Birds of Neiv South Wales I have caught and kept. 369


body, generally bulky, into a straight and slender line. In that

posture the bird is a lovely sight. The call note is a sweet plaintive

whistle, whereas the young, even when three months old and more,

attract one’s attention by their peculiar quacking noise, just like iittle

ducklings. They lly and feed high and with their powerful beaks

rip the bark off the trees to find cocoons and small beetles. Their

nest is a lovely little structure built in trees up to a height of 50

to 100 feet high, fastened on the outer edge of a branch of a

gum tree. Some years ago I was offered and bought a pair for

thirty shillings, but the pleasure was a short lived one. Now,

however, I have a few doing well, very tame and ready to come

on to my finger whenever I call them. Next to them in my affection

come the White-shouldered Caterpillar Eater (Lalage tricolor). A

real regal bird : brown hind neck, upper back shining metallic blue,

shoulders white, likewise underside and band across wings. But

its beauty lies in the lovely shape. Compared to other birds this

bird is what a race-horse is to a draught-horse. They are at home

in large paddocks with a few big trees, singing even when sitting on

the nest. As soon as incubation is over the male bird takes little

further notice of its offspring. I have noticed this seeming neglect

to their families in numbers of breeding birds, but catching one day

the mother from three young already well on the wing I was sur¬

prised to see later on the father take charge of and lead the young

about. In June the cock changes to grey, the colour of the female.

Their nests are high up and difficult of access. Very shy at large ;

in captivity they soon become delightfully tame : they are birds I

am never without.


The Bobin species ( Petroica ): Scarlet, Flame-breast, Bose-

breast, Bed-capped, Yellow and Hooded Bobins are one and all the

most gorgeous birds we have, especially the four first named ones.

Formerly they must have been very plentiful here, but what with

rabbit poison, catapults, air and pea rifle, they are now very scarce,

especially near the populated centres, where every boy—defender

of the country—must kill something, and the shining red breast of

the robins make a fine target. They are not hard to catch as one of

their characteristics is their guilelessness. No bird will come so

easily into a trap or on to a limestick as these robins: but the



