GRASS OWL 
171 
some saplings in bright daylight, at about 4.30 p.m. ; 
it was out of sight before I could see more than that 
it was a large Owl, light-coloured, but larger and 
darker than the Delicate Owl. 
BLUE MOUNTAIN PARROT 
Trichoglossus novce-hollandice novce-hollandice 
There are in the collection of Mr. Mulder and in 
the Geelong Museum locally-shot examples of this 
bird, from which I conclude that thirty years ago 
it was not a rare bird in the district. Those thirty 
years have seen vast changes in our avifauna ; and 
even granted that one may sometimes mistake the 
Blue Mountain for the common Musk Lorikeet, 
which also is a swift flier and travels in flocks, I 
can but state that never (to my knowledge) have I 
seen this species wild about Geelong since Easter, 
1887. There were then, at Highton, a good number 
of these birds feasting on winter pears in an orchard ; 
they allowed us to come right under them, and 
even when one was shot the rest stayed in the tree. 
The distinguishing mark of this Parrot is the 
varied colouring of the under surface, the chest 
being crossed by a rich scarlet band above the deep 
blue of the abdomen. 
The normal food of this and all other Lorikeets 
is the nectar obtained from the flowers of the eucalyp- 
tus. 
