' 'orrcs/'"'"/''"'"''. 
fil 
" laid four eggs since lust October. My i)!irrot is alilc to heat this record ; 
"it is a West Afi'ican grey, and is jirol ahly about 18 years of age. I have 
"had it If) years, and it is a good talker. To my surpristi, on November 
"7th, it laid an egg, then one on each of the following dates in 1908 - 
" Xovenihcr L^oth, '2!lth, l)ecend)er r)tli ; and on February 2nd. 14th, 17th, 
"and '21st, l',K)9. J should bi,' glad if anyone can inform nio whether these 
" birds are ever bred in ca|)livity. and the age at which they usually coin- 
" mence to lay." 
II. W. Mathias. 
Notes from Far and Near. 
The Shining Cuckoo.— Our cstccincd nifmbiM-. Mr. F. 
Howe, kinilly sfiuls me ;i cutting from tlu' " New Zealand Herald," 
by Mr. J. Drnmmond, F.L.S., F.Z.S., from which I have compiled 
the followintj' : 
As the result of an a|)|)eal for observation as to the habits 
of this species, twenty letters were received, and also other brief 
notes, recording arrivals at different places were made — from this 
evidence it was shown that October and November were the months 
in which these miKKints arrive, tlionyh some few come in Augnst 
and others in Si'i)tember, while isolated individuals remain all the 
year round. 
" Most of the romance of the Shining Cuckoo is bound up in its 
" departure from the beautiful tropical islands of the Pacific, its {)erilous 
" continuous flight the longest on record when it journeys over lOOO miles 
"of sea, its arrival here in the sentimental months, its love and courtship, 
" and, finally, the amazing determination of the most unnatural mother to 
" abjure the maternal affection that is common to the female sex in all 
" classes of the animal kingdom. Apart from these considerations, the 
"Shining ("uckoo has maTiy charms. It has fine manners, a peculiar and 
" handsome plumage, which gives it a very distinguished appearance, and 
"strong, li(iuid, silvery, and sustained notes. Correspondents who made 
"records last yeai' have remarked that the notes are not so jubilant when 
"the cuckoo first arrives as they are later on, when its "fancy lightly turns 
" to thoughts of love." This is accounted for by the theory that the fir.st 
"arrivals are males. They are probably stronger on the wing and fly 
" quicker. Many of them are companionless for a time after arrival, and 
" they do not put all their souls into their songs until their mates are 
" present to admire their efforts. It is recorded in regard to the Pallid 
" Cuckoo of Australia, indeed, that the principal body of migrants are 
" preceded by forerunners, who arc absolutely silent. Mr. James Anderson, 
"keeper of the Kahurangi Point lighthouse, at Collingwood, Nelson, has 
