210



Australian Bird Notes.



Clutch, two; brown olive spotted round the larger end

with deeper olive spots. 27 mm - by iS. One egg hard set, the

other clear. Collected 23rd Dec., 1910. The parents were also

sent.


A peculiarity of these two species of Thickheads is that so

often one finds one of the eggs hard set and the other clear.


The Grey Robin ( Poecilodryas cinereiceps , Hartert), is never

found away from the Mangroves. They are quiet birds, mostly

ground feeders, and are usually seen perched on a twig close to

the ground. They sit perfectly still, occasionally uttering a low

whistling note, which is repeated once.


Piezorhynchus nitidus, Gould, are found in the very densest

Mangrove scrub, and are usually seen creeping through the roots

within a few inches of the ground. They are not numerous.


The Dusky Fly-eater ( Gesygone terebrora. Hall), is purely

a bird of the Mangroves, and is very tame, and will come within

a foot or two of one; in fact, they have alighted on the barrel of

a gun. It is difficult to get far enough away from them to

shoot them, so that one can skin them afterwards.


It is very noticeable how the scrub birds, and those of the

Mangroves, keep to their own localities. Taken as a whole there

are few birds in the latter place.


With reference to the Long-tailed Grass Finch ( Po'ephila

acuticauda, Gould), there is absolutely no difference between the

colour of the bills of those from Wyndham and those from

Derby. It will be remembered that a sub-species was described

from captive birds and called P. hecki by Heinroth, and P.

aurantiirostris by North. These two latter names are only

synonyms of P. acuticauda.


The nest of the White-shafted Fantail ( Rhipidura

alisten Mathews), is wine-glass shaped (with a tail - piece)

composed of soft pieces of dried bark, plastered over the outside

with spiders’ webs, and lined inside with horse-hair or soft bark.

Dimensions: outside, 2 inches to 2\ inches, by about 4J inches

(including the tail-piece). Inside, ij to ij inches by about one

inch deep.


Clutch, three. Very light buff, spotted all over, but more

thickly (forming a zone) round the larger end. i6 mm - by 12.



