THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
the birds in this district previously and Dr. Morgan states this locality was 
not recorded. The nest was built in leaning fork of sandalwood tree and was 
composed of cobwebs and blue bush and was only discovered by seeing the 
bird beating a crow away from the tree.” 
Mr. Thos. P. Austin’s notes read : “ A. permanent resident, but by no 
means numerous (at Cobbora, New South Wales), generally met with feeding 
upon the ground in open country, where it is difficult to approach them for a 
close inspection ; when disturbed, they usually only take a short flight of 
about a quarter of a mile, and settle on the ground again, but when found in 
trees it is not so shy, and will often permit an intruder to walk beneath. It 
is nearly always to be seen in flocks of five (probably a pair of adult birds, 
and their last season’s young) but once a flock of eight flew over my house, 
this being the most I have ever seen together. Very rarely have I noticed 
them in thick timber : they prefer the open forests, ring-barked country, and 
small plains. It has a peculiar plaintive note, usually uttered while flying, 
but they also have quite a different note, which I have only heard just before 
they commence nest building, which is a more prolonged harsh cry. While 
in flight they spread their forked tails. Once they take up their quarters 
in any particular locality, they often remain thereabout for years ; some- 
times departing for a few months after the breeding-season is finished, but 
usually returning to rear another family the next season. Fourteen years 
ago I noticed a pair nesting just outside my garden, and I took the eggs, but 
the female laid again in the same nest and they reared their young. With a 
few exceptions, I have seen them nesting about this spot every year since, 
and the birds are about there now. They only have one brood each season, 
and the young will often remain with their parents for more than twelve months. 
If the young birds do not breed in their first season, they usually help the old 
birds in nest building and the feeding of the new family, but I am unable to 
say if they assist in the task of incubation. During the spring of 1910 the 
five birds built a new nest in exactly the same fork as they had their nest the 
previous season, and when this was completed, and the eggs laid, the three 
young birds took possession of an old nest of a Gmllina picata in the neighbouring 
tree and laid three eggs. On November 5th, 1908, while driving beneath a 
box tree, about ten miles from here, five of these birds flew out, and upon 
looking up I saw two of their nests, within a few feet of each other on the same 
branch, both containing young birds. They mostly start nest building towards 
the end of August, although I have taken eggs as late as December 15th ; but 
in this case I had robbed an earlier nest belonging to this pair of birds. The 
clutch of eggs is nearly always three. I have never seen a nest containing 
more. The nests are usually placed in a horizontal fork of a rough-barked 
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