Page:The Emu volume 20.djvu/53

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Vol. XX. 1920 ]
Sorenson, Aboriginal Names of Birds.
33

Ground (Swamp) Parrot ' . . . . Goolinang.

Night (Spinifex) Parrot . . . . Myrlumbing.

Blue Mountain Lorikeet . . . . Warren.

Purple-ci owned Lorikeet . . . . Kowa.

Little Lorikeet.. .. .. .. Jerriang.

Varied Lorikeet . . . . . . Wero.

Little Green Pigeon . . . . . . Punkaree.

Bronzewing Pigeon . . . . . . Wairi Warri.

Crested Bronzewing . . . . . . Warracoutah.

Squatter or Partridge Bronzewing . . Manga.

Sun-Bird . . . . . . . . Tirridirri.

Chestnut-erowned Babbler . . . . Pirrigilgilli.

Grey-crowned Babbler . . . . . . Wirrbing.

Spotted Diamond-Bird . . . . . . Weetuwee . Birds'

Spine-tailed Log-runner .. .. Chow-chilla' own

White-plumed Honey-eater .. .. Chickowee J notes.

Such names as Galah, Corella, Budgerigar, Quarrian, Weejugla, Kookaburra, &c., are in common use. Why not place them first, as with Gang-Gang and Wonga Wonga, instead of Rose-breasted Cockatoo, Long-billed Cockatoo, Warbling Grass-Parrot, and so forth ?


The Little Eagle.

By R. G. LLys, R.A.O.U., Sentry Box, N.S.W. In June last I was attracted by the strange flight and whistle of a new bird in the district {Etitolntcehts morphnoides). Flying at a great height, it kept closing its wings and dropping as low as the tree-tops, then rising again to wheie it had started from almost perpendicularly ; this it repeated for several minutes at a time, all the while calling to its mate, who was on the wing higher up. Its call is three little whi'^tles, the first and last higher pitched than the middle one, and it is so penetrating that you can hear the whistle while the bird is still too high to see. Hearing the whistle every day, I could generally see the bird after a time, very high in the air, going through these manoeuvres of his, rising and falling hundreds of feet at a time, as if to work off his superfluous energy, and one day I saw him alight on a very tall dead tree overlooking a rabbit warren. This was the first time I had seen him resting, and then it was only to watch for young rabbits to come (Jut, on A-hich he was living. Saw him on two occasions pick up small kittens and carry them off. After watching this pair off and on for nearly two months I discovered where they were nesting in a tree over another rabbit warren, and secured a photograph of the nest and egg {in situ), and the female bird was taken for identifica- tion. Wing measurements were 22 inches — much larger than before described. The male l)ird was never seen helping in nest-building, but was always near, flying high above the tree. They seldom flap the wings when once up in the air, and rival the W'edge-tailed 3