330 



NESTS AND EGGS OF AUSTHALTAN BIRDS. 



Tlio White-throated and Yellow-breasted Thickheads are a trifle 

 puzzling, but strict attention to the geogi-aphical distribution greatly 

 assists the oologist in separating the different species or varieties, of 

 which there are foui'. 



Tlic general or common species (P. gutturalis) ranges from 

 Rockingham Bay district, Queensland, round to South AustraUa, grading 

 into the Black-tailed Thickhead (P. melanurn) on the one hand at 

 Cape York and Northern Territoiy, and on the other hand into the 

 Western Tliickhead (P. occidentaUs) of West Australian forests ; 

 while an insular foiin, the Grey -tailed (P. glaucura) takes possession 

 of Tasmania and some of the intennediate islands in Bass Strait. 



I shall never forget with what enthusiastic delight I discovered my 

 first nest of the White-throated Thickhead. It was the beginning of 

 one November, when " beats the fii-st wann pidse of summer," that I 

 found it in a romantic locality near a clear, singing mountain stream at 

 the foothills of the Dandenongs. The home was placed about breast 

 high in a cosy bush ; covering it was a most beautiful male bird, with 

 dark and olive-green coat, while its pure white throat just appeared 

 above the rim of the nest. The pair of eggs was far incubated, making 

 indifferent cabinet specimens, but it was a long time before I allowed 

 myself to remove them from my collection in favour of a better con- 

 ditioned set. I fear I have been tempted to take too many of these 

 beautiful birds' nests, as the following extracts from my field book show : 

 " Lilydale, 9th October; 1886 — Took three nests of White-throated 

 Thickhead, three, two, two eggs respectively." " Ironbark Ranges 



vUppcr Wen-ibee), 11th October, 1890.— Nest of White-throated Thick- 

 head, beautifully constructed of twigs and skeleton leaves, lined with 

 rootlets and pLaced in a species of thorny acacia in secluded gully." 

 "Upper Werribee, with Messrs. Brittlebank, 8th November, 1890. — 

 Two White-throated Thickheads' nests — one with fresh clutch, 10th 

 November, 1890. Another with three eggs." 



One nest I noticed at the Dandenong Creek, near Bayswater, 22nd 

 October, 1898, contained a pretty set of three eggs, which were ".shep- 

 herded " by a pair of birds both in grey plumage. This prompted my 

 curiosity, not to mention the sweet, solicitous notes of the birds, so I 

 left the home untouched. On visiting the locality about a fortnight 

 afterwards, the same pair of birds was seen in charge, therefore it is 

 evident that the male birds of this Pachyceijhala occasionally breed 

 before they attain their beautiful yellow breasts and piu-e white throats. 



The breeding season is included in the months fx-om September to 

 January. 



Note. — With reference to the extremely doubtfiil species, Pachy- 

 cephahi rufngularis, founded by Gould on specimens obtained by 

 himself during his explorations in South Australia, I venture to state 

 that they are none other than immature birds of P. gvltularia. It does 

 seem remarkable if the species be good that the bird has not been 

 re-discovered since Gould's time. It is triie that Dr. Ramsay, at the 

 Linnean Society, New South Wales, on the 25th June, 1884, kindly 

 exhibited on my behalf " a Padii/cephala," which Dr. Ramsay on his 

 own authority described as " a specimen of PacJiycephala rufogularis 



