NOTE ON THE MODE OF NIDIFICATION OF A SPECIES 

 OF PACHYCEPHALA, SUPPOSED TO BE P. GIL- 

 BERTII, FROM THE INTERIOR OF N. S. WALES. 



By K. H. Bennett. 



Whilst riding across a portion of the Kilfern Station in the 

 Western Division of the Colony, on the 24th of October last, my 

 attention was attracted by observing the tail of a bird protruding 

 from the upper surface of an old nest of a Pomatostonucs, placed in 

 a small Mulga tree, some 12 feet from the ground. As I rode 

 beneath the tree the bird flew off, and perched on a neighbouring 

 branch. I at once recognised it as a bird that I had met with on 

 two or three occasions previously in my wanderings, but which 

 was extremely rare, and which I took to be a Pachycephala, but 

 to what species referable I cpuld not say. Since then, however, 

 I have examined the plates in Gould's Work on the " Birds of 

 Australia," and have also carefully examined the species of 

 Pachycejyhala, in the Sydney Museum, and am of opinion that the 

 bird in question is P. Gilbertii. Having never previously come 

 across the nest of this bird I was curious to see the esss, thousfh 

 at the same time I was very doubtful about eggs being there 

 at all, as the situation of the supposed nest was so different from 

 that usually chosen by this family of birds. On ascending the tree 

 I found that the bird had actually chosen that situation for its 

 nest, but to my disappointment the bird was only building, as was 

 evidenced by finding a newly made, somewhat cup-shaped nest 

 within the old one of the Pomatostomus. On the 3rd of November, 

 having occasion to pass within a few miles of the same place, I 

 determined to gratify my curiosity as regarded the eggs, and made 

 a detour for this purpose. On reaching the tree I again observed 



