THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
be placed amongst the first of the most useful, although there are so many 
which may be regarded as such. It is chiefly found in Victoria in the north 
and north-western districts and is found all over Australia, except in the north- 
west and Tasmania. In the south and south-east of Victoria it is chiefly re- 
presented by P. temporalis. It is an invaluable aid to orchardists ; when 
in an orchard they make a thorough inspection of not only each tree, but also 
the ground under each tree. They are never still, but hop about over the 
ground continually calling out a peculiar note described by some like a mew 
of a cat, but I think it more like the whine of a puppy. In fact, I was asked 
once by a visitor here : ‘ Where are the pups which I heard whining in the 
garden early this morning ? ’ Other times they will call to each other with 
a note which sounds like ‘ Get-a-way n-o-w ’ or c Get-a-way soon ’ ; sometimes 
it sounds like ‘ Going to rain soon, going to rain soon.’ When disturbed they 
make a very harsh row ; they are not good fliers and are never seen out of 
timber here. They generally fly very low to the ground and run up the trunk 
of a tree and jump from bough to bough calling out the whole time. Insects 
and their larvae, which are found in bark and especially in the bark of fruit 
trees, have no chance against them, and it is by their thorough searching that 
the orchardist profits. As I said, they pick about under trees so that if eggs 
or grubs, such as the grub of the devastating fruit fly (Halterophora capitata) 
drop, these birds find them. When feeding on the ground they are very 
amusing to watch, as they are very stiff-looking birds. They appear like the 
Dotterel ( Peltohyas australis) to work on a pivot, for when they put their heads 
down to eat up goes the tail. The most interesting and peculiar habit that 
the bird has got is its extraordinary mania, if it may be called so, for building 
nests. In quite a small area one often finds many nests, but perhaps only 
one out of every eight or nine will be used. It is not as if one pair build by 
themselves, because they are generally helped by three or four other pairs. 
I have seen as many as fourteen birds building one nest. The nests are built 
very quickly as can be imagined with so many willing workers. I have known 
many nests which were built by eight or nine birds and then not one of them 
took possession of it. How they arrange who is to inhabit the newly-made 
nest or whether it is to be inhabited I don’t know, but it is a very pretty sight 
to see after a nest is finished three or four pairs huddled together on a bough 
with plumage all ruffled out and a continuous mewing or whining kept up. 
Whether they are courting or having a council it is hard to say. As a rule 
they are the earliest builders in this district, and I have seen them building 
nests in the end of May, as was the case in 1907. In 1905 I found a nest on 
July 14th containing three half-fledged young, and that is fairly early, as at 
that date I have generally only found eggs, although the nest may have been 
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