ACEOCEPHALUS. 169 



At a meeting of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, 

 (March 1889) the following notes were read relative to the breeding 

 of these Finches : — " It may be interesting to know that several 

 of the Gouldian Finches have bred in Dr. Ramsay's avairy at 

 the Museum. A pair, male and female, of the black-headed phase 

 hatched out on May 13th last (1888), three young ones, one of 

 which, although having a dull coloured breast, has developed the 

 crimson head of P. mirabilis. There can be now no doubt 

 whatever, that P. gouldim the black-headed phase, and P. a/rmitia/na 

 the yellow-headed phase, are merely varieties of P. mirabilis 

 originally described by Hombron and Jacquinot in the " Voy. au 

 P61e Sud." Many specimens recently brought to Sydney show 

 the various stages of plumage above mentioned, bearing out Dr. 

 Ramsay's previous statement respecting the various phases of 

 plumage exhibited in this species. 



Hah. Derby, N.W. Australia, Port Darwin and Port Essington, 

 Gulf of Carpentaria. (^Ramsay.) 



Family TURDIDiE. 



Sub-Family SYLVIIANJB. 



GeNUS ACEOCEPHALUS, iVawm. 



' 3 -* AOllOCEPHALUS AUSTRALIS, Gould. 



Beed "Warbler. 



Gould, Handbk. Bds. Aust., Vol. i., sp. 246, p. 402. 



This bird is found frequenting the reedy edges of rivers, creeks, 

 and lagoons. In Victoria I found their nests in great numbers 

 along the banks of the Yarra and Saltwater Rivers. A nest 

 of this species now before me from the Australian Museum 

 Collection, is built between three upright reeds ; it is a deep cup- 

 shaped structure, outwardly composed of the soft paper-like 



