from Western Australia. 127 



4. Grallina picata. Magpie-Lark. (Hall's Key, 

 p. 10.) 



Sk. ad. and juv. 5.10.99. Katanning. 



One notices the fact that in western birds there is a 

 lack of vivacity and a want of melody in the voice. The 

 eastern and western representatives of this species shew a 

 remarkable diflFerence in this respect, for, while one pipes 

 pleasantly, the other gives forth a broken and unpleasant 

 series of jarring notes. The call is harsh and creaky, and so 

 continuous as to resemble grinding. In the Denmark River 

 and Albany districts I did not meet with a specimen, so that 

 my first impressions were formed at Katanning, where young 

 birds were essaying their first flights in a tree in the town. 



5. CoLLYRiociNCLA RUFivENTRis. Rufous-bellicd Slirikc- 

 Thrush. (Hall's Key, p. 11.) 



Sk. ad. ? . 28.9.99. Tor Bay, Albany. 



I met with this species breeding freely at Geraldton. 

 Five clutches of eggs that I found varied in a similar way to 

 those o£ C. harmonica. 



Like that eastern bird, it prefers to have the nest as well 

 hidden as possible, and chooses a twiner (^Cuscuta) where it 

 can. I found the whole depth of a nest to be 3*75 inches 

 and that of the bowl 2*25 inches; diameter 55 inches x 4 

 inches, making the structure ovate. One such had been 

 used for two seasons, and was formed of Melaleuca bark, 

 the lining being composed of rootlets of a wiry nature. 



6. Graucalus mentalis. Little Cuckoo-Shrike. (Hall's 

 Key, p. 12.) 



Imm. sk. ? . 30.9.99. Tor Bay, Albany. 



Near the mouth of the Denmark River I noticed several 

 individuals of what appeared to be this species on the wing. 



This skin agrees with the description in the key supplied 

 for the species by Dr. Sharpe, but I quite believe that 

 a good series of skins would allow of fuller keys with 

 which to work. There is so wide a range of measurements 

 between G. melanops, G. parvirostris, G. hypoleucus, and 

 G. mentalis that the identification of a specimen is most 



