tlA. Chandler, Notes on Pardalotes. [isf"oct 



The banks of Cardinia Creek, Beaconsfield, offer ideal nesting 

 sites for this species. Being of a loose, sandy nature, the earth 

 is especiaUy suitable for them to tunnel in. The material used 

 in building is the bark of certain gum-trees {Eucalyptus). Any 

 noise in the vicinity of the nesting-tunnel will quickly bring the 

 bird out, should it be sitting on its eggs. In many cases it would 

 be impossible to detect the tiny burrow, which, on an average, 

 is little more than i| inches in diameter, were it not for the bird 

 betraying it in this manner. A few nests noticed in the banks of 

 Cardinia Creek were hidden by clustering maiden-hair fern, which 

 formed a natural doorway. A nest observed in a sandy bank at 

 Frankston contained a healthy young one about a week old and 

 the dried skeletons of two others. A close examination of the 

 nest failed to reveal the cause of the nestlings' death. Messrs. 

 C. Barrett and E. B. Nicholls cite a similar case * : — " On opening 

 up one of the tunnels we found five nestlings. Three of these 

 were dead, being half-eaten by the larvae of some species of dip- 

 terous fly of the genus Calliphora." These notes are interesting. 

 That young birds of different species are sometimes attacked by 

 dipterous larvae in the nest has, I think, been noted by several 

 observers. 



A burrow may be used for two or more consecutive seasons, 

 for I have found a fresh nest built on the decayed remains of an 

 old one. It contained the unusual number of five eggs. In a 

 bank where the earth is hard a slight ridge is often noticed in the 

 centre of the tunnel, near the entrance. This has been raised by 

 the bird when expelling the soil with its feet. If the birds are 

 not in the vicinity, this sign is sufficient to show that the burrow 

 is, or has been, tenanted by a Pardalote. Both sexes assist in 

 the construction of the nest and the work of incubation. In the 

 task of feeding the offspring each takes an equal share. In the 

 month of December a number of young birds may be seen following 

 their parents, uttering a faint, piping whistle. At the same time 

 nests building, or containing fresh eggs, are observed. 



The young of this species is born naked and blind. At a week 

 old the gape is cream ; bill horn colour ; frontal quills not yet 

 broken ; crown yellowish-buff, with black tips ; upper tail coverts 

 and rump buff ; tail black, with two white spots on central quills ; 

 two outer quills white, with black bases ; primaries black, ti])ped with 

 white ; secondaries black, with white spots, and tipped with white ; 

 throat pale buff ; sides of chest and abdomen very pale buff ; feet 

 bluish-grey ; irides brown. I have been unsuccessful in finding 

 nestlings in a more advanced stage than the latter. 



Pardalotus assimilis. — This is a common form in the Frankston 

 district, and it is there principally that the following notes have been 

 collected. In open forest country P. assimilis is certain to be in 

 evidence, and often in the thickly-timbered localities ; but the 

 birds show a preference for open gum {Eucalyptus) country. One 



* Victorian Naturalist, vol. xxi-, p. 164. 



