THE SPIRIT OF AUSTRALIA 169 



That interesting observation has much in accord 

 with those of the youthful Queenslanders who 

 announced their respective beliefs that the Wagtail 

 keeps its balancing fan incessantly moving "because 

 it is so happy," "to keep itself cool," and (a very 

 small boy offered this suggestion) "to brush the 

 skeeters away!" 



Passing now from a very distinguished quartette 

 of Australians Magpie to Butcher-Bird, Magpie- 

 Lark to Fantail we come naturally to a notable 

 exception to what I have ventured to suggest is a 

 law under which ubiquitous birds colored black and 

 white in both sexes face the world with boldness 

 of voice and manner. The Restless Flycatcher, 

 though frequently confused with the Wagtail, is 

 slimmer in build, more glossy in the black of its 

 back, and clearly distinguishable by a white throat. 

 The female is similarly colored, with a touch of buff 

 added to the chest. Despite its distinctive uniform, 

 however, the Restless Flycatcher is neither so 

 voicef ul nor so fightable as its popular little relative. 

 Nor is it nearly so numerous a fact that may be 

 due to the strange lack of black-and-white assertive- 

 ness or to the bird's comparative weakness in nest 

 construction. I knew a Victorian instance in which 

 a pair of these birds, after scratching feebly about 

 on a dry limb, gave up the attempt at nest-building, 

 whereupon a pair of Wagtails rapidly put together 

 a nest, of similar material, in the abandoned posi- 

 tion. 



Let it be observed, also, that practically all of 

 these bi-colored bird acquaintances of ours are stay- 

 at-home species. Seldom do any of them wander far 



