HOODED ROBIN. 
preferring the open, and e ring-barked ’ country, where it is mostly met with 
in pairs, but the young birds often remain with their parents for many months. 
The male has only one call-note, the female two, one of which is quite 
impossible to distinguish from that of Staganopleura guttata. Their habits are 
very similar to those of most other Robins, but their nests are open, cup- 
shaped structures more loosely put together, and not so much ornamented, 
formed of dry grass and bits of bark, with just a sufficient addition of cobwebs 
to hold it all together, and fasten the nest in its position. As a rule they 
are placed in a low fork, but I have seen them high up in a shallow hollow in 
a dead tree. I have never seen more than two eggs or young forming a 
clutch, and I have seen nests containing eggs from the last week in August 
till November. They remain here the whole year, and spend much of their 
time upon the ground, where they gather their food, but are mostly to be 
seen perched on low dead twigs and stumps. The male takes no part in the 
construction of the nest, nor does he help in the task of incubation, but he 
feeds the female while sitting. One pair of birds will often remain about 
the same locality for years.” 
Mr. Edwin Ashby’s notes read : “ This is a very widely distributed bird, 
as I have collected it 200 miles north of Adelaide and have specimens from 
the interior at Lake Gillies, and in all other parts of this State (South Australia) 
it is common both in the big timber and in the Mallee ; the same applies to 
the many places I have visited in Victoria and New South Wales. This Robin 
is one of the most familiar birds in my garden, and while not quite so confiding 
as the Microeca , it is very fond of perching on one of the arches or shrubs 
near the gardener when digging, and swooping down on any grub that may 
be turned up. They nest in the fork of wattles or often on the top of a cut- 
down gum stump that has sprouted out again. The olive eggs are almost 
identical with those of the Tasmanian Dusky Robin, though smaller, and the 
two birds in their habits seem to be representatives of each other.” 
Whitlock’s notes from the East Murchison read : “ Pied Robin. 
Distributed in scattered pairs throughout the district. I obtained \ several 
nests with eggs, which do not differ from those of the eastern form. This 
Robin was one of the earliest birds to call in the morning. Long before the 
sun was up I used to hear their cry of ‘ Kwee-kwu-kwu,’ only to be heard at 
that hour of the day. More often than not I was shivering over my freshly 
kindled fire. This species is double brooded. A pair were building on the 
4th October. I had rather bad luck with the nests I found. Several were 
destroyed by Crows or Babblers, and others I had to leave before the eggs 
were laid. This was very vexatious, as the parent birds are very wary and 
will not go back to the nest when watched.” 
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