OREOICA GUTTURALIS, Gould. 
Crested Oreoica. 
Falcunculus gutturalis, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 212. 
Crested Thrush, Lewin, Birds of New Holl., pi. 9. fern. 
Oreoica gutturalis, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, Part V. p. 151 ; and in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part IV. — 
G. R. Gray, List of Gen. of Birds, 2nd edit., p. 48. 
Bo-Mm-bo-kum, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western Australia. 
Bell-bird, Colonists of Swan River. 
This very singular bird possesses an extremely wide range of habitat, being dispersed over tbe whole of the 
southern portion of Australia from east to west. It has not yet been discovered in Van Diemen's Land or 
in any of the islands in Bass's Straits, neither has the extent of its range northwards yet been ascertained. 
It is, I believe, everywhere a stationary species, but although its distribution is so general, it is nowhere 
very plentiful. From what I observed of it, it appeared to give a decided preference to the naked sterile 
crowns of hills and open bare glades in the forests, and I should say that its presence is indicative of a 
poor and bad land. It resorts much to the ground, over the surface of which it hops with great 
quickness, often in small companies of from three to six in number. When flushed it flies but a short 
distance, generally to a large horizontal branch of a neighbouring Eucalyptus, along which it passes in 
a succession of quick hops, similar to those of the Common Sparrow of Europe. It is very animated in 
many of its actions, particularly the male, whose erected crest and white face, relieved by the beautiful orange- 
colour of the eye, gives it a very sprightly appearance. The female, on the other hand, being nearly uniform 
in colour, having the eye hazel and the crest less developed, is by no means so attractive. I regret much 
that it is not in my power to convey an idea of the note uttered by this bird, which is singular in the extreme ; 
besides which it is a perfect ventriloquist, its peculiar, mournful, piping whistle appearing to be at a con- 
siderable distance, while the bird is perched on a large branch of a neighbouring tree. To aid my recol- 
lections I find the following remarks in my note-book : — " Note, a very peculiar piping whistle, sounding like 
weet-iveet-weet-iveet-oo, the last syllable fully drawn out and very melodious." In Western Australia, where 
the real Bell-bird is never found, this species has had that appellation given to it, — a term which must 
appear ill-applied to those who have heard the note of the true Bell-bird of the brushes of New South 
Wales, whose tinkling sound so nearly resembles that of a distant sheep-bell as occasionally to deceive the 
ears of a practised shepherd. My assistant Mr. Gilbert having also noted down to the best of his power 
the singular note of this species, I give it in his own words, but neither his description nor my own can 
convey anything like an accurate idea of it ; notes of birds, in fact, are not to be described, — they must be 
heard to be understood. "The most singular feature," says Mr. Gilbert, " connected with this bird is, that 
it is a perfect ventriloquist. At first its note commences in so low a tone that it sounds as if at a consider- 
able distance, and then gradually increases in volume until it appears over the head of the wondering hearer, 
the bird that utters it being all the while on the dead part of a tree, perhaps not more than three or four 
yards distant ; its motionless attitude rendering its discovery very difficult. It has two kinds of song, the 
most usual of which is a running succession of notes, or two notes repeated together rather slowly, followed 
by a repetition three times rather quickly, the last note resembling the sound of a bell from its ringing 
tone ; the other song is pretty nearly the same, only that it concludes with a sudden and peculiar fall 
of two notes." 
It flies in heavy undulating sweeps, generally so near the ground that it seems as if it would scarcely take 
the trouble to rise above the scrub or small trees that may lie in its course. 
In Western Australia its nest is formed of strings of bark, lined with a few fine dried grasses, and is 
generally placed in a Xa?ithorrea or grass-tree, either in the upper part of the grass or rush above, or in the 
fork of the trunk, and is of a deep cup-shaped form. It breeds in October, and generally lays three eggs, 
which vary much in colour ; the ground-tint being bluish white, in some instances marked all over with 
minute spots of ink-black, in others with long zigzag lines and blotches of the same hue. In some these 
