210 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 



branches of the trees, particularly those of a low growth, are 

 the situations to which it gives the preference. 



The adult male, like most other birds of attractive plumage, 

 is of a shy disposition ; hence there is much more difficulty 

 in obtaining a glimpse of that sex in the woods than of the 

 sombre-coloured and comparatively tame female, or even of the 

 young males of the year, Avhich during this period wear a 

 similar kind of liveiy to that of the latter. 



The actions of this species are somewhat peculiar, and 

 unlike those of most other insectivorous birds : it pries about 

 the leafy branches of the trees, and leaps from twig to twig in 

 the most agile manner possible, making all the while a most 

 scrutinizing search for insects, particularly coleoptera. When 

 the male exposes himself, as he occasionally does, on some 

 bare twig, the rich yellow of his plumage, offering a strong 

 contrast to the green of the surrounding foliage, renders him 

 a conspicuous and doubtless highly attractive object to his 

 sombre-coloured mate, who generally accompanies him. It 

 sometimes resorts to the gardens and shrubberies of the 

 settlers, but much less frequently than might be supposed, 

 when we consider that the neighbouring forests are its 

 natural place of abode. 



The Grey-tailed Pachycephala utters a loud whistling call 

 of a single note several times repeated, by which its presence 

 is often detected. I was unsuccessful in my search for its 

 nest, and the eggs are still desiderata to my collection. Soon 

 after leaving the nest, the ground-colour of the entire plumage 

 is grey, washed, both on the upper and under surface, with 

 rusty or chestnut-red, which gradually gives place to a uniform 

 olive-broAvn above and pale brown beneath. 



The adult male has the crown of the head, lores, space 

 beneath the eye, and a broad crescent-shaped mark from the 

 latter across the breast deep black ; throat, within the black, 

 white ; back of the neck, a narrow line down each side of the 

 chest behind the black crescent, and the under surface yellow ; 



