4 
THE GEELONG NATURALIST. 
into the Black-tailed Thickhead (P. melanura) on the one hand at 
Cape York and Northern Territory, and on the other hand into 
the Western Thickhead (P. Occident alis) of West Australian 
forests, while an insular form, the Grey-tailed (P. glaucura) takes 
possession of Tasmania and some of the intermediate islands in 
Bass Straits. 
I shall never forget with what enthusiastic delight I discovered 
my first nest of the White-Throated Thickhead. It was the 
beginning of one November when " beats the first warm pulse of 
Summer," that I found it in a romantic locality near a clear singing 
mountain stream at the foothills of the Dandenongs. The home 
was placed about breast high in a cosy bush, covering it was a moat 
beautiful male bird, with dark and olive green coat, while his pure 
white throat just appeared above the rim of the nest. The pair of 
eggs was far incubated, making indifferent cabinet specimens, but it 
was a long time before I allowed myself to remove them from my 
collection in favour of a better conditioned set. 
I fear I have been tempted to take too many of these beautiful 
birds' nests as the following extracts from my field book show : — 
"Lilydale, 9/10/86.— Took 3 nests of White-throated Thick- 
head, 3, 2, 2 eggs respectively." 
"Ironbark Ranges (Upper Werribee), 11/10/90. — Nest of 
White-throated Thickhead, beautifully constructed of twigs and 
skeleton leaves, lined with rootlets and placed in a species of thorny 
acacia in secluded gully." 
"Upper Werribee with Messrs Brittlebank, 8/11/90.— Two 
White-throated Thickheads' nests — one with fresh clutch, 10/11/90. 
Another with 3 eggs." 
The breeding season is included in the months from September 
to December. 
Note. — With reference to the extremely doubtful species, 
PacJiycepJiala rujogularis founded by Gould on specimens obtained 
by himself during his explorations in South Australia, I venture to 
state they are none other than immature birds of P. gutturalis. 
It does seem remarkable if the species be good that the bird has 
not been re-discovered since Gould's time. 
It is true that Dr E,amsay at the Linnean Society, N.S.W., 
on the 25th June, 1884, kindly exhibited on my behalf " a Pachy- 
eephala^ which Dr. Kamsay on his own authority described as " a 
specimen of Pachycephala rufogularis (Gould) in a remarkable 
rufescent stage of plumage. The whole of the head, fore and hind 
neck, chest, sides and centre of abdomen, were of a rich rust 
red, the interscapular region, rump, wings, coverts and secondaries, 
washed with the same color." 
The specimen was loaned to me by Mr (now Dr) Dombrain. 
Since, I have seen one or two precisely similar birds in the Lilydale 
district, Victoria, where fortunately I was also enabled to trace a 
clutch of 3 from the nest. The date was the 7th November, 1886, ' 
