(66) The redbreast is not at all scary;most of those taken by me have been gleaned from small companies of four or six of both sex.They also fre- quent the low bush and like the thrush are seed-eaters.The call is a faint metallic-sounding peep-peep-peep which is very deceiving to the ear for it sounds to be much further away than it really is.The rare crested pigeon is similar in this respect.It is a somewhat bewildering experience trying to locate a redbreast.You often hear the call and accordingly plunge into the bush in its apparent direction.After trying to peer beyond all the encircling leaves you discover the ventriloquist just above your head;then the duel commences with the agility of both in competition.Although the redbreast does not fly away like the thrush it hops from twig to branch quite lively.But the clumsiness and peculiar eyesight of the hunter are compensated by the insoucience of the bird which often offers three tries with the aux.About half of the number collected were females and young males- breast pinkish and back and wings light brown.The white patches on the secondaries and just in front of the eyes are lacking- quite unlike the mature male. This plumage varies,brown sometimes predominating and nothing but a suggestion of red in the full feathering on the breast.Both the thrush and redbreast are primarily seed-eaters.The stomachs of the thrushs often revealed a small berry-like fruit,which is such a favorite with the long-tailed dove.It grows in clusters on a smallish tree- never over 30 feet high. As the trail starts decidedly downward and becomes perma- mently steep for a few thousand feet the thrush and redbreast disap- pear.The two principal small birds from 3500 to the top are the moun- tain thickhead and the warbler.The thickhead is the most abundant spe- cies on the Kronprinzen Gebirge.Smaller than the usual yellow type,its plumage is much darker- black entire even on the throat except for the dull yellow breast;the female shows a gray head and throat.The call is unmistakable and has three distinct variations- a clear whistle ending in a chirp after a rising crescendo of tone,a series of chirps and a sharp trill,and a low disconcerted whistle.This is not dissimilar to to the call of the various Solomon species,which has seemed to me pretty much the same on all the islands I have visited.Again,this multiple call is quite different from that of the black-bibed cousin lower down, generally below 3000 feet.Yet I have taken specimens of both kinds at the same height of elevation(around 3000).This would indicate sexual specialization or some cross-breed would be found in a still different plumage.Some of the thickheads taken on Aikiki and Momolufu Is.,near Shortland I.,showed marked melanism and albinism due to in-breeding, I thought.Bougainville is the first island to give us altitude varia- tion in the thickhead.Of all the birds it comes most readily to call- ing and offers an easy target for the aux.The grey fantail, too,sings out with more volume than either the brown or the black.I have usual- ly met them in small groups- from four to eight,piping their short, pert note,hopping about in lively fashion,and perking their tails.They do not occur below 3000 feet.I have taken a great many quite close to the ground,apparently feeding.The"curve-bill olive bird",which is prob- ably another species of honey-eater is somewhat similar in its habits. The call is not distinguishing- a peculiar chirping whistle not unlike the general sound of the smaller black honeysucker.They are often seen in pairs,frequently on ferns,reeds,and young tree sprouts not over 6" of the ground.All three species,however,inhabit trees of all sizes to the topmost branches.It is only above 3500 or 4000 feet that I noticed how they seemed to favor the low bush;it may be the almost constant