160 MUSCICAPID^. 



and Croydon, its range extending inland to the western slopes of the Blue Mountains. In 

 Victoria, it is found as far east as the Otway forest, and it is freely dispersed throughout the 

 Dandenong Ranges, within twenty miles of Melbourne, where its nests are not uncommon. 



This species has a weak piping little note, difficult to syllabicate, but when once heard it 

 is sufficient to distinguish it from that of any other Robin. Its food consists principally of 

 small moths and their larvae. 



Nests of this species were obtained at Cambewarra, in the Illawarra district of New South 

 Wales, by Mr. J. A. Thorpe, the Taxidermist of the Australian Museum. Although the birds 

 were in both instances seen and obtained near the nests, unfortunately neither of the latter 

 contained eggs. Subsequently Mr. J. Gabriel kindly sent me the birds, nests, and eggs procured 

 by him at Bayswater, Mctoria; also the following notes, under date 28th December, 1895: — 

 "My first nest of Erythrodvyas rosea was found in a Blackwood Tree ( Acacia mclanoxylon), in 

 November, 1893, and contained three hard set eggs; the second and third nests on i8th 

 December of the same year, both containing fresh eggs; also a nest in a Hazel Tree (Pomaderris 

 apdala), with young; and the fifth nest in a Blanket Tree (Senccio bcdfordi), with three eggs, 

 on i8th November, 1894. About a dozen old nests were found in Hazel, Blanket, Blackwood, 

 and Native Holly trees. The last clutch, the one which I am sending you with nest — oh, 

 what a pretty one! — you will see is on a Musk Tree (Aster argophylla), and was about twenty 

 feet from the ground. These birds build at a height varying from twelve to sixty feet. The 

 nesting season is November, December, and January; the second nest enclosed, which we 

 found yesterday (27th December, 1895), being an unfinished nest, and pointing to the latter 

 month. Like the Flycatchers, they are continually on the move, and the note is merely an 

 apology for a noise." 



Writing under date 30th October, 1898, Mr. Gabriel remarks: — "I cannot add much to 

 my former note on Erythrodryas rosea, except that my last two sets of eggs were taken under 

 considerable difficulty. The birds had chosen two tall Hazel trees in which to build their nests. 

 As each tree was of doubtful age and strength, four of us supported the upper part of it with 

 tall forked branches; in the meantime the butt of the tree was chopped through, and three or 

 four feet of it was cut oflT at a time, until we gradually reached the nest. Our work was 

 rewarded by two sets of eggs of two and three respectively; on the set of two the female sat 

 until we got too close. On another occasion six of us cut down a heavy Blanket tree, as above, 

 and the nest was empty, although we saw the bird fly off before commencing our work." 



The nest of this species is a beautiful structure, and closely resembles that of its congener, 

 Erythrodryas rhodinogaster. The one sent by Mr. Gabriel, which contained two eggs, is built 

 at the junction of a forked horizontal branch oi Aster argophylla, from which spring two thin 

 curved branches, protecting the sides of the nest and sheltering it above with their leafy sprays 

 and clusters of flowers. It is cup-shaped, and outwardly composed of a green Hypiium, held 

 together with a fine network of cobwebs, and ornamented with pieces of apple-green lichen; 

 inside it is warmly lined with opossum fur and the down from the freshly budded fronds of a 

 tree fern. Exteriorly it measures 2-5 inches in height and breadth, and internally 1-5 inch in 

 diameter by i-i inch in depth. The rim, which is thick and rounded, is ornamented with 

 lichens, and measures o'6 inch in width. This nest is figured on Plate A. 2. The unfinished 

 nest, which was placed on a thick horizontal branch, is similarly formed, but has no lining of 

 opossum fur. The nests found by Mr. Thorpe at Cambewarra are more thickly covered with 

 lichens — in fact, one nest, until closely looked at, appears to be wholly constructed on the 

 exterior with this pretty and much-used nest decoration. 



During a visit to Ourimbah, in company with Mr. D. Swift, the latter found a beautiful 

 nest of this species in a Sassafras (Doryphora sassafras) on the nth November, 1901. It was 

 built on a horizontal limb at a height of thirtv-fi\e feet from the ground, and the female was 



