10 ASH BY— Field Notes. 



Nest — An open, cup-shaped structure usually placed in 

 the hollow of a sum tree, the hollow chosen is usually in a 

 thick limb, with a»very small opening. The nest is built of 

 dried grass stems with occasionally a strip or two of bark. 

 They sometimes drill a hole for themselves in the bank, or 

 dig out the mortar between the stones of an old building, and 

 occasionally take possession of the old nests of the fairy mar- 

 tin. In the courting season they have a peculiar habit of sit- 

 ting in pairs on a bare twig, and sway the body from side to 

 side, with the wings half extended calling all the time. The 

 nesting season extends from September to December. 



Eggs — Three or four, pure white, the thick end very roun- 

 ded, and the thin end coming to a blunt point. 



A clutch of four eggs taken from a hole in a gum tree at 

 the R. Finniss measured in cm. 1. 1.80 x 1.40 2. 1.80 x 1.50 

 3. 1.80 x 1.50. 4. 1.75 x 1.40. 



A nest taken at Kallioota in the banks of the Willochra 

 creek in August 22nd, 1912, had a tunnel 18 inches long slop- 

 ing slightly upwards to the nest chamber which was circular, 

 5 inches in diameter and 4 inches high. The outside measure- 

 ment of the nest was 5x5 inches x 3 inches high. The egg 

 cavity was 2-j inches x 1 inch deep. It contained three slightly 

 incubated encs. 



Field Notes on Acanthornis Magnus (Gld.) Scrub 

 Tit or Great Tit. 



By Edwin Ashby, M.B.O.U,, etc. 



On the occasion of my recent trip to Tasmania I paid a 

 visit to a selected treefern gully, I think it is called Hors- 

 nail's Creek, at the back of Mt. Wellington, where in January, 

 1013, I found two nests of the year of Acanthornis magnus, 

 ftese nests are now in the Adelaide Museum. At that date 

 breeding was apparently over. 



This year on September 29th I hoped to find the birds 

 nesting, but was evidently too early. 



I found one nest of the previous season in the same situa- 

 tion as those found in 1913, viz. in the hanging down dead 

 'fronds of a tree fern, The nests are in structure tvpical seri- 



