Notes on my Visit to Australia.



309



was so thick that I did not risk searching for him and perhaps

disturbing him. On March 24th I found him waiting at the

aviary door with a newly hatched chick under him, which he fed

on some huge mealworms. The next morning, when I went to

look at him, I found three chicks under him, so that he must

have gone back to the nest and hatched off these during the

night. On the 26th, to my great surprise, I found a fourth chick

with him ; he is the only male I have so that there can be 110

question of the young being hatched by different males. Three

of these chicks he has successfully brought up, and I now believe

I have two or three males.


Since starting this article I have been posted to Bloem¬

fontein, O.R.C., for duty and have brought the Quail with me,

and I hope this summer to rear a few more if I have any luck.



NOTES ON MY VISIT TO AUSTRALIA.


By David Seth-Smith, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U.


(Contimied from page 291).


The morning of the next day was spent in the Zoological

Gardens arranging various business matters in connection with

the object of my visit.


In the afternoon my host drove me round the town of

Perth. The Zoo is situated on the opposite bank of the river

to the town and is usually approached by means of a ferry which

runs every quarter of an hour, but by road the distance is con¬

siderable. From the Zoo the road strikes eastward, then runs

along by the river for perhaps a mile, until a bridge of several

spans is reached, which crosses the wide shallow river.


Shortly after starting I was delighted to see my old friend

the Sacred Kingfisher (Halycon sancta') perched upon a telegraph

wire by the road side. It reminded me of a delightful pair of

these birds I kept some years ago.* Where the road crosses the

river the latter is very shallow with numerous mud banks over¬

grown with rushes. Waterfowl were numerous, and as they are

here strictly protected they are very tame. Quite close to the



Vol. VI. (First Series) page 117.



