A Country Garden. 113 



First in importance amongst the native birds in the garden 

 is our own Harmonious, or Orey. Thrush, which is represented 

 by four or tive pairs. It is altogether unobjectionable^ as it 

 is a keen insect-hunter, and does not trouble the fruit. The 

 Silver-eye. or White-eye, is conunon: and, as is the case 

 generally, is given a hostile reception. There is, of course, no 

 denying that, in the off season, the Silver-eye is a grub-eater; 

 but, when the fruit is ripe, and ripening, he plays the mischief 

 with it. So that the orchardist everywhere declares war 

 against him . The grub-loving Grallina, or Magpie-Lark, is .1 

 common frequenter of the garden, and is always welcomed. In 

 the autumn and \\ inter there are always a few of both the Flame- 

 breasted and Scarlet-breasted Robins, and everybody is pleased 

 to see them, and is sorry when — as the weather gets warm— - 

 they take their departure. Just about when the robins leave 

 the cuckoos arrive — the l:)ronze and the fantail — and their calling 

 is looked u])on as one of the signs of spring. The pretty little 

 Yellow-nnnped Tit — the Tom-tit of school boys — is very' 

 common, and it is in its nest that the Bronze Cuckoo usually 

 places its egg. This habit of the Bronze Cuckoo is the reason 

 why this tit is not much more plentiful that it is, as probably .1 

 third of the tits spend the breeding season bringing up young 

 cuckoos instead of young tits. Still, there are a good few of 

 the covered nests of the tits that manage to escape the sharp 

 eyes of the cuckoo, and so the tit continues plentiful in the 

 garden. 



There are, of course, many Blue Wrens ; and in the spring 

 the magnificent cobalt of the male, as he darts about amongst 

 his harem of homely-dressed females, gives a brilliant note of an 

 unusual colour to the garden. The Blue Wren is very fond 

 of gardens, and even the smallest of cottage plots will usually 

 be found to be the home of a family of them. The common 

 Ground-lark — the one that " shows the white feather " when 

 it flies — is not a garden bird. It loves the open, breezy country. 

 Yet, occasionally, one is seen on the outskirts of the garden 

 though it never stays long, and seems to feel out of place. It 

 is the same with the pretty little White-fronted Chat, or Ring- 

 neck, which is another bird of the plains or open country. In 

 the early spring the freshly-turned earth brings both magpie 



