BIRDS OF OUR BUSH 



extent the markings mentioned constitute a protection will 

 be apparent to an observer who, having located a bird upon 

 the ground, looks away for a moment, and again tries to 

 detect its form. 



This bird obtains its living from the earth, and may be 

 identified easily by a well-defined habit of running for a 

 yard or so, pausing awhile and running again until its sharp 

 eye or its sharp ear detects a movement. Very soon an 

 incautious worm or grub is being drawn forcibly from its 

 hiding place by the athletic bird. 



Our experience of the Mountain Thrush during nesting 

 has been slight. Many times we have located the bird in 

 the Ferntree Gully district, but it is an early builder, and 

 we always had much else to do in the early part of the 

 season. At Evelyn we located a nest, the owners of which 

 we attempted to photograph, but without success. The 

 species is not at all confined to the mountains, however, and 

 even as lately as August, 1919, we were shown a nest in the 

 Oakleigh district. Boys had reached the spot before we 

 did, and the eggs had disappeared. 



The pair of birds which owned the Evelyn nest success- 

 fully reared three young ones, of which we took possession 

 as soon as they had grown sufficiently to leave the nest. We 

 tethered them beside a small stump in an open space, set 

 the camera up, and waited for about five hours. We then 

 gave it up and turned homeward sorrowing. 



In the larger timber along most of our streams will be 

 found a small bird which the country youth will at once tell 

 you is a Wood-pecker. This is an error, certainly, but in our 

 minds the name serves just as well as any other, so long as 

 it causes no confusion as to the identity of the species. 

 When we roam the bush together, there are more "Spotties," 

 "Stripeys," and "Chewys" spoken of than there are "Par- 

 dalotus punctatus" or "Yellow-breasted Shrike Robins." 

 There are far too many sights to be seen during a day in 

 the bush to inflict long-drawn names like these upon each 

 one. However, about the so-called Wood-pecker, which 

 happens to be the White-throated Tree-creeper. Along the 

 course of the Plenty River, and its numerous small tribu- 

 taries at Greensborough, these interesting birds may be 

 found in numbers. They commence feeding operations 

 about three or four feet from the ground on the bark 

 of a fair-sized gum-tree, and work their way up in spiral 



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