THE BIRDS OE AUSTRALIA. 
and chestnut, and the chestnut collar occupying the whole neck on its upper- 
surface. Habitat — Southern shores of Torres Straits.” 
His measurements did not bear out his statement that it was inferior in size 
save as to the culmen : thus culmen of fretorum 17-19, of lanoides 25 ; wing 
92-96 against wing 95; tail 76-86 against tail 83; and tarsus 24-28 against 
tarsus 25. 
A. J. Campbell recorded Whitlock’s notes : “As far as my knowledge at 
present goes this appears to be a coastal species. I have only met with it 
in the mangrove thickets at Condon ; but on arrival at Port Hedland I slept 
on board a small coasting boat in the estuary there, and at early dawn I could 
hear the loud, joyous notes of this Thickhead from the mangroves about a 
third of a mile away. At Condon my attention was soon attracted by this 
bird, and, being acquainted with the song of other species of Thickheads, I 
had little doubt as to what class the bird belonged. ... I then resorted to 
the artifice of imitating the cry of a bird in distress, and in a few seconds the 
male, followed by the female, was within a few feet of my head. One glance 
was sufficient to recognise the species, the birds being not in the least timid. 
After admiring the male I turned my attention to the brown and boldly striped 
female, in the hope of getting a clue to the locality of the nest. . . . After 
considerable trouble I found a nest, unmistakably a Thickhead’s, where the 
mangroves were very dense and mere saplings. It was about 8 feet from 
the mud, and contained one fresh egg. ... I succeeded in getting three 
more nests with eggs. In addition, I found three nests in course of construc- 
tion. ... As a rule the male sings at no great distance from the nest, but 
he takes no part in building, or even in feeding the young. His business in 
life is chiefly song ; but he warns the female at the approach of an intruder, 
and I found she flew from the nest towards me as I approached. The call- 
note is a soft, clear whistle, with just the suspicion of a falling cadence at the 
end of it. The alarm-note is somewhat sharp and harsh ; the song very loud, 
clear and musical, and is poured forth in an impetuous and joyous manner, 
characteristic of the genus. The male sang quite without fear within a few 
feet of my head. The female, too, responds, but her efforts are comparatively 
feeble, but for all that not unpleasing. I had a glimpse of one nestling, but 
could neither catch it nor shoot it, without blowing it to pieces. It appeared 
to be somewhat mottled on the upper part, and was heavily striped on the 
breast. In no case did I find more than two eggs or young. In a single 
instance the nest contained but one newly-hatched bird.” 
When Mr. Walter D. Dodd was invalided to England from France he called 
on me on November 13th, 1918. He then told me that the call-note of this 
bird was quite different from that of pectoralis. 
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