﻿278 
  THE 
  ZOOLOGIST. 
  

  

  Last 
  year 
  many 
  plants 
  produced 
  few 
  good 
  seeds, 
  and 
  some 
  none 
  at 
  

   all. 
  The 
  farmers 
  around, 
  also, 
  complained 
  of 
  the 
  infertility 
  of 
  the 
  

   eggs 
  of 
  their 
  ducks 
  and 
  fowls. 
  The 
  same 
  conditions 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  pre- 
  

   vailed 
  among 
  wild 
  hirds. 
  I 
  found 
  a 
  most 
  unusual 
  number 
  of 
  nests 
  

   containing 
  addled 
  eggs, 
  some 
  of 
  them 
  belonging 
  even 
  to 
  birds 
  which 
  

   had 
  wintered 
  abroad, 
  such 
  as 
  Swallows. 
  This 
  year 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  a 
  

   great 
  difference. 
  I 
  can 
  speak 
  only 
  of 
  wild 
  birds, 
  but 
  such 
  as 
  have 
  

   come 
  under 
  my 
  own 
  observation 
  have 
  all 
  hatched 
  their 
  broods 
  — 
  of 
  

   course, 
  some, 
  like 
  the 
  Flycatchers, 
  are 
  only 
  now 
  laying 
  — 
  and 
  in 
  most 
  

   cases 
  they 
  did 
  so 
  remarkably 
  early. 
  I 
  noticed 
  a 
  nest 
  of 
  young 
  Thrushes 
  

   almost 
  ready 
  to 
  leave 
  the 
  nest 
  on 
  April 
  12th, 
  and 
  a 
  day 
  or 
  two 
  later 
  

   they 
  had 
  flown, 
  much 
  before 
  the 
  usual 
  time. 
  Last 
  year 
  the 
  Swallows 
  

   did 
  not 
  arrive 
  until 
  May 
  1st, 
  which 
  was 
  late, 
  whereas 
  this 
  year 
  they 
  

   arrived 
  on 
  April 
  13th, 
  which 
  was 
  early. 
  — 
  "Leaves 
  from 
  a 
  Gardener's 
  

   Note-Book," 
  June 
  7th 
  (Garden 
  Life). 
  

  

  At 
  a 
  meeting 
  of 
  the 
  Linnean 
  Society 
  of 
  New 
  South 
  Wales, 
  held 
  on 
  

   March 
  80th 
  last, 
  Mr. 
  North 
  exhibited 
  skins, 
  nests, 
  and 
  eggs 
  of 
  Acanthiza 
  

   ewingi, 
  Gould, 
  and 
  Acanthomas 
  magna, 
  Gould, 
  from 
  Tasmania. 
  They 
  

   were 
  received 
  by 
  the 
  Trustees 
  of 
  the 
  Australian 
  Museum 
  in 
  March, 
  

   1902, 
  the 
  birds 
  being 
  sent 
  in 
  the 
  flesh. 
  The 
  nest 
  of 
  Acanthiza 
  ewingi 
  

   is 
  a 
  neat 
  dome-shaped 
  structure, 
  with 
  a 
  rounded 
  entrance 
  in 
  the 
  side. 
  

   Externally 
  it 
  is 
  formed 
  of 
  thin 
  strips 
  of 
  bark 
  and 
  bark-fibre, 
  and 
  thickly 
  

   coated 
  with 
  bright 
  green 
  moss, 
  the 
  inside 
  being 
  lined 
  with 
  the 
  rich 
  

   brown 
  downy 
  covering 
  of 
  freshly 
  budded 
  fern-fronds, 
  and 
  a 
  thick 
  layer 
  

   of 
  feathers 
  of 
  the 
  Yellow-bellied 
  Parrakeet. 
  It 
  measures 
  externally 
  

   4i 
  in. 
  in 
  height, 
  3 
  in. 
  in 
  diameter, 
  and 
  across 
  the 
  entrance 
  1^ 
  in. 
  The 
  

   eggs, 
  three 
  in 
  number, 
  are 
  rounded-ovals 
  in 
  form, 
  pure 
  white, 
  with 
  

   distinct 
  zones 
  on 
  the 
  larger 
  ends 
  formed 
  of 
  small 
  confluent 
  spots, 
  

   flecks 
  and 
  streaks 
  of 
  different 
  shades 
  of 
  purplish 
  red. 
  Length 
  (A) 
  

   0-68x0-52 
  in. 
  ; 
  (B) 
  0-67 
  X 
  0-52 
  in. 
  ; 
  (C) 
  0-69x0-5 
  in. 
  Two 
  eggs 
  in 
  

   the 
  collection 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Charles 
  French, 
  Jun., 
  taken 
  prior 
  to 
  1899 
  by 
  

   Mr. 
  G. 
  F. 
  Hiusby 
  on 
  Mount 
  Wellington, 
  near 
  Hobart, 
  measure 
  alike 
  

   0-67x0-49 
  in. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  subject 
  of 
  Beri-beri 
  disease, 
  which 
  is 
  now 
  engaging 
  con- 
  

   siderable 
  attention, 
  Sir 
  George 
  Birdwood 
  writes 
  in 
  the 
  ' 
  Times 
  ' 
  (June 
  

   25th) 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  first 
  medical 
  writer 
  to 
  describe 
  Beri-beri, 
  and 
  by 
  that 
  name, 
  

   was 
  Dr. 
  J. 
  D. 
  Malcolmson, 
  P.E.S., 
  of 
  the 
  Madras 
  Medical 
  Service, 
  in 
  

  

  