VMBNEin—ninls of Wrstrni DarJhicj. 153 



Flioht. — Quick and n!i(lnlatinj»-. Soineriiiics tliev take 

 •(jnite loTif>; liiglits in passiiiii' from one feediii^u' jii-oniid to anollier, 

 hut on tlu' whol*' arc local birds, and if a pair be located in a 

 |>articni,ir patch of timber one can dc^pend on tiiidinii- Iliem in 

 llie vicinity at all times of tlie year. 



Call. — Lon<l and p<Mieti-atinii', and rallier hai'sh. A com- 

 mon call is like cliijt. chip, chip, clmr, chur. cliiii-. clnir, the 

 tir.'^t three notes (piickly repealed, the last four nuM-e drawn 

 out and lower in lone. Another call somiMvhai r<'semble's the 

 words shoo, shoo, shoo, L',et back, net back, ^ei back. In tliiiht 

 tlie <-all is a inonot(Uious chip, chip, chij*, etc. 



Food. — Nectar and small insects from the I<'ucalyi>tuH 

 bl(«ssoms. and insects from the leaves and bark of the i^um trees. 



Nesting' Season. — Aujiust, September. October, and Xoveiu- 

 her. The <ireater number I)uild in October. 



Nest. — A beautiful cu])-sha])ed structure sluuii' ^'y *1'0 rim 

 to the outer leaves of a .uum tree branch, at a hei<»ht varyin,t>: 

 from ten to tifty feet from tlie .'j;i-ound. The nest is construc- 

 ted of white cow and horse hair, cobweb, ami tine ])ieces of lijflit- 

 cohiui'ed bai-k, so firmly wo\'en that a dam)» nest will hold 

 watei'. Captain ^^'hiie watcliiMl a ]taii- ])uildinm a nest in hi^ 

 projKM-t.\ at the Ivcedbeds. and noted that in collecting- hair 

 from his cows ihey chose (uily that which was white. i'^veu 

 when robbinii ;i parti-coloured cow they always took their 

 spoil from the white ]iatches. 



lOii'jis.- -Two or three in nundter. (Jrouml colour warm 

 reddish brown, pah'r at the pointed end ;ind deeiteninj; in sha(h' 

 towards tlu' tliick end, where there is an irre<iular /.one of dark 

 reddish-brown spots. A pair of e<i,os taken at Stone Hut in 

 Octoiber, 1SJ)7, measui-ed (It -.^7^ cm. x l.oo cm. and (2) 2.20 

 c.m. X 1.55 e.m. 



They ar*' totally protected birds. 



Notes on Birds seen during a Recent Visit to the 

 Western Darling, N.S.W. 



PAKT III. 

 IJv A. <'iiKNi:iiV. 

 I do not knov, the exact distance, but I l)elieve the (iueens- 

 land feme to the tiorth and the S.A. fence to the west were less 

 than ten miles away. Tryiu'.;- to cross an apparently dry arm 

 of the Lake in the dusk, the I)od«>e car went down to the dif 

 fere.ntial. and it was two hours' hard work, with the help of the 



