THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
near at hand. Seeing that all is safe, the bird has a high flight in the air, at 
the same time uttering the loud wheezing cry, and finally alighting on a clump 
of rushes not far away from its starting place. The aerial journeys are taken 
very often during the hot spring days and in the quiet stillness after sunset. 
These birds seldom enter the clump of vegetation in which their nest is hidden 
by direct flight, even if certain of security from observation. They alight 
some little distance away and then ‘ creep ’ from stalk to stalk, always low 
down, until the nest is eventually reached. . . . Most of the nest-building 
appears to be done at sunrise and just about sunset — that is, in the cooler 
and quieter hours of the day.” 
Ramsay, years ago, recorded from the North-west : “ Cisticola sp. (?). 
Mr. Cairn has sent only one specimen, probably because the species was 
plentiful, but it appears to me to be distinct from G. rwficeps, or else a remark- 
ably well-bleached specimen, the under-surface being silky and almost white, 
the head alone slightly tinged with buff, the tail light brown with a faintly 
defined subterminal spot of dark brown, margined on the tips of the feathers 
with pale buff.” 
Campbell’s conclusion upon receipt of specimens from the King River, 
Northern Territory, appeared as follows : “ One male, one female. Strongly 
striped specimens, the male without the usual rufous head. This little species 
is puzzling in its distribution. Between the strongly-marked extreme northern 
and southern races there appears to be a pale form, extending from the lower 
Gulf of Carpentaria country to North-west Australia, agreeing with either 
one of Mathews’ three subspecies — alexandrce, normani, and parry i” 
Still later reporting upon a collection from the islands in Torres Straits 
he wrote : “ The Grass- War bier enjoys a wide range, and is exceedingly 
variable both in summer and winter plumage. The above quartet (two males 
and two females) generally may be regarded as typical. The two males have 
cinnamon-coloured crowns, which part in the females is dark striped. Dr. 
Sharpe regards the four species described and figured by Gould as referable 
to one species — exilis. Grass- Warblers were numerous on Moa, and many 
nests were observed.” 
Soderberg, interested in the moult of birds, has written : “ Moulting . 
Concerning the moulting of this species Cat. of Birds says : ‘ All birds collected 
by Mr. Oates in month of April (from Pegu, Malay Archipelago) are in full 
moulting, from which it appears that before breeding in May they change at 
least the greater part of their plumage. . . . Leaving Burma and examining 
a series from Australia (we find the full plumaged males with rufous heads, 
while the females have striped heads) ; but one skin, shot by Mr. Goodwin 
in March on the Richmond River, is moulting from the black-headed striped 
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