176 WHITLOCK, Xotes from XuUarbor Plain. U^^tun"" 



Referrinjj^ to the Tits (Acanthizcc), I saw nothing of the Thick- 

 billed {A. robustirostris), which is included in Air. Gibson's list. 

 At Zanthus the local forms of the Broad-billed (A. apicalis) was 

 nesting in July. The nests were of the usual type, placed at a 

 height of from two to three feet from the ground in any suitable 

 bush. The vSlender-billed (A. iredalei) occurred very sparingly 

 at Naretha, l)ut out on the plains at Haig and Loongana it was 

 not uncommon. 



The Red-throat {Pyrrholccmiis hrioinca) was observed at Zan- 

 thus, but was very local. A nest was found cunningly placed in 

 the inside of a small circular ring of spinifex (Triodia). The 

 nest was invisible without parting the spinifex by which it was 

 sheltered. It contained two eggs nearly hatched. At Naretha, 

 a nest was found cpiite unconcealed and almost on the ground. 

 It had been disturl)ed and was forsaken. The only eggs it con- 

 tained was one of the Black-eared Cuckoo (Mcsocaiius oscu- 

 lans). On the plain the Red-throat was rare. 



Field Wrens {CalamantJius canipestris) were rare until I 

 searched well out on the ])lains. At Haig they w-ere fond of 

 haunting the neighbourhood of rabbit earths. I obtained one 

 'nest with three eggs. This nest was placed on the ground in a 

 slight hollow, and was concealed by a tuft of half-dead blue- 

 bush. The female slipped away like a mouse. I chased a 

 young one which had left the nest before it could fly. It tried 

 to escape by darting down a rabbit burrow. The burrow hap- 

 pened to be a very short one, and on thrusting down my arm I 

 caught the fugitive. After an examination I released it again, 

 when it took refuge in another and deeper burrow. Birds seem 

 fully aw^are of the protection offered by rabbit burrows, and 

 more than once I lost birds through their fluttering inside them. 

 A winged Dottrel ( Pcltoliyas australis) was amongst those 

 which escaped in this manner. 



The Black-breasted Song-Lark (CiiiclorlianipJtiis cruralis) 

 was very common out on the plain. The train disturbed num- 

 bers, as it travelled along, from the grassy margins at the side 

 of the track. When I reached Haig young were on the wing, but 

 pairs were still nesting. I found several beautifully constructed 

 nests, in excavated hollows, sheltered by tussocks of grass. The 

 linings of these nests were of the finest grasses, and were won- 

 derfully neat. The eggs varied in number from three to four. 



Amf)ngst the Chats, the Red-cai)i)e(l ( Ef'tliicvnira tricolor) was 

 extremely common around Haig on the i)lains. Young birds were 

 very numerous around the dongas and amongst the saltbush on the 

 edge of the various belts of timber. Pairs of this species, and 

 also of the Orange Chat ( E. ourifro)is) were still breeding at the 

 end of October. The Nullarbor Plain appears to be the head- 

 quarters of the Red-capped in the west. The White- fronted 

 Chat (E. albifrotis) was comparatively rare, but T found a nest 

 containing exceptionally well marked eggs at Naretha. The 

 only Wren-Warbler (Malunts) met with on the cxjiedition was 



