MELLOU—ln the Fine and Mallee. 



would be quite dead again, as the birds moved off, and 

 alighted on the ground to feed. Cockatoo parrots were 

 about in pairs, and looked vei^ pretty as they darted above 

 the trees. The Blue iionnet Parrot in its dull olive green garb 

 relieved by yellow and crimson beneath, and by blue face and 

 cap was less conspicuous, and generally seen feeding in pairs. 

 When feeding in the half dry grass it was difficult to detect, 

 the upper coloration harmonizing so well with the sur- 

 roundings. 



Several trips were made to the Victorian border, where 

 the assistance of the Messrs John and Edward Forby, 

 and Mr. and Mrs. Forby, Senr., was most acceptable in find- 

 ing out fresh fields for inspection. It was here that the 

 Tjeautiful little Black-backed Wren first came into promi- 

 nence, as it darted through the undergrowth at the edge of 

 the pine and mallee. The males were extremely shy, and 

 darted off like Hashes of light, leaving their sombre coloured 

 mates to investigate the "new comer", the male seeming to 

 know that his bright uniform made him a mark far too con- 

 spit .oijs to be examined closely. Gilbert's Thickhead was 

 also in evidence here, and its ventriloquial calls were heard 

 on every side as the birds moved from place to place, not 

 staying in the same situation long, but moving about .con- 

 tinually, and making it difficult to get close to them for 

 examination. On one of my twenty mile walks to the Vic- 

 torian border and back. 1 came upon an unusual sight in a 

 small (]vy l)usli about five feet high. Four fully grown young 

 liutcher Birds were being fed by their parents upon various 

 tit !)its of insects, etc.. while in the same bush were three 

 young Lanceolate Honey-eaters, also being fed by the old birds, 

 and all agreeing. For some time I stood watching them, as 

 the parent birds came to and fro, and no quarrelling took ])lac(^ 

 It was here that I w^as fortunate to come across a pair of the 

 White-browed Tree-creepers;' they seemed to be very quiet 

 birds, and struck me as being in marked contrast with the 

 Brown Tree-creepers, which were quite numerous in the mallee, 

 where they were found nesting. The latter are extremely 

 noisv, and continually making their loud ])ink-pink-pink ;ind 

 other calls. T'pon examination the white-browed species 

 ])roved to be so very different from the Central Aus- 

 tralian form collected by Mr. O. A. Keartland on 

 the Horn's Fxi^edition, that I have decided to des- 

 cribe it at length in this issue as a sub-species under the 

 s.'iiiitific designation of Climacteris eri/throps parsonsi in 

 honour of my friend, Mr. Frank E. Parsons, of Adelaide. 



