A 



46 



liies to the top of the trt-e. and goes through the same spiral move- 

 ments, descentlhig with the head downwards, few insects or their 

 larvae escaping its quick eye. On reaching the ground it takes 

 to wing, flying to the top of the next tree, and repeats the per- 

 formance. The nest of this bird is a wonderful construction, and 

 mimics its surroundings to a nicety. Placed in an upright fork, 

 it is made of soft grasses and vegetable fibres, and covered on the 

 outside with spiders' webs, to which are attached lichens and 

 pieces of bark, so as to resemble the bough on which it is placed. 



— Cuckoos. — 



All the species of these birds found in Australia (with the ex- 

 ception of one or two examples) are parasitic, for they deposit 

 their eggs in nests and entrust their young to the fostering care 

 of other birds. Of this family three species came under observa- 

 tion on Eyre's Peninsula, namely, the little bronze cuckoo 

 (Chalcococcyx-malayanus). Often the mournful call of this bii'd 

 would be heard floating out from the top of some dead gum, where 

 the bird would sit motionless for hours at a time, calling in its 

 weird way. Then again, in the stillness of the night its voice 

 blended with that of the stone plover or the Boobook owl. The 

 little bronze cuckoo, like others of the family, shirks all domestic 

 duties, deposits its egg in the nest of a wren or tit. leaving the 

 poor little foster parents to incubate and rear the inti'uder, which, 

 being much larger and stronger, generally manages to push the 

 lawful tenants out of the nest, so that it may monopolize the 

 whole of the food. The colouration of the cuckoo's and the wren's 

 eggs is so similar that the wren cannot distinguish between them. 

 Cuculus-inornatus was noted, also Cacomantis-rufulus was ob- 

 served near the camp. 



— The Black Cockatoo. — 



One of the strangest and most ungainly looking birds on the 

 peninsular is the black cockatoo (Clayptorhynehus funereus). It 

 is easily identified by its harsh scream and its flapping, labour- 

 ing flight, although when alarmed and passing through timber 

 it will dive about at a great -rate and in a most remarkable way. 

 This is without a doubt a useful bird, for its principal food con- 

 sists of the large larvae of grubs which are ruinous to many of 

 ■our flne timber trees. It varies its diet at times with the seeds of 

 the banksias and yucca. The hard, nutlike seeds of the former 

 plant are split open by its powerful bill with great ease. The 

 black cockatoo is a timid and wary bird, and if not approached 

 during feeding time, when it is near the ground, it will seldom 

 allow the observer to get close. They generally travel about in 

 small societies, and some of the members are always perched 



