THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
Lefroy. At Norseman, C. rufa alone was breeding near my camp. It was, 
therefore, puzzling to find C. rufa without C. superciliosa at Zanthus. At 
Naretha (205 miles east of Kalgoorlie), however, the gums having cut out, 
some forty miles to the west, C. rufa had disappeared, and its place was taken 
by C. superciliosa. The latter species was breeding in the hollow stems of 
dead trees. The first broods were on the wing early in September.” 
Milli ga n , from the Margaret River district, stated: “ The colour of the 
plumage harmonizes not only with the rufous coloured bark of the jarrah 
trees, but also with the ironstone gravel country upon which the same trees 
grow. These birds are only found in the jarrah forests.” 
From the Stirling Ranges he noted : “ This was the only species of Tree- 
creeper we saw. It was numerous on the good lands. I was much interested 
in watching them secure their food in the soil on the edge of the swamp by 
digging or probing with their bills.” 
H. E. Hill wrote from Brookton, West Australia, 100 miles south-east 
of Perth : “ Very common in the granite. Very often to be seen hunting 
among the dead logs with which the ground is everywhere covered, as well 
as in the trees. When disturbed from the ground it almost invariably flew 
to a dead tree. Has a peculiar cry, which reminded me of that of the Rufous 
Bristle Bird (Sphenura broadbenti), and, in fact, the boys promptly christened 
it the wheelbarrow.” 
Gibson noted it between Kalgoorlie and Eucla, writing: “ A fev T noted 
in the salmon barked gum country 7 ,” and Crossman stated it was “Common” 
at Cumminin Station, about two hundred miles due east from Perth. 
Captain S. A. White wrote : “ We had not penetrated that interesting 
belt of mallee (which extends from the West Australian border and ends 
abruptly at the western end of the Gawler Ranges) twenty yards before this 
lovely bird was seen creeping up the bole of a grand mallee, and the next few 
days proved that they were very numerous. We felt sure that they must 
be nesting but could not flush a bird from a hollow 7 , so sat down in the scrub 
and took a bird each under observation ; in half an liom one went to the 
nest (after trying every ruse to decoy us, flying aw r ay in a most unconcerned 
manner, but having to return, hopping about on the ground as if nothing 
troubled them, and at first passing in and out of all the hollow's around but 
the one wdiere their nest was located); the female went into a hole and did 
not come out, and on investigating we found the nest, and after tliis w r e must 
have discovered quite twenty nests, but all contained either very young birds 
or heavily incubated eggs. This was the first week in September, and they 
must have all started to nest very much at the same time; there were not 
very many days between any of them. The big, old Mallee trees at Donald’s 
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