34 SOME USEFUL AUSTRALIAN BIRDS. 



second-hand homes with fresh feathers and grass. Their own nests are 

 loosely constructed with small twigs, fibrous roots and grass, and are placed 

 in a very haphazard way in the fork of a low bush or gum sapling. The 

 eggs are white, spotted and marked with brown, and vary from two to six. 

 in number. 



Masked Wood-swallow {Artamus personatus). 



Gould's Handbook, vol. I, p. 150, No. 78 ; Leach's Bird Book, p. 147, No. 312. 



The Masked Wood-swallow is recorded from all parts of Australia, except' 

 the far west and the Northern Territory ; it usually appears in small flocks 

 towards the early part of October to nest in New South Wales. It is a very 

 active bird and is usually seen in flocks that are small compared with those 

 of the last-described species, darting in and out among the trees, with the flight 

 of a swallow and the squeaky chirp of a sparrow. At night, when roosting on a 

 bare branch, these birds have the curious habit possessed by some of the 

 finches, of resting close together in a row, their black throats and light- 

 coloured bodies forming a marked contrast in the bunch. 



The nest of this wood-swallow is a very poorly constructed affair, chiefly 

 composed of grass, loosely woven together, stuck in the fork of a branch,, 

 with hardly any attempt at concealment. The clutch consists of from two 

 to three white eggs, spotted and splashed with brown. An insectivorous 

 bird, the Masked Wood-swallow plays a useful part in the garden, paddock,, 

 and the forest. Bee-farmers sometimes complain that wood-swallows — and 

 this species in particular — are finding out that the domestic honey-bees are 

 good food and are easily caught ; and it is easily understood how much 

 damage can be done by the advent of a flock of wood-swallows among the 

 slow-flying bees. If a few are .shot, however, they will soon move on, and 

 their usefulness much outweighs the eflFect of their bad habit. 



The Red-capped Robin {Petroeca c^oodenovii Vig. and Horsf.). 

 Gould's Handbook, vol. I, p. 280, No. 166 ; Leach's Bird Book, p. 123, No. 248. 

 This is one of the smallest and most beautiful I'obin red-breasts, and has 

 sweet song notes like that of the English robin ; it has a wide distribution, 

 being found all over Australia, except in the far north. It frequents open 

 forest and lightly timbered plains, and is just as much at home in the garden 

 as in the mallee gum scrub or the open glades of the interior. Wherever 

 there is bright sunlight and water you may meet this robin. 



There are seven species of robins listed in the genus Petroeca, and all have 

 similar nesting habits. They are truly insectivorous, living chiefly upon small 

 moths, flies, and other insects that they frequently capture on the wing. The 

 dull-coloured females of several species are common residents of our gardens,, 

 where they become very tame. From the vantage point ol fence or tree 



