and all his papers. Cassell's Nat. Hist., quoting some other authority, says, "The mother places it in her pouch," without giving any idea of how that is performed. It is easy to make a statement, but it is not so easily confirmed. One can understand a Cat or a Dog picking up its young in its mouth and carrying it away, but it is too human-like for a Kangaroo to pick up that wretched worm and put it in her pouch. What would happen if it was born in the jungle in the dark? —Edward Bartlett.
[Lumholtz writes:—"The large Kangaroo bears a young 'no larger than the little finger of a human baby, and not unlike it in form.'[1] This helpless, naked, blind, and deaf being the mother puts in an almost inexplicable manner into the pouch with her mouth" ('Among Cannibals,' p. 379). Aflalo states that the actual fact of the Kangaroo's birth was observed at the "London Zoo.... It was there proved that the little 'joey' is brought into the world in the usual way, and forthwith conveyed to the comfortable receptacle, and affixed to a teat by the dam, which held the lifeless-looking little thing tenderly in her cloven lips" ('A Sketch of the Nat. Hist, of Australia,' p. 29). There is evidently much confusion on this interesting question. —Ed.]
AVES.
Is the Whinchat a Mimic?—Referring to Mr. Godfrey's note (ante, p. 267) anent this question, my brother and I had indubitable evidence of the imitative powers of Pratincola rubetra (cf. Zool. 1877, p. 384). Again, I heard one when crossing a meadow in May or June, 1897, near this village, which allowed me to approach within a very few yards whilst singing on the top of a wall; and, although perhaps not gifted with such a range of mimetic powers as the bird heard in 1877, yet it so closely imitated the song of the Blackcap, in addition to the reproduction of callnotes of various birds, as to fairly astonish me. It may be said in passing that whilst executing its imitative performance its attitude indicated intense passion, and altogether different to its movements and habits when it resumed its ordinary song, at which time it was more active and much wilder, and would not suffer a near approach.—E.P. Butterfield (Wilsden, near Bradford).
Arrivals of Spotted Flycatcher and Nightjar.—The question whether the Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa grisola) is the last to arrive of our summer migrants must, as far as this district is concerned, be answered in the negative, the Nightjar (Caprimulgus europæus) arriving on an average more than a week later. I should like to ascertain from your readers whether
- ↑ This quotation appears to be from Gould's 'Introduction to the Mammals of Australia,' p. 10.
