100 RUDOLF SÖDERBERG, STUDIES OF THE BIRDS IN NORTH WEST AUSTRALIA. 
high, sonorous and variable strophe, reminding one a little of that of our siskin 
(Acanthus spinus (L.)), which was also the case with its call-note. 
On ”/:, ”'/1 and ??/2 1911 I found the nest of. this bird. The firstöonerhad 
two pale, white eggs, the second had 3 young ones with fully-grown wings, and the 
third one was empty. According to CAMPBELL'S great work the nest and eggs of 
this bird are not described. I have done an examination of its method of nest- 
building, and so this description might not be out of place here. 
One of the nests was found in the mangrove, the other two in smaller shrubs, 
growing up on the island. The former nest, cup-shaped like the other one, was 
hanging between two twigs in the top of a branch. 
When the bird intends to build its nest, it apparently first chooses the bearing- 
points, between which the nest is to be fastened. It puts the first straws between 
these points and builds the binding-ring for the skeleton that is afterwards plaited 
together. For from the edges of the ring the bird plaits with grass-stalks a loosely 
hanging basket with very thin meshes, in which it then puts another kind of stuff. 
This consists of firm fibres, fixed in the interior of the nest round the walls and 
forming the inner wall. Cobweb is then also used as a binding material. On the 
outside pieces of outer bark and such things are fastened, which is the last part of 
the work and is done only as a protective measure in order to make the nest less 
visible. 
Fam. Diceideae. 
Diceum hirundinaceum tormenti MATH. 
Math. handl. n:r 722. 9 ad., SJ ad. Derby, Kimb. !7/19 1910; 2 SS juv. Meda, ibid. 4/s, moult. to 
some extent; ?5/1+ 1911, strongly moult.; 2 SS ad., 2 ad. Beagle bay, Dampier 1. !3/7 1911, beautiful plumage. 
Moulting (the juvenals). — The two young ones in moulting, especially one 
of them, which has got more than half of the old male's plumage consisting of blue 
and red feathers, blue among the grey on the back, and red on the breast, etc. It 
is remarkable that it is a young male that gets the plumage just as in Ephthianura 
and Lalage. The moulting has begun about half a year after its birth. It is 
possible that this is a partial moulting and ceases in order to continue during Dec.— 
Jan.—Febr. to a fully-developed dress. 
On '5/> I thus shot at Sunday Island a young male, which was in moulting 
with two red feathers, very much separated, in the breast and the under-rump pale 
crimson-coloured. Otherwise it was fully-moulted. 
Ecological. — The mistletoe-bird, one of the small birds, which, owing to 
its activity, its merry, loud singing, and its strong contrasting colours is soonest 
noticed by the stranger in Kimberley, was general in all places except in Dampier 
land, where I found it, however, in Beagle bay. I saw the birds very often in the 
Bauhima-trees with the red follicles of which their red breast seemed to match in a 
