AN AUSTRALIAN BIRD BOOK. 151 



1 321*Crested Bell-Bird, Oreoica cristata, A. Stat. c. timber i* 



1 Upper brown; top of head black, side-head £ray; white on 

 face, throat; black from eye to black chest band; 

 abdomen white tinged sandy-buff; f., duller. Caterpil- 

 lars, insects. Bell notes, ventriloquist. 

 20 322*Golden-breasted Whistler, White - throated Thick- 

 88 head, Thunder-Bird, Cutthroat, Coachwhip-Bird (e), 



Pachycephala pectoralis (gutturalis) , E.A. 



Stat. c. timber 7 

 Throat white; black head, band on chest; outside black 

 band, under golden-yellow; back olive green; f.,* 

 brown; throat whitish faintly streaked dusky. Cater- 

 pillars, insects. Fine songster, many melodious calls; 

 whip-like smack ends one of notes. 

 323*Rufous-breasted Whistler (Thickhead), Little Thrush, 

 Ring Coachman, Coachwhip-Bird (e), P. rufiventris, 

 E.A., S.A., C.A., W.A. Stat. c. timber 6.7 



Upper gray; throat white; head blackish; black side of 

 neck, band on chest; rest under light rufous-brown; 

 f.,* upper brownish-gray; throat white streaked black- 

 ish-brown; rest under buff; breast, sides streaked 

 blackish-brown. Insects, caterpillars, wild berries. 

 Famous songster; whip-like smack at end of one of its 



324 Red-throated Whistler, Gilbert Thickhead, P. gilberti, 



N.S.W., V., S.A., W.A. Stat. v.r. timber 7.2 



Dark-gray; black before eye; throat dull rust-red; under 

 gray; f., no black on face; throat gray. Insects. 

 Clear whistling note. 



native wilds." Their early morning carol lives in the memory. 

 The Australian Magpie is not related to the European Magpie, 

 which is a member of the Crow family (164), but is a glorified 

 Butcher-Bird. However, it would be a difficult matter to displace 

 the name magpie for the Australian bird. 



In the same family, though in the next sub-family, are some 

 peculiar Australian birds. The two Shrike-Tits are found one in 

 Eastern Australia and the other in Western Australia. Gould 

 said feelingly — he was nipped by one — that "no bird of its size 

 has stronger mandibles." It is to be seen in the Melbourne 

 Botanic Gardens, tearing off bark as it seeks for insects. 



The Crested Bell-Bird is restricted to Australia. Being a per- 

 fect ventriloquist, it is very difficult to locate it. Some of its 

 notes are bell-like, and have misled those seeking horses. I met 

 it frequently in the Mallee and in the Maryborough and Ararat 

 districts. It often hopped out on to the road on frosty mornings. 

 It is one of Australia's singular and interesting birds. 



Those badly-named, but often attractive, songsters — the Thick- 

 heads (now called Whistlers) — are placed next. Eighty-eight of 

 these birds are known from the Australian region, though but 

 twenty occur in Australia itself and Tasmania. On account of 



