14 A. G. Campbell, Birds of North-Eastem Victoria. [ist7uly 



other Magpies which dared to come near were rigorously hunted ; 

 but it was amusing to see these same autocrats make off 

 helter-skelter on the appearance of a well-known Harrier, which 

 for many months made an almost daily visit to the paddock. 

 It was always left in undisputed possession for the time being. 

 A pair of immature Magpies laid the foundation of a nest in a 

 solitary sapling by the roadside on 3rd August, 1899. To test 

 their curiosity a number of pieces of wire, sacking, cloth, 

 and hayband were strewn about near, but the birds carried 

 off nothing beyond five or six pieces of hayband, preferring 

 for building material the prickly sticks from an acacia 

 hedge, which they brought some distance. More than a 

 month later, on 8th September, the clutch of four eggs was 

 completed. Concerning the " black backs," many interesting 

 phases of plumage are to be seen, some birds having a very 

 narrow black band between the shoulder blades, while others 

 have almost the whole of the back black. The Butcher-Bird 

 {Cractictis destructor) must also be noted, the Shrike-Tit 

 i^Falcunculus frontalis) as well being found in the district. 



A bird confined to the country nearer Chiltern is the Oreoica 

 cristitta, its beautiful bell-like notes being always heard among 

 the ironbarks. A nest was found hidden away in a mass of new 

 shoots springing from a stump. The Yellow-breasted Robin 

 {Eopsaitria australis) one would hardly expect to find in this 

 class of country, but nevertheless it inhabits the ironbarks also. 

 On a calm early morning its " psalm of dawn " seems to vie 

 with the Bell-Bird's notes for sweetness. Just in this country, 

 too, the White-throated Thickhead {PacJiycepJiala o^iitturalis) is 

 found, and the Rufous-breasted species (P. rufiventris) also, 

 but out in the drier northern stretches the latter only ventures. 

 But the ironbarks can be termed the home of all the smaller 

 Honey-eaters of the district. They sport among the wild 

 flowers and gum blossoms, and make the whole place lively 

 with their calls, giving the idea that every bush and sapling 

 contains a voice. The Spinebill {Acauthorynchus temiirostris) 

 loves to pry into the flowers of the ironbarks or the mistletoe, and 

 may sometimes be seen disputing with the brown-coated Ptilotis 

 fiisca some choice hunting-ground, while among the smaller 

 saplings the Yellow-tufted Honey-eater {Ptilotis auricouiis) lives 

 contentedly. Patient search for the nests of the last-named 

 revealed three, all hidden away in low saplings. The Warty- 

 faced Honey-eater {Meliphaqa phrygia) gives a decided touch of 

 colour to the somewhat aesthetic grey-green of the ironbark, 

 and its bark-made nest is often seen in conspicuous positions. 

 From the tree- tops two species of Melithreptus can be procured 

 — the Brown-headed {M.brevirostris) and the Black-chinned (^l/. 

 gularis). The White-plumed Honey-eater {P. penicillata), which 

 is so common near the river, is not seen at all here, but the Red- 



