98 Wilson, Ornithological Trip to Nhill District, [v^xxx'v. 



stems of a clump of Broom-bush, and the others were attached 

 to the partially- foliaged, standing stems of mallee gums that 

 had been cut off by the eucalyptus oil distillers. In each case 

 I found two adult males in close proximity to the nest, 

 apparently living in harmony, as no signs of discord were 

 noticed on any occasion. The Winiam birds are larger than 

 specimens of the same species that I collected at Kow Plains, 

 and have very fine long tails. Mahirus cyaneus is also present 

 in the district, but is comparatively rare, and only inhabit^ 

 the outskirts of the scrub. It also was breeding. A specimen 

 I secured of this bird was compared with a series of skins of 

 M. cyaneus kindly placed at my disposal by Mr. J. A. Kershaw, 

 of the National Museum, Melbourne'. It *is small in comparison 

 with skins obtained in Victoria, and approached nearest to a 

 specimen labelled " Junction of Murray and Darling." The 

 wings are paler than those of other Victorian birds, and the 

 eggs are very small indeed, one set I obtained being spotted 

 with black. It seems to be a bleached form, and perhaps an 

 examination of a series of skins may lead to its obtaining 

 sub-specific rank. 



On two occasions I came across Black-capped Tree-runners, 

 Neositta pileata, six birds forming the flock in both instances. 

 A long search revealed a nest situated about 15 feet up in a 

 dead stringybark sapling. It contained newly-hatched young, 

 and all six birds assembled whilst I was investigating it. 



The genus Acanthiza was represented by five species — A. 

 chrysorrhoa, A. lineata, A. reguloides, A. pyrrhopygia, and a 

 new species that 1 have named A. winiamida. Whilst speaking 

 of Acanthizas I should like to acknowledge my indebtedness 

 to Mr. Edwin Ashby, M. B.O.I'., for placing at my disposal a 

 very fine series of skins of Acanthizas to assist me in working 

 out the new species. Three nests of A. pyrrhopygia were found, 

 two containing fresh eggs and one with an incubated set. One 

 of the nests had only just been started on 7th October. The 

 nest was completed on the 10th, the first egg laid on the nth, 

 second on the 13th, and the third on the 15th. The Red- 

 rumped Tit, like the Brown Tit, is a splendid mimic, and I 

 heard it imitating the Narrow-billed Bronze-Cuckoo, the Short- 

 billed Tree-Tit, and the Silver-eye to perfection. One nest 

 was placed about four feet up in a Hakea, another about the 

 same height in a Casuarina, and a third nest found was 

 situated about a foot from the ground in a tiny Casuarina 

 seedling. 



Nesting-mounds of the Mallee-Fowl, Leipoa ocellata, weir 

 frequently met with in the dense scrub, but in only one instance 

 had they started nesting operations, although an abundance 

 of rain had fallen previously. Only one egg was found in the 



