BLACK-THROATED COACH WHIP-BIRD. 
Eggs. “ Clutch, two. Indistinguishable from some of its larger eastern representative. 
Bluish-white, with dots, spots, small irregular-shaped blotches and dashes scattered 
over the shell, but more thickly on the larger end, where some of the marks are 
confluent and are intermingled with a few underlying streaks and spots of faint 
bluish-grey.” 27-30 mm. by 20.” ( ib .) 
Breeding-season. December (ib.). 
Gould’s enthusiasm on the receipt of this species may be gauged by his 
comments : “ The addition of a second species to the genus Psophodes will 
be hailed with pleasure by everyone who makes the science of ornithology a 
matter of study ; nor will its discovery be a subject of surprise, as it is only 
another illustration of that beautiful law of representation which is conspicuously 
carried out in Australia. The habitat of the present bird will doubtless be 
hereafter found to be as strictly confined to the western part of the continent 
as that of the P. crepitans is to the eastern. It is to Gilbert’s perseverance 
that science is indebted for the knowledge of this new bird ; and his notes 
respecting it I here transcribe : 4 Inhabits thickets of a small species of 
Leptospermum growing among the sandhills which run parallel with and 
adjacent to the beach. It utters a peculiar harsh and grating song which it 
is quite impossible to describe, and which is so different from that of every 
other bird I ever heard or am acquainted with, that I shall have no difficulty 
in recognising it again whenever I may hear it. I heard it for the first time, 
together with the notes of many other birds equally strange to me, in the 
vicinity of the Wongan Hills a few' weeks back, but could not then obtain a 
sight of the bird, although I knew it was only a few yards from me.’ ” 
Milligan’s notes read : “ The capture of this bird proved to be one of 
the most interesting incidents of my first trip. It is locally known as the 
4 Rainbird,’ by reason of the fact that immediately preceding rain it seeks 
the summits of the coast hills, and utters a series of beautiful, clear, liquid, 
penetrating notes, which are difficult to imitate. It is quite possible that 
its name is fully justified, for its food consists in part of the land snails which 
are found on these hill summits, which forms in dry spring weather are 
apparently lifeless, but when the atmosphere is moist or after a shower of 
rain are full of vitality and may be found creeping up the stems and branches 
of the dwarf scrub. Instinct or experience would teach the bird to seek such 
places for this particular class of food immediately precedent to rain, and, 
while seeking such, it would naturally utter its notes. The notes of the bird 
are well known to both the 4 blacks ’ and the old colonists, but both allege 
the bird has never been seen. That, I think, is probably true, for with the 
aid of my trained dog and all the bushcraft I could gather, it took me four 
days of persistent hard work to get a glimpse of one. I have sought and 
251 
