ROSE-BREASTED ROBIN. 
and under wing-coverts ; axillaries isabelline ; the feathers on the lower flanks 
have black bases which show through, imparting a more or less black appearance 
on these parts ; thighs grey ; greater under wing-coverts and under-surface of 
quills pale brown ; lower aspect of tail similar but somewhat darker, the outer 
feathers marked with white. Figured. Collected at the same place as the male 
described, on the 16th of August, 1912. 
Nest. Cup-shaped. Composed of fine moss, covered with lichen held on by cobweb, 
lined with hair-like material from trees or with fur. Outside dimensions 2| inches 
by 2|, inside H by 1 inch deep. 
Eggs. Three. Ground-colour bluish-grey, spotted and dotted, especially on the larger 
end with purplish-brown markings. 16 mm. to 17 by 14. 
Breeding-season. October to December. 
Gould discovered this pretty little Robin, and wrote : “ Inhabits all the 
brushes skirting the south-eastern coast of New South Wales. I also observed 
it to be numerous in the cedar brushes of the Liverpool Range. It is a solitary 
species, more than a pair being rarely seen at one time, is excessively quiet in 
its movements, and so tame that, in the course of my wanderings though the 
woods of Illawarra and in the neighbourhood of the Hunter it frequently 
perched within two or three yards of me. What has been said respecting 
the habits and manners of the Pink-breasted Robin is equally descriptive of 
the present bird. Its cheerful song is very like that of the other Robins, but 
is much more feeble.” 
Mr. L. G. Chandler has written me : “I found a nest of this species at 
The Basin, Dandenong Ranges, on Nov. 9th, 1908. I first noticed the male 
bird, which apparently was not in full plumage, for the breast was only tinged 
with rose. It flew restlessly from tree to tree in the gully, occasionally uttering 
its sweet trill of notes. Presently the female appeared from somewhere, and 
after flitting about for a while, disappeared in the saplings on the hillside. It 
reappeared suddenly, and again I lost sight of the bird in the saplings. I 
concluded that the nest must be somewhere on the hillside. However, events 
proved that the bird had reached its nest in a circle to escape detection, for 
on walking about eight yards farther up the gully I found the nest with the 
bird sitting. It was situated on a dead lichen-covered limb, with a background 
of green leaves, in a tall blackwood, and was eighteen feet from the ground. 
The nest is a beautiful structure and a perfect case of mimicry, being artistically 
draped with lichen to imitate the limb. The bird showed no signs of fear, 
when I clapped my hands, but resolutely sat on. The clutch proved to be 
two eggs. The vegetation in the gully at this point opened out, and the 
blackwood was growing in the open, so that the nest had been placed in an 
exposed position in preference to the musk trees in the heart of the gully.” 
Mr. Edwin Ashby has written me : “I found this Robin common on Olinda 
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