BABBLER. 
Mr. Tom Carter’s notes read : “ The Red-breasted Babbler was not given 
as occurring in mid- West Australia in your Reference List in 1912. I have not 
seen them on the Lower Gascoyne River, but they are not uncommon on the 
Minilya River, about eighty miles further north, and the Lyndon River, twenty- 
five miles north of it. They seem to be local in their habits, and for twenty- 
eight years I have noticed that certain patches of scrub are always occupied 
by a family party of these birds. They are locally known as Cat Birds from 
their peculiar mewing notes, which are constantly uttered by a party of these 
birds, and every now and again they will all run close together and raise a 
chorus of these cries, with tail outspread. Why they do this I do not know, 
but often thought it was because one of these birds had got an extra large 
grub or beetle, and the others wanted to share it. They appear to breed in 
small colonies, their bulky nests (as large as Crows’ nests) being usually built 
high up in the small upper branches of white gum trees about the river banks, 
and very difficult and dangerous to reach. It is a curious and interesting 
sight to see a party of these birds rapidly ascending the trunk of one of these 
trees, one following the other in a series of quick upward jumps. They feed 
mostly on the thick wattle and other scrub growing about the river banks, 
and on the ground beneath.” 
Under the name P. rubeculus , Capt. S. A. White has written : “ Met 
with these birds in and around the MacDonnell Ranges ; they were nesting 
in the tall gums along the creek, the nests being the same shape and material 
as those of the more common species further south, but larger.” 
Mr. Edwin Ashby also remarks : “ I had overlooked that you included 
P. rubeculus under P. temporalis. I am inclined to think that it deserves 
full specific rank. Mr. J. R. B. Love sent me skins from the Einke River, 
Northern Territory, collected in February 1913 ; they are smaller, darker, 
and more white on crown than specimens from further west. I think the 
locality is on the Northern Territory side of the border.” 
Under the name Pomatorhinus rubeculus , Whitlock recorded from the 
Pilbana Goldfield, Western Australia : “ Native name Ca-cac-co. These 
vivacious and noisy birds haunt the cajaput thickets of both the de Grey and 
Coongan, and their bulky nests are conspicuous objects in such localities. 
Often five or more nests will be seen in the same tree.” 
Barnard wrote from Cape York : “ P. rubeculus was observed in small 
flocks in forest country. A number of old nests seen.” 
Macgillivray wrote : “ Small flocks of the Northern Babbler were several 
times noted in open forest on the Claudie. Scattered parties were noted by 
Mr. McLennan in open forest on the Archer River.” 
The technical history of this species is simple but very interesting. 
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