go N/iSTS AA'D EGGS Ot AVSTRALIAN BIRDS. 



Mr. C. French, jiin., favours me with the following note; — "While on 

 a collecting trip to VVarrauclyte (Upjier Yan-a), on November 20th, 1894, 

 I found a nest of the Hannonious Thrush containing two fresh eggs, built 

 into the nest of the Mountain Thrush." 



Mr. J. T. Gillespie has taken clutches of eggs twice from the same Grey 

 Thrush's nest, an imusual occunence. 



July or August to December constitute the breeding months, during 

 which period two broods are reared. 



66. — CoLLYRiociNCLA RECTiRosTRis, Jardine and Selby. — (126) 

 C. selbii, Jardine. 



WHISTLING SHRIKE THRUSH. 



Figure.— GonXd : Birds of Australia, fol, vol, ii , pi, 77, 



Reference. — Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., vol. iii., p. 291. 



Previous Descriptions of £^fs.— Campbell : Southern Science Record 

 (1882) ; North: Austn. Mus. Cat., p, 82 (1889). 



Geographical Distrihutidn. — Tasmania, King Island, and Islands of the 

 Fumeaux Group. 



Nest. — Similar to that of the Grey Shrike Thrush (C. harmonica), 

 cup-shaped, deep, constntcted chiefly of strips of stringy-bark, lined inside 

 with grass, and usually situated in a hollow part of a tree or stump, or 

 placed on the rough bark at the base of a tree ; at other times in a cleft in 

 rock. Occasionally built into the deserted nest of some other bird or into 

 that of the Ring-tailed Opossum. Dimensions (according to Gould) over 

 all, 5 inches ; &g'g cavity, 31 inches by 1\ inches deep. 



Eggs. — Clutch, three to four ; stout oval in shape ; texture of shell 

 fine; surface glossy; coloiu', pearly-white, in some instances having a light- 

 yellowish tone, sparingly spotted or blotched with olive and dull slate. 

 Dimensions in inches of a proper clutch: (1) 1'22 x '88, (2) 1-22 x -86, 

 (3) 1-17 X -9. 



Observations. — The Whistling Shrike Thrush, more frequently called 

 in somewhat unpoetical terms " Whistling Dick or " Bob \Miitehead," 

 is confined to Tasmania and some of the islands in Bass Strait, where it 

 represents the common mainland species, C. harmonica. 



Mr. A. E. Brent has known this Shrike Thiaisli to desert its nest in the 

 course of construction after it has been inspected by him. 



Breeding months September to December. 



