36 HOWE. The Genus CUmacterls. ["^^fS" 



On October 31st, 1915, another nest of the White-throated 

 contained a young bird nearly fully fledged, and from this nest 

 two Red-browed birds were busily remo\ing the lining to a spout 

 about ninety feet up in a tall white gum. This hollow, well out 

 of reach, was used for at least three successive seasons. On 

 November 10th, 1918, a nesting hole, about fifty feet up contained 

 two eggs, quite unlike those observed previously, being smaller, 

 more glossy, and not unlike a certain type of the eggs of the 

 Yellow-faced Honey-eater (Meliphaga chrysops). The mark- 

 ings were brighter and coalesced on the larger end. These birds 

 again nested in a hollow spout about one hundred yards away, 

 and on December 10th the nest contained two incubated eggs. 

 Three weeks later, the same birds had another pair of eggs. The 

 breeding season extends from August to January, and two broods 

 are reared. The superciliary strii)e is never white in either sex, 

 as in the male of the White-browed Tree-creeper (C. super- 

 eiliosa ). The Red-browed bird is also more robust in form. 



Climacteris superciliosa. The White-browed Tree-creeper.— 

 Range. — Central Australia. Type locality, Ilara Creek, Central 

 Australia. Embracing the inland and drier tracts of all the 

 States, particularly those localities favouring a growth of pine, 

 belar (Casiiarina), and mulga {Acacia). The bird is practically 

 totally arboreal. The nesting site is a hollow generally fairly 

 close to the ground. The nest is a pad of grass and bark, lined 

 with fur and vegetable down. The eggs are roundish, texture 

 of shell fine, surface glossy, colour pinkish-white mottled with 

 pinkish-red anrl |)urplish-red. Dimensions in inches: (1) .78 x 

 .65, (2) .74 X .iA ( Campbell). 



1 shall not readily forget my first glimpse of this fine bird 

 at \\al])eui), in theAlallee of North- Western Victoria, during 

 SeiJtember, 1910. The timber was mostly belar, sandalwood, 

 myall, needlewood, with here and there large mallee. Whilst 

 watching a Red-capped Robin feeding his mate, a bird with a 

 lightning-like flight alighted on the trunk of a fallen pine. It 

 was a Tree-creeper new to me. The conspicuously white eye- 

 brow hinted its identity. We sought the nest after losing sight 

 of the bird, but, being unfamiliar with the calls, we could not 

 aerain find it. My next meetimr with this bird was at Einga, 

 25 miles farther west. During September, 1916, a male White- 

 browed Tree-creeper alighted on a Murray pine. In September. 

 1917, the birds were located at Boinka, a few miles west of Einga. 

 They were feeding with the Eittle Tit-Warbler {Acanihiza 

 nana) and the Brown Tree-creeper (Climacteris picunina), the 

 latter appearing to differ slightly from the form found near 

 Melbourne. The White-browed Tree-creejier reminded me of 

 its Red-broued cousin, but was less rapid in its movements. The 

 call-notes resembled those of the W^iite-throated species, both in 

 the loud staccato call and in the sweet, low. tremulous notes. 

 Mr. Mathews, in his "Eist of the Birds of Australia." included 



