THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
Ms traps. They usually peeped round a low bush and all the time uttered 
a pleasing note as they seemed bent upon finding out what he was doing. The 
young birds, when born, are naked and of a deep chocolate-black colour; 
when older, they are easily disturbed and flutter out of their nest (the top 
of which is usually level with the surface of the ground) and make their way 
through the scrub aided by their parents which keep up an agitated chuckling 
note encouraging their offspring in its efforts to escape. When tired, the 
young bird plants or hides itself, and its brown mottled plumage harmonises 
wonderfully with its surroundings and render it almost invisible. When the 
young one hides, the parents try to inveigle its pursuers away and go circling 
around through the scrub. After a time the young one calls for its parents 
and these indicate its hiding place.” 
Mr. F. E. Howe writes : “ This interesting creature is also very numerous 
all through the mallee scrubs, especially where the low growing black wattle 
abounds, and being a terrestrial form is always found searching among the 
dead leaves and debris for insects which form its food. It is stationary in 
its habits and will be found in the same locality as long as not interfered with. 
It has three distinct notes : one, the usual call, is a Mgh pitched note, being 
softly uttered at first, gradually getting louder and then dying away, but is 
distinctly only one note. The alarm-note, or that generally heard when there 
is young about, sounds like “ Chair-r-r-r,” and is rather harsh in sound. When 
uttering these calls the tail appears to be dropped along the ground and the 
feathers on the head slightly raised. A third call is a loud and sharp double 
note, and it appears to be used when answering one another. Both birds utter 
these three notes. They have a curious habit of slightly elevating the tail, 
often at the termination of a call. Once or twice we noticed them perch high 
up on a dead stick to take observations while we were about ; just before 
dusk I observed them flying into the air above the short mallee and catcMng 
moths and other insects, at wMch they appeared to be adept. We always 
found it easy to find the nest or locate the young by watcMng the actions of 
the female, which is smaller than the male ; the latter always tried to decoy 
us away by fluttering in front, uttering its soft, sweet note, and coming back 
if you did not at once follow him.” 
Mr. J. W. Mellor has also written : “ The Scrub Robin is found fairly 
well over the mallee country in South Australia, and I have seen it on Eyre’s 
Peninsula. It is a rather shy bird, but by keeping still in the tMck mallee 
scrub and repeating its plaintive whistle, the bird will come very near ; it is 
ever on the move, hopping over the ground with jerky actions like that of the 
common European Blackbird ; its tail sometimes erect, sometimes straight 
out behind, and ever moving as it hops through the thick undergrowth.” 
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