f 
THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
about belts of tea-tree or other thickets. This is one of the few birds that roost 
in their nests during the cold winter months. They pah off early in the spring 
and commence to build about October. The nest is always built of green 
grasses and about the first w^eek of November contahis the full set of eggs. 
Incubation lasts about twelve days. The young are born blind and featherless, 
the mouth is yellow, and the colour of the gape is turquoise-blue. They are 
tended by both birds and for quite a considerable time after they leave the nest, 
the young keepmg together tlirough the winter.” 
Mr. Tom Tregellas has written : “ Tliis bird is very common in this district 
and is gregarious, generally going about in very large floclcs. Their food consists 
entirely of seeds, mostly of grasses, but also those of milky and other thistles. 
They are trusting and confiding, not at all afraid of man’s presence. It is 
surprising how early and how late they build and, more surprising still, the 
large nest they make. Tins is always built of fine grass, domed and with a 
long fumiel entrance. Very rarely is there any lining to it, merely the same 
material, fine grass throughout. The nest is seldom placed at a greater 
height than twenty feet and is often found within reach of the hand. These 
birds never clean their nest and w^hen the young are nearly fledged they are 
lying in a bed of limey excrement. I have found as many as nineteen eggs in 
one nest, but a large number are infertile and rarely more than half a dozen 
young are found. These Red-browed Finches are very largely trapped by the 
boys around here, and readily conform to captivity. They do not fret or pine 
and are most engaging little birds in an aviary. 
Mr. J. W. MeUor’s notes mclude : “It has a short little whistle or squeaky 
note that it makes, especially when flushed. It is a common bird in South 
Australia.” 
HiU has recorded from the Geelong and Otway districts, Victoria : 
“ Everywhere. In immense numbers on all the creeks in the Otway, where 
it appears to be m the height of the breeding-season at the end of December. 
31/12/93 : One nest noted on 27/12/93 with three eggs, has now^ four. 2/1/94, 
St. George: Nest with a spout at the entrance and a beautiful hood at the 
end of the spout. 7/1/94: The yoimg birds in a nest noted five days ago, 
then unfledged, can now fly pretty well. 8/1/94: Nest with three fresh 
eggs.” 
Le Souef and Macpherson record from Sydney, the place from wiuch the 
first specimens were described: “ The pretty httle ‘ Redhead ’ is always 
present m Ashton and Taronga Parks and other places, where it nests freely, 
often close to crow^ded thoroughfares. It keeps to the timbered areas.” 
Macgilhvray wi’ote: “ Mginiha minor. This very distinct subspecific 
form was met with only at Cape Grenville, where the birds were found nesting 
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