CHESTNUT-EARED FINCH. 
of nests 'svith eggs or young, I have none for the months February to May. 
They flock in June and July. ” 
MacgiUivray has written : “ Very common throughout the Gulf country, 
but not seen at Cape York.” 
Barnard wi'ote of the Brunette Dovtis, Northern Territory : “ Common.” 
Captahi S. A. WMte has also observed in Ins report of his expedition to 
Musgrave and Everard Ranges: “ Wherever there was water these birds 
were foimd in great numbers.” 
From Dolomite, Western Queensland, Kersey has written: “ This bird 
was foimd m great numbers, and the nests were to be found in any hollow 
Arab or small bush. One pair built m the bushes wliich formed the roof of 
the school. The cliildren were very interested to see the httle birds fly down 
on the floor of the shed to pick up a straw or a feather they had dropped.” 
Stone, from Lake Boga, Victoria, stated: “ Common sometimes, when 
it nests practically anywhere. I found two nests of young m April 1906. 
Maximum, six eggs.” 
Batey also stated : “ This Finch was never indigenous in my part of Victoria, 
and only visited the area once during the fifties, and in that instance in large 
numbers. It would be m the spring season, because it bred, and we took 
young ones.” 
Mr. Tom Carter has written me : “ The Chestnut-eared Finch is one of 
the commonest birds ui the Gascoyne and Northern districts. The North-west 
Cape aboriginal name is Neamoora. In hot weather they are seldom far 
from water, as they seem to have an insatiable tliirst, and keep drinking 
throughout the day. At shallow weUs and the troughing attached to other 
weUs, they are quite a nuisance, as numbers faU in the water daily and pollute 
it Avith their decaying bodies. It was usual at shallow wells on many stations 
to provide a sort of ladder in the comers to enable the birds that had fallen in 
to chmb out agam. I am of the opinion that these birds can smell water, 
because at my Pomt dates shearing shed there were two large iron tanks with 
close fitthig hds to collect the rainwater from the roof. The down pipes 
entered the tops of the tanks through holes cut to fit them, but as I noticed 
numbers of these Finches on the tops of the tanks, I chmbed up to see where 
they obtained water, thinking that one of my natives might have taken off one 
of the manhole covers, but I found that the birds could just get the tips of their 
beaks into the w*ater round the bottom of doAvn pipe, if the tank was quite 
full. Flocks of thousands of these birds collect round water-holes in the smnmer, 
and a few Hawks (usually Goshawks) are always m attendance, and secure a 
good many of the Finches by making dashes through them. This species 
breed at any time after good rains, and the birds seem to keep on rearing their 
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