326 ON THE OOLOGY OF AUSTRALIA, 



The nest of this Fly-catcher, like those of most of the tribe, is 

 round and cap-shaped, 2| to 3 inches across by 1J deep, and 

 placed upon a horizontal bough over a fork, or by the side of an 

 npright twig, it is chiefly composed of bark and grass, neatly 

 interwoven ; the lining is of grass, hair, or roots, and the edges 

 often ornamented with lichen, fastened on by cobweb. It is 

 usually placed at a considerable distance from the ground, and 

 often at the end of some dead bough. 



The eggs are two or three in number, from 9 to 10 J lines in 

 length, by 7J in breadth, rather rounded in form, having the 

 ground color of a dull white, stained with spots and blotches of 

 dull chestnut-brown and greyish lilac, the latter appearing as if 

 beneath the surface. In most of the specimens, the spots form 

 only a distinct zone nearer the larger end, but in some, are 

 sprinkled over the whole surface. The birds are for the most 

 part found breeding in October, November, and December, but 

 sometimes earlier or later, as they feel inclined. They have two 

 broods in the year. 



EOPSALTKIA AUSTRALIA. 



The Yellow-breasted Eobin. (Gould, B., Austr., Vol. III., pi. 11.) 

 PI. I., Figs. 7 and 8. 



The nest of this species much resembles in form, those of the 

 true Australian Robins of the genus Petroica, to which the birds 

 also closely assimilate in their movements and habits, with the 

 exception that the Eopsaltrice are lovers of the more unfrequented 

 parts of the bush, while nearly all the members of the genus 

 Petroica prefer the open and half cleared patches of land. 



The nests of the yellow-breasted Robin are either placed in 

 the upright fork of some small tree, or built upon some horizontal 

 bough, often within two or three feet of the ground. It is a 

 beautifully round and cup-shaped structure, 3 inches high by 2 

 inches across and 1| deep, composed of strips of bark, and lined, 

 most frequently, with the narrow thread like leaves of the native 

 oak, (Gasuarina) and a few dry leaves of the Eucalypti. The 

 edges and parts of the outside are studded with small pieces of 



