q6 Wilson, Ornithological Trip to Nhill District, [vlr'xxxv 



tailed Eagle that had been used the previous season, and also 

 one that was in course of construction. In the latter instance 

 I was surprised to see the number of sticks beneath the nest, 

 that had evidently fallen away before the birds had succeeded 

 in building a stable foundation. At the base of one of the 

 nests Spotted-sided Finches had built their grass home. A 

 tine Whistling-Eagle was flushed from her nest situated in one 

 of the highest trees in the district. The only other members 

 of the Accipitriformes that I noticed were a Brown Hawk, 

 Hieracidea orientalis, and a pair of Kestrels, Cerchneis 

 cenchroides. 



Above the crops, Brown and Rufous Song-Larks (Cinclo- 

 rhamphus) vied with each other for vocal supremacy, the latter 

 species being the more numerous. Pipits, Anthus australis, 

 wen- very common in the crop lands, and were also seen on 

 the desert where patches had been burnt. One nest, con- 

 taining three fresh eggs, was found, completely hidden by a 

 bunch of stubble that was lying over it. The Malice form of 

 the Australian Brown Flycatcher, which Mr. Gregory Mathews 

 calls Micrceca fascinans howei, was seen occasionally, and I 

 was fortunate in discovering a nest, placed on a horizontal 

 fork of a eucalypt at a height of fifteen feet from the ground. 

 It contained a handsome pair of fresh eggs. The nest was 

 much more substantial and deeper than those of the Micrceca 

 that I have seen further south. The owners were waging 

 constant warfare with two Black-andAYhite Fantails that were 

 nesting near by, and who would persist in alighting near the 

 Brown Flycatchers' nest. On two occasions I saw Restless 

 Flycatchers, Seisura inquieta, and found their nests, one con- 

 taining fresh eggs and the other fully-fledged young. 



The gums being in blossom, honey-eating birds were naturally 

 pn-sent in great numbers. The most conspicuous were the 

 White-bearded specie^ Meliomis novce-hollan&im. They were 

 there in thousands, most of them attending to the wants of 

 half-grown chicks. Three or jour ne>ts containing eggs were 

 noticed, and I found that the favourite lining material was the 

 felt-like matter that is obtained from the Banksias. The 

 usual nesting site was in a Prickly Hakea bush. Other Honey- 

 eaters identified were Glyciphila albifrons, G. fulvifrons, Ptiloiis 

 omata, P. penicillata, Acanthogenys rufigularis, Anthocha-ra 

 canincidata, and the Mallee forms of P. leacotis and Meli- 

 tlircptiis brevirostris, the latter being a common bird. Once I 

 thought I caught a glimpse of P. cratitia, hut it was too far off 

 for positive identification. Mr. A. J. Campbell records seeing 

 this species north of Nhill. A nest of P. nova-norcia found was 

 in a very unusual situation, and is, I think, worthy of record. 

 It was built in a bare fork of a gum sapling about twelve 



