BIRDS OF THE OPEN FOREST 
7 1 
Notes .—Also called Broad-billed Bronze Cuckoo. Usually singly or 
in pairs, frequenting, for the most part, open forest-lands. Its call is a 
series of mournful notes resembling “Pee-e” uttered in succession. This 
is an extremely useful bird for it destroys large numbers of injurious cater¬ 
pillars. It is a migrant to the southern parts of Australia; in New South 
Wales odd birds may be observed during the winter months. Food: in¬ 
sects and their larvae. 
Parasitic —recorded foster-parents number about sixty-four species, 
chiefly those species that build domed nests. 
Egg .—Pale greenish-olive or a distinct bronze-brown; if rubbed with 
a damp cloth the colouring may be removed, disclosing a pale blue shell. 
Breeding-season: August to December. 
29. Dusky Robin Amaurodryas vittata Quoy and Gaimard 
Am-dur-o-dry-as —Gk, amauros, dark; Gk, dry as, dryad: vit-ta-ta —L., 
vittatus, banded. 
Distribution .—Tasmania and the islands of Bass Strait. 
Notes .—Also called Stump Robin. Usually in pairs or small parties, 
frequenting lightly timbered country and clearings around homesteads. It 
is an active bird and very friendly, being a general favourite with orchard- 
ists. Its call-note is low and monotonous. Food: insects and their larvae. 
Nest .—A cup-shaped structure, composed of rootlets, pieces of bark, 
and grass; lined with fur or horse-hair. Usually placed on the side of a 
stump, at the end of a log, and occasionally in a tree some height from 
the ground. 
Eggs. Usually three, apple-green, darker at the larger end, some¬ 
times spotted and blotched with reddish-brown. Breeding-season: Tulv 
to December. 
