AN AUSTRALIAN BIRD BOOK. 131 



274 White-browed Babbler, Go-aways, Stick-Birds, P. 



superciliosus, A. inland (exc. N. Ter., N.Q.). 



Stat, flocks, c. open timber 8 

 Like 273, but smaller; crown dark-brown; f., sim. Insects. 

 "Most noisy bird I ever observed." (G.) Many notes. 



275 Chestnut-crowned Babbler, P. ruflceps, N.S.W., V., 



S.A. (interior). Insects. Noisy. Stat. c. timber 8.5 

 Like 273, 274, but crown, hind-neck chestnut; f., sim. 

 7 276*White-browed Field-Wren, White-lored Reed-Lark, 

 7 Rush Warbler (e), Stink-Bird, Calamanthus albiloris, 



N.S.W., V., S.A. Stat. c. grass, heath 5 



Greenish-brown streaked black; face, brow white; throat 

 whitish streaked black; erect tail; shy; f., sim. In- 

 sects. Pretty song on bush-top. 

 277 Field-Wren, Field Reed-Lark, C. campestris, V., S.A., 



N.W.A. Stat. v.r. open plains 4.6 



Upper ashy-brown streaked dark-brown; upper base tail 



rufous-brown; side tail tipped white, banded black; 



forehead rufous streaked dark-brown; eyebrow white; 



under whitish streaked dark-brown; f., sim. Insects. 



2 278*Brown Song-Lark (Black-breasted), Australian Sky- 



2 lark, Harvest-Bird, Singing-Lark, Corn-Crake (e), 



Cincloramphus cruralis, A. exc. C.A. Mig. c. crops 9 

 Dark-brown, upper feathers edged lighter; abdomen black- 

 ish; f., much smaller; paler; eyebrow, under whitish. 

 Insects. "Fine songster, ranks with the Skylark;" 

 sings flying like Skylark. 

 279*Rufons Song-Lark (Rufous-tinted), Rufous-rumped 

 Singing-Lark, Skylark, G. rufescens, A. 



Mig. c. grass, crops 7.5 

 Upper brown, feathers edged lighter; upper base tail 

 rufous; brow, throat whitish; under brownish-gray; 

 side face darker; f., smaller; face not dark. Insects. 

 "Amongst the richest and sweetest of Australian bird 

 songs." Sings flying like Skylark. 



pleasant, and their large domed stick nests are common objects 

 along a country road. Usually seen in companies of from four 

 to a dozen, these birds work energetically and systematically. 

 They are entirely insectivorous, and so are of great value econo- 

 mically. They are tame, as I have watched a flock at work in 

 the gardens in the middle of a town such as Dunolly. They 

 occasionally visit orchards and attack the codlin moth pupae. They 

 are said never to squabble, and so are called "Happy Family" or 

 "Happy Jacks." Their names, however, are many. The com- 

 monest is, perhaps, "Catbird." There is a "Catbird," a Bower- 

 Bird, in Queensland, so the use of that name should be discour- 

 aged. Babblers sometimes make six or seven nests, laying only in 

 one. The others are said to be shelter nests, or possibly play 

 nests. 



