Vol. IX. 



1909 



j Campbell, The Genus Pardalotus. 23 



west ; the nearest point to the habitat of the Mallee species 

 to which it ventures probably being the Grampians, 50 miles 

 away. This species will select the bank of a creek, side of a 

 hill, quarry, ditch, rabbit burrow, or even plough furrow, where 

 it will tunnel in a distance of about a foot, and then scoop out a 

 cavity 4 inches in diameter in which to make its bulky domed 

 nest of soft shreds of bark. No instances are on record of 

 spotted Pardalotes nesting in any place but the ground. 



The streak-headed Pardalotes usually nest in trees. Old red 

 gum trees in the outskirts of Melbourne still give shelter to 

 colonies of P. assimilis, which share with Petrochelidon nigricans 

 (Tree-Martin) the numerous small holes the trees have to offer 

 as ideal nesting-places. The other species, P. ornatus, is found 

 north of the Divide and ranges right into the north-west, 

 where in timber (stringybark) belts, and in red gums which 

 mark ancient lakes or watercourses, it is abundant. The nesting 

 practice is usually to build in holes of trees, but many cases 

 have come under my notice showing the species will nest freely 

 in holes in the ground. Along the banks of the River Murray, 

 near Corowa, I have watched the birds at work. Although 

 innumerable nesting-holes are to be found in the red gums there- 

 about (and I have no doubt many birds did nest in the trees), 

 yet at places where the river's bank had been broken away by 

 flood, though in summer high and dry, several pairs of 

 Pardalotes were to be found nesting. The tunnel, about 2}i 

 inches in diameter, was drilled in an upward direction into the 

 hard silt, and at a distance of 9 inches or a foot in the nest- 

 chamber was hollowed out. The nest of this species is always 

 built of fine grass. The roof of the chamber may be but scantily 

 lined, but the fact of grass being used at once distinguishes this 

 species from P. punctatus. I have seen nests of P. ornattis 

 some miles away from the river, drilled into the side of a ditch. 



With P. assiviilis the practice of building in the ground is not 

 nearly so common. One spot, however, there used to be by the 

 River Yarra, near Heidelberg, where a small party of this 

 southern and larger variety regularly nested. It was a high silt 

 bank, a replica of the Murray banks just described, and at least 

 three pairs nested there. The burrow and grass-made nest 

 were very similar to those of P. ornatus, but, together with 

 the eggs, were of slightly larger size. 



I mentioned that there were perhaps five species of Pardalotes 

 in Victoria. I refer to a single specimen which I shot while in 

 company with Mr, Geo. Shepherd at Somerville. It had a 

 bright yellow speculum, and therefore answered to the 

 description of P. affinis of Tasmania, where no red speculum 

 birds are known. At that gentleman's home I was shown a 

 hole in a chimney stack where a pair of P. assimilis had 

 successfully reared a brood. 



