STRIATED PARDALOTE OR WHITTITUKE 325 
of bark and roots ; others nest in the hollow of a 
gum tree, and of these nests I believe most are made 
of grass, though I have seen few of them myself. At 
Batesford you may see one lot of birds nesting in the 
trees, and not more than a quarter of a mile away 
others occupying the creek-bank tunnels. 
I am aware that the Sacred Kingfisher both tunnels 
in banks and uses tree-hollows, and that the Kestrel 
uses a hole in a tree or the deserted nest of a Raven ; 
but these alternative nesting-modes are not found, 
in my experience, to occur together in the same 
district. So that I feel that we shall presently be 
able to split up these Striated Pardalotes into two 
species ; and it would be well worth the attention 
of some of our younger naturalists to study these 
interesting little birds and determine the point once 
and for all. 
Four eggs are laid by all Striated Pardalotes, and 
the nesting-season begins in October and is at its 
height in early November. Like the Spotted Parda- 
lote, the species has, I think, a second brood, early 
in December. The eggs are white. 
A curious habit which at least those Striated 
Pardalotes which build in trees exhibit, is that of 
holding their wings at right angles to the body and 
agitating them vigorously with a fanning motion, as 
I understand is done by certain bees at the entrance 
of the hive. This the birds do when perched in the 
nesting-tree, but not necessarily near the nest. Fre- 
quently two or three pairs occupy different holes 
