40 BIRDS OF TASMANIA. 



parent bird, and a refuge for the young fledglings. It is no 

 uncommon sight to see the birds assembled in flocks of 30 or 40 

 in winter, running over the ground picking up any stray scrap of 

 food, in addition to the usual diet of insects and seeds. As I have 

 above mentioned, the bird does not confine itself to bush-land, 

 but comes right into gardens in the larger towns in search of food. 

 It is often to be seen swarming over the fruit trees in search of 

 codlin moth and other grubs ; it is not averse to picking ofE mussel 

 scale where thick. 



When flushed from the ground, the Yellow-tail utters a sharp, 

 high-pitched note, and only flies a few yards before again alighting. 

 It is quite possible to go within a few yards of a flock without the 

 birds taking flight. When flying a short distance it moves in a 

 jerky, wavy manner. The song of this species is a very pretty 

 little run of notes — not loud, but very sweet ; it is usually uttered 

 when the birds are feeding together in a flock on the ground. This 

 species is about the earliest of our birds to nest. One mild June 

 I saw a parent bird carrying food to its young. For a completed 

 nest to be discovered in July is no rare occurrence. 



Mr. H. Stuart Dove writes me:— "On 29th September, 1909, I 

 found in a prickly wattle at Flowerdale a two-chamlDered nest, lower 

 part of which contained an egg and three unfledged young ; upper 

 part had an unfinished dome, with a depression on one side like a 

 roosting-plaoe. On 24th December this nest was found to be triple ; 

 the lowest compartment contained one freshly-laid white egg ; 

 the next compartment had three eggs, partly incubated; the third 

 compartment was empty, hut had been used for shelter, and was 

 not so well covered as the other two. There was also a sort of 

 shallow depression on top at right-hand side (the so-called ' cook's 

 nest '). Looked at again after New Year, the three eggs in middle 

 compartment were hatched, but single egg in lowest room remained 

 the same." 



*WHITE-BEEASTED SCEUB-TIT 

 (Acanthornis magna, Gould). 



Male. — Crown of the head, lower back, andrumpdeep brownish- 

 olive ; upper back olive ; tail blackish-brown, outer webs lighter, sub- 

 terminal band black; wings black, first five primaries narrowly 

 edged on terminal half of outer webs with white; greater wing 

 coverts edged with white; lores and a stripe over the eyes white; 

 ear coverts and cheeks slate-black; throat white, becoming pale 

 yellow on the abdomen; flanks and under tail coverts deep 

 brownish-olive ; irides light yellow ; bill blackish ; legs and feet 

 brownish. Dimensions in mm. : — Length, 109; bill, 13; wing, 58; 

 tail, 44; tarsus, 21. 



Female. — Colouration in general browner; throat tinged with 

 yellow. 



