The _Sericornis magnirostris_ an inhabitant of the brushes of New South
Wales, both those which clothe the gullies and sides of the mountain
ranges of the interior, as well as those near the coast; such as occur
at Illawarra and on the banks of the Hunter, the Clarence, the Macleay
and other rivers; it is never seen in the open country, and so far as I
am aware, is entirely confined to New South Wales. Although it has
nothing either in its form or colouring to recommend it to notice, it
must always be an object of interest, from the very singular nest it
constructs, and which, like that of _Sericornis citreogularis_, forms a
remarkable object in the scenery of the portion of the country it
inhabits. It is formed of a large loose mass of moss, and being attached
to the extreme tips of the pendent branches, waves about with every wind
that blows; it is very frequently constructed within reach of the hand,
but is more often suspended at about ten, and sometimes as high as
thirty feet from the ground; occasionally two or three are constructed
together under a dense canopy of foliage, overhanging water or a deep
and gloomy gully, and then present a very singular appearance. I
procured several examples by shooting the branch asunder just above the
nest. The nest so perfectly resembles the tufts of living moss which are
attached to many of the extremities of the branches of the trees of the
brushes, that it is impossible to distinguish the one from the other;
and it is a question whether the bird purposely builds its nest in
imitation of these hanging masses in order to elude pursuit, or whether
it avails itself of the mass already formed, and by a little
architectural skill converts it into a receptacle for its eggs. It would
seem that the same nest is resorted to for several seasons in
succession, and probably for a series of years; the entire mass consists
of living moss, and the small hole left for an entrance is so skilfully
concealed as scarcely to admit of detection. The breeding-season
commences in August and continues until February, during which period
many broods are reared. I procured a nest in September out of which flew
three young birds, and others during the same month which contained eggs
so recently laid that they could scarcely have been sat upon. The eggs
are generally two or three in number; their ground-colour varies from
bluish white to dull reddish white, with the larger end sparingly
washed, freckled and streaked with dark brown; they are large for the
size of the bird, being nine and a half lines long by seven lines broad.
It is a very active but shy bird, keeping much among the branches of the
high trees, where it gains a plentiful supply of insect food; it may,
however, be easily enticed into view by imitating the squeak of its
young.
Its powers of song are very feeble.
The sexes do not differ in external appearance, nor do the young when
fully fledged offer any variation in colour from the adult.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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