BIRDS OF THE OPEN FOREST 
7i 
Notes . — Also called Broad-billed Bronze Cuckoo. Usually singly or 
in pairs, frequenting, for the most part, open forest-lands. Its call is a 
series of mournful notes resembling “Pee-e” uttered in succession. This 
is an extremely useful bird for it destroys large numbers of injurious cater- 
pillars. It is a migrant to the southern parts of Australia; in New South 
Wales odd birds may be observed during the winter months. Food : in- 
sects and their larvae. 
Parasitic — recorded foster-parents number about sixty-four species, 
chiefly those species that build domed nests. 
Egg. — Pale greenish-olive or a distinct bronze-brown ; if rubbed with 
a damp cloth the colouring may be removed, disclosing a pale blue shell. 
Breeding-season: August to December. 
29. Dusky Robin Amaurodryas vittata Quoy and Gaimard 
Am-dur-o-dry-as — Gk, amauros, dark; Gk, dryas, dryad: vit-ta-ta — L., 
vittatus, banded. 
Distribution. — Tasmania and the islands of Bass Strait. 
Notes . — Also called Stump Robin. Usually in pairs or small parties, 
frequenting lightly timbered country and clearings around homesteads. It 
is an active bird and very friendly, being a general favourite with orchard- 
ists. Its call-note is low and monotonous. Food: insects and their larvae. 
Nest . — A cup-shaped structure, composed of rootlets, pieces of bark, 
and grass ; lined with fur or horse-hair. Usually placed on the side of a 
stump, at the end of a log, and occasionally in a tree some height from 
the ground. 
Eggs. — Usually three, apple-green, darker at the larger end, some- 
times spotted and blotched with reddish-brown. Breeding-season: July 
to December. 
