ROBINS AND RAINBIRDS.

Marlborough Express, Volume LXXVI, Issue 245, 17 October 1942, Page 4

ROBINS AND RAINBIRDS.

[To The Editor.l Sir, — May I, through you, express my warmest thanks to Mr Elvy and "M." for the information contained in their letters regarding the above. Their replies to my inquiry have definitely established that the bird which is now frequenting my garden is not a New Zealand robin, nor is it a rainbird. But neither is it a miromiro, evidently, because it has not got a bright yellow breast, but a reddish brown one. In that respect it more closely resembles the chaflincli described by "M.," although my eyesight is not keen enough to note whether it has two bands of white on its wings, or on its tail. It certainly has one white band on its wings. It is not quite as large as a sparrow (more streamlined) and does sing more than onee from each perch it alights on. As nearly as I can clescribe it, its notes go like this: "Chip, xChip, Chip, Chip, Chih-hih-hih -hih ■ hih-hih-heeu." Each "chip" is well defined, but the rest comes with more of a rush from the bird's throat. I have heard the notes at all times of the day, last spring and this. There are several of the birds aboiu this year. Last year my wife saw one of these birds feeding a fledgling, larger than itself, in our garden; she thought the youngster might have been a cuckoo. Mr Elvy did not describe the grey warbler, or wren, which he called the riroriro, so I am still rather confused as to what my bird really is.

INTERESTED. .V