NESTS AND EGGS Of AUSTRALIAN BIRDS. 109 



Observations. — Generally described, tliis bird lias the whole of its upper 

 sui-face dark-gi-cy; moon or crescout-shaped markings over the eyes and 

 behind the eai-s, throat, tips of tlie wing coverts, margin of the secondaries 

 white. Shafts of the tail feathers arc also white (hence the vernacular 

 name, White-shafted Fantail) ; under surface buS ; eyes, bill, and feet 

 black; total length, 6i inches (including tail, 3:,' inches). 



Tliis exceedingly tame and hvely little favourite is distributed over 

 most of the eastern part of Austraha, where it is eveiy where met, 

 especially in the more heavily-forested parts. The White-shafted Fantail 

 has closely -allied representatives in Northern Australia, Western Australia, 

 ajid Tasmania; therefore it is again advised that the study of their res- 

 pective habitats will greatly aid the oologist in separating the different 

 species. 



Quite a chapter might be written on this interesting and useful little 

 Fantail and its beautifully-built, small, elegant ncst^ — sometimes 

 not much bigger than the bowl of a large smoking pipe — wliich always 

 attracts attention, particularly the singular ornamental handle or tail that 

 is prolonged downward from the body of the nest. 



When 1 meditate on these wonderfully-made little nests I always think 

 of the lines, "A Bird's Nest," which 1 learned at school: — 



" It wins my admiration 

 To view ttie structure of that little work — 

 A Bird's nest. Mark it well within, without ; 

 No tool had he that wrought ; no knife to cut ; 

 No nail to fix ; no bodkin to insert : 

 No glue to join ; his little beak was all . 

 And yet how nicely finished ! What nice hand, 

 With every implement and means of art, 

 And twenty years' apprenticeship to boot, 

 Could make one such another ? " — Hurdis. 



There are various suggestions about the utility of this taU, which is 

 constructed long or short according to the whim of the bird. If not for 

 ornamental purposes, I believe it is a case of pure mimicry, in which 

 the nest and tail are made to represent an excrescence on the twig, the 

 bird sometimes having to build its nest in exposed situations where food is 

 plentiful ; but whether it be essential for the stability of the nest or the 

 safety of its contents, the tail always takes shape early in the construction 

 of the nest. Although the nest proper is perfect for symmeti7 and 

 neatness, the termination of the tail is frequently slovenly finished off, 

 merelv a few shreds of bark hanging by spiders' webs, which any breeze 

 might unravel. The late Mr. T. H. Potts, who gave considerable attention 

 to the Flycatcher of this genus inhabiting New Zealand, beUeved the 

 affixing of the appendage steadied the nest in exposed yet good positions 

 for a food supply for the young. It is probably in some situations 

 exposed to sudden draughts or gusts of wind, which, agitating the twig, 

 might endanger the safety of the eggs. Mr. Potts asks, " Would not the 

 resistance offered by this peculiar addition (the tail) lessen any such danger 

 by diminishing the extent of the \nbration? " 



I have taken the pretty homes of the White-shafted Fantail from a 

 variety of romantic situations. The first I ever found was overhanging 



