April 2, 1900.] 



KNOWLEDGE 



93 



top. aud tly away. Wlioii ouo bird is sliot at, and 

 wouuded so that it is pioveuted from est-aping, its 

 fries attract the rest of the Hock to it, and, coming 

 within gun shot, are easy victims to the sportsman. 

 They always go in companies or flocks, which, during 

 the nesting season, consist of from six to fifteen birds, 

 but lat«r on, when the young birds have left their nests, 

 the Hocks often aggregate up to thirty or more. These 

 birds arc heavy flyers, but otherwise very active. 

 During the nesting season, the male bird, when in the 

 presence of the female, often goes through various 

 antics, such as sjjreading out his wings aud tail, in 

 order to attract her attention. In the latter end of 

 August or earl}' in September they commence building, 

 several of the birds helping to construct the same nest. 

 Three are generally built bj' one company during the 

 season, a new one being started as soon as the eggs m 

 the previously made nest are hatched out. From 

 what I have obsei-ved, I consider that several hen birds 

 lay in the same nest, the number of eggs varying from 

 four to eight. Should one sitting bii'd be shot, another 

 will take her place, and I have known three birds tc 

 have been shot from one nest, after which they were 

 left in peace to their family cares. When the young 

 are hatched, several birds feed them, and consequently 

 they grow fast. The nest, which is the common pro- 

 perty of the flock, is a bulky, open structure made oi 

 mud and weighing sometimes as much as nine pounds. 

 It is lined with either dry grass, fur, or shreds of bark 

 from the Eucalyptus trees, and is generally placed on 

 a dry horizontal branch at a considerable distance from 

 the ground. As the branch chosen is often small com- 

 pared with the nest itself, the birds build the sides of the 

 nest down below the branch, and thus their home is 

 balanced and held on more securely. The diameter of 

 the interior of the structure is six inches and the depth 

 thi'ee inches. The eggs are white, with bold irregular 

 dark brown markings, and average dimensions of 1.52 by 

 1.12 inches. 



St ruth idea cineren : "Grey Jumper." 



These interesting birds are very similar in their 

 habits to the Corcorax, and are often found in their 

 company. They also live in flocks of from five to 

 fifteen birds, and in consequence are called in some 



Kest of Struthidea cinerea. 



districts the " Twelve Apostles.'' They are not found 

 in the extreme north of Australia, nor yet on the 

 j.i^rth-west side, but are everywhere else. .Active birds, 



of prevailing grey colour, they have a harsh note, and 

 are noisy. They generally secure their insect prey on 

 trees and are only occasionally seen on the ground. 

 Like the Corcorax, their nest is common, and severa^ 

 birds help in building it. Three nests are usually built 

 during the season, and a fresh one is commenced when 

 the young birds in the first are about a week old. From 

 four to eight eggs are laid, evidently by several hen 

 birds, ;is in a nest. Mr. H. Lau found, belonging to a 

 flock of twelve birds, eight eggs were laid in six days. 

 The mud nest, shaped like a basin, is neatly built au<i 

 generally perfectly spherical. It is well lined with 

 long pieces of dry grass, the interior diameter 

 measuring four inches and the dcjith two inches, and 

 is supported on a horizontal bougii, occasionally low 

 down, but generally from nine to fifteen feet from the 

 ground. The eggs arc white with a few blackish streaks, 

 generally on the larger end. On some eggs the mark- 

 ings are altogether absent. 



Grallina pirata : "Magpie Lark." 

 This beautiful and graceful bird is found in every 

 jjart of Australia where there is water. Often to be 

 seen about country homesteads, it is a great favourite, 

 strictly insectivorous, and very tame. 



It has various local names — Peewit, from the double 

 note the bird utters, being the most common. During 

 the nesting season the birds are generally seen in pairs, 

 but in the winter mouths they often congregate together 

 in considerable flocks, which are composed chiefly, I 

 think, of young birds, as the old pairs seldom seem to 

 stray far from their favourite locality, aud generally 

 nest year after year either in the same tree or not far 

 from it. Their old nests are frequently used by other 

 birds, such as the Wood Swallows (Artamus), and 

 Frogmouths (Podargus), which build their own homes in 

 them. Many birds, especially hawks, prefer using old 

 nests of other birds, which they trim up to suit their own 

 requirements, instead of building fresh ones for them- 

 selves. The Grallina invariably feed on the ground 

 and generally in moist situations. The inside of their 

 open mud nest measures four and a half inches in 

 diameter by three and a half inches in depth. It is 



fe^ 



Ne.ft uf Ofallina picata. 



lined with dry grass, although occasionally bark or 

 feathers are used. Both birds help in its building, and. 

 after finishing, they leave it for about a fortnight to 

 dry before occupation. Some tree in the vicinity of 



