Order Passeriformes, Family Muscicapidae. 19 



buted throughout Australia and is found upon some of the 

 neighbouring islands. They are still common even in the city 

 of Adelaide, nearly every garden of any size having its resi- 

 dent pair of birds' which drive away all others of their own 

 species, even their own young are chased away as soon as 

 they are able to look after themselves, for this reason there is 

 seldom more than one pair in each garden. They are familiar 

 birds and if not interfered with soon become tame enough to 

 come into verandahs and even rooms. They spend much of 

 their time upon the ground and may often be seen on lawns and 

 grassy places making short runs with wings half spread, light 

 ning-like twists and turns and short leaps into the air as they 

 capture some insect on the wing. They are forever on the 

 move, the long tail now shut now open like a fan and wagged 

 from side to side or revolved as though upon a pivot, never 

 moved up and down as with the true wagtails. A favourite 

 haunt is near the head of feeding horses, cattle, and sheep, to 

 catch the harvest of flying insects disturbed by the browsing 

 animals. 



They are pugnacious birds; they will attack cats, dogs, 

 hawks, or anything which meet with their disapproval. A 

 pair has been known to line their nest with the fur stolen from 

 a live cat, and Mr. C. F. Risehbieth has a pair in his garden at 

 Glenelg, which have the house cats in complete subjection. 

 Directly a cat appears on the lawn the wagtails attack and 

 drive him off again, the birds will even light on the cat's back. 

 On one occasion at Seaton golf links a pair kept a nankeen 

 kestrel on a tree afraid to move for a quarter of an hour or 

 more, they kept hovering over him and directly he opened his 

 wings they darted furiously at his head. Occasionaly a cat 

 secures one, but not often. 



Their song is not unpleasant but monotonous, it has been 

 compared to the words "Sweet pretty creature," and also to 

 "Willie split his breeches." On moonlight nights they sing all 

 night and if near a bedroom window they become an intoler- 

 able nuisance. The alarm note is a harsh chatter. 



Nest building begins in September and goes on until the end 

 of December and sometimes later. The nest is usually placed 

 within a few feet of the ground but is sometimes as much as 30 

 feet up._ It is built on a horizontal limb or fork,. dead wood for 

 preference, when near a creek it is usually placed on a branch 

 overhanging water. When semi-domesticated they will build 

 in almost anv situation such as the rafters of a shed or veran 



