THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
uttered by the solitary female wanderer suggests the words, 4 Be quick, quick, 
O-please-do-be-quick ! ’ Silence for a while, and then the strain is changed to 
4 Swee-e-t, swee-e-t ; oh, it’s pretty, it is pretty -'pretty' Almost every bar is 
preceded by the curious indrawn note characteristic of the genus. At times, too, 
the female uses the 4 half -indrawn ’ call, a slender 4 Peeee ’ or 4 Sweeet ’ which 
frequently was heard coming from the musical male Whistlers at Mallacoota. 
Then there is, more rarely, a remarkably rich bar — 4 Bobbylink, bobbylink, 
bobbylink, bobbylink,’ and another that is neatly expressed as 4 Pretty Dick, 
pretty Dick.’ ” 
Mr. Frank Littler has written me : 44 The Grey -tailed Thickhead inhabits 
Tasmania and the islands of Bass Straits but is not found on the mainland. 
It is fairly well distributed throughout the island, but in no district is it by 
any means a common species. It mostly associates in pairs and prefers heavily 
timbered tracts with a fair amount of underscrub. Eucalypt scrub is preferred 
on account of the loose bark to be found on nearly every tree, for it is under 
this that the Thickhead procures most of its food. They go up the stem of a 
tree or come down head foremost with equal facility, or even hang suspended 
by their feet on the underside of a limb, probing under the loose bark. A 
certain amount of food is procured on the ground amongst dead leaves and 
herbage.” 
Mr. Dove adds : “Plentiful about Launceston, and calls “ Weet-weet-weet- 
weet-twee,” dwelling on the penultimate ; it also has a whistling call, ending 
up sharply almost like a whip crack.” 
Mr. H. Stuart Dove’s other notes refer to P. pectoralis : 44 Nest found at 
Lake Entrance, East Gippsland, Victoria, on 26th October, in fork of small 
swamp tea-tree, about six feet from ground. Female sitting on three eggs and 
male has not attained mature plumage and exhibits trace only of dark pectoral 
collar on whitish ground ; lower-breast darker ; could discern no trace of 
yellow. The female has persistent piercing call when disturbed from sitting, 
while the male keeps about in the dry wattles and whistles prettily. On morning 
of Nov. 5 the three young are hatched, sparsely covered with dark grey down, 
long tuft on head, eyes closed. On Nov. 8 eyes still closed, long tufts dark 
grey down on heads, a little on wings, on which the quills are sprouting, body 
nearly naked, but shows dark line where spinal tract is starting. On Nov. 12 
the eyes are beginning to open. On Nov. 13, before reaching the nest, I heard 
a great calling and excitement among the Pachycephalas in the scrub, and 
when I reached the nest it was empty, although there was no sign of any 
disturbance of nest caused by an enemy nor did I see anything of the young 
afterwards. (Is it possible the parents removed them ?) ” 
Mr. E. J. Christian has written me : 44 These beautiful birds (especially 
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