Order I'a^serif or mes, Family Oampophagidae, Genua Lalage. 16^ 



Habits. — They are purely migratory in the southern pares 

 of the continent, arriving in the Adelaide district early in Sep- 

 tember, and departing late in January. They do not however, 

 all come far south, as Captain White found them nesting in 

 the Crawler Ranges, and on Cooper's Creek, and they have also 

 been found nesting at Kallioota on Lake Torrens, in August. 

 Males from the low T er north. Central Australia, and the Nor 

 thern Territory are usually not in full plumage, so that they 

 possibly put off their breeding plumage while in their winter 

 quarters. When on migration they travel in small parties 

 never in large flocks. They perch usually in the leafy bran- 

 ches of the trees, or rest upon the ground. 



Song. — At nesting time the song is very pretty, it is 

 uttered by the male only, and chiefly when on the wing. 



Flight. — Low and undulating, when singing at nesting- 

 time the flight is quite different, being then straight and 

 rather fluttering. 



Food. — Consists entirely of insects and their larvae. 



Nest. — A shallow cup shaped structure placed in a hori- 

 zontal fork of a tree, at a height varying from a few feet up to 

 forty feet from the ground. The nest is built of strips of 

 bavk bound togerlier with cobwebs, if near an orchard it may 

 (■(insist almost onrjrclv of flower heads The male alone 

 builds the nest, and also does most of the sitting, the female 

 only going on when the male is feeding, and is at once turned 

 off by the male upon his return. It is said, however, that the 

 female sits at night time. This arrangement seems to be one 

 of Nature's mistakes for the brightly coloured male is very 

 conspicuous, and his presence on the nest makes it easily dis- 

 coverable, while the dull brown female harmonises well' with 

 her surroundings. The male also does most of the feeding of 

 the young; the female only occasionally bringing a morsel for 

 them. In former times these birds nested regularly in the Ade- 

 laide plains, 'but thy have not been seen there for many yeans 

 now. though they still commonly nest about Blackwood.' 



Eggs. — Two or three in number, the back ground varies 

 from light apple green to dull greyish green, and the markings 

 from bright reddish brown to dull brown. The markings are- 

 longitudinal, and are more thickly laid on at the upper end- 

 They [begin to bnild about the middle of October, and go on 

 into December. Average measurement of twenty eggs*, 2 18: 

 cm. x 1.02 cm. 



Largest egg — 2.30 cm. x 1.70 cm. 



Smallest egg — 2.05 cm. x 1.55 cm. 



