" — Sir David Lionel Goldsmid Stern Salomons of Broom hill Kent. Baronet wi - V A.| jf'i iVf 1 ; •• :•• \ | 4(4 111 ! TlM Tfl „'A i»} f. S{* ; t .»'(* -A •*? .i : ; ’j? ■- >r r , • *, *C ? 'I'tlV. g i » # * THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. BY JOHN GOULD, F.R.S., F.L.S., F.Z.S., M.E.S., F.ETHN.S., F.R.GEOG.S., M. RAY S„ HON. MEMB. OF THE ROYAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF TURIN, OF THE ROY. ZOOL. SOC. OF IRELAND, OF THE PENZANCE NAT. HIST. SOC., OF THE WORCESTER NAT. HIST. SOC., OF THE NORTHUMBERLAND, DURHAM AND NEWCASTLE NAT. HIST. SOC., OF THE NAT. HIST. SOC. OF DARMSTADT AND OF THE TASMANIAN SOCIETY OF VAN DIEMEN’S LAND, ETC. IN SEVEN VOLUMES. VOL. III. LONDON: PRINTED BY RICHARD AND JOHN E. TAYLOR, RED LION COURT, FLEET STREET. PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR, 20, BROAD STREET, GOLDEN SQUARE. 1848. 4 \ LIST OF PLATES, $ 0L- 4?3 Gen v-3 ne si VOLUME III. Erythrodryas rhodinogaster Pink-breasted Wood-robin 1 rosea, Gould Rose-breasted Wood-robin 2 Petroica multicolor ..... Scarlet-breasted Robin 3 ■ erythrogastra .... Norfolk Island Robin 4 Goodenovii .... Red-capped Robin 5 phoenicea, Gould Flame-breasted Robin 6 bicolor, Swains. .... Pied Robin .... 7 fusca, Gould .... Dusky Robin .... 8 ■ superciliosa, Gould White-eyebrowed Robin 9 Drymodes brunneopygia, Gould. Scrub Robin . . . , 10 Eopsaltria Australis .... Yellow-breasted Robin . . 11 griseogularis, Gould Grey-breasted Robin . 12 leucogaster, Gould. White-bellied Robin . 13 Menura superba, Dav. .... Lyre Bird .... . 14 Psophodes crepitans .... Coach-whip Bird . . 15 nigrogularis, Gould. Black-throated Psophodes . 16 Sphenostoma cristata, Gould . Crested Wedge-bill . 17 Malurus cyaneus ..... Blue Wren .... . 18 longicaudus, Gould . Long-tailed Wren . . 19 melanotus, Gould Black-backed Wren . 20 splendens . . . . • Banded Wren . 21 elegans, Gould .... Graceful Wren . 22 pulcherrimus, Gould . Beautiful Wren . 23 Lamberti, Vig. Horsf. Lambert’s Wren . 24 leucopterus, Quoy fy Gaim. White-winged Wren . 25 melanocephalus, Vig. § Horsf. . Black-headed Wren . 26 Brownii, Vig. fy Horsf. Brown’s Wren . 27 Amytis textilis ..... Textile Wren .... . 28 striatus, Gould .... Striated Wren . 29 macrourus, Gould Large-tailed Wren . . 30 Stipiturus malachurus .... Emu Wren .... . 31 Dasyornis Australis, Vig. fy Horsf. . Bristle Bird . . 32 longirostris, Gould . Long-billed Bristle Bird . . 33 Atrichia clamosa, Gould .... Noisy Brush-bird . . 34 Sphenceacus galactotes . Tawny Sphenoeacus . 35 gramineus, Gould Grass-loving Sphenoeacus . 36 Acrocephalus Australis, Gould . Reed Warbler . 37 longirostris, Gould Long-billed Reed Warbler . 38 Hylacola pyrrhopygia .... Red-rumped Wren . . 39 cauta, Gould .... Cautious Wren . 40 Cysticola magna, Gould .... Great Warbler . 41 exilis ..... Exile Warbler . 42 lineocapilla, Gould . Lineated Warbler . . 43 isura, Gould .... Square-tailed Warbler . 44 ruficeps, Gould .... Rufous -headed Warbler . . 45 Sericornis citreogularis, Gould Yellow-throated Sericornis . 46 humilis, Gould .... Sombre- coloured Sericornis . 47 osculans, Gould Allied Sericornis . 48 frontalis .... White-fronted Sericornis . 49 laevigaster, Gould Buff-breasted Sericornis . 50 maculatus, Gould Spotted Sericornis . . 51 Sericornis magnirostris, Gould Acanthiza pusilla . — — Diemenensis, Gould Ewingii, Gould uropygialis, Gould . apicalis, Gould pyrrhopygia, Gould inornata, Gould — nana, Vig. fy Horsf. . lineata, Gould . Reguloides, Vig. fy Horsf. chrysorrhcea . Ephthianura albifrons - — - — - — aurifrons, Gould . - tricolor, Gould Xerophila leucopsis, Gould Pyrrhokemus brunneus, Gould Origma rubricata . . Calamanthus fuliginosus campestris, Gould Chthonicola minima Anthus Australis, Vig. 8$ Horsf. Cincloramphus cruralis . cantillans, Gould - — rufescens Mirafra Horsfieldii, Gould Estrelda bella .... — oculea • Bichenovii annulosa, Gould - — - — — temporalis Phaeton ruficauda, Gould Amadina modesta, Gould* Lathamii . castanotis, Gould — Gouldise, Gould f Poephila mirabilis, Homb. fy Jacq. acuticauda, Gould personata, Gould leucotis, Gould . cincta, Gould Donacola castaneothorax, Gould pectoralis, Gould flaviprymna, Gould . Emblema picta, Gould Large-billed Sericornis . Little Brown Acanthiza . Tasmanian Acanthiza Ewing’s Acanthiza . Chestnut-rumped Acanthiza Western Acanthiza . Red-rumped Acanthiza . Plain-coloured Acanthiza Little Acanthiza Striated Acanthiza . Regulus-like Acanthiza . Yellow-rumped Acanthiza White-fronted Ephthianura Orange-fronted Ephthianura Tricoloured Ephthianura . White-faced Xerophila . Brown Red-throat . Rock Warbler Striated Reed Lark Field Reed Lark Little Chthonicola . Australian Pipit Brown Cincloramphus Black-breasted Cincloramphus Rufous -tinted Cincloramphus Horsfield’s Mirafra . Fire- tailed Finch Red-eared Finch Bicheno’s Finch Black-rumped Finch Red-eyebrowed Finch Crimson Finch Red-tailed Finch Plain-coloured Finch Spotted-sided Finch Chestnut- eared Finch Gouldian Finch Beautiful Grass Finch Long-tailed Grass Finch . Masked Grass Finch White-eared Grass Finch Banded Grass Finch Chestnut-breasted Finch . White -breasted Finch Yellow-rumped Finch Painted Finch . * For Amadina modesta read Estrelda modesta. f For Amadina Gouldia read Poephila Gouldia. 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 4 { ffit/byisins/tf Tn*p. ■ f (-rf ■ i /jV tt > - i £l fis - ft/, ; ' D RART hi I \ , ERYTHRODRYAS RHODINOGASTER. Pink-breasted Wood-Robin. Saxicola rhodinogaster, Drap. Ann. Gen. des Sci. Plays, de Bruxelles. Muscicapa Latliami , Yig. in Zool. Journ., vol. i. p. 410. pi. 13.- — Jard. and Selb. 111. Orn., vol. i. pi. 8. Petroica rhodinogaster, Jard. and Selb. 111. Orn. Add., vol. ii. Erythrodryas rhodinogaster, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., August 9, 1842. Pink-hreasted Robin, Colonists of New South Wales. The great stronghold of this species is Van Diemen’s Land, particularly the western parts of the island. I feel assured that it is rarely seen on the main land of Australia, from the circumstance of the total absence of skins in collections from those parts. In one instance only did I meet with it on the continent, and that was in a deep ravine under Mount Lofty in South Australia; I shot the specimen, which on dissection proved to be a young male. In habits and disposition this and the following species are very dissimilar to the Red-breasted Robins {Petroled), being much less spirited in all their actions. They prefer the most secluded and remote parts of the forest, particularly the bottoms of deep gullies, the seclusion of which is seldom broken by the voice or presence of any living being, and where animal life is almost confined to aphides and other minute insects, upon which they exist. There are times, however, especially in winter, when they leave these quiet retreats and even enter the gardens of the settlers ; but this is of so rare occurrence, that few persons can have had opportunities of observing this bird in a state of nature, except those who have visited the localities above described. I shot several specimens in the gullies under Mount Wellington in Van Diemen’s Land ; and on visiting, in company with the Rev. T. J. Ewing, the enchanting spot selected by my ever-esteemed friend Lady Franklin as a site for a Botanic Garden, I observed it to be tolerably numerous there. Through the kindness of Ronald C. Gunn, Esq., who liberally placed the whole of his collection at my disposal, I was enabled to obtain examples of many species, in every stage from youth to maturity ; among others, of the present laird, which Mr. Gunn informed me had been collected on the Hampshire Hills, a locality where it is very abundant.' The food of the Pink-breasted Wood-Robin consists solely of insects, which it procures by darting out in pursuit of them while passing by in the air, and also on the ground. It exhibits the peculiar actions and manners of the Robins by sitting about on stumps and stones at the bottom of the gullies, presenting its full breast like the Robin of Europe. Its nest is formed of narrow strips of soft bark, soft fibres of decaying wood, and fine fibrous roots matted and woven together with vegetable fibres, and old black nests of spiders. The eggs are three in number, smaller hut very similar to those of Petroica multicolor ; of a greenish white thickly sprinkled with light chestnut and purplish brown ; eight lines and a half long, by six lines and a half broad. Like the true Petroicas, the sexes present considerable differences in their colouring. The male has the head, neck, throat and back sooty black ; a small spot of white in the centre of the forehead ; wings brownish black ; a few of the primaries and secondaries with an oblong spot of reddish brown on the outer aveb near the base and another near the tip, forming two small oblique bands when the wing is spread ; breast and abdomen rose-pink, passing into white on the vent and under tail-coverts ; irides and hill black ; feet black, with the soles orange. The female has an indication of the white spot on the forehead ; all the upper surface brown ; wings and tail brown, with the markings on the primaries and secondaries larger and of a more huffy colour than in the male ; throat brownish huff; chest and abdomen brownish grey; vent and under tail-coverts buff. The young male during the first autumn closely resembles the female ; for the first two months after they have left the nest, they have the centre of each feather striated with buff. The Plate represents the male and female of the natural size. > ■ l 0 J Zr/jK.Jd’ s'.U.'f ff(rJ?.khh'.-i eUZ? StfTHaOBlliS M O ■ ,R h’ \ • k _y i _i 'A. > • 'if'/ C. ffii Y/in/xjtki / Zwig’/. ERYTHRODRYAS ROSEA. Rose-breasted Wood Robin. Petroica rosea, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VII. p. 142. Erythrodryas rosea, Gould in Ibid., August 9, 1842. This pretty little Robin inhabits all the brushes which skirt along the south-eastern coast of New South Wales. I also observed it to be numerous in the cedar brushes of the Liverpool range, and it doubtless frequents similar situations in all other parts of the country. It penetrates to the very depths of the forest, and chooses as its favourite abode the most secluded spots. It is a solitary species, more than a single pair being rarely seen at one time, is excessively quiet in its movements, and so tame, that in the course of my wanderings through the woods of Illawarra and in the neighbourhood of the Hunter, it frequently perched within two or three yards of me while resting my wearied limbs under a dense canopy of foliage, and listening to the songs of the various species surrounding me. What has been said respecting the habits and manners of the Pink-breasted Robin is equally descriptive of those of the present bird ; its food is also precisely of the same kind, and is captured in a similar manner. Although it is by no means rare in the localities I have mentioned, but few specimens yet adorn our Mu- seums, and it certainly had not received any scientific appellation until I proposed the one given above, in a letter addressed to the Zoological Society of London during my residence in New South Wales. Of its nidification and the number and colour of its eggs nothing is at present known. It has a cheerful inwardly uttered song, the strain of which is very like that of the other Robins, but is much more feeble. The male has the forehead crossed by a very narrow band of white ; crown of the head, throat and all the upper surface dark slate-grey; chest rich rose-red, inclining to scarlet; lower part of the abdomen and under tail-coverts white ; wings and the six central tail-feathers blackish brown ; the three outer ones on each side tipped with white, the white predominating over the inner webs, particularly on the two lateral feathers ; bill and feet blackish brown ; gape and soles of the feet yellow. The female differs considerably from her mate, having the forehead crossed by a narrow band of buff ; all the upper surface greyish brown ; wings brown ; secondaries crossed by two obscure bands of greyish buff ; tail of a browner tint, but otherwise marked like that of the male. The figures are those of a male and a female of the natural size. « 1 - * ♦ } o ■ i * / / . ' •4 :p : K i' U i) I 0 A , V T 5 ; "[ l r i r 0 I ■ O : R : . ? (■'. //n Uwtxf//u(> k / /wt/;. 1. (ron7.fi on/ H'C-'.R-