THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
to any Australian species I knew of. At one time I looked upon them as 
much the rarest species in this district. Until one becomes acquainted with 
their various notes, they can be very easily overlooked or even be mistaken 
for other species. They have four very distinct calls, three of which resemble 
notes uttered by other birds, and can easily be mistaken for them, these are 
Seisura inquiata, Micrceca fascinans and Chalcococcyx basalis. But their principal 
note is a most monotonous see-saw whistle, which when one once becomes 
well acquainted with it, can never be mistaken for that of any other bird I 
know of, but even then they are the most difficult tree-perching bird imaginable 
to locate actually. In some respects their habits slightly resemble those of 
the Mistletoe-bird, Dicceum hinmdinaceum, and that only when they are 
not breeding or nest building. Their similarity is only in the manner in which 
they chase each other all through the forest, from within a few feet of the 
ground to high over the tops of the largest trees, darting and twisting about 
in ell directions, and as they flash past in the sunlight, within a few yards 
of an observer, their beauty is quite undescribable, their pink bills and golden- 
yellow patches on their wings showing out to their best advantage. Then 
they will suddenly quieten down and separate into different trees, but calling 
to each other practically the whole time. After feeding for a while they will 
perch high up, often on the topmost dead branch of a lofty tree, and keep 
quite still for a few T minutes ; but even their calling does not cease. Then 
suddenly one bird will probably start to chase some other species which has 
ventured too near, darting about after it for about half a minute, then its 
mate (which appears to be usually the male) will join in the chase, and chase 
the original chaser (the female), and so they go on at intervals throughout the 
day. Another peculiar habit they have is, one bird will suddenly take flight 
high into the air, then dart off over the tops of the trees, just as suddenly to 
be followed by its mate, and they appear to be flying right away, but shortly 
their note, will be heard coming from about 150 yards distance, then just as 
suddenly one or both birds will be seen, but more often only heard, somewhere 
close back to where the flight started from, then likely as not it will dart off again 
in quite another direction. I have never seen more than two birds together, 
and those which I have seen can always be heard about the same locality, 
but ahvays to catch sight of them is quite a different matter. I might hear 
them quite close, and perhaps while trying to locate them I will hear them 
about a hundred yards away ; if I follow up the sound as likely as not they 
will be gone in another direction. When nest building commences they 
change their habits, they give up the chasing, and become very silent, only 
uttering their notes at long intervals. When they can get it, their principal 
food appears to be mistletoe berries wliich they swallow 7 whole, but they do 
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