NATURAL HISTORY NOTES 
227 
most serious injury received. This I should have believed to have been the case to 
this hour, only for the manner in which it regained its equilibrium and took to its 
wing on my trying to come up with it, which fully undeceived me of my delusion. 
It was a clever piece of acting throughout. Although 1 naturally looked for eggs 
or young, it being just the season, I failed to discover any. 
The other case concerns a species of birds in which the whole of its tribe 
perform this trick in chorus, as I have witnessed nearly every day in South 
Gippsland, where they are plentiful. This is a chat-like little white and 
black bird, E(>lhianura albifrons, or the “white-throated chat” of the same 
Vernacular List, similar in habits, as well as in their haunts, to our whinchat. 
At breeding time, for this it was just then, being at the end of the yea’-, I was 
startled again the first time I saw it by the cunning way in which these birds 
pretend to injury when approaching their nesting places, which are everywhere 
amongst the low scrub and the furze of the open ground. These active little bnds 
are inventive for different kinds of injury, some feigning lameness in a leg by 
limping along the path or foot-tracks, others pretending fracture of a wing, all the 
while uttering pitiful cries and plaintive sounds in the most approved fashion, until 
probably all danger of intrusion on their domestic circle is past, when they fly 
away with a chirp, apparently pleased with the success of their cleverly contrived 
imposition. 
The theory as to the development of the habit of simulation for the ourpose 
of defensive tactics may not unreasonably be applied, seeing that both species 
are rearing their progeny in easily acces.sible places, but so do others of which 
we have no such evidence. However, it will be far more difficult to reconcile 
these cases with the idea of “developed acquirement” against “ hum.an depre- 
dations,” even by leaving the possible (if not more likely) pre-existence of the 
opossum and the native cat out of the question. But what possible designs for 
persecution, even the most evil-minded and dark-souled of blackfellows could 
have entertained towards the little harmless and insignificant creature quoted in 
the second instance, is not quite so obvious. Ed. Degen. 
45, Conizer Road, Parsons Green, S. IV. October 17, igoo. 
Remarkably tame Robins. — “ I suppose few are aware that in the song 
of the robin may be clearly detected the notes of many' of our best known smaller 
song birds, the reproduction being often so clever as to deceive even the most 
experienced ear.” So wrote C. E. C. in November N.'vrUKE Notes, and I 'mist 
acknowledge that until some ten days previous to reading it, I was amongst that 
few, never having noted the robin as a mimic; but on October 26, whilst naturalis- 
ing with my frietul R. Kearton, F.Z.S., on llickling Broad, we both simul- 
taneously heard what we for the moment thought to be a most belated sedge 
warbler. “ No sir, excuse me,” said our worthy boatman, Alfred Nudd, “ it is a 
robin.” The ever-watchful eye of the marshman naturalist had instantly twigged 
the impostor perched upon a sallow spray, he, standing up to quant, having if 
not a more discriminating ear, at any rate a wider field of vision than we two 
sitting down. Besides this curious coincidence of hearing and reading of the 
.same (to me) new thing in bird song upon two such ajiproximate dates, it is 
worthy of remark that the fact of Mr. Kearton and myself (who both ot us ought 
to have ki'own better) being taken in by' a robin counterfeiting a sedge warbler, 
is additional evidence, not only of “the reproduction being often so clever as to 
deceive even the most experienced ear,” but also of how careful we all ought to 
be in criticising the recorded observations of others, for, had C. E. C.’s note 
appeared only two months ago, I, after reading it, should have said, “Yes, very 
few are aw’are that in the song of the robin may be clearly detected the notes of 
many of our best-known smaller song birds.” 
M. C. H. Bird, M.B.O.U. 
A Robin Friend. — Every morning after breakfast a robin friend watches 
from a lilac bush for my coming out of doors. He flies to me when I offer him 
a few crumbs of oatcake, and perches upon the open palm of my hand, which I 
hold out at arm’s length. He will not take the oatcake if it is broken in pieces 
too large for him to swallow at one gulp. I steal glances at him, as he does not 
like to be wa'ched while eating. I have sometimes tried to tickle his toes by 
