41 



■observe it on one occasion to pcreli on the top of a low busli, wliere 

 it gave forth its phiintive whistle. Its nest is very hard to dis- 

 cover, being placed among the dead leaves and twigs at the foot 

 ■of a tree. Another of those western forms again came under our 

 notice having overlapped on to Ej're's Peninsular, and that is the 

 grey-breasted robin (Eopsultrla-gularis). These are quite 

 conspicuous birds, owing to their bright colouring, which, like 

 all tilings in nature harmonizes so well, the beautiful tint of 

 grey which colours the upper part of this little bird blending with 

 the rich yellow of the under surface. The nest is veiy difficult to 

 detect, foi" the situation selected is a gumtree with ragged barl' 

 which hangs down in strips is on the fork of one of these trees. 

 The nest is plainer, constructed of narrow strips of bark bound 

 into place by cobweb, while round the outside dangling pieces of 

 bark are suspended, making the forlv resemble those in the vicinity 

 and a very unusual thing with the robin family, no lining is placed 

 in the nest, but the two brown eggs are laid upon the strips of 

 bark. All this family of birds are most useful in destroying the 

 many winged insects, caterpillars, and grubs which are so injuri- 

 ous to vegetation. When one watches these birds hopping from 

 tAvig to twig around the rough bark of a tree, peering into ever^^ 

 crevice and crack in search of grubs and larvae, it comes vt-i'j' 

 forcibly before one that if the native birds had been protected 

 from the first a lot of trouble and expense would have been 

 ^aved in lighting the codlin moth. 



Birds, the free tenants of land, air, and ocean ; 

 Their form all symmetry, their motions grace; 

 V la plumage delicate and beautiful — 

 Thick without burthen, close as a fish's scales. 

 Or loose as full-blown poppies on the breeze. 

 With wings that might have had a soul within them, 

 They bore their owners by such sweet enchantment. 



Under the family of Malurus are grouped those wonderful little 

 liirds the blue wrens, or superb Avarblers — one of the most useful 

 of Australian t.vpes. Sixteen species are found throughout Aus- 

 tralasia. We observed two species of these lovely little birds on 

 Eyre's Peninsula namely, Malurus cyanochlamys and Malurus 

 assimilis, the firstnamed being that familar little blue bird to b'^ 

 met with in many of the gardens around Adelaide. These birds 

 are gregarious for a few months of the year — that is, they travel 

 about in family circles composed of the brood of that season, for 

 as the young birds leave their nests they generally remain with 

 the parent birds till the next nesting season. During the winter 

 luonths they become very tame, and will frequent the gardens 



\^^ 



