The Emu 
instances of Australian birds laying again, sometimes 
twice, after their eggs have been taken or some accident has 
befallen the nest, are borne in mind, the arguments of those who 
object to a few eggs being taken for museum purposes lose 
much of their weight. 
* * * 
How five pairs of Warbling Grass-Parrakeets (" Betcherry- 
gahs ") and five pairs of their progeny reared 104 young birds be- 
tween one February and the next, in an aviary in Essex, is noted 
by Miss Brampton in the Aviciiltural Magazine for December. 
She had many failures before getting the birds to breed, and 
eventually got some "aviary-bred birds of good breeding strain," 
and in about two months was puzzled to find a stranger in the 
aviary, and in the course of a week or two twelve grand young 
birds had made their appearance. " After this," she says, " the 
youngsters came so thick and fast that they overflowed into my 
other aviaries until they were overcrowded, and still they came." 
When the young birds were disposed of the two old pairs 
retained gave up nesting seriously. As another instance of the 
fecundity of some Australian birds the above is worth noting. 
Allowing an average of seven eggs to each clutch, which is pro- 
bably beyond the mark, and that every egg was fertile, there 
must have been 1 5 clutches of eggs laid by these few birds 
during the year, and as the young birds would not be likely to 
breed for some months after hatching, the old ones must have 
done the bulk of the work. Whilst in Adelaide last November 
visiting members of the Union were shown these pretty Parra- 
keets breeding in the aviaries of Mr. Mellor, at Fulham. 
* * * 
The N.Z. Agricultural Report (1900) states that a 
number of Magpie Larks {Grallina) was obtained from Aus- 
tralia and liberated at Auckland, Hawke's Bay, and Wellington. 
These birds have since been seen in localities widely separated 
and at considerable distances from the places at which they were 
liberated. This seems to indicate that they are establishing^ 
themselves in their new land. The importation will be continued. 
The birds feed exclusively on insects and small snails. Unfor- 
tunately, several have been shot by settlers, who possibly did not 
know the value of these birds as insect-destroyers. 
* # * 
" Notes from the Leyden (Holland) Museum," vols. 
XXH. and XXHI.— Dr. Otto Finsch has kindly forwarded four- 
teen of his papers (excerpts from this journal) relating to 
Australasian sub-regions. The papers will be useful as lists of 
reference for any member working beyond the Australian 
