THE MINEB. 135 



black ; the under tail-coverts orange, and the tail- and 

 wing-feathers barred with black. It has a very loud call- 

 note for the size of the bird, rather resembling that of 

 the wryneck ; was, I think, the commonest of the whole 

 species, and frequented small scrub, particularly small 

 honeysuckles. Early in the season I used to find them much 

 in the heather and low scrub ; and I fancy they breed in 

 the nests of the small brown wren ; at least I once shot a 

 female bronze cuckoo flying from such a nest, in which 

 was a large spotted egg ; and on dissecting the cuckoo, I 

 found a similar egg inside it, but unfortunately broken. 

 I can say nothing with certainty respecting the breeding 

 habits of the other two, except that you rarely see either 

 in small bushes, and during the breeding season I ob- 

 served that the large cuckoo used to keep always about 

 the same gum-trees. 



Another summer migrant to our district was the 

 Summer-bird, about the size of the jay at home, but more 

 slender, of a slate-colour above, white under, with a 

 black moustache, large black bill and legs, and full black 

 eye. It was not a rare bird, always seen in pairs among 

 the large timber, continually on the wing ; and the call- 

 note was one long soft whistle, often repeated while in 

 the air. They flew with a slow dipping kind of flight, 

 and soared over the tree-tops. 



By far the commonest and boldest bird in the Austra- 

 lian forests is the Miner, or Soldier-bird, which, like too 

 many of the human race, appeared to mind everybody's 

 business but its own. Like the common sparrow at 



