96 Wilson, Ornithological Trip to Nhill District. [voi"^'xxxV 



tailed Eagle that had been used the previous season, and also 

 one that was in course of construction. In the latter instance 

 I was surprised to see the number of sticks beneath the nest, 

 that had evidently fallen away before the birds had succeeded 

 in building a stable foundation. At the base of one of the 

 nests Spotted-sided Finches had built their grass home. A 

 iine Whistling-Eagle was flushed from her nest situated in one 

 of llie highest trees in the district. The only other members 

 of the Accipitriformes that I noticed were a Brown Hawk, 

 Hicracidca orientalis, and a pair of Kestrels, Cerchncis 

 ccnchroides. 



Above the crops, Brown and Rufous Song-Larks (Cinclo- 

 rhamphus) vied with each other for vocal supremacy, the latter 

 species being the more numerous. Pipits, A tithiis aiistralis, 

 wx're very common in the crop lands, and were also seen on 

 the desert where patches had been burnt. One nest, con- 

 taining three fresh eggs, was found, completely hidden by a 

 bunch of stubble that was lying over it. The Mai lee form of 

 the Australian Brown Flycatcher, which Mr. Gregory Mathews 

 calls Micrara fasciiuiiis Iwwci, was seen occasionally, and 1 

 was fortunate in discovering a nest, placed on a horizontal 

 fork of a eucalypt at a height of fifteen feet from the ground. 

 It contained a handsome pair of fresh eggs. The nest was 

 much more substantial and deeper than those t)f the Microeca 

 that I have seen further south. The owners were waging 

 constant warfare with two Black-and-W'hite Fantails that were 

 nesting near by, and who would persist in alighting near the 

 Brown Flycatchers' nest. Ow two occasions I saw Restless 

 Flycatchers, Seisura inquida, and found their nests, one con- 

 taining fresh eggs and the other fully-fledged young. 



The gums being in blossom, honey-eating birds were naturally 

 present in great numbers. The most conspicuous wxn'e the 

 White-bearded species, Mcliornis novd'-hoUaudicc. They were 

 there in thousands, most of them attending to the wants of 

 half-grown chicks. Three or four nests containing eggs Were 

 noticed, and I found that the favourite lining material \\as the 

 felt-like matter that is obtained from the Banksias. The 

 usual nesting site was in a Prickly Hakea bush. Other Honey- 

 eaters identified were Glyciphila albifrons, G. fidvifrons, Ptilotis 

 ornata, P. penicillata, Acanthogenys niflgidaris, Anthochcera 

 caruncidata, and the Mallee forms of P. leiicotis and Meli- 

 ihrcpius brevirosiris, the latter being a common bird. Once 1 

 thought I caught a glimpse of P. cratitia, but it was too far off 

 for positive identification. Mr. A. J. Campbell records seeing 

 this species north of Nhill. A nest of P. iwixv-noniw found was 

 in a very unusual situation, and is, I think, worthy of record. 

 It was built in a bare fork of a gum sapling about twelve 



