to admit that the boys were right and 
I wrong. The eggs were thrush eggs, and no mistake. And I have seen 
the sitting thrush go off the nest once and again—the last time no longer 
since than about half-an-hour. There is literally not a speck of the clay 
lining left bare. The nest is in every characteristic that of a blackbird, 
and by no means that of a thrush.—J. C. Atkinson; Danby, April 10. 
Tawny Pipit.—I have to record the capture of a tawny pipit, which was 
netted here by a man employed in catching goldfinches on the 8th of 
November, 1874, who first took it for a young lark and then for a male 
titlark.— Arthur J. Clark-Kennedy ; Onslow House, Eastbourne, April 9. 
Crows attacking Small Birds——On the morning of the 8th of April I 
was much interested in a chase of a small passerine by a crow. As far as 
I could determine the smaller bird was a female chaffinch, but whatever it 
was it showed the utmost gameness, and was, I am glad to say, rewarded 
i. ae) ae eo 
