66 



THE USEFUL BIRDS 



leaves at the extremities of the gum branches, through which 

 it scampers in search of food. 



The principal feeding ground of this species is on the per- 

 ipheral parts of eucalypti, and it is well worth noting that it 

 is the special business of this bird to reduce a horde of insect 

 life upon the tips of branches that are visited by very few 

 other birds. Just as a Honey- eater flutters before a richly- 

 laden flower, so does this one before the extreme tips of 

 boughs before hanging upon them to secure what it has 

 seen. 



Nest of Striated Tit. 



The nest of A. lineata is well woven, small in comparison 

 with the unwieldy mass of G. chrysorrhoa, made of dry grass, 

 and lined with brown and white hair of the cow. This is the 

 typical form, but the divergence is as great in the material 

 as with other species. The dome form, with side entrance, 

 never varies, so far as my knowledge of the matter allows me 

 to judge. 



