34 BIRDS OF TASMANIA. 



Owing to its rapidity of flight, during wliieh the tail is displayed 

 fanned, and general shyness, one catches but a fleeting ghmpse ot 

 a bird here and there, even in a locality where it is plentiful. 



*GEASS-WARBLER 



(Cisticola cxilis, Vig. and Horsf.) 



Male (breeding plumage). — " General colour above golden-buff, 

 the feathers of the back with a slight ashy shade and broadly cen- 

 tred with brownish-black; upper wing coverts like the back, pri 

 maries and outermost secondaries brown externally edged with 

 golden-buff, the innermost secondaries blackish-brown mai'gined 

 w^ith golden-buff; tail feathers brownish-black, edged and largely 

 tipped with golden-buff; forehead and sides of the head and neck 

 slightly darker than the crown; all the under surface pale golden- 

 buff, slightly darker on the breast and flanks; under tail coverts pale 

 golden-buff ; upper mandible brown, lower mandible flesh colour ; 

 legs and feet flesh colour. Total length in the flesh, 3.6 inches; 

 wing, 1.9; tail, 1.2; bill, 0.38; tarsus, 0.72" (A. J. North). 



Female (breeding plum-age). — Similar to male save that the 

 head as well as the back is broadly striped with black. 



Winter Plum.age (both sexes). — Practically the same as breed- 

 ing plumage of female. 



Young [both, sexes). — Young birds of both sexes resemble the 

 winter plumage of the adult female, but are duller in colour, the 

 feathers on the hind-neck and ruinp above showing a distinct wash 

 of golden-buff, those on the under surface being dull white, with a 

 faint tinge of yellowish-buff on the neck and golden-buff on the 

 sides of the body" (A. J. North). 



Nest. — Generally situated in open grass country or river flats; 

 it is inclined to oval in shape, with entrance near the top; con- 

 structed of fine grass, with which are mixed spiders' webs and 

 cocoons ; lined with thistle-down or some similar soft material. 



Eggs. — Clutch four usually; roundish oval in shape; texture 

 fine and surface lustrous; colour delicate bluish-green, moderately 

 but distinctly blotched with reddish -brown and purplish -brown. 

 Dimensions in mm. of a clutch : — (1) 15 x 11, (2) 14.5 x 10.75, (3) 

 15 X 10.5, (4) 14.25 X 11. 



Breeding Season. — October to December. 



Geographical Distribution. — King Island and Australia in 

 general; also " New Guinea Islands, Molucca Islands, Philippines, 

 Formosa, Malayan Peninsula, Further India, and India " (A. 

 J. Campbell). 



Observations. — This bird is common among the grassy flats on 

 King Island. So far as I am aware, its existence has not been 

 reported from any of the other large islands lying in Bass Strait, 

 although it is quite possible it frequents more than one. 



