SPINE-TAILED SWIFT 
207 
April ^th. — Ninety-mile Beach. Fair-sized flock, 
flying south-west along coast. " Deeby." 
April Sth, — Inverleigh. A few. W. Berthon. 
April isth, — Buln Buln. Passing all day, flying 
south-east. S. M*Culloch. 
April lyth, — ^Tyers. Travelling north-east. E. J. 
Christian. 
April igth. — Maffra. Several, circling. A. F. 
Linton. 
It is notable that the earliest and latest records are 
from Gippsland, suggesting a route along the eastern 
coast-line, both going and returning. Mr. P. L. S. 
O'Shanassy, of Hastings, writes to " Nature Notes " 
in the Argus of March 22nd, 191 3, of this Swift : " On 
February 2nd last, in the evening of a scorching hot 
day, I had walked across French Island, noting great 
numbers of Swifts flying low over the heath. Later 
the same evening I was becalmed in a yacht off the 
western coast of the island, and saw scores of Swifts 
dipping down and touching the water with their 
feet, sometimes quite close to the boat. They were 
at this performance till it got too dark to see them, 
but up to midnight I could hear them flying over- 
head. There can be no mistake made by a practised 
ear of the keen whizzing flight of the Spine-tail. 
I regret to say that I have many times shot individuals 
of both the Spine-tail and the Lesser White-rumped 
Swift, and always found their little feet stiffly folded 
up, and that when stretched open, the soles of the 
