A NATURALIST’S NOTES FROM THE BUSH. 
Written and Illustrated with Photographs by Cyrin Grant [LAnNz. 
VI. THE FANTAILED FLYCATCHER, AND THE 
OR DOLLAR-BIRD. 
HE Fantailed Flycatcher is certainly one of. the most engaging small birds of 
the bush. The grace of movement and spirited activity of a creature of such 
diminutive proportions serve to render it a conspicuous object. For ever on the 
move, and continually 
chirping out a penetrating 
twittering song, the bird 
is speedily discovered and 
easily studied. 
While the spring birds 
all put in an appearance, 
the little fantail also arrives, 
generally settling in the 
same spot every year to 
hunt insects and construct 
one of the most superb little 
nests, formed of lichens, 
spiders’ webs, hair-like 
rootlets and fine animal fur, 
wherein are laid three eggs 
of a whitish ground-colour 
having about the larger 
end several brownish spots. 
One of the most interesting 
features In connection with 
the nest is that, at its base, 
a long pendant hangs, com- 
posed of the superfluous 
shreds of bark and hair 
neatly bound together with 
webbing. This pendant is 
not present in every nest, 
which fact gives rise (among 
some) to doubt whether it 
really exists at all. My 
photograph, which I se- 
cured when the light was 
fading at sunset, thus ac- 
counting for its realistic ob- 
security, will, however, suffice 
to settle the question so far 
as my readers are concerned. 
NEST OF FANTAILED FLYCATCHER, 
389 
