14 MORGAN— Birds in a North Adelaide Gard* 



Malurus cyaneus leggei (Blue Wren) — Two pairs are con- 

 stant residents, and breed annually. Each pair has its own 

 end of the garden, and when the males meet they fight 

 vigorously. One male has daily battles with his reflection in 

 the dining room window. 



Austrodiceaum hirundinaceum (Swallow Diceaum) — 

 Sometimes a single bird settles for a time in a pomegranate 

 tree. 



Zosterops lateralis westernensis (The Silver Eye) — 

 Always present in numbers. They eat fruit in the season, and 

 at other times small insects, especially rose aphis. Bred once 

 in a quince tree. 



Ptilotula penincillata whitei (White-plumed Honey-eater 

 or greenie) — Always a bird or two present. 



Meliornis novea-hollandiae subassimilis (White-bearded 

 Honey-eater) — Generally present. They come in numbers 

 when the Mina lobata is in flower. 



Acanthorhyncus tenuirostris loftyi (Spinebill) — Come in 

 fair numbers towards the end of summer, and leave in the 

 early autumn. They are very fond of the red salvia flowers. 



Grallina cyanolenea (the Magpie Lark) — Many in the 

 neighbourhood. One alighted in a plum tree. 



ACCLIM ATI SED BIRDS. 



Fasserdomesticus (the House Sparrow) — Always present 

 in numbers. They eat large numbers of caterpillars, aphis, 

 and other insects, and on the whole do more good than harm. 



Carduelis elegans (the Goldfinch) — Always present; very 

 fond of sunflower and cosmos, seed. They breed in the fruit 

 trees. 



Sturnus vulgaris (the Starling) — Always present. They 

 feed on worms, caterpillars and insects in the winter; mostly 

 fruit in the summer. 



Merula merula (Blackbird) — Always present. They 

 breed in a trellised vine. They are an unmitigated nuisance 

 in the garden from their habit of scratching newly planted 

 ground. 



The names are taken from G. M. Mathews's List of Birds 

 of Australia, except that trinomials are not used for .dominant 

 species. 



