THE TASMANIAN NATURALIST. 
nects the lagoon with the ocean, and by 
setting nets across this many dish may 
be caught, whereas in Daniel’s Bay, 
where the camp was, fish were very 
few. At the lighthouse the party 
was hospitably received by Superin¬ 
tendent Hawkins, who is in charge 
there, and who showed the mem¬ 
bers over the buildings, which were 
kept in praiseworthy condition. In con¬ 
versation, Mr. Hawkins stated Umt the 
weather would easily have allowed the 
boat to land our party in Great Taylor’s 
Bay on the Thursday nigat, when taken 
direct to Franklin. Other trips were 
made to Adventure Bay, Mount Bruni, 
and elsewhere, which were enjoyable, but 
there was little scope for natural history 
roseanli. Between Cloudy Bay and the 
lagoon a long arm stretches, having a 
fine beach on the ocean side, where shells 
are to be found after a storm, but few 
shells were seen during our visit. Many 
gulls, terns, and cormorants were flying 
about tlie lagoon, and as the water is 
very shallow over most of its area, it 
must be an easy matter for them 
to catch the fish. Out in the middle 
were some black swans, and ducks 
of different kinds were also ob¬ 
served. A large flock of white-fronted 
herons was there too, and sooty and 
white-breasted oyster-catchers occasion¬ 
ally flew in from the sea. On the hills 
the chief birds seen were black 
cockatoos, green parrakeets, and wattle- 
birds. Two summer birds and a few 
swallows were seen, showing that these 
hud not then left the ■north. Near 
Daniel’s Bay the numbers of small birds 
were remarkable; three of the robins— 
scarlet and flame-breasted and dusky— 
were continually in sight. The spine- 
bill, crescent, New Holland, yellow- 
throated. and black (leaded honey-eaters 
were common, and showed by their num¬ 
bers that the pea rifle was practically 
unknown there. Quail and ground birds 
(Cinclosoma punctatum) were also seen. 
Whilst fishing in Little Taylor’s Bay our 
attention was attracted by the hawk-like 
cackling cries of a Caspian tern, 
which wa.3 trying to take a fi-l> from a 
smaller species, the latter probably be¬ 
ing the white-fronted tern. At different 
times one or two sea, eagles were ob¬ 
served, sometimes soaring, at others 
flying heavily in the still air. Probably 
there are several nests of these birds 
■on Bruni, but local residents at Daniel’s 
Bay were unable to tell us where they 
were situated. No wedge-tailed eagles 
were seen. Fid. were remarkably few; 
only small catches of flatheod and rock- 
cod were taken with hand lines, and the 
nets brought up usually nothing at all— 
sometimes a few mullet. The other kinds 
taken were flounder, pike, saw-fish, 
sting-ray, and a small kind of leather- 
jacket. On Tuesday, April 2, at midday, 
the members were grouped on the beach 
and photographed, and at 2 p.m. the 
steamer called and took the party hack 
to town. 
Tasmanian Quail and §ame ^Propagation . 
By A. R. REID. 
It has always seemed strange to me 
that so little has been done in Tasmania 
to increase our supply of winged game. 
One can form some little idea of the ex¬ 
tent that game tearing is carried on in 
the old country when it is noted that 
over two millions of money are annually 
spent on its propagation and rearing. 
But before going into the subject of pro¬ 
pagation it might be as well to consider 
the reason why one particular game bird 
is rapidly getting scarcer. I refer to our 
grey 
or stubble 
quail. 
Let 
us 
follow 
the 
life 
history 
of 
a 
bevy. 
About 
the 
middle 
of 
No. 
vember 
a pair 
of bird 
s build 
their 
nest 
under a tuft of grass on the verge of a 
field of growing wheat, and in it lay nine 
pretty spotted eggs. After nineteen days 
of patient sitting-nine little downy chicks 
are hatched, and almost immediately run 
with their parents into the standing 
grain, there to feast on insects and small 
grubs. All goes well for the first week or 
two, till the rattle of the reaper and bin- 
der, is heard, and as the golden sheaves 
are gathered and bound the birds creep 
more and more into the middle of the 
piaddoek; when the last strip is about to 
he cut the piareut birds call their little 
ones together, and saying “Follow us, 
stretch thedr wings and fiv to the grass 
that grows long anti rank around their 
once secure home. But two of the little 
ones are too timid to trust their wings, 
and squat close to the earth, thinking 
they will not he noticed; but, alas, the 
wheels of the binder pass over their tiny 
bodies, and the family circle (including 
the old birds) is reduced to nine. Next 
morning the survivors leave their home 
in tlie grass to feed amongst the stubhla 
( 3 ) 
