THE BIRDS OE AUSTRALIA. 
Mr. Edwin Ashby writes : “I have met with this bird in the extensive 
belt of mallee on the east side of the River Murray, near Karoonda in South 
Australia. There I have always found it near where mounds of porcupine 
grass, often called ‘ spinifex ’ are growing ; usually it shelters in the porcupine 
grass, moving from clump to clump with a series of rapid hops, indeed so 
rapid that it is well nigh impossible to get the gun to the shoulder before the 
bird has taken shelter in the next clump. No amount of kicking the clump 
of ‘ spinifex 5 will disturb the bird. 
“ The birds can be located on a still day by their low call note which 
is very similar to that of the Maluridce. I have found their old nests in 
the prickly mounds of porcupine grass and think they nearly always choose 
this very protective site.” 
Mr. G. A. Heartland has sent me a series of notes which may be here 
noued under the names he used. “ Amytis striata. This is certainlv the 
most widely distributed species of the genus, and so wary that a person 
unfamiliar with their habits might be within gunshot of scores of them 
without viewing a single specimen. They are found singly or in pairs in 
spinifex, samphire or salt-bush country, but run and hide on the least alarm. 
They seldom fly unless forced to do so. Owing to the shortness of their 
wings they do not range far from their nest or camping place and are quite 
indifferent to the presence of water. This will be realised when I state 
that in crossing 740 miles of desert between Brookman Creek and the 
Eitzroy River ( whitei ) we only obtained water on five or six occasions by 
sinking wells, and we yet found over thirty nests containing eggs or young 
of these birds. I collected about a dozen clutches of eggs and a number of 
skins, but, alas, in vain. We had to abandon all my collections, tools, 
material, gun, clothing, etc., to escape with our lives. As it was, we had 
only half a gallon of mud at the bottom of the cask when we sighted the river, 
and were glad to suck the moisture from that when we saw that a supply 
was assured in the near future. Two men (Chas. F. Wells and Geo. L. Jones) 
and ten camels perished. This will give some idea of the habitat of A. 
striata. Of course, scattered birds are found in much better country, as they 
are to be met with from Northern Victoria (howei) to the fringe of the desert 
of North-west Australia and right across the centre of the continent. 
Occasionally they will perch on a dry stick or spinifex tussock during the 
time of sunrise or sunset and carol a very nice song, but at the least alarm 
they jump to the ground and hide. All the nests I saw were placed on top 
of spinifex tussock and had a very large side opening always facing the east. 
The nests were built of strippings from the stalks of dead spinifex. The 
eggs (two in number) were white with light brown markings, long oval in 
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