The Emu. 
25 
bring in the splendid tails of the Australian Pheasant, which 
are said to abound among the hills." — {Backhouse, Letters, part 
5, 1839, PP- 6-10.) 
The blacks often bring in the splendid tails of the Lyre 
Bird, Menura superba, which is called in Australia the Pheasant 
or the Bird of Paradise. It is said to abound among the hills of 
this district. John Batman has some fine Emus captured 
here." — {Backhouse, Narrative, i6th November, 1837-1843, p. 
506)." 
Stray Feathers* 
I AM indebted to ]\Ir. Tom Carter for the skin of a Bare-eyed 
Cockatoo, Cacatua gyiunopis, from the region of the North- 
West Cape, which tends to prove that the bird I debited for 
that district* as the Long-billed Cockatoo (Lumetis pastmator) 
is really C. gymnopis. Therefore, obviously, it makes a good 
note for ''stray feathers." In 1890 I gave Western Australia as 
a habitat of gyninopis,'\ but appear to have turned my back on 
myself without sufficient reason, except that I was swayed from 
the actual fact by Mr. Carter's fascinating field notes. Possibly 
the Cockatoo noted by Mr. G. A. Keartland, of the Calvert Ex- 
pedition, as having been noticed between MuUawa and Cue, and 
again seen in countless numbers near the Fitzroy River, was 
likewise referable to C. gymnopis, and not to C. sanguiJiea, as 
stated.:|: It is to be regretted that a skin was not preserved for 
confirmatory evidence, especially from the Fitzroy, where the 
birds were so plentiful. 
A Halcyon (H. sordidus) accompanied the Cockatoo, and was 
interesting from the fact that I have not noticed this species 
recorded previously for the Western Coast. Date on skin, 14th 
June, 1900 ; locality. Point Cloates. 
Mr. Carter also forwarded another Halcyon, which he shot 
at Vasse, in the south-west, on the 3rd February last. It resembles 
closely the common Halcyon sanctus, but has decidedly a more 
bluish (bluish-green) coat, while the nuchal band and all the 
under surface are white, instead of being buff-coloured as in the 
H. sanctus. Should the examination of a series of specimens 
from Western Australia prove the bird to be a new or Western 
variety, I venture to suggest for it the name of H. ivestralasianus. 
The following are the dimensions in inches of a male of both 
kinds : — 
H. sanctus. — Length, 8; bill, 1.45; wing, 3.55; tail, 2.25. 
H. westralasianus. — Length, 8.5; bill, 1.6; wing, 3.7; tail, 2.4. 
A correspondent while Quail shooting near Melbourne during 
midwinter (July) flushed a Pipit (AnUhus australis) from a 
newly-hatched clutch of young. 
* " Nests and Eggs of Australian Birds," p. 621. 
+ Proc. Roy. Soc. Vict., vol. iii. (new ser.), p. 4 
X Proc. Roy. Soc. S.A., vol. xxii., p. 169. 
