Philpott. — Birds of South-wesferti Otago. 219 



heads thrust over the edge of the nest and their beaks wide open. They are 

 also often overrun with hundreds of minute acarids, and the parents seek to 

 abate this annoyance by picking off all they can see on each visit with food. 

 An instance of unusual vigour in nest-building may be worth recording. 

 On the 3rd September, 1917, I found a pair — black and pied — commencing 

 to build a nest. By the 9th they had ceased working at it, and it appeared 

 to be completed, though from the situation I could not make sure of this. 

 On the 16th the pair began another nest about 12 yards away from the first, 

 but work on this was carried on for only about half a day, when another 

 site was selected near it. This third nest was beautifully finished by the 

 23rd, but the birds never used it, choosing still another site, where they again 

 built, liatching out their eggs on the 22nd October. The nestlings left the 

 nest on the 3rd November, and on the 8th I found the black fan (the hen 

 bird) at work on another nest. This was lower down than any fantail's 

 nest that I have seen, being only about 4 ft. from the ground. Within a 

 yard of it was another nest, nearly completed, and once the bird alighted 

 on this and did a little work at it. The first egg was laid on the 11th, and 

 one on each of the following days till four were deposited. The young 

 birds left the nest on the 12th December, but previous to this the pied 

 parent had disappeared. A young black bird, presumably one of the former 

 brood, began to assist in feeding the brood, and by the 7th January this 

 pair of blacks had built a nest and had young birds hatched out. As 

 mentioned above, I was unable to keep any further watch on this pair. 



PARIDAE. 

 Brown Creeper {Finschia novaeseelandiae Gmelin). 



Though becoming rather rare in the smaller bush areas, the brown 

 creeper is still common in the larger forests. In the upper portion of 

 Titiroa Forest it is very abundant, and in the Longwood and west-coast 

 blocks it is also plentiful. 



Yellowhead {Mohoua ochrocephala Gmelin). 



The yellowhead disappeared from the neighbourhood of Invercargill 

 about ten years ago. West of the Waiau River it is not uncommon in 

 suitable portions of the coastal forest, and it is abundant in Titiroa. 

 I have not met with it on the Longwoods. 



MELIPHAGIDAE. 



Bell-bird {Anthornis melanura melanura Sparrman). 



It is gratifying to find that this charming songster, which at one time 

 was thought to be in danger of extinction, is now one of the most common 

 of the indigenous bush-birds. The smallest patch of forest usually supports 

 one or two individuals, and orchards and gardens in the centre of the 

 town are regularly visited. An instance of what appears to have been 

 an individual variation in the song of this bird came under my notice in 

 December, 1917. While camping, in company with Mr. C. C. Fenwick, 

 at the Wairaurahiri River, a bird kept up an incessant short song, con- 

 sisting of three bell-like notes in a descending scale. It was quite different 

 from anything I had heard in any other locality. On returning to the same 

 spot a year later exactly the same pleasing melody was heard nearly all 

 day long ; probably it was the same bird. 



