172 WHITE— A Trip on the Goorong,. 



with lightening-like rapidity from one bush or clump of sword- 

 gpass to another. They seem to 'be perfectly silent during the 

 day. but at sunrise and sunset they sing a most remarkably 

 -sweet song. The prelude is a loud ticking note, like the tick- 

 ing of a clock, but loud and sharp, and after being repeated 

 three or four times, they burst into a beautiful soft melody, 

 which increases in volume then softly dies away. The song 

 is taken up and carried on from one depression in the sand- 

 hills to another and lasts for about two minutes. With 

 this exception the 'birds are silent without their 

 hiding place is approached, then an alarm call is given of two 

 notes, resembling very much the alarm call of some of the 

 honey-eaters, but louder and shriller. They depend upon 

 their feet to escape from danger, as a rule only once did I see 

 ■a bird take to flight, and that was when I flushed it from a 

 patch of sword-grass which stood out in the open. I found by 

 experience that it is quite correct that these birds will run 

 down a rabbit burrow till the danger is past, and have repea- 

 tedly tracked them down the burrow's. They are extremely 

 local birds, and if a pair be marked down in a clump of bushes 

 or rushes they will be heard singing morning and evening at 

 sunrise and at sunset, within thirty yards of first discovery. 



Measurements of specimens taken — 



No. 1. 9 length, 253 m.m.; spread of wing from body to 

 tip, 114 m.m. ; spread of wings, 270 m.m. No. 4 $ , length, 

 265 m.m.; spread of wing from body to tip, 113 m.m.; spread 

 of wings, 278 m.m. No. 6 S, length, 273 m.m.; spread of 

 wing from body to tip, 112 m.m.; spread of wings, 279 m.m 

 No. 01 5 , length 253 m.m. ; spread of wing from body to tip, 

 114 m.m.; spread of wings, 279 m.m. 



No. 1 bill, 15 m.m.; tarsus, 34 m.m.; Iris, bright reddish- 

 brown, top mandible, greyish-tu-own ; lower mandible, light 

 grey ; feet, slaty brown. 



No. 4. Iris, bright reddish-brown; top mandible, dark 

 brown; lower, greyish brown. 



No. 6, bill, 17 m.m. ; tarsus, 33 m.m. 



Golluricinda harmonica victoriae (Mathews). Victorian 

 Grey Shrike Thrush. — These birds were fairly numerous, and 

 were found both in the sandhills and on the mainland. Upon 

 canrparison with skins taken round Adelaide, showed no 

 variation. 



No. 1 5 Length, 265 m.m.; spread of wing from body to 

 tip, 164 m.m.; spread of wings, 381 m.m.. Iris, rich brown;, 

 bill, blackish brown; feet, slaty black. 



