136 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



Jones walked up to and kicked the bush, and as the bird ran out 

 he threw a stick at it, causing it to fly a short distance, thus 

 enabling me to get a shot at about 12 or 15 yards' range. But 

 in a samphire flat near our camel depot on Brookman Creek, I 

 had the pleasure of observing these birds daily for five weeks 

 (August-September), which proved to be breeding time in that 

 neighbourhood. The male birds showed themselves with great 

 freedom, hopping about the open grounds amongst the samphire, 

 which extended for about a mile on the west side of the creek, 

 or displayint^ their agility in the low bushes close to our camp. 

 Females would soon appear in answer to the call of the male, 

 and then all the antics of the Maluri were gone through. Each 

 pair of birds kept to themselves, and should a third one appear 

 it was at once chased away. Specimens of each sex were shot, 

 all of which corresponded exactly with the male birds obtained 

 in Central Australia. We also found several of their nests, con- 

 taining either eggs or young ones. The nests were either on or 

 close to the ground, in dense undergrowth, dome-shaped, with a 

 large side opening. The eggs were as uniform in colour as the 

 birds themselves, the rich red markings almost obscuring the 

 white ground. The young, as soon as feathered, are exactly like 

 the parents, except that the tail is a trifle shorter. 



Amytis striatus, Gould, Striated Grass-Wren. 



This bird is a much brighter rust colour on the upper parts 

 than A. textilis, and the white stripe along the shaft of each 

 feather on crown, neck, and back is rendered more conspicuous 

 by a black line separating it from the outer webs, which are rust- 

 coloured. A black line runs from near the base of the bill 

 beneath the eye to the ear coverts. The throat is white, shading 

 off to dirty-white or pale buff on the breast. The wings are 

 short and rounded, and the tail long, generally carried erect. 

 Many of their movements coincide with those of the Maluri. 

 A. striatus is truly a grass bird, i.e., it is invariably found in 

 spinifex or porcupine-grass flats, where it runs rapidly from 

 tussock to tussock when disturbed. It is very wary, and although 

 hundreds of them were observed by members of the Horn 

 Scientific Expedition, on the table-lands of Central Australia, very 

 few were shot, owing to their habit of disappearing into the 

 prickly Triodia. How they avoided impaling themselves on the 

 pointed blades was a mystery. Occasionally one might be seen, 

 towards evening, perched on a low bush, giving utterance to a 

 feeble but plaintive song. At the least sign of danger it would 

 hop to the ground and run to cover. The sexes are alike in 

 plumage, and can only be distinguished by dissection. 



A. striatus is a solitary bird, and seldom more than a pair are 

 seen together. They live in country destitute of water, and their 



