CATERPILLAR-EATER. 
on green caterpillars. It is curious that, whereas the brown inconspicuous 
plumage of the female fits her well for the duties of incubation, she should 
neglect these, leaving them to the conspicuous male. I would like to know 
whether this is always the case.” 
Mr. L. G-. Chandler’s notes follow : “In the spring and summer of 1907 
and 1908 these birds were plentiful around Bayswater and Erankston ; it 
was first observed in 1908 on October 7th. Upon arrival several males may 
be seen actively engaged chasing a female through the trees. When a 
favourable locality has been chosen for nesting, the birds, throughout the 
day, keep up a continual din of notes. The male bird when singing on the 
wing has a peculiar floating flight, that gives it a very graceful appearance. 
Both sexes attend to the wants of the young ones but they are rather timid in 
defence of their young, generally keeping ten yards or more away from the 
intruder, and not attempting to attack him. I watched a female feeding, and 
she settled on a low bush and searched the branches for insects, then to the 
next bush, occasionally snapping a passing insect ; each time the bird alighted 
the tail wagged with a perpendicular motion, the body swaying in the process.” 
Mr. Tom Tregellas also writes : “ Their well-known note proclaims their 
presence in any locality, and they are soon busy with nest building. In my 
experience both male and female take part in this function, but the male does 
the greater part. They are absolutely fearless when sitting, and I have been 
forced to push the bird out of the nest to investigate its contents. When 
expelled the bird usually perches a short distance away and takes a keen interest 
in the proceedings. It is entirely an insect feeder, and generally builds its 
nest in timber adjacent to open country, where it procures all its food, flying 
backwards and forwards the whole day long in a manner that soon betrays the 
presence of the nest.” 
Mr. Thos. P. Austin has written me from Cobbora, New South Wales : 
“ The White-shouldered Caterpillar-eater is strictly migratory, usually arriving 
in September, some years in vast numbers, while other years only a few may 
be seen ; always remaining to breed, at times very freely, and it is no uncommon 
thing to see several nests in the same tree. Both sexes assist in the building 
of the nests, also in the task of incubation. Met with in all classes of country, 
in this district, but it mostly favours the open forests, where it gathers much 
of its food upon the ground. The note of the male is a sort of a loud whistling 
song, generally uttered while flying, the female being more silent. Although 
very fond of nesting in fruit trees, I have never known it to eat fruit of any 
kind. The nest is usually placed low down in a horizontal fork, but at times 
I have seen them placed fairly high up. The nest is a very small, neat, open, 
shallow structure, composed of plant stems, roots, etc., bound together with 
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