THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
between the first and second and third but the third and fourth blending; 
this is a very pleasing and melodious call. They take much of their food 
upon the ground where they move very rapidly, but at the first sound of 
alarm they will stand motionless, and their plumage is in such colour harmony 
with the surroundings that it is difficult to pick them out. They have a great 
way of throwing their voices and are wonderful ventriloquists, and although 
I have searched for the bird in the direction I thought the sound came 
I have discovered it in the opposite direction. The nest is placed in a bush 
not far from the ground and is a bulky structure of sticks well and neatly 
lined, and I have never yet found a fresh nest that has not had disabled cater¬ 
pillars in it.” 
Mr. J. W. Mellor writes : “I have noted this bird in many situations 
and in all the mallee scrub country wherever I have been, also in the thickly 
timbered bills along the Flinders Range, South Australia, but it seems to prefer 
the more open level bush country where the mallee grows tliickly, and its 
loud call of ‘ reep-reep-reephook 5 is often heard in the ‘ stillness ’ of the 
Australian bush and quite relieves the monotony that may here exist. Like 
the Shrike-Thrush it lives on insects and grubs of all kinds and is a most 
useful bird. It generally nests from April to October.” 
Mr. Edwin Ashby states: “ This is universally called the Bell-Bird 
throughout the districts where it is found from the wonderful ringing sound 
of the last note that terminates the series that forms its song. The song 
consists of six whistles of which the first five are all in one note, the second 
and third very short, the sixth very much lower than the others, very soft, 
with a most pleasing bell-like ring much drawn out. The bird will keep on the 
upper octave for some time and then abruptly drop an octave or vice versa. 
Its ventriloquial powers are very striking and at first led me many a fruitless 
chase in every direction save the one the bird occupied.” 
Mr. Sandland has also written : “ Very common bird at Balah, South 
Australia. The birds are wonderful ventriloquists. . . They always carry 
a number of caterpillars and put them in their nests.” 
Mr. Thos. P. Austin has written from Cobbore, New South Wales: 
“ Although I have never seen the Bell-Bird (Oreoica cristata ) here, I saw them 
in a clump of box saplings on the edge of the Mudgee Rifle Range, and heard 
their mournful notes the whole day long while the annual rifles matches were 
being fired. I also met with them in the Bourke District, where they were 
very plentiful. Being a ventriloquist it is very difficult to know from which 
direction their notes come. It is also met with in the Dubbo district, so as 
it frequents country fifty miles on the south and the west, it appears strange 
that it does not visit here, where there is plenty of similar country.” 
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