Page:The Zoologist, 4th series, vol 3 (1899).djvu/163

Rh cidedly yellow; bill and legs pinkish horn-colour, and iris dark. The bird (a female) was shot at Poole by Mr. Alan Bengough. Could this be a hybrid between Chaffinch and Canary; and would any of your readers who have seen hybrids between these two species kindly state whether the plumage was anything like this?—Bullfinch (Pyrrhula europæa). Plumage pale grey, top of head and the tail dark grey, rump white, iris dark. The bird (a female) was shot at Stoke Gifford by Mr. J.V. Hewitt.—Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus). Male; plumage a warm grey, pencilled with a darker shade of grey, very dark on the head and neck; collar white, iris dark grey. The plumage was not at all abraded or worn, but had all the beautiful gloss characteristic of the Pheasant's plumage. It was shot in North Devon.— (Redland, Bristol).

Notes from Point Cloates, North-west Australia, December, 1898.—As the weather and seasons greatly influence the scarcity or abundance of most birds, I give, first, a brief account of this year's weather. January, until the 20th, was one violent gale of cool south winds. The next four days were extremely hot and close, and on the 25th one of our north-west hurricanes, or "willy willy," brewed up, and spent its greatest violence immediately over here, accompanied by floods of rain. It subsided on the 26th, and was followed, in February, by heavy thunderstorms and rain, so that there was abundance of vegetation and insect-life throughout this locality. Quiet weather succeeded until September, when the usual heavy south winds set in. With the exception of a few light showers there was no rain in the winter. On Jan. 25th, as the wind and rain of the hurricane were commencing, I saw a flock of strange birds hovering over the house. I shot two, and they proved to be Frigate Birds (Fregata minor), the first I have seen here. The natives knew them, and said they were the sure sign of violent weather. There were a number of these birds for a few days after the storm. There were countless numbers of Swifts, Pigeons, and other birds flying at a great elevation the day the "blow" commenced. Feb. 21st I shot a Sacred Kingfisher (Todirhamphus sanctus) at the house, which, by the way, is situated among sand-hills about a quarter of a mile from the sea, the nearest fresh-water pool being thirty miles distant. Every year I notice one or two of these birds about that date. The same day a native picked up and brought me a Little Eagle (Hieraëtus morphnoides) in an emaciated state. It had one small yellow land-crab in its gizzard. The previous night had been one prolonged thunderstorm. I have not seen this bird before March 3rd. I had to pay a visit to an out-station of mine about sixty miles south-east. The intermediate country, where I had never seen water lying, was in many places flooded and boggy. At one spot was a large swamp with numbers of Wild Duck (Anas superciliosa),