SCRUB-TIT. 
secured in a dense gully running up Mount Wellington from Glenorchy, the 
nest being cunningly placed in the perpendicular fork of a fair sized tree, 
being domed with a side entrance ; this was taken on Dec. 2. The habits of 
this bird are decidedly those of the Sericornis family, while the eggs are in 
shape and colour and spotted like the Acanthiza family. The birds were found 
in deep gullies, where the undergrowth was excessively thick and the moisture 
excessive ; here the bird hops about in the same manner as the Sericornis 
and we had to keep very quiet to get a glimpse of it.” 
This rediscovery brought forth a fine account from A. L. Butler, from 
which I quote the following items : “I have only shot two specimens of this 
bird, one of which I dissected, and found that the stomach contained parts of 
various insects, small snails and beetles. ... I have spent many hours 
watching this bird feeding and building its nest, and to my mind it closely 
resembles the Tree-Creepers ( Certhiidce ). With its mouselike movements it will 
fly to the base of a tree-fern, run rapidly to the top and down the other side, 
just pausing long enough to grasp an unwary beetle, or some such small object, 
then off again to another tree, and repeat the performance. When building it 
is very wary, and if it sees anyone watching it will at once begin to put the 
material which it is carrying in quite a different place from where its nest is 
situate, and will do this for some time, making several trips, and bringing material 
to do so. This I have noticed several times, and when the intruder has with- 
drawn for some time it will go on building at the nest, sometimes using the 
material it has placed in the false position, but more often leaving it where 
it was first pufc. They will go a long way for material suitable to their needs, 
and on one occasion I followed a pair of them for over a quarter of a mile. 
They had found a dead opossum, and were engaged in lining their home with 
its fur. It took me just over an hour to find that nest, though some 200 yards 
of the distance was open country. Whilst it is feeding its note is a short 
‘ Cheep, cheep,’ but at times you will hear it trilling out a little song something 
like the Calamanthus (Field-Wren), but not so full or sustained as that bird’s 
note. It would be a difficult matter to place any limit to the distribution of 
this species, as I have seen members of it at the Huon, Carnarvon, North-west 
Bay River, Glenorchy, Bismarck, New Norfolk, etc., and as high up on the 
mountain as the Springs and under the Organ Pipes.” 
A good account of the nest and nesting-place was given, and later a better 
one in detail of the young being fed. 
“I counted 83 trips for both parents in 20 minutes. Only once did I 
see the larger of the three snatch the tempting morsel from his brother’s or 
sister’s mouth ; the number of times each nestling was fed being 28, 26, 29, 
and yet the father and mother were not present together and did not see which 
45 
