46 THE USEFUL BIRDS 



RED-CAPPED ROBIN, 



Petr<eca goodeiiovii, Vig. ami Hors. 



Pet-re'ka giid-e-no've-e. 

 Petron, a rock ; oikos, a family ; Goodenough, a proper name. 



Petroica GOODENOvn, Gould, "Birds of Australia," fol., vol. iii., 



pi. 5. 



Geographical Distribution. — Areas G, 7, 9 ; occasionally 4 in 

 autumn. 



Key to the Species. — 3Iale. — Forehead red ; throat black. 



Female. — Body greyish; forehead faintly marked with red; no 

 red in young; bill about equal in height and breadth at the 

 nostrils. 



In the P^astern part of the Commonwealth this beautiful and 

 sprightly species is known as the Mallee Robin, although 

 other Robins, such as the Black and White Robin and the 

 Scrub-Robin, without red breasts, inhabit the same areas. 

 This last species {Drymaoedus brunneopygius) belongs to 

 another genus, and it dif][ers more from Petroeca than the 

 latter does from Saxicola, the British Robin. 



The Red- capped Robin, after satisfying its vanity by a 

 show of brilliant colour in the open country during the 

 winter, retires to the depths of the bush early in spring, where 

 it builds a compact, cup-like nest in which to rear its young. 

 The time occupied in the building of this structure varies 

 with the circumstances, 12 to 15 days being about the 

 average duration. The completed nest is an elegant home 

 of messmate bark, highly decorated externally with mosses 

 and lichen. 



The eggs, two in number— three on rare occasions — are laid 

 on successive days, and the time occupied in incubation is 

 14 days. 



My friend, Mr. J. A. Hill, states that the birds have two 



