THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
unfortunately, a few years earlier the French ornithologist had described the 
species from specimens brought back by the French explorers. There was no 
confusion in this case until Salvadori proposed the Cape York bird as a new 
species. As field ornithologists seemed enabled to distinguish two species I, 
at first lumping, also decided that there might be two, but this view led to so 
much trouble that I have been compelled to conclude again that there is only 
one. I here give the history of my trials, and do not consider the matter 
absolutely settled, but hope it is. 
Thus Gould wrote : “ This is a migratory bird in New South Wales, arriving 
in spring and departing again in March and April, the Australian autumn. 
It gives a decided preference to thick brushy forests, such as those at Illawarra 
and other similar districts extending from the Hunter to Moreton Bay. It is 
also equally abundant in the thick brushes which clothe the sloping mountains 
of the interior. During the spring or pairing time it becomes very animated, 
and is continually flying about and beneath the branches of the trees ; it does 
not capture insects, like the true Flycatchers, on the wing, but obtains them 
while hopping about from branch to branch, after the manner of the 
Pachycephalce. It has rather a loud whistling note, which being often repeated 
tends considerably to enliven the woods in which it dwells. The Monarcha 
carinata does not inhabit Tasmania or South Australia ; its great nursery is 
evidently the south-eastern portion of the country.” 
Macgillivray has written : “ Though rare at Cape York, the Pearly Fly- 
catcher is quite common on the Claudie. Found both in the open forest and 
scrub, we frequently watched it searching the trees over and about our camp 
for insect life. On the 8th December one of these birds came into our tent 
on Raine Island, but went on, and was soon lost sight of amongst the host of 
sea-birds.” He thus differentiated the two names as referring to distinct 
species, also writing: “ Mr. McLennan noted the Black-faced Flycatcher on the 
Claudie River on the 1st October, but there was none there when we arrived. 
He notes : ‘ They seem to come from the south in February and remain for 
about two months, when they are numerous ; they then disappear. ’ ” 
From Rockingham Bay, North Queensland, Messrs. Campbell and Barnard 
wrote : “ These Black-faced Flycatchers were not so frequently observed as 
their Spectacled brethren. They were smaller (one-quarter of an inch) in the 
wing and slightly richer in colouring than, say, New South Wales birds, other- 
wise not different. We do not think that they are the Cape York bird ( canescens ) 
with plumage of pearly appearance. These fine Flycatchers at first appeared 
singly, but a little later were seen in flocks of eight or ten, evidently migrating 
from northward. They afterwards appeared to scatter and were observed 
building in October on the table-land.” 
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