DESCRIPTIONS OF OUR NATIVE BIRDS. 15 



YELLOW-RUMPED TOMTIT, or YELLOW-RUMPED 

 THORNBILL. 



(Acanthiza chrysorrhoea.) 

 , (Yellow -rumped Gegbasileus.) 



The little bird sits at his door in the sun, 



Atilt like a blossom among the leaves. 



And lets his illumined being o'er-run 



With the deluge of summer it receives ; 



His mate feels the eggs beneath her wings. 



And tlie heart in her dumb breast flutters and sings ; 



He sings to the wide world and she to her nest. 



In the nice ear of Nature which song is the best ? 



Lowell. 



Little Brown Acanthiza {Acanthiza pusilla). 

 Chestnut-rumped Acanthiza {Acanthiza uwpijgialis). 

 OTHER SPECIES AVestern Acanthiza {Acanthiza apicalis) 



SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 



IN I Red-rumped Acanthiza {Acanthiza pyrrhopi/gia). 



Little Acanthiza {Acanthiza nana). 

 Striated Acanthiza {Acanthiza Uncata). 

 BuFF-RUMPED AcANTHiZA {Acanthtza rc(juloidcs). 



Size. — This tiny bird is barely 4in. long. 



Bill. — The beak of the tomtit is small, but sharp and well adapted for picking 



up small insects. 

 Feet and Legs. — Its feet and legs are dark grey. 



Plumage. — The forehead is speckled white and black, on account of each black 

 feather being tipped with a white spot. A light streak extends from the 

 nostril over the eye. The back of the head, the neck, back, and wings 

 are greenish brown. The rump is colored bright yellow. The tail 

 feathers are dark grey and tipped with dull white. The sides of the face 

 and throat are light grey. The chest is of a yellowish white color, which 

 merges into the dull white color of the abdomen. 



Habitat. — The small bushes growing on grass land and open timbered country 

 is the favorite haunt of the acanthiza. 



Food. — For the most part these little tits feed on minute animal life, and may be 

 regarded as insectivorous. 



Nest. — The nest of the yellow-rumped tit is dome shaped, and very often has a 

 supplementary open nest on the top, which gives the whole structure a 

 two-storied appearance. While the female is sitting upon her eggs 

 within the lower nest, her male companion may be seen occupying the 

 cup-shaped nest at the top. The whole nest is built of grass, cleverly 

 woven together and lined with feathers and other soft materials pro- 

 curable, such as wool. The shallow cup at the top is not lined. The 

 entrance to the nest proper is a small round hole at the side, near to the 

 bottom. 



Eggs. — The eggs are colored white to flesh pink, and ornamented with very minute 

 pink spots near the broad end. A full clutch contains four or five eggs, 

 each measuring about .?in. long x km. 



