^"""'kko' ^ '] J\''i^^<J^^ Discovery of /lie Female Rufous Scruh-liirJ. 267 



soinctiiiR'S build 011 top of tlir old stumps cjr I)utts of these scrult 

 giants, that havi' \)vvu Mown down in a gale, or fallen with old age. 

 They love to live in the same class of country as that frequented 

 by the Airichoniis. 



The beautiful Crimson Parrot {Platyccrcus clcgiuis) was plentiful, 

 and the clear and silvery bell-like notes were daily heard. One 

 nest was found 9 feet down in a hollow stump. It contained 5 

 young birds which kept up a great noise when disturbed. Adult 

 birds were secured and turned into specimens. These have since 

 been compared with others received from different parts of Aus- 

 tralia, and found to be a different shade of colour, the back being 

 of a peculiar brick-red. Possibly the altitude (over 3,000 feet) at 

 which they were collected on the range may account for it. 



Of the three Thickheads that were met with at an elevation 

 of nearly 4,000 feet, only one was secured. They appear rare, ex- 

 tremely shy, and most difftcult to find ; they keep moving ahead 

 of you all the time as you slowly make your way through the en- 

 tanglement of scrub. The bird utters a very plaintive note, drawn 

 out slowly and in a most melancholy manner, and hard to describe 

 l)roperly. The specimen secured has been carefully compared 

 with those of the Olive Thickhead {Pachyccphala olivacea), col- 

 lected in Tasmania and southern New South Wales, and differs 

 from both in some respects. Mathews in his book records the 

 Olive Thickhead only from Tasmania and Victoria, and does not 

 mention New South ^Vales, although the R.A.O.U. "Check-list" 

 does. It was first recorded for Queensland by Mr. Noel Agnew 

 in The Emu, xv., p. 51. [For description of this l)ird by Mr. 

 H. L. White, see this issue of Emu, p. 273.] 



The Harmonious Thrush {Colluricincla harmonica) was frequently 

 met with in the tall, dense scrub, and a specimen was secured 

 for comparison. It is rather unusual to find this species in tall, 

 dense scrub, and, as far as my observations go, they have chiefly 

 been met with in the more stunted growths, and open forest 

 lountry. Its sweet, clear notes were often heard. 



A fine series of the handsome Regent Bower-Birds {Seyicuhis 

 chrysocephdlus) was secured, showing the intense golden-velvet 

 yellow and black markings in different stages of density. The 

 Regent-Bird was first discovered during the regency of George IV., 

 and was so named as a compliment to him. One of the male 

 specimens gives the ft)llowing measurements, &c., in millimetres: — 

 Total length, 242 ; wing, 128 ; tarsus, 30 ; tail to flesh, 82 ; l)ill 

 to gape, 32 ; bill yellowish wax colour ; eyes golden-yellow ; legs 

 brownish horn; feet and claws dark liorn or blackish; soles of feet 

 yellowish-white. 



A female specimen givts the following measurements, cS;c. : — 

 Total length, 286 ; wing, 141 ; tarsus, 2.8 ; bill to gape, 32 ; bill 

 blackish Ijrown ; eyes golden-yellow mottled with brown ; legs, 

 feet, and claws blackish horn ; skin at gape of mouth rich golden 

 yellow. 



