﻿072 
  Transadbns.r^Zoolorpj, 
  

  

  appearance 
  of 
  the 
  Tree 
  Ewallcw, 
  except 
  that 
  I 
  saw 
  ^vhat 
  I 
  believe 
  to 
  

   bo 
  the 
  same 
  bird 
  about 
  half 
  a 
  mile 
  from 
  Avbcro 
  I 
  saw 
  it 
  before, 
  a 
  month 
  

   after 
  its 
  first 
  appearance. 
  Although 
  I 
  have 
  kept 
  a 
  good 
  looh 
  out 
  for 
  

   it 
  since, 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  again 
  seen 
  it. 
  If 
  I 
  mistake 
  not, 
  I 
  have 
  often 
  seen 
  tho 
  

   Tree 
  Swallow 
  on 
  the 
  Wimmera, 
  in 
  Australia. 
  Its 
  nesting 
  place 
  was 
  in 
  

   hollow 
  logs 
  ; 
  sociable 
  in 
  nidification 
  ; 
  a 
  dozen 
  or 
  more 
  nests 
  of 
  clay, 
  bottle 
  

   shaped, 
  and 
  built 
  touching 
  one 
  another." 
  My 
  correspondent's 
  remarks 
  on 
  

   the 
  nesting 
  habits 
  refer 
  evidently 
  to 
  the 
  Australian 
  martin, 
  which 
  builds 
  

   bottle-shaped 
  nests 
  of 
  the 
  kind 
  he 
  describes 
  ; 
  sometimes 
  in 
  the 
  cavities 
  of 
  

   decayed 
  trees, 
  often 
  in 
  clusters 
  attached 
  to 
  the 
  perpendicular 
  banks 
  of 
  

   livers, 
  the 
  sides 
  of 
  rocks, 
  or 
  other 
  prominences, 
  and 
  generally 
  in 
  tho 
  

   vicinity 
  of 
  water. 
  The 
  Tree 
  Swallow, 
  on 
  the 
  contrary, 
  as 
  Mr. 
  Gould 
  

   informs 
  iis, 
  breeds 
  in 
  the 
  holes 
  of 
  trees, 
  forming 
  no 
  nest 
  but 
  depositing 
  its 
  

   eggs, 
  from 
  three 
  to 
  five 
  in 
  number, 
  on 
  the 
  soft 
  dust, 
  or 
  pulverised 
  wood, 
  

   generally 
  found 
  in 
  such 
  places. 
  

  

  The 
  species 
  has 
  a 
  rather 
  Avido 
  range, 
  being 
  migratory 
  over 
  tho 
  southern 
  

   portion 
  of 
  Australia 
  and 
  Tasmania, 
  arriving 
  in 
  August 
  and 
  retiring 
  north- 
  

   wards 
  on 
  tho 
  approach 
  of 
  autumn. 
  Mr. 
  A. 
  K. 
  Wallace 
  brought 
  specimens 
  

   from 
  the 
  Aru 
  Islands 
  ; 
  and 
  other 
  localities 
  have 
  been 
  recorded. 
  

  

  It 
  visits 
  the 
  towns, 
  in 
  company 
  Avith 
  the 
  common 
  swallow; 
  and 
  I 
  

   remember 
  seeing 
  it 
  comparatively 
  numerous 
  in 
  and 
  about 
  Sydney, 
  during 
  

   a 
  viait 
  there 
  in 
  August, 
  1871. 
  

  

  HnuN'TOPUs 
  ALBicoLLis, 
  Bullev. 
  — 
  White-necked 
  Stilt. 
  

  

  Through 
  the 
  kind 
  attention 
  of 
  Mr. 
  C. 
  II. 
  Kobson, 
  I 
  have 
  received 
  from 
  

   Cape 
  Campbell 
  a 
  Plover 
  clearly 
  referable 
  to 
  the 
  above 
  species. 
  From 
  the 
  

   enlarged 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  tarsi 
  below 
  tho 
  joint, 
  it 
  is 
  evidently 
  an 
  immature 
  

   bird, 
  and 
  this 
  will 
  account 
  for 
  the 
  crown 
  and 
  hind 
  neck 
  being 
  tinged 
  or 
  

   faintly 
  mottled 
  with 
  grey, 
  these 
  parts 
  being 
  wholly 
  white 
  in 
  the 
  adult. 
  Tho 
  

   flanks, 
  rump, 
  and 
  under 
  tail-coverts 
  are 
  clouded 
  with 
  bluck 
  ; 
  tail-feathers 
  

   on 
  their 
  inner 
  web 
  and 
  towards 
  the 
  base 
  white 
  ; 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  the 
  plumage 
  as 
  

   in 
  my 
  type. 
  

  

  Anas 
  superciliosa, 
  Gmcl. 
  — 
  Grey 
  Duck. 
  

  

  As 
  an 
  instance 
  of 
  how 
  the 
  grey 
  duck 
  maybe 
  tamed 
  by 
  protection, 
  I 
  may 
  

   mention 
  that, 
  on 
  October 
  26, 
  I 
  saw 
  a 
  pair 
  with 
  eleven 
  young 
  ones 
  vv-ithin 
  a 
  

   few 
  yards 
  of 
  Travers' 
  Bridge, 
  Avon, 
  almost 
  in 
  the 
  heart 
  of 
  Cinistchurch, 
  

   and 
  several 
  other 
  pair 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity. 
  It 
  has 
  generally 
  been 
  found 
  ahnost 
  

   impossible 
  to 
  domesticate 
  this 
  bird 
  owing 
  to 
  its 
  tendency 
  to 
  revert 
  to 
  tho 
  

   wild 
  state. 
  But 
  lately, 
  when 
  riding 
  between 
  Woodville 
  and 
  the 
  Manawatu 
  

   Gorge, 
  I 
  saw, 
  at 
  a 
  " 
  cockatoo 
  homestea'.l," 
  a 
  flock 
  of 
  domestic 
  ducks 
  on 
  tho 
  

   roadside, 
  and 
  with 
  them 
  a 
  perfectly 
  tame 
  Anas 
  .superciliosa, 
  apparently 
  a 
  

   bird 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  year. 
  It 
  was 
  distinguishable 
  at 
  a 
  glance 
  from 
  the 
  rest, 
  by 
  

   its 
  manner 
  of 
  walking, 
  carrying 
  its 
  head 
  low 
  or 
  in 
  a 
  crouching 
  attitude. 
  Its 
  

   smaller 
  size 
  and 
  more 
  slender 
  form 
  also 
  betrayed 
  it, 
  before 
  I 
  came 
  near 
  

   enough 
  to 
  examine 
  the 
  plumage. 
  

  

  