BIRDS OF THE OPEN FOREST 
63 
Notes .—Also called Black-and-white Robin, Black Robin, and Pied 
Robin. Usually in pairs; the conspicuous plumage of the male attracts 
attention; it is unobtrusive in habits, with a feeble call-note. Food: insects, 
mostly procured on the ground. 
Nest. —Cup-shaped, composed of fine rootlets, bark, and grass, bound 
together with cobwebs; lined with very fine rootlets; occasionally decorated 
with strips of bark. Usually built in an upright fork of a tree up to 12 feet 
from the ground. 
Eggs .—Two or three, pale olive to apple-green, more or less clouded 
with rich brown, particularly at the larger end. Breeding-season: August 
to December. 
4. Southern Yellow Robin Eopsaltria australis Shaw 
E-op-sal'-tri-a —Gk, cos, dawn; Gk, psaltria, harper (“Dawn-singer”): 
australis —L., australis, southern (Australian). 
Distribution .—Eastern and south-eastern Australia. 
Notes.—-Also called Yellow-breasted Shrike-robin, Yellow Bob, Bark 
Robin, and Yellow-hammer. A friendly bird and easily tamed; one of 
the earliest birds to awaken and one of the last to go to roost. It has a 
habit of perching sideways on a tree-trunk. Call-note, a pleasing continu¬ 
ous piping, heard at its best at dawn and dusk. Food: insects and their 
larvae. 
Nest.-— Cup-shaped, composed of grass-stems and rootlets joined with 
cobwebs; lined with finer rootlets; beautifully decorated on the outside 
with strips of bark and pieces of lichen. Often built in an upright or 
horizontal fork, and sometimes on a horizontal branch of a low tree, 
frequently within hands’ reach from the ground. 
Eggs .—Two or three, pale apple-green to greenish-blue, spotted and 
blotched with reddish or chestnut-brown and paler markings. Some eggs 
are evenly marked, others have a well-defined zone or cap at the larger end 
Breeding-season: July to January. 
5. Little Yellow Robin Eopsaltria kempi Mathews 
kempi— Robin Kemp, British collector, who has done field-work in Aus¬ 
tralia. 
Distribution .—Northern Queensland, from Cape York to Claudie 
River. 
Notes .—Has the habits of a Flycatcher, making short flights from 
branch to branch and occasionally into the air to capture insects, uttering 
the while a continuous subdued piping call, resembling “Zzt, zzt, zzt.” 
Nest .—Not described. 
Eggs .—Not described. 
6. Western Yellow Robin Eopsaltria griseogularis Gould 
gris -e-o-gu-la -ris L., griseus, grey; L., gularis, throated. 
Distribution^— South-western and South Australia, from the Wonga 
Hills to Eyres Peninsula. & 
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