AN AUSTRALIAN BIRD BOOK. 141 



Dr. Sharpe has decided that our bird is identical with an Indian 

 species, so we must take the Indian name — Golden-headed Fantail- 

 Warbler. This bird moults twice a year. At the autumn moult, 

 it obtains a long tail and a streaked crown. The four Australian 

 species described by Gould are now known to be but different 

 forms of the one species which undergoes seasonal change. 



Speckled Jack, the Speckled Warbler (Little Field-Wren), is 

 a tame little bird with a pleasing song. Its chocolate-colored 

 egg used to be much valued in the days when schoolboys col- 

 lected eggs. It walks instead of hopping. 



The Yellow-tailed Tit-Warbler {Acanthiza) is a member of an 

 Australian genus, which has been split up into 27 species, all of 

 which, except a New Guinea form, are restricted to Australia. 

 Some are pleasing songsters. The two-storied nest of the Yel- 

 low-tail is well known and is peculiar. What is the use of the 

 upper nest — for the male to rest in, to delude the cuckoo, or what? 



These birds are not Tits (Paridae). They have been called 

 Thornbills by Mr. A. J. North. The name Tit- Warbler has been 

 adopted by the "names" sub-committee of the Royal Australasian 

 Ornithologists' Union, pending the completion of the Australian 

 Check-List. The common White-browed Scrub-Wren is not a 

 Wren, but is a Warbler. He is the best known of the genus, 

 though even he is seldom seen. His dark-brown color leads 

 one to suspect a dark scrub as his dwelling place. Though com- 

 mon in places, he is seldom noticed, but if you sit down in a quiet 

 scrubby corner, his inquisitiveness will often impel him to run 

 almost over your feet. Some light spots on the shoulder and the 

 white eyebrow will assist you in identifying him. His mouse- 

 like run further assists in identification. 



Amongst the glories of the bird world, the Superb-Warbler 

 stands high. His beautiful enamel-blue and black costume, and his 

 cheery, fussy song justify his name. He is generally accompanied 

 by four or five plain-colored mates, and is said to lose his beau- 

 tiful coat of blue each autumn, but the balance of evidence now 

 seems to be with Mr. Keartland and Dr. Home, who claim that 

 he gets the permanent beautiful coat late in life (that is, when 

 three or four years old), and does not lose it afterwards, except 

 for a few days at moulting time. But, being so conspicuous, he 

 soon falls a prey to one of his numerous enemies, of whom the 

 small boy with a pea-rifle is probably the worst. I, too fre- 

 quently, hear of these enemies of their country being caught with 

 three or four of these lovely little birds in their possession. 

 However, Bird Day in the schools did much good, and the next 

 generation of boy will probably have less of the savage in him. 



The Emu-Wren, which has tail feathers like Emu feathers, is 

 easily recognized if seen. It is difficult to cause it to fly out 

 of the rushes round a swamp. The Bristle-Birds are Australian, 

 and are fairly common in some dense scrubs. 



Grass-Wrens are not Wrens, but are placed in the Warbler 

 family. They are Central Australian birds. They seldom fly, 

 but "progress like a rubber ball" with great swiftness. They 



