42 



,V^ 



^ 



.V 



and sbrubbenes near the city, and if domestic cats are not kept 

 will bnild tlieir nests and rear their young in a shrub close to the 

 garden path in spite of persons passin.^ up and down. This shows 

 that they rather cultivate than shun the presence of man. Their 

 food consists chiefly of moths, flies, numerous kinds of win.Ejed 

 insects, and the larvae of many beetles. The services they render 

 the gardener and orchardist can be Imagined when one is re- 

 minded that the average daily diet of a wren is 100 grubs. 

 Malurus-assimilis is very like the above-mentioned relative both in 

 colouring and habits, but it is not nearly so plentiful. At the 

 first glance it can be distinguished by the red markings of the 

 body. Another wren-like bird which came under our notice amidst 

 the brushwood was the redrumped Hylacola (Hylacola-cuta). In 

 Jiabits it is very like the wren, and also in structure, for it carries 

 its tail erect, but is larger in size and of more retiring nature. 

 Next npon the list comes that very common but extremely useful 

 bird, the yellow-rumped tit (Acanthiza-chrysorrhoa), named from 

 akanthis, a linnet; chrusos, gold; orros, a tail. Nearly every 

 observant Australian lad is familar with this little bird, which 

 congregates in small families, hopping over the ground in search 

 of insects with great rapidity, and when flurried the bright yellow 

 tail coverts show most conspicuously. It flies but a short 

 distance, and alights again to carry on its useful work. 

 I observed two nests of these little birds containing young 

 placed in the huge stick nest of the wedged-tailed eagle, showing 

 that one of Australia's smaller birds was on friendly terms with 

 the world's greatest eagle, who is branded so wrongly and so 

 darkly by our scjuatters. Often the narrow-billed bronze cuckoo 

 places her egg in the tit's nest, allowing the latter to hatch and 

 foster the young bird, who, in time, manages to throw the right- 

 ful owners from the nest, so that all the food carried by the 

 poor little parents, will build up and fatten the big intruder. One 

 of the three chats found in Australia came under our notice in the 

 white-fronted chat (Ephthianura albifrons), a bird which does 

 much good to tlie pastoralist, for, of bright and sprightly habits, 

 it is to be seen hopping over the ground in search of caterpillars, 

 grasshoppers (in thier minature stage), and gi-ubs. These birds 

 congregate in large flocks during the winter months, and wage 

 war npon all insect life. Being of rather pi;gnacious habits, great 

 hghting takes place, as the spring comes around, among the male 

 birds, as to their future wives. All having won or stolen their 

 brides, the colony disperse, and look out their building site. The 

 nest is of cup shape, and generally built near or on the ground 

 at the side or in the centre of a bunch of rushes. I have on 

 many occasions observed their nests in shrubs and thistles 2 to 

 o ft. from the ground. 



