258 THE PARADISE FLY-CATCHER. 



a short memoir. It is a native of the southern and western portions of Australia as well as of 

 Van Diemen's Land, and seems to be a permanent resident, merely shifting its quarters to dif- 

 ferent portions of the same country according to The season of year. It is by no means a gre- 

 garious bird, being seldom seen associated with any other companions except its mate. 



In its habits it is brisk, cheerful, and lively, mounting high into the air with a few rapid 

 strokes of the wings, and then descending upon some convenient bank in a headlong, reckless 

 style, after turning completely over in the air after the fashion of the tumbler pigeons. "While 

 descending it spreads its wings and tail widely, the latter organ being so broad as to resemble 

 a feather Ian. It is daring and confiding in its nature, permitting the close approach of human 

 beings, haunting the neighborhood of human habitations, and even boldly entering houses in 

 chase of flies and other insects. Its song is not powerful or varied, but is full and pleasing, 

 consisting of a soft and sweet twittering sound. 



During the breeding season it becomes suddenly shy, wary, and restless, and should it 

 perceive an enemy in too close proximity to its nest, puts in practice a series of rather trans- 

 parent wiles in order to induce the intruder on its domestic joys to leave the vicinity. For 

 this purpose it feigns lameness, and flutters before the supposed foe in a manner that is 

 intended to induce a belief in its easy capture, and to lure him from the cherished spot where 

 all its loves and hopes are concentrated. 



The nest is of a most remarkable shape, being notable for a long and apparently use- 

 less tail that hangs far below the branch to which it is attached, and which, owing to its 

 narrow dimensions anil slight weight, can be of no service in preserving the balance of the 

 structure. I would offer a suggestion that this singular form may have reference to the 

 electrical conditions of the atmosphere, and serve as a conductor whereby the superabundant 

 electricity is carried off from the eggs or young birds, which are placed in an open and 

 undefended nest, and conveyed harmlessly to the ground. The materials of which the nest 

 is made are the inner bark of the gum-tree, mixed with moss and the down of the tree-fern, 

 and woven together with spiders' webs. 



The position of the nest is invariably at a low elevation, and it is found either hanging 

 from a branch near the water at no great height from its surface, or suspended from some low 

 branch in a forest. The eggs are two in number, and their color is grayish-white, covered 

 with olive-brown blotches. There are generally two broods in the year, and a third brood is 

 sometimes known to he successfully reared. 



In its coloring the White-shafted Fan-tail is a dusky olive-black above, and there is a 

 white dash above the eye, and another curved Avhite streak below the eye. The throat, the 

 ends of the wing-coverts, the edges of the secondaries, together with the outer webs, the tips 

 and the shafts of the tail-feathers, are pure white, with the exception of the two central 

 quill -feathers of the tail, which retain their dusky hue. The total length of this bird is five 

 or six inches. Its generic name Rhipidura is of Greek origin, signifying "fan-tail," and is 

 therefore applied to this and other species of the same genus, whose tails are capable of being 

 spread in a fan-like fashion ; the name albiscapa refers to the white shafts of the tail-feathers, 

 and is therefore only applied to this particular species. 



The most elegant and striking of all the Fly-catchers is undoubtedly the bird which is 

 figured in the colored illustration. 



The Paradise Fly-catcher is an Asiatic bird, being found spread over the greater por- 

 tion of India, where it is far from uncommon. It is generally found in thick clusters of tall 

 bamboos, and is in the habit of frequenting gardens, shrubberies, and plantations in search of 

 its prey. Its mode of feeding is rather variable. Generally it perches upon some lofty 

 branch, and when it sees an insect passing within easy reach, makes a sudden swoop upon it, 

 catches its prey with a hard snap of the beak, which can be heard at some distance, and 

 returns to its post in readiness for another swoop. Sometimes, however, it searches upon 

 the branches for the various insects that are found crawling on the bark or hidden beneath its 

 irregularities, and picks them off with great certainty of aim. According to Colonel Sykes, it 

 has even been known to alight on the ground and to seek its food upon the soil. 



