WHITE-BELLIED THICKHEAD. 
Mr. Tom Carter has written me: “ The first specimen of the Carnarvon 
White-bellied Thickhead was obtained by me in mangroves near Carnarvon, 
West Anstralia. My attention was attracted by the loud cheerful song of a 
‘ Shrike Robin ’ nature, proceeding from dense mangroves. The bird was 
called close to me by ‘ chirping ’ with my lips, and shot with saloon pistol. 
At first appearance the bird resembled a Shrike Thrush. Careful search of a 
long stretch of mangroves at that time, and for several following days, failed 
to see or hear any more of the birds, but in the following week, while ‘ working ’ 
another large patch of mangroves, about a mile distant, I succeeded in obtaining 
a male and female bird, at distances a quarter of a mile apart. The male was 
evidently breeding (although in immature plumage), so also was the female, 
which had the body bared of lower feathers, evidently from incubation. A 
careful search failed to find any nest. Both birds were feeding on the edge 
of the beach, at high-water mark, under the shelter of the mangroves, on small 
crabs and other marine life. After I had attracted their attention, and called 
them to me, they exhibited great tameness and curiosity, hopping about the 
branches of the mangroves, within a few feet of me and intently ‘ eyeing ’ me. 
A few yards away from the beach these mangroves were very dense, and 
almost impenetrable for me, without allowing for unknown depths of soft 
mud, and difficult to explore to any extent. The habit of feeding from the 
mangroves upon small crabs, etc., on the edge of the sea by this species struck 
me as being very much like Colluricincla .” This is also noted by Messrs. John 
P. Rogers and Walter D. Dodd. 
This form I described as A. 1. carnarvoni, writing : “ This new subspecies 
differs from A. 1. lanioides in having a much thinner bill ; the immature male 
is much darker above with a distinct greenish tinge ; the under-surface is 
more buff, and the dark shaft-lines are much more pronounced.” Previously 
I had separated the Buchanan Island form as “ having the black band on the 
breast much narrower, and a decidedly smaller bill and wing.” 
The four named subspecies can be maintained : 
Alisterornis lanioides lanioides (Gould). 
Alisterornis lanioides fretorum (De Vis). 
Alisterornis lanioides buchanani (Mathews). 
Alisterornis lanioides carnarvoni Mathews. 
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