SO Fletcher, Bird Notes from Wilmot, Tasmania. \ ^T, 



*J ' | i st J my 



a plain diet, they have a liking for chickens or young ducks. I 

 well remember watching a curious scene one October morning. 

 About 5 o'clock I was awakened by the distressed cry of a hen 

 with chickens, and also by what seemed to be the jubilant call 

 of a dozen or more Jays. Pulling up the blind very carefully, 

 I saw a hen sitting in a corner made by a paling fence joining a 

 hut. She had her chickens safely tucked under her, much to 

 the Jays' discomfiture. But I was surprised to rind the birds 

 were following the tactics of the Crows. One Jay was perched 

 on the fence behind the hen, a second was on the hut roof, a 

 third on the corner of the house above my window, another on 

 a low tree-fern stump just in front of the hen ; several more 

 were perched on the clothes line and all were intently watching 

 the proceedings of another rascal, who would hop close up to 

 the hen and cleverly hop back again when the fowl made a dart 

 at him. This was the signal for one of the outposts to make a 

 dash down, but the wary old hen was backed well against the 

 fence and exposed none of her nine tiny black chicks. Becoming 

 vexed with the way they worried the hen, I threw a boot at them, 

 but some only flew on to the line, while others remained where 

 they were. While dressing I heard them at their worrying trick 

 again, and as the poor hen seemed to be getting exhausted I 

 seized a broom and chased the crowd across the hillside. I have 

 since been sorry that I did not wait to see positively which would 

 have conquered. 



The Magpies (Gymnorhina hypcrlcuca) are very numerous, 

 and many of them nest year after year in the same tree or man- 

 fern. 



Of Robins we have four varieties very common here. The 

 Flame and Scarlet-breasted Robins (Petrceca phcenicea and P. 

 leggtt) are at present (March) both about. In the darker gullies 

 and the secluded creeks the lovely Pink-breasted Robin (P. rhodino- 

 gastra) is to be found. This bird appears to have the power 

 of causing the sound of its rather mournful call to appear quite 

 a distance away, when the bird itself is in reality a few paces off. 



Out on the cleared lands the more homely Dusky Robin 

 (P. vittatd) is a familiar friend. On referring to some notes of 

 the year 1891 I found this brief mention : — " Saw female Robin 

 (Flame-breasted) sitting on nest. A Pallid Cuckoo (Cuculus 

 pallidus) appeared to be trying to get to nest, but ' Cock Robin ' 

 kept flying at him, and eventually drove the intruder away." So 

 far as observation goes, the female Robin does all the building 

 of the nest ; the male, who sits generally on a branch or stump 

 near by singing, is a very good guide to its situation. 



The Satin Fly-catcher (Myiagra nitida) is occasionally to be 

 seen in our scrubs. 



The Whistling Shrike-Thrush (Collyriocincla rcctirostris) is in 

 winter a particularly tame bird, even entering huts after crumbs. 

 It is easily attracted about a place by bread or cake, or even 

 potato crumbs, left in prominent places. One " wild " pet I 



