44 THE USEFUL BIRDS 



SCARLET-BREASTED ROBIN 



(Red-breast), 

 Petrflcca leggrii, Sharpe. 



Pet-re'ka legg'e-e. 

 Petron, a rock ; oiJcos, a family ; Legge, a proper name. 

 Petroioa multicolor, Gould, " Birds of Australia," fol., vol. iii., pi. 3. 

 Geographical Distribution. — Areas 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. 



Key to the Species. — Upper surface black ; white frontal mark very 

 large ; tliroat black ; breast scarlet. 



Female. — Throat and back grey ; a flush of red on breast. 



There are seven species of so-called Red-breasted Robins in 

 Australia, the shade of red which gives the birds their 

 vernacular name varying considerably in the different species. 

 Thus some are scarlet-, others pink-, rose-, or flame-breasted, 

 accorded to the tint affected by the bird. 



While the " red-cap " shows a decided preference for the 

 dry timber, the " flame-breast " prefers the moist timbered 

 lands. The wildest hills of New South Wales and Victoria 

 are the haunts of the Pink-breasted and the Rose-breasted 

 species. 



The " flame-breast " and the " scarlet-breast "" are the birds 

 that visit the outskirts of the towns in autumn and winter. 

 They enliven us with their sweet, though hard, notes, and 

 beautify the fields while they stay. Where they go in spring 

 and summer was at one time as great a mystery as where the 

 Pelican lays its eggs, but now we know they simply retire to 

 the forests to nest. The "flame-breast" goes away earlier 

 and deeper into the woods than the " scarlet-breast." Com- 

 paring this gorgeous bird with the conspicuous Blue Wren, it 

 is interesting to note that the male Robin retains its colour 

 throughout the year, while the Wren moults its blue, and goes 

 through the winter in a modest brown dress, and only with 



