THE GEELONG NATrEALIST. 
3 
NESTS AND EGGS OF THE YELLOW-BEEASTED 
THICKHEADS {Pachycephalce) . 
By a. J. Campbell. 
Eead before the Geelong Field Naturalist Club, Nov. 5th, 1895. 
Of our smaller forest feathered friends few are more beautiful, 
and certainly none possess sweeter voices, than the Yellow-breasted 
Thickheads. It is to be hoped that this article will furnish a 
complete history of their various nests and eggs up to date, besides 
asgist collectors to separate the di:fferent species of the birds them- 
selves 
PACHYCEPHALA GUTTUEALIS (Latham). 
white-theoated thickhead. 
Figure. — 
Eeference — Cat. of Bds., Brit. Mus., Vol. YIII, p. 192. 
PllETIOUS DeSCEIPTIOXS OF EgGS. — 
Campbell: " Southern Science Eecord," (1882). 
North: "Cat., Nest and Eggs, Aust. Birds," p. 64, (1889). 
Geogeaphical DiSTBiBrTio?f. — Queensland, New South 
"Wales, Victoria and South Australia, also Lord Howe's Island. 
Nest. — Cup-shaped, composed chiefly of shreds of bark and 
fine dark colored twigs, neatlylinedinside with finertwigs, rootlets, and 
sometimes portions of fine grass, and placed usually a few feet 
from the ground in a thick bush in a gully, or in a scrub near a 
stream. Dimensions, over all about 5 inches by 2\ inches in depth. 
Egg cavity, 2\ inches across by H inches deep. 
Eggs. — Clutch 2-3 ; oval m shape, slightly compressed at one 
end; texture of shell fine, with glossy surface; color yellowish- 
white, speckled particularly about the upper quarter with spots of 
dark brown or umber, intermingled with duller markings which 
appear as if beneath the surface of the shell. In some rare 
instances the ground color has a pinkish tint with the markings 
reddish-brown and dull purple or slate, altogether resembling 
a Honey-eater type. Dimensions in inches of a proper clutch — 
(1) -91 X -68; (2) 9 x 67; (3) 9 x 68. Of a pinkish set, (1) 
•92 X -69; (2) -88 -71. 
Obseetations. — The beautiful White-throated Thickhead is 
a true scrub or forest loving bird, where its clear sweet voice is 
oftener heard amongst the flowering Eucalypts than the vocalist 
itself is seen. 
The White-throated Yellow-breasted Thickheads are a trifle 
puzzling, but strict attention to the geographical distribution 
greatly assists the oologist in separating the different species or 
varieties of which there are four. 
The general or common species (P. gutturalis) ranges from 
Eockingham Bay district (q) round to South Australia, grading 
