88 Le SouEF AND Macphersox, The Birds of Sydney. [,5f"^"ct 



some than the female. He wdll cross an open space in order to 

 hunt a httle shrubbery, but his mate is wary, and rarely leaves 

 cover. This pair travels over a fairly large extent of country', 

 coming more into the open in the \vinter. 



The tuneful Austrahan Reed-Warbler [Acrocephalns australis) is 

 a regular visitor to Centennial Park, and is plentiful in clumps of 

 reeds. 



A few Emu-Wrens {Stipiturus malachurus) survive close to the 

 city in the well-protected grovmds of. the Coast Hospital. Here 

 a little of their " typical countr^^ " of short, matted scrub, with 

 patches of higher bushes, exists, and gives them perfect cover. 



It is very pleasing to find that in the grounds of the Coast 

 Hospital there are also some Bristle-Birds {Spheniira brachyptera). 

 They live in a tangled mass of scrub and rank vegetation growing 

 along a small creek and over some swampy land. The male bird 

 has been observed by Mr. Harry Burrell. If one enters his domain 

 he will rise to the top of the bushes for a moment to view the 

 intruder, and drop to cover again ; the female is apparently not to 

 be seen. 



The White-browed Wood-Swallows (Artamus superciliosus) 

 frequently breed in suburban gardens where they have plenty of 

 room. Several times they have nested in Mr. Hugh Dixon's 

 garden in Summer Hill, and last year a flock bred in a patch of 

 low scrubby bushes close to a main road in Granville, but they 

 are uncertain in their appearances, and some years may not be 

 seen at all. 



The familiar Grey Shrike-Thrush (Colluncincla harmonica) is 

 a very welcome resident, living sometimes in the larger gardens. 

 It seems to feed a good deal on the ground, and will be seen 

 hopping along the paths in the morning after stray worms and 

 snails. It is quite local, and each • pair seems to live in a 

 comparatively small area. 



The Magpie-Lark (Grallina picata) is numerous throughout the 

 city and suburbs, and will often be seen in small flocks walking over 

 lawns and open spaces, searching for food among the grass. They 

 like to roost in special places, and fairly large flocks wend their 

 way homeward in the evening, making for the more outlying wooded 

 areas. The Victorian aboriginals called this bird " Gean Gean." 



The Tree-runners [Neositta chrysoptera) are specialists on the 

 eucalypts, feeding on the small black ants that they find on the 

 bark. One can generally find them in the vicinity of the parks 

 and larger gardens, and they always seem very busy and in a 

 hurry. Each flock works over a fairly large area, and the birds 

 are sometimes not seen for weeks. 



A couple of pairs of Grass-Warblers [Cisticola exilis) have their 

 home in a bit of swampy land in Centennial Park. 



The perky little Yellow-tailed Tit-Warbler [Acanthiza chrysovrhoa) 

 is very common throughout the year, and will be met with in small 

 flocks in almost any of the more open gardens and parks. Two 

 or three pairs l')reed regularly in Taronga Park, usually clioosing 



