THE WOMBAT. 13 



of the Dividing Range. A few white backed birds were noted 

 about Bendigo, but none up towards the Murray ; these birds' 

 nests were generally well out of reach. 



Two crested birds were often noted ; one the oreoica, 

 running across the roads with crest erect, or perched upon a 

 bough holding forth in full liquid notes in the thickest parts of 

 the scrub of the mining country ; the other, the frontal shrike-tit 

 frequenting larger timber and busily engaged in chipping and 

 tearing off pieces of bark in its search for food. The white- 

 throated and rufus-vented thickheads may be simply men- 

 tioned as characteristic forms in the scrub country before we 

 pass on to that genus of pretty and graceful birds, the wood- 

 swallows or swallow-shrikes. These birds are migratory, 

 going north to New South Wales and Queensland for the 

 winter and returning south again to Victoria. In 1892 

 Artamus sordidus was first seen about Bendigo during the 

 -first week in September, A . superciliosus was noted a week 

 later In the Kerang district, but did not make its way to 

 Bendigo till the third week in the month. Only occasional 

 specimens of A . personatus were seen, later in the season ; 

 they were never in numbers. A. leucogaster, differing greatly 

 in its habits from the other members of the genus, was never 

 •seen south of Kerang where it haunts the dead timber about 

 the lakes or swamps, and was tolerably common along the 

 Murray. This bird has the peculiar habit of making use of 

 an old nest of the Grallina as a foundation for its own nest ; 

 this habit has been observed frequently in Victoria and in 

 Queensland. 



Last season, 1895, I arrived at Bendigo on 12th 

 September, and found only one species of wood swallow, 

 A. sordidus; the other two species A. superciliosus and 

 A. personatus did not arrive until about the 25th, the white- 

 eyebrowed species in large flocks, but only occasional 

 specimens of the masked. Mr. Hall, of Box Hill, noted their 

 arrival in the Melbourne district on the 25th October, fully a 

 month later, and later still in the season both species were 

 breeding about Melbourne in larger numbers than had been 

 known for many years. The nidification of these birds is 

 interesting, and building as they do, so low down, it is easily 

 observed. I have had many opportunities of observing this 

 habit for many years past in A. sordidus, and during twd 

 seasons in A. superciliosus, and in A. personatus last year 

 only. With regard to the number of eggs going to form a 

 clutch, these birds differ in an interesting way. From my 

 own observations and those of other naturalists I have come 

 to the following conclusion : — That A . sordidus nearly always 

 lays three eggs, sometimes two, but only very rarely four ; 

 A . superciliosus usually three eggs, but often four or two ; 

 A. personatus mostly two eggs, sometimes three, but only 

 occasionally one ; A. leucogaster usually three, but sometimes 



