132 CURIOUS HOMES AND THEIR TENANTS. 



ments among the branches. So small an object, in- 

 deed, is most difficult of detection amid the thick fol- 

 iage of the lofty Casuarince, to which trees it is ex- 

 tremely partial, particularly to those growing on the 

 banks of creeks and rivers. 



" It is frequently to be seen among the clusters of 

 the beautiful parasitic Conuith.us, which very com- 

 monly grows on the Casuwrinm in the neighborhood of 

 upper Hunter. Whether the bird is attracted to this 

 mistletoe-like plant for the purpose of feeding upon 

 its sweet and juicy berries I could not ascertain ; its 

 chief food is insects, but in all probability it varies its 

 food. Its song is a very animated and long-continued 

 strain, but is uttered so inwardly that it is almost 

 necessary to stand beneath the tree upon which the 

 bird is perched before its notes can be heard." 



The beautiful nest of this little bird looks at a 

 short distance like a snowball. It is of the purest 

 white, and is formed entirely of the fluffy, cottony 

 substance found in the seed vessels of numerous Aus- 

 tralian plants. The color of its pretty little eggs, that 

 look like agate marbles, is a dull white covered with 

 brown specks. 



