16 THE AUSTRALIAN NATURALIST. 
BIRD NOTES. 
(By L. Harrison.) 
Tue Black-eared Cuckoo  (Mesocalius palliolatus: This 
rather rare cuckoo is typically an inhabitant of the dryer in- 
terior, whence most of the specimens known have been ob- 
tained. It ‘was first recorded for County Cumberland from 
an immature female obtained by myself near Brookvale, 
Manly, in 1905, which is still, as far as I know, the only 
specimen actually obtained in the country. But abundant 
evidence that the bird visits the coast is afforded by the 
discovery of three eggs of this species by Messrs. H, Keane 
and P. Gilbert, two at Flemington and one at Blacktown. 
Mr. H. L. White also obtained an egg at Helltrees, near 
Scone. The host species in all four cases was the little field 
wren (Chthonicola sagittata), the egg of which approximates 
closely in colour, but not in shape, to that of the cuckoo. 
Note of “Morepork”’ (Podargus strigoides) : This bird 
derives its popular name from the fact that the note of the 
boobook owl is generally attributed to it. The general public 
is beginning to know better now, though these old beliefs die 
hard, but since the old belief has been resigned, there has 
been a great deal of popular confusion as to what the note of 
the Podargus really is. I cannot understand why this should 
be so, as correct descriptions have been published, and the 
bird, although nocturnal, is very common and easy to observe. 
The note is described by Campbell as a ‘‘rapid pulsating hoot’’ 
but hoot is hardly a good word. It may be imitated by al- 
most closing the lips and repeating the syllable ‘‘oum’’ rapidly 
at a fairly high pitch, a good deal higher than the well-known 
“‘boom’’ of the painted quail. The greatest number of re- 
petitions of the note I have seen recorded is twenty-five 
(Campbell; Dr. Macgillavray says twenty or more) but since I 
have been sleeping on an open verandah in our heavily-tim- 
bered highlands, I have found the number to be frequently 
much larger. One night a month or more ago I was roused 
by the note of a Podargus close by, and as it seemed to be 
giving a very continuous utterance, I began to count. It 
uttered 34 calls, and after’ a few seconds’ interval, 53. I fel! 
asleep again just here, and in the morning was not sure whe- 
ther I might not have dreamed it all. A few nights ago, 
however, I was awake towards morning when a bird com- 
menced to call close by, and I recorded its series. First one 
not counted, then 46, 15, 33, 56, 69, 73, 50, 36, with a few 
seconds interval only between each succession of calls, the 
whole occupying, as far as I could judge, not more than five 
or six minutes. 
