1^6 Birds New for Australia. [isfXn 



visitor on spring and autumn migration to the British Islands, 

 on very rare occasions remaining to breed. It is a summer 

 visitor to the whole of Europe north of the valley of the 

 Danube, and to Siberia, Turkestan, Mongolia, and the extreme 

 north of China. It probably breeds as far north as land extends, 

 as Middendorff found its nest in lat. 70° on the Taimyr 

 Peninsula. It winters in the basin of the Mediterranean, and in 

 suitable localities throughout Africa. In Asia it winters in 

 Persia, Beloochistan, India, Ceylon, the Burma Peninsula, and 

 the islands of the Malay Archipelago, but only passes through 

 Japan and South China on migration." — A. Mattingley. 



The Scrub -Tit (Acanthornis magna). 

 By a. L. Butler, A.O.U. 



{Read before f he Tasinanian Field Natiiralisis' Clid', \2th June, 1905.) 



This rare bird is pecuHar to Tasmania. I have alw^ays been 

 deeply interested in it since the year 1875, when I first observed it 

 in one of the gullies on the slopes of Mount Wellington. A note 

 taken at that time was to this effect : — "Saw a new bird to-day ; was 

 not Brown-tail {Acanthiza) or Scrub-Wren {Scricornis) ; had white 

 spots on wing, and light yellow underneath." From that time up 

 to the present I have always closely watched this bird, spending 

 many hours in so doing. 



In 1881 (October) I first found the nest, which was placed about 

 4 feet from the ground in a wild currant tree, just on the edge 

 of the scrub, near the old Huon road, and was of the following 

 dimensions : — Height, y\ inches ; diameter, 8 inches ; width, 4f 

 inches ; and entrance, i| inches ; and contained three young birds 

 about four days old. In 1883 I met Mr. A. J. Campbell, the noted 

 oologist, on one of his visits to Hobart, and at his request procured 

 a s])ecimen of this bird for him. My next entry is made in 1885, 

 when, on the 15th October, I took a set of three eggs from a nest, 

 also in a native currant, but this time in a gully near the Old 

 Farm. From that time up to the present I have inspected in all 

 27 nests with either eggs or young, and the average measurements 

 are about the same as I have already given, but the position of the 

 nests varies much, according to the kind of scrub in which it 

 is situated. I have found them as low as 3 inches from the 

 ground, and as high as 9 feet in grass and ferns, and then again 

 in the dead fronds of the tree fern. This latter is a favourite place, 

 especially on the northern slopes of the mountain — that is, Glenorchy 

 and Kangaroo Valley — where all but one that I have found in those 

 localities have been so placed. The last nest I took was the 

 exception, this being in the favourite native currant, and, with the 

 eggs (two in number), is now in the possession of Mr. D. Le Souef. 



I have only shot two specimens of this bird, one of which I 

 dissected, and found that the stomach contained parts of various 



