A nest found by Mr. Gilbert in the early part of November appeared to have been recently inhabited by young birds; it was placed in the centre of three upright twigs of a species of Banksia, and was formed of narrow strips of bark, firmly bound together on the outside with cobwebs and vegetable fibres; it was very cup-like in shape, about two inches and a half in height, one inch and three-quarters in diameter, and three-quarters of an inch in depth.
The stomach is tolerably muscular, and the food consists of insects of various kinds and their larvæ.
All the upper surface dull brown; wings and tail darker brown, the outer feather of the latter on each side margined externally and largely tipped with white, the next having a large irregular spot of white at the tip, and the next with a minute line of white near the tip; chin and under surface buffy white, with an indication of a dark brown band across the chest; bill and feet black.
The Plate represents a male and a female of the natural size.
RHIPIDURA MOTACILLOÏDES: Vig. & Horsf.
J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith. Hullmandel & Walton Imp.
RHIPIDURA MOTACILLOÏDES, Vig. and Horsf.
Black Fantailed Flycatcher.
Rhipidura Motacilloïdes, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 248.
Wil̈-la-ring, Aborigines of the lowland, and
Jiẗ-te-jiẗ-te, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western Australia.