﻿307 
  

  

  NOTES 
  ON 
  A 
  FEW 
  BIEDS, 
  CHIEFLY 
  MIGRATORY 
  

   AND 
  NOMADIC, 
  OBSERVED 
  IN 
  THE 
  VICINITY 
  OF 
  

   HOBART. 
  

  

  By 
  James 
  R. 
  McClymont, 
  M.A. 
  (M. 
  Austral. 
  O.U.). 
  

  

  Twelve 
  months' 
  residence 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Hobart 
  yielded 
  

   opportunities 
  for 
  studying 
  the 
  habits 
  of 
  several 
  birds 
  which 
  visit 
  

   the 
  south 
  of 
  Tasmania. 
  

  

  Pallid 
  Cuckoos 
  (Cuculus 
  pallidus) 
  were 
  first 
  observed 
  on 
  Aug. 
  

   30th, 
  1902. 
  On 
  that 
  day 
  two 
  birds 
  were 
  seen 
  to 
  arrive 
  at 
  a 
  high 
  

   rate 
  of 
  speed 
  ; 
  after 
  settling 
  on 
  several 
  trees 
  in 
  succession 
  they 
  

   continued 
  on 
  their 
  way, 
  and 
  were 
  speedily 
  lost 
  to 
  view 
  in 
  the 
  

   bush 
  which 
  clothes 
  the 
  hills 
  that 
  border 
  the 
  western 
  shore 
  of 
  the 
  

   Derwent. 
  The 
  Dusky 
  Robin 
  (Petroeca 
  vittata) 
  was 
  the 
  only 
  foster- 
  

   parent 
  of 
  Pallid 
  Cuckoos, 
  which 
  I 
  knew 
  to 
  be 
  nest-building 
  in 
  

   the 
  district 
  at 
  this 
  time. 
  Four 
  weeks 
  later 
  at 
  least 
  two 
  others 
  

   of 
  their 
  foster-parents 
  were 
  building 
  near 
  us, 
  namely, 
  the 
  New 
  

   Holland 
  Honey-eater 
  (Meliornis 
  novce-hollandice), 
  and 
  the 
  Yellow- 
  

   throated 
  Honej 
  7 
  - 
  eater 
  (Ptilotis 
  flavigularis) 
  . 
  Whether 
  Cuckoos 
  

   of 
  this 
  species 
  have 
  paired 
  before 
  their 
  arrival 
  in 
  the 
  south 
  of 
  

   Tasmania, 
  or 
  arrive 
  there 
  unmated, 
  has, 
  I 
  believe, 
  not 
  been 
  

   ascertained. 
  Nor 
  is 
  it 
  known 
  whether 
  the 
  return 
  journey 
  is 
  

   made 
  by 
  males 
  and 
  females 
  together, 
  or 
  separately. 
  As 
  will 
  

   appear 
  shortly, 
  young 
  and 
  old 
  birds 
  may 
  not 
  migrate 
  in 
  com- 
  

   pany. 
  Pallid 
  Cuckoos 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  regarded 
  with 
  curiosity 
  by 
  

   various 
  small 
  birds. 
  On 
  one 
  occasion 
  a 
  small 
  bird 
  was 
  seen 
  

   fluttering 
  before 
  a 
  new-comer, 
  as 
  if 
  under 
  the 
  influence 
  of 
  

   irresistible 
  attraction. 
  On 
  another 
  occasion 
  a 
  Yellow-throated 
  

   Honey-eater 
  was 
  seen 
  to 
  dart 
  repeatedly 
  at 
  a 
  Pallid 
  Cuckoo 
  — 
  

   strange 
  conduct 
  which 
  evoked 
  no 
  demonstration 
  of 
  hostility 
  from 
  

   the 
  migratory 
  bird. 
  At 
  first 
  I 
  ascribed 
  the 
  movements 
  of 
  the 
  

   Honey-eater 
  to 
  sportiveness, 
  but 
  when, 
  on 
  a 
  subsequent 
  day, 
  a 
  

   bird 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  species 
  suddenly 
  darted 
  at 
  my 
  head, 
  I 
  came 
  to 
  

  

  