OF SOUTHERN AUSTRALIA. 135 



In New Zealand the "Transactions N.Z. Institute" renders 

 a very praiseworthy account of the good done by this bird as 

 an aphis-destroyer. 



Silver-eyes dread the tyrant Butcher-bird {Cracticus 

 destructor), and I have found that one or two kept in the 

 gardens with cut wings serve the purpose of good police when 

 the grapes are ripening. Their voices are a terror to the 

 Silver-eyes. 



Nesting. —I have observed the callow young as late as 10th 

 February, 1895, in the Australian Alps, where spring at a late 

 hour follows winter. The eggs are laid on alternate days, 

 and at an early age the young assume the general plumage of 

 the adult, and then go through the details of the seasonal 

 changes. The nest near grazing areas is formed of fibres, 

 lined with the hair of the horse, cow, or other animal, and 

 externally covered with mosses. 



Nest. — Cup-shaped and deep, suspended ; made of grasses, 

 and surrounded more or less with green mosses. It is seldom 

 more than 6 feet from the ground. The accompanying 

 figure shows a typical cup-shaped nest. 



Eggs. — Three or four to the clutch ; uniform pale blue. 

 Lrngl h, 0.6 inch ; breadth, 0.5 inch. 



