384 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA 



Sp. 235. PYRRHOLJ^MUS BRUNNEUS, Gould. 



Red-Throat. 



Pyrrholcemus hrunneus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part viii. p. 173. 



Acanthiza brunnea, Gray & Mitch. Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 189, Acan- 

 thiza, sp. 26. 



Ber-rit-ber-rit, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western Aus- 

 tralia. 



Pyrrholaemus bninneus, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iii. 

 pi. 68. 



I found this bird tolerably abundant in the Belts of the 

 Murray, about forty miles to the northward of Lake Alex- 

 andrina, where it gave a decided preference to low stunted 

 bushes and fallen trunks of trees overgrown with herbage, 

 under which it secreted itself; it sometimes rose to the top 

 of a bush to sing, pouring forth a melody equal to any of the 

 smaller birds of Australia, which must render it a general 

 favourite when that portion of the country becomes colonized. 

 It passes much of its time on the ground, hopping about with 

 great celerity, and with its tail elevated considerably above 

 the level of its back. 



Specimens were also obtained by Gilbert in Western 

 Australia, from whose notes I learn that it is there an 

 inhabitant of the underwood and the thickest scrub ; and 

 that " it possesses a very sweet and melodious song, which it 

 generally utters while perched on the extreme topmost branch 

 of a small scrubby tree, and having repeated it two or three 

 times, dives down into the impenetrable bush. While feeding 

 it utters a weak, piping, call-like note. I never saw it fairly 

 on the wing, for it seems averse to flying, but generally prefers 

 creeping from bush to bush, and even if closely hunted merely 

 flits a few yards. It makes its nest on the ground, precisely 

 like the members of the genus Calamanthus, I found a pair 

 building in the month of September ; upon visiting the spot 

 again after an interval of a week, the nest appeared finished. 



