THE 



South Australian Ornithologist, 



Voi,. II.] JANUARY, 1915. [Part 1. 



Notes on some of the Birds observed on Mount 

 Dandenong, Victoria, October, 1914. 



The Lyre bird was seen several times. There were evi- 

 dences of their scratchings in all the gullies visited. Although 

 the season was too far advanced to hear them calling, on most 

 -mornings about 7 a.m. one could be heard in a gully near the 

 house where we stayed, going over a series of warbling or 

 gurgling notes, uttered apparently while feeding amongst the 

 fern. It could hardly be called a song although the notes 

 reminded one somewhat of the Blackbird. As we drove up 

 through the township of Mount Dandenong a Lyre bird was 

 calling in a series of loud, rather unpleasing notes re- 

 peated monotonously without variation. This particular bird 

 has, we were informed, been in continuous occupation of this 

 particular gully that runs right into the centre of the town- 

 ship. My informant said that in the calling season this bird 

 imitated the varied sounds of the township. Perhaps the 

 most interesting bird met with was the Victorian Pilot bird 

 (Pycnoptilus floccosus sandlandi, Mat.). I should judge that 

 several pairs frequent most of the gullies. Their full, rich 

 song was most striking, being a run of about seven to ten 

 notes, the closing notes of the song having some faint resem- 

 blance to the swish of the stock whip, which is developed so 

 remarkably in the song of Psopliodes. 



The Pycnoptilus have a strong vein of curiostiy. On seve- 

 ral occasions on hearing the note of the male I sat down under 

 thick growths of hazel, musk, and other bushes where one 

 could see some distance amongst the stems. It was not long 



