_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
PACHYCEPHALA OLIVACEA, _Vig. and Horsf._
Olivaceous Pachycephala.
_Pachycephala olivacea_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p.
241.—Gould in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part III.
This species, the largest of the genus yet discovered, is a native of
Van Diemen’s Land, where it inhabits forests and thick scrubby
situations, and is very generally dispersed over the island from north
to south; I observed it also on Flinders’ Island in Bass’s Straits, but
no instance has come under my notice of its occurrence on the continent
of Australia. It is rather recluse in its habits, and were it not for
its oft-repeated, loud, sharp, liquid, whistling note, its presence
would not often be detected. I usually met with it in the thickest parts
of the forests, where it appeared to resort to the ground rather than to
the branches, and to frequent gulleys and low swampy situations beneath
the branches of the dwarf _Eucalypti_ and other trees, with which its
olive colouring so closely assimilated, that it was very difficult to
perceive it.
Although I felt assured that the bird was breeding in many parts of the
country, and made repeated attempts to discover its nest, I could never
succeed in so doing; the eggs are therefore among the desiderata of my
cabinet.
But little outward difference is observable in the sexes; the male is
rather the largest and has the head of a sooty greyish brown, while the
head of the female is olive-brown. The young resemble the female, and
assume the adult colouring at an early age.
The stomachs of several specimens dissected were very muscular, and
contained the remains of coleoptera and hemiptera mingled in some
instances with small stones and seeds.
Crown of the head and ear-coverts dark brown; back, wings and tail
chestnut-olive, the chestnut predominating on the back; throat greyish
white, each feather tipped with brown; chest, abdomen and under
tail-coverts reddish brown; bill black; irides reddish brown; feet mealy
reddish brown.
The Plate represents a male and a female of the natural size.
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