STRIATED FIELD- WREN. 
Having seen one enter a small clump of bushes, we walked backward and 
forward for several minutes, but failed to see a sign of it. Standing quiet 
for a while, we were astonished at seeing the bird run rapidly through the 
grass — apparently from our feet — to another bush. In the early morning 
when the grass is wet with dew it is exceedingly difficult to flush a bird. They 
realise the disadvantage of wet plumage and trust almost entirely to their 
excellent running and hiding powers to evade your vigilance. This habit 
makes it a matter of much patience to secure a specimen. If accompanied 
by a dog your object will be soon attained, but without that valuable ally 
you may waste a considerable amount of time endeavouring to shoot a bird 
on the wing. From our observations it would appear to be the male bird only 
that sings so vehemently, the female being remarkably quiet. The latter is 
more shy and accordingly harder to obtain. The female — lacking the white 
eyebrow and throat of the male — would be readily distinguished if singing 
on a bush-top, and every example we have noticed proved to be a male. They 
are local in their habits, a pair keeping within an area of ground fifty to a 
hundred yards square. At different times of the year we have visited these 
localities and noticed a bird singing on the topmost twig of a favourite bush 
where one was observed months before. Early in April a bird was seen chasing 
another through the bushes, and several male birds on dissection proved the 
fact that the breeding-season was at hand. The one female obtained showed 
no signs of breeding. From several roosting places observed the birds perch 
of a night on an average about a foot from the ground in dwarf Casucirina. 
The gizzard of one bird contained a number of a winged species of ant, and 
another grass seeds and the fragments of small beetles. Snakes and blue- 
tongue lizards spread mortality by eating the eggs and young of this species. 
One of the writers has had two narrow escapes from snakebite when searching 
for the closely-hidden nest, and Mr. R. C. Chandler, his father, hearing some 
young birds squeaking in distress, hurried to the spot, and caught a blue- 
tongue lizard in the act of devouring a young one.” 
Mr. Tom Tregellas has written me : “ The Striated Field- Wren ( Cal. 
fuliginosus ) is found in most of the heath-covered portions of the Southern 
States. It is a close sitter, and can only occasionally be flushed from its con- 
cealment in the scrub, and even then it rapidly settles again and is lost if not 
soon located by a second party. It is next to impossible to flush it a second 
time if by oneself. They must nearly always be shot when on the wing, and 
that very quickly, as they disappear as if by magic. Occasionally they are 
seen perched on a topmost twig of some scrub twittering to themselves or 
calling to a mate, and in that position may sometimes be secured. The nest 
is placed low down in some dense scrub and is exceedingly hard to find. When 
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