NOTES AND QUEKIES. 358 



that grows here, and not to any great size). Near the sea are sand-hills 

 and salt-marshes,, which I have not yet explored at all. Coming down the 

 coast last January I shot many interesting birds at Derby (King's Sound), 

 but they were all swamped in the boat returning to the ship. Mutton- 

 birds were very numerous all along, and at Cossack I saw and shot Ospreys. 

 At Ashburtou a fine Sea Eagle settled on the mast-head, but was not 

 secured. The noble Wedge-tailed Eagle {A. audax) is numerous here, and 

 very destructive to lambs : a good many have fallen victims to poison. It 

 is a pity to destroy such fine birds, but I have seen a pair kill five lambs in 

 one morning. Birds of prey are very plentiful, but as yet I have not 

 commenced to shoot for skins, the birds being in bad feather this time of 

 year, and I want to secure them with their eggs. Emus are seen almost 

 daily, in spite of the drought, and, from a specimen I examined on 

 March 23rd, I think Gould is correct in surmising that the Spotted Emu 

 is the bird of Western Australia (Dromaiis irroratus). This was a female, 

 and contained a large cluster of eggs, some as large as a duck's. March 

 25th no less than twenty-eight were seen in one flock near a pool, many 

 last year's birds not full-grown. The Western Long-billed Cockatoo 

 [Licmetis pastinator) is seen in large flocks. I have only Gould's ' Hand- 

 book ' to work from, but have seen and shot several of the following species, 

 which he describes as only being found in the interior : — Eose-breasted 

 Cockatoo (C. roseicapiUa), the Varied Parrakeet {Psephotus multicolor), and 

 the Crested Bronze-wing Pigeon (Ocijphaps lophotes). The Yellow-collared 

 Parrakeet (P. semitorquatus) is common, as are others of this genus I 

 have not yet identified. A flock of Black Swans were on a pool here 

 April 2nd, which I take to be a long way north for this species ; they were 

 in company with Avocets, Pelicans, Pink-eyed Duck, Australian Teal, and 

 other wildfowl. The Australian Curlew is very common, and a noisy bird 

 at night. When winter sets in, and we get rain, I hope to be able to send 

 some fuller and more interesting notes. — T. Carter, of Masham, Yorkshire 

 (Boolathana Station, Gascoyne, Western Australia). 



REPTILES. 



Coloration of the Viper. — With reference to the remarks of Mr. 

 Macpherson under this heading (p. 306), it may be well to point out that 

 the Viper which occurs in the Forest of Foutainebleau is Vipera aspis, 

 and not the British Viper, Vipera herus. The characters by which these 

 two species may be distinguished will be found indicated by Mr. Boulenger 

 in «The Zoologist' for 1885, p. 375.— J. E. Harting. 



FISHES. 



"Becker" or " Braise" in Cornwall. — On August 3rd I took, in my 

 trammels, a "Becker" or "Braise." There exists considerable doubt 



ZOOLOGIST. — SEPT. 1887. 2 E 



