THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
they uttered the same soft note, and, holding the tail erect and fanned and the 
wings drooped, ran excitedly around us in great distress.” 
Captain S. A. White s notes read : 44 This bird, unlike the preceding species, 
frequents the flat and sandy country often covered in dense mallee scrub. I 
have never met with it upon stony country. Like other members of the fa mi ly, 
it spends much of its time upon the ground and builds its nest close to some 
fallen dead branch, the nest being composed of bark. The range of this bird 
is very extensive, being over all the drier portions of the State.” 
Mr. Tom Carter’s observations on this species in West Australia read : 
44 The Chestnut-backed Ground Thrush occurs locally on scrubby sand plain 
or rough country in inland districts, and is a species that is easily overlooked 
from its seclusive habits and method of running swiftly to the shelter of bushes 
or scrub. Sometimes a bird will rise wildly, and at other times almost allow 
itself to be trodden on. When they are flushed, their wings give a distinct 
4 whirr,’ similar to that of a Quail. The flight is usually not very far, to the 
shelter of a bush, and under this a bird will sometimes remain motionless, and 
allow an approach of a few feet (trusting to its protective colouring ?). They 
occur in the 4 Marlock,’ scrub, and sand plains, from the Stirling Ranges to 
Kellerberin, from personal observation. A few used to live on a strip of rough 
country, on the boundary of my Broome Hill land, and bred there, the breeding- 
season apparently being in September and October. One nest containing two 
eggs was found under a bush quite close to the edge of a road (not a main road, 
but still daily traffic on it) early in October, with two eggs. A fully-fledged 
young was shot on Dec. 18, 1906, and an adult male, moulting, on Dec. 23rd. 
Two half -grown young were found in a nest, Oct. 19, 1908, with the whole of 
mantle, including interscapular region, bright chestnut. These birds have a 
peculiar, low piping whistle, which is usually uttered as they are running away 
from one on the ground.” 
Milligan, writing on a trip to the Wongan Hills, West Australia, states : 
44 We were fortunate in observing in the same gully, a pair of Cinclosoma 
castanonotum. To observe them, however, was one matter, but to secure them 
was quite another. We found them always in the same spot, but after once 
flushing them, it was almost impossible to sight them again. Hour after hour 
and day after day were spent in earnest but unsuccessful quest until on the 
last day but one, Mr. Conigrave, after an hour’s waiting, managed to shoot a 
male. A second bird was shortly afterwards secured, which proved to be a 
young male, and subsequent to that again I shot a young female. The thick 
undergrowth afforded them the best of concealment, and they were never at 
any time slow in availing themselves of it. To accentuate the difficulty of 
capture, they do not utter either an alarm-note or song. The only sound we 
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