﻿TASMANIA 
  : 
  OENITHOLOGICALLY 
  CONSIDERED. 
  325 
  

  

  seen. 
  Large 
  flocks 
  of 
  twenty 
  and 
  upwards 
  appear 
  only 
  during 
  the 
  

   winter 
  months. 
  It 
  is 
  tamer 
  in 
  winter 
  than 
  at 
  any 
  other 
  season 
  of 
  

   the 
  year, 
  often 
  allowing 
  one 
  to 
  approach 
  within 
  a 
  short 
  distance. 
  

   Its 
  food 
  consists 
  of 
  insects 
  of 
  every 
  description, 
  which 
  it 
  captures 
  

   either 
  in 
  the 
  air 
  or 
  hy 
  searching 
  among 
  the 
  leaves 
  and 
  rubbish 
  

   on 
  the 
  ground. 
  This 
  bird 
  has 
  no 
  song, 
  but 
  has 
  a 
  variety 
  of 
  

   notes, 
  which 
  are 
  used 
  on 
  different 
  occasions. 
  The 
  most 
  notice- 
  

   able 
  one 
  is 
  loud, 
  shrill, 
  and 
  somewhat 
  harsh. 
  This 
  is 
  mostly 
  

   used 
  as 
  an 
  alarm 
  or 
  call 
  -note. 
  When 
  first 
  I 
  heard 
  this 
  note 
  I 
  

   could 
  not 
  make 
  out 
  from 
  what 
  species 
  of 
  bird 
  it 
  emanated, 
  it 
  

   being 
  so 
  different 
  from 
  any 
  heard 
  before. 
  The 
  notes 
  uttered 
  

   during 
  the 
  breeding 
  season 
  are 
  soft 
  and 
  somewhat 
  sweet 
  ; 
  they 
  

   vary 
  greatly, 
  sometimes 
  resembling 
  a 
  cooing 
  sound. 
  Lastly, 
  

   there 
  are 
  the 
  notes 
  in 
  general 
  use. 
  These 
  are 
  hard 
  to 
  describe, 
  

   but 
  if 
  once 
  heard, 
  can 
  never 
  be 
  mistaken 
  for 
  those 
  of 
  any 
  

   other 
  species 
  ; 
  they 
  are 
  very 
  peculiar, 
  and 
  not 
  on 
  the 
  whole 
  

   unpleasing. 
  When 
  on 
  the 
  wing, 
  soft 
  whirring 
  notes 
  are 
  uttered. 
  

   The 
  flight 
  of 
  the 
  " 
  Summer 
  Bird 
  " 
  is 
  peculiar 
  ; 
  progress 
  is 
  made 
  

   in 
  an 
  undulating 
  line, 
  the 
  bird 
  rising 
  and 
  falling 
  in 
  regular 
  

   waves. 
  As 
  it 
  reaches 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  each 
  imaginary 
  wave 
  the 
  wings 
  

   are 
  folded, 
  the 
  momentum 
  attained 
  carrying 
  it 
  into 
  another 
  

   wave 
  ; 
  the 
  air 
  is 
  then 
  smartly 
  beaten 
  by 
  the 
  wings, 
  which 
  action 
  

   carries 
  the 
  bird 
  to 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  next 
  wave, 
  and 
  so 
  on. 
  It 
  is 
  by 
  

   no 
  means 
  possessed 
  of 
  strong 
  wing 
  power 
  ; 
  the 
  flight 
  can 
  at 
  no 
  

   time 
  be 
  called 
  rapid. 
  

  

  Coming 
  to 
  the 
  family 
  Muscicapidce, 
  several 
  species 
  claim 
  

   more 
  than 
  a 
  passing 
  notice. 
  First 
  we 
  have 
  the 
  Dusky 
  Fantail 
  

   {Rhipidura 
  dieinenensis) 
  ; 
  this 
  interesting 
  little 
  species 
  differs 
  from 
  

   the 
  mainland 
  R. 
  albiscapa 
  in 
  several 
  points. 
  In 
  addition 
  to 
  this 
  

   island, 
  it 
  is 
  found 
  on 
  several 
  of 
  the 
  neighbouring 
  islands 
  in 
  Bass 
  

   Strait. 
  To 
  most 
  people 
  it 
  is 
  familiar 
  either 
  under 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  

   " 
  Cranky 
  Fan," 
  or 
  " 
  Crazy 
  Fantail." 
  It 
  is 
  fairly 
  evenly 
  distri- 
  

   buted 
  throughout 
  the 
  island 
  ; 
  in 
  open 
  plain 
  country 
  and 
  places 
  

   where 
  there 
  are 
  no 
  creeks 
  and 
  rivers, 
  however, 
  it 
  is 
  rare, 
  if 
  not 
  

   altogether 
  absent. 
  The 
  nest 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  Rhipidura 
  is 
  too 
  well- 
  

   known 
  for 
  me 
  to 
  describe 
  that 
  of 
  this 
  species. 
  In 
  some 
  specimens 
  

   I 
  have 
  found, 
  the 
  curious 
  tail-like 
  appendage 
  has 
  been 
  very 
  well 
  

   developed. 
  The 
  food 
  of 
  the 
  Dusky 
  Fantail 
  consists 
  almost 
  

   entirely 
  of 
  insects, 
  which 
  are 
  largely 
  captured 
  in 
  the 
  air. 
  When 
  

  

  