NOTES AND QUERIES. 371 



of this species. I am not prepared to say whether the three were all young, 

 or an old bird and two full-grown youngitas the male, being smaller than 

 the female, might have constituted one of the number. The three all 

 remained quiet, and rose singly when the female ceased chirping and joined 

 them, having apparently accomplished her supposed purpose of removing 

 danger by her ruse. — Wm. Wilson (Alford, Aberdeen). 



Corrections to Notes from North-West Australia. — I shall feel 

 obliged if you will kindly allow me to correct one or two mistakes that I 

 made in my notes (ante, p. 139) : — The Collared Parrakeet I mentioned as 

 occurring here proves to be the Yellow-banded (Platycercus zo?iarius) ; also 

 somewhat unaccountably I have (p. 142) written Roller (Eurystomus 

 pacificiis), whereas it should be Bee-Eater (Merops omatus). The Sand- 

 piper I mentioned, Mr. A. G. Campbell has since identified as the Grey- 

 rumped (Hecteractitis brevipes). He also informs me the Emu- Wren I 

 secured (p. 140) is undoubtedly a new species, and now named Stipiturus 

 ruficeps. — Thomas Carter (Point Cloates, N.W. Australia). 



AVICUL TUBAL NOTES. 



Aiding a Young Cuckoo. — A young Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) was 

 found here on the 20th June, and was so numbed with the cold and wet 

 that it was quite unable to fly, or even move about. It had evidently flown 

 from the nest a day or two before when the weather was very dry and 

 exceedingly warm. It was taken indoors and put into a cage. Next 

 morning it revived, and was fairly docile to handle. It seemed intermediate 

 in the colour of the feathers between blue and rufous, the white mark being 

 conspicuous on the head. It perched on the uppermost bars of the cage, 

 and seemed to endure confinement with remarkable tranquillity, showing 

 none of the pugnacity incidental to its kind when in a nest, and partaking 

 of the refreshments placed beside it. I released the bird when it had 

 thoroughly recovered near the spot where it was found, and observed that 

 its powers of flight were decidedly superior to other specimens of the same 

 bird which I had seen at a similar age. I did not notice any particular 

 birds approach as it flew out of sight among the dense cover of broom, but 

 a pair of Twites were very demonstrative in the vicinity, and might per- 

 haps have been the foster-birds. Although the tail was short and not fully 

 developed, this bird was well-grown. The behaviour of the young Cuckoo 

 was remarkable for a wild bird just newly confined, showing none of those 

 points of temerity or agitation which act so detrimentally upon more wild 

 animals in early captivity. We may possibly assume that the young 

 Cuckoo can obtain support from various sources when deprived of the 

 foster-birds, and will live apart from them by taking up with other birds, 



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