THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
Adult female. Crown of head, nape, and sides of face, and a line from below the eye and 
extending on to the sides of the neck black ; sides of crown, sides of nape, cheeks, 
and lores white—some of the feathers on the lores and cheeks have black hair-like 
tips ; back, scapular's, rump, upper tail-coverts, upper wing-coverts, and outer 
aspect of flight-quills yellowish-green—becoming paler and inclining to white towards 
the tips of the last; middle tail-feathers similar to the back with a greyish tinge, more 
especially on the inner webs, the outer ones blackish tipped with white which is 
extended along the outer web of the outermost feather ; bastard-wing and primary- 
coverts blackish fringed with dark green; rimer webs of flight-quills dark brown 
margined with white ; chin dusky-grey with black hair-like tips to the feathers; 
throat similar to the back; breast bright yellow; abdomen and under tail- 
coverts silky-white; axillaries and under wing-coverts white tinged with yellow; 
under-surface of flight-quills dark brown fringed with white ; lower aspect of tail 
hair-brown fringed with white at the tip, paler on the outermost feather which is 
margined with white on the outer web. Eyes hazel, bill black, feet flesh-grey. 
Total length 172 mm.; culmen 15, wing 90, tail 77, tarsus 20. Figured. Collected 
in the Stirling Ranges, South-west Australia, on the 18th of September, 1911. 
Eggs. Clutch two to three. A clutch of two is oval in shape, ground-colour white, marked 
with dark olive and grey, which form a zone at the larger end. Surface of shell 
smooth and slightly glossy. They measure 24 mm. by 15. 
Nest. Similar to that of F. frontatus. 
Gould named this species before he went to Australia, but his field notes 
written by Gilbert are the earbest recorded, thus: “ This species is an 
inhabitant of the western portions of Australia where it represents the Falcun- 
culus frontatus of the eastern coast, from which it may be readily distinguished 
by its white abdomen ; it is very generally dispersed over the colony of Swan 
River, although, like its near ally, it is not to be met with in great abundance. 
It is usually seen in pairs among the thickly-foliaged trees, particularly such 
as grow in quiet secluded places, and is a most active little bird, running over 
the trunks and branches of the trees with the greatest facility, and tearing 
off the bark in its progress in search of insects ; the habits in fact of the 
present and Frontal Shrike-Tit are so closely similar, that a further descrip¬ 
tion is unnecessary. Its flight is of short duration, and is seldom employed 
for any other purpose than that of flitting from branch to branch, or from 
one tree to another. Its note is a series of mournful sounds, the last of which 
is drawn out to a great length. The stomach is extremely muscular and 
its food consists principally of coleoptera.” 
Mr. Tom Carter has written me: “ It appears to range through the 
south-west, and was observed and obtained at Kellerberin in Jan., 1903. 
No birds of this genus were ever observed by me in either the Gascoyne or 
North-west Cape districts. Still, it is a species that can easily be overlooked, 
as the birds usually feed in the upper branches of trees and their presence 
is most often detected by hearing their plaintive wliistling note which may 
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