8 Feb., 1907.] Y cllow-brcasicd Robin. 79 



has but few equals, not only destroying caterpillars, moths, butterflies and 

 beetles, but also scale insects, which constitute its principal food. The 

 following description is taken from Gould's Birds of Australia, \ol. I., 

 page 294: — 



" The sexes are very similar in colour, but the female is somewhat 

 smaller in size, and has the rump olive instead of yellow; the young, on 

 leaving the nest, has the plumage streaked and spotted, very similar to 

 that of other young robins, but obtains the plumage of the adult at an 

 early jieriod. Head and all the upper surface, wings and tail, with the 

 exception of the rump, very dark grey; chin, white; all the under surface 

 and rump, wax-yellow; irides, bill, and feet, black." 



This robin is well known to visitors to the bush, and is a bird greatly 

 admired on account of its tameness, often picking up crumbs a yard or 

 two aAvay whilst a person is having lunch under the shady fern and other 

 trees. It is a very quiet bird, appearing almost unobserved, and remain- 

 ing motionless for a few minutes, Imt should an in.cect fly past, it darts 

 at it and returns to the bough to devour its prey. The nests are cup- 

 shaped, and constructed of twigs, rootlets and bark — pieces of the outer 

 bark are sometimes several inches in length. A fine specimen of the nest 

 of this species is on view in the collection of insectivorous birds' nests at 

 my office. The eggs are a deep, or sometimes light, olive green, with 

 brownish-red markings ; two or three usually constitute a clutch. Mr. 

 J. A. Ross reports having seen one nest containing five eggs, and another 

 with six eggs, at Fern Tree Gulh . recently. The breeding season starts 

 sometimes as early as July, but the principal months are October, Novem- 

 ber, and December. There are several broods each year. The eggs of 

 the pallid cuckoo (Cacmuaiitis pallidiis) are often- found in the nests of 

 this rol)in. 



I fully agree with Mr. A. J. Campbell, when speaking of this bird, 

 »when he says : " Of all our feathered forest friends, I know of none more 

 attractive than the confiding and shapely yellow -breasted robin. Enter 

 any quiet syh-an iiook or deep gully for awhile, and there (Mie of these 

 birds will surely detect your presence, anid, alighting in a pretty attitude 

 on a twig, or clinging sideways to the bark of some tree-stem near, will 

 watch vour movements. Their lovely nests, too, are forest ornaments, 



and are extremely beautiful.'' 



Unfortunately the nests, which are placed in bushes a few feet from 

 the ground, are easily found by boys, with the result that manv eggs and 

 young birds are destroyed. Now that nature study is taught in cur 

 schools, and the value of protecting the useful birds of Victoria made 

 known, it is hoped that the wholesale robbing and shooting of the birds 

 Avill come to an end. A gun tax, especially on pea rifles, should be im- 

 posed, for boys with these weapons go forth on holidays, and shoot any- 

 thing and everything that can fly. Not long ago, I came across a young 

 man at Altona Bay, who had fully a dozen ground larks which he had 

 shot with a pea rifle, and he coolly told me he wanted them for his dog. 

 When I told him he was shooting valuable insect-eating birds, he began to 

 see his mistake, and seemed grateful for my having enlightened him, and 

 asked many questions concerning other birds, such as white-fronted Epthi- 

 neura, delicate owl, fantails, &c. , which are found plentifully on the 

 grassy plains and in the large pine trees at Altona Bay. He said that 

 in future he would leave these birds alone, and shoot the starlings instead. 



