THE BUSH HUT 17 



acrobat, this little gray bird tumbles and darts 

 through the air in pursuit of insects. The nest of the 

 White-shafted Fantail is a dainty structure of fine, dry 

 grass stems. The lining is of softer material, some- 

 times mingled with horsehair. Shaped like a wine- 

 glass, with the "foot" lacking, the nest is covered 

 externally with spiders' web, which gives it a 

 "finished" appearance. The Fantail broods closely, 

 and it is not difficult to photograph her on the nest, 

 which is usually fastened to a slender horizontal 

 branch, at no great height. At Olinda we found 

 scores of nests of this species, some among the hill 

 gum trees, others in the wattles. Many were saddled 

 on boughs overhanging the creek. When one of us 

 angled for trout or blackfish, Fantails were in con- 

 stant attendance. Often a bird would alight on the 

 rod, spread its tail, and sing, as if to encourage the 

 angler. 



Another familiar bird was the Yellow-breasted 

 Shrike-Robin [Eopsaltria australis] , which was even 

 more confiding than the Fantails. "Yellow-bob" and 

 "Wild Canary" are its Bush names. On the upper 

 part of the body the plumage is dark gray, the throat 

 grayish-white, underparts bright primrose yellow, and 

 base of tail olive-yellow. The movements of this beau- 

 tiful bird are soft and silent ; one may be close at hand 

 and escape notice. The Yellow-breasted Shrike-Robin 

 has a habit of flying from the ground to a tree trunk 

 and clinging to it sideways; it may remain in this 

 position for some minutes. Like the Fantail, this 

 Bush bird is reluctant to leave its nest, whether the 

 contents be eggs or nestlings. More than once I have 

 stroked the head of a Shrike-Robin while it sat on the 

 nest, and pushed the bird gently aside to see her eggs. 

 The nest is cup-shaped, composed of bits of bark and 

 fine twigs, and lined with rootlets and dead leaves. 

 Externally it is draped with greenish-coloured lichens 

 and long strips of bark, so that it harmonises with 



