BLOODSTAINED COCKATOO. 
and flew about in a restless, aimless sort of way. Large flocks of these Cockatoos 
were occasionally seen roosting (not feeding) on the beach of Ex mouth Gulf ; 
the reason of their doing so I do not know. I might remark that some of the 
large flocks of Cockatoos, watched by me on the open flats close to the town of 
Carnarvon while they were feeding on the Double-gee seeds, covered some 
acres of ground, and it was very curious on a calm day to hear the constant 
crackling noise caused by the birds breaking up the hard outer coverings of 
the seeds. The eggs are laid mostly in September, and the breeding season 
is always about this time, whether the season is wet or dry. Probably because 
the young birds should have a plentiful supply of grass seeds to eat (?) under 
ordinary conditions. The clutch of eggs is usually three, but sometimes four, 
and are generally laid in the cavities of the White Gum trees that grow along- 
side the river beds and watercourses, usually the only timber available in the 
North-west. Ant-hills and crevices in cliffs are utilised as nesting sites in 
treeless districts. The earliest clutch of eggs noted by me was one of three, 
August 6, 1897. Other dates are September 22, 1889. Eggs on the Minilya 
River, September 18, 1894. Three eggs, September 13, 1900. Several 
clutches of eggs taken, August 25, 1891. Two nests, each of three eggs, 
October 12, 1893. Two young in a crevice of a cliff, October 8, 1894. Two 
almost fledged young in nest, September 9, 1911. Fledged young noted, 
young in nests, and also eggs, very dry year , September 16, 1913. Breeding 
freely on the Gascoyne River ( another dry season ). The young birds make 
excellent pets in confinement, or with their liberty, and are very hardy and 
easy to rear.” 
Mr. J. P. Rogers’ notes forwarded" to me read : “ Feb. 23, 1902. Plain 
near Eleamurda Swamp, North-west Australia. Last month (Jan. 20) these 
were in small flocks of from 10 to 30 birds, and were feeding on the fruits of a 
small bush growing thickly on the ridges at Snake Creek. The fruit is 
finished and the birds are now feeding on the seeds of the Mitchell grass, acres 
of which have been beaten down by the birds, which are now in a large flock 
of many thousands. In the morning and evening it is a strange sight to watch 
a large flock of these birds when feeding on grass seed. The birds all travel 
in one direction and the last birds of the flock are continually rising and flying 
ahead of the leaders. They fly very low and from a distance there appears 
to be a wall of white which is stationary (by from a distance 1 mean about 
three-quarters of a mile, the individual birds cannot be seen at this distance) 
over the flock of feeding birds, which cannot be seen as they are hidden by the 
grass. Sept. 29, 1908. (Parry’s Creek). Saw two young with feathers still in 
the sheath, nest in Baobab tree. Oct. 2, 1908. Saw the roosting-place of a flock 
of these in a gully, about forty trees were used to perch on, and the ground 
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