Il8 XESTS AXD EGGS 01- AVSTKALIAN BIRDS. 



Witli their peculiar rattle-like noise and restless actions, the Fantails 

 soon betray the whereabouts of their nests. 



In confirmation of Gould and Mr. Lau's other remarks, that the Black- 

 and-wliite Fantail sometimes rears three broods in a season, a farmer 

 friend took particular notice of a pair near his home, and proved the fact, 

 with the additional original uiformatiou, that the fii'st two broods, in that 

 instance, were reared from the same nest. 



A correspondent of the " Queenslander," who enjoyed opportunities of 

 watcliiug the Black-and-white Fantail building its nest, states : — " The site 

 chosen for the nest is the horizontal foi'k of a small dead branch, generally 

 near the top of a tall tree standing close to water. Occasionally they build 

 in a similar position in a fallen tree, and once I saw a nest on the fiat beam 

 of a boat-house — a most unusual place. Having decided on a site, they 

 call upon the patient and hard-working spiders, whose carefully-woven nets 

 are torn awav. The foundation is made by twisting the cob-webs aroimd. 

 under and across the two sides of the foi-k. Next a great many trips 

 are made to the banks of the creek. Here they obtain the thread-hke roots 

 of plants, which have been exposed by the water washing away the soil. 

 These rootlets, together with strips of soft bark, are twisted round the fork 

 until a cup-like shape is formed, the bird helping to mould it by turning- 

 round and roimd within the httle cup and pushing and working it with its 

 httle breast, until the neatest and most perfect cup imaginable is at last 

 formed. Then another visit is paid to the spiders, and with some more of 

 their webs the birds cover the outside. The webs bind the roots together, 

 and also give the nest the exact appearance of the dead branch upon which 

 it is placed, so that it quite resembles one of the warts or excrescences so 

 common on our trees. No hning is needed, for the inside is quite soft." 



The Black-and-wlute Fantail is exceedingly persevering in nest^builchng. 

 The same correspondent one season noticed no less than four nests built 

 and eggs laid therein, wliich were either destroyed or stolen before the bii-d& 

 reared a brood. In one instance they removed portions of a previous nest 

 to constiaict a fresh one some distance off. 



The liistoiy of a home : — " A pair of ' Shepherds ' built their nest in the 

 peach-tree by my window. They started 28th August, had one egg on the 

 9th September, three by the 11th, and all hatched after dinner on the 

 26th."— (E.D.B.). 



In the Dandenong district, Victoria, the Messrs. Brittlebank and other 

 collectors have on several occasions taken the egg of the Pallid Cuckoo 

 (C. paUidus) from the nest of the Black-and-white Fantail. 



In the Adelaide Museum there is a curious exhibit, a Black-and-white 

 Fantails nest built on the loop of a rope. 



The breeding months are from September to December, and probably 

 in some localities to Januarv. 



