THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
during flight as the bird mounts into the air ; it also has another note, which 
is more often heard while the bird is perched. In my opinion this is the species 
in which the sitting female accepts a warning from the male, and sneaks off 
her nest at the approach of danger. The nest is cup-shaped, placed in a 
depression in the ground, in such situations as in long grass, herbage beneath 
logs or fallen dead branches, and in crops. The clutch is usually three or four 
in number, and they are rather late breeders. Their nests are most difficult 
to find, being mostly discovered just by chance.” 
Mr. F. E. Howe has also written : “ This handsome bird was very 
plentiful around the homestead at Kow Plains, Victoria, and the rattle-like 
song was the first sound to be heard in the morning and the last in the evening. 
They were often noticed walking along the edges of the roof on the sheds and 
along the fences, and in this posture was like a small game fowl. The wings 
were drooped, the tail fanned and the crest, or feathers on the head, ruffled, the 
actions, too, being quite dignified. They appeared to be breeding, but we were 
unsuccessful in our search for their nests.” 
Mr. E. J. Christian notes : “I have generally found that this bird prefers 
to be near trees and can commonly be seen rising up and singing beautifully 
the whole time. It has a lively song, which is much shorter than that of the 
British Skylark, but longer than that of C. cruralis. The male only sings.” 
Mr. J. W. Mellor writes : “ The Rufous Song-bird is also found at the 
reedbeds, but is now much more scarce than in the earlier days ; it also likes 
the open country where trees are only sparsely growing. Its song is a 
succession of sweet notes of a clear liquid tone, and uttered as the bird 
flies in the air, and drops down again into the grass. It loves to sing 
frequently this melodious carol, but it does not mount into the air to 
the same extent as the Brown Song-Lark, only taking short flights and 
alighting again on or near the ground. Its food is insects, found in the 
ground or in the grass.” 
Mr. J. P. Rogers’ notes reads : “At Marngle Creek a few of these birds 
were seen but they were wild. I saw none at Mungi. On Jegurra Creek when 
returning to Derby I saw many of them and they were also numerous on the 
Fitzroy River.” 
A note from Mr. Tom Carter is interesting : “ The Rufous Song-Lark 
is plentiful in the mid- west, but not in the south-west of West Australia. 
It is not a very conspicuous bird, mostly keeping to the ground in grassy plains, 
where it sits very closely at times. They were not often seen about the coast 
at Point Cloates, but were common on the open grass country thirty miles 
inland. The breeding-season is from June to September and October, and 
they probably also breed after any summer rains. The nest is usually placed 
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