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NATURE NOTES AND QUERIES.

By DONALD MACDONALD.

yvou.N'DED yvii.r) DUCK:

J H (Campbells rarest) «utes- Re ferrmg to the note 1>\ limbury ite* about «ounded wild duck lulling themselves 1 hive rounded mnnv wild duck in swamps «here there nre sticks or reed-, standing in tile water I have known them to due n, considcrabl. distance and after a long search, have discovered the to» of the head and bill only just above the «ater In this «ay of hiding thev always have the bill alongside and in line «ilh a stick 01 iced gtowing out of the water nnd they e\en seem to tike an object «hieb tlitn billi, somewhat icsemble m colour anil in consequence ire ven difficult to lind Hie teil as von suggest, is the most cun lime of all mid duck in hiding itself I dont think for i moment that they die under water when wounded

IIHL.su T VII I-1) I11S11 H vT

The skin sent bv 1'H (Benalla) is that ot tht brush tailed bush mt, one oi the

unalla \ustuihun carnívora

viiJsK Ul Chs

Curious Ct Kil.h) «ntes - Monrç the ¡st Kilda shoit 1 notice 11 number ot musk duck« 1 hey in ncv ei ni n ishore mid nie gcneially n few liuiidied vnr.ls out Can you infoim mc «hero these ducks get to 111 ion,.!! -torniv wenthei Do they come -ishore at night' On whit do they

live

Replv -Jheio is a good deal of invstciy about the musk duel bul my impression is tint it occasionally comes ashoie at night \\ ith its fine diving powers it is quite it home in the walu even in the roughest -.ta and feeds on sin ill aquntit life such is is found 111 the bottoms of shtllow, needv sens ind swamps

I it-1- 01 ovsyitn.s

Can nnv bud fancier tell *lnquirei

(Nn,.milne) «lint is about the avcinge hie of can ints w hen 1 ept as cage birds '

I LOW HI UKI (VU«

' Mclda asl s « lint is the cnuse of filse floweis which som<tunes tike the shipe of 1 bud blossom vet never go am tiitilier md are always gieen in colour Uley have been noted on 1 convolvulus as will ¡is on a

geranium

Ileply -I einnot tell the cause of flowers sometimes appealing gi ecu anil lolouiless Ihov arc gcnciajjy referred to ns ' fienl s ' In iiinm cases tilt gall in sect pioduces growths «Inch tait the form ot the ordmarv llovvei hu.ls li 1« a 1 entilar occui renee 111 teatree and 1 noticed ut lîluck Rod vestcidav many

wnttlegills «Inch «eie as lurj.c ilniost is a mspberu and vet e\ictly 111 tht shape of a small (lower bud bcfoic it bursts

1 viiLy VICTO« \\ TOM NS

Ali A W t ici" hoiioniiv sccietniy of the llistoucal Soci tv of \ letona sivs 111 leiercnce to Mr Wilson Dobbs s Migt.es tion that tht soeietv nie very aiiMous, to obUiin ciulv "\ ittoi 1 in postage stamps toi ens medals and other souvenirs Jl is the mm 01 Hit sociclv amongst othei tilings to mal e 1 complete collection of

tlie tot ens mid medals issued in A letona

Vi fu thev possess onlv half a doyen out oi 1 l'S \ letoiim toi ens intnlot,tic 1 111 U! ins s j Coins of British Possessions and Colo

lu eises whtie collectors arc unwilling to put with specimens lntormution of then wheicabonts acconip lined by au nn punt of the toi ens, would be con«ideicd

woithv of iccoul

Mi flieig ulds - It may interest some ot vom rendéis to I now thal the oiifcinil dies fiom which the extremely rue gold Kiing 1100 peces vvete struck tire still in the possession of the Messrs Stokes whose 1 ilhci «as the miller of a lai¡,e numb. 1 01 thc«e lol ens dilling the In

ties mil sixtus

On this subject TTJ1 (Glenimggie) sn\s - When nulling down an old house I discoveied under tilt Hool 1 medal beni

mg tlie dat. ISiO and the Austialum co it of aims On one side weie the «ords Peace and Plenty and 011 the othtr the hguie o a lidv holding out stales Hie lncdil is a little hugel than a pennv nnd «e would like to kno«( vvhv ii «ns

btmd

SlIIVNCI- QUMI

Mi P C Hil ei (l-aipcnt) sends 1 quill foi ldcntiliuition Ho lins onH seen ene othei specim.n Jl «ns c utdit In Ins dog m 1 gi iss tree pinn in the foicst

l'cply -1 um very uncerUin ns to the identity of tlnsqntil H lins tile nile! throit the white cicscent beneath mid white cheela «Inch ninik the km" quill sonic tunes i tiled the swamp quill Uelow the «lute tiescent ii is slate gniv all the hrcnsl of 1 deep red blown the colour of n li tree iona nut I he ht,s ne 11 nell (.olden yellow with the lund toe «hell di"tniBuislieo the quuils from the I urui\ luinilv

AN INLAND SEAL  

I* C (Minyip) says that not long ago a     conespondent writing from Pomonal stated that a creature had been seen in a swamp   which was thought to be a seal. he under   stood that Mr Le Souef paid a visit to the     locality to see if he could get a close sight of it and offered a reward for the capture   when the swamp dried up in the hot     weather. He would like to know whether   the identity of this creature was estab

lished

Reply: The amimal was not captured, but         Mr Le Souef quite satisfied himself that It     was a small seal about 4ft in length  

roon 01 cool IS.II

Cicerone (Tiu<0ruort1i) «rites- One of oui loo il doctois lindel 1 Murniv 101 111 the Minimini ( icel (v) cnut,ht with i spoon hut Hie cieel is supplied bv one of the chinnels from tin Goulburn I'nci

J he hsh «as Jill) 111 weicht ind when opened it contained 1 full si7cd rabbit

I nth diccstcd How do you tlnnl he gol

lins meal '

ltcplv -Anglcis m the waters oí the Upper \nrrn btv mil 1 ihdile hid recently 1 vciv Mimili CMHiicite Scvel ii hr¡,e codlish «ere found Houling on the « itci c1, ad I hev «mt une 1 rabbits J he pos sihle c\plmillion 111 tint el*, «ns that tin 1-ihhitH Ind been poisoned fell in, anil weio taken by the codlish

linn su v\n ctr

Air 1 C Campbell sends 11 1 lipping fiom the Lomlomlci rv Sentinel It stitts th it nt Victortn pul Dover 11 number of loe.il people witched a thrush ninintnitiinn au uncqu ii light igunst n eil «hull vv-ib tiv

ing to gel lo its nest and young ones Hie hen titinsli « is 111 the nest with the v nmg

ind the mule hid inst relumed with a «01111 m his heil lhe cat «is tlimhin" the tree I he 111 ile bird it once alt iel ed it stiikmg with its beni ind open wings agiiii and ignin Ile diove the cut from the lite on to 1 will ind fin illy fonel it oil the w ill J he 1 it «as lho>ouL,hly be iteii

wa iv 1 1 yssioN niuiT

Mi G 11 1 cthei-ston (1 nglchawl ) icfel

ung to i piev ions nott sivs th it then ml ni least two vin lettes of nntivc pi«>ion fruit in Queensland One his vine lile lenes and heirs n finit which is hie n while gripe III si?, ind toloui but ipsemhle« pis sion fruit in the taste It is foun I chtcflv

m the iiiin,.iovc scrubs on Hie mers indi coasts of Conti ii Queensland \iiollier

lind lins small white llowcis md 1 fnutl about hilf ns big us the ordinuv pission flint «hen npc with 1 thin brittle shell no1 millie Hint of the Ch nese lintern

pod

OIIXIIIIOIOCISTS I \n HsIOX

I lu smile TV ii tot «ns I!, Keppel liai ns it suit tblc lui alni foi ornithologists I know the plate will having iniiipul tlieic nntl

shot ovei this nut «eieiil turn- It can not hi ot hi i nisi lim ri unsuitible in mv opinion bul should the «"act! I," then thev mnv lind Cisiiinini Island tin the 1 it? iov Bnei 1-' miks below lîotllnmploiil II good spot At oin ililli there TV es good shooting with ulhyitoi-, wild pigs uid kau

g u oo

TIOIITVIII) VM0XCS1 I OUI s

lhere «,ems to line bein n vii) vmlel) sprend and strange inortnlitv in poultr) xnids on the dny of Hie sims eclipse I nave lettcis from scierai suburbs îneliidin^ Alphington Hudelhcig Alelton Essendon, Clifton Hill and Preston, nil giving exnctl) tile same eTpeneiici At one period of the iftenioon the fon Is were pcifcctlv healthy mid feeding well All itt once the) began to slugger gave a few squawks' und died Hit «iniptoiiis m lvciv ease nie identical nnd inistcnoiis Hie onh possible sagres tion offered is h) 'MD" (Afellon) who siijs On opening the crops we found a quantitv of bind ants, is large as the com mon sngai ant 'Ihev were not (lving nut» but had light coloured lings lound their bodies Where the birds found them is n mjsteiv foi none vicie seen about" Hie untéis in catii case explain that m ni} of then neit-hbonrs fowls also died, but in only

(one case nie (lie nits mentioned ns ii pos I bible t iiise

PAIlROTs nilli DING IV CAPmiT.

j Refeiring to tins Biibject menlioned m n previous note a conespondent fiom Can tel bin i who his bj místale enclosed onlv one slip of his letter sa)s that he can only lind one instance of a blue und vellow micaw breeding in euplivit) and that was ns long ngo ns 1818 lins one bred in a small lurrcl with a hole about Oin in din meter and with a lavir of 3m of sawdust inside In four and n half years three birds Kid 62 eggs m 10 broods 2o young were batched of which 10 died

He noticed that m a home paper of Ma)

1009 u WTitcr mentioned the successful breeding of Hie vfnein gi ey pnriot in Cer innot lu Herr li U Tol/c lbey hatched

broods in 181!) and 1000

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