THE FANTAIL. 151 



the gum trees and tea-tree scrub. They breed in thick 

 tea-tree and other scrub, generally in gullies and near 

 the nest; the old birds form a sort of bower of dead 

 sticks, which they ornament with parrots' feathers, &c 

 If the old male is shot the female will soon find another 

 mate ; and I have shot three cock birds from one bower 

 up in the Dandanong ranges. The flesh is rather bitter, 

 like that of the starling at home, and they are not much 

 fancied for the table of the epicure, but often found 

 their way into our bush larder. 



We had two species of Fantail, the largest, which we 

 called the Stock- Whip Bird, or shepherd's companion, had 

 rather the appearance of the pied wagtail at home, but 

 was much larger and thicker, of a sooty black-and-white 

 colour, with a long spreading fan-shaped tail. It is a very 

 lively bird, always in motion, and its attitudes are very 

 elegant as it flits from tree to tree, or runs along the 

 ground with outspread tail, uttering a grating call-note, 

 something similar to the springing of an old watchman's 

 rattle, but of course not so loud, ending with a sharp 

 smack. It is common on the plains during the summer, 

 often among sheep, upon whose backs I have seen them 

 perched like the starling at home. They were generally 

 in pairs, bred in the belts of honeysuckle and shey-oak 

 on the edges of the plains, and the nest is very curiously 

 formed, a small round cup stuck upon the bare surface 

 of a large limb, without any shelter, looking just like a 

 nob or wart growing to the bark. The other variety 

 was much more elegantly formed, also with a spreading 



