RUFOUS-BREASTED THICKHEAD. 
which, latter note is peculiar to most members of the group. I do not recollect 
having met with it in the cedar brushes of New South Wales ; in Western 
Australia the thick scrubs are said to be its favourite places of resort. In 
New South Wales and South Australia it is abundantly dispersed over all the 
thinly timbered forests, keeping among the leafy branches of the highest trees. 
Although it does not migrate, it makes a slight change in the situations it 
frequents, according to the state of the seasons, or the more or less abundant 
supply of food, which consists of insects of various kinds, caterpillars, and 
berries ; like the other members of the group, it creeps and hops about the 
branches in a gentle and quiet manner.” 
Mr. T. P. Austin has written from Cobbora, New South Wales : “ Although 
a few birds remain here the whole year, it is much more plentiful during the 
warmer months, more especially some years than others, and they mostly 
frequent the scrub and thickly timbered country, being seldom met with in the 
open forests. Most of their food appears to be gathered in the trees, as it is 
seldom seen upon the ground. It is a very tame bird, showing little fear of 
man, especially while breeding, and while sitting they are difficult to flush. I 
have even seen a male whistling while sitting upon the nest and eggs. Their 
melodious song is heard throughout the day, especially after thunder, and for 
this reason they are often locally called Thunder Birds.” 
Dr. Cleland wrote me : “ On Oct. 8, 1898, at Botany Bay, N.S.W., I listened 
to and watched for some time a cock bird singing. The note is prolonged and 
varying, now resembling (almost strikingly so) that of Psophodes, and then 
again the cries of a whipped dog or the notes of some large Ptilotis (many of 
which were about).” 
Mr. F. E. Howe has sent me the following note : “Is also a common form, 
but unlike its cousin prefers the open sapling country. Here they nest, generally 
choosing a sapling or thick bush for the site. The nest is composed of fine 
twigs, loosely put together, through which the eggs can be often detected ; the 
female, I think, alone builds the nest and undertakes the incubation, but both 
help in feeding the young. This bird has also a very fine song, but the call 
usually heard is a drawn out double note, the first high pitched and the second 
correspondingly low. As they alight in a tree they have a curious habit of 
1 bobbing ’ the head. Incubation takes about fifteen days, and the young 
when hatched are blind and featherless ; bill dark grey, gape yellow, mouth 
orange ; eyes open in about a week and are black.” 
Cleland, calculating the bird fauna of the Pilliga Scrub, N.S.W., wrote : 
“ These birds were heard much more often than seen throughout the journey. 
Though only 11 were enumerated, giving an estimated minimum population 
of 726, the actual numbers along the route were considerably greater. Two 
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