XIO 
THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA 
Notes. — Also called Yellow Warbler. Usually in pairs, inhabiting 
brushes and scrubs bordering creeks; rather a shy bird, with a very 
pleasing song somewhat like that of the Mangrove-warbler. Food : in- 
sects and their larvae. 
Nest . — A rounded structure with an entrance near the top protected 
with a large hood, and having a small thin tail-piece; composed of thin 
strips of bark held together with spiders’ webs and decorated with a few 
spiders’ egg-bags. Usually attached to a thin horizontal branch of a tree 
at a height of 5 feet or more from the ground. The nest of this species is 
usually built near a wasp’s nest. 
Eggs . — Two or three, pale pinkish- white, rather well spotted and 
speckled, particularly at the larger end, with pale to dark reddish-brown 
markings. Breeding-season: September to December. 
6. Northern Warbler Gerygone mouki Mathews 
mouki — said to be from an Australian aboriginal name. 
Distribution. — Cairns district (northern Queensland). 
Notes. — Also called Queensland Fly-eater. Inhabits the brushes and 
dense scrubs; similar in habits to the Brown Warbler. 
Nest. — A bulky, dome-shaped structure with a side entrance, sus- 
pended from near the end of a thin branch, often overhanging water. 
Eggs. — Three, pinkish- white, marked all over with small freckles 
of reddish-brown, chiefly at the larger end. Breeding-season: November 
(Mackay). 
7. Buff -breasted Warbler Gerygone levigaster Gould 
lev-i-gas-ter — L., lews, smooth (probably light-coloured) ; Gk, gaster, 
belly. 
Distribution . — Northern Australia, from Derby to northern Queens- 
land. 
Notes. — Inhabits open forest and scrub-lands, mainly keeping to the 
leafy branches of the trees and thickets ; it is a very tame bird, with a weak 
piping call-note, occasionally uttering a number of other notes in slow 
succession. Food : insects and their larvse. 
Nest. A dome-shaped structure with a hooded entrance, composed 
of fine long grass-stalks and coarser materials ; lined with very fine grass 
and a soft white material. Generally suspended from the thin branch of a 
tree. Fastened on the outside with cobwebs are numerous round white 
scale larvae, cocoons, pieces of lichen, and excreta of caterpillars. 
Eggs. — Two, white, speckled over with small reddish-brown mark- 
ings, more numerous on the larger end, where they generally form a zone. 
Breeding-season: January to March. 
8. Black-throated Warbler Gerygone palpebrosa Wallace— 8A. Female 
pal-pe-bro-sa — L., palpebrosus, marked round the eye. 
Distribution. — Northern Queensland, from Cape York to Cairns; also 
occurs in the Aru Islands and New Guinea. 
