156 NESTS AND EGGS OE AUSTRALIAN BIHDS- 



" This delicate little bird is only a summer visitant to the neighbourhood 

 of Sydney, arriving regularly in tolerable numbers every year during 

 September, and remaining to breed, taking its departure again in March 

 and April. Its arrival is at once made known by its soft and varied 

 strain of considerable melody. From its song (not that it resembles the 

 notes of any other bird), and partly on account of its yellow breast, it 

 has gained the local name of the ' Native Canary.' Upon its arrival it 

 betakes itself to the smaller trees and sapUngs, and almost at once com- 

 mences to build, selecting some strong twig among the innermost boughs 

 of a bushy tree, to which it suspends its oblong, dome-shaped nest, the 

 extremity of which terminates in a well-formed tail of about three inches 

 in length, which is extremely characteristic. The body of the nest is in 

 length from six to eight inches, and fom' in breadth ; it is composed of 

 iine pieces of stringybark and gi'asses closely interwoven and matted 

 together with cob-webs, being lined with the silky down of the cotton-tree, 

 or with opossum fur ; the entrance, which is about two inches and a half 

 down the side, is one inch in diameter, and completely liiddeu from view 

 in front by a neatly-woven hood of one inch and a half in length. The 

 nests are often jjlaced in trees infested with ants, which insects are often 

 found on the nests themselves, but do not, as far as I am aware, cause the 

 bird any anxiety. The eggs, which are laid from October to December, 

 and sometimes even as late as January, are three in number. Tlieir 

 gi'ound-colour is of a delicate white, but almost hidden by numerous spots, 

 dots, blotches and freckles of dvdl-red ; in some, the markings are thicker 

 upon the larger end, where they form a well-defined zone or circular 

 blotch ; others are minutely dotted. Upon the whole, both in shape and 

 colour they closely resemble those of Malurtis eyaneus, but may be distin- 

 guished by being more tliickly and strongly marked ; they are also 

 slightly larger and more lengthened in form. This species shows a 

 decided preference for the more open parts of the forest, with thickly- 

 foliaged trees and young sapUngs of eucalyptus; its actions among the 

 leaves, where it searches for insects, their larvse, &c., are very pleasing 

 and graceful, stopping in its search every now and then to pour forth its 

 curious and varied song, in wliich it vrill sometimes stop abruptly and fly 

 off without finishing, as if something had startled it or suddenly attracted 

 its attention." 



129. — Gerygone cinerascens, Sharpe. 

 GREY FLY EATER 



Reference. — Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., vol. iv., p. 212 ; Jour., Linn. See. (Zool.) 

 vol. xiii., 494. 



Geoff rii phi c(i/ Distrihuiion. — Nortli-west Australia ; also New Guinea. 



A'esf and Eggs. — Undescribed. 



Obsermfions. — Dr. Sharpe has identified this bird as an Australian 

 species from a " very much crushed and a bad skin," taken on the Victoria 



