2 Froceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria. 



longish form, deep reddish-buff or brown, marked over the 

 whole of the surface in an indistinct manner with a darker 

 colour. Dimensions— (!) 4-53 x 297 cm., (2) 467 x 297 cm. 

 Clutch usually three eggs. A specimen from the Champion 

 Bay District is much lighter in colour, resembling those of 

 S. fuliginosa of Tasmania, with smaller dimensions, namelj' 

 4"2.5 X 307 cm. But whether the variation in colour is 

 caused by different food or specific diffei'ence, has yet to be 

 ascertained. Colonists in Western Australia aver there are 

 two species. I was disappointed I did not succeed in 

 procuring a skin of the Northern bird. The nest taken at 

 Hamelin, 17th October, was situated in the forked branches 

 of a peppermint tree {Agonis). The structure was of 

 tough twigs, firmly lined with grass, and measured 46 cm. 

 over all, with an egg cavity 18 cm. across the mouth, by 

 about 8 cm. deep. 



Oymnorhina (sp.?) (Western Crow-shrike). — Believing 

 the Western magpie to be different from either of the 

 Eastern birds (G. tihicen and G. leuconota), I give a 

 description of its nest and eggs, which however, closely 

 resemble those of its allies. Nest is constructed of sticks and 

 twigs, and lined first with bark, then with a pl^^ about 

 2| cm in thickness of finer bark. Measurements over 

 all about 30 cm., egg cavity 15 cm. across, by 

 about 6| cm. deep. The eggs, generally three in 

 number, are very beautiful, resembling those of G. tibicen 

 taken in Queensland. They are streaked or marbled with 

 rich pinkish brown, upon a bluish or French grey ground. 

 Dimensions— (1) 396 x 28 cm., (2) 386 x 276 cm., 

 (3) 433 X 2 68 cm. September, October, and November, 

 constitute the chief breeding months. 



Pachycephala occidentalis, Ramsay (Western Thick-head). 

 — In Kests and Eggs (1883), I adopted Gould's description ; 

 but since the Western is found to differ from the Eastern 

 variety, and as some doubts exist as to which Gould described 

 his eggs from, I have deemed it requisite to re-describe the 

 eggs, together with a nest I took at Karridale, 28th October. 

 The nest is firmly woven of grass and the soft green leaves 

 of a certain plant, and lined with fine grass. Dimensions — 

 about 9 cm. across, with a fairly sized egg cavity about 

 6J cm. across the mouth, by 4 cm. deep. The whole 

 securely set among the branches and seed pods of a Hakea. 

 The eggs are light yellowish-white, of a darker shade about 

 the upper quarter, where are spots of umber and dull grey, 



