t^

.

FOKTHE PEOPLE

FOK EDVCATION

FOR SCIENCE

LIBRARY

OF

THE AMERICAN MUSEUM

OF

NATURAL HISTORY

HANDBOOK

TO THE

BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

HANDBOOK

TO THE

BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA

BY

JOHN GOULD, F.E.S., etc.

AUTHOR OP THE 'BIRDS OP AUSTRALIA,' 'MAMMALS OF

AUSTRALIA,' ' BIRDS OF EUROPE,' ' BIRDS OF ASIA,'

MONOaRAPHS OP THE TROCHILID.E,

RAMPHASTID.^, TROGONID^,

ODONTOPHORIN^, ETC.

IN TWO VOLUMES.
VOL. I.

LONDON:

PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOE,

2G, CHARLOTTE STREET BEDFORD SQUARE.

1865.

[The right of TransUtfion is reserved.']

PRINTED BY TAYLOR AND FRANCIS, RED LION COURT, FLEET STREET.

PREFACE.

Nearly twenty years have elapsed since my folio work
on the Birds of Australia was completed. During that
period many new species have been discovered, and much
additional information acquired respecting those com-
prised therein ; consequently it appeared to me that a
careful resume of the entire subject would be acceptable
to the possessors of the former edition, as well as to the
many persons in Australia who are now turning their
attention to the ornithology of the country in which
they are resident. Indeed I have been assured that
such a work is greatly needed to enable the explorer
during his journeyings, or the student in his quiet home,
to identify the species that may come under his notice,
and as a means by which the curators of the museums
now established in the various colonies may arrange
and name the collections intrusted to their charge. With
these views the present Handbook has been prepared.

VI PREFACE.

In order to facilitate a reference to the larger work
whenever it may be required, the name under which
each species appears therein, together with the number
of the volume, and of the plate on which it is figured,
is indicated at the head of the respective descriptions, in
a bold and conspicuous type.

Modern research having ascertained that many of the
species believed at the time I wrote to be new had
been previously described by Latham and others, the
specific names assigned to them by those authors have,
in obedience to the law of priority, been restored ; and
the generic terms formerly employed have been changed
wherever, in accordance with the advanced state of orni-
thological science, I have deemed it necessary.

Should any of my Australian readers consider that too
many divisions have been made, and too many generic
terms employed, I would direct their attention to the
works recently published on the birds of other countries,
and to the divisions and genera which their authors have
deemed necessary, and they will at once perceive that I
have not gone further in this direction than my ornitho-
logical compeers ; I would also remind them that a true
judgment on the necessity of so many separations cannot
be formed from the perusal of a work on the birds of any
single country, but can only be clearly understood when
all the known birds of the world are brought under

PREFACE. VU

review. As an illustration of my meaning, I may mention
that, in by far the greater number of cases, when only a
single species of a genus is to be found in one part of the
globe, others are to be met with elsewhere : this is the
case with the. genera GarruluSy JPica, Nucifraga, and
Fyrrhocorax, of each of which only a single species
occurs in Britain, while there are others in India or
Africa. So it is with the Australian birds, many of the
forms, of which only a single species is found in that
country, being also existent in New Guinea and the
neighbouring islands. In many instances the remarks
on the various genera contained in the Handbook
will be found to comprise references to these additional
species.

The frequent repetition of the late Mr. Gilbert's name
renders it necessary for me to state that he accompanied
me to Australia, and diligently sought materials and
information in behalf of my work, in those parts of the
country which I was unable to visit myself, until I lost
an able coadjutor, and science a devoted follower, by his
premature death at the hands of the treacherous natives
during Leichardt's expedition to Port Essington — a fate
which also befell Strange, whose name likewise fre-
quently occurs.

I would wish to remind the reader that many of the
passages detailing the occurrence of certain species have

Vlll PREFACE.

reference to the date of my visit to the country. It may
be possible — and, indeed it is most likely — that flocks of
Parrakects no longer fly over the houses and chase each
other in the streets of Hobart Town and Adelaide, that
no longer does the noble Bustard stalk over the flats of
the Upper Hunter, nor the Emus feed and breed on
the Liverpool plains, as they did at that time ; and if this
be so, surely the Australians should at once bestir them-
selves to render protection to these and many other
native birds : otherwise very many of them, like the fine
Parrot {Nestor product us) of Norfolk Island, will soon
become extinct.

The Australian birds at present known amount, in
round numbers, to about six hundred and sixty species.

HANDBOOK

BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

INTRODUCTION.

It will be evident to all who may turn their attention to
the fauna of the great southern land called Australia, that
it comprises peculiarities unexampled in any other portion
of the globe. The total absence of the Quadrumana, the
Carnivora, and the Ruminantia from its mammals, and of the
VulturidcB and Picidce from (and the feeble representation of
the Gallinaceae among) its birds, are facts too striking to be
overlooked. On the other hand, it possesses almost exclusively
two orders of mammals, the Marsupialia and Monotremata,
comprising many singular forms and a great number of spe-
cies— among them being the large family of Kangaroos, of
which only two or three abnormal species are known to exist
elsewhere. In like manner the Peramelidcs and Fhascogalcd, the
Wombats and the Koajas, are almost as strictly confined to it :
those singular forms the Ornithorhjnchus and Echidna are
only found there; and, supposing the Dingo to have been
introduced by human agency, it is probable that no more
highly organized placental land-animal than a Vespertilio or
a Mus occurs in the whole of its Mammalia. Although
Australia is destitute of many of the great groups of birds
inhabiting India and its islands, she possesses many other

p B

2

BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

equally singular forms especially adapted to find their existence
among her very remarkable flora and her equally remarkable
insects. Of these, her sixty species of Parrots, scarcely one
of which is found beyond her limits, are unrivalled for size
and beauty of plumage ; conspicuous also are the extensive
group of Honey-eaters forming the family Meliphac/idcs, the
elegant Maluri, the forest-loving Bower-birds, and the graceful
Menuras : all these, combined, furnish abundant illustration
of the remark with which I commenced. The absence of
such birds as Hornbills from Australia is evidently due to
the circumstance of her flora not comprising any of the
numerous large fruit-bearing trees which occm* in India
and Africa, and which are so essential to the existence
of these birds; in like manner she is destitute of Wood-
peckers, because the bark of her trees is not adapted for the
shelter of the insects upon wdiich they love to feed ; neither
do her few berry-bearing shrubs off'er attractions to the
Eurylaimi or the omnivorous Barbets and Trogons. No true
Wagtail {Motacilla) trips over her hard-baked soil in pursuit
of Aphides and other minute insects, as in Britain ; no
Saxicola enlivens with its sprightly actions her sterile
wastes ; and feebly indeed, among her birds, are represented
the melodious notes which are freely poured forth by many
of the species inhabiting countries north of the equator, and
which render the spring such a joyous period in England.
No Mavis has she to usher in the morning, and terminate the
summer day, with its vigorous note ; no Philomel to break
the stillness of night with its joyous song : quietude, as
regards the voice of birds, reigns supreme ; or if there be
any exception to this rule, it is the noisy screams of her
Parrots, the monotonous though liquid notes of some of her
Honey-eaters, the loud call of the Menura, or the warbling
of the Reed-birds. Some parts of the avifauna of Australia
are, however, very similar to that of other countries : Eagles,
Hawks, Harriers, and Owls play their accustomed parts ;

INTRODUCTION. 6

while Swifts, Swallows, Martins, and Flycatcliers perform the
same offices as with us ; the nocturnal group of Cajmmulj/idcs
are not w^anting where PhamiidcR and Cicadcs abound ; Petrels,
Gulls, Terns, and Penguins frequent her seas ; her rock-bound
shores have their Cormorants ; the sandy spits of her rivers
their Pelicans, Sandpipers, and Plovers ; and her swamps
and morasses are tenanted by Ducks, Grebes, Gallinules, and
Rails of the same types as those inhabiting her antipodes.
But these, in nearly every case, are distinct species : she pos-
sesses no true Anser ; but every one knows that she has that
" rara avis in terris," the Black Swan. It is, however, in the
interior of the country (adorned with the universally spread
Bucalj/pti, extensive belts of Banksia, forests of Xmithorrhcece,
MelahiccB, &c.), and in the heated brushes which clothe its
south-eastern portions (where stately palms spread their leaves
over the eccaleobion or hatching-mound of the Tcdegalla and
the theatreion or playing-bower of the Btilonorliynchis), that
we find an avifauna different from that of all other coun-
tries, and which presents us with such genera as jEgothe-
les, Falcunculus, CoUuricincla, Grallina, Cinclosoma, Memira,
Psophodes, Malurus, Sericornis, EpJdJiia7i2ira, Pardalotiis,
CUamyderay StnitJiidea, Licmetis, Calyptorhynchus, Plafy-
cercus, JEuphema, Climacteris, Scythrops, Myzantha, TaleyaUa,
Lcipjoa, Pedionomus, Cladorhynchus, Trihonyx, Cereopsis,
Anseranas, and Biziiira.

Some few other genera, such as Graucahs, Artmims, and
Halcyon, are represented in the Indian Islands, on the peninsida
of India, and even in some portions of the continent of Asia ;
and many more genera, and in some instances the same
species, extend to New Guinea. The productions of this
latter country are, in fact, so similar to those of Australia, that,
zoologically speaking, they cannot be separated. In writing
thus I, of course, include the southern country of Tasmania,
but not New Zealand or its satellites. Lord Howe's, Norfolk,
and Phillip Islands, and other adjacent specks in the ocean,

B 2

4; BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

the culminating points probably of some great sunken con-
tinent, where bird-life reigned supreme ; for we have no evi-
dence that any mammals, either placental or marsupial, except
Bats, ever roamed over its surface — mighty birds taking the
place of Mammalia, as is evidenced by the remains of the
great Struthiones Avhich are almost daily exhumed from the
morasses, alluvial beds, and caves of New Zealand.

Australia, lying as it does between the 10th and 45th
degrees of south latitude, is subject to many varieties of
climate. The northern portions are visited by monsoons ;
while the southern have seasons similar to those which
occur in countries lying under the same degree of latitude
north of the line ; in a word, summer and winter are as in
England, but of course at reversed periods of the year ; as a
natm-al consequence, when the sun retires for a period from
any portion of the land, vegetation sleeps and insect-life
becomes inert. Bird-life follows the law of nature, as seen in
the northern hemisphere, and is much more rife at one season
than at another. The Swallow and its congeners come and go
as regularly in the southern portion of Australia as in England ;
and so do the Cuckoos, of which there are several species,
and not only a single one as with us. Besides these, there
are many other birds that are thus influenced ; but the extent
of their journeying has not been clearly ascertained further
than that they generally proceed north when the sun retires,
and return when he approaches : that they do not cross the
equator is certain, for we should then find these peculiar
species northward of the line, which we never do. There are
also some non-migratory species which appear to perform a
kind of exodus, and entirely forsake the part of the country
in which they have been accustomed to dwell, and to betake
themselves to some distant region, where they remain for five
or ten years, or even for a longer period, and whence they as
suddenly disappear as they had arrived. Some remarkable
instances of this kind came under my own observation ; for

INTRODUCTION. 0

instance, the beautiful little warbling Grass Parrakeet {Melo-
psittacus undidatus), which prior to 1838 was so rare in the
southern parts of Australia that only a single example had been
sent to Europe, arrived in that year in such countless multi-
tudes on the Liverpool Plains, that I could have procured any
number of specimens, and more than once their delicate bodies
formed an excellent article of food for myself and party. The
Calopsitta Novcb HolkmdicB forms another case in point, and
the beautiful Harlequin Bronze-winged Pigeon {Phaps histri-
o?iica) a third ; this latter bird occurred in such numbers on
the plains near the Namoi in 1839, that eight fell to a single
discharge of my gun ; both the settlers and natives assured
me they had suddenly arrived, and had never before been
observed in that part of the country. The aborigines who
were with me, and of whom I must speak in the highest
praise, from the readiness with which they rendered me their
assistance, affirmed, upon learning the nature; of my pursuits,
that they had come to meet me ! The Trihonyx ventralis may
be cited as another species whose movements are influenced
in the same way. This bird visited the colony of Swan River
in 1833, and that of South Australia in 1840, in such count-
less myriads, that whole fields of corn were trodden down and
destroyed in a single night ; and even the streets and gardens
of Adelaide were, according to Captain Sturt, alive with them.
Similarly to what occurs in America and on other great masses
of land, we find in Australia the law of representation markedly
carried out, as it mostly is where the same conditions exist. For
instance, the beautiful frill-necked Bower-bird of the scrubby
plains of New South Wales is represented in north-western
Australia by a nearly allied species, which makes its elegant
bower in similar situations. The Podargus humercdis, which
inhabits the An(/op1iora-^^i% of New South Wales, is in like
manner represented by the P. bracJii/pterus in Western
Australia, which presents a similar character of country ; and
so it is with many other species, both of mammals and birds.

6 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

These remarks might have been greatly prolonged ; but I
think sufficient has been said in the way of introduction to
the subject which has to follow, a short succinct account of
the Birds of Australia (a kind of handbook to my large
illustrated work), in which I shall confine my remarks to the
birds of the Australian continent, Tasmania, and those
islands of the Great Barrier Reef which properly belong to
Australia.

The history of the various species will be given in nearly
the same order as in the folio edition, and will commence
with the Raptores or birds of prey, to which will succeed
the Insessores, or perching-birds ; these will be followed by
the Rasores, or Pigeons, the feebly represented Gallinaceae,
Quails, Partridges, &c. ; then the Grallatores, or Plovers,
Sandpipers, Ibises, Herons, &c. ; and, lastly, the Natatores,
which comprise all the various water-birds. This, however,
is not to be regarded as a natural arrangement, but as one
which offers great facilities for the study of the avifauna of a
single country.

RAPTORES.

Order RAPTORES.

This Order, the members of which perform such important
offices in the great scheme of nature, is but feebly represented
in AustraUa as compared with Europe, Asia, and the other
portions of the globe of similar extent ; for in India alone,
according to Mr. Jerdon, there are fifty-nine diurnal and
twenty- two nocturnal birds of prey, while in Australia the
number of the former is under thirty, and of the latter about ten.
The absence of any great Equine, Bovine, Cervine, or Antilopine
quadrupeds in Australia is doubtless the reason why her fauna
contains no Vultures to act as scavengers, as they do in India
and Africa when those huge beasts fall a prey to the large
Carnivora. One typical Eagle and one equally typical Osprcy
play their accustomed parts in Australia, as do also the two or
three species of true Falcons. Of Buzzards she has but one ;
but Kites and Harriers abound, as might be expected, in a
country where reptiles are abundant, and which is visited at
irregular periods by caterpillars to such an extent that the
entire face of the country would be ravaged and rendered a
desert were it not for these useful birds. Species of the
Goshawk and Sparrowhawk type too are not wanting, to keep
within bounds the smafier Mammalia and birds. Of the
nocturnal Rapaces, the members of the genus Strix play the
most important part ; of these there are four very well-defined
species which, in their structure and in the character of their
plumage, assimilate most closely with the Strix javanica of
India and the Strix Jlammea of Europe. These true nocturnes
prey to a great extent upon the numerous species of small
rodents which literally swarm in some parts of the country ;
while the huge yellow-eyed Owls (forming the genus Hiera-
coglaiix) of the brushes feed upon birds, youthful Koalas, the
night-loving Phalangistas, and Bandicoots.

O BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Family FALCONID^.
Genus A QUI LA, Briss.
Sp. 1. AQUILA AUDAX.

Wedge-tailed Eagle.

Mountain Eagle of New South Wales, Collins, New South Wales, vol. ii.

pi. in p. 288.
Vultur audax, Lath. lud. Orn., supp. p. 2.
Falco fucosus, Cuv. Regn. Anim., 1st edit. pi. 3. f. 1.
Aquila fucosa, Cuv. Regn. Anim., 2nd edit. pi. 3. f. 1.
albirostris, Vieill. 2nde edit, du Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat., torn. i.

p. 229.

audax, Gray, Ann. Nat. Hist., vol. xi. p. 189.

cuneicaudata, Brehm, Isis, 1845, p. 356.

{Uroaetus) audax, Kaup, Classif. der Saug. und Vog., p. 12.

Wol-dja, Aborigines of the mountain and lowland districts of Western

Australia (Gilbert).
Eagle Hawk, Colonists of New South Wales.

Aquila facosa, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. i. pi. 1.

This noble bird is so universally spread over the southern
portion of Australia, that it is quite unnecessary for me to
enter more minutely into detail respecting the extent of its
range, than to say that it is equally distributed over the
whole of the country from Swan River on the west to
Moreton Bay on the east ; it is also as numerous in Tasmania
and on all the larger islands in Bass's Straits, being of course
more plentiful in such districts as are suited to its habits, and
where the character of the country is congenial to the animals
upon w^hich it subsists. I have not yet seen it, in any collec-
tion, either from the northern portion of Australia or any other
country. In all probability it will hereafter be found that its
range extends over corresponding latitudes in the southern hemi-
sphere to those over which the Golden Eagle {Aquila chrysaetos)
does in the northern : the two birds are, in fact, beautiful ana-

RAPTORES. 9

logues of each other in their respective habitats, and doubtless
perform similar offices in the great scheme of creation.

Since the above passage was written, Mr. Gilbert has
observed the bird on the Cobourg Peninsula; he did not,
however, obtain a specimen ; but the fact of its having
been seen there by so careful an observer proves that its
range extends to the extreme northern portion of the country ;
still I believe that it becomes more and more scarce as we
advance northwards from the south coast.

All that has been said by previous writers respecting the
courage, power, and rapacity of the Golden Eagle applies
with equal force to the Aqiiila audax : in size they are also
nearly alike ; but the lengthened and wedge-shaped form of
its tail gives to the Australian bird a far more pleasing and
elegant contour.

I find by my notes that one of those I killed weighed nine
pounds, and measured six feet eight inches from tip to tip of
the opposite pinions ; but far larger individuals than this have,
I should say, come under my notice. The natural disposition
of the Wedge-tailed Eagle leads it to frequent the interior
portion of the country rather than the shores or the neighbour-
hood of the sea. It preys indiscriminately on all the smaller
species of Kangaroo which tenant the plains and the open
crowns of the hills, and whose retreats, from the wonderful
acuteness of its vision, it descries while soaring and performing
those graceful evolutions and circles in the air so frequently
seen by the residents of the countries it inhabits : neither is
the noble Bustard, whose weight is twice that of its enemy,
and who finds a more secure asylum on the extensive plains
of the interior than most animals, safe from its attacks ; its
tremendous stoop and powerful grasp, in fact, carry inevitable
destruction to its victim, be it ever so large and formidable.
The breeders of sheep find in this bird an enemy which com-
mits extensive ravages among their lambs ; and consequently
in its turn it is persecuted unrelentingly by the shepherds of

10 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

the stock-owners, who employ every artifice in their power to
effect its extirpation ; and in Tasmania considerable rewards
are offered for the accomplishment of the same end. The
tracts of untrodden ground and the vastness of the impene-
trable forests will, however, for a long series of years to come
afford it an asylum, secure from the inroads of the destroying
hand of man ; still, with every one waging war upon it, its
numbers must necessarily be considerably diminished. For
the sake of the refuse thrown away by the Kangaroo-hunters
it will often follow them for many miles, and even for days
together. I clearly ascertained that, although it mostly feeds
upon living prey, it does not refuse to devour carrion or ani-
mals almost in a state of putridity. During one of my jour-
neys into the interior to the northward of the Liverpool Plains,
I saw no less than thirty or forty assembled together around
the carcase of a dead bullock, some gorged to the full, perched
upon the neighbouring trees, the rest still in the enjoyment of
the feast.

Those nests that I had opportunities of observing were
placed on the most inaccessible trees, and were of a very large
size, nearly flat, and built of sticks and boughs. Although,
during the months of August and September, I repeatedly
shot the birds from their eyrie, in which there were eggs, I
was quite unable to obtain them — no one but the aborigines
(of which none remain in Tasmania) being capable of ascending
such trees, many of which rise to more than a hundred feet
before giving off a branch. But dming the year 1864 a
fine egg was presented to me by George French Angas, Esq. ;
and my son Charles, now engaged upon a geological survey
of Tasmania, informs me that he has obtained others on that
island. The egg is very similar in form and size to those of
the Golden Eagle of Europe. It is clouded with large blotches
of pale purple, and small specks and dashes of yellowish
umber-brown on a stone-coloured ground, and is three inches
in length by two and a half in breadth.

RAPTORES. 11

The adults have the head, throat, and all the upper and
under surface blackish brown, stained on the edges and extre-
mities of many of the feathers, particularly the wing- and upper
tail-coverts, with pale brown ; back and sides of the neck rusty
red ; irides hazel ; cere and space round the eye yellowish
white ; bill yellowish horn-colour, passing into black at the
tip ; feet light yellow.

The young have the head and back of the neck deep fawn-
colom', striated with lighter ; all the feathers of the upper
surface largely tipped and stained with fawn and rusty red ;
tail indistinctly barred near the extremity ; throat and breast
blackish brown, each feather largely tipped with rufous ; the
abdomen blackish brown.

Modern systematists consider that this bird was first
characterized by Latham under the specific appellation of
audax ; I have therefore retained that name in lieu oifiicosa,
by which the bu'd has hitherto been known.

Genus HIERAETUS, Kaup.

Sp. 2. HIERAETUS MORPHNOIDES.

Little Eagle.

Aquila morphndides, Gould, in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part viii. p. 161.
Butaetus morphndides, Blyth, Journ. of Asiat. Soc. Beng., vol. xiv.

p. 546.
Hieraetus morphndides, Kaup, Classif. der Saug. und Vog.

Aquila morphnoides, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. i. pL 2.

Since my discovery of this species on the Upper Hunter, iu
1839, but few examples have been obtained, and it is still an
exceedingly rare bird in the collections of Europe. My ori-
ginal specimen is now at Philadelphia, while, in England, a
second is in the possession of T. C. Eyton, Esq., and I believe
a third is comprised in the fine series of Raptorial Birds formed

12 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

by J. H. Giirney, Esq., in the Museum at Norwicli. At
present no example is to be found in tlie National Collection.
Captain Sturt obtained it at the Depot in South Australia ;
and Mr. White, of the Reed Beds, near Adelaide, has sent
me a drawing of another obtained by him in the same country.

The Little Australian Eagle, which is about the size of the
Common and Rough-legged Buzzards {Btiteo vulgaris and
Archibuteo lagopui), forms a beautiful representative of the
Hieraetus pennafiis of Europe, its specific distinctions from
which are its larger size, the total absence of the white mark
on the shoulder, and the cere and feet being of a lead-colour
instead of yellowish-olive.

The specimen obtained by myself was shot at Yarrundi on
the river Hunter. I was led to the discovery of the bird by
finding its nest, containing a single egg, upon which it had
been sitting for some time. I regret to add that, although I
several times visited the place after killing the bird, all my
attempts at procuring the other sex were entirely unsuccessful.
The nest was of a large size, and was placed close to the bole,
about one-fourth of the height from the top, of one of the
highest gum-trees ; the egg was bluish white with very faint
traces of brown blotchings, two inches and two lines long by
one inch and nine lines broad.

Face, crown of the head, and throat blackish brown, tinged
with rufous, giving it a striated appearance, and bounded in
front above the nostrils with whitish ; feathers at the back of
the head, which are lengthened into a short occipital crest,
back of the head, back, and sides of the neck, all the under
surface, thighs, and under tail-coverts rufous, all but the thighs
and under tail-coverts with a stripe of black down the centre
of each feather ; back, rump, and wings brown, the centre of
the wing lighter ; primaries brownish black, becoming darker
at the tip, and barred throughout with greyish buff, which is
conspicuous on the under surface, but scarcely perceptible on
the upper, except at the base of the inner webs ; under surface

RAPTORES. IS

of the wing mottled with reddish brown and black ; tail mot-
tled greyish brown, crossed by seven or eight distinct bars of
blackish brown, the tips being Hghter ; cere and bill lead-
colour, passing into black at the tip ; eye reddish hazel, sm--
rounded by a blackish -brown eyelash ; feet lead-colour.

Total length 21 J in. ; bill If ; wing 15 ; tail 9^; tarsi 2f .

Very recently I have received a second specimen of the egg
of this species, presented to me by Mr. S. White of Adelaide,
who, I believe, obtained it in the interior of South Australia,
and which, although very similar to the one above described,
differs in being more extensively blotched with yellowish
brown and pale purple, the latter hue appearing as if beneath
the surface of the shell.

Genus POLIOAETUS, Kaup.
Sp. 3. POLIOAETUS LEUCOGASTER.

White-bellied Sea-eagle.

Falco leucogaster, Lath. Ind. Orn., vol. i. p. 13.

WMte-bellied Eagle, Lath. Gen. Syu., vol. i. p. 33.

Haliaetus leucogaster, Gould, Syn. Birds of Australia, part iii.

sphenurus, Gould, in Proc. of Zool. Soc, 1837, part v. p. 138,

young.
[Pontoaetus] leucogaster, Kaup, Classif. der Saug. und Vog.,

p. 123.
Cuncuma leucogaster, List of Birds in Brit. Mus. Coll., part i. 2ud edit.

p. 24.

Ichthyiaetus leucogaster, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. i.
pL3.

I have little doubt that this noble species of Sea-eagle will
be found to extend its range over all those portions of the
Australian continent that present situations suitable to its
peculiar habits. It has been observed along the whole southern
coast, from Moreton Bay on the east to Swan River on the

14 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

west, including Tasmania and all the small islands in Bass's
Straits. It has neither the boldness nor the courage of the
Wedge-tailed Eagle, Aquila midax, whose quarry is frequently
the Kangaroo and the Bustard ; and although, at first sight,
its appearance would warrant the supposition that it pursues
the same means for obtaining living prey as the true Pandion,
by the act of submersion, yet I can affirm that this is not the
case, and that it never plunges beneath the surface of the
water, but depends almost entirely for its subsistence upon
the dead Cetacea, fish, etc., that may be thrown up by the
sea and left on the shore by the receding waves ; to which,
in all probability, are added living mollusks and other lower
marine animals : its peculiar province is consequently the sea-
shore ; and it especially delights to take up its abode on the
borders of small bays and inlets of the sea, and rivers as high
as they are influenced by the tide ; nevertheless it is to be
met with, though more rarely, on the borders of lakes and
inland streams, but never in the forests or sterile plains of
the interior. As it is almost invariably seen in pairs, it
would appear to be permanently mated ; each pair inhabiting
a particular bay or inlet, to the exclusion of others of the
same species. Unless disturbed or harassed, the Wliite-
beUied Sea-eagle does not shun the abode of man, but
becomes fearless and familiar. Among the numerous places
in which I observed it in 1839 was the Cove of Sydney,
where one or two were daily seen performing their aerial
gyrations above the shipping and over the tops of the
houses : if I mistake not, they were the same pair of birds
that found a safe retreat in Elizabeth Bay, skirting the
property of Alexander Macleay, Esq., where they might be
frequently seen perched on the bare limb of a tree by the
water's edge, forming an interesting and ornamental addition
to the scene. In Tasmania it is especially abundant in
D'Entrecasteaux Channel, and along the banks of the Der-
went and the Tamar ; and there was scarcely one of the little

RAPTORES. 15

islets in Bass's Straits but was inhabited by a pair of these
birds, which, in these cases, subsisted in a great measure on
the Petrels and Penguins which resort there in great numbers
to breed and which are very easily captured.

With regard to the nidification of the White-bellied
Sea-eagle, I could not fail to remark how readily the birds
accommodate themselves to the different circumstances in
which they are placed ; for while on the mainland they
invariably construct their large flat nest on a fork of the most
lofty trees, on the islands, where not a tree is to be found, it
is placed on the flat surface of a large stone, the materials of
which it is formed being twigs and branches of the Barilla, a
low shrub which is there plentiful. While traversing the
woods in Recherche Bay, I observed a nest of this species
near the top of a noble stringy-bark tree {Eucah/ptus), the
bole of which measured forty-one feet round, and was certainly
upwards of 200 feet high ; this had probably been the site of
a nest for many years, being secure even from the attacks of
the natives, expert as they were at climbing. On a small
island, of about forty acres in extent, opposite the settlement
of Flinders, I shot a fully fledged young bird, which was
perched upon the cone of a rock ; and I then, for the first time,
discovered my error in characterizing, in the ' Proceedings of
the Zoological Society of London,' and in my * Synopsis,' the
bird in this state as a different species, under the name of
Haliaetus sphenunts, an error which I take this opportunity
to correct. The eggs are almost invariably two in number,
of a dull white, faintly stained with reddish brown, two inches
and nine lines long, by two inches and three lines broad.

This Sea-Eagle may be frequently seen floating about
in the air above its hunting-ground, in circles, with the
tips of its motionless wings tiu-ned upwards; the great
breadth and roundness of the pinions, and the shortness of
the neck and tail, giving it no unapt resemblance to a large
butterfly.

16 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

The sexes are alike in plumage, but the female is con-
siderably larger than her mate.

Adults have the head, neck, all the under surface, and
the terminal third of the tail-feathers white; primaries and
base of the tail blackish brown, the remainder of the plumage
grey ; irides dark brown ; bill bluish horn-colour, with the
tip black; cere, lores, and horny space over the eye bluish
lead- colour slightly tinged with green ; legs and feet yellowish
white ; nails black.

The young have the head, back of the neck, and throat
light buff; all the upper surface and wings light chocolate-
brown, each feather tipped with buffy white ; tail light buffy
white at the base, passing into deep brown towards the tip,
which is white ; chest brown, each feather margined with
buff; abdomen mingled buff and brown, the latter colour
occupying the margins of the feathers ; under tail-coverts,
and the under surface of the tail-feathers white.

Since the above was written, I have received an example
from the north coast; and I have no doubt that its range
extends over the islands of the eastern archipelago and the
peninsula of India generally ; indeed Mr. Jerdon states that
it inhabits the sea-shores of the latter country, and occasionally
ascends its larger rivers.

Whether as a result of the progress of civilization and the
destructive hand of man this fine bird has been extirpated
from the precincts of the great city of Sydney and similarly
populous places is for the present race of Australians to say ;
in all probability, this to a certain extent has been the case ;
still the bird will hold its own in other parts of the colony for
a long time to come ; yet (and it is pitiable to comtemplate
such a contingency) a period will doubtless arrive when the
bays and inlets of the southern coast of Australia will no
longer be adorned by the presence of this elegant species.

An opinion has been expressed that the enormous nests
observed by Captains Cook and Flinders had been constructed

RAPTORES. 17

by some species of I)inornis\ but it is quite evident from
the account given by Flinders that they must have been
formed by a bird of the Raptorial order, and I have no doubt
that they were the nests of the present bird.

" Near Point Possession," says Plinders, " were found two
nests of extraordinary magnitude. They were built upon the
ground, from which they rose above two feet ; and were of
vast circumference and great interior capacity, the branches of
trees and other matter, of which each nest was composed,
being enough to fill a small cart. Captain Cook found one
of these enormous nests upon Eagle Island, on the east
coast." Subsequently Flinders found another of these nests,
in which were " several masses resembling those which contain
the hair and bones of mice, and are disgorged by the Owls
after the flesh is digested. These masses were larger, and
consisted of the hair of seals and of land animals, of the scaly
feathers of Penguins, and the bones of birds and small
quadrupeds." — Flinders s Voyage, vol. i. pp. 64 and 81.

Genus HALIASTUR, Selhy.

Sp. 4. HALIASTUR LEUCOSTERNUS, Gould.

White-breasted Sea-Eagle.

White-breasted Rufous Eagle, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. i. p. 218.

Haliceetus lecosternus, Gould, in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part v. p. 138.

Falco ponticerianus, Shaw, Nat. Misc., pi. 389.

Haliaetus [Ictinoaetus) leucosternon, Kaup, Isis, 1847, p. 276.

Girrenera, Aborigines of New South Wales.

Me-ne-u-roo, Aborigines of the Cobourg Peninsula.

Haliastui' leucostermis, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. i. pi. iv.

In size and in the general markings of its plumage, this
beautiful species is closely allied to the Haliastur i7itermedius
of Java, and the H. Indus of India ; but the total absence of
the coloured stripe doAvn the centre of the wdiite feathers

c

18 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

whicli clothe the head, neck, and breast of the AustraUan bird,
at once distinguishes it from its Indian and Javan allies.

A more beautiful instance of analogy than that which these
three birds offer to our notice can scarcely be imagined, and I
feel assured that in their habits they are equally similar.

The White-breasted Sea Eagle is very common on the
northern and eastern portions of Australia, where it takes up
its abode in the most secluded and retired parts of bays and
inlets of the sea. Upon one occasion only did I meet with
it within the colony of New South Wales, but I have several
times received specimens from Moreton Bay : the individual
alluded to above was observed soaring over the brushes of
the Lower Hunter. The chief food of this species is fish
and crustaceans, which it captures either by plunging down or
by dexterously throwing out its foot while flying close to the
water, such fish as swim near the surface being of course
the only ones that become a prey to it : sometimes the
captured fish is borne off to the bird's favourite perch, which
is generally a branch overhanging the water, while at others,
particularly if the bird be disturbed, it is borne aloft in
circles over the head of the intruder and devoured while the
bird is on the wing, with apparent ease. Its flight is slow
and heavy near the ground, but at a considerable elevation it
is easy and buoyant.

In speaking of H. Indus, Colonel Sykes says, " It is seen
constantly passing up and down rivers at a considerable
height, but prepared to fall at an instant on its prey ; usually
it seizes when on the wing, but occasionally dips entirely
under water, appearing to rise again with difficulty ; the
stomach of many specimens examined all contained fish and
flesh, except one, in which a crab was found."

"This species," says Gilbert in his notes from Port Es-
sington, "is pretty generally spread throughout the penin-
sula and the neighbouring islands, and may be said to be
tolerably abundant. It breeds from the beginning of July to

IIAPTORES. 19

the end of August. I succeeded in finding two nests, each of
which contained two eggs ; but I am told that three are
sometimes found. The nest is formed of sticks, with fine
twigs or coarse grass as a lining ; it is about two feet in
diameter, and built in a strong fork of the dead part of a
tree : both of those I found were about thirty feet from the
ground and about two hundred yards from the beach. The
eggs, which are two inches and two lines in length by one
inch and eight lines in breadth, are of a dirty white, having
the surface spread over with numerous hair-like streaks and
very minute dots of reddish brown, the former prevailing and
assuming the form of hieroglyphics — these singular markings
being most numerous at one end, sometimes at the larger, at
others at the smaller, the difference even occurring in the two
eggs of the same nest."

The sexes are alike in colour ; the young, on the other
hand, differ considerably from the adult, being much darker,
and, like the young of H. Indus, having the lower parts
streaked and the upper spotted with fulvous ; they have also
darker-coloured eyes.

Head, neck, chest, and upper part of the abdomen snow-
white ; back, wings, lower part of the abdomen, thighs, upper
and under tail-coverts rich chestnut-red ; first six primaries
chestnut at ^ the base and black at the tip ; tail-feathers
chestnut-red on their upper surface, lighter beneath, the
eight central feathers tipped with greyish white ; irides light
reddish yellow ; cere pale yellowish white ; orbits smoke-
grey ; upper mandible light ash-grey at the base, passing
into sienna-yellow, and terminating at the tip in light horn-
colour ; under mandible smoke-grey ; tarsi cream-yellow,
much brighter on all the large scales of the tarsi and toes.

According to Mr. Gurney, this species has also been
obtained by Mr. Wallace in Macassar, Batchian, Ternate,
Timor, and Moro.

c 2

20 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Sp. 5. HALIASTUR? SPHENURUS.

Whistling Eagle.

Milvus sphenurus, Vieill. 2nde edit, du Nouv. Diet. d^Hist. Nat.,

torn. XX. p. 564.
Haliaetits canorus, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 187.
Milvus sphenurus, Swains. Class, of Birds, vol. ii. p. 211.
Haliaetus {Ictinoaetus) canorus, Kaup, Isis, 1847, p. 277.
Moru and Wirwin, Aborigines of New South Wales.
En-na-jook, Aborigines of the Cobourg Peninsula.
Jan-doo, Aborigines of the lowland districts of Western Australia.
Whistling Hawk, Colonists of New South Wales.
Little Swamp-Eagle, Colonists of Western Australia.

Haliastur sphenurus, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. i. pi. 5.

This species has been observed in every portion of Aus-
tralia yet visited by Europeans. I did not meet with it in
Tasmania ; I am consequently led to believe that it rarely if
ever visits that island. In New South Wales it is quite as
numerous in summer as it is in winter ; not that it is to be
observed in the same locality at all times, the greater or less
abundance of its favourite food inducing it to wander from
one district to another, wherever the greatest supply is to be
procured. It never attacks animals of a large size ; but preys
upon carrion, small and feeble quadrupeds, birds, lizards, fish,
and the larvae of insects ; and while on the one hand it is the
pest of the poultry-yard, on the other no species of the
FalconidfB effects more good during the fearful visitations of
the caterpillar, a scourge of no infrequent occurrence in
Australia. So partial, in fact, is the Whistling Eagle to
this kind of food that the appearance of one is the certain
prelude to the appearance of the other. It is generally
to be seen in pairs, inhabiting alike the brtishes near the
coast and the forests of the interior of the country. It is in-
cessantly hovering over the harbours and sides of rivers and
lagoons, for any floating animal substance that may present

RAPTORES. 21

itself on the surface of the water or be cast on the banks ;
and when I visited the colony in 1839, it was nowhere more
common or more generally to be seen than over the harbour
of Port Jackson. Its flight is buoyant and easy, and it fre-
quently soars to a great altitude, uttering at the same time a
shrill whistling cry, from which circumstance it has obtained
from the colonists the name of the Whistling Hawk.

The nest, which is constructed of sticks and fibrous roots,
is frequently built on the topmost branches of the lofty Casu-
arincd growing by the sides of creeks and rivers. The eggs,
which are laid during the months of November and December,
are usually two in number, but sometimes only one ; they are
two inches and three lines long by one inch and nine lines
broad, and are of a bluish white slightly tinged with green,
the few brown markings with which they are varied being very
obscure and appearing as if beneath the surface of the shell.
I once found a nest of this species in the side of which had
been constructed that of the beautiful little Finch called Ama-
dina Lathami, and both birds sitting on their respective eggs
close beside each other ; and both would doubtless have reared
their progenies had I not robbed the nests of their contents to
enrich my collection.

The Whistling Eagle, which is allied to the Kites, presents
the usual difference in the size of the sexes, but in respect
to colour no variation is observable ; the plumage of the young,
on the contrary, presents a striking contrast to that of the
adult, being striated, and rendering the bird far handsomer
during the first autumn of its existence.

Head, neck, and all the under surface light sandy brown, each
feather margined with a darker colour ; feathers of the back and
wings brown, margined with greyish white ; primaries blackish
brown ; tail greyish brown, rather long, and rounded at the
end ; cere and bill brownish white, gradually becoming darker
towards the tip ; legs bluish white ; irides hazel.

Common also in New Caledonia (Gurney).

22 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Genus PANDION.

Sp. 6. PANDION LEUCOCEPHALUS, Gould.
White-headed Osprey.

Pandion leucocephalus, Gould, in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part v. p. 138.

Gouldii, Kaup, Isis, 1847, p. 270. — List of Birds in Brit. Mus.

Coll., part i. 2nd edit. p. 22.
Yoon-door-doo, Aborigines of the lowland districts of Western Australia.
Joor-joot, Aborigines of Port Essington.
Little Fish-Hawk, Colonists of New South Wales.
Fish-Hawk, Colonists of Swan River.

Pandion leucocephalus, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. i. pi. 6.

The White-headed Osprey, though not an abundant species,
is generally diffused over every portion of Australia suited to
its habits ; I myself shot it in Recherche Bay, at the extreme
south of Tasmania; and Gilbert found it breeding both at
Swan River on the western, and at Port Essington on the
northern shore of Australia. Like its near allies of Europe
and America {Pandion haliceetus and P. caroUnensis), of which
it is a beautiful representative in the southern hemisphere, it
takes up its abode on the borders of rivers, lakes, inlets of the
sea, and the small islands lying off the coast. Its food con-
sists entirely of living fish, which it procures precisely after
the manner of the other members of the genus, by plunging
down upon its victim from a considerable height in the air
with so true an aim as rarely to miss its object, although an
immersion to a great depth is sometimes necessary to effect
its accomplishment. Its prey when secured is borne off to its
usual resting-place and devoiu-ed at leisure. Wilson's elegant
description of the habits and manners of the American bird
is in fact equally descriptive of those of the present species.
Independently of its white head, this species differs from its
near allies in the much lighter colouring of the tarsi, which
are yellowish white slightly tinged with grey.

RAPTORES. 23

The nest being of great size is a very conspicuous object ; it
is composed of sticks varying from the thickness of a linger to
that of the wrist, and lined with the softer kinds of sea- weed.
It is usually placed on the summit of a rock, but is sometimes
constructed on the top of a large Eucalijptiis, always in the
vicinity of water. A nest observed by Gilbert in Rottnest
Island measured fifteen feet in circumference. The eggs
are two in number, of a yellowish white, boldly spotted and
blotched with deep rich reddish brown, which colour in some
specimens is so dark as to be nearly black ; other specimens,
again, are clouded with large blotches of purple, which appear
as if beneath the surface of the shell. The medium length of
the eggs is two inches and five lines, and the breadth one inch
and nine lines.

When near the water, its flight is heavy and flapping ; but
when soaring aloft at a great altitude, its actions are the most
easy and graceful imaginable ; at one moment it appears mo-
tionless, and at another performs a series of beautiful curves
and circles, apparently for mere enjoyment ; for from the great
height at which they are executed it is hardly to be conceived
that the bird can be watching the motions of its finny prey in
the waters beneath. The velocity of the stoop made by these
aquatic Eagles when in the act of capturing a fish is indeed
truly wonderful ; and equally surprising is the unerring aim
and rapidity with which they clutch their victims.

Crown of the head, back of the neck, throat, abdomen,
thighs, and under tail-coverts white ; feathers of the chest
mottled with brown, and with a dark brown mark down the
centre ; ear-coverts and sides of the neck dark brown ; back,
wings, and tail clove-brown, each feather of the back with a
narrow circle of white at its extremity ; primaries black ; bill
black ; cere bluish lead-colour ; feet pale bluish white ; irides
primrose-yellow in some, bright orange in others.

Mr. Gurney thinks this bird, P. haliaefiis, and F. caroli-
nensis may be one and the same species.

^4 BIRDS OP AUSTRALIA.

Genus FALCO.

The members of the genus Fcdco are perhaps more uni-
versally dispersed over the face of the globe than any other
portion of the family of birds to which they belong ; and I
question whether the law of representation is in any case
more clearly shown than by the numerous species of the pre-
sent form.

Sp. 7. FALCO HYPOLEUCUS, Gould.

Grey Falcon.

Falco hypoleucus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part viii. p. 162.
Boorh-ga, Aborigines of Moore's lliver in Western AustraUa.

Falco hypoleucus, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ii. pi. 7.

" Of this rare and beautiful Falcon I have seen only four
examples, three of which are in my own collection, and the
fourth in that of the Earl of Derby*. The specimen from which
my description in the ' Proceedings of the Zoological Society '
was taken was presented to Mr. Gilbert by Mr. L. Burgess, who
stated that he had killed it over the mountains, about sixty
miles from Swan River ; subsequently it was obtained by Mr.
Gilbert himself in the vicinity of Moore's River in Western
Australia ; and my friend Captain Sturt had the good fortune
to secure a male and a female dming his late adventurous
journey into the interior of South Australia. ' They wxre
shot at the Depot in May 1845 ; they had been soaring very
high, but at length descended to the trees on the creek, and
coming within range were shot."

" The acquisition of the Falco hypoleucus is highly interest-
ing, as adding another species to the true or typical Falcons,

* The last-mentioned specimen is now in tlie Derby Museum at Liver-
pool, to which town his Lordship bequeathed his fine collection.

IIAPTORES. 25

and as affording another proof of the beautiful analogies which
exist between certain groups of the southern and northern
hemispheres, — this bird being as clearly a representative of the
Jerfalcon of Europe as the ¥alco melanoge^iifs is of the Pere-
grine, and the Falco front atus oi Wiq Hobby.

" The adult has the whole of the upper and under surface
and wings grey, with a narrow line of black down the centre
of each feather ; a narrow ring of black nearly surrounding
the eyes ; primaries brownish black, which colour assumes a
pectinated form on a mottled-grey ground on the inner webs
of those feathers ; tail-coverts grey, barred with brownish
grey; tail dark brownish grey, crossed with bars of dark brown;
irides dark brown ; cere, orbits, gape, base of the bill, legs and
feet brilliant orange-yellow, the yellow becoming paler from
the base of the bill until it me6ts the black of the tips.

"Total length of female, 17 inches; bill, Ij; wing, 12^;
tail, 7 1 ; tarsi. If.

" The young birds have the upper surface mottled brown
and grey, and the under surface nearly white, and more
strongly marked with black than in the adult." — Birds of
Australia, fob, vol. i. p. at pi. 7.

Although a quarter of a century has elapsed since I first had
the pleasure of characterizing this species by giving the above
name to a young female then in my possession, little or no
additional information has been obtained respecting the extent
of the range of the bird, and still less about its habits and
economy. In the folio edition of the ' Birds of Australia ' I
stated that four specimens were all that were then known ; in
the lengthened interval which has since elapsed, about the same
number, and not more, have come under my notice ; it nuist
therefore still be considered as one of the rarities of the avi-
fauna of Australia. When comparing this species with the
Falcons of the northern hemisphere, F. candicans, F. islandicus,
and F. (jyrfalco, I have omitted to mention that, however iden-
tically typical in form it may be, and however similar in struc-

26 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

ture, to those noble birds, it is far more feeble and less able to
cope with large-sized prey than its representatives of the snowy
and glacial regions. In point of courage it will probably prove
to be entitled to the first rank among the Australian Falco-
nidce, and may hereafter be found to be readily brought under
command and used in falconry, should that interesting sport
be taken up by the Australian offshoots from the inhabitants
of Britain with the zeal with which it was followed by their
ancestors. They certainly have the means for its pursuit;
for no better birds than the present and the following species
could be found for starting from the hand of " faire ladye."

A knowledge of the place of breeding and of the nest and
eggs of this species is a matter of great interest to me, since
the occurrence of a bird of this form in Australia would seem
to indicate that there are yet some undiscovered high rocky
lands in the interior of the country — localities which such birds
principally affect.

Sp. 8. FALCO MELANOGENYS, Gould.

Black-cheeked Falcon.

Falco melanogenys, Gould, in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part v. p. 139.

macropus, Swains. Anim. in Menag. p. 341.

Blue Hawk, Colonists of Western Australia.
Wolff a, Aborigines of New South Wales.

Gwet-ul-Bur, Aborigines of the mountain and lowland districts of
Western Australia.

Falco melanogenys, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. i. pi. 8.

The bold and rapacious habits of the F. melanogenys, which,
like the F. hi/poleucus, may be classed among the noble
Falcons, render it a favourite with the aborigines, who admire
it for its courage in attacking and conquering birds much
larger than itself.

What the Peregrine Falcon is to the continent of Europe

RAPTORES. 27

and England, the Falco minor is to South Africa, the F. pere-
grino'ides to the peninsula of India, and the Black-cheeked
Falcon to Australia. All these species are of the same
type ; but I agree with Prince Charles Lucien Bonaparte
and Professor Kaup in considering them to be distinct, and
representatives of each other in the respective countries they
inhabit. The Duck-Hawk of America (F. anatum), as its
trivial name implies, strikes down the Anas obsciira ; while the
Peregrine [F. peregrinui) of Europe indulges a like taste by
now and then taking a Mallard {Anas boschas); and Gilbert
states that he has seen the Australian bird carry off a ISyroca
australis — a species at least as heavy again as itself. To say,
therefore, that this bird could not be trained and brought into
use in the science of falconry would be to affirm what would
probably prove to be untrue were the experiment made. Let
the Australians, then, bestow some care upon this fine bird, and
not, as they are doing with the Emu and the Bustard, let it
be entirely eradicated from the fauna of the country. When I
visited the colony in 1839, it was universally dispersed over
the whole southern portion of Australia and Tasmania ; and
probably future research will discover that its range extends
over all parts of the continent. It gives preference to steep
rocky cliffs, and the sides of precipitous gullies, rather than to
fertile and woodland districts, but especially seeks such rocky
localities as are washed by the sea, or are in the neighbourhood
of inland lakes and rivers. In such situations it dwells in
pairs throughout the year, much after the manner of the
Peregrine. Its breeding-season is, of course, in the spring of
Australia — the autumn of Europe. Its nest is placed in
those parts of the rocks that are most precipitous and in-
accessible. The eggs are two in number ; their ground-colour
is buff"; but this is scarcely perceptible, from the predominance
of the blotching of deep reddish chestnut with which it is
marbled all over ; they are two inches and one line long, by
one inch and seven and a half lines broad.

28 BIRDS or AUSTRALIA.

The stomach is large and membranous ; and the food
consists of birds, principally of the Duck tribe.

The sexes present the usual difference in size, the male
being considerably smaller than the female.

The male has the head, cheeks, and back of the neck deep
brownish black ; the feathers of the upper surface, wings, and
tail alternately crossed with equal-sized bands of deep grey
and blackish brown ; outer edges of the primaries uniform
blackish brown, their inner webs obscurely barred with light
buff; throat and chest delicate fawn-colour, passing into
reddish grey on the abdomen ; tail-feathers ornamented with
oval-shaped spots of dark brown ; abdomen, flanks, under
surface of the wing, and under tail-coverts reddish grey,
crossed by numerous irregular bars of blackish brown ; bill
light bluish lead- colour at the tip, becoming much lighter at
the base ; cere, legs, and feet yellow ; claws black.

The female differs from the male in being larger in all her
proportions, and in having the throat and chest more richly
tinted with fulvous, which, colour also extends over the
abdomen, the feathers of which are not so strongly barred with
brown as in the male.

The young of the first year have the breast longitudinally
striped, instead of barred, as is the case with the young of the
Peregrine.

Sp. 9. FALCO SUBNIGER, G. JR. Gray.

Black Falcon.

Falco suhniger, Gray, in Ann. Nat. Hist. 1843, p. 371.
Falco [Hierofulco) subniger, Kaup, Isis, 1847, p. 76.

Falco suhniger, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. i. pi. 9.

During the long interval which has elapsed since I first
figured this bird in the folio edition of the ' Birds of Australia '
no additional information has been obtained respecting this
rare species of Falcon. Nothing is known of its habits, and

RAPTORES. 29

as yet I have only seen four examples, all of which were
killed in South Australia. It was observed by Captain Sturt
during his expedition into the interior of that country, and he
has favoured me with a note, in which he says, " This well-
shaped and rapid bird was killed at the Depot, where both
male and female were procured; but it was by no means
common, only two others having been seen,"

The occurrence of this Falcon in the interior of Australia
is an additional evidence of the probability of there being
mountainous districts in the unexplored portions of the
north-west. Mr. Gurney states that it is also found in
New Zealand.

The original specimen from which Mr. Gray took his
description is in the British Museum.

The entire plumage dark sooty brown, becoming paler on
the edges of the feathers of the upper surface ; chin whitish ;
irides dark brown; cere yellow; bill lead-colour; legs and
feet leaden yellow ; claws black.

Total length 22 inches ; bill 1 inch ; wings 16^ ; tarsi 2:^.

Ornithologists who may be desirous of becoming better
acquainted with the Falco suhniger will do well to consult the
figure in the folio edition of the ' Birds of Australia.'

Sp. 10. FALCO LUNULATUS, Lath

White-fronted Falcon.

Falco lunulatus, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xiii,

Sparvius lunulatus, Vieill. Nouv. Diet. d^Hist. Nat., tom.x. p. 324.

Falco longipennis, Swains. Anim. in Menag., p. 341.

frxjntatus, Gould, in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part v. p. 139.

[Hypotriorchis) frontatus, Kaup, Isis, 1847, p. 65.

Wow-oo, Aborigines of the Murray in Western Australia.
Little Falcon, Colonists of Western Australia.

Falco frontatus, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. i. pi. 10.

This, which is the smallest of the true Falcons found in Aus-

30 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

tralia, and which combines in its structure characters pertaining
to the Hobby and to the MerUn of Europe, is universally spread
over the southern portion of that country, Tasmania, and the
islands in Bass's Straits ; Gilbert also observed it on the
Cobourg Peninsula, but did not succeed in obtaining a speci-
men. As its long pointed wings clearly indicate, it possesses
great and rapid powers of flight ; and I have frequently been
amused by pairs of this bird following my course over the
plains for days together, in order to pounce upon the Quails
as they rose before me ; and had I wished to witness falconry
in perfection, I could not have had a better opportunity than
on these occasions.

The White-fronted Ealcon is a stationary species in all the
colonies I visited. 1 succeeded in finding several of its nests,
both in Tasmania and on the continent : they were all placed
near the tops of the most lofty and generally inaccessible trees,
and were rather large structures, being fully equal in size to
that of a Crow, slightly concave in form, outwardly built of
sticks, and lined with the inner bark of trees and other soft
materials : the eggs were either two or three in number, of a
light buff, blotched and marbled all over with dark buff, one
inch and ten lines long by one inch and four lines broad.

The stomach is rather muscular and capacious, and the
food consists of small birds and insects.

Forehead greyish white ; crown of the head, cheeks, ear-
coverts, and all the upper surface uniform dark bluish grey ;
internal webs of the primaries, except the tips, numerously
barred with oval-shaped markings of buff ; two centre tail-
feathers grey, transversely barred with obscure markings of
black ; the remainder of the feathers on each side alternately
barred with lines of dark grey and reddish chestnut ; throat
and chest white, tinged with buff, the feathers of the chest
marked down the centre with a stripe of brown ; the whole
of the under surface and thighs dull reddish orange ; irides
blackish brown ; bill bluish lead-colour, becoming black at the

UAPTORES. 31

tip ; cere, base of tlie upper mandible, legs, and feet yellow ;
claws black.

The sexes exhibit the usual difference in size, the female
being much the largest. The plumage of the young differs
from that of the adult in being more rusty and the markings
less defined, in the feathers of the wings and tail being mar-
gined with rufous, and in the whole of the under surface being
washed more deeply with rufous than the adult.

Genus HIERACIDEA.

Sp. 11. HIERACIDEA BERIGORA.

Brown Hawk.

Falco Berigora, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 184.
leracidea Berigora, Gould, Syn. Birds of Austraha, part iii.
Berigora, Aborigines of New South Wales.
Qrange-speckled Hawk of the Colonists.
Brown Hawk, Colonists of Tasmania.

leracidea Berigora, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. i. pi. 11.

This species is universally distributed over New South
Wales and Tasmania, and is represented in Western and North-
western Australia by a nearly allied species, to which I have
given the name of H. occidentalis. In its disposition it is neither
so bold nor so daring as the typical Ealcons, but resembles in
many of its habits and actions the Kestrels. Although it some-
times captures and preys upon birds and small quadrupeds,
its principal food consists of carrion, reptiles, and insects : the
crops of several that I dissected were literally crammed with
the latter kind of food. It is generally met with in pairs ; but
at those seasons when hordes of caterpillars infest the newly
sprung herbage it congregates in flocks of many hundreds — a
fact I myseff witnessed during the spring of 1840, when the
downs near Yarrundi, on the Upper Hunter, were infested in

32 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

this way to such an extent as to spread destruction throughout
the entire district. By the settlers this bird is considered one
of the pests of the country ; but it was clear to me that what-
ever injury it may inflict by now and then pilfering the newly
hatched chickens from the poultry-yard is amply compensated
for by the havoc it commits among the countless myriads of
the destructive caterpillar. To give an idea of the numbers
of this bird to be met with at one time, I may state that I
have frequently seen from ten to forty on a single tree, so
sluggish and indisposed to fly that any number of specimens
might have been secured.

So much difference occurs in the plumage of the H. Berigora
that the changes it undergoes require to be closely studied.
Professor Kaup considers it and the next species to be iden-
tical ; but having had numerous opportunities of observing
both birds in a state of nature, I regard them as distinct ;
and in confirmation of this opinion I may state that the
present bird, which is from the eastern coast, is always the
largest, has the cere blue-grey, and the plumage of the adult
light brown, sparingly blotched with white on the breast ;
while the H. occidenialis, of the western coast, is a more
delicately formed bird, has the cere yellow and the breast
white, with faint lines of brown down the centre of each
feather.

The sexes are nearly alike in colour, but the female is the
largest in size. The Hieracidea Berigora breeds during the
months of October and November.

The nest, which is placed on the highest branches of lofty
Eucalypti, is similar in size to that of a Crow, is composed
outwardly of sticks, and lined with strips of stringy bark,
leaves, &c. ; the eggs, which are very beautiful, and M'hich are
two and sometimes three in number, vary so much in colour
that they are seldom found alike, even in the same nest ; they
are also longer or of a more oval shape than those of the gene-
rality of Falcons ; the prevaiHng colour is, the ground bufiy

RAPTORES. 33

white, covered nearly all over with reddish brown ; in some spe-
cimens an entire wash of this colour extends over nearly half
the egg, while others are blotched or freckled with it in small
patches over the surface generally : their medium length is
two inches and two lines, and breadth one inch and six lines.

Crown of the head ferruginous brown, with a fine black
line down the centre of each feather ; a streak of black from
the base of the lower mandible down each side of the cheek ;
ear-coverts brown ; throat, chest, centre of the abdomen, and
under tail-coverts pale buff, with a fine line of brown down
each side of the shaft of every feather ; flanks ferruginous, each
feather crossed with spots of buffy white; thighs dark brown,
crossed like the flanks, but with redder spots ; centre of the
back reddish brown ; scapularies and wing-coverts brown,
crossed with conspicuous bars and spots of ferruginous ; tail
brown, crossed with ferruginous bars, and tipped with light
brown ; primaries blackish brown, margined on their inner
webs with large oval-shaped spots of buff ; bill light lead-colour,
passing into black at the tip ; cere and orbits pale bluish lead-
colour ; irides dark brown ; feet light lead-colour.

During the first autumn the dark markings are of a much
deeper hue, and the lighter parts more tinged with yellow, than
in the adult state, when the upper surface becomes of a uni-
form brown, and the white of the under surface tinged with
yellow.

Sp. 12. HIERACIDEA OCCIDENTALIS, Gould.

Western Brown Hawk.

leracidea occidentalis, Gould, in Proc. of Zool. Soc, June 25, 1844.
Kar-gijiie, Aborigines of the lowland and mountain districts of Western
Australia.

leracidea occidentalis, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. i. pi. 12.

The Ilieracidea occidentalis, which is very generally spread
over Western and Southern Australia, loves to dwell in

D

34 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

swampy places, where it may at all times find an abundant
supply of lizards, frogs, and newts, to which are added
young birds, insects, cater j)illars, and carrion. As its small
legs, compact body, and lengthened pointed wings would
indicate, it flies with ease, making long sweeps and beautiful
curves, which are often performed near the ground. The
smaller size of this bird renders it a somewhat less formidable
enemy to the denizens of the farm-yard than the Brown
Hawk ; still considerable vigilance on the part of the stock-
keepers is necessary to check its depredations among the
broods of poultry, ducks, &c.

The months of September and October constitute the breed-
ing season ; and the nest, which is formed of dried sticks, is
usually built in thickly foliaged trees, sometimes near the
ground, but more frequently on the topmost branches of the
highest Eucalypti. The eggs, which are two, three, or four in
number, differ very much in their markings, rich brown per-
vading the surface in some more than others : those in my col-
lection measure two inches long by one and a half broad. Mr.
White, of the Reed Beds, near Adelaide, kindly sent me some
eggs of this species, accompanied by the following note : —
" The nest is usually composed of sticks, and lined with leaves ;
the eggs, generally four in number, vary in intensity of colour,
but differ in little or nothing from those of R. Beriyora."

Crown of the head, back, and scapularies rusty brown, Avith
a narrow stripe of black down the centre ; rump deep rusty
brown, crossed by broad bands of dark brown, the tip of each
feather buffy white ; wings very dark brown ; the inner webs
of the primaries with a series of large spots, assuming the
form of bars of a deep rusty brown near the shaft, and fading
into buffy white on the margin ; wing-coverts tipped with
rusty red ; spurious wing with a row of rusty spots on either
side of the shaft ; tail dark brown, crossed by numerous broad
irregular bars of rusty red, and tipped with pale buff; ear-
coverts and a stripe running down from the angle of the lower

RAPTORES. 35

mandible dark brown ; chin, all the under surface, and a broad
band which nearly encircles the neck pale bufFy w^iite, with a
fine line of dark brown down the centre ; thighs deep rust-
red, each feather with a line of black down the centre and
tipped with buffy white ; irides reddish brown ; eyelid straw -
yellow ; orbits bluish fiesh-colour ; bill bluish lead-colour,
becoming black at the tip ; cere pale yellow ; legs and feet
light ashy grey, excepting the scales in front of the tarsi, which
are dull yellowish white.

Genus TINNUNCULUS.
Sp. 13. TINNUNCULUS CENCHROIDES.

Nankeen Kestrel.

Fulco Cencro'ides, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. j), 183.
Cerchneis immaculaius, Erehni, Isis.
Nankeen Hawk of the Colonists.

Tinnunculus Cenchroides, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. i.
pi. 13.

Ornithologists will not fail to observe how beautifully the
present bird represents in Australia the well-known Kestrel
of the British Islands, which it closely resembles in many of
its actions and in much of its economy ; it flies over the whole
of the southern parts of Australia, and that it extends far
towards the northern portion of the country is proved by
Gilbert having found it, as well as its eggs, during Leichardt's
expedition from More ton Bay to Port Essington.

Mr. Caley states that it is a migratory species, but I am
inclined to differ from this opinion ; his specimens were pro-
cured in New South Wales in May and June, while mine were
obtained at the opposite season of December, when it was
breeding in many of the large gum-trees on the rivers Mokai
and Namoi ; probably some districts are deserted for a short
time and such others resorted to as may furnish it with a more

d2

36 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

abundant supply of its natural food, and this circumstance may
have led Caley to consider it to be migratory.

The flight of the Nankeen Kestrel differs from that of its
European ally in being more buoyant and easy, the bird fre-
quently suspending itself in the air without the slightest appa-
rent motion of its wings : having ascended to a great height,
it flies round in a series of circles, these flights being often
performed during the hottest part of the day — a circumstance
which leads me to suppose that some kind of insect was the ob-
ject of the search, it being well known that at midday insects
ascend to a much greater altitude than at any other time.

The sexes present the usual differences in their markings,
the female having all the upper surface alternately barred with
buff and brown, while the male is furnished with a more uni-
form tint. I once took four fully-fledged young from a hole
in a tree by the side of a lagoon at Brezi, in the interior of
New South Wales ; I also observed nests which T believe
were constructed by this bird, but which may possibly have
been deserted domiciles of a Crow or Crow-Shrike. Gilbert,
in the journal kept by him during Dr. Leichardt's expedition,
says : — " October 2. Pound, for the first time, the eggs of
Tinnunculus Cenchro'ides, four in number, deposited in a hol-
low spout of a gum-tree overhanging a creek ; there was no
nest, the eggs being merely deposited on a bed of decayed
wood." They are freckled all over with blotches and minute
dots of rich reddish chestnut on a paler ground, and are one
inch and five-eighths in length by one inch and a quarter in
breadth. I am indebted to Mr. S. White, of the Reed-beds,
near Adelaide, in South Australia, for a fine set of eggs of this
bird, which I believe were taken by himself in the interior of
the country.

The male has the forehead white ; head and back of the
neck reddish grey, with the shaft of each feather black ; back,
scapularies, and wing-coverts cinnamon-red, with a small ob-
long patch of black near the extremity of each feather ; pri-

RAPTORES. 37

maries, secondaries, and greater coverts dark brown, slightly
fringed with white ; the base of the inner webs of these
feathers white, upon which the dark colouring encroaches in a
series of points resembling the teeth of a large saw ; face white,
with a slight moustache of dark brown from each angle of the
mouth ; chest and flanks bufipy white, with the shaft of each
feather dark brown ; abdomen and under tail-coverts white ;
upper tail-coverts and tail-feathers for two-thirds of their length
from the base grey ; remaining* portion of all but the two
centre feathers white, crossed near the tip by a broad distinct
band of deep black, the band being only on the inner web
of the external feather ; bill horn-colour near the base, black
towards the tip ; base of the under mandible yellowish ; cere
and orbits yellowish orange ; legs orange.

The female has all the upper surface, wings, and tail cinna-
mon-red ; each feather of the former with a dark patch of
brown in the centre, assuming the shape of arrow-heads on the
wing-coverts ; the scapularies irregularly barred with the same,
and the tail with an irregular band near the extremity ; throat,
vent, and under tail-coverts white ; remainder of the under
surface reddish buff, with a stripe of brown down the centre
of each feather.

Genus LEUCOSPIZA, Kaup.
Sp. 14. LEUCOSPIZA RAIL

New Holland Goshawk.

Astur Rail, Vig. & Horsf. in Linn. Trans.^ vol. xv. p. 180.

Falco clarus, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. 13 ?

Fair Falcon, Iiath. Gen. Syn. Supp.^ vol. ii. p. 54?

Astur Novae-Hollandiae, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. i. pi. 14.

The only part of Australia in which I met with this species
was New South Wales, where it would appear to evince a
preference for the dense and luxuriant brushes near the

38 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

coast ; but SO little has at present been ascertained respecting
its economy, range, and habits, that its history is nearly a
blank ; even whether it is migratory or not is unknown.
That it breeds in the brushes of the district above-mentioned
is certain ; for I recollect seeing a brood of young ones in the
possession of Alexander Walker Scott, Esq., of Newcastle on
the Hunter, a gentleman much attached to the study of the
natural productions of Australia. These young birds differed
but little in colour from the fully adult specimens in my
collection, except that the transverse markings of the breast
were darker and of a more arrow-shaped form, which markings
become fainter and more linear as the bird advances in age.

The sexes present the usual difference in size, but in colour
and markings they closely assimilate.

All the upper surface grey ; throat and all the under sur-
face white, crossed with numerous irregidar grey bars ; cere
yellowish orange ; feet yellow ; bill and claws black.

The irides of the young are brown.

Sp. 15. LEUCOSPIZA NOV^-HOLLANDI^.

White Goshawk.

Lacteous Eagle, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. i. p. 216.

Asiur NovcE-HolIandm, Vig. & Hovsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 179.

Astur albus, Jard. & Selb. 111. Orn., vol. i. pi. 1.

Fulco Novce-HollandicE, Lath. Ind. Orn., vol. i. p. 16.

Faico albus, Shaw, in White's Voy., pi. at p. 260.

Spai'vius niveus, Vieill. Nouv. Diet, d'llist. Nat., torn. x. p. 338.

Dmlalion candidum, Less. Traite d'Orn., p. 66.

Astur (Leucospiza) Nov. HolL, Kaup, Class, der Saug. und Vog., p. 119.

New Holland White Eagle, Lath. Gen. Syn., vol. i. p. 40.

Goo-luo-bee, Aborigines of New South Wales (Latham).

White Hawk of the Colonists.

Astur Novse-HoUandiae, albino, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. i.
pL15.

This species has perplexed ornithologists more, perhaps, than

UAPTORES. 39

any other member of tlie Raptorial Order — the pomt at issue
being whether it be distinct or merely an albino variety of the
Astar Rail. I have seen both birds in a state of nature, and
critically examined numerous examples after death with re-
gard to size, admeasurement, &c.; and, except in colouring,
I found no difference whatever between the beautiful snow-
white bird and the grey-backed individuals so frequently shot
in the brushes of the eastern parts of Australia. Mr. Ronald
C. Gunn and the Rev. T. J. Ewing, of Tasmania, however,
incline to believe them distinct, and, in support of this opinion,
call attention to the fact that none but white birds have
been found in that island ; but while I admit this to be
true, I do not fail to recollect that the most lovely individual
I ever shot in Tasmania had fiery-red irides ; still it is only
fair to state they were not pink as in albinoes, and that most
frequently the irides are bright yellow ; the colouring of those
organs therefore is evidently inconstant, and not to be depended
upon as a characteristic. We know little or nothing of the
nidification of either of the birds : could it be ascertained that
the grey-backed and the white individuals mate with each
other, they should be considered as identical ; but until then it
will be better, perhaps, to keep them distinct. Cuvier has
hazarded the opinion that the white bird is an albino variety
which has become permanent, and that they have the power
of perpetuating their white vesture.

I think Professor Kaup is right in proposing a new generic
title for this form, differing as it does both in structure and
habits from tiie true Asturs, of which the A. palumbarius is
the type.

The sexes differ very considerably in size, the male being
scarcely more than two-thirds the size of the female.

The whole of the plumage ptire white ; cere and legs yellow ;
bill and claws black.

40 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Genus ASTUR, Lacepede,
Sp. IG. ASTUR RADIATUS.

Radiated Goshawk.

Falco radiatus, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xii.
Halia'etus Caleii, Vig. & Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 186.
Sparvius radiatus, Vieill. Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat., torn. x. p. 340.
Accipiter radiatus, Gould, Ann. Nat. Hist., vol. xi. p. 335.
Astur testaceus, Kaup, Isis, 1847, p. 367.

Astur radiatus, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. i. pi. 16.

This bird, which at the period of my visit to Australia was
only contained in the Linnean Society's collection, is still very
rare in tlie museums of Europe. It inhabits the dense brushes
bordering the rivers Manning and Clarence on the eastern
coast of New South Wales, and that it enjoys a much greater
range is more than probable. It is the largest of the Goshawks
inhabiting Australia, the female nearly equalling in size that
sex of the Asticr palumbarius of Europe. In some parts of
its structure the Radiated Goshawk differs considerably from
the typical Asturs, particularly in the lengthened form of the
middle toe, in which respect it resembles the true Accipiters ;
in its plumage it somewhat differs from both those forms, the
markings of the feathers taking a longitudinal instead of a
transverse direction. These and other slight differences may
hereafter be considered of sufficient importance to warrant its
separation into a distinct genus ; but for the present I have
retained it in that of Astur. Of its habits and economy
nothing whatever is known.

The male, which is considerably smaller than the female,
has the whole of the upper surface blackish brown, each
feather broadly margined with rust-red ; wings brown, crossed
by narrow bands of darker brown ; tail greyish brown, crossed
by irregular bands of dark brown ; shafts of the quills and

RAPTORES. 41

tail bufFy brown ; throat buff, deepening into the rich rust-
red of the under surface of the shoulder and the whole of the
under surface ; all the feathers of the under siu-face with a
narrow stripe of black down the centre ; thighs and under
tail-coverts rust-red without stripes.

The female has the striae of the under surface broader and
more conspicuous.

Sp. 17. ASTUR APPROXIMANS, Vigors and Horsjield.
Australian Goshawk.

Falco radiatus, Temm. PI. Col. 123, young.

Astur radiatus, Vig. and Hovsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p, 181, young

male.
Astur fasciatus, Id. ib., adult male and female.
Astur approximans, Id. ib., young female. — Gould in Syn. Birds of

Australia, part iii.
Bilbil, Aborigines of New South Wales.
Nisus [Urospiza) radiatus, Kaup, Mus. Senckenb., 1845, p. 259.

( ) approximans, Kaup, Isis, 1847, p. 182.

Accipitur approximans. List of Birds in Brit. Mus. Coll., part i, 2nd edit.

p. 74.

Astur approximans, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. i. pi. 17.

Among the whole of the Australian Falconidcs there is no
species the scientific appellation of which is involved in so
much confusion as that of the present bird. This has arisen
from two causes, — first, from its having been erroneously
considered to be identical with the Falco radiatus of Latham,
from which it is entirely distinct ; and secondly, from the
difference which exists between the plumage of the adult and
young being so great as to have led to a multiplication of
specific names. Seven specimens of this Hawk formed part
of the collection of the Linnean Society, now dispersed, and
were those from which Messrs. Vigors and Horsfield took
their descriptions of Astur radiatus, A. fasciatus, and A.
approximans : from the careful examination I made of these

42 BIRDS OV AUSTRALIA.

specimens, I was satisfied that tliey were all referable to tlie
present bird, — A. radiatus heing the young male, A.fasciatas
the adult, and A. approximans the young female. I have
retained the term approximans in preference to either of the
others, because radiatus actually belongs to another species,
and the employment oi fasciatus might hereafter lead to its
being confounded with the "Fasciated Falcon," an Indian
species described under that name by Dr. Latham.

This bird is one of the most abundant and generally
dispersed of the Hawks inhabiting New South Wales and
Tasmania. It is a species which ranges pretty far north ; but
on the western coast its place appears to be supplied by the
Astur cruentus. The country between South Australia and
Moreton Bay may be considered its true habitat ; and there
it is a stationary resident.

The Australian Goshawk is a bold, powerful, and most
sanguinary species, feeding upon birds, reptiles, and small
quadrupeds. It may often be seen lurking about the poultry-
yard of the settler, and dealing destruction among the young
stock of every kind.

Its nest is usually built on a large swamp-oak {Casuarina)
growing on the side of a brook, but I have occasionally met
with it on the gum-trees (Eucalypti) in the forest at a con-
siderable distance from water ; it is of a large size, and is
composed of sticks and lined with gum-leaves. The eggs are
generally three in number, of a bluish white, smeared over
with blotches of brownish buff; they are one inch and ten
lines long by one inch and five lines broad. The nesting-
season commences in August, and continues till November.

The male, which is considerably less than the female in
size, has the crown of the head and nape of the neck leaden
grey ; on the back of the neck an obscure collar of rufous
brown ; the remainder of the upper surface, wings, and tail
deep greyish brown ; the latter numerously barred with
brown of a deeper tint ; inner webs of the primaries and

RAPTOUES. 43

secondaries greyish white, barred with dark brown ; throat
greyish brown ; breast and all the under surface rufous brown,
crossed with numerous white fasciae, which are bounded on
each side with an obscure line of dark brown ; thighs rufous,
crossed by numerous irregular white lines ; irides bright
yellowish orange, surrounded by a yellowish lash ; gape and
base of the bill olive green ; tip and the cere greenish yellow ;
legs and feet yellow ; claws black.

The young differ considerably from the adult, having the
feathers of the head and back of the neck dark brown,
margined with rufous brown ; the remainder of the upper
surface deep brown, each feather with a crescent-shaped mark
of rufous at the extremity ; tail brown, crossed with obscure
bars of a darker tint, and tipped with whitish brown ; inner
webs of the primaries fawn-colour, barred with dark brown ;
throat buffy white, with a stripe of dark brown down the
centre of each feather; breast buffy white, each feather
crossed by two bands of dark brown, the last of which
assumes a triangular form ; abdomen and flanks buffy white,
crossed by irregular bands of dark brown, which are blotched
with rufous brown in the centre ; thighs and under tail-
coverts pale rufous, crossed by similar bands ; irides beautiful
yellow ; cere, base of the bill, and gape bluish lead-colour ;
point of the bill blackish brown ; legs gamboge-yellow.

Sp. 18. ASTUR CRUENTUS, Gould.

West-Australian Goshawk.

Astur ci-uentus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part x. 184.2, p. 113.
Kil-lin-gil-lee and Mat-wel-itch, Aborigines of the mountain districts

of Western Australia (Gilbert).
Good-jee-lum, Aborigines around Perth, Western Australia (Gilbert).

Astur cnientus, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. i. pi. 18.
This Hawk is intermediate in size between the Astur ap-

44 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

proximans and Accipitur iorquatus, has a more grey or blue
coloured back, and has the transverse lines on the breast
narrower and of a more rufous tint. It precisely resembles the
first-mentioned bird in the rounded form of the tail, in the
short powerful tarsus, and in the more abbreviated middle toe.
I have been surprised by observing that the late Mr. Strickland
considered this bird and the A. approximans to be identical ;
no two birds of the same genus can be more distinct.

The Astur cruentus is a very common species in Western
Australia, particularly in the York district. Since the publi-
cation of the folio edition of the ' Birds of Australia,' I have
seen a specimen of this bird from Port Essington ; I believe
it also occurs at Lombok, Batchian, and Timor, which proves
that the species is found far beyond the limits of the colony
of Western Australia. Like its congener, it is a remarkably
bold and sanguinary species, often visiting the farmyard and
carrying off fowls and pigeons with much apparent ease.

It breeds in October and the two following months, making
a nest of dried sticks on the horizontal fork of a gum or
mahogany tree.

The male has the crown of the head and occiput dark slate-
colour ; sides of the face grey ; at the back of the neck a
collar of chestnut-red ; back, wings, and tail slaty brown, the
brown hue predominating on the back, and the slate-colour
upon the other parts ; inner webs of the primaries fading into
white at the base, and crossed by bars of slate-colour, the
interspaces freckled with buff; the inner webs of the tail-
feathers are marked in a precisely similar manner ; chin bufly
white; the whole of the under surface rust-red, crossed by
numerous narrow semicircular bands of white ; irides bright
yellow ; cere dull yellow ; bill black at the tip, blue at the
base ; legs and feet pale yellow ; claws black.

The female differs in having all the upper surface brown ;
the chestnut band at the back of the neck wider, but not so
rich in colour ; in all other respects she resembles her mate.

RAPTORES. 45

Genus ACCIPITER, Brisson.
Sp.l9. ACCIPITER TORQUATUS, Vi^. and Horsf.
Collared Sparrow-Hawk.

Falco torquatus, Cuv.— Temm. PL Col., 43 (adult), 93 (young).
Accipiter torquatus, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 182.
Nisus australis, Less. Traite d'Orn., p. 61.
Sparvius cirrhocephalus, Vieill. Nouv. Diet. d^Hist. Nat., torn. x. p. 328.

tricolor, Vieill., ibid. p. 329.

Falco melanops, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. 12 ?

Sparvius melanops, Vieill. Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat., torn. x. p. 239?

Astur {Micronisus) torquatus, Kaup, Mus. Senckenb., 1845, p. 259.

Nisus [Urospiza] torquatus, Kaup, Isis, 1847, p. 181.

Accipiter cirrhocephalus, List of Birds in Brit. Mus. Coll., part 1, 2nd

edit., p. 73.
Bilbil, Aborigines of New South Wales.
Jil-lee-jil-lee, Aborigines of the lowland, and
Min-min of the Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western

Australia.
Little Hawk, Colonists of Swan River.

Accipiter torquatus, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol, vol. i. pi. 19.

This species is especially abundant in Tasmania and New
South Wales, and would appear to enjoy a wide extent of
range, since I have either seen or received specimens of it
from every part of Australia, with the single exception of the
north coast. Gilbert's notes inform me that he saw it there,
but he did not obtain a specimen.

In its habits and disposition it has all the characteristics of
its European ally the Accipiter ?iisus, whose boldness and
daring spirit while in pursuit of its quarry have been so often
described that they are familiar to every one ; the sexes also
exhibit the same disparity of size, the female being nearly as
large and powerful again as her mate ; hence the Quails and
the numerous species of Honey-eaters find in her a most

46 BIRDS or AUSTRALIA.

powerful enemy. For rapidity of flight and unerring aim,
however, she is even surpassed by her more feeble mate, who
may frequently be observed at one moment skimming quietly
over the surface of the ground, and the next impetuously
dashing through the branches of the trees in fearless pursuit
of his prey, which, from the quickness of his abrupt turns,
rarely eludes the attack. Mr. Caley mentions as an instance
of its boldness, that he once witnessed it in the act of darting
at a Blue Mountain-Parrot, which was suspended in a cage
from the bough of a mulberry-tree, within a couple of yards
of his door.

The breeding-season lasts from August to November, and
the nest, which is rather a large structure, composed of sticks,
and lined with fibrous roots and a few leaves of the gum-tree,
is usually placed in the fork of a swamp-oak [Casuarind) or
other trees growing on the banks of creeks and rivers, but is
occasionally to be met with in the depths of the forests. The
eggs are generally three in number, of a bluish white, in some
instances stained and smeared over with blotches of buff; in
others I have observed square-formed spots, and a few hair-
like streaks of deep brown : their medium length is one inch
and six lines by one inch and two lines in breadth.

Head, all the upper surface, wings, and tail deep brownish
grey, the tail indistinctly barred with deep brown ; on the back
of the neck an obscure collar of reddish brown ; throat, the
under surface, and thighs rufous, crossed by numerous narrow
bars of white, the red predominating on the thighs ; under
surface of the wings jfnd tail grey, distinctly barred with dark
brown, which is deepest on the former ; irides and eyelashes
yellow ; cere and gape yellowish green ; base of the bill lead-
colour, tip black ; legs yellow, slightly tinged with green.

The young have the usually striated plumage of the imma-
ture European Sparrow-Hawk, and, as is the case with the
young of all the other members of the genus, have the irides
darker than those of the adults.

RAPTORES. 47

Genus BUTEO, Cuvier.

Sp. 20. GYPOICTINIA MELANOSTERNON, Gould.
Black-breasted Buzzard.

Buteo melanosternon, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part viii. p. 16.2.
Gypoictinia melanosternon, Kaup, Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av. torn. i. p. 19.
Goo-dap, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western Australia.

Buteo melanosternon, Gonld, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. i. pi. 20.

If we examine the Australian members of the family Falco-
nid(B, we cannot fail to observe that they comprise representa-
tives of most of the forms inhabiting similar latitudes in the
northern hemisphere ; and the bird now under consideraticm,
if not a true Buteo, is more nearly allied to the members of
that form than to those of any other genus ; still it does differ
somewhat from the typical Buzzards, and I have therefore
considered it advisable to adopt Professor Kaup's generic
title of Gyjmictinia. This fine species does not appear to be
common in any of the Australian colonies. I have, however,
received it from Swan River, and procured it myself during
my journey into the interior of New South Wales, about two
hundred miles northwards of Sydney ; I have also a specimen
which was killed on the Liverpool Plains by one of the natives
of New South Wales.

The Black-breasted Buzzard generally flies high in the air,
through which it soars in large circles, much after the manner
of the Wedge-tailed Eagle, its black breast and the large white
mark at the base of the primaries being very conspicuous when
seen from beneath. In these soaring actions it differs shghtly
from the typical species of the genus Buteo — an additional rea-
son for its separation from those birds, and for the adoption of
the distinctive generic appellation assigned to it by Dr. Kaup.

A most singidar story respecting this bird has been trans-
mitted to me, and is here given as I received it ; without

48 BIRDS OP AUSTRALIA.

vouching for its truth, I may remark that the testimony of the
natives from whom it was derived may generally be relied upon.

" The natives, Mr. Drummond, and his. son Mr. Johnson
Drummond tell me," says Mr. Gilbert, " that this bird is so
bold, that upon discovering an Emu sitting on her eggs it will
attack her with great ferocity until it succeeds in driving her
from the nest, when, the eggs being the attraction, it takes
up a stone with its feet, and while hovering over the nest
lets it fall upon and crush them, and then descends and
devours their contents. I have had numerous opportunities
of observing the bird myself, and can bear testimony to its
great powers of scent or vision ; for upon several occasions,
when the natives had placed a small kangaroo or kangaroo
rat in the fork of a tree or on the top of a Xanthorrhcea with
the intention of taking it again on our return, we have found
that the Black-breasted Buzzard had discovered, and during
our short absence had devoured every part of it except the
skin, which was left so perfect, that at first I could not believe
it had not been done by the hand of man."

The sexes are alike in colouring, but present the usual differ-
ence in size, the male being the smallest.

Crown of the head, face, chin, chest, and centre of the ab-
domen deep black, passing into chestnut-red on the flanks,
thighs, and under tail-coverts ; back of the head chestnut-red,
becoming black in the centre of each feather; shoulders
whitish buff; all the upper surface deep brownish black, mar-
gined with chestnut-red ; primaries white at the base, deep
black for the remainder of their length ; cere and base of the
bill purplish flesh-colour, passing into black at the tip ; irides
wood-brown ; feet white, tinged with lilac.

I may remark that specimens of this bird are much re-
quired by the museums of Europe ; it is to be wished also
that persons favourably situated would ascertain if the story
of the birds breaking the eggs of the Emu be correct, or if it
be one of the numerous myths of the Aborigines.

RAPTORES. 49

Genus MILVUS, Cm.

Asia, Europe, and North Africa are the great stronghokls
of the Kites or the members of the restricted genus Milvus ;
but at least two are natives of AustraKa. One of these, the
Milvus affiiiis, is so Hke the M. ate?' of Europe, that some
ornithologists consider them identical ; but they are really
quite distinct. I do not affirm this without having first
consulted my friend, J. H. Gurney, Esq., than whom there is
no more competent authority with regard to Kaptorial birds.

Sp. 21. MILVUS AFFINIS, Gould.

Allied Kite.

Milvus affinis, Gould, in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part v, p. 140.

{Hydroictinia) affinis, Kaup, Isis, 1847, p. 118.

E-le-nid-jul, Aborigines of Port Essington.

Milvus affinis, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. i. pi. 21.

The AUied Kite appears to enjoy a very wide distribution,
since it not only inhabits Australia, but appears to extend its
range through the Indian Islands to the peninsula of India. Mr.
Gurney informs me that it occurs in Macassar, and certainly in
India as far north as Nepaul, though it is generally confounded
in the latter country with its larger relative M. Govinda. With
the single exception of Tasmania, it is universally dispersed
over all the Australian colonies ; it is quite as common on the
Cobourg Peninsula as it is in the southern portions of the
country ; and that it is as abundant in the centre of Australia
as it is near the coasts is shown by Captain Sturt having
observed it flying in great numbers over the far interior ; but
Mr. W. Allan informs me, in a letter dated August S, 1859,
" that there is an uncertainty, or rather an irregularity, in its
appearance in different parts of the country. During a resi-
dence of nine years on the River Manning I never saw a

E

50 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

single example of the bird until a few months ago, when it
appeared on the flats bordering the river in flocks of forty
or fifty in number. As far as I can learn, they previously
appeared on the banks of the Hunter; they have now left,
but are plentiful at Port Macquarie ; they seem, therefore,
to be journeying northward. I am told that they appeared
in a similar manner about twenty years ago."

The confident and intrepid disposition of this bird renders it
familiar to every one, and not unfrequently leads to its destruc-
tion, as it fearlessly enters the farm-yard of the settler, and, if
unopposed, impudently plays havoc among the young poultry,
pigeons, &c. It is also a constant attendant at the camps of the
aborigines and the hunting-parties of the settlers, perching on
the small trees immediately surrounding them, and patiently
waiting for the refuse or offal. The temerity of one individual
was such, that it even disputed my right to a Bronze-winged
Pigeon that had fallen before my gun, for which act it paid
the penalty of its life.

The flight of this bird, which is closely allied in character
to that of the Milvus ater of Europe, is much less protracted
and soaring than that of the typical Kites ; the bird is also
much more arboreal in its habits, skulking about the forest
after the manner of the true Buzzards. Great numbers have
been observed hovering over the smoke of the extensive bush-
fires so common in Australia, closely watching for lizards and
any of the smaller mammalia that may have fallen victims to
the fiames, or have been driven by the heat from their lurking-
places.

The sexes are nearly alike in size and colouring.

Feathers of the head and the back and sides of the neck
reddish fawn-colour, with a central stripe of dark blackish
brown ; all the upper surface glossy brown inclining to choco-
late, and passing into reddish brown on the wing-coverts, the
shaft of each feather being black, and the extreme tip pale
brown ; primaries black ; secondaries blackish brown ; tail.

RAPTORES. 51

which is shghtly forked, brown, crossed by several indistinct
bars of a darker tint, and each feather tipped with greyish
white; throat brownish fawn-colour, with the stem of each
feather black; the remainder of the under surface rufous
brown, with a central line of dark brown on each feather,
which is broadest and most conspicuous on the chest ; cere,
gape, and base of the lower mandible yellow ; upper mandible
and point of the lower black ; tarsi and toes yellow ; claws
black ; iiides very dark brown.

Sp. 22. MILVUS ISURUS, Gould.

Square-tailed Kite.

Milvus isurus, Gould, in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part v. (1837) p. 140.
Ge-durn-mul-uk and Mar-arl, Aborigines of the mountain districts of

Western Australia (Gilbert).
Kite of the Colonists.

Milvus isums, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. i. pi. 22.

This species, although possessing the short feet, long wings,
and other characters of the true Kites, particularly of the
Milvus regalis of the British Islands, may at once be distin-
guished from that bird by the square form of its tail. I met
with it in various parts of New South Wales, both in the
wooded districts near the coast and on the plains bordering
the interior ; still it is by no means abundant, and persons who
had been long resident in the colony knew but little about it.
I had, however, the good fortune, in one instance, to find its
nest, from which I shot the female. I have received two
specimens from Swan River, and Mr. Gmiiey states that it
also inhabits New Zealand. It is a true Kite in all its
manners, at one time soaring high above the trees of the
forest, and at others hunting over the open wastes in search
of caterpillars, reptiles, and young birds.

The nest, which I found near Scone on the Upper Hunter,

E 2

53 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

in the month of November, was of a large size, built exteriorly
of sticks, and lined with leaves and the inner bark of the gum-
trees : it contained two eggs, the ground-coloiu' of which was
buffy white ; one was faintly freckled with rufous, becoming
much deeper at the smaller end, while the other was very
largely blotched with reddish brown ; they were somewhat
round in form, one inch and eleven lines long by one inch and
seven lines broad.

In his notes from Western Australia, Gilbert remarks that
it is there " always found in thickly wooded places. Its flight
at times is rapid, and it soars high for a great length of time.
I found a nest on the 10th of November, 1839 ; it contained
two young ones scarcely feathered, and was formed of sticks
on a lofty horizontal branch of a white gum-tree, in a dense
forest about four miles to the eastward of the Avon. I have
not observed it in the lowlands, but it appears to be tolerably
abundant in the interior. The stomach is membranous and
very capacious : the food mostly birds."

Forehead and space over the eye buffy white, each feather
tipped and marked down the shaft with black ; crown of the
head, back and sides of the neck, throat, shoulders, both above
and beneath, and the under surface generally reddish orange ;
the feathers on the crown and the back of the head, like those
of the forehead, marked longitudinally and tipped with black ;
but in no part are these markings so widely spread as on the
chest, whence they suddenly diminish, and are altogether lost
on the abdomen, the uniformity of which, particularly on the
flanks, is broken by obscure transverse bands of a lighter
colour ; upper part of the back and scapularies deep blackish
brown ; tips of the primaries on the upper surface dark brown,
obscurely banded with black ; internal web of the basal portion
of the primaries, together with the stem and under surface ge-
nerally, greyish white ; secondaries dark brown banded with
black, the remainder of the wing light brown, the edges of the
feathers being still lighter ; rump and upper tail-coverts white.

RAPTORES, 53

with transverse bands of brown and buff; tail brownish grey,
and nearly square in form, all the feathers, except the two
outer on each side, marked with about four obscure narrow
bands of black, the whole tipped with black ; irides very pale
yellow, freckled with light rufous ; cere, base of the bill and
feet greyish white; culmen and tip of the bill, and claws
black.

The female has the same character of markings as the male,
but is readily distinguished by her greater size.

Genus ELANDS, Savigny.

The avifaunas of Europe, Asia, Africa, and the northern
portion of America are enriched by one, two, or more species
of this interesting form ; another and a truly elegant species
inhabits the Celebes and Java ; and Australia is tenanted by
two others {E. axillaris and E. scrijjttis), which appear to-
perform very important offices in the parts of the country
they frequent : both are denizens of the warmer parts of
Australia, and consequently do not proceed so far south as
Tasmania. They hawk for insects in the air, and are truly
beautiful when seen from beneath, their silvery-white under
surface offering a pleasing contrast to the conspicuous mark-
ings of jet-black.

Sp. 23. ELANUS AXILLARIS.

Black-shouldered Kite. .

Falco axillaris, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 42.
Circus axillaris, Vieill. Encyc. Meth. Orn., part iii. p. 1212.
Elanus melanopterus, Vig. & Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 185.
notatus, Gould, in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part v. p. 141.

Elanus axillaris, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. i. pi. 23.

The Ekmus axillaris is a summer visitant to the southern
portions of the Australian continent, over which it is very
widely but thinly dispersed, being found at Swan River on

54 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

the west coast, at Moreton Bay on the east, and over all the
intervening country.

In its disposition it is much less courageous than the other
members of the Australian Falconidce, and, as its feeble bill
and legs would indicate, lives more on insects and reptiles
than on birds or quadrupeds.

I very often observed it flying above the tops of the highest
trees, and where it appeared to be hawking about for insects ;
it was also seen perched upon the dead and leafless branches
of the Eucalypti, particularly such as were isolated from the
other trees of the forest, whence it could survey all around.

While under the Liverpool range I shot a young bird of
this species which had not long left the nest ; it is probable,
therefore, that it had been bred within the colony of New
South Wales ; but I could never obtain any information re-
specting the nest and eggs.

The sexes closely assimilate to each other in colouring.
The young differ in having the feathers of the upper surface
tipped with buffy brown.

The adults have the eye encircled by a narrow ring of
black ; forehead, sides of the face, and under surface of the
body pure white ; back of the neck, back, scapularies, and
upper tail-coverts delicate grey ; a jet-black mark commences
at the shoulders and extends over the greater portion of the
wing ; under surface of the shoulders pure white, below
which is an oval spot of jet-black ; primaries dark grey above,
brownish black beneath ; tail greyish white ; bill black ; cere
and legs pale yellow ; irides reddish orange.

On reference to the synonymy given above, it will be seen
that neither Mr. Vigors nor myself had sufficiently studied
the Australian Raptorial Birds described by the venerable
Latham to be aM^are that he had assigned the specific desig-
nation of axillaris to this Kite ; the terms melanopterus of
Vigors, and notatus of myself, must therefore be reduced to
synonyms.

RAPTORES. 55

Sp. 24. ELANUS SCRIPTUS, Gould.

Letter- WINGED Kite.
Elanics scriptus, Gould^ in Proc. of Zool. Soc, June 38, 1843.

Elanus scriptus, Gould, Bii'ds of Australia, fol., vol. i. pi. 24.

The principal character by which the Elanus scrijjtus is
distinguished from the E. axillaris is the great extent of the
black mark on the under surface of the wing, which, following
the line of the bones from the body to the pinion, assumes
when the wing is spread the form of the letter V, or, if both
wings are seen from beneath at the same time, that of a W,
divided in the centre by the body, — which circumstance has
suggested the specific name I have applied to it.

It will be admitted by every one that this new species is
an interesting addition to the Australian FalconidcB. Little
or nothing was known respecting it when I published my
figure in the folio edition of the ' Birds of Australia ' ; but
we now know that it is a denizen of the interior of the
country, Captain Sturt having obtained it at the Depot, and
Mr. White, of the Reed-beds, South Australia, informing me
that he found this species " in great numbers on Cooper's
Creek, between lat. 27° and 28°, always in companies of from
ten to twenty or thirty in number. It flies when near the
ground with a heavy flapping motion, but occasionally soars
very high, when its movements are very graceful. It is
rather inquisitive, but not so bold as Milvus affinis. It nests
in companies, as near each other as possible. The nest is
composed of sticks, lined with the pellets ejected from their
stomachs, which are principally composed of the fur of the
rats upon which they chiefly subsist. The eggs, which are
four or five in number, have a white ground, blotched and
marked with reddish brown, darkest at the smaller end ; they
are one inch and three-quarters long, by one inch and three-
eighths broad. The markings are easily removed by wetting."

56 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Forehead and line over the eye white ; head and all the
upper surface dark grey, washed with reddish brown ; wing-
coverts deep glossy black ; primaries greyish brown, becoming
nearly white on their webs, all but the first two or three
margined with white at the tip ; secondaries brownish grey
on the outer web, white on the inner and at the extremity ;
tertiaries brownish grey ; two centre tail-feathers grey ; the
remaining tail-feathers pale brown on their outer webs, and
white on the inner ; lores black ; all the under surface and
edge of the shoulder white ; on the under surface of the
wing, following the line of the bones, a broad mark of black,
assuming the form of the letter V; bill black ; cere and legs
yellow ; claws black ; irides reddish orange, and not yellow
as represented in my figure.

Genus BAZA, Hodgson.

Of this genus four species are known ; three of which in-
habit India and the Indian islands, and the fourth Australia.

Sp. 25. BAZA SUBCRISTATA, Gould.

Crested Hawk.

Lepidogenys suhcristatus, Gould, in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part v. p. 140.

Avicida subcristata, Lafresn. Rev. Zool. 1846, p. 127.

Baza subcristata, G. R. Gray, List of Birds in Brit. Mus. Coll., part i.

p. 19, 2nd edit. p. 41.
Pernis {Hyptiopus) suhcristatus, Kaup, Isis, 1847, p. 343.

Lepidogenys subcristatus, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. i.
pi. 25.

I am not sufficiently acquainted with this singular species
to give any account of its habits and economy ; but, judging
from the feebleness of its bill and talons and the shortness of
its tarsi, I conceive that it principally preys upon insects and
their larvae ; and it is not improbable that honey and the larvae
of bees and ants, which abound in Australia, may form a por-

IIAPTORES. 57

tion of its food. Any information on this head that may have
been ascertained by residents in Australia would, if made
known, be of the highest interest to ornithologists, as an ad-
dition to the history of this singular form among the Falco-
nidce. Its extreme rarity, however, will, I fear, tend much to
prevent the acquirement of this desirable information.

I saw it soaring high in the air over the plains in the neigh-
bourhood of the Namoi, but never sufficiently near to admit
of a successful shot. All the specimens I have seen were col-
lected either at Moreton Bay or on the banks of the Clarence.

As little or no difference exists in the plumage of the speci-
mens I have examined, I presume the sexes are very similar.

The only remark I have to make in addition to the above
meagre account is, that I have lately received an egg pro-
cured in the brushes of the Clarence, and kindly sent to me
by Mr. Allan, which is said to be of this bird. It is of a pure
white, about an inch and five-eighths in length and an inch
and a quarter in breadth. Without doubting Mr. Allan's in-
tention to send me the egg of this species, I think it only
right to say that I give the size and colouring on his autho-
rity ; unfortunately the letter which accompanied it contained
no remark on the subject.

Crown of the head, sides of the face, ear-coverts, and upper
part of the back brownish grey ; occiput and lengthened
occipital plumes blackish brown ; back and scapulars brown ;
wings uniform dark brownish grey above, beneath silvery
grey ; primaries and secondaries crossed by several bands,
and largely terminated with black ; rump and upper tail-
coverts chocolate-brown ; tail brownish grey above, lighter
beneath, crossed by three narrow bands of black near the
base, and deeply terminated with the same colour; throat,
chest, part of the shoulder, and under tail-coverts greyish
white tinged with rufous ; abdomen, flanks, and thighs buffy
white, crossed with conspicuous narrow bands of reddish
chestnut; bill bluish horn- colour ; tarsi vellowish.

58 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Genus CIRCUS, Lac^pede.

Two, if not three, Harriers inhabit AustraHa ; consequently
the number of species is nearly equal in Europe, Asia, Africa,
America, and Australia. Those inhabiting the latter country
are precisely of the same form, and perform the same offices
as their near allies do in the other parts of the world.

Sp. 26. CIRCUS ASSIMILIS, Jardine and Selhy.

Allied Harrier.

Circus assimilis, Jard. & Selb. III. Orn., vol. ii. pi. 51.

Gouldi, Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av.^ torn. i. p. 34 (young ?).

Swamp Hawk of the Colonists.

Circus assimilis, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. 1. pi. 26.

The Circus assimiiis may be regarded as the commonest of
the Harriers inhabiting New South Wales and South Australia ;
it also occurs, but in smaller numbers, in Tasmania. A
Harrier is also rather abundantly dispersed over all the
localities suitable to its existence in Western Australia, and it
is just possible that it may prove to be the same species ; if
such should be the case, the whole of the southern portion of
that vast country, from east to west, must be included vdthin
the range of its habitat. In size the Circus assimilis is but
little inferior to the Marsh Harrier {C. cBruginosus) of
Em*ope, to which it offers a great resemblance in its habits
and economy — being generally seen flying slowly and some-
what heavily near the surface of the ground, evincing a
partiality to lagoons and marshy places, situations which offer
it an abundance of food consisting of reptiles, small mammalia,
and birds. I believe this bird also inhabits New Zealand,
and that it is the C. Gouldi of Bonaparte.

That the Allied Harrier breeds in the localities in which I
observed it I have little doubt, from the circumstance of the

RAPTORES. 59

adults paying regular and hourly visits to the marshes in
search of food, which was doubtless borne away to their
young. When in a state of quiescence, this species, like the
other Harriers, perches on some elevation in the open plain
rather than among the trees of the forest — the trunk of a
fallen tree, a large stone, or small hillock being among its
favourite resting-places.

The sexes offer the usual differences in the larger size of
the female ; her markings are also rather less well-defined,
and have not so much of the grey colouring as the male. The
young resemble the young of the Marsh Harrier of Europe.

Head and all the upper surface rich dark brown ; the
feathers at the back of the neck margined with reddish buff;
face light reddish brown ; facial disk buffy white, with a dark
stripe down the centre of each feather ; all the under surface
buffy white, which is deepest on the lower part of the
abdomen and thighs, each feather with a streak of brown
down the centre ; upper tail-coverts and base of the tail-
feathers white ; remaining length of the tail-feathers brownish
grey ; irides yellow ; eyelash and cere pale greenish yellow ;
bill dark brown, becoming light blue at the base ; tarsi
greenish white J feet yellowish buff ; claws dark brown.

Mr. White, of Adelaide, informs me that " this bird is
very numerous in South Australia during the summer months,
and is generally found in swampy situations. I have seen it
on the Murray, and in many other places. It feeds on eggs,
birds, reptiles, and indeed on almost everything. I have
often observed it flying close over the tops of the reeds, when
quite dark. Its cry is a kind of loud shrill whistle of one
note. At times it will fly very high. It varies much in
colour ; the two sexes are much alike, but the female is the
larger bird of the two." I possess eggs which I have no
doubt belong to this species ; they are of a pure white, about
one inch and seven-eighths long by one inch and a half in
breadth.

60 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Sp. 27. CIRCUS JARDINII, Gould.

Jardine's Harrier.

Circus Jardinii, Gould, in Proc, of Zool. Sol., part v. p. 141 ; and in

Syn. Birds of Australia, part iii.
[Spilocircus] Jardinii, Kaup, Isis, 1847, p. 102.

Circus Jardinii, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. i. pi. 27.

This very beautiful Harrier, which is distinguished from
every other species of the genus at present known by the
spotted character of its plumage, is plentifully dispersed over
every portion of New South Wales, wherever localities favour-
able to the existence of the Harrier tribe occur, such as ex-
tensive plains, wastes, and luxuriant grassy flats between the
hills in mountainous districts. The extent of its range over
the Australian continent has not yet been ascertained, and I
have never observed it from any other portion of the country
than that mentioned above ; it is probable, however, that it
extends all along the east coast. Mr. Wallace has obtained
examples in Macassar.

To describe the economy of the Jardine's Harrier would be
merely to repeat what has been said respecting that of the
former species. Like the other members of the genus, it flies
lazily over the surface of the plains, intently seeking for lizards,
snakes, small quadrupeds, and birds ; and when not pressed
by hunger, reposes on some dried stick, elevated knoll, or
stone, from which it can survey all around. Although I ob-
served this species in all parts of the Hunter in summer, when
others of the FalconidcB were breeding, I did not succeed in
procuring its eggs, or obtain any satisfactory information
respecting its nidification ; in all probability its nest is con-
structed on or near the ground, on the scrubby crowns of the
low, open, sterile hills that border the plains. An egg sent
to me by Mr. White of Adelaide, and taken by him at Lake

RAPTORES. 61

Hope in the interior of South Australia, is white, one inch and
seven-eighths long by one inch and a half broad.

The sexes present considerable difference in size, but are
very similar in their markings ; both are spotted ; but the
female is by far the larger and finer bird in every respect.

Crown of the head, cheeks, and ear-coverts dark chestnut,
each feather having a mark of brown down the centre ; facial
disk, back of the neck, upper part of the back, and chest
uniform dark grey ; lower part of the back and scapulars dark
grey, most of the feathers being blotched and marked at the
tips with two faint spots of white, one on each side of the
stem ; shoulders, under surface of the wing, abdomen, thighs,
and under tail-coverts rich chestnut, the whole of the feathers
beautifully spotted with white, the spots, which are regularly
disposed down each web, being largest and most distinct on
the abdomen ; greater and lesser wing-coverts brownish grey,
irregularly barred and tipped with a lighter colour ; seconda-
ries dark grey, crossed with three narrow lines of dark brown,
and tipped with a broad band of the same colour, the extreme
tips being paler; primaries black for two-thirds of their
length, their bases brownish buff; upper tail-coverts brown,
barred and tipped with greyish white ; tail alternately barred
with conspicuous bands of dark brown and grey, the brown
band nearest the extremity being the broadest, the extreme
tips greyish white ; irides bright orange-yellow ; cere olive-
yellow ; bill blue at the base, black at the culmen and tips ;
legs yellow.

Those ornithologists who are in favour of a more minute
division of the Falcoiiida than myself may be inclined to
adopt Professor Kaup's generic term of Spilocircus for this
bird ; but the propriety of separating it from the other
Harriers appears to me very questionable, since it does not
differ from them in structure in any respect.

62 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Family STEiaiD-S.

Genus STRIX, Linn.

In my remarks on the Raptores generally, I have mentioned
that the birds of that order are but feebly represented in
Australia as compared with their numbers in other parts of
the globe ; and I may now state, with regard to the Owls,
that they are even less numerous than the Falcomd(B\ for,
according to the present state of our knowledge, there appear
to be but two, or at the most three forms in the country —
Strix, Ilieracofflaux, and Spiloglaux. The first of these genera
comprises the true nocturnal Owls ; the second the huge birds
I have characterized under the specific appellations of strenua,
rufa, and connivens; and the third the smaller species,
macidaia, marmorata^ and boobook.

While as a general rule other great countries are only
inhabited by a single species of the restricted genus Strix,
the fauna of Australia comprises no less than four, all of
which appear to be necessary to prevent an inordinate increase
of the smaller quadrupeds which there abound.

Sp. 28. STRIX CASTANOPS, Gould.

Chestnut-faced Owl.

Strix castanops, Gould, in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part iv. p. 140.
Dadylostrix castanops, Kaup, Monog. Strig. in Jard. Cont. to Orn.
1852, p. 119.

Strix castanops, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. i. pi. 28.

Tasmania and probably the brushes of the opposite coasts
of Victoria and New South Wales are the native countries of
this Owl, a species distinguished from all the other members

RAPTORES. 63

of its genus by its great size and powerful form. Probably
few of the Raptorial birds, with the exception of the Eagles,
are more formidable or more sanguinary in disposition.

Forests of large but thinly scattered trees, skirting plains
and open districts, constitute its natural habitat. Strictly
nocturnal in its habits, as night approaches it sallies forth
from the hollows of the large gum-trees, and flaps slowly and
noiselessly over the plains and swamps in search of its prey,
which consists of rats and small quadrupeds generally.

I regret that the brevity of my stay in Tasmania did not
admit of sufficient opportunities for observing this bird in its
native haunts, and of my making myself acquainted with the
various changes which take place in the colouring of its plu-
mage. Considerable variety in this respect occurred among the
specimens I collected — not so much in the form of the markings,
as in the hue which pervades the face, neck, under surface, and
thighs. In some these were deep rusty yellow ; in others the
same parts were slightly washed with buff, while others, again,
had the face of a dark reddish buff approaching to chestnut, and
the under surface much lighter ; I have also seen others with
the facial feathers lighter than those of the body, and, lastly,
some with the face and all the under surface pure white, with
the exception of the black spots which are to be found in all.
Whether the white or the tawny plumage is the characteristic
of the adult, or whether these changes are influenced by
season, are points that might be easily cleared up by persons
resident in Tasmania ; and I would invite those who may be
favourably situated for observation to fully investigate the
subject, and make known the results.

The sexes differ very considerably in size, the female being
by far the larger, and in every way more powerful than the
male.

Facial disk deep chestnut, becoming deeper at the margin,
and encircled with black ; upper surface, wings, and tail fine
rufous brown, each feather irregularly and broadly barred

64 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

with dark brown, with a few minute white spots on the head
and shoulders ; under surface uniform deep sandy brown ;
sides of the neck and flanks sparingly marked with round
blackish spots ; thighs and legs the same, but destitute of
spots ; bill yellowish brown ; feet light yellow.

Total length of the female 18 inches; bill 2Jj wing 15;
tail 7 ; tarsi 3 J.

Sp. 29. STRIX NOV^-HOLLANDI^, StepU.

Masked Owl.

Strix ? Nova HoUandia, Steph., Cont. of Shaw's Gen. Zoo!., vol. xiii,

pt. ii. p. 61.
personata, Vig. iu Proc. of Com. of Sci. and Corr, of Zool. Soc,

part i. p. 60.
Ci/clops, Gould, in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part iv. p. 140.

Strix personata, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. i. pi. 29.

This bird, although nearly allied to the preceding, differs
in so many essential characters as to leave little doubt in
my mind of its being specifically distinct. It is confined to
the continent of Australia, over which it enjoys a wide range.
With the exception of the north coast, I have received speci-
mens from every part of the country. During my visit to the
interior of South Australia, numerous individuals fell to my
gun, which upon comparison presented no material variation
from others killed in New South Wales and Western Australia.

If I were puzzled with respect to the changes to which the
Strix castanops is apparently subject, I am not less so with
those of the present bird ; for although I find the tawny and
buff colouring of the face and under surface is generally
lighter, I also find a diversity in the colouring of the different
parts of the under surface : in some specimens the face, all
the under surface, and the ground-colour of the upper are pure
white. Prior to my visit to Australia I characterized speci-

RAPTORES. 65

mens thus coloured as a distinct species under the name of
Striw Cyclops, but I now beUeve them to be one of the states
of phimage of the present bird, which ornithologists are in-
clined to consider was first described by Stephens under the
name of 8. Novce-HoUandice. I may remark that, out of the
numerous examples I killed in South Australia in the month
of June, I did not meet with one in the white plumage.
Those who are desirous of making themselves acquainted with
the differences in these nearly allied species of Owls will do
well to consult the plates of the different species in the folio
edition, which will render them more readily perceptible than
the most lucid description.

The Strix Novcb Hollandicd is almost a third smaller than
the 8. castanops, and as the sexes of both species bear a
relative proportion in size, the male of the one is about equal
to the female of the other. The white spottings of the upper
surface of the former are larger than those of the latter, and
the surrounding patches of dark brown and buff are not so
deep, giving the whole of that part of the bird a more marbled
or speckled appearance.

General coloiu- pale buff ; the upper part of the head, the
back, and the wings variegated with dark brown, and sparingly
dotted with white ; under surface paler, with a few brown
spots ; tail buff, undulated with a brown facia ; facial disk
purplish, but margined with deep brown spots ; bill pale horn-
colour ; toes yellow.

Sp. 30. STRIX TENEBRICOSUS, Gould.

Sooty Owl.

Strix tenehricosus, Gould, in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xiii. p. 80.
Megastrix tenehricosa, Kaup, Monog. Strig. in Jard. Cont. to Orn.,
1852, p. 120.

Strix tenebricosus, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol. vol. i. pi. 30.

Although I cannot possibly affirm that such is the case, I

66 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

believe this fine Owl to be an inhabitant of the great brushes
of New South Wales, those of the Clarence, Richmond, &c. ;
for since the publication of my figure in the folio edition of
the * Birds of Australia,' I have received an example said to
have been procured in one of those districts.

A fine specimen is comprised in the collection of the
British Museum, and a second example in that of the Academy
of Sciences at Philadelphia. It is a very powerful bird, and
the rarest in our collections of the Australian members of the
genus to which it belongs, from all of which it is conspicuously
distinguished by the dark sooty hue of its plumage, and by
the primaries being of a uniform colour, or destitute of the
bars common to all the other species.

Facial disk sooty grey, becoming much deeper round the
eyes ; upper surface brownish black, with purplish reflexions,
and with a spot of white near the tip of each feather ; wings
and tail of the same hue but paler, the primaries of a uni-
form tint, without bars, those of the tail faintly freckled
with narrow irregular lines of white ; under surface brownish
black, washed with buff, and with the white marks much less
decided ; legs mottled brown and white ; irides dark brown ;
bill horn-colour ; feet yellowish.

Total length, 16 inches; bill. If; wing, 12; tail, 5J;
tarsi, 3.

Sp. 31. STRIX DELICATULUS, Gould.

I Delicate Owl.

Sirix delicaiidus, Gould, in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part iv., 1836, p. 140.
Yon-ja, Aborigines of the Lowlands of Western Australia.

Strix delicatulus, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol. vol. i. pi. 31.

This is the least of the Australian Owls belonging to that
section of the group to which the generic terra of Strix has
been retained ; it is also the one most generally distributed.

RAPTORES. 67

I observed it in almost every part of New South Wales that
I visited ; it is a common bird in South Australia, and I have
also seen specimens from PortEssington. It has not yet been
found in the colony of Swan River, nor can it be included in
the fauna of Tasmania. Although good specific differences
are found to exist, it is very nearly allied to the Barn Owl
{Strix jlmnmed) of our own island, and the B. javanica of
India, and, as might be naturally expected, the habits, actions,
and general economy of the three species are as similar as is
their outward appearance : mice and other small mammals,
which are very numerous in Australia, are preyed upon as its
natural food. To attempt a description of its noiseless flight, its
mode of capturing its prey, or of its general habits, would be
merely to repeat what has been so often and so ably written
relative to the Barn Owl of Europe.

Although the plumage of youth and that of maturity do
not differ so widely in this species as in the other Austra-
lian members of the genus, the fully adult bird may always be
distinguished by the spotless and snowy whiteness of the
breast, and by the lighter colouring of the upper surface.

Facial disk white, margined with buff ; upper surface light
greyish brown tinged with yellow, very thickly and delicately
pencilled with spots of brownish black and white ; wings pale
buff lightly barred with pale brown, marked along the outer
edge and extremities with zigzag pencillings of the same, each
primary having a terminal spot of white ; tail resembles the
primaries, except that the terminal white spot is indistinct,
and the outer feathers are almost white ; under surface white,
sparingly marked about the chest and flanks with small
brownish dots ; legs and thighs white ; biU horn-colour ; feet
yellowish.

Total length, 14 inches ; bill, Ij; wing, 11; tail, 4; tarsi, 2^.

Mr. Gurney informs me that this species is also found in
New Caledonia, and in Aniteum, one of the New Hebrides.

¥ 2

68

BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Genus HIERACOGLAUX, Kaup.

All the species of this and the following genus are partially
diurnal. They all have very large eyes ; which in some are
pale yellow, while in others they are light brown. I shall
commence with the largest member of the present form, H.
strenuus, thus reversing the order of the species as arranged
in the folio edition of the Bii'ds of AustraHa.

Sp. 32. HIERACOGLAUX STRENUUS.

Great Owl of the Brushes.

Athene^, strenua, Gould, in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part v. p. 142.
leraglaux strenua, Kaup, Monog. Strig. in Jard. Cout. to Orn., 1852,
p. 109.

Athene strenua, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol. vol. i. pi. 35.

With the exception of the Eagles, Aquila audax and
PoUoaetus leucogaster, this is the most powerful Raptorial
bird yet discovered in Australia. Its strength is prodi-
gious, and woe to him who ventures to approach it when
wounded. So far as I have been able to ascertain, it is
an inhabitant of the brushes, particularly those of Victoria
and New South Wales which extend along the coast from
Port Philip to Moreton Bay. I did, however, obtain it on
the precipitous sides of the cedar brushes of the Liverpool
range ; in all such situations the silence of night is frequently
broken by its hoarse loud mournful note, which more resem-
bles the bleating of an ox than any other sound I can compare
it to. During the day it reposes under the canopy of the
thickest trees, from which however it is readily roused, when
it glides down the guUeys with remarkable swiftness ; the
manner in which so large a bird threads the trees while flying
with such velocity is indeed truly astonishing.

Its food consists of birds and quadrupeds, of which the

RAPTORES. 69

brushes furnish a plentiful supply. In the stomach of one I
dissected in the Liverpool range were the remains of a bird
and numerous green seed-like berries, resembling small peas ;
whether the latter had formed the contents of the stomach of
a bird or quadruped which the Owl had devoured, or had beei.
eaten by the Owl itself, I could not satisfactorily ascertain.

The bill of this species stands out from the face very pro-
minently ; it has also a smaller head and more diminutive
eyes than the Hieracoglaiix connivens^ although it is a much
larger bird.

The sexes differ but little in size or in the colouring of the
plumage, which may be thus described : —

Crown of the head, all the upper surface, wings, and tail dark
clove-brown, crossed by numerous bars of broccoli-brown,
which become much larger, lighter, and more conspicuous on
the lower part of the back, the inner edges of the secondaries
and of the tail ; face, throat, and upper part of the chest buff,
with a large patch of dark brown down the centre of each
feather; the remainder of the under surface white, slightly
tinged with buff, and crossed with irregular bars of brown ;
bill light blue at the base, passing into black at the tip ; feet
pale gamboge-yellow ; irides yellow ; cere greenish olive.

Total length, 24 inches; bill, 2; wing, 15; tail, 10 J; tarsi, 2J.

Sp. 33. HIERACOGLAUX RUFUS.

Rurous Owl.

Athene rufa, Gould, in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xiv. p. 18.

leraglaux rufa, Kaup, Monog. Strig. in Javd. Cent, to Orn., 1852,

p. 109.
Ngor-gork, Aborigines of Port Essington.

Athene rufa, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol. vol. i. pi. 36.

What the Hieracoglaiix strenmis is to the brushes of New
South Wales, the H. rufus is to the primitive forests of tlie

70 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Cobourg Peninsula. That this powerful Owl has a very ex-
tensive range over that part of the country is probable, as it
also is that the numerous Vampires {Pteroptis funeretis) which
suspend themselves from the trees along the north coast are
not free from its attacks.

A single specimen was obtained at Port Essington by
Gilbert, who shot it in a thicket amidst the swamps in the
neighbourhood of the settlement. It is a large species, nearly
equalling in size the llieracoglaux strenuus, from which how-
ever it is at once distinguished by the more rufous tint of its
plumage and by the more numerous and narrower barring of
the breast. No other specimen was procured during Gilbert's
residence in the colony, neither have the collections transmitted
from that locality since his untimely death furnished us with
additional examples.

Pacial disk dark brown ; all the upper surface dark brown,
crossed by numerous narrow bars of reddish brown ; the tints
becoming paler and the barrings larger and more distinct on
the lower part of the body, wings, and tail ; all the under sur-
face sandy red, crossed by numerous bars of reddish brown ;
the feathers of the throat with a line of brown down the
centre ; vent, legs, and thighs of a paler tint, with the bars
more numerous but not so decided ; bill horn-colour ; cere,
eyelash, and feet yellow, the latter slightly clothed with feathers;
irides light yellow.

Total length, 20 inches; bill, If; wing, 13^; tail, 3^;
tarsi, 2^.

It is not to be expected that Gilbert, almost unaided by any
one, either settler or native, could make himself acquainted
with all the birds of a primitive country like the Cobourg
Peninsula ; when that portion of Australia becomes better
known, much additional information respecting species already
characterized as well as many novelties will doubtless be
acquired.

RAPTORES. 71

Sp. 34. HIERACOGLAUX CONNIVENS.

Winking Owl.

Falco connivens, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. 12.

Buteo connivens, Vieill. Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat., torn. iv. p. 481.

Noctua frontata, Less. Traite d'Orn. p. 106.

Athene fi'ontata, Gray and Mitch. Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 35, Athene,

sp. 34.
leraglaiix connivens, Kaup, Mon. Strig, in Jard. Cont. to Orn., 1852,

p. 109.
Athene? fortis, Gould, in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part v. p. 141.
Goora-a-gang, Aborigines of New South Wales.
Wool-boo-gle, Aborigines of the mountain distinct of Western Australia.

Athene connivens, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol. vol. i. pi. 34.

This is a far more common species than either of the two
last described ; it is also much less in size and very different
in colour ; its range appears to extend over the whole of the
southern coast of Australia. I have received examples from
Western Australia, Victoria, and nearly every part of New-
South Wales ; specimens from these distant localities differ a
little in their plumage, those obtained in the West being rather
lighter in colour, and having the markings less clear and
defined, than those from the eastern portion of the country.
There is no difference in the plumage of the sexes ; but the
female is somewhat the larger in size.

Brushes, wooded gullies, and the sides of creeks are its
favom'ite places of resort ; it is consequently not so restricted
in the localities it chooses as the Hieracoglaux stremms, which
I have never known to leave the brushes. It sallies forth
early in the evening, and even fiies with perfect use of vision
during the mid-day sun, when roused and driven from the
trees upon which it has been sleeping. I have frequently
observed it in the daytime among the thick branches of the
Qasuarinm which border the creeks. Gilbert procured an egg
of this species in Western Australia ; it was pure white, some-

73 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

what round in form, and large for the size of the bird; measur-
ing two inches in length by one and five-eighths in breadth.

It will be seen, on reference to the synonyms, that I
described this bird, in the " Proceedings of the Zoological
Society," under the specific name of fortis ; but I have since
ascertained, through the kindness of the late Earl of Derby
in affording me the use and inspection of the three volumes of
drawings of Australian Birds, formerly in the possession of
the late A. B. Lambert, Esq., that it is identical with the
Winking Falcon of Latham ; any seeming inattention on my
part in describing an apparently new Owl without consulting
that author will I hope be readily excused, as few ornitholo-
gists would think of looking for the description of this bird
under the genus Falco.

It is due to the acumen of the late Mr. Strickland that, by
means of the drawings above alluded to, the present and other
species described by Latham have been identified, a circum-
stance which has caused Aqiiila fticosa to become A. audax \
Falco frontatus, F. lunidatus ; Strix personata, S. ]Sov(e-1IoI-
landice, &c. ; unfortunately I did not obtain the loan of these
drawings until my work was far advanced, otherwise the errors
I now correct would not have occurred.

Face and throat greyish white ; crown of the head and all
the upper surface dark brown, tinged with purple; scapularies,
secondaries, and greater wing-coverts spotted with white ;
primaries alternately barred with dark and greyish brown, the
light marks on the outer edges approaching to white ; tail
dark brown, transversely barred with six or seven lines of
greyish white, the extreme tips of all the feathers terminating
with the same ; the whole of the under surface mottled brown
and white, the latter occupying the outer edges of the
feathers ; tarsi clothed to the toes, and mottled brown and
fawn-colour ; irides bright yellow ; cere yellowish olive ; bill
light yellowish horn-colour; toes long, yellow, and covered
with line hairs.

RAPTORES. 73

Genus SPILOGLAUX, Kaup.

The members of this form are very diminutive when
compared with those forming the genus Hieracoglaux ; they
are all clothed in a thick fluffy kind of plumage, in which
respect they differ from their allies, the true Athencs. They
are both diurnal and nocturnal in their habits, but fly less by
day than they do by night. I commence with the largest
species of the genus, S. marmoratus, which has not yet been
figured either in the folio edition of the ' Birds of Australia '
or in the ' Supplement.'

Sp. 35. SPILOGLAUX MARMORATUS.

Athene marmorata, Gould, in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xiv. p. 18.
Spiloglaux marmoratus, Kaup, Monog. Strig. in Jard. Cont. to Orn.,
1852, p. 108.

All the upper surface, wings, and tail dark brown,
obscurely spotted with white round the back of the neck, on
the wing-coverts and scapularies ; inner webs of the primaries
at their base, and the inner webs of the lateral tail-feathers,
crossed by bands, which are buff next the shaft, and white
towards the extremity of the webs ; face and chin whitish ;
under surface dark brown, blotched with white and sandy
brown ; legs and thighs fawn-colour ; bill horn-colour ; feet
yellow.

Total length, 14 inches ; bill, 1-|- ; wing, 9i ; tail, 6 ; tarsi, 2.

This bird so far exceeds in size the S. maculatus that, not-
withstanding the resemblance in its markings, I have no doubt
of its being a distinct species. Besides those in my own, there
are specimens of the >S'. marmoratus in the national collection ;
all of which have been sent from South Australia.

74 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Sp. 36. SPILOGLAUX BOOBOOK.

BooBOOK Owl.

Strix Boobook, Lath. Ind. Orn. Suppl., p. xv. no. 9.

Nodua Boobook, Vig, and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 188.

Spiloglaux bubuk, Kaup, Monog. Strig. in Jard. Cont. to Orn., 1853,

p. 108.
Buck-buck, Aborigines of New South Wales.
Goor-goor-da, Aborigines of Western Australia.
Mel-in-de-ye, Aborigines of Port Essington.
Koor-koo, Aborigines of South Australia.
Brown or Cuckoo-Owl of the Colonists.

Athene Boobook, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol. vol. i. pi. 32.

I have seen individuals of this Owl from every one of the
Australian colonies, all presenting similar characters, with the
exception of those from Port Essington, which differ from the
others in being a trifle smaller in size and paler in colour.

In Tasmania this species is seldom seen, while it is very
common throughout the whole of the southern portion of
the continent. It appears to inhabit alike the brushes and
those plains which are studded with belts of trees. It is no
unusual occurrence to observe it on the wing in the daytime
in search of insects and small birds, upon which it mainly
subsists. It may be readily distinguished from Spiloglaux
maculatus by its smaller size, and by the spotted markings of
its plumage.

The flight of this bird is tolerably rapid ; and as it passed
through the shrubby trees that cover the vast area of the belts
of the Murray, it strongly reminded me of a woodcock. In
such places travellers frequently flush it from off the ground,
to which, after a flight of one or two hundred yards, it either
descends again or takes shelter in any thickly foliaged trees
that may be at hand.

It breeds in the holes of the large gum-trees, during the

RAPTORES. 75

months of November and December, and lays its eggs on
the rotten surface of the wood, without any kind of nest.
Three eggs procured on the 8th of November, by my useful
native companion Natty, were in a forward state of incubation ;
their contour was unusually round, the medium length of the
three being one inch and seven lines, and the breadth one
inch and four lines. They were perfectly white, as is ever
the case with the eggs of owls.

"The native name of this bird," says Mr. Caley, "is
Buck-buck, and it may be heard nearly every night during
winter uttering a cry corresponding with the sound of that
word. Although this cry is known to every one, yet the
bird itself is known but to few ; and it cost me considerable
time and trouble before I could satisfy myself of its identity.
The note of the bird is somewhat similar to that of the
European Cuckoo, and the colonists have hence given it that
name. The settlers in New South Wales are led away by
the idea that everything is the reverse in that country to
what it is in England ; and the Cuckoo, as they call this
bird, singing by night is one of the instances they point
out." I believe that its note is never uttered during the
daytime.

The sexes offer but little difference in the colouring of
their plumage, but the female is the largest in size. A
great diversity is found to exist in the colouring of the
irides, some being yellowish white, others greenish yellow,
and others brown.

Its food is very varied, but consists principally of small
birds and insects of various orders, particularly locusts and
other Neuroptera.

Fore part of the facial disk greyish white, each feather
tipped with black ; hinder part dark brown ; head, all the
upper surface, wings, and tail reddish brown ; the wing-
coverts, scapulai'ies, and inner webs of the secondaries
spotted with white ; primaries and tail-feathers irregularly

76 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

barred with light reddish brown, the spaces between the bars
becoming bufFy white on the under surface ; breast and all
the under surface rufous, irregularly blotched wdth white,
which predominates on the abdomen ; thighs deep tawny
buif ; irides light brown in some, greenish brown inclining to
yellow in others ; cere bluish grey ; feet lead-colour.

Sp. 37. SPILOGLAUX MACULATUS.

Spotted Owl.

Nodua maculata, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans. ^ vol. xv. p. 189.
Spiloglaux maculatus, Kaup, Monog. Strig. in Jard. Cont. to Orn.,
1853, p. 108.

Athene maculata, Gould/Birds of Australia, fol. vol. i. pi. 33.

This species is very generally distributed over Tasmania ;
it also inhabits South Australia and New South Wales, but
in far less numbers. It generally takes up its abode in the
thickly-foliaged trees of the woods and gullies, usually
selecting those that are most shielded from the heat and
light of the sun, spending, like the diurnal species, the entire
day in a state of drowsiness, from which, however, it can be
easily aroused. Its visual powers are sufficiently strong to
enable it to face the light, and even to hunt for its food in
the daytime. Like other members of the genus, it preys
chiefly upon small birds and insects, which, from the more
than ordinary rapidity of its movements, are captured with
great facility.

The sexes are precisely alike in colour, and differ but little
in size ; the female is, however, the largest.

The drawing in the folio edition was made from a pair of
living examples which I kept for some time during my stay at
Hobart Town, and which bore confinement so contentedly,
that had an opportunity presented itself I might easily have
sent them alive to England.

Facial disk white, each of the feathers immediately above

RAPTORES. 77

the bill with the shafts and tips black ; head and all the
upper surface brown, the scapularies and secondaries nume-
rously spotted with white ; tail brown, crossed by irregular
bands of a hghter tint, which become nearly white on the
outer feathers ; chest and all the under surface brown,
blotched and spotted with tawny and white; primaries
brown, crossed with bands of a Hghter tint ; thighs tawny
buff; bill dark horn-colour ; irides yellow ; feet yellowish.

I have now enumerated all the Raptorial Birds of Australia
at present known ; but I have no doubt that when the northern
portions of that great country have been duly explored their
number will be greatly increased ; indeed such a result may
be looked for with a degree of certainty ; especially with regard
to the family we have just left — the Strigidae — for there is no
knowing what Owls exist in the brushes of the Cape York
district, or those of the north coast lying immediately oppo-
site that terra incognita. New Guinea and its numerous islands.
Wliere insect life is abundant, small quadrupeds and birds are
sure to occur in sufficient numbers to keep them in check or
within the necessary bounds. The next Order — the Insessores
— which commences with the CaprimulgidcB, will afford ample
evidence of this being always the case, for in no other country
is there a greater proportion of insectivorous birds, and cer-
tainly none in which nocturnal species, such as the Podargi,
are more numerous.

78 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Order INSESSORES.

If the Raptores inhabiting Australia are few in number, such
is not the case with those next in succession — the Insessores ;
for the birds of this Order are not only numerous in species,
but comprise many forms peculiar to that country. These
will all be ranked, in the following pages, as near to each
other as an arrangement of the birds of one portion of the
globe will admit. I commence with the Caprimulgidcd, to
which succeed the Cypselidce or Swifts, the Hirundinidce or
Swallows, the MeropidcB or Bee-eaters, the Halcyonidcd or
Kingfishers, the members of that singular genus Artamus or
Wood Swallows, the Pardaloti, the Gynmorhince, Graucali,
Pach7/cephal(B, CoUuricinclcB, RhipidurcB, Gerygones, PetroiccB,
Menurce, Psophodes, Maluri, AcanthizeB, Cinclorhamphi,
JEstreldcB, CinclosomcB, Ptilinorhynchi, 8ericulus, Orioli, Corco-
rax, Pomatorliini, Struthidea, the great family of 3Ieliphayid(s
or Honey-eaters, the Cuculi, Climacteres, Ptilores, and Sittella;
followed by the cream of the Australian avifauna, the Psittacidcs
or Parrots, — the whole comprising many genera which it would
be out of place to particularize here, but which will be com-
mented upon as they may require in due succession.

Family CAPRIMULGID.ffl.

The members of this group of birds inhabit nearly every
portion of the known world ; but none occur in New Zealand
nor, I believe, in the Polynesian Islands.

Genus ^GOTHELES, Vigors and Horsfield.

Two species of this singular form inhabit Austraha ; one
its southern, the other its northern portions. They are
both very Owl-like in their habits, actions, and dispositions ;

INSESSORES. 79

remaining by day within the hollow branches of trees, in
which situations, without any nest, their four or five round
white eggs are deposited. The sexes are alike in colouring.

38. ^GOTHELES NOV^-HOLLANDI^, %. and Tlorsf.

Owlet Nightjar.

Crested Goat-sucker, Phill. Bot. Bay, pi. in p. 270.
Caprimulgm Novce-HollandicE, Lath. lud. Orn., vol. ii. p. 588.

cristatus, Shaw in Whitens Voy., pi. in p. 241.

New-Holland Goat-sucker, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 261.
Bristled Goat-sucker, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. vii. p. 342.
Caprimulgus vittatus, lb. lud. Orn. Supp., p. Iviii.
Banded Goat-sucker, lb. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 262, pl. 136.
jEgotheles Novce-Hollandice, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv.

p. 197.

lunulatus, Jard. and Selby, 111. Orn., vol. iii. pl. 149.

Australis, Swains. Class, of Birds, vol. ii. p. 338.

cristatus, G. R. Gray, List of Gen. of Birds, p. 7.

Little More-pork, Colonists of Tasmania. Teringing, Aborigines of the

coast of New South Wales.

.Slgotheles Novae-Hollandise, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, voL ii.
pLl.

This very interesting little Nightjar possesses a great range
of habitat, being found in every part of Tasmania, and
throughout the southern portion of Australia, from Swan River
on the western coast to Queensland on the eastern ; time, and
the continued exploration of that vast country, can alone de-
termine how far it may be found to the northward : it is a
stationary species, inhabiting alike the densest brushes near
the coast, and the more thinly-wooded districts of the interior.

While rambling in the Australian forests I had the good
fortune to meet with more than an ordinary number of speci-
mens of this curious bird. I also procured its eggs, and con-
siderable information respecting its habits and actions* which
differ most remarkably from those of the other members of

80 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

the family, and, on the other hand, assimilate so closely to
those of the smaller Owls, that the English name of Owlet
Nightjar has been assigned to it.

During the day the bird resorts to the hollow branches or
spouts as they are called, and the boles of the gum-trees, sally-
ing forth as night approaches in quest of insects, particularly
small Coleoptera. Its flight is straight, and not characterized
by the sudden turns and descents of the Caprimulgi. On
driving it from its haunts I have sometimes observed it to fly
direct to a similar hole in another tree, but more frequently
to alight on a neighbouring branch, perching across and never
parallel to it. When assailed in its retreat it emits a loud
hissing noise, and has the same stooping motion of the head
observable in the Owls ; it also resembles that tribe of birds
in its erect carriage, the manner in which it sets out the
feathers round the ears and neck, and in the power it
possesses of turning the head in every direction, even over
the back, a habit it is constantly practising. A pair I had
for some time in captivity frequently leapt towards the top of
the cage, and had a singular mode of running or shuflling
backwards to one corner of it.

While traversing the woods, the usual mode of ascertaining
its presence is by tapping with a stone or a tomahawk at the
base of the hollow trees, when the little inmate will almost
invariably ascend to the outlet and peep over to ascertain the
cause of disturbance. If the tree be lofty or its hole inac-
cessible, it will frequently retire again to its hiding-place, and
there remain until the annoyance be repeated, when it flies
off" to a place of greater security. In these holes, without
forming any nest, it deposits its eggs, which are four or five
in number, perfectly white, nearly round, and about one inch
and a line in length and eleven lines in breadth. At least
two broods are reared by each pair of birds during the year.
I have known the young to be taken in Tasmania in October,
and in New South Wales I have procured eggs in January.

INSESSOUES, 81

Specimens from Tasmania, Swan River, South Australia,
and New South Wales present considerable difference in the
colour and markings of the plumage, but none, so far as I.
have yet seen, of sufficient importance to justify their separa-
tion into distinct species : in some the nuchal band and the
circular mark on the head are very conspicuous, while in others
scarcely a trace of these markings is observable ; these varia-
tions do not appear to occur in certain localities only, but are
generally found in all.

Little or no difference is apparent in the size or plumage
of the sexes. In all the irides are blackish brown.

Sp. 39. iEGOTHELES LEUCOGASTER, Gould.

White-bellied Owlet-Nightjar.
JEgotheles leucogaster, Gould in Proc. Zool. Soc, part xii. p. 106.

iEgotheles leucogaster, Gould, Bh'ds of Australia, fol., vol. ii. pi. 2.

This is altogether a larger and more powerful bird than
the jEgotheles Novcs-Hollandm ; besides which, the white
colouring of the lower part of the belly will at all times serve
to distinguish it from that species.

Gilbert states that it is abundant in most parts of the settle-
ment at Port Essington, "where it is frequently seen flying about
at twilight, and occasionally during the day. On the approach
of an intruder it flies very heavily from tree to tree, and on
alighting invariably turns round on the branch to watch his
approach, moving the head all the time after the manner of
the Hawk tribe."

The White-bellied Owlet-Nightjar feeds on insects ; and as
the bird is strictly a nocturne, they are, as a matter of course,
procured at night.

The sexes when fully adult will not, I expect, be found to
differ in plumage ; but whether the red or the grey varieties

b2 BIRDS or AUSTRALIA.

are the most mature birds, or if the difference in colour be
sexual, I have not had sufficient opportunities of ascertaining.

Head black ; the crown, a lunar-shaped mark at the back
of the head, and a collar surrounding the back of the neck
freckled with grey ; back freckled black and white ; wings
brown, crossed by numerous bands of lighter brown freckled
with dark brown ; primaries margined externally with buff,
interrupted with blotchings of dark brown ; tail dark brown,
crossed by numerous broad irregular bands of. reddish buff
freckled with dark brown ; ear- coverts straw- white ; chin,
abdomen, and under tail-coverts white; breast and sides of
the neck white, crossed by numerous freckled bars of black ;
irides dark brown ; upper mandible dark olive-brown, lower
mandible white with a black tip ; legs very pale yellow ; claws
black.

Total length, 9^ inches ; bill, 1 ; wing, 5f ; tail, 5 ; tarsi, 1 .

Genus PODARGUS, Cuvier.

With no one group of the Australian birds have I had so
much difficulty in discriminating the species as with those of
the genus Fodargus. It is almost impossible to determine
with certainty those described by Latham; could this have
been done satisfactorily, it would have greatly facilitated their
investigation.

The species are much more numerous than those of the
genus j^gotheles, and unlike them are not so exclusively con-
fined to Australia ; for although that country constitutes their
head-quarters, some are found in New Guinea and the adjacent
islands, where they unite with the Batrachostomi.

Six species of this form were described in the folio edition ;
during the twenty years which have elapsed since its com-
pletion, two others have been discovered ; and thus we now
know that Australia is inhabited by eight species of these
large nocturnal birds to keep in check the great families of

INSESSORES. 83

• Cicada and Fhasmidce, upon which they mainly subsist : but
they do not refuse other insects, and even berries have been
found in their stomachs. They are an inanimate and sluggish
group of birds, and depend for their suppUes less upon their
power of flight than upon the habit they are said to have
of traversing the branches of the various trees upon which
their favourite insects reside ; at intervals during the night
they sit about in open places, on rails, stumps of trees, on
the roofs of houses.

In their nidification the Fodargi differ in a most remarkable
manner from all the other CaprwmlgidcB, inasmuch as while
the eggs of the jEgotlielas are deposited in the holes of trees,
and those of the members of the other genera of this family
on the ground, these birds construct a flat nest of small sticks
on the horizontal branches of trees for the reception of theirs,
which are moreover of the purest white.

Although I have no satisfactory evidence that the Podargi
resort to a kind of hybernation for short periods during some
portions of the year, I must not omit to mention that I have
been assured that they do occasionally retire to and remain
secluded in the hollow parts of the trees ; and if such should
prove to be the case, it may account for the extreme obesity
of many of the individuals I procured, which was often so
great as to prevent me from preserving their skins. I trust
that these remarks will cause the subject to be investigated
by those who are favourably situated for so doing ; for my
own part, I see no reason why a bird should not pass a portion
of its existence in a state of hybernation ; at the same time
the notion of its so doing is very like a repetition of the old
assertion respecting the Swallows, for which there is no
foundation.

I would also ask the Australians to ascertain if the diff'er-

ence in colour which occurs in these birds be distinctive of their

sex, and if so, to which the respective tints of red and grey

pertain.

u 2

84 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Sp.40. POD ARGUS STRIGOIDES.

Tawny-shouldered Podargus.

Caprimulgus strigoides, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. 58.

gracilis^ lb., p. 58.

jwdargust Dumont, Diet. Sci. Nat., torn. xiv. p. 504.

Gracile Goatsucker ? lb. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 263.
Podargus? gracilis'^ Steph. Cont. of Shaw's Zool., vol. xiii. p. 93.

Australis ? lb., vol. xiii. p. 92.

cinereus'i Vieill. Nouv. Diet. d^Hist. Nat., torn, xxvii. p. 151,

pi. G. 37. fig. 3.
Cold-River Goatsucker, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. vii. p. 369.
Podargus humeralis, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 198.

Podargus hmneralis, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ii. pi. 3.

The Tawny-shouldered Podargus is plentifully dispersed
over New South Wales, where it is not restricted to any peculiar
character of country, but inhabits alike the thick brushes near
the coast, the hilly districts, and the thinly wooded plains of
the interior. I found it breeding on the low swampy islands
studding the mouth of the Hunter, and on the Apple-tree
{Angopliord) flats of Yarrundi, near the Liverpool Range.

Like the rest of the genus, this species is strictly noc-
turnal, sleeping throughout the day on the dead branch of a
tree, in an upright position across, and never parallel to,
the branch, and which it so nearly resembles as scarcely
to be distinguishable from it. I have occasionally seen it
beneath the thick foliage of the CasuarincB, and I have been
informed that it sometimes shelters itself in the hollow trunks
of the Eucalypti, but I could never detect one in such a situa-
tion ; I mostly found them in pairs, perched near each other
on the branches of the gums, in situations not at all sheltered
from the beams of the midday sun. So lethargic are its
slumbers, that it is almost impossible to arouse it, and I
have frequently shot one without disturbing its mate sitting
close by ; it may also be knocked off with sticks or stones,

INSESSORES. 85

and sometimes is even taken with the hand : when aroused,
it flies lazily off" with heavy flapping wings to a neighbour-
ing tree, and again resumes its slumbers until the approach
of evening, when it becomes as animated and active as it had
been previously dull and stupid. The stomach of one I dis-
sected induced me to believe that it does not usually capture
its prey while on the wing, or subsist upon nocturnal insects
alone, but that it is in the habit of creeping among the branches
in search of such as are in a state of repose. The power it pos-
sesses of shifting the position of the outer toe backwards, as
circumstances may require, is a very singular feature, and may
also tend to assist them in their progress among the branches.
A bird I shot at Yarrundi, in the middle of the night, had the
stomach filled with fresh-captured mantis and locusts {Phas-
midcB and CicadcB), which seldom move at night, and the latter
of which are generally resting against the upright boles of the
trees. In other specimens I found the remains of small
coleoptera, intermingled with the fibres of the roots of what
appeared to be a parasitic plant, such as would be found in
decayed and hollow trees. The whole contour of the bird
shows that it is not formed for extensive flight or for per-
forming those rapid evolutions that are necessary for the cap-
ture of its prey in the air, the wing being short and concave
in comparison with those of the true aerial Nightjars, and par-
ticularly with the Australian form to which I have given the
name of Eurostopodm.

Of its mode of nidification I can speak with confidence,
having seen many pairs breeding during my rambles in the
woods. It makes a slightly-constructed flat nest of sticks
carelessly interwoven together, and placed at the fork of a
horizontal branch of sufficient size to ensure its safety ; the
trees most frequently chosen are the Eucalypti^ but I have oc-
casionally seen the nest on an Apple-tree {Angophord) or a
Swamp -Oak {Casuarina). In every instance one of the birds
was sitting on the eggs and the other perched on a neighbour-

86 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

ing bough, both invariably asleep : that the male participates
in the duty of incubation I ascertained by having shot a bird
on the nest, w^hich on dissection proved to be a male. The
eggs are generally two in number, of a beautiful immaculate
white, and of a long oval form, one inch and ten lines in
length by one inch and three lines in diameter.

Like the other species of the genus, it is subject to consi-
derable variation in its colouring ; the young, which assume
the adult livery at an early age, being somewhat darker in all
their markings. In some a rich tawny colour predominates,
while others are more grey.

The night-call of this species is a loud hoarse noise, consist-
ing of two distinct sounds, which cannot be correctly described.

The stomach is thick and muscular, and is lined with a
thick hair-like substance like that of the Common Cuckoo.

All the upper surface brown, speckled with greyish white
and darker brown, the feathers of the crown having a blackish-
brown stripe on the centre terminating in a minute spot
of white ; wings similar to the upper surface, but hghter and
with bolder black and buff spots, the coverts having an irre-
gular spot of white and tawny on the outer web near the tip,
which, as they lie over each other, form indistinct bands across
the wing; primaries brownish black, with hght-coloured
shafts, and with a series of whitish spots on the outer webs,
between which they are margined with tawny; their inner
webs irregularly barred with the same ; tail tawny brown,
sprinkled with lighter brown, and crossed with a series of
irregular bands of blackish brown, sprinkled with dusky
white, each feather having a spot of brownish black near
the extremity, and tipped with white; face and all the
under surface greyish white, crossed by numerous narrow
and irregular bars of tawny, and with a stripe of brown
down the centre of each feather, the latter colour being
most conspicuous and forming a kind of semilunar mark
down each side of the chest ; bill light brown, tinged with

TNSESSORES. 87

purple ; inside of the mouth pale yellow ; tongue long, trans-
parent, and of the same colour with the inside of the mouth ;
irides brownish orange ; feet hght brownish olive.

Sp. 41. POD ARGUS CUVIERI, Vig. and Horsf.
Cuvier's Pod ARGUS.

Podargus Cuvieri, Vig. and Horsf, in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 200.
More-pork of the residents in Tasmania.

Podargus Cuvieri, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ii. pi. 4.

This species is readily distinguished from the Podargus
humeralis by the bill being much less robust and of a more
adpressed form, while the culmen is sharp and elevated ; the
bird itself is also of a smaller size and altogether more slender
than its near ally. Tasmania, if not its exclusive habitat, is
certainly its great stronghold, it being there very numerous,
as evidenced by the frequency with which I encountered it
during my rambles over the country. I observed it both
among the thick branches of the Casuarince and on the dead
limbs of the Eucalypti \ it appeared however to evince a
greater partiality for the latter, which it closely resembles in
colour, and, from the position in which it rests, looks so like a
part of the branch itself as frequently to elude detection ; it
is generally seen in pairs sitting near each other, and fre-
quently on the same branch. Like the other members of the
genus, this bird is strictly nocturnal, and feeds almost exclu-
sively on insects, of which coleoptera form a great part. It
is frequently captured and kept in captivity in Tasmania,
where it excites attention more from the sluggishness of its
nature and the singular position it assumes than from any
other cause. It will pass the entire day in sleep on the back
of a chair or any other piece of furnitm*e on which it can
perch. Like the owl, it is considered by superstitious people
a bird of ill omen, principally from the extraordinary sound of

OO BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

its hoarse, unearthly cry, which resembles the words more-
pork ; it approaches the immediate vicinity of the houses, and
frequently emits this sound while perched in their verandahs.

The Podaiyus Cuvieri builds a neatly formed flat nest, about
seven inches in diameter, in the fork of an horizontal branch ;
the exterior formed of small sticks, and the interior of the
fibrous portions of various plants ; the eggs are white, and
nearly of a true oval in form, being one inch and nine lines
long by one inch and three lines broad.

Considerable variation occurs in the colouring of individuals,
the prevailing tint being a dull ashy grey, while others are of
a rich chestnut hue ; but whether this be indicative of imma-
turity, or characteristic of the fully adult plumage of the two
sexes, I have not been able to satisfy myself.

Lores brown, each feather tipped with mealy white, forming
a line before and above the eye ; feathers of the forehead
mealy white, blending into the dull ashy grey of the head and
back, all the feathers of which have a stripe of blackish brown
down the centre, terminating in a small spot of white, and
are moreover minutely freckled with greyish white and dark
brown ; wing-coverts chestnut, each tipped with an oval spot
of white bounded posteriorly with black, forming a line across
the wing ; remainder of the wing brown, mottled with greyish
white, arranged, particularly on the primaries, in the form of
irregular bars ; scapularies washed with buff and with a broad
stripe of blackish brown down the centre ; under surface
brownish grey, minutely freckled with white, and with a nar-
row line of blackish brown down the centre; sides of the
neck washed with chestnut ; tail grey, minutely freckled with
greyish white and black, assuming the form of broad irregular
bands, each feather with a small spot of white at the tip ;
irides varying from yellow to reddish yellow and hazel ; feet
olive-brown.

Other examples have the general tint rich chestnut-brown,
with all the markings larger and more decided.

INSESSORES. 89

Sp. 42. PODARGUS MEGACEPHALUS.

Caprimulgus megacephalus, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. Iviii.
Great- headed Goatsucker, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 265.
Wedge-tailed Goatsucker, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. vii. p. 368 ?
Podargus Stanleyanus, Lath. MSS., Vig. & Horsf. in Linn. Trans.,
vol. XV. p. 197 ?

Podargus megacephalus, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. i.
Introd., p. xxviii.

I believe I have good grounds for regarding the Fodargus
megacephalus as distinct from P. humeralis. For many years
two birds of this form have lived in the Gardens of the
Zoological Society, one of which is doubtless the P. humeralis ;
the other, which is much larger and possesses greatly developed
mandibles, is to all appearance distinct, and is so considered
by the keeper who has charge of these Nocturnes — an opinion
in which the learned Secretary also, I believe, coincides
but I must admit that the question is an open one, and one
to which I would call the attention of those persons resident
in Australia who pay attention to ornithology, that they may
aid us in its solution.

The habitat of this species is the brushes of the eastern
coast, whence I have received specimens.

Sp. 43. PODARGUS BRACHYPTERUS, Gould.

Short-winged Podargus.
Podargus hrachypterus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part viii. p. 163.

Podargus hrachypterus, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., Introd.,
p. xxviii.

In its general appearance this bird closely resembles the
P. humeralis, but is even smaller in size than P. Cuvieri ; at the
same time the bill is larger than that of the former species,
and projects much further from the face than in any other of
its congeners ; it also differs in the shortness of its wings.

90 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

which circumstance suggested the specific appellation I have
assigned to it.

It is a native of Western Australia.

Sp. 44. PODARGUS PHAL^NOIDES, Gould.

MOTH-PLUMAGED PoDARGUS.

Podargus Phahsnoides, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part vii. p. 142.
Ny-ane ? and In-ner-j'in-ert, Aborigines of the neighbourhood of Port
Essington.

Podargus phalsenoides, G-ould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. 11. pi. 5.

The present bird, which is from Port Essington, may be
readily distinguished from every other Australian species of
Podargus by its small size, by the beautiful, delicate, and
moth-like painting of its plumage, and by the colouring of
the thighs, which are light brown instead of black ; its tail
also is rather more lengthened than that of the common spe-
cies, P. humercdis and P. Cuvieri. Like the other members
of the genus, it exhibits considerable variation in size and
colouring; in some a rusty-red tint pervades the whole
plumage, while in others no trace of this hue occurs. The
difference in the colouring of the Podargi may be sexual, as
we find to be the case in many of the Owls.

I have several specimens of the Moth-plumaged Podargus
from the north-west coast of Australia, and Gilbert states
that it is abundant in every part of the Coburg Peninsula.

Like the rest of the genus, it is strictly nocturnal; its
whole economy in fact, as far as known, so closely resembles
that of the Podargus humeralis that one description would
serve for both.

Porehead, sides of the face, and all the under surface
brownish grey, minutely freckled with black ; the feathers of
the under surface with a stripe of blackish broAvn down the
centre, these stripes being broadest and most conspicuous on
the sides of the chest ; all the upper surface brown, minutely

INSESSORES. 91

freckled with grey, each feather with a broad stripe of black
down the centre ; shoulders dark brown ; coverts freckled
with greyish white and with a spot of white, the centre of
which is fawn-colour at the tip ; primaries dark brown,
crossed on their outer webs with an irregular bar of white,
the interspaces on the outer primaries rufous ; inner webs of
the primaries crossed by irregular bands of freckled brown
and fawn-colour; tail brown, crossed by numerous broad
bands of freckled grey, bounded on either side by irregular
blotchings of black; irides orange or reddish hazel; bill
horn-colour.

In the other state, to which I have alluded, the whole of
the upper surface is of a dark rust-red, freckled on the
forehead, wdng-coverts, and scapularies with white ; the bands
on the tail less apparent ; a rufous tint pervades the grey of
the under surface, and the striae are much narrower than in
the specimen above described.

Sp. 45. POD ARGUS PAPUENSIS, Quoy et Gaim.

Papuan Podargtjs.
Podargus papuensis, Quoy et Gaim. Voy. de I'Astrol., Ois. t. 13.

Podargus papuensis, Gould, Birds of Australia, Supplement, pi.

Of this fine bird several specimens were procured dimng
the voyage of Her Majesty's Ship Rattlesnake, under the
command of Captain Owen Stanley, with Mr. Macgillivray
as Naturalist, whose names will ever hold a prominent place
in the annals of Australian zoology. All the specimens were
obtained at Cape York, the contiguity of which to New Guinea
induced me to believe the bird to be identical with the one
described and figured by MM. Quoy and Gaimard in the
Voyage of the Astrolabe under the name of Fodaryus Fa-
piccnsis ; and this belief proved to be correct on a comparison

92 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

of Australian examples with the New Guinea birds in the
Museums of Paris and Ley den.

The P. Papuensis is the largest species of the genus yet
discovered; the beauty of its markings and the extreme
length of its cuneate tail render it also one of the most
graceful. The only specimen that came into my possession
from Mr. Macgillivray, for the purpose of figuring, before
being deposited in the National Collection, was a male. This
is of a light brown colour, beautifully marbled on the under
surface with large blotches of white. I have another spe-
cimen from Cape York, which is said to be the female ; and
such, judging from its redder colouring and smaller size, I
believe to be the case, for a similar difference exists between
the sexes of P. marmoratus.

The male has the whole of the upper surface mottled with
greyish white, brown, and black, presenting a very close
resemblance to some of the larger kinds of moths, the lighter
tints prevailing in some parts and the darker in others ; on
the primaries the marks assume the form of bars, and are of
a redder hue ; tips of the coverts white, forming irregular
bars across the wing; tail very similar, but here also the
markings assume the form of alternate darker and lighter
bands with a rufous tint on the edges of the feathers ; the
under surface is much lighter than the upper ; the greyish
white assumes a larger and more blotch-like form, and the
darker marks that of an irregular gorget across the breast ;
bill and feet olive.

The female is altogether of a more sandy hue ; the dark
marks proceed down the centre of the feathers, and terminate
in a round spot of buff; the wing- coverts are tipped with
white, and the lighter blotches on the wing are very con-
spicuous ; the under sm-face, like the upper, is also of a
redder hue than in the male, and the markings are of a
smaller and more freckled character.

INSESSORES. 93

Sp. 46. POD ARGUS PLUMIFERUS, Gould.

Plumed Podargus.
Podargus plumiferus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xiii. p. 104.

Podargus plumiferus, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ii. pi. 6.

The only information I have to communicate respecting
this beautiful Podargus is, that it is a native of the brushes
of the Clarence and neighbouring rivers in New South Wales,
and that several examples have come under my notice, of
which one is deposited in the Museum at Dubhn, another in
the Museum at Manchester, and a third was sent to me by
the late Mr. Strange of Sydney. The Fodargus plumiferus is
readily distinguished from all the other Austrahan members of
the genus by the more lengthened form of tail, and by the
remarkable and conspicuous tufts of feathers which spring
from immediately above the nostrils : considerable variation
is found to exist in the colouring of the various specimens,
some being much redder than the others, and having the
markings on the under surface much less distinct and of a
more chestnut tint.

Tuft of feathers covering the nostrils alternately banded
with blackish brown and white ; all the upper surface mottled
brown, black, and brownish white, the latter predominating
over each eye, where it forms a conspicuous patch; the
markings are of a larger but similar kind on the wings, and
on the primaries and secondaries assume the form of bars ;
tail similar, but paler, and with the barred form of the
markings still more distinct ; centre of the throat and chest
brownish white, minutely freckled with brown ; sides of the
neck and breast and all the under surface similar, but with a
dark line of brown down the centre, and two large nearly
square-shaped spots of brownish white near the tip of each
feather ; bill and feet horn-colour.

94 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Sp. 47. PODARGUS MARMORATUS, Gould.

Marbled Podargus.

Podargus marmoratus, Gould in App. to Macgillivray's Voy. of Rattle-
snake, vol. ii. p. 356.

Podargus marmoratus, Gould, Birds of Australia, Supplement,
pi. .

On carefully comparing examples of this species with the
original example of MM. Quoy and Gairaard's Podmyiis ocel-
latm in the Museum of the Jardin des Plantes, I found them
to differ so greatly that I could come to no other conclusion
than they were distinct. The P. ocellatus is a smaller bird,
has a redder tail, and very conspicuous large round white
spots on the wing, arranged in the form of three distinct
semicircular bars — characters which do not exist in the Aus-
tralian bird ; I had, therefore, no alternative but to give the
latter a distinctive appellation.

The present species is particularly elegant in form, and is,
in fact, a miniature representative of the F. Papuensis, and,
like that bird, has a lengthened cuneate tail — a feature which
adds much to its gracefulness.

Much difference exists in the colouring of the sexes, the
female being of a deep rusty hue, while the male is beautifully
marbled with pearl-white, interspersed with freckles of brown
and black, particularly on the under surface.

Both the specimens from which my descriptions were taken
were shot by Mr. Macgillivray on the Cape York Peninsula,
one on the 14th, the other on the 19th of November 1849.
These examples now grace the National Collection, where
they will be available for comparison should any nearly allied
species be discovered.

The male has the whole of the upper surface and wings
minutely mottled with brown, grey, and buff, the buffy tint
prevailing over the eyes, on the scapularies, and on the tips

INSESSORES. 95

of the wing-coverts ; on the outer webs of the primaries the
markings assume the form of bars of mingled buffy, buffy
white, and rufous ; tail light brown, crossed with numerous
defined bands of grey, freckled with black, and with a rufous
hue on the lateral feathers ; under surface pearly white,
minutely freckled with brown, and with a line of brown down
the stem ; a series of these darker marks, forming an irre-
gular line, down each side of the neck ; bill and feet brownish
olive.

The markings of the female are similar, but her general
tint is very much darker, and of a more rufous hue; the
under surface, too, is dark brown, with here and there large
blotches of buffy white ; a series of nearly quadrangular
blotches, bordered with dark brown, descends down each side
of the neck.

Genus EUROSTOPODUS.

This genus, so far as is yet known, comprises but two
species, both of which are probably confined to Australia.
They diff'er considerably in their habits from the other Cajrri-
mulgi. Their wing-powers being enormous, they pass through
the air with great rapidity, and while hawking for insects
during the twilight of the early dawn and evening, they make
the most abrupt and sudden turns in order to secure their
prey. Like the typical Nightjars, they rest on the ground
during the day. In every instance in which the site employed
for incubation by the Eurostopodus guttatus has been discovered,
a single egg, deposited on the bare ground, has alone been
found.

The members of this genus are very nearly allied to the
Lyncorni, a genus of Nightjars inhabiting the Indian Islands,
of which L. cerviniceps and L. macrotis are typical examples.

yo BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Sp. 48. EUROSTOPODUS ALBOGULARIS.
White-throated Nightjar.

Caprimulgus albogularis, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 194,

note.
mystacalis, Temm. PI. Col. 410.

Eurostopodus albogularis, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ii.
pi. 7.

During my visit to Australia I had frequent opportunities
of observing this species. How far it may range over the
Australian continent is not known : the south-eastern are the
only portions in which it has yet been discovered. I have
seen specimens in collections formed at Moreton Bay, and I
have killed three or four individuals of an evening on the
cleared lands in the neighbourhood of the Upper Hunter,
which shows that it is far from being a scarce bird in that
part of New South Wales. In all probability it is only a
summer visitant in the colony, for it was at this season only
that I observed it. In the daytime it sleeps on the ground
on some dry knoll or open part of the forest, and as twilight
approaches sallies forth to the open glades and small plains or
cleared lands in search of insects ; its flight, which is much
more powerful than that of any other species of the family I
have seen, enabling it to pass through the air with great
rapidity, and to mount up and dart down almost at right
angles whenever an insect comes within the range of its eye,
which is so large and full that its powers of vision must be
very great. Most of those I shot were gorged with insects,
principally coleoptera and locusts, some of which were entire,
and so large as to excite surprise how they could be swallowed ;
in several instances they were so perfect that I preserved them
as specimens for the cabinet.

Of its nidification I have no reliable information to furnish ;
but that it deposits a single egg on the bare ground is very
probable.

INSESSOKES, 97

Contrary to what might have been expected, I found that
although the sexes are nearly alike in colour, the females
always exceed the males in size and in the brilliance of the
tints ; the males, on the other hand, have the two white
spots on the third and fourth primaries more conspicuous
than in the female.

This species has very large and lustrous black eyes, which
clearly indicate that it is a night-flier; its wings are very
long ; its tarsi short, and partially feathered ; and the stiff
rictal bristles of the typical Caprimulgi are absent.

All the upper surface very minutely freckled grey and
brown ; the feathers on the crown of the head and at the
occiput with a large patch of black down the centre ; behind
the ear- coverts a patch of dark brown sprinkled with brownisli
buff; from the angle of the mouth passing round the back of
the neck an indistinct collar of intermingled buff, chestnut,
and black ; scapularies variegated with dark brown on their
outer webs and margined with bright fulvous ; wing dark
brown, variegated with fulvous and grey ; secondaries dark
brown, with a regular series of bright fulvous spots along
each web ; primaries blackish brown, the two first without
any spot, the remainder spotted like the secondaries, the
third having a spot of white on its inner and outer web about
the centre of the feather, the fourth with a large w^hite spot
on its outer web ; two centre and outer webs of the remaining
tail-feathers dark brown, marbled with irregular bars of grey ;
the inner webs of the lateral feathers dark brown, crossed
with irregular bands of light buff; throat blackish brown,
spotted with bright buff; on each side of the throat a large
oval spot of white ; breast dark brown, spotted above with
dull buff, and broadly freckled with dull buff and grey ;
abdomen and under tail-coverts bright fulvous, crossed with
bars of dark brown ; irides dark brown ; feet mealy reddish
brown.

H

98 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Sp. 49. EUROSTOPODUS GUTTATUS.

Spotted Nightjar.

Caprimulgvs guttatus, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 192.
Fichtel's Goatsucker-, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. vii. p. 345.
Kal-ga, Aborigines of the lowland districts of Western Australia.
Goatsucker of the Colonists.

Eurostopodus guttatus, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ii. pL 8.

As the similitude of its form would lead us to suspect, this
species closely resembles the preceding, both in its habits and
in the whole of its economy ; unlike that species, however,
whose range of habitat would appear to be very limited, the
present bird is universally, but thinly, distributed over the
whole of the southern portion of Australia. I killed it in
South Australia and in New South Wales ; the collection
formed by Gilbert at Swan River contained specimens which
presented no difference whatever, either in size or markings,
and I have since seen examples from the north-west coast.

During my rambles in New South Wales I more than once
flushed this bird in open day, when, after mounting rapidly
in the air, it performed a few zigzag evolutions and pitched
again to the earth at a distant spot. That it breeds on the
ground there can be no doubt, as I found a newly hatched
young one on the precise spot from which I had flushed the
adult ; the little helpless creature, which much resembled a
small mass of down or wool, was of a reddish-brown colour,
not very dissimilar from the surface of the ground where it
had been hatched : my utmost endeavours to find the broken
shell were entirely unavailing ; but I have since obtained
undoubted eggs of this species from two or three sources.
They differ both in form and colour from those of any of the
typical CaprimuJgi, and also from those of the Todargi and
JEgotlieles. They may be described in a few words. In size
they are about an inch and three-eighths in length by nearly

INSESSORES. 99

an inch in breadth ; in colour nearly uniform olive stone-
colour, with here and there a roundish purple blotch or spot.
In confirmation of the opinion I have expressed that the birds
of this form lay but one egg, I may cite the following note re-
ceived from Mr. White, of the Reed-Beds, near Adelaide : —

"I have several times found the female sitting on the
ground or rock with only a single egg under her ; the one
sent to you was placed on a bare piece of stony ground, and
the bird was sitting so close that she allowed me to approach
within a few feet of her without moving. The egg is dusky
green, spotted with black, and is of equal size at both ends."

The sexes are so nearly alike in colour and size that they
are not to be distinguished except by dissection ; the young, on
the contrary, is clothed in a more buffy-brown dress until it
has attained the size of the adult.

Forehead and centre of the head brownish black, each fea-
ther spotted and margined with bright buff; over each eye
the feathers are pearly white, very finely pencilled with brown-
ish black ; lores and sides of the face brown, spotted with
buff; collar at the back of the head reddish chestnut ; back
grey, freckled with black ; scapularies light grey freckled with
brownish black, largely tipped with bright buff, with an irre-
gular diagonal patch of black ; wing-coverts grey, spotted and
freckled with brown, each feather largely tipped with bright
buff; primaries and secondaries brownish black, marked on
both webs with buff, the buff on the outer webs being in the
form of round spots, on the inner webs irregular bars ; on the
inner web of the first primary is a large spot of pure white,
on the second primaries a similar but larger spot, and a small
one on the outer web ; the third and fourth crossed by a large
irregular patch of white ; middle tail-feathers light grey, mar-
bled and finely freckled with dark brown ; lateral feathers
light grey, barred with blackish brown and bright buff, and
freckled with dark brown, the buff on the outer web of th.e
outside feather forming a regular row of spots ; on each side

H 2

TOO BIRDS or AUSTRAIJA.

of the throat an obhque hne of white ; chest dark brown,
each feather broadly barred and spotted with Hght buff; ab-
domen bright buff, finely and irregularly barred with black;
under tail-coverts sandy ; bill black ; irides very dark brown ;
feet mealy reddish brown.

Genus CAPRIMULGUS, Linnam.

Europe, Asia, and Africa are the great strongholds of the
members of this genus as at present restricted. A single
species only has yet been discovered in Australia, where it
frequents the northern or intertropical parts of the country.

Sp. 50. CAPRIMULGUS MACRURUS, Horsjield.

Large-tailed Nightjar.
Caprimulgvs macrnrus, Hovsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xiii. p. 142.

Caprimul^s macmrus, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ii. pi. 9

This, the only true Caprimulgus known to inhabit Australia,
is I believe identical with the C. macmrus of Horsfield, whose
specimens were procured in Java, while those I possess
were obtained at Port Essington, where the bird is moderately
plentiful ; it is also found in Southern India, hence it has an
unusually wide range of habitat. It frequents the open parts
of the forest, and is strictly nocturnal ; it mostly rests on the
ground on the shady side of a large tree close to the roots,
and if disturbed several times in succession takes to the
branch of one of the largest trees. I have never seen the
eggs of this species, but I possess a young bird apparently
only a few days old, which Gilbert found lying under a
shrubby tree, without any nest or even a blade of grass near
it ; the little creature was so similar in colour to that of the
ground upon which it was lying, that it was witli difficulty
detected, and he was only induced to search for it from

INSESSOllES. 101

the very peculiar manner in which the old bird rose, the re-
luctance it evinced to leave the spot, and its hovering over
the place it had risen from, instead of flying off to the distance
of nearly a hundred yards, as it usually does.

The male is distinguished by the greater extent of the white
mark on the primaries and outer tail-feathers ; in the other
parts of their plumage and in size the sexes do not diflPer.

Head brownish grey, very minutely freckled with black ;
the feathers down the middle of the head and occiput with a
large broad stripe of black down the centre ; lores, space
surrounding the eyes and ear-coverts reddish brown ; on each
side of the neck a broad stripe of rich buff barred with black ;
a narrow line of white passes below the angle of the mouth ;
chin brown ; across the throat a baud of white bounded below
by black, the extremities of the white feathers being of that
hue ; ceutre of the back dark brown, freckled with black and
buff ; shoulders blackish brown ; wing-coverts freckled grey,
buff, and black, each with a large spot of buff at the tip ;
primaries and secondaries blackish brown, the former crossed
at their base, and the latter throughout their entire length,
with reddish buff; the second and third primaries crossed
near their base with a broad band of white, stained with buff
on the outer margin ; the first primary with a spot of white
only on the margin of the inner web ; the first three primaries
freckled at their tips, and the remainder for the entire length
of their inner webs, with brownish grey ; scapularies freckled
grey and brown, with a large patch of deep dull black on their
outer webs, margined externally with buff; rump freckled
with dark brown and grey, and with an interrupted line of
darker brown down the centre of each feather ; two centre
tail-feathers minutely and coarsely freckled with very dark
brown ; the next on each side very dark brown, crossed by
irregular bands of freckled brownish grey and black ; the next
on each side similar, but the bands narrower and less con-
spicuous ; the two outer ones on each side very dark brown for

102 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

three parts of the length, the apical portion being white,
stained with freckled buff and black on the outer webs ; the
basal or dark portion crossed by narrow indistinct and iiTe-
gular bars of deep buff; breast freckled buff, grey, and brown,
some of the feathers in the centre of the breast largely tipped
with buff; abdomen and under tail-coverts deep buff, crossed
by narrow regular bands of dark brown ; irides blackish
brown ; bill black ; feet and claws reddish brown.

Specimens of this species were brought from the Aru Islands
by Mr. Wallace.

Family CYPSELID^.

Whether the Swifts and the Swallows are naturally sepa-
rated by the interposition of numerous other genera of birds
is a point respecting which it is not necessary for me to enter
into in a handbook on the ' Birds of Australia.' I place them
next each other here, because they were so in the folio edition.

Of the Cypselines two very distinct forms or genera are
found in Australia — ChcBtiira and Cypselus ; both are
migrants, and at present it is uncertain whether either of
them breed in that part of the world. The power of flight
enjoyed by both is enormous, and it is probable that their
migratory movements extend from India and China to the
extreme southern Umits of the mainland of Australia ; one of
them, the Spine-tailed Swift, even crosses Bass's Straits to
Tasmania, and occasionally appears there in great numbers.
Other Spine-tailed Swifts are found in America ; but these
differ somewhat in form ; it was, however, to a species inhabit-
ing that country that the generic term Chcdtura was first
appHed.

INSESSORES. 103

Genus CH^TURA, Stephens.

The type of this genus is an American bird, the Hirimdo
spinicauda of authors, Mr. Hodgson considered the Indian
H. caudacuta to differ sufficiently to warrant its separation,
and proposed for it the generic appellation of Himndapus ;
but such a division does not appear to me advisable, and I
have not therefore adopted it. The Spine-tailed Swifts are
inhabitants both of the Old and New Worlds.

Sp. 51. CHJETURA CAUDACUTA.

Spine-tailed Swift.

Hirundo caudacuta, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. 57.

fusca, Steph. Cont. of Shaw's Gen. Zool., vol. xiii. p. 76.

pacifica, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. 58?

Needle-tailed Swallow, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 307.

Pin-tailed Swallow, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. vii. p. 308.

Chatura Australis, Steph. Cont. Shaw's Gen. Zool., vol. xiii. p. 70.

macroptera, Swains. Zool. 111., 2nd ser. pi. 42.

nudipes, Hodgs. Journ. Asiat. Soc. Beng. 1836, p. 779.

Acanthylis caudacuta, G. R. Gray, Ann. Nat. Hist. 1843, p. 194.
nudipes, Gray and Mitch. Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 55, Acan-
thylis, sp. 4.
Pallene macroptera, caudacuta, et leuconota, Boie, Isis, 1844, p. 168.
Cypselus leuconotus, Deless. Mag. de Zool. 1840, Ois. t. 20.
Hirundapus nudipes, Hodgson.

Acanthylis caudacuta, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, voL 11. pL 10.

This noble species, one of the largest of the Cypselines yet
discovered, is a summer visitant of the eastern portions of
Australia, proceeding as far south as Tasmania ; but its visits
to this island are not so regular as to New South Wales.
During the months of January and February it appears in
large flocks, which, after spending a few days, disappear as
suddenly as they arrived. I am not aware of its having been
observed in Western Australia, neither has it occurred iu any

104 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

of the collections formed at Port Essington, although it doubt-
less pays that colony passing visits during its migrations. I
believe it will be found that Indian and Australian examples
do not differ. It is supposed to have been known to Pallas,
and if so, it is the bird described by that author as Hirmtdo
ciris. Von Schrenck found it in Amoorland, and it is also said
to have once occurred in England. Mr. Jerdon states that it
breeds among the huge wall-like crags of the Himalayas, and
under the snow- level.

The keel or breast-bone of this species is more than ordi-
narily deep, and the pectoral muscles more developed than in
any bird of its weight with which I am acquainted. Its
whole form is especially and beautifully adapted for extended
flights ; hence it readily passes from one part of the world to
another, and, if so disposed, may be engaged in hawking for
flies on the continent of Australia at one hour, and in the
next be similarly employed in Tasmania.

So exclusively is this bird a tenant of the air, that I never,
in any instance, saw it perch, and but rarely sufficiently near
the earth to admit of a successful shot ; it is only late in the
evening and during lowery weather that such an object can
be accomplished. With the exception of the Crane, it is
certainly the most lofty as well as the most vigorous flier of
the Australian birds. I have frequently observed in the
middle of the hottest days, while lying prostrate on the
ground with my eyes directed upwards, the cloudless blue
sky peopled at an immense elevation by hundreds of these
birds, performing extensive curves and sweeping flights,
doubtless attracted thither by the insects that soar aloft
during serene weather ; on the contrary, the flocks that visit
the more humid climate of Tasmania, necessarily seek their
food near the earth.

The sexes offer no perceptible difference in their outward
appearance ; but the female, as is the case with the other
memljers of the family, is a trifle smaller than her mate.

INSESSORES. 105

Crown of the head, back of the neck, and ear-coverts deep
shming green, strongly tinged with brown ; a small space
immediately before the eye deep velvety black ; band across
the forehead, throat, inner webs of the secondaries nearest
the back, a patch on the lower part of the flanks and the
under tail-coverts white ; wings and tail deep shining green,
with purple reflexions ; centre of the back greyish brown,
becoming darker towards the rump ; chest and abdomen
dark clove-brown; bill black; feet brown.

Genus CYPSELUS, Illiger.

Of this genus, as now restricted, many species inhabit
Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Indian Islands ; and one is
found in Australia.

Sp. 52. CYFSELUS PACIFICUS.

Australian Swift.

Hirundo pacifica, Lath. Ind. Orn. Suppl.^ p. 58.

Cypselus pacificus, Steph. Cont. of Shaw's Gen. Zool., vol. x. p. 132.

australis, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part vii. 1839, p. 141.

vittatus, Jard. 111. Orn., ser. 2, pi. 39.

Micropus australis et vittata, Boie, Isis, 1844, p. 165.
Hirundo apus, var. /3, Pall. Zoog. Ross.-Asiat., torn. i. p. 540.

Cjrpselus Australis, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ii. pi. 11.

As I had never seen or heard of a true Swift in Australia,
I was no less surprised than gratified when I discovered this
species to be tolerably numerous on the Upper Hunter, during
my first visit to that district in 1838. Those I then observed
were flying high in the air, and performing immense sweeps
and circles, while engaged in the capture of insects. I
succeeded in killing six or eight individuals, among which
were adult examples of both sexes ; but 1 was unable to
obtain any particulars as to their habits and economy. It
would be highly interesting to know whether this bird, like

106 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

the Swallow, returns annually to spend the months of summer
in Australia. I think it likely that this may be the case, and
that it may have been frequently confounded with the Acan-
thylis caudacuta, as I have more than once seen the two
species united in flocks, hawking together in the cloudless
skies, like the Martins and Swallows of England.

Throat and rump white ; upper and under surface of the
body brown ; the back tinged with a bronzy metallic lustre ;
each feather of the under surface margined with white ; wings
and tail dark brown ; irides, bill, and feet black.

It is considered by some ornithologists that this bird and
the Swift with crescentic markings of white on the breast,
which inhabits China and Amoorland, are the same. If this
supposition be correct, this species ranges very widely over
the surface of the globe.

FamHy HIRUNDINID^.

I wish it to be understood that, although I unite the Swifts
and the Swallows, I am not unaware of the difference which
exists in the structure of these two groups ; but, as I have
stated in the 'Birds of Great Britain,' I consider it desir-
able that they should follow each other in an arrangement
of the birds of a single country. The Swifts being disposed
of in their two genera, Clicetura and Cypselus, I proceed
with the true Hirundines, three or four forms of which, with
many others not Australian, compose the extensive family of
the Hirundmid(B. It may not be out of place if I say a few
words on the almost general distribution of these aerial birds
over the face of the globe. In America, Africa, China, India, the
islands of the Eastern Archipelago, and Australia, Swallows
and Martins of varied forms are numerous, and species
abound ; yet, strange to say, neither Swifts nor Swallows are
found in New Zealand, or in any of the islands adjacent to
that countrv.

INSESSORES. 107

At least two members of the genus Hirmido, or true
Swallows, are found in Australia; of these one is very
common there ; the other, in all probability, is merely a
transient visitor to its northern portions. Independently of
these, Australia has two other species, one allied to the Swal-
lows, the other to the Martins, to each of which I have been
constrained to give new generic names : one of these lays its
eggs on the bare wood in the holes of trees ; while the other
constructs a singular nest under the eaves of the house and
verandahs of the settlers. This last beautifully represents the
Chelidon urhica of Britain, from which it mainly differs in
being destitute of feathers on the tarsi. There is no true
Cotyle, or Sand-Martin, in Australia ; but there is a bird
whose habits and economy are very similar, for it occasionally
drills a hole in a bank-side in which to nidify, like to our
C. riparia. This is the only species known of M. Cabanis's
genus Cheramoeca.

Genus HIRUNDO, Linnaeus.

The members of the genus Hirundo, or true Swallows,
inhabit Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, the Indian
Islands, and Australia.

Sp. 53. HIRUNDO FRONTALIS, Quoi/ et Gaimard.

Welcome Swallow.

Hirundo frontalis, Qaoy & Gaiin. Voy. de 1' Astro!., Ois. tab. 12. fig. 1.

neoxena, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part x. 1842, p. 131.

• [Herse) frontalis, Less. Compl. BufF., torn. viii. p. 497.

Cecropis frontalis, Boie, Isis, 1844, p. 174.

Kun-na-meet, Aborigines of the lowland districts of Western Australia.

Ber-rin-nin, Aborigines of New South Wales.

Hirundo neoxena, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ii. pi. 13.

The arrival of this bird in the southern portions of Australia

108 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

is hailed as a welcome indication of the approach of spring,
and is associated with precisely the same ideas as those
popularly entertained respecting our own pretty Swallow in
England. The two species are in fact beautiful representatives
of each other, and assimilate not only in their migratory
movements, but also most closely in their whole habits,
actions, and economy. It arrives in Tasmania about the
middle or end of September, and, after rearing at least two
broods, departs again northwards in March ; but it is evident
that the migratory movement of the Swallow, and doubtless
that of all other birds, is regulated entirely by the temperature,
and the more or less abundant supply of food necessary for
its existence ; for I found that in New South Wales, and
every country in Australia within the same latitude, it arrived
much earlier and departed considerably later than in Tasmania ;
and Mr. Caley, who resided in New South Wales for several
years, and whose valuable notes on the birds of that part of
the country have been so often quoted, states that " the
earliest period of the year that I noticed the appearance of
Swalloivs was on the 12th of July 1803, when I saw two ; but
I remarked several towards the end of the same month in the
following year (1804). The latest period I observed them
was on the 30th of May 1806, when a number of them were
twittering and flying high in the air. When I missed them
at Paramatta, I have sometimes met with them among the
north rocks, a romantic spot about two miles to the northward
of the former place." A few stragglers remain in New South
Wales during the winter, but their numbers cannot for a
moment be compared with those observed in the summer,
which have passed the colder months in a warmer climate.
This Swallow having been found by the naturalists of the
* Astrolabe ' in the Eastern Islands, and more recently by
Mr. Wallace in New Guinea, it is evident that its range
extends beyond the northern limits of Australia.

The natural breeding-places of this bird are the deep clefts

INSESSORES, 109

of rocks and dark caverns, but since the colonization of
Australia it has in a remarkable degree imitated its European
prototype, by selecting for the site of its nest the smoky
chimneys, the chambers of mills and out-houses, or the
corner of a shady verandah; the nest is also similarly
constructed, being open at the top, formed of mud or clay,
intermingled with grass or straw to bind it firmly together,
and lined first with a layer of fine grasses, and then with
feathers. The shape of the nest depends upon the situation
in which it is built, but it generally assumes a rounded
contour in front. The eggs are usually four in number, of a
lengthened form ; their ground colour pinky white, with
numerous fine spots of purplish brown, the interspaces with
specks of light greyish brown, assuming in some instances
the form of a zone at the larger end ; they are from eight to
nine lines long by six lines broad. At Swan River the
breeding-season is in September and October. In the spring
of 1862 two nests of this species were sent to me by George
French Angas, Esq. These very closely resembled those of
our own bird, both in form and materials ; they were, how-
ever, somewhat more square and more stoutly built. The
interior was composed of the usual plastered mud strengthened
with a little hair, and thickly lined with the downy feathers
of various domestic birds. These nests are now in the British
Museum. The following note by Mr. Angas was attached to
one of them : — " Built on a rafter of my stable at Collingrove,
South Australia: taken Oct. 3, 1861."

Forehead, chin, throat, and chest rust-red ; head, back of
the neck, back, scapularies, wing-coverts, rump, and upper
tail-coverts deep steel-blue ; wings and tail blackish brown,
all but the two centre feathers of the latter with an oblique
mark of white on the inner web ; under surface very pale
brown ; under tail-coverts pale brown, passing into an irre-
gular crescent-shaped mark near the extremity, and tipped
with white ; irides dark brown ; bill and legs black.

110 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Sp. 54. HIRUNDO FRETENSIS, Gould,

Torres Strait's Swallow.

The only specimen I possess of the bird now to be noticed
was shot by Mr. Rayner, Surgeon of H.M.S. Herald, on the
northern shore of Australia. As it is somewhat immature, I
am unable to institute a rigid comparison between it and
other known species, as I could wish. In size and general
appearance it is very like an English Swallow at the end of
its first autumn ; but its bill is larger and longer than that of
any adult specimen, either of our own island or from India,
that I have seen. I have a fully adult Swallow from the
Island of Java, which I believe to be a mature individual of
the present species. It is very like our H. rustica, but is
somewhat smaller in the body, has a very large bill, and but
a faint indication of the black pectoral band.

Throat rusty red, bounded below by an indistinct band of
dull bluish black ; under surface white ; tail forked, but the
outer feathers, which I consider to be imperfectly developed,
do not exceed the central one by more than three-quarters
of an inch ; all the tail-feathers, except the two middle ones,
with an oval spot of white on the inner web, about half an
inch from the tip ; crown of the head brownish black, with
steel reflexions ; back and upper tail-coverts glossy steel-bluish
black ; wings black, glossed with green ; bill and feet black.

Total length, from tip of bill to end of tail, 5 inches ; bill,
gape to lip, -yq ; breadth at base -j^ ; wing 4^ ; outer tail-
feathers 2 J ; middle tail-feathers If ; tarsi \.

Genus HYLOCHELIDON, Gould.

I have not instituted a new generic appellation for the
following bird without maturely considering the propriety of
so doing, after carefully comparing it with the various forms
already characterized of this extensive family ; which, when-
ever it may be monographed by a scientific ornithologist.

INSESSORES. Ill

will be found to comprise ample materials for the formation
of more genera than has yet been proposed, as well as
numerous species with which we are at present unacquainted ;
and I have no doubt that Mr. Blyth's notion of dividing
them into sections in accordance with the forms of their nests
will be found a very happy suggestion — saucer-builders, retort-
builders, bank-burrowers, builders in the holes of trees, &c.

The species of this form are part of a small section of the
Swallows which nidify in the holes of trees, without any nest
for the deposition of their delicate eggs. Their bare tarsi at
once separate them from the Chelidons, and they also differ
from the American Petrochelidons. Of these birds, which
appear to be an offshoot from the typical or true Hirundines,
my collection contains at least two species, one from Austraha,
the other from Timor ; I say at least, because it is a question
whether the birds from Australia do not constitute two in
themselves, — specimens from Tasmania being very much
larger than those from the main land.

Sp. 55. HYLOCHELIDON NIGRICANS.

Tree Swallow.

Chelidon arhorea, Gould, Birds of Australia, vol. i. Introd. p. xxix.

Cecropis pyrrhonota, Boie, Isis, 1844, p. 175.

Hirundo [Herse) nigricans et pyrrhonota, Less. Compl. Buff., torn. viii.
p. 497.

Dun-rumped Swallow, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. vii. p. 309.

Hirundo pyrrhonota, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 190.

Hirundo nigricans, Vieill. Ency. Meth., part ii. p. 525.

Cecropis nigricans, Boie, Isis, 1844, p. 175.

Petrochelidon nigricans, Cab. Mus. Hein. Theil i. p. 47.

Gab-by -kal-lan-goo-rong, Aborigines of the lowlands of Western Aus-
tralia.

Martin of the Colonists.

Collocalia arborea, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ii. pi. 14.
The Tree Swallow is a very common summer visitant to

113 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

the southern portions of AustraUa and Tasmania, arriving in
August and retiring northwards as autumn approaches. It
is a very famihar species, and frequents the towns in com-
pany with the Swallow. I observed it to be particularly
numerous in the streets of Hobart Town, where it arrives
early in September ; the more southern and colder situation
of the island rendering all migratory birds later in their arrival
there.

It breeds during the month of October in the holes of trees,
making no nest, but laying its eggs on the soft dust generally
found in such places : the eggs are from three to five in num-
ber, of a pinky white faintly freckled at the larger end with
fine spots of light reddish brown ; they are eight lines long
by six lines broad.

Considerable difference exists both in size and in the depth
of colouring of specimens killed in New South Wales, Swan
River, and Tasmania ; but as there exists no distinctive cha-
racter of marking, I regard them as local varieties rather than
as distinct species. Tasmanian specimens are larger in all
their admeasurements, and have the fulvous tint of the under
surface and the band across the forehead much deeper than
in those killed in New South Wales ; individuals from the
latter locality again exceed in size those from Western
Australia.

Specimens of this bird, identical with others from New
South Wales, were brought from the Aru Islands by Mr.
Wallace.

Genus LAGENOPLASTES, Gould.

The little Pairy Martin of Australia, the constructor of a
singular retort-shaped nest, is the type of the present genus ;
in which I think must also be placed another species in
my collection, which I received from India, and which pre-
cisely resembles it in form and greatly in colour. What

INSESSORES. 113

the members of the genus Hylochdidon are to the Swallows,
those of the present are to the Martins, from which they
differ in their diminutive and bare tarsi, and from the
American Hylochelidons in their more feeble structure and
colouring.

Sp. 56. LAGENOPLASTES ARIEL, Gould.

Fairy Martin.

Collocalia Ariel, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part x. 1842, p. 132.
Chelidon Ariel, Gould, Bh-ds of Australia, vol. i. Introd. p. xxix.
Hirundo Ariel, Gray and Mitch. Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 58, Hirundo,
sp.l7.

Collocalia ariel, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ii. pi. 15.

The Eairy Martin is dispersed over all the southern portions
of Australia, and, like every other member of the genus, it is
strictly migratory. It usually arrives in the month of August,
and departs again in February or March ; during this interval
it rears two or three broods. The Fairy Martin, unlike the
favourite Swallow of the Australians, although enjoying a
most extensive range, appears to have an antipathy to the
country near the sea, for neither in New South Wales nor at
Swan River have I ever heard of its approaching the coast-
line nearer than twenty miles ; hence, while I never observed
it at Sydney, the town of Maitland on the Hunter is annually
visited by it in great numbers. In Western Australia it is
common between Northam and York, while the towns of Perth
and Fremantle on the coast are, like Sydney, unfavoured with
its presence. I observed it throughout the district of the
Upper Hunter, as well as in every part of the interior, breed-
ing in various localities, wherever suitable situations presented
themselves ; sometimes their nests are constructed in the cavi-
ties of decayed trees ; while not unfrequently clusters of them
are attached to the perpendicular banks of rivers, the sides
of rocks, &c., generally in the vicinity of water. The long

I

114 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

bottle-shaped nest is composed of mud or clay, and, like that
of om- Common Martin, is only worked at in the morning
and evening, unless the day be wet or lowery. In the con-
struction of the nests these birds appear to work in small com-
panies, six or seven assisting in the formation of each nest,
one remaining within and receiving the mud brought by the
others in their mouths : in shape these nests are nearly round,
but vary in size from four to six or seven inches in diameter ;
the spouts of some being eight or nine inches in length.
When built on the sides of rocks or in the hollows of trees,
they are placed without any regular order, in clusters of thirty
or forty together, some with their spouts inclining downwards,
others at right angles, &c, ; they are lined with feathers and
fine grasses. The eggs, which are four or five in number,
are sometimes white, at others spotted and blotched with red ;
eleven-sixteenths of an inch long by half an inch broad.

The sexes are alike in colour.

Crown of the head rust-red ; back, scapvilaries, and wing-
coverts deep steel-blue ; wings and tail dark brown ; rump
buffy white ; upper tail-coverts brown ; under surface white,
tinged with rust-red, particularly on the sides of the neck and
flanks ; the feathers of the throat with a fine line of dark
brown down the centre ; irides blackish brown ; bill blackish
grey ; legs and feet olive-grey.

Genus CHERAMGECA, Cabanis.

In the " Introduction " to the folio edition, I remarked
that I Avas not fully satisfied of the propriety of placing the
White-breasted Swallow in the genus Atticora ; and that I
erred in so doing has since been shown by M. Cabanis having
deemed it necessary to make it the type of a new one, which
I here adopt.

INSESSORES. 115

Sp. 57. CHERAMCECA LEUCOSTERNA, Gould.

White-breasted Swallow.

Hirundo leucosternus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part viii. p. 172.
CheramcBca leucosterna, Cab. Mus. Hein., Theil i. p. 49.
Buo-de-boo-de of the Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western

Australia.
Black and White Swallow of the Colonists.

Atticora leucosternon, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ii. pi. 12.

The White-breasted Swallow is a very wandering species,
never very numerous, and is generally seen in small flocks of
from ten to twenty in number, sometimes in company with
the other Swallows. It usually flies very high, a circumstance
which renders it difficult to procure specimens.

In Western Australia this bird chooses for its nest the
deserted hole of either the Dalgyte {Perac/alea lagotis) or
the Boodee (a species of Bettongid), but more generally
drills holes in the sides of banks, like the Sand-Martin of
Europe.

These holes are perfectly round, about two inches in
diameter, run horizontally for three feet from the entrance,
and then expanding into a chamber or receptacle for the nest,
which is constructed of the broad portions of dried grasses
and the dry dead leaves of trees. Mr. Johnson Drummond
informed Gilbert that he had frequently found seven, eight, or
nine eggs in a single nest, from which he inferred that more
than one female lays in the same nest : the eggs are white,
somewhat lengthened, and pointed in form. It would seem
that the holes are not constructed exclusively for the purpose
of nidification, for upon Gilbert's inserting a long grass stalk
into one of them, five birds made their way out, all of which
he succeeded in catching ; upon his digging to the extremity,
in the hope of procuring their eggs, no nest was found, and
hence he concludes that their holes are also used as places of
resort for the night.

i2

116 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Since this information was transmitted, I have received
notices of this bird from many other sources, which enable
me to state with tolerable certainty that it is spread during
summer at least over the whole of the southern portion of
the interior, from Queensland to Swan River, Strange to
say, however, I have never seen examples of this species in
any collection formed out of Australia ; yet the occurrence of
a bii'd whose wing-powers are so great might naturally be
expected in New Guinea or some of the adjacent islands.

Crown of the head light brown, surrounded by a ring of
white ; lores black ; a broad band commencing at the eye,
and passing round the back of the neck, brown ; centre of the
back, throat, chest, and under surface of the shoulder white ;
wings and tail brownish black; rump, upper tail-coverts,
abdomen, and under tail-coverts black ; irides dark reddish
brown ; bill blackish brown ; legs and feet greenish grey.

Family MEROPIDiE.

Like all other extensive families of birds, the varied mem-
bers of the Meropidse or Bee-eaters are divisible into many
genera. In India, we find the beautiful Nyctiornis amictus
and its two allies ; and in Africa, several other genera, com-
prising birds of considerable size and gaiety of colouring.

These aerial birds live almost exclusively on insects, and it
is while engaged in the capture of these that the very beautiful
colours with which they are adorned are shown to the greatest
advantage. In their mode of nidification and in the colour-
ing of their eggs they are allied to the Kingfishers.

Generally speaking, the sexes are alike in plumage, and
differ but little in size.

Genus MEROPS, Limiceus.

India and Africa may be said to be the great nursery of this
lovely group of birds ; of which one, common in the southern
parts of Europe, is beautifully represented in Australia by
the Merops ornatus, the only species inhabiting that country.

INSESSORES. 117

Sp. 58. MEROPS ORNATUS, Latham.

Australian Bee-eater.

Merops ornatus, Lath. Ind. Ora., Supp. p. xxxv.
Mountain Bee- eater, Lewin, Birds of New HoU.^ pi. 18.
Variegated Bee-eater, Lath. Gen. Syn., Supp. vol. ii. p. 155, pi. 128.
Merops melanurus, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 208.
Philemon ornatus, Vieill. Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat., torn. xvii. p. 423.
Merops Thouini, sp. tenuipennis, Dumont, Id., et Levrault, p. 52.
Melittophagus ornatus, Reich. Handb. torn. i. p. 82.
Cosma'erops ornatus, Cab. et Hein. Mus. Hein., Theil ii, p. 138.
Dee-weed-gang, Aborigines of New South Wales.
Bee-roo-bee-roo-long, Aborigines of the lowland, and
Ber-rin-ber-rin, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western

Australia.
Bee- eater of the Colonists.

Merops ornatus, Grould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ii. pL 16.

This bird has so many attractions that it will doubtless be
always regarded as a general favourite with the Australians ;
the extreme beauty of its plumage, the elegance of its form,
and the graceful manner of its flight all combining to render
it especially worthy of their notice; besides which, many
pleasing associations are connected with it, for, like the
Swallow and the Cuckoo of Europe, it arrives in New South
Wales and in all the colonies lying within the same de-
gree of latitude in August, and departs in March, the inter-
vening period being employed in the duties of incubation and
of rearing its progeny. During the summer months it is
universally spread over the whole southern portion of the
continent from east to west ; and in winter the northern.

In South Australia and at Swan River it is equally nu-
merous as in New South Wales, generally giving preference
to the inland districts rather than to those near the coast ;
hence it is rarely to be met with in the neighbourhood of
Perth, while in the York district it is very common. In
New South Wales I found it especially abundant on the

118 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Upper Hunter, and all other parts towards the interior, as far
as I had an opportunity of exploring. Its favourite resorts
during the day are the open, arid, and thinly-timbered
forests ; and in the evening the banks and sides of rivers,
where numbers may frequently be seen in company. It
almost invariably selects a dead or leafless branch whereon to
perch, and from which it darts forth to capture the passing
insects. Its flight somewhat resembles that of the Artamiy
and although it is capable of being sustained for some time,
the bird more frequently performs short excursions, and
returns to the branch it had left.

The eggs are deposited and the young reared in holes made
in the sandy banks of rivers or any similar situation in the
forest favourable for the purpose. The entrance is scarcely
larger than a mouse-hole, and is continued for a yard in depth,
at the end of which is an excavation of sufficient size for the
reception of the four or five beautiful pinky-white eggs, which
are ten lines long by eight or nine lines broad.

The stomach is tolerably muscular, and the food consists of
various insects, principally Coleoptera and Neuroptera.

The sexes are alike in plumage, and may be thus described: —

Forehead, line over the eye, back, and wing-coverts brown-
ish green ; crown of the head and nape orange-brown ; wings
orange-brown, passing into green on the extremities of the
primaries, and broadly tipped with black ; two or three of the
scapularies, lower part of the back, rump, and upper tail-
coverts cserulean blue ; tail black, most of the feathers, par-
ticularly the two centre ones, slightly margined with blue ;
lores, line beneath and behind the eye and ear- coverts velvety-
black ; beneath which is a stripe of cserulean blue ; throat
rich yellow, passing into orange on the sides of the neck ;
beneath this a broad band of deep black ; under surface like
the back, becoming green on the lower part of the abdomen ;
under tail-coverts light blue ; irides light brownish red ; bill
black ; legs and feet mealy greenish grey.

INSESSORES. 119

The young, until after their first autumn, are destitute of
the black on the throat, and of the blue line beneath the eye,
and their two central tail-feathers very short.

The range of this species appears to extend to some of the
islands in the Eastern Archipelago, since specimens brought
by Mr. Wallace from the Island of Lombock are identical with
the birds found in Australia.

Family CORACID^.

Genus EURYSTOMUS, Vieillot

One species of this genus is found in Australia, and others
inhabit India, the Indian islands, and Africa. They are
closely allied to the Rollers, and not very distantly related to
the Kingfishers.

^o'

Sp. 59. EURYSTOMUS PACIFICUS.

Australian Roller.

Coracias pacifica, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xxvii.

{Galgulus) pacifica, Vieill. Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat., torn. xxix.

P- •
Eurystomus orientalis, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 202.

Australis, Swains. Anim. in Menag., p. 326.

pacificus, G. R. Gray, Ann. Nat. Hist. 1843, p. 190.

Galgulus pacificus, Vieill. Ency. Meth., part ii. p. 870.
Colajns pacificus, Bonap. Consp. Vol. Anis., p. 7.
Pacific Roller, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 371 ?
Naty-kin, Aborigines of New South Wales.
Dollar Bird of the Colonists.

Eurystomus Australis, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ii. pi. 17.

In Australia the Roller would appear to be a very local
species, for I have never seen it from any other part of the
country than New South Wales ; but the late Mr. Elsey in-
foruied me that he found it very common in the Victoria

120 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

basin, and that it became very numerous about the head of
the Lynd. It arrives early in spring, and, after having
brought forth its progeny, retires northwards on the approach
of winter. It appeared to be most active about sunrise and
sunset ; in sultry weather it was generally perched upon
some dead branch in a state of quietude. It is a very bold
bird at all times, but particularly so during the breeding
season, when it attacks with the utmost fury any intruder
that may venture to approach the hole in the tree in which
its eggs are deposited.

When intent upon the capture of insects it usually perches
upon the dead upright branch of a tree growing beside and
overhanging water, where it sits very erect, until a passing
insect attracts its notice, when it suddenly darts off, secures
its victim, and returns to the same branch ; at other times
it may constantly be seen on the wing, mostly in pairs, flying
just above the tops of the trees, diving and rising again with
many rapid turns. During flight the silvery-white spot in
the centre of each wing shows very distinctly, and hence the
name of Dollar Bird bestowed upon it by the colonists.

It is a very noisy bird, particularly in dull weather, when
it often emits its peculiar chattering note during flight.

It is said to take the young Parrots from their holes and kill
them, but this I never witnessed ; the stomachs of the many I
dissected contained the remains of Coleoptera only.

The breeding-season lasts from September to December ;
and the eggs, which are three and sometimes four in number,
are deposited in the hole of a tree without any nest ; they are
of a beautiful pearly white, considerably pointed at the smaller
end ; their medium length is one inch and five lines, and
breadth one inch and two lines.
The sexes are alike in plumage.

Head and neck dark brown, passing into the sea-green of
the upper surface, and deepening into black on the lores ;
spurious wing, outer webs of the basal half of the quills, outer

INSESSORES, 121

webs of the secondaries, and the basal half of the outer webs
of the tail-feathers vivid blue ; six of the primaries with a
greenish- white basal band ; extremities of the primaries black ;
tail green at the base, black at the tip ; throat vivid blue,
with a stripe of lighter blue down the centre of each feather ;
under surface of the shoulder and abdomen light green ; under
surface of the inner webs of the primaries and of all but the
two centre tail-feathers deep blue, the former interrupted by
the greenish- white band ; irides dark brown ; eyelash, bill,
and feet red ; inside of the mouth yellow.

Mr. Wallace found this species in the Aru Islands.

Family ALCEDINID-S3.

But few of the various families, into which birds have
been divided, are more clearly or more distinctly defined
than those composing the AlcedinidcB . The bony structure
of the whole is very much alike ; and they are all clothed
in a similar kind of plumage, differing only in colour. In
some genera, as in Dacelo, it is of a sombre character ;
while in others, as in Alcedo and Alcyone, the plumage is
very beautiful. Some, as the members of the first-mentioned
genus, are of large size ; while others are equally diminutive.
The various members of the family are dispersed over all
parts of the globe, but are most numerous in its tropical
and temperate regions. Those inhabiting Australia pertain
to four or five very distinct genera, namely, Dacelo, Todi-
rhamphus, Syma, Tanysiptera, and Alcyone.

Genus DACELO, Leach.

The members of the genus Bacelo are among the largest
species of the great family AlcedinidcB, and form a con-
spicuous feature in the ornithology of Australia, but, remark-
ably enough, are confined to the south-eastern and northern

122 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

portions of the country, the south-western parts being unin-
habited by any species of this group. I beheve that water
is not essential to their existence, and that they seldom or
ever drink. They feed almost exclusively upon animal sub-
stances, small quadrupeds, birds, snakes, lizards, and insects
being equally acceptable.

At least three species inhabit Australia.

Sp. 60. DACELO GIGAS.

Great Brown Kingfisher.

Alcedo gigas, Bodd. Tabl. des PI. Enl. d'Aubent., p. 40, pi. 663.

gigantea, Lath. Ind. Orn., vol. i. p. 245.

fusca, Gmel. edit, of Linn. Syst. Nat., vol. i. p. 454.

Grand Martin-pecheur de la Nouvelle Guinee, Son. Voy., p. 171, pi. 106.

Martin Chasseur, Temm. Man. d'Orn., 2nd edit. p. Ixxxviii.

Giant Kingfisher, Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 53.

Great Brown Kingfisher, Lath. Gen. Syn., vol. ii. p. 609.

Dacelo gigantea, Leach, Zool. Misc., vol. ii. p. 126, pi. cvi.

Choucalcyon australe, Less. Traite d'Orn., p. 248.

Paralcyon gigas, Gloger.

Dacelo gigas, G. R. Gray, List of Gen. of Birds, 2nd edit. p. 14.

Gogo-bera, Aborigines of New South Wales.

Laughing Jackass of the Colonists.

Dacelo gigantea, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ii. pi. 18.

The Dacelo gigas is a bird with which every resident and
traveller in New South Wales is more or less familiar, for,
independently of its large size, its voice is so extraordinary as
to be unlike that of any other bird. In its disposition it is
by no means shy, and when any new objects are presented to
its notice, such as a party traversing the bush or pitching their
tent in the vicinity of its retreat, it becomes very prying and
inquisitive, often perching on the dead branch of some
neighbouring tree, and watching with curiosity the kindling
of the fire and the preparation of the meal; its presence,
however, is seldom detected until it emits its extraordi-

INSESSORES. 123

nary gurgling, laughing note, which generally calls forth
some exclamation according with the temper of the hearer,
such as " There is our old friend the Laughing Jackass," or
an epithet of a less friendly character. So remarkable are
the sounds emitted by the bird that they have been noted by
nearly every writer on New South Wales and its productions.
Mr. Caley states that its " loud noise, somewhat like laughing,
may be heard at a considerable distance, from which circum-
stance, and its uncouth appearance, it probably received the
extraordinary appellation given to it by the settlers on their
first arrival in the colony." Captain Sturt says, "Its cry,
which resembles a chorus of wild spirits, is apt to startle the
traveller who may be in jeopardy, as if laughing and mocking
at his misfortune " ; and Mr. Bennett, in his ' Wanderings,'
says, " Its peculiar gurgling laugh, commencing in a low, and
gradually rising to a high and loud tone, is often heard in all
parts of the colony, the deafening noise being poured forth
while the bird remains perched upon a neighbouring tree ; it
rises with the dawn, when the woods re-echo with its gurgling
laugh ; at sunset it is again heard ; and as that glorious orb
sinks in the wTst, a last ' good night ' is given in its peculiar
tones to all within hearing."

It frequents every variety of situation ; the luxuriant
brushes stretching along the coast, the more thinly-timbered
forest, the belts of trees studding the parched plains, and
the brushes of the higher ranges being alike favoured with
its presence ; over all these localities it is rather thinly dis-
persed, being nowhere very numerous.

Its food, which is of a mixed character, consists exclusively
of animal substances ; reptiles, insects, and crabs, however,
ap])car to be its favourite diet : it devours lizards with avidity,
and it is not an unfrequent sight to see it bearing off a snake
in its bill to be eaten at leisure ; it also preys on small mam-
malia. I recollect shooting a Great Brown Kingfisher in South
Australia in order to secure a fine rat I saw hanging from its

124 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

bill, and which proved to be a rare species. The Dacelo
gigas breeds during the months of August and September,
generally selects a hole in a large gum-tree for the purpose,
and deposits its beautiful pearl-white eggs, which are one
inch and nine lines long by one inch and five lines broad,
on the decomposed wood at the bottom. When the young
are hatched, it defends its breeding-place with great courage
and daring, darting down upon any intruder who may attempt
to ascend the tree.

The sexes present so little difference in the colouring of
their plumage, that they are scarcely distinguishable from
each other ; neither do the young at a month old exhibit any
great variation from the adult, the only difierence being that
the markings are somewhat darker and the brown more gene-
rally diffused.

It bears confinement remarkably well, and is one of the
most amusing birds for the aviary with which I am acquainted :
many examples have been brought alive to England ; and
several are now living in the Gardens of the Zoological Society
of London.

Sp. 61. DACELO LEACHII, Vigors a?id Horsfield.
Leach's Kingfisher.

Dacelo Leachii, Lath. MSS. Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv.
p. 205.

Dacelo Leachii, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ii. pi. 19.

Since the completion of the folio edition, in which I was
only enabled to mention the existence of a few specimens of
this Kingfisher, so many examples have been sent to England
that it has now become common, and may be found in every
collection. Its habitat may be stated to be the Cape York
Peninsula and the northern part of Queensland.

The habits, actions, food, and indeed the whole of the
economy of the Dacelo Leachii are so like those of the D. gigas
that a separate description of them is unnecessary.

INSESSORES. 125

The male has the head and back of the neck striated with
brown and white ; sides of the neck and under surface white,
crossed with very narrow irregular markings of brown, these
markings becoming much broader and conspicuous on the
under surface of the shoulder ; back brownish black ; wing-co-
verts and rump shining azui'e-blue ; wings deep blue ; primaries
white at the base, black on their inner webs, and blue on the
outer ; tail rich deep blue, all but the two centre feathers irre-
gularly barred near the extremity and largely tipped with
white ; upper mandible brownish black, under mandible pale
buff ; irides dark brown ; feet olive.

The female differs but little from the male in the colouring
of the plumage, except that the tail-feathers, instead of being
of a rich blue barred and tipped with white, are of a light
chestnut-brown conspicuously barred with bluish black.

Sp. 62. DACELO CERVINA, Gould.

Fawn-breasted Kingfisher.

Dacelo cervina, Gould, Birds of Australia, part ii. cancelled.

cervicalis, Kaup, Fam. Eisv., p. 8.

Salussii, Homb. et Jacq. Voy. au Pole Sud, pi. 23. fig. 1.

Paralcyon cervina, Cab. et Hein. Mus. Hein., Theil ii. p. 164.
La-rool, Aborigines of Port Essington.

Dacelo cervina, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ii. pi. 20.

The north-western portions of Australia constitute the true
habitat of this species ; it was observed in tolerable abundance
by Sir George Grey during his expedition to that part of the
country, and specimens of it have also formed a part of every
collection of any extent made at Port Essington. In dispo-
sition it appears to be more shy and wary than the Dacelo
(/iff as of New South Wales, of which it is a representative.
Gilbert, who observed it on the Coburg Peninsula, states that
it " inhabits well-wooded forests, generally in pairs, is

126 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

extremely shy and very difficult to procure ; is very fond of
perching on the topmost dead branch of a tree, whence it
can have an uninterrupted view of everything passing around,
and where it pom-s out its loud discordant tones. Sometimes
three or four pairs may be heard at one time, when the noise
is so great that no other sound can be heard. The natives
assert that it breeds in the honey-season, which is during the
months of May, June, and July.

In his ' Journal of an Overland Expedition from Moreton
Bay to Port Essington,' Dr. Leichardt states that " The
Laughing Jackass {Dacelo cervina, Gould) observed near
the Gulf of Carpentaria is of a different species from that
of the eastern coast, is of a smaller size, and speaks a different
language ; but the noise is by no means so ridiculous as that
of Dacelo gigas\ he is heard before sunrise and imme-
diately after sunset, like his representative of the eastern
coast ; the latter was observed as far as the upper Lynd, where
the new one made his appearance."

The food of this Kingfisher is doubtless similar to that of
the Dacelo gig as. The stomachs of those examined by
Gilbert were tolerably muscular, and contained the remains
of coleopterous and other kinds of insects.

As is the case with the preceding species, the male, when
fully adult, differs from his mate in having the tail-feathers of
a deep and splendid blue instead of brown.

The male has the feathers of the head buffy white, with a
central stripe of dark brown, the latter colour becoming most
conspicuous on the occiput ; throat white ; cheeks, ear-coverts,
back of the neck, chest, and all the under surface sienna-
yellow, crossed on the flanks with very minute irregular zig-
zag bands of brown ; primaries black at the tip, white at the
base ; the base of their external webs, the secondaries, and
spurious wing rich china blue ; greater and lesser wing-coverts,
lower part of the back, and upper tail-coverts shining light blue;
tail and the longest of the upper tail-coverts rich deep blue,

INSESSORES. 127

the former broadly tipped with white ; irides greenish white ;
upper mandible blackish brown, the cutting edges greenish
white ; lower mandible greenish white, the base dark brown
on the sides, and blue on the under surface ; tarsi and feet
emerald green ; claws black.

The female has the feathers of the head, cheeks, and ear-
coverts buffy white, with a central stripe of dark brow n ;
throat white ; back of the neck, chest, and all the under sur-
face sienna-yellow ; the chest, flanks, and abdomen crossed by
fine zigzag lines of brown ; upper part of the back and scapu-
laries umber-brown ; primaries blackish brown at the tip and
white at the base ; the basal portion of their external webs,
the secondaries, and the spurious wing rich china blue ; greater
and lesser wing-coverts and upper tail-coverts light shining
blue ; tail and the longest of the upper coverts rich chestnut-
brown, which passes into buff at the tip, the whole trans-
versely marked with eight or nine bands of rich blue-black.

Genus TODIRHAMPHUS, Lesson.

The members of this genus are more numerous and more
widely dispersed than the Bacelce. The range of the various
species extends from Asia, through the Indian Islands, to
Australia ; but I believe no one of them has yet been found
in Africa. In making this statement, I wish it to be under-
stood I do not intend to say that there are no Kingfishers in
that country ; on the contrary, they are very numerous there,
but not of this particular form. Some of them bear a very
general resemblance to it, and one of these is the type of the
genus Halcyon, in which the Australian Todirliamplii have
hitherto been placed. In their habits and mode of life the
Todirhamphi resemble the Dacelcc, and must have the power,
like those birds, of sustaining themselves for a long time
without water, since they are frequently found in the driest
parts of the country.

128 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Sp. 03. TODIRIIAMPHUS SANCTUS.

Sacred Kingfisher.

Sacred Kingsjisher, Phill. Bot, Bay, pi. in p. 156.

Halcyon Sanctus, Vig. and Ilorsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 206.

sacra, Steph. Cont. Shaw's Gen. Zool. vol. xiii. p. 98.

sancta, G. R. Gray, List of Spec, of Birds in Coll. Brit. Mus.,

part ii. sec. i. p. 56.
Dacelo chlorocephala, var. /3, Less. Traite d'Orn., p. 246.
Todirhamphus sanctus, Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av., toni. i. p. 156, Todi-

rhamphus, sp. 3.
Australasia, Cass. Cat. Hale. in Coll. Acad. Nat. Sci. Mus. Philad.,

p. 13.
Sauropatis sancta, Cab. et Hein. Mus. Hein., Theil ii. p. 158.
Kingsjisher of the Colonists.
Kun-yee -nuk of the Aborigines, Western Australia.

Halcyon sanctus, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ii. pi. 21.

The Sacred Kingfisher is very generally dispersed over the
Australian continent. I have specimens from nearly every
locality : those from Port Essington on the north are precisely
identical with those of the south coast ; on the other hand,
those inhabiting Western Australia are a trifle larger in all
their measurements, but otherwise present no differences of
sufficient importance to warrant their being considered as
distinct. It does not inhabit Tasmania.

It is a summer resident in New South Wales and through-
out the southern portion of the continent, retiring northwards
after the breeding-season. It begins to disappear in Decem-
ber, and by the end of January few are to be seen : solitary
individuals may, however, be met with even in the depth of
winter. They return again in spring, commencing in August,
and by the middle of September are plentifully dispersed over
all parts of the country, inhabiting alike the most thickly
wooded brushes, the mangrove-forests which border, in many
parts, the armlets of the sea, and the more open and thinly

INSESSORES. 129

timbered plains of the interior, often in the most dry and arid
sitnations far distant from water ; and it would appear that,
as is the case with many of the insectivorous birds of Aus-
tralia, a supply of that element is not essential to its exist-
ence, since, from the localities it is often found breeding in, it
must necessarily pass long periods without being able to
obtain it.

The gaiety of its plumage renders it a conspicuous object in
the bush : its loud piercing call, also, often betrays its presence,
particularly during the season of incubation, when the bird
becomes more and more clamorous as the tree in which its
eggs are deposited is approached by the intruder. The
note most frequently uttered is a loud pee-pee, continued at
times to a great length, resembling a cry of distress. It sits
very upright, generally perching on a small dead branch for
hours together, merely flying down to capture its prey, and
in most instances returning again to the site it has just
left. Its food is of a very mixed character, and varies
with the nature of the localities it inhabits. It greedily
devours mantes, grasshoppers, caterpillars, lizards, and very
small snakes, all of which are swallowed whole, the latter
being killed by beating their heads against a stone or other
hard substance, after the manner of the Common Kingfisher.
Specimens killed in the neighbourhood of salt-marshes had
their stomachs literally crammed with crabs and other crns-
taceous animals ; while intent on the capture of which it
may be observed sitting silently on the low mangrove-bushes
skirting the pools which every receding tide leaves either dry
or with a sm-face of wet mud, upon which crabs are to be
found in abundance. I have never seen it plunge into the
water after fish like the true Kingfishers, and. I believe it
never resorts to that mode of obtaining its prey. On the
banks of the Hunter its most favourite food is the larva} of a
species of ant, which it procures by excavating holes in the
nests of this insect which are constructed around the boles

K

130 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

and dead branclies of the Eucalyptiy and which resemble ex-
crescences of the tree itself.

The season of nidification commences in October and lasts
till December, the hollow spouts of the gmii- and boles of the
apple-trees {A?i(/ophor6e) being generally selected as a recept-
acle for the eggs, which are four or five in number, of a pinky-
white, one inch and a line in length, and ten lines in diameter.

The sexes differ but little either in their size or colouring,
and the young are only distinguished by being of a less bril-
liant hue, and by the wing-coverts and feathers of the breast
being edged with brown.

Crown of the head, back, and scapularies dull green ; wings
and tail green, slightly tinged with blue ; ear-coverts, and an
obscure circle bounding the green of the head, greenish black ;
rump verditer green ; throat white ; line from the nostrils
over the eye, nuchal band, and all the under surface buff, be-
coming deeper on the flanks ; bill black, the basal portion of
the under mandible flesh-white ; feet flesh-red, tinged with
brown ; irides dark brown.

Sp. 04. TODIRHAMPHUS PYRRHOPYGIUS, Gould.

Red-backed Kingfisher.

Haley on pyrrhopygia, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part viii. 1840, p. 113.
Todirhamphus pyr-rhopygius, Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av., torn. i. p. 157,

Tudirhamphus, sp. 1.
Cyanalcy on pyrrhopygia, Bonap. Consp. Vol. Anis., p. 9, gen. 119.
Sau7'opatis pyrrhopygia, Cab. et Hein. Mus. Hein., Theil ii. p. 161.

Halcyon pyrrhopygia, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ii. pi. 22.

This Kingfisher is an inhabitant of the interior, but over
what extent of country it may range is not yet known. The
only parts where I myself observed it were the myall-brushes
(Acacia pendula) of the Lower Namoi, particularly those
growing on the edge of the large plain skirting the Nundawar
range. It was usually seen sitting very upright on the dead

INSESSORES. 131

branches of the myall- and gum-trees, somethnes on those
growing out on the hot plains, at others on those close by
the river-side. I succeeded in obtaining both old and young
birds, which, judging from the plumage of the latter, I should
suppose had left their breeding-place about a month before I
arrived in the neighbourhood of the Namoi, in December, I
also saw in this district the common or Sacred Kingfisher,
but in far less abundance than between the ranges and the
coast. This latter species may be hereafter found to be an
inhabitant of the country bordering the sea, while the Red-
backed Kingfisher may be exclusively a denizen of the
interior. The unusual colouring of the back at once distin-
guishes it from all the other members of the genus inhabiting
Australia, but in its general economy and mode of living it
presents no observable difference.

Gilbert procured examples of this species during Dr.
Leichardt's overland expedition ; Captain Sturt found it at
the depot in South Australia, and I have received speci-
mens from the interior of Swan River ; consequently it has
a very wide range.

Crown of the head dull green, intermingled with white,
giving it a striated appearance ; a broad black stripe com-
mences at the base of the bill, passes through the eye, and
encircles the back of the head ; upper part of the back and
scapularies green ; remainder of the wings bluish green ;
lower part of the back, rump, and upper tail-coverts red ; tail
green, tinged with blue ; throat, a broad collar encircling the
back of the neck, and all the under surface white ; bill black,
the base of the lower mandible flesh-white ; irides blackish
brown ; feet dark olive-brown.

Since the above account of this species was published in
the folio edition, I have been informed by the late Mr. Elsey
that he saw the Red-backed Kingfisher on the Macarthur River,
about one hundred miles from the coast, in lat. 26° 15' S.
Two eggs in my collection are very round in form, and of

JV <w

132 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

the usual white colour ; but they were doubtless pinky white
before they were blown. They are one inch long, by seven-
eighths broad.

Sp. 65. TODIRHAMPHUS SORDIDUS, Gould.

Sordid Kingfisher.

Halcyon sordidus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part x. p. 72.
Todirhamphus sordidus, Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av., toni. i. p. 157, Todi-

rhamphus, sp. 8.
Sauropatis sordida, Cab. et Hein. Mus. Hein., Theil ii. p. 159 (note).

Halcyon sordidus, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ii. pi. 23.

This fine Kingfisher, the largest species of the genus Ihdi-
rhamplms inhabiting Australia, is rather plentifully dispersed
over the north-eastern portion of Queensland, or from Moreton
Bay to Cape York. Its discovery is due to the late Mr.
Bynoe, K.N., who obtained two examples on the north coast,
but the exact locality is unknown to me.

Head, back, scapularies, and wing-coverts brownish oil-
green ; wings greenish blue, gradually changing into green
on the tips of the tertiaries ; collar round the back of the
neck and all the under surface bufify white ; tail greenish blue ;
upper mandible and tip of the lower one black ; base of the
latter flesh- white.

Genus CYANALCYON, Verreaux,

The species of this form at present known are C. Macleayi,
C. diops, C. laztdi, and perhaps C. lazidinus. They are all
highly coloured, and differ but little from the Todirliamphi,
with which they have been hitherto associated Australia,
New Guinea, and the adjacent islands are the countries fre-
quented by the members of this section of the Alcedinida.

INSESSORES. 133

Sp. 66. CYANALCYON MACLEAYL

MacLeay's Kingfisher.

Halcyon MacLeayi, Jard. and Selb. 111. Orn., vol. iii. pi. 101.

incindus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part v. p. 14.2, female.

Todirhampkus Macleayi, Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av., torn. i. p. 157, Todi-

ramphus, sp. 13.
Cyanalcyon Macleayi, Cab. et Hein. Mus. Hein., Theil ii. p. 158.
Bush Kingfisher, Residents at Port Essington.

Halcyon Macleayi, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ii. pi. 24.

There lias not yet been discovered in Australia a more
beautiful Kingfisher than the one dedicated to the late Alex-
ander MacLeay by the authors of the ' Illustrations of Or-
nithology ' as a tribute of respect for his scientific labours,
in the propriety of which I entirely concur.

The extreme brilliancy of the plumage of this bird would
indicate that it is a native of the hotter portions of the
country, and the correctness of this inference is borne out by
the fact that it inhabits all the eastern provinces from More-
ton Bay to the extreme northern portions of the continent ; it
is tolerably abundant at Port Essington, and it is also spread
over nearly every part of the Cobourg Peninsula suited to its
habits ; like the other members of the genus to which it
belongs, it is rarely, if ever, seen near water, and evinces so
decided a preference for the forests of the interior that it has
obtained the name of "Bush Kingfisher" from the residents
at Port Essington ; it is generally dispersed about in pairs,
and feeds on small reptiles, insects, and their larvse ; its
general note is a loud pee-pee uttered with considerable
rapidity. It incubates in November and December, some-
times forming its nest in the hollow trunks of trees, and at
others excavating a hole for itself in the nest of the tree-ants,
which presents so prominent and singular a feature in the
scenery of the country : the nest of the C. Macleayi is easily
discovered, for on the approach of an intruder the birds

134 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

immediately commence flying about in a very wild manner,
uttering at the same time a loud piercing cry of alarm ; the
eggs are three or four in number, of a pearly white, and
nearly round in form, being eleven lines long by ten broad.

So much difference exists in the plumage of the sexes that
Gilbert states he was for some time induced to regard them
as specifically distinct — an error into which I had myself
previously fallen when describing the female as a new spe-
cies in the * Proceedings of the Zoological Society ' quoted
above ; " but upon closer observation," adds Gilbert, " I soon
satisfied myself that the diff'erence of plumage was merely
sexual, the dissection of a large number of specimens fully
proving that those with a ring round the neck are males and
those without it females."

The male has a line under the eye and ear-coverts deep
glossy black ; head, occiput, wings, and tail rich deep prus-
sian blue ; primaries and secondaries white at the base, form-
ing a conspicuous spot when the wings are spread ; for the
remainder of their length these feathers are black, margined
externally with light prussian bbie ; immediately before the
eye an oval spot of white ; collar surrounding the back of the
neck and all the under surface white, tinged with buff on the
lower part of the flanks ; back and upper tail-coverts verditer
blue ; scapularies verditer green, both these colours bounded
near the white collar with prussian blue ; under surface of
the wing white, the tips of the coverts black ; under surface
of the tail black ; bill black, the basal portion of the under
mandible yellowish white ; tarsi black ; inner side of the feet
and back of the tarsi ash-grey ; irides very dark brown.

The general colours of the female are similar to those of
the male, but she differs from her mate in being entirely
destitute of the white collar at the back of the neck, which
part is deep prussian blue, thus uniting the blue of the occiput
and of the back ; in the tints being much less brilliant in the
back, being of a dull brownish verditer green, and in the

INSESSOKES. 135

upper tail-coverts pale verditer green instead of blue ; upper
mandible black ; lower mandible halfway from the tip and
along the whole of the cutting edges black, the remainder
being fleshy white tinged with blue where it joins the black ;
legs and feet greenish grey.

The young male resembles the female in colour, but is still
less brilliant ; has the back of a purer green ; the under sur-
face tinged with buff; the spot on the lores deep buff"; and
the collar at the back of a deep buff, interrupted by some of
the feathers of the occiput.

Genus SYMA, Lesson.

The S. Torotoro of New Guinea and the S. Jlavirostris of
Northern Australia are the only species of this form that have
yet been discovered. The serrated edges of the mandibles
indicate that they feed on some peculiar kind of food, and it
would be interesting to know what special service the serra-
tions are intended to perform.

Sp. 67. SYMA FLAVIROSTRIS, Gould.

Yellow-billed Kingfisher.

Halcyon (Syma?) Jlavirostris, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xviii.
1850, p. 200.

Halcyon flavirostris, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol.. Supplement,
pi. .

This species might easily be mistaken for the S'pua TorO'
toro; but there can be little doubt of its being distinct and new
to science : its lesser size, less brilliant colouring, the yellow
instead of orange hue of the bill, and the smaller size of the
serrations of the mandibles, are some of the characters by
which it may be distinguished from the New Guinea species.

It was in that rich district the peninsula of Cape York,
which appears to have a fauna peculiar to itself, that the pre-

136 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

sent bird was first procured ; the following notes by Mr. Mac-
gillivray comprise all the information I have been able to ob-
tain respecting it : —

" The Poditti, as it is called by the aborigines, appears to
be a rare bird; for although it was much sought for, not
more than four or five examples were obtained during our
stay. Like the Tanysiptera Silvia, it is an inhabitant of the
brushes, Avhile the S. Torotoro of New Guinea is a mangrove
bird. I myself saw it alive only once, in a belt of tall trees,
thick underwood, and clumps of the Seaforthia palm fringing
a small stream about three miles from the sea. Attracted by
the call of the bird, which was recognized by the accompanying
natives as that of the much-prized Poditti, three or four of us
remained for about ten minutes almost under the very tree
in which it was perched, intently looking out for the chance
of a shot, before I discovered it on a bare transverse branch, so
high up as scarcely to be within range of small shot ; however,
it fell, but our work was only half over, as the wounded bird
eluded our search for a long time ; at length, one of our sable
allies — his eyes brightened, I dare say, by visions of a pro-
mised axe — found it lying dead in a corner to which it had
retreated. The more intelligent natives whom I questioned
separately agreed in stating that its mode of nidification is
similar to that of the Tanysiptera Sylvia, and that, like that
species, it lays several white eggs."

The male has the crown of the head, back of the neck, ear-
coverts, and flanks cinnamon-red ; at the back of the neck a
narrow broken collar of black ; throat and lower part of the
abdomen tawny white ; back and wings sordid green ; rump
and tail greenish blue ; bill pale orange, the apical two-thirds
of the ridge of the upper mandible dark brown.

The female difl'ers in being less brightly coloured, and in
having an oblong patch of black on the centre of the head
extending a little way down the occiput.

TNSESSORES. 137

Genus TANYSIPTERA, Vigors.

The species of this genus are some of the most beautiful of
the AlcedinidcB ; for, independently of the pleasing contrasts
of their colourings of red, blue, and white, their lengthened
tail-plumes not only impart a peculiar elegance to their
appearance, but render them very conspicuous objects.

The well-known Ta7ti/sijjtera Dea, the type of this form, is
a native of New Guinea and the neighbouring islands, where
several others are also found ; and we now know that one
species is a native of Australia.

Sp. 68. TANYSIPTERA SYLVIA, Gould

White-tailed Kingfisher.

Tanysiptera Sylvia, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xviii.1850, p. 200.
Quatawur, of the Aborigines at Cape York.

Tanysiptera Sylvia, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol. Supplement,
pi. .

Hitherto this species has only been found on the northern
coast. Cape York being the sole locality it is at present known
to inhabit; and where, judging from the numerous speci-
mens lately sent to this country, it appears to be by no means
scarce.

As is the case with the Alcedimdas generally, the sexes
appear to present but little difference in size and colouring,
but the female may be distinguished from the male by being
somewhat less brilliant in colour and in the lesser development
of the central tail-feathers.

Mr. Macgillivray informed me that " this pretty Tanysiptera
is rather plentiful in the neighbourhood of Cape York, where
it frequents the dense brushes, and is especially fond of
resorting to the small sunny openings in the woods, attracted
probably by the greater abundance of insect food found in
such places than elsewhere : I never saw it on the ground.

138 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

and usually was first made aware of its presence by the
glancing of its bright colours as it darted past with a rapid,
arrow-like flight, and disappeared in an instant among the
dense foliage. Its cry, which may be represented by ' whee-
whee-iohee ' and ' w/ieet-w/ieet-w/teet,' is usually uttered while
the bird is perched on a bare transverse branch or woody
rope-like climber, which it uses as a look-out station, and
whence it makes short dashes at any passing insect or small
lizard, generally returning to the same spot. It is a shy
suspicious bird, and one well calculated to try the patience of
the shooter, who may follow it in a small brush for an hour
without getting a shot, unless he has as keen an eye as the
native to whom I was indebted for first pointing it out to
me. According to the natives, who know it by the name of
' Quatdwur,' it lays three white eggs in a hole dug by itself
in one of the large ant-hills of red clay which form so
remarkable a feature in the neighbourhood, some of them
being as much as ten feet in height, with numerous buttresses
and pinnacles. I believe that the bird also inhabits New
Guinea; for at Redscar Bay, on the south-east side of that
great island, in long. 146° 50' E., a head strung upon a
necklace was procured from the natives."

Crown of the head, wings, and five lateral tail-feathers on
each side blue ; ear-coverts, back of the neck, and mantle
black ; in the centre of the latter a triangular mark of white ;
rump and two middle tail-feathers pure white ; under surface
cinnamon-red ; bill and feet sealing-wax red.

Genus ALCYONE, Swainson.

Of this genus several species are known, all of which are
inhabitants of the Old World, principally Oceania, and Aus-
tralia. These singular-footed birds very closely resemble
the typical Kingfishers in their habits and manners ; for, like
them, they frequent rivers, brooks, and ponds, and plunge

INSESSORES. 139

beneath the surface for the fish, crustaceans, and insects
upon which they principally subsist.

So much difference exists in the species of this form in-
habiting Austraha, that I have been obliged to characterize
two of them as distinct from A. azurea.

Sp. 69. ALCYONE AZUREA.

Azure Kingfisher.

Alcedo azurea, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xxxii.

tribrachys, Shaw, Nat. Misc., pi. 681.

Tri-digitated Kingsfisher, Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 105.

Azure Kingsfisher, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. Add., p. 372.

Ceyx azurea, Jard. and Selb. 111. Orn., vol. ii. pi. 55. fig. 1.

Alcyone Australis, Swains. Class, of Birds, vol. ii. p. 336.

Ceyoe cyanea, Less. Traite d'Orn., p. 241.

Alcyone azurea, G. R. Gray, List of Gen. of Birds, 2nd edit. p. 14.

Alcyone azurea, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ii. pi. 25.

With the exception of Swan River, every colony of Australia,
from Port Essington on the north-west to Tasmania in the ex-
treme south, is inhabited by Azure Kingfishers ; but as they,
although closely allied, constitute at least three species, the
present page must necessarily treat exclusively of the one that
inhabits New South Wales and South Australia, over the
whole of which countries it is dispersed, wherever brooks,
ponds and other waters occur suitable to its habits and mode
of life. In size and in brilliancy of its plumage, the Azure
Kingfisher is intermediate between the species inhabiting
the north coast and that found in Tasmania ; although
generically distinct from the Kingfisher of Europe {Alcedo
Ispida), it has many characters in common with that bird. It
subsists almost exclusively on small fish and aquatic insects,
which it captures in the water by darting down from some
bare branch overhanging the stream, and to which it gene-
rally retm^ns to kill and devour its prey, which is swallowed

140 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

entire and head foremost, after the manner of the Httle
favourite of our own island. It is a sohtary bird, a pair, and
frequently only one, being found at the same spot. During
the breeding-season it becomes querulous and active, and
even pugnacious if any intruder of the same species should
venture within the precincts of its abode. The males at
this season chase each other up and down the stream with
arrow-like quickness, when, the rich azure-blue of the back
glittering in the sun, they appear more like meteors, as they
dart by the spectator, than birds. The task of incubation
commences in August and terminates in January, during
which period two broods are frequently brought forth. The
eggs, which are of a beautiful pearly or pinkish white and
rather round in form, are deposited at the extremity of a
hole, in a perpendicular or shelving bank bordering the
stream, without any nest being made for their reception ;
they are from five to seven in number, three quarters
of an inch broad by seven-eighths of an inch long. The
young at the first moult assume the plumage of the adult,
which is never afterwards changed. The hole occupied by
the bird is frequently almost filled up with the bones of small
fish, which are discharged from the throat and piled up round
the young in the form of a nest. Immediately on leaving
their holes the young follow the parents from one part of the
brook to another, and are fed by them while resting on some
stone or branch near the water's edge ; they soon, however,
become able to obtain their own food, and may be observed
at a very early age plunging into the water to a considerable
depth to capture small fish and insects.

The sexes are precisely similar in the colouring of their
plumage, neither do they diff'er in size. The young are very
clamorous, frequently uttering their twittering cry as their
parents pass and repass the branch on which they are sitting.

All the upper surface and a patch on each side of the chest
fine ultramarine blue, becoming more vivid on the rump and

INSESSORES. 141

upper tail-coverts ; on each side of the neck behind the ear-
coverts a tuft of yellowish-white feathers ; wings black ; throat
white, slightly washed with buff; all the under surface, in-
cluding the under side of the wing, ferruginous orange, the
flanks tinged with bluish lilac, giving them a rich purple hue ;
line from the bill to the eye reddish orange ; irides and bill
black ; feet orange.

Sp. 70. ALCYONE DIEMENENSIS, Gould.

Alcyone Diemenensis, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xiv. p. 19.

Alcyone Diemenensis, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. i., Introd.
p. xxxi.

This, the most southern member of the genus, differs from
the A. azitrea both in colour and size. It is a native of
Tasmania.

All the upper surface deep blue, becoming more vivid on
the rump and upper tail-coverts ; wings black, washed with
blue; throat buff; under surface of the body and wings
ferruginous orange ; on each side of the chest a patch of
bluish black; lores and a small patch behind the ears buff;
crown of the head indistinctly barred with black ; irides and
bill black ; feet orange.

Sp. 71. ALCYONE PULCHRA, Gould.

Alcyone pulchra, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xiv. p. 19.

Alcyone pulchra, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. i., Introd.
p. xxxii.

As its name implies, this is a very beautiful species, and
exceeds in richness of colouring both the A. azurea and A.
Diemenensis. The portion of the country it inhabits is the
neighbourhood of Port Essington and perhaps the north coast
of Australia generally.

All the upper surface shining purplish blue ; wings

142 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

brownish black ; lores, tuft beliiiid the ear, and throat buff;
under surface deep ferruginous orange ; sides of the chest
fine purplish blue, passing into a rich vinous tint on the
flanks ; iridcs and bill black ; feet orange.
Inhabits the north coast of Australia.

Sp. 72. ALCYONE PUSILLA.

Little Kingfisher.

Ceyx pusilla, Temm. PL Col., 595. fig. 3.
Nu-rea-bin-mo, Aborigines of the Cobourg Peninsula.

Alcyone pusilla, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ii., pi. 26.

This lovely little Kingfisher is a native of the northern
portions of Australia ; the specimens in my collection were all
procured at Port Essington, where it is a rare bird ; and from
its always inhabiting the densest mangroves, is not only seldom
seen, but is extremely difficult to procure ; in general habits
and manners it very much resembles the Alcyone azurea, but
its note is somewhat more shrill and piping, and its flight
more unsteady. Specimens of this species from New Guinea,
which I have had opportunities of examining in the noble
collection at Leyden, present no difference whatever from
those found in Australia.

The food of the Alcyone pnsilla consists of small fish, which
are taken precisely after the manner of the Common King-
fisher of our own island.

The sexes are alike in size and colour.

Lores, a tuft behind the ear- coverts and under surface silky
white ; forehead, sides of the neck, wing-coverts and the
margins of the secondaries green ; primaries brownish black ;
all the upper surface and a large patch on each side on the
chest brilliant intense blue ; tail dull deep blue ; irides dark
blackish brown ; bill black ; legs and feet greenish grey.

INSESSORES. 143

Family ARTAMID^.

The proper position of the members of this isolated form
has been a stumbling-block to every ornithologist. Those
who have had opportunities of observing them in a state of
nature cannot have failed to notice how closely they resemble
the Swallows in their actions and general mode of life ; to a
certain extent, they offer an alliance to some of the LaniadcB,
as Gymnorhino, and Mr. Jerdon has applied to the Indian
members the trivial name of Swallow-Shrikes ; I shall, how-
ever, retain that of Wood Swallow, which is equally descrip-
tive, and had been applied long before.

Australia is undoubtedly the head-quarters of these pretty
birds ; but other species are found throughout the Indian
Islands to the continent of India. They are all insectivorous,
and must perform a most important part in checking an
undue increase of those creatures.

Sp. 73. ARTAMUS SORDIDUS.

Wood Swallow.

Turdus sordidus, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xliii.
Sordid Thrush, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 186.
Ocypterus albovittatus, Cuv. Regn. Anim., torn. iv. t. 3. f. 6.
Artamus lineatus, Vieill. 2nde Edit, du Nouv. Diet. d^Hist. Nat.,
torn. xvii. p. 297.

albovittatus, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 210.

Leptopteryx alhovittata, Wagl. Syst. Av., sp. 5.
Be-wo-wen, Aborigines of Western Australia.
Worle, Aborigines of King George^s Sound.
Wood Swallow of the Colonists.

Artamus sordidus, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ii. pi. 27.

No species of the Australian Artami with which I am
acquainted possesses so wide a range as the present; the
whole of the southern portion of the continent, as well as the
island of Tasmania, being alike favoured with its presence.

144 BIRDS or AUSTRALIA.

The extent of its range northward has not yet been satisfac-
torily ascertained, beyond the certainty that it has not hitherto
been received in any collection from the north coast.

It may be regarded as strictly migratory in Tasmania, where
it arrives in October, and after rearing at least two broods
departs again in a northern direction. On the continent of
Australia it arrives rather earlier, and departs later ; but a
scattered few remain throughout the year in all the localities
favourable to their habits, the number being regulated by the
supply of insect food necessary for their subsistence. I may
here observe, that specimens from Swan River, South Australia,
and New South Wales present no difference either in size or
colouring, while those from Tasmania are invariably larger in
all their admeasurements, and are also of a deeper colour.

This Wood Swallow must, I think, ever be a general favourite
with the Australians, not only from its singular and pleasing
actions, but from its often taking up its abode and incubating
near the houses, particularly such as are surrounded by pad-
docks and open pasture-lands skirted by large trees. It was
in such situations in Tasmania that, at the commencement of
spring, I first had an opportunity of observing this species ;
it was then very numerous on all the cleared estates on the
north side of the Derwent, about eight or ten being seen on a
single tree, and half as many crowding one against another
on the same dead branch, but never in such numbers as to
deserve the appellation of flocks : each bird appeared to act in-
dependently of the other ; each, as the desire for food prompted
it, sallying forth from the branch to capture a passing insect,
or to soar round the tree and return again to the same spot ;
on alighting it repeatedly throws up one of its wings, and
obliquely spreads its tail. At other times a few were seen
perched on the fence surrounding the paddocks, on which
they frequently descended, like Starlings, in search of coleo-
ptera and other insects. The form of the wing of the Artamus
sordidus at once indicates that the air is its peculiar province :

INSESSOKES. 115

lience it is, that when engaged in pursuit of the insects which
the serenity and warmth of the weather have enticed from their
lurking-places among the fohage, to sport in higher regions,
this species displays itself to the greatest advantage. But the
greatest peculiarity in the habits of this bird is its manner
of hanging together in clusters from the branch of a tree,
like a swarm of bees.

The season of incubation is from September to December.
The situation of the nest is much varied ; I have seen one
placed in a thickly-foliaged bough near the ground, while
others were in a naked fork, on the side of the bole of a tree,
in a niche formed by a portion of the bark having been
separated from the trunk, &c. The nest is rather shallow, of
a rounded form, about five inches in diameter, and composed
of fine twigs neatly lined with fibrous roots. I observed that
the nests found in Tasmania were larger, more compact, and
more neatly formed than those on the continent of Australia.

The eggs are generally four in number ; they differ much
in the disposition of their markings ; their ground-colour is
dull white, spotted and dashed with dark umber-brown : in
some a second series of greyish spots appear as if beneath the
surface of the shell ; their medium length is eleven lines, and
breadth eight lines.

Head, neck, and the whole of the body fuliginous grey ;
wings dark bluish black, the external edges of the second,
third, and fourth primaries white ; tail bluish black, all the
feathers, except the two middle ones, largely tipped with
white ; irides dark brown ; bill blue, with a black tip ; feet
mealy lead- colour.

The sexes are alike in the colouring of their plumage, and
are only to be distinguished by the female being somewhat
smaller in size.

The young have an irregular stripe of dirty white down the
centre of each feather of the upper surface, and are mottled
with the same on the under part of the body.

L

146 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Sp. 74. ARTAMUS MINOR, rieiUot.

Little Wood Swallow.

Artamus minor, Vicill. Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat., torn. xvii. p. 298.
Ocyptcrus fuscatus, Valenc. Mem. du Mus. d'Hist. Nat., torn. vi. p. 24,

t. 9. fig. 1.
Le'pto'pteryx minor, Wagl. Syst. Av., sp. 6.
Ocypterus minor, Gould, Syn. Birds of Australia.

Artamus minor, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ii. pi. 28.

In its structure and in the disposition of the markings of
its plumage, this species offers a greater resemblance to the
Artamus sordidiis than to any other member of the group ;
the habits of the two species are also very similar; if any
difference exists, it is that the present bird is still more aerial,
a circumstance indicated by the more feeble form of the foot,
and the equal, if not greater, development of the wing.
During fine weather, and even in the hottest part of the day,
it floats about in the air in the most easy and graceful
manner, performing in the course of its evolutions many
beautiful curves and circles, without the least apparent motion
of the wings, the silvery whiteness of which, as seen from
beneath, and the snowy tips of its wide-spread tail strongly
contrast with the dark colouring of the other parts of its
plumage.

I found the Artamus minor abundant on the Lower Namoi,
particularly on the plains thinly studded with the Acacia
pendtda and other low trees in the neighbourhood of Gummel-
Gummel, where it had evidently been breeding, as I observed
numerous young ones, whose primaries were not sufficiently
developed to admit of their performing a migration of any
distance ; besides which, they were constantly being fed by
the parents, who were hawking about in the air over and
around the trees, while the young were quietly perched close
to each other on a dead twig.

I have received two specimens from Port Essington, and

INSESSORES. 147

there are examples in the Paris Museum from, I beUeve, Timor ;
it is evident, therefore, that this bird has a wide range.

The sexes are ahke in plumage, but the young differ
considerably.

The whole of the head, back, and abdomen chocolate-
brown ; wings, rump, and under tail-coverts bluish black ;
tail deep bluish black, all the feathers except the two outer
and two middle ones tipped with white ; bill beautiful violet-
blue at the base, darker at the tip ; irides and feet nearly
black.

Sp. 75. ARTAMUS CINEREUS, Fieillot.

Grey-breasted Wood Swallow.

Artamus cinereus, Vieill. Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat., toni. xvii. p. 297.

Oci/pterus cinereus, Valenc. Mem. du Mus. d^Hist. Nat., torn. vi. p. 22,
t. 9. fig. 1.

Be-wo-wen, Aborigines of the lowland and mountain districts of West-
ern Australia.

TFood Swallow of the Colonists of ditto.

Artamus cinereus, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ii. pi. 29.

This bird exceeds in size all the other Australian Wood
Swallows. Its large tail, most of the feathers of which are
broadly tipped with white, as well as the colouring of its
plumage, at once point out its close affinity to the Artamus
sordidus and A. minor.

In Western Australia it is a very local but by no means
an uncommon species, particularly at Swan River, where
it inhabits the limestone hills near the coast, and the " Clear
Hills " of the interior, assembling in small families, and
feeding upon the seeds of the Xanthorrhcea, which proves
that insects do not form the sole diet of this species ; with
such avidity in fact does it devour the ripe seeds of this grass-
tree, that several birds may frequently be seen crowded toge-
ther on the perpendicular sccd-stalks of this plant busily en-

L 2

148 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

gaged in extracting them ; at other times, particularly among
the limestone hills, where there are but few trees, it descends
to the broken rocky ground in search of insects and their
larvae.

It breeds in October and November, making a round com-
pact nest, in some instances of fibrous roots, lined with fine
hair-like grasses, in others of the stems of grasses and small
plants ; it is built either in a scrubby bush or among the
grass-like leaves of the Xanthorrhcea, and is deeper and more
cup-shaped than those of the other members of the group.
The eggs are subject to considerable variation in colour and
in the character of their markings ; they are usually bluish
white, spotted and blotched with lively reddish brown, inter-
mingled Avith obscure spots and dashes of purplish grey, all
the markings being most numerous towards the larger end ;
they are about eleven lines long by eight lines broad.

The sexes are alike in colour, and can only be distinguished
from each other with certainty by dissection. I have re-
marked that specimens from Timor rather exceed in size
those collected on the Australian continent, and are some-
what lighter in colour ; but these variations are too slight to
be regarded as specific.

Crown of the head, neck, throat, and chest grey, passing
into sooty grey on the abdomen ; space between the bill and
the eye, the fore part of the cheek, the chin, the upper and
under tail-coverts jet-black ; two middle tail-feathers black ;
the remainder black, largely tipped with white, with the ex-
ception of the outer feather on each side, in which the black co-
louring extends on the outer web nearly to the tip ; wings deep
grey ; primaries bluish grey ; under surface of the shoulder
white, passing into grey on the under side of the primaries ;
irides dark blackish brown ; bill light greyish blue at the base,
black, at the tip ; legs and feet greenish grey.

INSESSORES. 149

Sp. 76. ARTAMUS ALBIVENTRIS, Gould.

White-vented Wood Swallow,
Artamus albiventris, Gould inProc. of Zool. Soc, part xv. 1847, p. 31.

Artamus albiventris, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ii. pi. 30.

Two examples of this species are all that have come under
my notice ; one of these was killed on the Darling Downs in
New South Wales, and the other some distance to the north-
ward of that locality, it being one of the birds procured during
Dr. Leichardt's expedition to Port Essington. Its nearest
ally is the Artamus cinereus, a species inhabiting the opposite
side of the continent ; but it is somewhat smaller, and may
moreover be distin2;uished from that bird bv the white under
tail-coverts, and the lighter colour of the lower part of the
abdomen.

Lores, space beneath the eye, and the chin deep black ;
head, neck, and upper part of the back brownish grey ; lower
part of the back and the wings dark grey, becoming gradually
deeper towards the tips of the feathers ; primaries and se-
condaries narrowly edged with white at the tip ; under sur-
face of the wing white ; ear-coverts, chest, and abdomen pale
grey, passing into white on the under tail -coverts ; upper tail-
coverts and tail black ; the apical third of all but the two
middle ones white ; irides dark brown ; bill yellowish horn-
colour, becoming black at the tip ; feet blackish brown. -^f ^

Sp. 77. ARTAMUS MELANOPS, Gould.

Black-faced Wood Swallow.
Artamus melanops, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc. 1865, p. 198.

This fine species is unlike every other known member of
the genus. It is most nearly allied to A. albiventris, but
differs from that bird in the jet-black colouring of its under
tail-coverts, and from A. cinereus in its smaller size and the

§1

150 BIRDS or AUSTRALIA.

greater extent of the black on the face. The specimen from
which the above description was taken has been kindly sent
to me by Mr. S. White, of the Reed Beds, near Adelaide,
South Australia, who informs me that it was shot by him at
St. aBecket's Pool, lat. 28° 30', on the 23rd of August 1863,
and who, in the notes accompanying it, says, " I have never
seen this bird south. It collects at night like A. sordidiis,
and utters the same kind of call. It seems to be plentiful all
over the north country, and particularly about Chamber's
Creek and Mount Margaret. It feeds on the ground, soars
high in the air, and clings in bunches like the others. The
two sexes appeared to be very similar in outward appearance;
but the young are much speckled with dusky brown, par-
ticularly on the back."

Lores, face, rump, and under tail-coverts black; stripe
over the eye, ear-coverts, sides of the face, and throat greyish
buif, increasing in depth on the chest so as to form a well-
marked band ; under surface delicate vinous grey ; two middle
tail-feathers black, the remainder black, largely tipped with
white ; upper surface of the wings grey, their under surface
white ; bill leaden grey, darkest at the tip ; feet blackish
brown.

Total length Of inches ; bill } ; wing 4} ; tail 8; tarsi |.

Sp. 78. ARTAMUS PERSONATUS, GouU.

Masked Wood Swallow.
Ocyptems personatus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part viii. p. 149.
Jii-bung, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western Australia.

Artamus personatus, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ii. pi. 31.

My knowledge of the range of this species is very limited ;
a single specimen was sent me from South Australia, while
fine examples were killed by Gilbert in the colony of Swan
River. Its richly coloured black face and throat, separated
from the delicate grey of the breast by a narrow line of snowy

1NSE8S0RES. 151

white, at once distinguishes it from every other species, while
the strong contrast of these colours renders it a conspicuous
object among the trees.

In size and structure it more nearly resembles the Artamus
superciliosus than any other, and the two species form beauti-
ful analogues of each other, one being in all probability con-
fined to the eastern portion of the country, and the other to
the western,

" I have only met," says Gilbert, " with this species in the
York and Toodyay districts. It is very like Artamus sordidus
in its habits, but is more shy and retired, never being seen
but in the most secluded parts of the bush. It is merely a
summer visitant here, generally making its appearance in the
latter part of October, and immediately commencing the task
of incubation. Its voice very much resembles the chirping
of the English Sparrow.

" Its nest is placed in the upright fork of a dead tree, or in
the hollow part of the stump of a grass-tree ; it is neither so
well nor so neatly formed as those of the other species of the
group, being a frail structure externally composed of a very
few extremely small twigs, above which is a layer of fine dried
grasses. The eggs also differ as remarkably as the nest, their
ground-colour being light greenish grey, dashed and speckled
with hair-brown principally at the larger end, and slightly
spotted with grey, appearing as if beneath the surface of *the
shell ; they are ten and a half lines long by eight and a half
lines broad. I found two nests in a York Gum Forest, about
five miles to the east of the Avon River ; each of these con-
tained two eggs, which I believe is the usual number. Mr.
Angas informs me that in South Australia this bird makes
no nest, but places the eggs on a few bent stalks of grass in
the bend of a small branch.

" Its food consists of insects generally and their larvae."

The male has the face, ear-coverts, and throat jet-black,
bounded below with a narrow line of white ; crown of the

152 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

head sooty black, gradually passing into the deep grey which
covers the whole of the upper surface, wings, and tail ; the
latter tipped with white ; all the under surface very delicate
grey ; thighs dark grey ; irides blackish brown ; bill blue at
the base, becoming black at the tip ; legs and feet mealy
bluish grey.

The female differs in having the colouring of the bill and
the black mask on the face much paler.

8p 79. ARTAMUS SUPERCILIOSUS, Gould.

White-eyebrowed Wood Swallow.

Ocyptenis super ciliosus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part iv. 1836,
p. 142.

Artamus superciliosus, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ii. pi. 32.

There is no species of Artamus yet discovered to which the
present yields the palm, either for elegance of form or for the
beauty and variety of its plumage ; the only one known with
which it could be confounded is the Artamus rujiventcr, an
Indian bird with the breast similarly coloured, but which is
entirely destitute of the superciliary stripe of white, which
suggested the specific name ; in this character and in the rich
chestnut colouruig of the breast, it differs from every member
of its genus. I am unable to say what is the extent of its
range, but I am induced to believe that it is confined to
Australia, and that in all probability it seldom leaves the
interior of the country ; the extreme limits of the colony of
New South Wales, particularly those which border the exten-
sive plains, being the only parts where it has yet been
observed. I first met with it at Yarrundi on the Dartbrook,
a tributary of the Hunter, where it was thinly dispersed
among the trees growing on the stony ridges bordering the
flats.

From this locality to as far as I penetrated northwards on
the Namoi, as well as in the direction of the River Peel, it

INSESSORES. 163

was distributed in similar numbers, intermingled with the
Artamiis sordidas, at about the ratio of one hundred pairs to
the square mile, the two species appearing to live and perform
the task of incubation in perfect harmony, both being fre-
quently observed on the same tree. In their dispositions,
however, and in many of their actions, they a;re somewhat
dissimilar, the A. siiperciliosus being much more shy and
difficult of approach than the A. sordidus, which is at all
times very tame ; it also gives a preference to the topmost
branches of the highest trees, from which it sallies forth for
the capture of insects, and to which it again returns, in the
usual manner of the 'tribe. In every part where I have
observed it, it is strictly migratory, arriving in summer, and
departing northwards after the breeding-season.

The nest is most difficult of detection, being generally
placed either in a fork of the branches or in a niche near the
bole of the tree, whence the bark has been partially stripped.
It is a round, very shallow, and frail structure, composed of
small twigs and lined with fibrous roots ; those I discovered
contained two eggs, but I had not sufficient opportunities
for ascertaining if this number was constant. Their ground-
colour is dull buffy white, spotted w^th umber-brown, forming
a zone near the larger end ; in some these spots are sparingly
s[)rinkled over the whole surface ; they have also the obscure
grey spotting like those of A. sordidus; the eggs are rather
more than eleven lines long by eight and a half lines broad.

The male has the lores, space surrounding the eye, and the
ear-coverts deep black ; chin greyish black, passing into
blackish- grey on the chest ; crown of the head greyish black ;
over each eye a pure white stripe commencing in a point, and
gradually becoming wider or spatulate in form as it proceeds
towards the occiput ; all the upper surface, wings, and tail
fuliginous grey, which is lightest on the rump and tail ; all
the tail-feathers tipped with white, except the outer web of
the lateral feather, which is grey ; under surface of the wing

154 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

pure white ; all the under surface rich deep chestnut ; irides
nearly black ; bill light blue at the base, black at the tip ;
feet dark lead-colour.

The female has a similar distribution of colouring, but
differs from her mate in the following particulars : — lores and
a ring smTounding the eye jet-black ; only an indication of
the superciliary stripe; throat grey; tail not so distinctly
tipped with white ; under surface light chestnut-red.

Sp. 80. ARTAMUS LEUCOPYGIALIS, Gould.

White-rumped Wood Swallow.
Ariamus leucopygialis, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part x. 1842, p. 17.

Artamus leucopygialis, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ii. pi. 33.

On a careful comparison of specimens of the White-rumped
Artami from India and the Indian Archipelago with those
killed in Australia, I cannot but consider that at least two,
if not three, species have been confounded under one name,
and that the Australian bird had remained undescribed until
characterized by me in the * Proceedings of the Zoological
Society' above quoted. The present species is most nearly
allied to the Artamus leucorhpichus, but is readily distin-
guished from it by the blue colour of the bill ; and I may
here remark, that the Australian birds are also considerably
smaller in all their admeasurements than those of the islands
to the northwards.

Tasmania and Western Australia are the only colonies in
which this bird has not been observed ; its range, therefore,
over the continent may be considered as very general : in
South Australia and New South Wales it would appear to be
migratory, visiting these parts in summer for the purpose of
breeding. Among other places where I observed it in con-
siderable abundance was Mosquito, and the other small
islands near the mouth of the Hunter, and on the borders of

INSESSORES. 155

the rivers Mokai and Namoi, situated to the northward of
Liverpool Plains ; in these last-mentioned localities it was
breeding among the large flooded gum-trees bordering the
rivers.

The breeding-season commences in September and con-
tinues until January, during which period at least two broods
are reared. In the Christmas week of 1839, at which time I
was on the plains of the interior, in the direction of the
Namoi, the young progeny of the second brood were perched
in pairs or threes together, on a dead twig near their nest.
They were constantly visited and fed by the adults, who
were hawking about for insects in great numbers, some
performing their evolutions above the tops and among the
branches of the trees, while others were sweeping over the open
plain with great rapidity of flight, making in their progress
through the air the most rapid and abrupt turns ; at one
moment rising to a considerable altitude, and the next
descending to within a few feet of the ground, as the insects
of which they were in pursuit arrested their attention. In the
brushes, on the contrary, the flight of this bird is more soaring
and of a much shorter duration, particularly when hawking in
the open glades, which frequently teem with insect life. When
flying near the ground, the white mark on the rump shows
very conspicuously, and strikingly reminds one of the House
Martin of our own country.

Two nests, taken by Gilbert on a small island in Coral
Bay, near the entrance of the harbour at Port Essington, were
compactly formed of dried wiry grass and the fine plants
growing on the beach ; they were placed in a fork of a slender
mangrove-tree, within fifteen feet of the water, in which they
were growing ; but, like several other Australian birds, the
Artamus leucopyyialis often avails itself of the deserted nests
of other species instead of building one of its own. Most of
those I found breeding on the Mokai had possessed themselves
of the forsaken nest of the Grallina melanoleuca, which they

156 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

had rendered warm and of the proper size by slightly hning
it with grasses, fibrous roots, and the narrow leaves of the
Eucalypti. The eggs are generally three in number, and much
lighter in colour and more minutely spotted than those of
any other species of the genus I have seen ; their ground-
colour is flesh-white, finely freckled and spotted with faint
markings of reddish brown and grey, in some instances
forming a zone at the larger end ; their medium length is
ten lines, and breadth seven lines and a half.

The sexes are only to be distinguished by dissection, and
may be described thus : head, throat, and back sooty grey ;
primaries and tail brownish black, washed with grey ; chest,
all the under surface, and rump pure white ; irides brown ;
bill light bluish grey at the base, black at the tip ; legs and
feet mealy greenish grey.

Family AMPELID^ ?
Genus PARDALOTUS, Vielllot.

This form is pecuHar to Australia, in every portion of which
great country, including Tasmania, one or other of the species
are to be found ; some of them associated in the same district,
and even inhabiting the same trees, while in other parts only
a single species exists : for instance, the P. punctatus, P. qua-
dragintus, and P. affinis inhabit Tasmania ; on the whole of
the southern coast of the continent from east to west F,
pundatus and P. striatus are associated ; the north coast is
the cradle of the species I have called uropygialis, and the east
coast that of melanocephahis, from both of which countries the
others appear to be excluded ; the true habitat of the beautiful
species I have described as P. rubricattis is the basin of the
interior.

INSESSORES, 157

Sp. 81. PARDALOTUS PUNCTATUS, Temm.
Spotted Diamond-bird.

Pardalotus punctatus, Temm. Man., torn. i. p. Ixv.
Pipra punctata, Lath. Iiid. Orn. Supp., p. Ivi. no. ].
Speckled Manikin, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., voL ii. p. 253.
We-dup-we-dup, Aborigines of the lowland districts of Western Aus-
tralia.
Diamond Bird, Colonists oi New South Wales.

Pardalotus punctatus, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, voL ii. pi. 35.

No species of the genus Pardalotus is more widely and
generally distributed than the Spotted Diamond-bird ; for it
inhabits the whole of the southern parts of the Australian
continent from the western to the eastern extremities of the
country, and is very common in Tasmania. It is incessantly
engaged in searching for insects among the foliage, both of
trees of the highest growth and of the lowest shrubs ; it fre-
quents gardens and enclosures as well as the open forest ;
and is exceedingly active in its actions, clinging and moving
about in every variety of position both above and beneath
the leaves with equal facility.

With regard to the nidification of this species, it is a sin-
gular circumstance that, in the choice of situation for the
reception of its nest, it differs from every other known member
of the genus ; for while they always nidify in the holes of
trees, this species descends to the ground, and availing itself
of any little shelving bank, excavates a hole just large
enough to admit of the passage of its body, in a nearly
horizontal direction to the depth of two or three feet, at the
end of which a chamber is formed in which the nest is depo-
sited. The nest itself is a neat and beautifully built structure,
formed of strips of the inner bark of the Eucalypti, and lined
with finer strips of the same or similar materials ; it is of a
spherical contour, about foiu* inches in diameter, with a small
hole in the side for an entrance. The chamber is generally

158 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

somewhat higher than the mouth of the hole, by which means
the risk of its being inmidated upon the occurrence of rain
is obviated. I have been fortunate enougli to discover many
of the nests of this species, but they are most difficult to
detect, and are only to be found by watching for the egress
or ingress of the parent birds from or into its hole or entrance,
which is frequently formed in a part of the bank overhung
with herbage, or beneath the overhanging roots of a tree.
How so neat a structure as is the nest of the Spotted
Diamond-bird should be constructed at the end of a hole
where no light can possibly enter is beyond our compre-
hension. The eggs are four or five in number, rather round
in form, of a beautiful polished fleshy white, seven and a half
lines long by six and a half lines broad.

The song of the Spotted Diamond-bird is a rather harsh
piping note of two syllables often repeated.

The male has the crown of the head, wings, and tail black,
each feather having a round spot of white near the tip ; a
stripe of white commences at the nostrils and passes over the
eye ; ear-coverts and sides of the neck grey ; feathers of the
back grey at the base, succeeded by a triangular-shaped spot
of fawn-colour, and edged with black ; rump rufous brown ;
upper tail-coverts crimson ; throat, chest, and under tail-
coverts yellow ; abdomen and flanks tawny ; irides dark
brown ; bill brownish black ; feet brown.

The female may be distinguished by the less strongly con-
trasted tints of her colouring, and by the absence of the bright
yellow on the throat.

Sp. 82. PARDALOTUS RUBRICATUS, Gould.

Red-lored Diamond-bird.
Pardalotus rubricatus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part v. p. 149.

Pardalotus rubricatus, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ii. pi. 36.
The Red-lored Diamond-bird belonsjs to the same section of

INSESSORES. 159

the Pardaloti as the P. punctatus and P. quadragintus, and like
them is distinguished from the other members of the group
by the absence of the sealing-wax -Hke tips of the spurious
wing-feathers. It is the largest species of the genus yet dis-
covered, and is readily distinguished from its near allies, the
P. 2Junctati(s and P. quadra^intus, by the great size of the
spots on the crown.

When I published my plate and description in the folio
edition, only a single specimen of this bird had been dis-
covered, and I was unaware in what part of AustraUa it had
been obtained. I have, however, lately seen other specimens
collected by Mr. Waterhouse during the overland expedition
to the Victoria River under Mr. Stuart. Mr. White of
Adelaide also informs me in a letter that he " saw this bird
in considerable numbers about the lat. 27° or 28°."

The more I study the birds of Australia and witness the
gradual discovery of new species of various forms, the more
I am convinced that many still remain to be discovered, and
that years must elapse before our knowledge of the entire
avifauna of Australia can be considered complete.

Forehead crossed by a narrow band of dirty white ; crown
and back of the head deep black, each feather having a spot
of white near its extremity ; back of the neck, back, wing-
coverts, and rump brownish grey ; wings dark brown, mar-
gined with pale brown, the spurious wing, a small portion of
the base of the primaries, and the outer margins of the
secondaries fine golden orange ; immediately before the eye
a spot of bright, fiery orange ; above and behind the eye a
stripe of bufi" ; upper tail-coverts bright olive-green ; tail deep
blackish brown, the extreme tips of the feathers being white ;
throat and abdomen greyish white ; chest bright yellow ;
upper mandible and legs brown, under mandible greyish
white.

160 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Sp. S3. PARDALOTUS QUADRAGINTUS, Gould.
Forty-spotted Diamond-bird.

Pardalutus quadragintus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part v. p. 148.
Forty-spot of the Tasmanian Colonists.

Pardalotus quadragintus, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ii.
pi. 37.

This species is, I believe, peculiar to Tasmania, where it
inhabits the almost impenetrable forests which cover that
island, particularly those of its southern portion. It is I
think less numerous than either of its congeners, the Parda-
lotus ajjinis and P. punctatus, and appears to confine itself
more exclusively to the highest gum-trees than those species.
I found it very abundant in the gulleys under Mount
Wellington, and observed it breeding in a hole in one of the
loftiest trees, at about forty feet from the ground ; I after-
wards took a perfectly developed white egg from the body of
a female killed on the 5th of October. The weight of this
little bird was rather more than a quarter of an ounce ; the
stomach was muscular, and contained the remains of the larvae
of lepidoptera, which with coleoptera and other insects con-
stitute its food.

It has a simple piping kind of note of two syllables.

In its actions it much resembles the Tits, creeping and
clinging among the branches in every direction.

The eggs are white and nearly round in form, being seven
lines and a half long and six broad.

The sexes are so much alike in colour, that a separate
description is unnecessary.

Crown of the head and all the upper surface bright olive-green,
each feather obscurely margined with brown ; wings brownish
black, all the feathers, except the first and second primaries,
having a conspicuous spot of pure white near their extremities ;
tail blackish grey, the extreme tips of the feathers being white ;
cheeks and under tail-coverts yellowish olive ; throat and under

INSESSORES. 161

surface greyish white, passing into olive on the flanks ; irides
dark brown ; bill brownish black ; feet brown.

Sp. 84. PARDALOTUS STRIATUS, Temm,
Striated Diamond-bird.

Pardalotus striatus, Temm. Man., part i. p. Ixv.
Pipra striata, Lath. Ind. Orn., p. 558, No. 13.
Striped-headed Manakin, Lat. Gen. Syn., vol. iv. p. 525, pl. 54.
Pardalotus oi^natus, Temm. PI. Col. 394. fig. 1.
We-dup-wee-dup, Aborigines of the lowland, and
We-dee-we -due, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western
Australia.

Pardalotus striatus, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ii. pl. 38.

This beautiful species, like the P. punctatm, enjoys an
extensive range of habitat, being found in all parts of the
southern portion of the Australian continent; it has not as
yet been discovered in Tasmania, its place in that island
being apparently occupied by the P. qfflnis. I have carefully
examined specimens killed at Swan River with others from
New South Wales, and I cannot find any diflFerence either in
their size or markings. It will be interesting to know how
far this species and the P. punctatus extend their range
northwards, a point which can only be ascertained when the
country has been fully explored. This active little bird is
generally seen seeking insects among the leaves, for which
purpose it frequents trees of every description, but gives a
decided preference to the Eucalypti. Its flight is rapid and
darting, hence it passes from tree to tree, or from one part of
the forest to another with the greatest ease. Its voice is a
double note several times repeated.

The nest, which is a very neat structure of dried soft
grasses and the bark of the tea-tree, lined with feathers, is
usually placed in a hole of a dead branch, but sometimes in
the boll of the tree. It breeds in September, October, and

M

162

BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

November, and lays three or four fleshy-white eggs, which
are nine Hnes long by seven lines broad.

The sexes so closely assimilate in colour and markings that
they are only to be distinguished with certainty by dissection.

The young assume the adult colouring from the nest, but
have the tips of the spurious wing orange instead of red.

The validity of this latter passage has been questioned by
Mr. Ramsay, no mean authority respecting Australian birds.
I believe it is his opinion that the bird which I regarded as
the young of P. striatus may prove to be a distinct species,
intermediate between P. striatus and P. affinis. I have not,
however, as yet seen any examples which would lead to con-
firm his view, and, without undervaluing his opinion, I leave
the subject undetermined. Mr. Ramsay has, I think, found
birds with this character of plumage breeding ; but that is no
proof, for I have positive evidence that some of the Australian
species reproduce their kind before they have attained their
adult livery.

Forehead and crown of the head black, the feathers of the
latter having a stripe of white down the centre ; a stripe of
deep orange-yellow commences at the base of the upper man-
dible and runs above the eye, where it is joined by a stripe of
white which leads to the occiput ; back of the neck and back
brownish olive-grey ; rump and upper tail-coverts yellowish
brown ; wings black, the external edges of the third, fourth,
fifth, sixth, and seventh primaries white at their base and
tipped with white ; secondaries margined with white and red-
dish brown ; tail black, each feather tipped with white ; sides
of the face and neck grey ; throat and upper part of the chest
yellow ; centre of the abdomen white ; flanks and under tail-
coverts brownish buff", the former tinged with yellow ; irides
brownish red ; bill at the tip and along the culmen dark
brown tinged with blue, the remainder yellowish white ; legs
and feet greenish grey.

INSESSOKES. 163

Sp. 85. PARDALOTUS AFFINIS, Gould.

Allied Diamond-bird.

Pipra striata ?, Gmel. et Auct.

Striped-headed Manakin, Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. x. p. 29^ pi. 4.

Pardalotus affinis Gould, in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part v. 1837, p. 25.

Pardalotus affiiiis, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ii. pi. 39.

The Pardalotus affinis is distinguished by the yellow tips
of its spurious wings, and by the margin of the third primary
only being white. The bird figured by Shaw and Latham,
as quoted above, has, in all probability, reference to the
present species, but not, in my opinion, to the Pipra striata
of Gmelin, whose description does not agree with the Tas-
mania bird, or with any of those from New South Wales ; he
distinctly states that the tips of some of the wing-coverts are
yellow, and that the spurious wing is tipped with white, and,
moreover, adds that it is a native of South America.

The Allied Diamond-bird is distributed over every part of
Tasmania, and may be regarded as the commonest bird of
the island : wherever the gum and wattle exist, there also may
the bird as certainly be found ; giving no decided preference
to trees of a high or low growth, but inhabiting alike the
sapling and those which have attained their greatest altitude.
It displays great activity among the branches, clinging and
creeping about in the most easy and elegant manner, examining
both the upper and under sides of the leaves with the utmost
care in search of insects. It is equally common in all the
gardens and shrubberies, even those in the midst of the towns,
forming a familiar and pleasing object, and enlivening the
scenery with its sprightly actions and piping though some-
what monotonous note. Its food consists of seeds, buds,
and insects, in procuring which, its most elegant actions are
brought into play.

I was formerly led to believe that the Allied Diamond-bird

M 2

1G4 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

was strictly confined to Tasmania and the islands in Bass's
Straits ; but I have lately seen specimens from Victoria and
New South Wales.

The season of nidification occupies three or four months of
the year, during which two or more broods are reared. Eggs
may be found in September ; and on reference to my journal
I find that near George Town, on the 8th of January, I took
from a nest in the hole of a tree five fully- fledged young.
The nest in this instance was of a large size, and of a round
domed form like that of the Wren, with a small hole for an
entrance ; it was outwardly composed of grasses and warmly
lined with feathers. The eggs vary from three to five in
number, and are of a beautiful white, nine lines long by seven
lines in diameter.

The holes selected for the nest are sometimes high up in
the loftiest trees, at others within a few feet of the ground.
The young birds have the tips of the spurious wing orange
instead of yellow ; and although the whole plumage possesses
the same character as that of the adults, the markings are
less brilliant and well-defined. The sexes ofl'er no observable
diff'erence in their colouring by which they can be distin-
guished.

forehead and crown of the head black, the latter with a
stripe of white down the centre of each feather ; a stripe of
yellow commences at the base of the upper mandible, and
runs above the eye, where it is joined by a stripe of white,
which proceeds nearly to the occiput ; back of the neck and
back greyish olive-brown ; rump and upper tail-coverts olive-
brown ; wings black, each of the primaries slightly tipped
with white, and the third externally edged with white ; the
secondaries edged with white and rufous, and the tips of the
spurious wing yellow ; tail blackish brown, each feather having
a transverse mark of white at the tip ; ear-coverts and cheeks
grey ; throat yellow, passing into lighter yellow on the flanks ;
centre of the abdomen white ; irides olive-brown ; bill black ;
feet brown.

INSESSORES. 165

Sp. 86. PARDALOTUS MELANOCEPHALUS, Gould,

Black-headed Diamond-bird.
Pardalotus melanocephalus, Gould iu Proc. of Zool. Soc, part v. p. 149.

Pardalotus melanocephalus, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ii.
pi. 40.

I have received numerous examples of this beautiful and
well-defined species from Moreton Bay, where it probably
takes the place of the F. stria tus, from which it is distin-
guished by the black colouring of its head and by its thicker
bill, but to which it is very nearly allied, as well as to the
F. uropygialis; it is, in fact, directly intermediate between
the two, having the black head of the latter without the
yellow colouring of the rump. There appears to be no external
difference in the sexes.

Crown of the head, lores, and ear-coverts black ; over each
eye a stripe commencing at the nostrils, the anterior half of
which is orange, and the posterior white ; sides of the face
and neck white ; back of the neck and back olive-grey ; upper
tail-coverts brownish buff; tail black, each feather tipped with
white; wings blackish brown, the third, fourth, fifth, sixth,
and seventh primaries white ; secondaries edged and tipped
with white; one of the wing-coverts broadly margined on
the inner web with white, forming an oblique line across the
shoulder ; spurious wing tipped with crimson ; line down the
centre of the throat, the breast, and middle of the abdomen
bright yellow; vent and under tail-coverts buflF; bill black;
feet brown.

At present we are unaware whether this bird nidifies in the
holes of trees like the other Fardaloti or not ; the colour and
number of the eggs are also unknown ; they are probably
pinky white; but these particulars must be left for the in-
vestigation of those who may be favourably situated for ascer-
taining them.

166 BIRDS or AUSTRALIA.

Sp. 87. PARDALOTUS UROPYGIALIS, Gould.
Yellow-rumped Diamond-bird.

Pardalotus uropygialis, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part vii. 1839,
p. 143.

Pardalotus uropygialis, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ii. pi. 41.

Por this very beautiful Diamond-bird, and several otter in-
teresting species from the north-west coast of Australia, I am
indebted to the kindness of the late Benjamin Bynoe, Esq.,
Surgeon of Her Majesty's Surveying Ship the Beagle; to
Captain Wickham and the other officers of which vessel my
thanks are also due for their pohte attention to my wishes,
and the promise of communicating to me any novelties they
might procure during their survey of the north-west coast.

The Yellow-rumped Diamond-bird is easily distinguished
from every other species of the group with which I am ac-
quainted by the bright yellow colouring of the lower part of
the back, by the rich spot of orange before the eye, by having
a shorter wing, and by being more diminutive in size than
any of the others, with the exception of Pardalotus punctatus.

I am unable to give any account of its habits and manners ;
but in these respects it doubtless closely assimilates to the
other members of its group.

Crown of the head, stripe before and behind the eye black ;
lores ricli orange ; a mark from above the eye to the occiput,
chest, and centre of the abdomen white ; throat and cheeks
delicate crocus-yellow ; rump and upper tail-coverts sulphur-
yellow ; back of the neck and back olive-grey ; wings black,
the external webs of the second and five following primaries
white at the base ; tips of the spurious wing scarlet ; tail
black ; the three outer feathers tipped with white, the white
spreading largely over the inner web of the outer feathers ;
bill black ; feet lead-colour.

The sexes do not seem to differ in size or in the colour of
their plumage.

INSESSORES. 107

Fanuly LANIAD^.
Genus STREPERA, Lesson.

On a careful examination of the members of this genus, it
will be perceived that their relationship to the Corvida, to
which they have been usually assigned, is very remote, their
size and colour being, in fact, the only features of resem-
blance ; their whole structure and economy are indeed very
different from those of every other known bird, except those
of Gymnorhina and Cradicus, with which genera, in my
opinion, they form a very distinct group, the natural situation
of which is among the Laniadce or Shrikes.

Most of the species are peculiar to Australia, and strictly
confined to the southern portion of that continent, their
range being limited to the country comprised within the 25th
and 40th degrees of south latitude ; future research may,
however, add both to the number of species and perhaps to
the extent of their range ; still their great stronghold is un-
doubtedly the most southern portion of the Australian con-
tinent, the islands of Bass's Straits, and Tasmania. I have,
however, seen a species of this genus from Lord Howe's
Island which is very similar to, if not the same as S. graculina.

These birds seek their food on or near the ground,
sometimes in swampy situations and even on the sea-shore,
at others on the most sterile plains far distant from water ;
grasshoppers and insects of every order are eaten by them
with avidity, and to these grain seeds and fruits are fre-
quently added; they hop with remarkable agility over the
broken surface of the ground, and leap from branch to branch
with great alacrity : their flight is feeble and protracted, and
they seldom mount high in the air, except for the purpose of
crossing a gully, or for passing from one part of the forest to
another, and then merely over the tops of the trees ; during
flight they usually utter a peculiar shrill cry, which is Ire-

168 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

(juently repeated and answered by other birds of the same
troop, for they mostly flit about in small companies of from
four to six in number, apparently the parents and their off-
spring of the year. All the species occasionally descend to
the cultivated grounds, orchards, and gardens of the settlers,
and commit considerable havoc among their fruits and grain ;
in many parts of Australia, and particularly in Tasmania, they
form an article of food, and are considered good and even
delicate eating. They usually build open cup-shaped nests
as large as that of the Crow, composed of sticks and other
coarse materials, lined with grasses or any other suitable sub-
stance that may be at hand ; the eggs are generally three, but
are sometimes four, in number. The sexes are similar in
plumage, and the young assume the livery of the adult from
the time they leave the nest.

Sp. 88. STREPERA GRACULINA.

Pied Crow-Shrike.

Reveilieur de I'lsle de Norfolk ?, Daud. torn. ii. p. 267.

Corvus graculiims, Whitens Bot. Bay, pi. in p. 251.

Coracias sti-epera, Lath. Ind. Orn., vol. i. p. 173.

Corvus streperus, Leach, Zool. Misc., vol. ii. pi. 86.

Noisy Roller, Lat. Gen. Syn., Supp,, vol. ii. p. 121.

Le Grand Calibe, Le Vaill. Ois. de Par., &c., pi. 24.

Cracticus streperus, Vieill. Gal. des Ois., pi. 109.

Gracula strepera, Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. vii. p. 462.

Barita strepera, Temm. Man., part i. p. Ii.

Coronica strepera, Gould, Syn. Birds of Australia, part i.

Strepera, Less. Traite d'Orn., p. 329.

Strepera graculina, G. B. Gray, Gen. of Birds, 2nd edit., p. 50.

Strepera graculina, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ii. pi. 42.

This species was originally described and figured in White's
* Voyage to New South Wales ' ; it is consequently the oldest
and most familiarly known member of the group to which it
belongs. It is very generally distributed over the colony of

INSESSORES. 169

New South Wales, inhabiting ahke the brushes near the
coast, those of the mountain ranges, and also the forests of
Eucalypti which clothe the plains and more open country.
As a great part of its food consists of seeds, berries, and
fruits, it is more arboreal in its habits than some of the other
species of its group, whose structure better adapts them for
progression on the ground, and whose food principally con-
sists of insects and their larvae. Like the other members of
the genus, it is mostly seen in small companies, varying from
four to six in num.ber, seldom either singly or in pairs : I am
not, however, inclined to consider them as gregarious birds
in the strict sense of the word, believing as I do that each of
these small companies is composed of a pair and their progeny,
which appear to keep together from the birth of the latter until
the natural impulse for pairing prompts them to separate.

It is during flight that the markings of this bird are dis-
played to the greatest advantage, and render it a conspicuous
object in the bush : while on the wing it utters a peculiar
noisy cry, by which its presence is often indicated.

The nest, which is usually constructed on the branches of
low trees, sometimes even on those of the Casuarina, is of a
large size, round, open, and cup-shaped, built of sticks and
lined with moss and grasses ; the eggs, which I was not so
fortunate as to procure, are said to be three or four in number.

The plumage of both sexes at all ages is so precisely similar,
that by dissection alone can we distinguish the male from his
mate, or the young from the adult ; the female is, however,
always a trifle less in all her admeasurements, and the young
birds have the corners of the mouth more fleshy and of a
brighter yellow than the adults.

Their general colour is fine bluish black ; the basal half of
the primaries, the basal half and the tips of the tail-feathers,
including those portions of their shaft's and the under tail-
coverts, snow-white ; irides beautiful yellow ; bill and feet
black.

170 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Sp. 89. STREPERA FULIGINOSA, Gould.

Sooty Crow-Shrike.

Cracticus fuliginosus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part iv. p. 106.
Coi'onica fuliginosa, Gould in Syn. Birds of Australia, part i.
Black Magpie of the Colonists.

Strepera fiiliginosa, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ii. pi. 43.

This species is a permanent resident in Tasmania ; its range
also extends to the islands in Bass's Straits, and a few indivi-
duals have been found in South Australia. Its browner colour-
ing, more arched and gibbose bill, its smaller size, and the
absence of the white colouring of the under tail-coverts and of
the base of the primaries, are characters by which it may at
once be distinguished from most of the other members of the
group. The localities it frequents are also of a different de-
scription, those preferred being low swampy grounds in the
neighbourhood of the sea and woods bordering rivers. Like
the other species of the genus, it subsists on insects and
grubs of various kinds, to which pulpy seeds and berries are
frequently added.

It is very active on the ground, passing over the surface
with great rapidity.

It breeds in the low trees, constructing a large and deep
nest very similar to that of the European Crow, and lays three
eggs, of a pale vinous brown marked all over with large
irregular blotches of brown, one inch and five-eighths long by
one inch and a quarter broad.

I have seen this bird in a state of captivity, and it appeared
to bear confinement remarkably well.

The sexes present no visible difference except in size, the
female being smaller than the male ; they may be thus de-
scribed : —

All the plumage sooty black, with the exception of the ends
of the primaries and all but the two middle tail-feathers, which
are white ; irides bright yellow ; bill and feet black.

INSESSORES. 171

Sp. 90. STREPERA ARGUTA, Gould.

Hill Crow-Shrike.

Strepera arguta, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xiv. p. 19.
melanoptera, Gould, Id. p. 20.

Strepera arguta, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ii. pi. 44.

The Strepera arguta is abundantly dispersed over Tasmania,
but is more numerous in the central parts of the island than
in the districts adjacent to the coast ; it also inhabits South
Australia, in which country it is more scarce, and all the
specimens I have seen are rather smaller in size. I have
never seen it in any part of New South Wales that I have
visited, neither have specimens occurred in the numerous col-
lections from the west coast that have come under my notice.
It is the largest, the boldest, and the most animated species
of the genus yet discovered. If not strictly gregarious, it is
often seen in small companies of from four to ten, and during
the months of winter even a greater number are to be seen
congregated together. The districts most suited to its habits
are open glades in the forest and. thinly-timbered hills :
although it readily perches on the trees, its natural resort is
the ground, for which its form is admii'ably adapted, and over
which it passes with amazing rapidity, either in a succession
of leaps or by running. Fruits being but sparingly diffused
over Australia, insects necessarily constitute almost its sole
food, and of these nearly every order inhabiting the surface of
the ground forms part of its diet ; grasshoppers are devoured
with great avidity.

Its note is a loud ringing and very peculiar sound, some-
what resembling the words clink, clink, several times repeated,
and strongly reminded me of the distant sound of the strokes
on a blacksmith's anvil ; and hence the term arguta appeared
to me to be an appropriate specific appellation for this new
species.

172 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

All the nests I found of this species either contained young
birds or were without eggs ; I am consequently unable to
give their size and colour. The nest, which is of a large size,
is generally placed on a horizontal branch of a low tree ; it is
round, deep, and cup-shaped, outwardly formed of sticks and
lined with fibrous roots and other fine materials.

The sexes present no external difference whatever, neither
is there much difference in size ; the young are black from
the nest, except that the tertiary feathers are strongly tipped
with white, a character which is rarely I believe thrown off
in adult age.

All the plumage'brownish black, becoming much browner
on the tips of the wing-feathers, and of a grey tint on the ab-
domen ; base of the inner webs of the primaries and second-
aries, the under tail-coverts and the apical third of the inner
webs of the tail-feathers white ; irides orange-yellow ; bill and
feet black ; corner of the mouth yellow.

Upon a careful examination of the numerous specimens of
this bird contained in my collection, I find among them two
very singular varieties ; one with the base of the primaries
of a nearly uniform black and the tips white, and another
in which the base of the primaries is white and the tips black.
It is evident, therefore, that the markings of this species are
not constant, and this induces me to believe that the bird I
characterized as /S. melanoptera is nothing more than one of
the varieties above mentioned. I do not, however, venture
to affirm that the birds received from South Australia with
wholly black wings may not prove to be distinct from those
from Tasmania ; this is a matter for investigation of future
Australian naturalists. For the present I sink the appellation
melanoptera into a synonym.

INSESSORES. 173

Sp. 91. STREPERA ANAPHONENSIS.
Grey Crow-Shrike.

Barita Anaphonensis, Temm. PI. Col.

Cradicus cuneicaudatus, Vieill. 2"^ Edit, du Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat,

torn. V. p. 356.
Strepera plumbea, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xiv. p. 20.
Corvus versicolor, Lath. ?

Strepera versicolor, Gray, Gen. of Birds, vol. ii. p. 302, Strepera, sp. 3.
Gi/mnorhina Anaphonensis, Gray, Gen. of Birds, vol. ii. p. 302, Gymno-

rhina, sp. 3.
Dje-laak, Aborigines of Western Australia.
Squeaker of the Colonists.

Strepera Anaphonensis, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol ii
pi. 45.

Having formerly considered the Grey Crow-Shrikes of New
South Wales and Western Australia as distinct species, I
assigned to the Swan River bird the specific appellation of
plumbea ; subsequent research has, however, induced me to
believe them identical ; and if this be really the case, no one
species of the genus has so wide a range as the present,
extending as it does from New South Wales on the east
to Swan River on the west coast. It is, however, more
local in its habitat than any of them, at least such is the case
in New South Wales ; for although it is tolerably abundant
at Illawarra, at Camden, and at Bong-bong, it was not seen
in any other district that I visited. Gilbert states that in
Western Australia lie mostly met with it in the thickly wooded
forests, singly or in pairs, feeding on the ground with a o-ait
and manners very much resembling the Common Crow. Its
flight is easy and long-sustained, and it occasionally mounts
to a considerable height in the air.

The stomach is very muscular, and the food consists of
coleoptera and the larvae of insects of various kinds.

It breeds in the latter part of September and the beo-innino-

174 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

of October, forming a nest of dried sticks in the, thickest
part of the foliage of a gum- or mahogany-tree and laying
three eggs, the gromid-colour of which is either reddish buff
or wood-brown, marked over nearly the whole of the surface
with blotches of a darker tint ; their medium length is one inch
and nine lines by one inch and two and a half lines broad.

The sexes resemble each other so closely in colour, that it
is impossible to distinguish the one from the other, except by
dissection.

All the upper surface leaden grey, becoming much darker
on the forehead and lores ; wings black ; secondaries mar-
gined with grey and tipped with white ; basal half of the
inner webs of the primaries white, of the outer webs grey ;
the remainder of their length black, shghtly tipped with
white; tail black, margined with grey and largely tipped
with white ; all the under surface greyish brown ; under tail-
coverts white ; irides orange ; bill and feet black.

Genus GYMNORHINA.

Like Sirepera, this is strictly an Australian form, the
structure of which is a mere modification of that of the
members of the last genus adapted to a somewhat different
mode of life and habits. The species, being more pastoral in
their habits than the StrepercB, frequent the open plains and
grassy downs, over which they hop with great facility. Their
chief food consists of grasshoppers and other insects, to
which berries and fruits are added, when procurable. Few
birds are more ornamental, or give a more animated appear-
ance to the country, than the members of this genus, either
when passing over the surface of the ground, or when pouring
forth their singular choral-like notes while perched together
on the bare branches of a fallen Eucalyptus. The form and
situation of their nests are the same as those of the Strejjcrcs.

INSESSORES. 175

Sp. 92. GYMNORHINA TIBICEN.

Piping Crow-Shrike.

Coracias Tibicen, Lath. Tnd. Orn. Supp., p. xxvii.

Barita Tibicen, Temm. Man. d^Orn., part i. p. li.

Piping Roller, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iii. p. 86, no. 23.

Cracticus Tibicen, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 260.

Gymnorhina Tibicen, G. R. Gray, List of Gen. of Birds, 2nd edit. p. 50.

Ca-ruck, Aborigines of New South Wales.

Gynmorliina tibicen, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ii. pi. 46.

This species is universally diffused over the colony of New
South Wales, to which part of the Australian continent I
believe it to be confined. It is true that a bird of this
genus inhabits the neighbourhood of Swan River, whose
size and style of plumage are very similar, but which I have
little doubt wiU prove to be distinct ; I shall therefore consider
the habitat of the present bird to be restricted to New South
Wales until I have further proofs to the contrary.

The Gymnorhina Tihicen is a bold and showy bird, which
greatly enlivens and ornaments the lawns and gardens of the
colonists by its presence, and with the slightest protection from
molestation becomes so tame and familiar that it approaches
close to their dwellings, and perches round them and the stock
yards in small families of from six to ten in number. Nor is
its morning carol less amusing and attractive than its pied and
strongly contrasted plumage is pleasing to the eye. To de-
scribe the notes of this bird is beyond the power of my pen,
and it is a source of regret to myself that my readers cannot,
as I have done, listen to them in their native wilds, or that
the bird is not introduced more frequently into this country ;
for a more amusing and easily-kept denizen for the aviary
could not be selected. It lives almost entirely on insects,
which are generally procured on the ground, and the number
of locusts and grasshoppers it devours is immense. In cap-
tivity it subsists upon animal food of almost every kind, and

170 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

that berries and fruits would be equally acceptable I have but
little doubt.

Cleared lands, open flats, and plains skirted by belts of
trees are its favourite localities ; hence the interior of the
country is more favourable to its habits than the neighbour-
hood of the coast.

The breeding-season commences in August and lasts until
January, during which period two broods are generally reared
by each pair of birds. The nest is round, deep, and open,
composed outwardly of sticks, leaves, wool, &c., and lined
with any finer materials that may be at hand. The eggs are
either three or four in number ; their colour and size I regret
to say I cannot give, having unfortunately neglected to pro-
cure them while in New South Wales.

Crown of the head, cheeks, throat, back, all the under sur-
face, scapularies, secondaries, primaries, and tips of the tail-
feathers black ; wing-coverts, nape of the neck, upper and
under tail-coverts, and base of the tail-feathers white ; bill
bluish ash-colour at the base, passing into black at the tip ;
irides rich reddish hazel ; legs black.

Sp. 93. GYMNORHINA LEUCONOTA, Gould.

White- BACKED Crow-Shrike.

Barita Tibicen, Quoy et Gaim. Voy. de la Coq., pi. 20.

Goore-bit, Aborigines of the lowland districts of Western Australia.

Gymnorhina lenconota, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ii. pi. 47.

This fine species of Gymnorhina, which has been confounded
by the French writers with the Coracias Tibicen of Latham,
inhabits South Austraha, Victoria, and New South Wales. It
is said to be tolerably abundant at Port Phillip, and that it is
sometimes seen on the plains near Yass. For my own part I
have never met with it in New South Wales, but observed it
to be rather abundant in South Australia. In the extreme

INSESSORES. 177

shyness of its disposition it presents a remarkable contrast to
tlie G. Tibicen ; it was indeed so wary and so difficult to
approach, that it required the utmost ingenuity to obtain a
sufficient number of specimens necessary for my purpose.
Plain and open hilly parts of the country are the localities it
prefers, where it dwells much on the ground, feeding upon
locusts and other insects. In size it is fully as large as any
species of the genus yet discovered ; it runs over the ground
with great facility, and frequently takes long flights across
the plains from one belt of trees to another ; in other parts of
its economy it so nearly resembles the G. Tibicen, that it
would be useless to repeat a description of them. The same
single clear note and early carol of small companies perched
on some leafless branch of a Eucalyptus appears charac-
teristic of all the members of the genus.

It breeds in September and October, constructing a nest
of dried sticks in an upright fork of a gum- or mahogany-
tree. A nest taken in Angas Park, South Austraha, Oct. 5,
1861, and presented to me by G. French Angas, Esq.,
measures about a foot across, and is constructed of coarse
roots and twigs, with its shallow interior lined with coarse
dried grasses; and Mr. Angas tells me that it is built in
September, and always placed at a great height in red gum-
trees. The eggs are three in number, very long in form, and
of a dull bluish white, in some instances tinged with red,
marked with large zigzag streakings of brownish red; the
average length of the eggs is one inch and eight lines, and
breadth one inch and one line. Occasionally eggs are met
with which are spotted with black or umber-brown.

Immature birds of both sexes have the whole of the back
clouded with grey, and the bill of a less pure ash-colour.

Back of the neck, back, upper and under coverts of the
wings, basal portion of the spurious wing, upper and under
tail-coverts, and base of the tail-feathers white ; remainder of
the plumage and the shafts of the white portion of the tail-

N

178 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

feathers glossy black ; irides light hazel ; bill bluish-lilac,
passing into black at the tip ; legs and feet blackish grey.

Sp. 94. GYMNORHINA ORGANICUM, Gould.
Tasmanian Crow-Shrike.

Cracticus hi/poleucus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part iv. p. 106.
Gymnorhina hypoleuca, Cab. Mus. Hein., Theil i. p. 226.
Organ-Bird and White Magpie of the Colonists.

Gymnorhina organicum, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ii.
pL48.

This animated and elegant bird is a native of Tasmania,
and appears to be very local in its habitat, for while it is never
found below Austin's Ferry on the southern bank of the river
Derwent, it is very plentiful on the opposite side, and it is
also to be met with in small troops in all the open parts of
the country ; but I did not observe it on the banks of the
Tamar. When perched on the dead branches of the trees
soon after day-break, it pours forth a succession of notes of
the strangest description that can be imagined, much re-
sembling the sounds of a hand-organ out of tune, which has
obtained for it the colonial name of the Organ-Bird. It is
very easily tamed ; and as it possesses the power of imitation
in an extraordinary degree, it may be readily taught to whistle
various tunes as well as to articulate words ; it conse-
quently soon becomes a most amusing as well as an ornamental
bird for the aviary or cage. The stomach is very muscular,
and the food consists of insects of various kinds, grubs, cater-
pillars, &c., which are procured on the ground.

A nest I found among the topmost branches of a high
gum-tree was round, and outwardly constructed of sticks
interspersed with strips of bark, short grasses, and tufts of
a species of swamp grass, to which succeeded an internal
lining of coarse grass, Avhich again was lined with the inner
bark of the stringy bark-tree, sheep's wool, and a few fea-

INSESSORES. 179

tilers, felted together, and forming a dense and warm recep-
tacle for the eggs ; it was about ten inches in diameter, and
about four or five inches in depth.

The eggs were four in number, of a lengthened form, with
a ground-colour of greenish ashy grey, spotted and blotched,
particularly at the larger end, with umber-brown and bluish
grey, the latter colour appearing as if beneath the surface of
the shell ; they were one inch and five lines long by one inch
broad. The young assume the adult livery from the nest,
and appear to keep in company of the parent birds during
the first ten months of their existence.

The male has the crown of the head, cheeks, throat, all the
under surface, scapularies, primaries, and tips of the tail jet-
black ; nape of the neck, back, upper and under tail-coverts,
and base of the tail-feathers white ; bill dark lead-colour at
the base, passing into black at the tip; legs black; irides
bright hazel.

The female differs in having the nape of the neck and back
grey, and the primaries and tips of the tail-feathers brownish
black.

Genus CRACTICUS, VieilloL

The members of this genus are universally dispersed over
Australia, where they prey upon small quadrupeds, birds,
lizards, and insects, which they frequently impale after the
manner of the ordinary Shrikes. Their mode of nidification
resembles that of the species belonging to the genera Strepera
and Gymnorhina, the nest being a large round structure
placed among the branches of the trees, and the eggs four
in number. A great similarity exists between the species
inhabiting New South Wales, Tasmania, and Western Aus-
tralia, but the annexed descriptions, with a due attention to
the localities, will obviate all difficulty in determining the
species.

N 2

180 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Sp. 95. CRACTICUS NIGROGULARIS, Gould,

Black-throated Crow-Shrike.

Vanga nigrogularis, Gould iu Proc. of Zool. Soc, part v. p. 143.
Cracticus varius, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 261.

robustus, Bonap. Conspectus Gen. Av., torn. i. p. 367, Cracticus,

sp. 2.

Cracticus nigrogularis, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, voL iL pi. 49.

The Black-tliroated Crow- Shrike finds a natural asylum in
New South Wales, the only one of the Australian colonies in
which it has yet been found, and where it is by no means rare,
although the situations it affects render it somewhat local ; it
is a stationary species, breeding in all parts of the country
suitable to its habits and mode of life ; districts of rich land
known as apple-tree flats, and low open undulating hills
studded with large trees, are the kind of districts to which it
peculiarly resorts : hence the cow-pastures at Camden, the
fine park-like estate of Charles Throsby, Esq., at Bong-bong,
and the entire district of the Upper Hunter are among the
localities in which it may always be found.

It is usually seen in pairs, and, from its active habits and
pied plumage, forms a conspicuous object among the trees,
the lower and outspreading branches of which are much more
frequented by it than the higher ones ; from these lower
branches it often descends to the ground in search of insects
and small lizards, which however form but a portion of its
food, for, as its powerful and strongly-hooked bill would lead
us to infer, prey of a more formidable kind is often resorted
to ; its sanguinary disposition, in fact, leads it to feed on
young birds, mice, and other small quadrupeds, which it tears
piece-meal and devours on the spot.

The nest, which is rather large and round, is very similar
to that of the European Jay; those I examined were out-
wardly composed of sticks, neatly lined with fine fibrous roots.

INSESSORES. 181

and were generally placed on a low horizontal branch among
the thick foliage.

The eggs are dark yellowish brown, spotted and clouded
with markings of a darker hue, and in some instances with a
few minute spots of black ; their medium length is one inch
and three lines by eleven lines in breadth.

The breeding-season commences in August, and continues
during the four following months.

The sexes are so precisely alike in colouring, that they can
only be distinguished with certainty by dissection.

Head, neck, and chest black; hinder part of the neck,
shoulders, centre of the wing, rump, and under surface white ;
two middle tail-feathers entirely black, the remainder black
largely tipped with white ; bill lead-colour at the base, black
at the tip ; legs black ; irides brown.

The young during the first autumn are very different from
the adult, particularly in the colouring of the head and chest,
which is light brown instead of black ; the bill, as in most
youthful birds, is also very different, the basal portion being
dark fleshy brown instead of lead-colour.

Sp. 96. CRACTICUS PICATUS, Godd.

Pied Crow-Shrike.

Cr actions picatus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. See, 1848, p. 40.
Ka-ra-a-ra, Aborigines of Port Essington.
Magpie of the Colonists.

Cracticus picatus, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. 11. pi. 50.

This is in every respect a miniature representative of the
Cracticus nigrorjularis of New South Wales ; it must, how-
ever, be regarded as a distinct species ; for its much more
diminutive size will warrant such a conclusion by every orni-
thologist who compares them.

Gilbert, who found it at Port Essington in considerable
abundance, states that it is an extremely shy and wary bird.

182 BIRDS or AUSTRALIA.

inhabiting the most seduded parts of the forest, and is as
frequently seen searching for its food on the ground as among
the topmost branches of the highest trees. In its habits,
manners, mode of flight, and in its loud, discordant, organ-
pipe-like voice, it closely resembles the other members of the
genus. It is usually seen in pairs, or in small families of four
or five. Its nest is built of sticks in the upright fork of a
thickly-foliaged tree, at about thirty or forty feet from the
ground.

The stomach is muscular, and the food consists of insects
of various kinds, but principally of coleoptera.

The sexes are not distinguished by any difference in the
markings of the plumage, but the young are dressed in a
brown colouring like those of the other members of the genus.

Collar at the back of neck, centre and edge of the wing,
rump, abdomen, under tail-coverts, and tips of all but the
centre tail-feathers white, remainder of the plumage deep
black ; irides dark reddish brown ; bill ash-grey, the tip
black ; legs and feet dark greenish grey.

Sp. 97. CRACTICUS ARGENTEUS, Gould.

Silvery-backed Crow-Shrike.
Cracticus argenteus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part viii. p. 126.

Cracticus argenteus, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ii. p. 51.

Examples of this species were discovered on the north
coast of Australia, both by Sir George Grey and B. Bynoe,
Esq., to the latter of whom I am indebted for one of the spe-
cimens from which my description was taken.

The Cracticus argenteus is directly intermediate in size be-
tween C. torquatus and C. 7iigrogularis, and moreover exhibits
a remarkable participation in the colouring of those two species,
having the white throat and chest of the former, and the
parti-coloured wings, conspicuous white rump, and white-

INSESSORES. 183

tipped tail of the latter ; it differs, however, from both, as well
as from all the other members of the genus, in the light or
silvery-grey colouring of the back, and hence the term of
argenteus has been applied to it.

No account of its habits has yet been received, but they
doubtless resemble those of the other species of the genus.

Crown of the head, ear-coverts, shoulders, primaries, and
all the tail-feathers for three-fourths of their length from the
base black ; back silvery grey ; throat, all the under surface,
sides of the neck, some of the wing-coverts and the margins
of several of the secondaries, rump, and tips of the tail-feathers
pure white ; bill horn-colour ; feet blackish brown.

Sp. 98. CRACTICUS QUOYII.

Quor's Crow-Shrike.

Barita Quoyi, Less. Zool. de la Coq., torn. i. p. 639, pi. 24.
Mol-gol-ga, Aborigines of Port Essington.

Cracticus Quoyii, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ii. pi. 53.

We have abundant evidence that the zoology and botany
of New Guinea and Australia are very similar. In some
instances the same species are found in both countries, of
which fact the present bird is an example. M. Temminck,
to whom I showed specimens of this bird killed in Australia,
assured me that they were identical with others from New
Guinea. The northern coast is the only portion of Australia
in which this bird has been observed. It is tolerably abun-
dant at Port Essington, where it inhabits the mangrove-
swamps generally, even those close to the settlement.

Gilbert states that it is extremely shy and wary, and that the
nature of its usual haunts precludes in a great measure all
chance of getting a sight of it. He never met with it in any
other situation than the darkest and thickest parts of the man-
groves, where there is a great depth of mud, and where the
roots of the trees are very thickly intertwined ; it is amoDg

IS4 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

these roots that it is constantly seen searching for crabs. Its
note is short and monotonous, and very hke the name given
to it by the aborigines, Mol-gol-qa, the second syllable being
prolonged and forming the highest note ; it also utters other
sounds, some of them resembling those of the Gymnorhina
leuconota ; at other times it frequently emits a note very
similar to the cry of yomig birds for food.

The stomach is muscular, and the food consists of crabs,
and occasionally of coleoptera, neuroptera, and the larvae of
insects of various kinds.

The entire plumage black, each feather of the upper and
under surface broadly margined with deep glossy green ; irides
dark reddish brown ; bill very light ash-grey, passing into
leaden grey at the base, and dark bluish grey on the culmen
near the tip ; legs and feet greenish grey.

The bill appears to vary very much in colour ; being in some
instances entirely ash-grey, except at the tip, where it is black;
while in others the basal two-thirds is black and the tip grey :
whether this difference is occasioned by age or sex has not
yet been ascertained.

Sp. 99. CRACTICUS TORQUATUS.

Collared Crow-Shrike.

Lanius torquatus, Lath. Ind. Orn., Supp., p. xviii.
Vanga destructor, Temm. Man., part i. p. lix.
Barita destructor, Temm. PI. Col. 273.
Bulestes turquatus, Cab. Mus. Hein. Theil i. p. 66.
Wad-do-wad-ong, Aborigines of the lowland districts of Western Aus-
tralia.
Butcher-Bird of the Colonists of Swan River.

Cracticus destructor, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ii. pi. 52.

This bird is a permanent resident in New South Wales and
South Australia, where it inhabits the margins of the brushy
lands near the coast, the sides of hills, and the belts of trees

INSESSORES. 185

which occur m the more open parts of the country ; in fact I
scarcely know of any Austrahan bird so generally dispersed.
Its presence is at all times betrayed by its extraordinary note,
a jumble of discordant sounds impossible to be described. It
is nearly always on the trees, where it sits motionless on some
dead or exposed branch whence it can survey all around, and
particularly the surface of the ground beneath, to which it
makes perpendicular descents to secure any large insect or
lizard that may attract its sharp and penetrating eye; it
usually returns to the same branch to devour what it has
captured, but at times will resort to other trees and impale
its victim after the manner of the true Shrikes : mice, small
birds, and large Phasmiw come within the list of its ordinary
diet. September and the three following months constitute
the period of incubation. The nest, which is large and cup-
shaped, is neatly formed of sticks, and in some instances
beautifully lined with the shoots of the Casuarina and fibrous
roots. Considerable difference is found to exist in the colour
of the eggs, the ground colouring of some being dark yellowish
brown, with obscure blotches and marks of a darker hue, and
here and there a few black marks not unlike small blots of
ink ; while in others the ground colour is much lighter and
the darker markings are more inclined to red, and to form a
zone round the larger end; the eggs are generally three in
number, one inch and three lines long by eleven lines broad.

Under ordinary circumstances this species is very shy and
retiring, but at times is altogether as bold ; as an evidence of
which I may mention, that having caught a young Eopsaltria
and placed it in my pocket, the cries of the little captive
attracted the attention of one of these birds, and it continued
to follow me through the woods for more than an hour, when
the little tenant, disliking its close quarters, effected its escape
and flitted away before me : I immediately gave chase ; but
the Crow-Shrike, which had followed me, pounced down
within two yards of my face and bore off the poor bird to a

186 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

neighbouring tree, and altliougli I ran to the rescue, it was of
no avail, the prize being borne away from tree to tree until
the tyrant paid the forfeit of his life by being shot for his
temerity.

The male has the crown of the head, ear-coverts, and back of
the neck black ; a white mark from the base of the bill to the
eye ; back and rump dark greyish brown ; upper tail-coverts
white ; wings blackish brown ; the middle secondaries white
along their outer edges ; tail black, all the feathers except the
two middle ones tipped with white on their inner webs ;
under surface greyish white; bill bluish lead-colour at the
base, passing into black at the tip ; feet blackish lead-colour ;
irides very dark reddish brown.

The female resembles the male, but is more obscure in all
her markings ; and the young differ in being clothed in a
plumage of mottled tawny and brown.

Sp. 100. CRACTICUS CINEREUS, Gould.

Cinereous Crow-Shrike.

Vanga cinerea, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part iv. p. 143. — Syn.

Birds of Australia, part i. fig. of head.
Bulastes cinereus, Cab. Mus. Hein. Theil i. p. 66, note.

Cracticus cinereus, Gould, Birds of Australia, vol. i. Introd.

p. XXXV.

Inhabits Tasmania, and may be distinguished from C.
torquatus by its much longer bill, and, when fully adult, by
its grey back.

By some ornithologists this bird may be considered only a
local variety of C. torquatus, but I did not fail to notice that the
two birds appeared very different in their respective countries,
and ornithologists will observe on examination that a marked
difference occurs in individuals from Tasmania and New
South Wales. I will not, however, affirm that this bird is
confined to Tasmania, for I have lately received evidence of

INSESSORES. 187

its also occurring on tlie shores of the opposite part of the
continent.

The male has the crown of the head, ears, and back of the
neck black ; back, shoulders, and rump delicate grey ; upper
tail-coverts white ; tail black, largely tipped with white on the
inner webs, except the two middle feathers, which are wholly
black ; space between the bill and the eye, middle of the
secondaries, greater wing-coverts, throat, and all the under
surface white ; primaries black ; bill bluish lead-colour at the
base, passing into black at the tip ; legs black.

The female differs in being browner, and less distinct in all
her markings.

Total length 12^ inches ; bill If ; wing 6 ; tail 5f ; tarsi 1^.

Sp. 101. CRACTICUS LEUCOPTERUS, Gould.

White-winged Crow-Shrike.
Bulastes leucopterus, Cab. Mus. Hein. Theil i. p. 67.

Cracticus leucopterus, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. i. Introd.

p. XXXV.

This species, which inhabits Western Australia, is very
closely allied to C. torquatus and C. cinereus ; but differs from
the former in the white mark on the wings being much more
extensive, and from the latter in its smaller size.

ramily ?

Genus GRALLINA, Vieillot.

The only known species of this form is one of the anomalies
of the Australian avifauna ; for its alliance to any group with
which we are acquainted is very limited. Its colouring and
general contour remind us of the MotacillcB; but its habits
and mode of nidification clearly indicate that it must not be
associated with those birds. Uncertain where to place it, I

188 BIRDS OP AUSTRALIA,

shall assign it the same position in the present as in the folio
work ; not that it has any special affinity to the birds which
immediately precede or follow it. I find it impossible to
arrange the birds of a single country in a linear series without
numerous hiati.

Sp. 102. GRALLINA PICATA.

Pied Grallina.

Gracula picafa, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. 29.

Tanypus Ausb-alis, Op pel.

Grallina melanoleuca, Vieill. Anal, d'une Nouv. Orn., pp. 42 and 68.

Cracticus cyanoleuca, Vieill. 2^ Edit, du Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat., torn. v.

p. 356.
Grallina Australis, G. R. Gray, List of Gen. of Birds, 2nd Edit., p. 33.

picata, Strickl. in Mag. Nat. Hist., vol. xi. p. 335.

cyanoleuca, Gray and Mitch. Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 204.

Coi-vus cyanoleucos, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iii. p. 49.
Magpie Lark, Colonists of New South Wales.
Little Magpie, Colonists of Swan River.

By-yoo-gool-yee-de and Dil-a-but, Aborigines of Western Australia.

Grallina australis, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ii. pi. 54.

Future research will, in all probability, ascertain that
this bird is universally dispersed over the greater portion
of Australia ; I have specimens in my collection from New
South Wales, Swan River, and Port Essington, all of which
are so closely alike that no character of sufficient importance
to establish a second species can be detected. Those that
came under my observation in New South Wales frequented
alluvial flats, sides of creeks and rivulets.

Pew of the Australian birds are more attractive or more
elegant and graceful in its actions, and these, combined
with its tame and familiar disposition, must ever obtain
for it the friendship and protection of the settlers, whose
verandahs and house-tops it constantly visits, running along

INSESSORES. 189

the latter like the Pied Wagtail of our own island. Gilbert
states that in Western Australia he observed it congre-
gated in large families on the banks and muddy flats of
the lakes around Perth, while in the interior he only met
with it in pairs, or at most in small groups of not more than
four or five together; he further observes, that at Port
Essington, on the north coast, it would seem to be only an
occasional visitant, for on his arrival there in July it was
tolerably abundant round the lakes and swamps, but from
the setting in of the rainy season in November to his leaving
that part of the country in the following March not an
individual was to be seen ; it is evident therefore that the
bird removes from one locality to another according to the
season and the more or less abundance of its peculiar food.
I believe it feeds solely upon insects and their larvae, parti-
cularly grasshoppers and coleoptera.

The flight of the Pied Grallina is very peculiar — unlike
that of any other Australian bird that came under my notice,
and is performed in a straight line with a heavy flapping
motion of the wings.

Its natural note is a peculiarly shrill whining whistle often
repeated. It breeds in October and November.

The nest is from five to six inches in breadth and three in
depth, and is formed of soft mud, which, soon becoming hard
and solid upon exposure to the atmosphere, has precisely the
appearance of a massive clay-coloured earthenware vessel ; and
as if to attract notice, this singular structure is generally placed
on some bare horizontal branch, often on the one most exposed
to view, sometimes overhanging water, and at others in the
open forest. The colour of the nest varies with that of the
material of which it is formed ; sometimes the clay or mud
is sufficiently tenacious to be used without any other mate-
rial ; in those situations where no mud or clay is to be ob-
tained, it is constructed of black or brown mould ; but the
bird, appearing to be aware that this substance will not hold

190 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

together for want of the adhesive quality of the clay, mixes
with it a great quantity of dried grass, stalks, &c., and thus
forms a firm and hard exterior, the inside of which is slightly
lined with dried grasses and a few feathers. The eggs differ
considerably in colour and in shape, some being extremely
lengthened, while others bear a relative proportion ; the
ground-colour of some is a beautiful pearl white, of others a
very pale buff; their markings also differ considerably in form
and disposition, being in some instances wholly confined to
the larger end, in others distributed over the whole of the
surface, but always inclined to form a zone at the larger end ;
in some these markings are of a deep chestnut-red, in others
light red, intermingled with large clouded spots of grey ap-
pearing as if beneath the surface of the shell. The eggs are
generally four, but sometimes only two in number; their
average length is one inch and three lines, and their breadth
nine lines.

The sexes are very similar in size, but the female may
at all' times be distinguished from the male by her white
forehead and throat, a fact I determined many times by actual
dissection, thus showing the fallacy of the opinion enter-
tained by some naturalists of there being two distinct species.

The male has a line over the eye, a patch on each side of
the neck, a longitudinal stripe on the wing, tips of the
secondaries, rump, upper tail- coverts, the basal two-thirds
and the tips of the tail, under surface of the shoulder, breast,
flanks, abdomen, and under tail-coverts white ; the remainder
of the plumage black, with a deep bluish tinge on the head,
throat, chest, and back, and a green tinge on the primaries
and tail ; bill yellowish white ; irides straw-yellow ; feet
black.

The female differs in having the forehead, lores, and chin
white. The young on leaving the nest have the irides black ;
in other respects they resemble their parents, but are of
course far less brilliant in colour.

INSESSORES. 191

In a note on the name of this species by the late Mr.
Strickland, that gentleman says, " As this bird was very
accurately described by Latham in his second ' Supplement '
under the name of Gracida picata ; and as the name picata is
more correctly descriptive than ci/anoleuca, which he had
previously applied to it, I should prefer making \hQ permanent
designation of the bird Grallina picata, rather than G. ci/ano-
leuca"; coinciding with Mr. Strickland's views, I have adopted
his suggestion.

Family CAMPEPHAGIN^.

The birds which I intend to keep under the above family
name are very numerous in Australia, in the Indian Islands,
and in the Peninsulas of India and Malacca, The Australian
members appear to be naturally divided into two or three
well-marked forms — Graucalus, Fteropodocys, and Cam/pe-
phaga. These three forms, however, constitute but a small
portion of this extensive family, in which, perhaps, the
beautifully coloured Pericrocoti should be comprised. All
the species are individually very numerous, and, being truly
insectivorous, must perform a most important part in the
economy of nature.

Most of the members of this group build a flat slight nest of
fine short dead twigs, curiously joined together with cob-
webs, on which they lay two eggs.

Genus GRAUCALUS, Cuvier.

The infinite changes of plumage which some of the Austra-
lian members of this genus undergo from youth to maturity
render their investigation very perplexing. I have done my
best to define them correctly ; if I have committed some
errors, let us hope that a son of the great southern land may
be imbued with a sufficient love for natural science to pay
attention to the subject, and place it in a truer light.

192 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

All the members of the present genus are of large size
compared with the other forms of the family.

Sp. 103. GRAUCALUS MELANOPS.

Black-faced Graucalus.

Corvus melanops, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xxiv. no. 1.

Ceblepyris melanops, Temm. Man., p. Ixii.

Rollier a masque noir, Le Vaill, Ois. de Parad., pl. 30.

Black-faced Crow, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 116.

Graucalus melanops, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 216.

melanotis, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part v. p. 143, and in

Syn. Birds of Australia, part iv. Young.
Campephaga melanops, G. R. Gray, Cat. Mamm. and Birds of New

Guinea in Brit. Mus., p. 32.
Kai-a-lora, Aborigines of New South Wales.

Nu-lar-go, Aborigines of the lowland districts of Western Australia.
Blue Pigeon of the Colonists.

Graucalus melanops, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ii. pl. 55.

New South Wales, Tasmania, Swan River, and Port
Essington are each inhabited by Graucali so nearly allied,
that by many persons it would be considered questionable
whether they were not referable to one and the same species ;
but as this is by no means certain, I shall confine my remarks
to the bird inhabiting New South Wales, which is one of the
largest of the genus yet discovered, which is distinguished
from its near allies by the greater depth of the blue- grey
colouring of the upper surface, and to which the synonyms
given above refer.

The Graucalus melanops, then, is a very common bird in
New South Wales, but is far less numerous in winter than in
summer, when it is so generally dispersed over the colony,
that to particularize situations in which it may be found is
quite unnecessary ; hills of moderate elevation, flats, and
plains thinly covered with large trees being alike resorted to ;

INSESSORES.

193

but I do not recollect meeting with it in the midst of the thick
brushes, — situations which probably are uncongenial to its
habits and mode of life. It is very abundantly dispersed
over the plains of the interior, such as the Liverpool and
those which stretch away to the northward and eastward of
New South Wales.

Its flight is undulating and powerful, but is seldom exerted
for any other purpose than that of conveying it from one
part of the forest to another, or to sally forth in pursuit of an
msect which may pass within range of its vision while perched
upon some dead branch of a high tree, a habit common to
this bird and the other members of the genus. On such an
elevated perch it sometimes remains for hours together ; but
during the heat of the day seeks shelter from the rays of the
sun by shrouding itself amidst the dense foliage of the trees.
Its food consists of insects and their larvae, and berries, but
the former appear to be preferred, all kinds being acceptable,
from the large Mantes to others of a minute size.

When the young, which are generally two in number, leave
the nest, the feathers of the body are brown, margined with
light grey ; this colouring is soon exchanged for one of a
uniform grey, except on the lower part of the abdomen and
under tail-coverts, which are white, and a mark of black
which surrounds the eye and spreads over the ears : the
throat and forehead in this stage are lighter than the re-
mainder of the plumage, which is somewhat singular, as in
the next change that takes place those parts become of a
jet-black ; and this colour, I believe, is never afterwards
thrown off, but remains a characteristic of the adult state of
both sexes, which are at all times so similar in size and colour
as not to be distinguished from each other.

It breeds in October and the three following months. The
nest is often of a triangular form, in consequence of its being
made to fit the angle of the fork of the horizontal branch in
which it is placed ; it is entirely composed of small dead

o

194 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

twigs, firmly matted together with a very fine, white, downy
substance Hke cobwebs and a species of Lichen, giving the
nest the same appearance as the branch upon which it is
placed, and rendering it most difficult of detection. In some
instances I have found the nest ornamented with the broad,
white, mouse-eared Lichen ; it is extremely shallow in form,
its depth and breadth depending entirely upon that of the
fork in which it is built ; the largest I have seen did not
exceed six inches in diameter.

The ground-colour of the eggs, which are usually two
in number, varies from wood-brown to asparagus-green,
the blotches and spots, which are very generally dispersed
over their surface, varying from dull chestnut-brown to light
yellowish brown ; in some instances they are also sparingly
dotted with deep umber-brown ; their medium length is
thirteen lines, and breadth ten lines.

Its note, which is seldom uttered, is a peculiar single
purring or jarring sound, repeated several times in succession.

The adults have the forehead, sides of the face, ear-coverts,
and throat jet-black ; crown of the head, all the upper surface,
and wing-coverts delicate grey ; primaries black, their outer
edges and tips margined with grey ; secondaries grey, with
their inner webs black ; tail grey at the base, gradually
passing into black near the extremity, and broadly tipped
with white ; chest blackish grey, into which the black of the
throat gradually passes; lower part of the abdomen pale
grey ; under tail-coverts white ; irides, bill, and feet black.

Sp. 104. GRAUCALUS PARVIROSTRIS, Gould,
Ch-aucalus parvirostris, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part v. p. 143.

Graucalus parvirostris, Gould, Birds of Australia, vol. i. Introd.

p. XXXV.

In my description of Graucalus melanops, I have stated that
New South Wales, Tasmania, Swan River, and Port Essington

INSESSORES. 195

are each inhabited by Graucali so nearly alUed to each other
that it was questionable whether they were not one and the
same species, and that the slight differences they present were
attributable to some peculiarity in the districts they inhabit ;
after much attention to the subject, I have been induced to
regard the Tasmanian bird as distinct, and I have therefore
assigned it a name, parvirostris.

Forehead, sides of the face, and the throat jet-black ; crown
of the head, all the upper surface and centre of the wings
delicate grey ; primaries and the inner webs of the secondaries
deep brownish black, the former narrowly and the latter
broadly margined with greyish white ; tail grey at the base,
passing into deep brownish black, and largely tipped with
white, the grey colouring predominating on the two centre
feathers, which are destitute of the white tips ; chest grey,
into which the black of the throat gradually passes ; lower
part of the abdomen, under surface of the wing and under
tail-coverts white ; flanks and thighs grey ; bill and feet
brownish black.

Total length 12 inches j bill 1|- ; wing 7 J ; tail 6 ; tarsi 1.

Sp. 105. GRAUCALUS MENTALIS, Vi^. and Horsf.
Varied Graucalus.

Graucalus mentalis, Vig. & Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 217.
Lanius robustus, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xviii ?
Robust Shrike, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 74 ?

Graucalus mentalis, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ii. pi. 56.

New South Wales, or the south-eastern division of Australia,
is the native habitat of the present species ; it is by no means
a rare bird in the Upper Hunter and all similar districts, yet
I did not succeed in finding its nest and eggs ; they are there-
fore desiderata with me.

There is no one member of the family to which it belongs
which undergoes so many changes of plamnge as the present

o 2

190

BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

species, and it is consequently very puzzling to the ornitholo-
gist. In extreme youth, or during the first few months after
it has left the nest, the throat, chest, and back of the neck are
jet-black, while the breast and abdomen are rayed with ob-
scure arrow-shaped markings of the same colour on a greyish
white ground ; from this state individuals in every variety of
change, to the uniform grey throat and head, with black lores
and mark under the eye, are to be met with. Independently
of a difference in its markings, its much smaller size will at
all times serve to distinguish it from Graucalus melanojjs,
which inhabits the same districts. Insects of various orders
and caterpillars, which are either captured on the wing or taken
from the branches, form its diet.

In the adult the upper surface and wings are dark slate-
grey, passing into paler grey on the forehead and on the rump
and upper tail-coverts ; primaries and secondaries slaty black,
narrowly edged with greyish white ; outer webs of the three
secondaries nearest the body grey ; tail black, the lateral
feathers largely tipped with white ; lores deep velvety black,
which colour is continued above and below the eye ; throat
and breast grey ; insertion of the wing, under surface of the
wing, abdomen, and under tail-coverts white ; bill black ;
irides and feet dark brown.

Sp. 106. GRAUCALUS HYPOLEUCUS, Gould.
White-bellied Graucalus.

Graucalus hypoleucus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc. 1818, p. 38.
Campephaga hypuleuca, G. R. Gray, Cat. of Mam. and Birds of New
Guinea in Brit. Mus., p. 32.

Graucalus hypoleucus, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ii. pi. 57.

This species inhabits the neighbourhood of Port Essington,
where it is a very familiar bird, constantly flitting about the
branches overhanging the houses of the settlement. In its
general habits, manners, and note it closely assimilates to the

INSESSORES. 197

Graucalus melanops. It is abundant in every part of the Co-
boiirg Peninsula, and is generally seen in small families of
from four to ten or twelve in number.

The whiteness of the under siu-face serves to distinguish
this from all the other species of the genus yet discovered in
Australia.

The stomach is muscular, and the food consists of insects
of various genera, which are generally taken from the leafy
branches of the highest trees.

The sexes assimilate very closely in colouring, and only
differ in the females and young males having the lores of a
dull brown instead of black.

Lores black ; crown of the head and all the upper surface
dark grey ; wings and tail black ; chin, under si^face of the
wings, abdomen, and under tail-coverts white ; breast pale
greyish white ; irides brownish black ; bill blackish brown ;
legs and feet black ; insides of the feet and spaces between
the scales of the tarsi mealy grey.

Sp. 107. GRAUCALUS SWAINSONII, Gould.

Swainson's Graucalus.

Cehlepyris Uneatus, Swains, in Zool. Journ., vol. i. p. 466.
Graucalus Swainsonii, Gould in Syn. Birds of Australia, part iv.

Graucalus Swainsonii, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ii. pi. 58.

This species of Graucalus, which is distinguished from all
the other Australian members of the genus by the beautiful
barring of the breast, was originally described by Swainson
under the specific appellation of Uneatus ; but that term
having been previously applied to another species of the
group, it became necessary to change it ; and in substituting
that of Swainsonii, I was desirous of paying a just tribute to
the talents of a gentleman who has laboured most zealously
in the cause of natural science, and whose researches and
writings are so well known to all ornithologists.

198 BIRDS or AUSTRALIA.

Examples of this species occur in almost every collection
sent from Moreton Bay ; I regret to add that it is one of the
few birds I had no opportunities of observing in a state of
natvu-e, and that little is at present known of its habits and
economy, beyond what is stated in the following note which
was sent to me by the late F. Strange : — " During the
summer months this species feeds exclusively on the wild figs,
in company with members of the following genera, Ptilono-
rhynchiis, both species, Sericidus^ Scythrops, and Carpophaga^
with all of which it seems to be quite familiar, but does not
appear to mix with the other species of its own genus, all of
which are strictly insectivorous. A female shot on the 24th
of November contained a fully developed egg." Judging
from the specimens I have examined, I believe that the sexes
are alike in plumage.

Lores black; head, all the upper surface, wing-coverts,
throat, and breast grey ; primaries and secondaries black,
the former narrowly, and the latter broadly, margined on their
external edges with grey ; tail grey at the base, black for
the remainder of its length ; abdomen, under surface of the
shoulder, and under tail-coverts white, crossed by numerous
decided narrow bars of black; irides straw-colour; bill and
feet black.

Genus PTEROPODOCYS, Gould.

To say that this is the terrestrial form of the Australian
Campeplta(jin(B will, I think, be consistent with truth ; for
while all the others affect the branches, and either sally
thence to capture their insect food or search for them and
their larvae among the leafy tops of trees, the only known
member of the present genus looks for them on the ground.
Its lengthened tarsi would indicate that this was its habit,
and in accordance with this inference it is most frequently
found thereon. The increased length of the tarsi and tail,
and the narrow form of the bill, are the most striking of the

INSESSORES. 190

structural differences between Fteropodocys and Graucalus, and
are so apparent as to be perceptible at a single glance. Only
a single species of this form lias yet been discovered.

Sp. 108. PTEROPODOCYS PHASIANELLA, Gould.
Ground Graucalus.

Graucalus Phasianellus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part vii. p. 142.
Ceblepyj-is maxima, Riipp. Men, in Mus. Senckeubergianum, 1839,

p. 28. taf. iii.
Goo-ra-ling, Aborigines of York, Western Australia.

Pteropodocys phasianella, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ii.
pi. 59.

The rarity of this species in our collections is sufficient evi-
dence that it is a bird inhabiting the interior of the country,
and that its native localities have been seldom visited by the
explorer; hence it was a source of no ordinary gratification
to me when I first encountered it on the plains bordering the
River Namoi in New South Wales, and perceived that no
very lengthened study of its habits and mode of life was
requisite to ascertain that its structure is as beautifully
adapted for terrestrial progression and for a residence on the
ground, as the structure of the Graucali fits them to inhabit
the branches of the trees ; more beautiful modifications of
form, in fact, can scarcely be seen than occur among the
members of this group, which now comprehends a considera-
ble number of species ; the present bird, however, is the only
terrestrial one that has yet come under my notice, either from
Australia or the great niu'sery of these birds — India and the
Indian islands. Plains and open glades skirted by belts of
high trees are the localities in which I generally met with
this bird, either in pairs or small parties of from three to six
or eight in number. Its actions are very animated ; at the
same time it is cautious and shy.

Its powers of progression on the ground are considerable ;

200 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

when disturbed it flies across the plain to the belts of lofty
trees, when the white mark on the rump shows very con-
spicuously, and may be seen at a considerable distance.

Its range extends over the whole of the interior of Southern
Australia from east to west ; how far it proceeds northwards
has not yet been ascertained.

Of its nidification I regret to say nothing is at present known.

The sexes, which exhibit no external differences, may be
thus described : —

Head, neck, chest, and back delicate grey, becoming darker
on the ear-coverts ; rump and abdomen white, crossed by
narrow irregular bars of black ; under tail-coverts white ;
wings and tail black, the latter having the tips of the outer
and the basal portion of all the feathers white ; bill and feet
black, tinged with olive ; irides buffy white.

Genus CAMPEPHAGA, Vieillot.

Several species of this form are found in the Indian Islands
and Africa; and three or four in Australia; some of these
have been separated and placed in the genus Lalage^ but I do
not perceive the necessity of such a measm-e.

The Campep]Lag(B are allied to the Graucali ; but are much
smaller in size, and more active among the branches.

The sexes are generally very dissimilar in colour and mark-
ings, while in Graucalus they are alike. The nidification and
the form of the nests of the members of the two genera are
very similar.

Sp. 109. CAMPEPHAGA JARDINH, RiippeU.

Jardine's Campephaga.

Graucalus teyiuirostris, Jard. and Selb. III. Orn., vol. ii. pi. 114.
Ceblepyris Jardinii, Riipp, Mon. in Orn. Misc. 1839, p. 30.

Campephaga Jardinii, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ii. pl. 60.
The only parts of Australia wherein this species has been

INSESSORES. 201

observed are Moreton Bay and the Liverpool Range in New
South Wales, and the Cobourg Peninsula : it is likely that it
ranges over the whole of the intermediate country, but this
can only be determined by future research. Its smaller size,
the more attenuated form of its bill, and the great difference
in the colouring of the sexes, point out most clearly that it is
a member of the genus Campepha^a, and not of Graucahes, to
which it was first assigned. It is far less common in New
South Wales than it is at Port Essington, where Gilbert col-
lected the following particulars respecting it : — •

" This bird is extremely shy and retiring in its habits. It
generally inhabits the topmost branches of the loftiest and
most thickly-foliaged trees growing in the immediate vicinity
of swamps. Its note is altogether different from that of any
other species of the genus, being a harsh, grating, buzzing
tone, repeated rather rapidly about a dozen times in succes-
sion, followed by a lengthened interval. It appears to be a
solitary species, as I never saw more than one at a time."

The stomach is muscular, and the food consists of insects
of many kinds, but principally coleoptera.

The adult male has the lores black; all the upper and
under surface, wing-coverts, edges of the primaries and
secondaries, basal three-fourths of the two central and the
tips of the outer tail-feathers deep blue-grey; primaries,
secondaries, and the other parts of the tail black ; irides dark
brown ; bill blackish brown ; legs and feet very dark greenish
grey.

The female has the whole of the upper surface, wings, and
tail brown, the two latter edged with buff ; line over the eye
and all the under surface buff, the feathers of the side of the
neck, the breast, and the flanks with an arrow-head-shaped
mark of brown in the centre.

The young male is bluish brown above ; wings and tail as
in the female ; under surface buff, crossed with numerous
transverse narrow irregular bars of black.

202 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Sp.no. CAMPEPHAGA KARU.

Northern Campephaga.

Lanius Karu, Less. Zool. de la Coq., pi. 12.
Notodela Karu, Less. Traite d'Orn., p. 374.
Lalage Karu, Cab. Mus. Hein., Theil i. p. 60.

Campephaga {Lalage) Karu, G. R. Gray, Cat. of Birds of Trop. Islands
of Pacific Ocean in Coll. Brit. Mus., p. 23.

Campephaga Karu, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol ii. pi. 61.

Gilbert, who met with this species at Port Essington, states
that it is a very shy and timid bird, that it is generally seen
creeping about in pairs among the thickets and clumps of
mangroves, that its note is a somewhat shrill piping call, that
its stomach is tolerably muscular, and that it feeds upon
insects of various kinds : this, I regret to say, is all that is
known respecting it.

In referring this species to the Lanius Karu of Lesson, I
am rather influenced by a desire not to add to the number of
useless synonyms, than from any positive conviction of their
being identical; for although, with only Lesson's figure to
refer to, I am unable to detect any difference of sufficient im-
portance to be considered specific, it is possible that the two
birds are really distinct.

The male has the head, all the upper surface, wings, and
tail black ; the wing-coverts largely tipped, primaries narrowly
edged and tipped, secondaries broadly margined on their ex-
ternal webs, rump and upper tail-coverts slightly, the external
tail-feather largely, and the next on each side slightly tipped
with white ; line from the nostrils over each eye to the occiput
buffy white ; under surface pale grey, crossed on the breast
and flanks with narrow irregular bars of slaty black, and
washed with fulvous, gradually increasing in intensity until
on the vent and under tail-coverts it becomes of a deep tawny
buff" ; irides dark brown ; bill black ; feet blackish grey ex-

INSESSORES. 203

ternally, bluish grey internally ; light mealy ashy grey between
the scales and inside the feet.

The female differs in being somewhat smaller than the male ;
in having the upper smface and tail brown, instead of black ;
the upper tail-coverts tipped with buff instead of white, and
the barrings of the under surface broader, darker, and more
distinct.

Sp. 111. CAMPEPHAGA LEUCOMELA, Vi^. and Horsf.

Black and White Campephaga.

Campephaga leucomela, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 215.
Lalage leucomela, Cab. Mus. Hein., Theil i. p. 60, note.

Campephaga leucomela, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ii.
pi. 62.

This species, which frequents the brushes of the eastern
parts of New South Wales between the river Hunter and
Moreton Bay, differs from the Campephaga Karu in its much
greater size, in the rufous colouring of the lower part of the
abdomen and under tail-coverts, in the more uniform grey
colouring of the breast, and in the barring of this part being
much less conspicuous. I have had examples of this species
in my collection for many years, but was not fortunate enough
to see it alive during my visit to Australia. Strange also sent
me a pair which he shot in the scrubs on the banks of the
Clarence. Its nest and eggs, and any information of its
habits, are desiderata to me.

The sexes, as is the case with the other species, differ very
considerably from each other in their colouring ; they may be
thus described : —

The male has the head, back, wings, and tail deep glossy
black ; wing-coverts largely tipped and the secondaries broadly
margined with white ; the two outer tail-feathers tipped with
white, the external one also narrowly margined on the outer
web with the same hue ; rump and u])per tail-coverts very

204 BIRDS or AUSTRALIA.

dark grey ; line over the eye snow-white ; under surface
greyish white, gradually passing into rufous on the abdomen
and under tail-coverts, and indistinctly rayed with dark grey;
bill, feet, and irides black.

The young male is brown where the male is black ; has the
wings not so conspicuously marked with white ; the under
surface washed with rufous and conspicuously rayed with
brown ; and the under tail-coverts deep rufous.

Sp. 112. CAMPEPHAGA HUMERALIS, Gould.

White-shouldered Campephaga.

Cehlepyris humeralis, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part v. p. 143.
Lalage humeralis, Cab. Mus. Hcin., Theil i. p. 60.

Goo-mul-cul-long , Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western
Australia.

Campephaga humeralis, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ii.
pi. 63.

This bird occurs in considerable numbers throughout the
southern portion of Australia during the months of summer j
it is strictly migratory, arriving in the month of September,
and having performed the task of reproduction departs
again northwards in the months of January and February.
It is a most animated, lively, and spirited bird, constantly
singing a loud and pretty song while actively engaged in
pursuit of insects, which it captures on the wing, among
the branches, or on the ground. It commences breeding
soon after its arrival, constructing a shallow round nest of
small pieces of bark, short dead twigs and grasses inter-
woven with fine vegetable fibres, cobwebs, white moss, &c.,
and sometimes a few grasses and fine fibrous roots by way of
lining ; it is usually placed in the fork of a horizontal dead
branch of the AngopliorcB and Eucalypti, and is not easily seen
from below. During the early part of the breeding-season the
male frequently chases the female from tree to tree, pouring

TNSESSORES. 205

forth his song all the while. The eggs, which are generally
two, but sometimes three in number, differ very considerably
in colour, some being of a light green blotched all over with
wood-brown, while others have a lighter ground so largely
blotched with chestnut-brown as nearly to cover the entire
surface of the shell, and I have seen some of an almost uniform
greyish green ; their medium length is nine and a half lines,
and breadth seven and a half lines.

In his Notes from Western Australia, Gilbert says, " This
bird is a migratory summer visitant to this part of the
country, where it arrives about the beginning of September,
after which it is to be met with in considerable numbers
among the mountains of the interior, but is very rarely seen
in the lowland districts.

" Its powers of flight are considerable, and when excited
during the breeding-season the males become very pugnacious,
and not only attack each other in the most desperate manner,
but also assault much larger birds that may approach the
nest. Its usual flight is even, steady, and graceful, and while
flying from tree to tree it gives utterance to its sweet and
agreeable song, which at times is so like the full, swelling,
shaking note of the Canary, that it might easily be mistaken
for the song of that bird. It is a remarkably shy species, espe-
cially the females, which are so seldom seen that I was at first
inclined to think they were much less numerous than the
other sex, but this I afterwards found was not the case. Their
favourite haunts are thickly-wooded places and the most se-
cluded spots. The nest is so diminutive that it is very diffi-
cult to detect it, and so shallow in form that it is quite
surprising the eggs do not roll out when the branch is
shaken by the wind. The nests I discovered were placed
on a horizontal dead branch of a Eucalyptus; they were
formed of grasses and contained two eggs. It breeds in
the latter part of September and the beginning of October."
Gilbert subsequently met with the bird at Port Essington,

206 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

where also it appears to be migratory, for not a single indi-
vidual was to be seen from the early part of November to the
month of March ; females and young birds were very abun-
dant on his arrival in July, but he only met with one old male
during his residence in the colony, a period of eight months.

The stomach is muscular, and the food consists of insects
of various kinds and their larvae.

The sexes differ considerably in colour, as will be seen by
the following description : —

The male has the forehead, crown of the head, back of the
neck, and upper part of the back glossy greenish black;
shoulders and upper wing-coverts pure white, forming an
oblique line along the wing ; the remainder of the wing dull
black, with the secondaries slightly margined and tipped with
white ; lower part of the back and rump grey ; tail dull black,
the two outer feathers on each side largely tipped with white ;
throat, chest, and all the under surface white ; bill and feet
black ; irides nearly black.

The female has all the upper surface, wings, and tail brown ;
wing-coverts and secondaries margined with buff; throat and
all the under surface buffy white, with the sides and front of
the breast speckled with brown ; irides very dark brown ;
upper mandible and tip of the lower dark reddish brown ;
basal portion of the latter saffron-yellow ; legs and feet dark
greyish black, slightly tinged with lead-colour.

Genus PACHYCEPHALA, Swainson.

The Vachycephala gutturalis may be regarded as the type
of this genus, the members of which are pecuhar to Aus-
tralia and the adjacent islands to the northward. Their
habits differ from those of most other insectivorous birds,
particularly in their quiet mode of hopping about and tra-
versing the branches of the trees in search of insects and
their larva' : caterpillars constitute a great portion of their

INSESSORES. 207

food ; but colcoptcra and other insects are not rejected. The
more gaily-attired species, such as P. guttmalis, P. glaucura,
P. welanura, and P.pectoralis, resort to the flowering Acacice,
Eucalypti, and other stately trees, while the more dull-
coloured frequent the ground : they all build a neat, round,
cup-shaped nest, and the eggs are generally four in number.
Their powers of flight are not great ; some enjoy a wide
range of habitat, while others are extremely local. The song
of some is loud and rather pleasing, while others merely emit
a whistling note, slowly but frequently repeated.

Sp. 113. PACHYCEPHALA GUTTURALIS.
White-throated Thickhead.

Turdus gutturalis, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xlii.

Muscicaj)a pectoralis, Lath. lb., p, li.

Orange-hreasied Thrush, Lewiu, Birds of New Holl., pi. 7.

Black-crowned Thrush, Lewin, lb., pi. 10.

Motacilla dubia, Shaw, Nat. Misc., vol. xxii. pi. 949.

Guttural Thrush, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 182.

Black-breasted Flycatcher, Lath. lb., vol. ii. p. 222.

Pachycephala gutturalis, Vig. and Horsf. iu Linn. Trans., vol. xv.

p. 239.
Turdus lunularis, Steph. Cont. of Shawns Gen. Zool., vol. xiii. part ii.

p. 200.

La Cravate blanche, Le Vaill. Ois. d^Afriq., torn. iii. pi. 115.

Pachycephala fusca, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 240.

fuliginosa, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 241,

female or young.
If

Pe-dil-me-dung, Aborigines of Western Australia.
Thunder Bird, Colonists of New South Wales.

Pachycephala gutturalis, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ii.
pi. 64.

It would seem that the whole extent of the southern coast
of Australia is inhabited by the present species, for on com-
paring adult males from New South Wales, South Australia,

208 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

and Swan River, I find that they do not present any material
differences ; the apical half of the tail is blackish brown in
all, and the colouring of the under surface of the richest
yellow. It is rather abundantly dispersed over the forests
of Eucalypti and the belts of Acacice, among the flowering
branches of which latter trees the male displays himself to the
greatest advantage, and shows off his rich yellow breast as if
desirous of outvieing the beautiful blossoms with which he is
surrounded.

The stomach is very muscular, and the principal food
consists of insects of various genera, which are sought for
and captured both among the flowers and leaves as well as
on the ground.

It is generally met with in pairs, and the males are more
shy than the females. It flies in short and sudden starts,
and seldom mounts far above the tops of the trees.

The voice of the male is a single note, seven or eight times
repeated, and terminating with a sharp higher note much
resembling the smack of a whip.

Gilbert mentions that it is sparingly dispersed throughout
the Swan River colony, but is more abundant in the best-
watered districts, such as Perth and Freemantle.

I did not succeed in finding the nest of this species, but
was informed that it breeds in September and October, and
lays three or four eggs, ten and a half lines long by eight
lines broad, with a ground-colour of brownish-buff, sparingly
streaked and spotted with reddish brown and bluish grey,
the latter colour appearing as if beneath the surface of the
shell.

The male has the crown of the head, lores, line beneath
the eye, ear-coverts, and a crescent-shaped mark from the
latter across the breast deep black ; throat, within the black,
white ; back of the neck, a narrow line down each side of the
chest behind the black crescent, and all the under surface
gamboge yellow ; back and upper tail-coverts yellowish oHve ;

INS ESS ORES. 209

wing-coverts blackish brown, margined with yellowish olive ;
primaries and secondaries blackish brown, margined with
greyish olive ; basal half of the tail grey, apical half blackish
brown, tipped with grey; irides dark brown; bill black;
legs and feet blackish grey.

The female has the whole of the upper surface and tail
greyish brown ; primaries and secondaries brown, margined
with grey ; throat pale brown, freckled with white ; remainder
of the under surface pale brown, passing into deep buff on
the abdomen.

Sp.114. PACHYCEPHALA GLAUCURA, Gould,
Grey-tailed Thickhead.

Pachycephala glaucura, Gould, in Proe. of Zool. Soc, part xiii. p. 19.

Pe-dil-me-dunff, Aborigines of the lowland districts of Western
Australia.

Pachycephala glaucura, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ii.
pL65.

Although the present bird is very nearly allied to the
P. gutturalisy it may be readily distinguished from that
species by its larger size, by its shorter and more robust bill,
by the uniform grey colouring of its tail, and by the lighter
and more washy tint of the yellow of the under surface.
Tasmania and the islands in Bass's Straits are the only
countries in which it has yet been discovered, and where it
takes the place of the P , gutturalis, which latter species appears
to be exclusively confined to the Australian continent.

The P. glaucura frequents the vast forests of Eucalypii
that cover the greater part of Tasmania, and although it is
rather thinly dispersed, is to be met with in every variety of
situation, the crowns of the hills and the deep and most
secluded gulleys being alike visited by it. It frequently
descends to the ground in search of insects, but the leafy

210 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

branches of the trees, particularly those of a low growth, are
the situations to which it gives the preference.

The adult male, like most other birds of attractive plumage,
is of a shy disposition ; hence there is much more difficulty
in obtaining a glimpse of that sex in the woods than of the
sombre-coloured and comparatively tame female, or even of the
young males of the year, which during this period wear a
similar kind of livery to that of the latter.

The actions of this species are somewhat peculiar, and
unlike those of most other insectivorous birds : it pries about
the leafy branches of the trees, and leaps from twig to twig in
the most agile manner possible, making all the while a most
scrutinizing search for insects, particularly coleoptera. When
the male exposes himself, as he occasionally does, on some
bare twig, the rich yellow of his plumage, offering a strong
contrast to the green of the surrounding foliage, renders him
a conspicuous and doubtless highly attractive object to his
sombre-coloured mate, who generally accompanies him. It
sometimes resorts to the gardens and shrubberies of the
settlers, but much less frequently than might be supposed,
when we consider that the neighbouring forests are its
natural place of abode.

The Grey-tailed Pachycephala utters a loud whistling call
of a single note several times repeated, by which its presence
is often detected. I was unsuccessful in my search for its
nest, and the eggs are still desiderata to my collection. Soon
after leaving the nest, the ground-colour of the entire plumage
is grey, washed, both on the upper and under surface, with
rusty or chestnut-red, which gradually gives place to a uniform
olive-brown above and pale brown beneath.

The adult male has the crown of the head, lores, space
beneath the eye, and a broad crescent-shaped mark from the
latter across the breast deep black ; throat, within the black,
white ; back of the neck, a narrow line down each side of the
chest behind tlie black crescent, and the under surface yelloAv ;

INSESSORES. 211

back and wing-coverts yellowish olive; wings dark slate-
colour, margined with grey ; tail entirely grey ; under tail-
coverts white, or very slightly washed with yellow ; irides
reddish brown ; bill black ; feet dark brown.

Total length 7 inches; billf ; wing 4 ; tail 3|-; tarsi 1.

Sp. 115. PACHYCEPHALA MELANURA, Gould.

Black-tailed Thickhead.
Pachycephala melanura, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part x. p. 134.

Pachycephala melanura, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ii.
pi. 66.

The Pachycephala melaniira is a native of the northern
coasts of Australia, where it was procured by B. Bynoe, Esq.,
during the surveying voyage of H.M.S. the Beagle. It may
be readily distinguished from the P.gutturalis^VL^ P . (jlaucura
by the jet-black colouring of the tail (which organ is also
shorter and more square than that of any other species), by
its much longer bill, and by the colouring of the back of the
neck and the under surface being richer than that of either
of those above named. I have not yet seen a female of this
fine species. Whenever this sex is collected, it will be found
to bear a very general resemblance to the females of P. gut-
turalis and P. glaucura.

Head, crescent commencing behind the eye and crossing
the chest, and the tail black ; throat pure white ; collar
round the back and sides of the neck, and all the under
surface, very rich gamboge yellow ; upper surface rich yellowish
olive; wings black, the coverts margined with yellowish
olive ; the primaries narrowly, and the secondaries broadly
margined with yellowish grey ; bill and feet black ; irides
brown.

Total length 6 inches ; bill | ; wing 3^ ; tail 2^ ; tarsi |-.

p ^1

212 BIRDS OP AUSTRALIA.

Sp. 116. PACHYCEPHALA RUFIVENTRIS.

Rufous-breasted Thickhead.

Sylvia I'ufiventris, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. lix.
Rufous-vented Warbler, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 248.
Oranye-hreasted Thrush, Lewin, Birds of New Holland, pi. 8.
Pachycej)hala pectoralis,Yig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 239.

striata, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 240, female or

young male,
rujiventris, G. R. Gray, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist., vol. xi. p. 193.

Lanius macularius, Quoy et Gaim., Voy. d' Astrolabe, p. 257, pi. 31.

f. 1, young male.
Rufous-vented Honey-eater, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 183.

Pachycephala pectoralis, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., voL 11.
pi. 67.

This very common species ranges over the whole of the
southern portion of the Australian continent, from Swan
River on the west to Moreton Bay on the east ; but the
extent of its range northwards has not yet been determined.
During the spring and the earlier months of summer there
are few birds that give utterance to a more animated and
lively song — a loud continuous ringing whistle, frequently
terminating in a sharp smack, which latter note is peculiar to
most members of the group. In New South Wales and South
Australia it is abundantly dispersed over all the thinly-
timbered forests, keeping among the leafy branches of the
highest trees. I do not recollect having met with it in the
cedar-brushes of New South Wales ; in Western Austraha the
thick scrubs are said to be its favourite places of resort.

Although it does not migrate, it makes a slight change in
the situations it frequents, according to the state of the
seasons, or the more or less abundant supply of food, which
consists of insects of various kinds, caterpillars, and berries :
like the other members of the group, it creeps and hops about
the branches in a gentle and quiet manner.

The breeding-season commences in August or September,

INSESSORES. 213

and continues during the three following months. The nest is
cup-shaped, and is rather a frail structure, being often so slight
that the eggs may be descried through the interstices of the
fine twigs and fibrous roots of which it is composed. In
New South Wales I found the nest upon the small horizontal
branches of large trees, but at Swan River it is more frequently
constructed in shrubs, particularly the Melaleuca : the eggs
are generally three in number, of an olive tint, with a zone
of indistinct spots and blotches at the larger end ; they are
eleven lines long by eight lines broad.

The sexes diff'er very considerably both in the arrange-
ment of their markings and in the general colouring of their
plumage, and it is not until the second year that the young
males assume the band on the chest and the pure white
throat of the adult.

Sp. 117. PACHYCEPHALA PALCATA, Gould.

LuNATED Thickhead.
Pachycephala falcata, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part x. p. 134!.

Pachycephala falcata, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ii. pi. 68.

We find in this species of Pachycephala, which inhabits the
northern parts of Australia, a beautiful representative of the
P. pectoralis of the southern parts of the continent ; from
which it diff'ers in its much smaller size, and in the black
crescent which bounds the white throat of the male not ex-
tending upwards to the ear-coverts, which with the lores are
grey. All the specimens I possess were killed on the Cobourg
Peninsula, near the settlement at Port Essington, where, as
well as on the adjacent islands, it is a stationary species and
very abundant. It breeds in September and the two following
months, and lays two eggs. Its habits and manners are pre-
cisely similar to those of the other members of the family.

The adult male has the crown of the head, lores, ear-coverts,
back, and upper tail-covcrts grey ; wings dark brown, all the

214 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

feathers margined with grey ; throat white, bounded below
by a distinct crescent of black : abdomen, flanks, and under
tail-coverts orange -brown ; tail dark brown, the basal portion
of the webs edged with grey ; irides reddish brown ; bill
black ; feet blackish brown.

The adult female has the crown of the head and all the
upper surface grey ; ear-coverts brownish grey ; throat bufFy
white, passing into light buff or fawn-colour on the chest,
flanks, abdomen, and under tail-coverts ; the feathers of the
throat and chest with a narrow dark line down the centre ;
wings and tail as in the male.

The young male is similar in colour to the female, but has
the throat whiter, and the markings on the chest much more
distinct and extending over the abdomen also.

In very young individuals a rich rufous or tawny tint per-
vades the greater part of the upper surface.

Sp. 118. PACHYCEPHALA LANOIDES, Gould.

Shrike-like Thickhead,
Pachycephala lano'ides, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part vii. p. 143.

Pachycephala lanoides, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ii.
pi. 69.

The single specimen of this species which has come under
my notice was procured on the north-west coast of Aus-
tralia, and is probably unique. It is a most robust and
powerful bird, and may hereafter be made the type of a new
genus ; but until the female has been discovered, and more
examples obtained, I retain it among the Pachycephala;.

That it feeds on insects of a large size there can be
little doubt, its whole structure indicating that it subsists
upon this kind of food.

No information whatever has been obtained with respect
to its habits and economy ; this blank therefore remains to

INSESSORES. 215

be filled up by those naturalists who may hereafter visit the
part of the country of which it is a denizen.

Crown of the head, ear-coverts, and chest black, bounded
posteriorly by a narrow band of chestnut ; throat, centre of
the abdomen, and under tail-coverts white; flanks, back,
shoulders, and external webs of the primaries, secondaries,
and wing-coverts grey ; tail, bill, and feet black.

Sp. 119. PACHYCEPHALA RUFOGULARIS, Gould.

Red-throated Thickhead.
Pachycephala rufogularis, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part viii. p. 164.

Pachycephala rufogularis, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ii.
pi. 70.

All the examples of this species of Fachycejphala I have
yet seen, were obtained by myself during my explorations in
South Australia, where I found it anything but abundant ;
in fact many days frequently elapsed without my procuring a
specimen. Its stronghold, probably a part of the vast interior,
has yet to be discovered. Prom the little I saw of it, I am
induced to believe that it is a very solitary bird ; for I usually
met with only one at a time, hopping about on the ground in
the thinly-timbered forest which surrounds the city of Ade-
laide ; but its actions were so particularly quiet, and its
plumage so unattractive, that it might easily be overlooked.
I never heard it utter any note, nor did I observe anything in
its habits and economy worthy of remark. It doubtless re-
sorted to the ground for coleopterous and other insects, the
remains of which formed the contents of the stomachs of
those I procured.

The adult males and females differ considerably in the
colouring of their plumage ; the young males resemble the
females. The rusty colouring of the throat and face distin-
guishes this species from every other member of the genus.

The male has the crown of the head and all the upper sur-

216 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

face deep brownish grey ; wings and tail dark brown, the
feathers margined with greyish brown ; lores, chin, throat,
under suface of the shoulder and all the under surface reddish
sandy brown, crossed on the breast by a broad irregular band
of greyish brown ; irides reddish brown ; bill black ; feet
blackish brown.

The female differs from the male in having the throat and
under surface greyish white, the chest being crossed by an
obscure mark of greyish brown, and with a line down the
centre of each feather.

Sp. 120. PACHYCEPHALA GILBERTI, Gould.

Gilbert's Thickhead.

Pachycephala Gilbertii, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xii. p. 107.
inornata, Gould, lb., part viii. p. 164 (young).

Pachycepliala Gilbertii, 'Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ii.
pi. 71.

Although the practice of naming species after individuals is a
means by which the names of men eminent for their scientific
attainments may be perpetuated to after-ages, I have ever
questioned its propriety, and have rarely resorted to it ; but
in assigning the name of Gilberti to this interesting bird, I
feel that I only paid a just compliment to one who most assi-
duously assisted me in the laborious investigations required
for the production of the ' Birds of Australia,' and who was
the discoverer of the species. The specimens transmitted to
me by Gilbert are, I believe, all that have yet been procured.

Although the P. Gilberti is nearly allied to the P. rufo-
gularis, it may be readily distinguished by the rufous colouring
being confined to the throat, and not ascending upon the
forehead and occupying the space between the bill and the
eyes as in that species ; it is also a smaller bird in all its
admeasurements .

The Red-throated Thickhead is an inhabitant of the interior

INSESSORES. 217

of Western Australia. The following notes, which are all that
is known of its history, accompanied the specimens sent to
me : — " This species inhabits the the thick brushes of the
interior. It is an early breeder, as is proved by my finding
a nest with three newly hatched young birds in the middle
of August. The nest was built in the upright fork of a small
shrub about four feet from the ground. It was deep, cup-
shaped in form, and constructed of dried grasses, and, except
that it was rather more compactly built, it was very similar to
those of the other members of the genus."

The sexes of the present bird exhibit a similar difference in
colour to those of P. rufogularis ; the females of both species
being very sombre and devoid of any rufous colouring on the
throat and breast.

The male has the upper surface dark greyish olive-brown ;
head dark slate-grey ; breast of a lighter grey ; lores black ;
throat rust-red ; under surface of the shoulder, centre of the
abdomen, and under tail-coverts sandy buff; irides light
brown ; bill and feet black.

Sp. 121. PACHYCEPHALA SIMPLEX, Gould.

Plain-coloured Thickhead.
Pachycephala simplex, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part x. p. 135.

Pachycephala simplex, Grould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ii. pi. 72.

The Pachycephala simplex is a native of the north-western
parts of Australia, but does not appear to be very numerous
in any locality yet explored; Gilbert, who discovered it in
the neighbourhood of Port Essington, states that it is of a
very shy and retiring disposition, and that it is usually met
with in pairs hopping and creeping about among the under-
wood or very thickly-foliaged trees, bat may be more fre-
quently seen in thickets situated in the midst of swamps or
among the mangroves. In its mode of feeding and in many
of its actions it greatly resembles the Flycatchers, but does

218 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

not, like them, shake the tail. Its voice is peculiarly soft
and mournful, and its call consists of a single note four times
repeated with rather lengthened intervals ; at other times it
utters a somewhat pleasing and lengthened song; "but,"
says Gilbert, " I never heard it emit that sharp terminating
note, resembling the smack of a whip, which concludes the
song of all the other species of the genus."

The stomach is muscular, and the food consists of insects
and seeds of various kinds.

It appears to breed during the months of December,
January, and February ; for the ovarium of a female killed on
the third of the last-mentioned month contained eggs very
fully developed, and, from the bare state of the breast, it
appeared to have been already engaged in the task of in-
cubation.

All the upper surface brown ; under surface brownish white,
with a very faint stripe of brown down the centre of each
feather ; irides light brown ; bill and feet black.

Sp. 122. PACHYCEPHALA OLIVACEA, Vig. and Horsf.

Olivaceous Thickhead.

Pachycephala olivacea, Vig. aud Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 241.
Native Thrush of the Tasmanians.

Pachycephala olivacea, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ii.
pi. 73.

This species, the largest of the genus yet discovered, is a
native of Tasmania, 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 Elinders
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
always be detected. I usually met with it in the thickest

INSESSORES. 219

parts of the forests, where it appeared to resort to the ground
rather than to the branches, and to frequent guUeys and low
swampy situations beneath the branches of the &^Qxi Eucalypti
and other trees, with which its oHve-brown 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 hemi-
ptera mingled in some instances with small stones and seeds.

Crown of the head and ear-coverts dark brown ; back,
wings, and tail chestnut-olive; 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.

Genus COLLURICINCLA, Vigors and Horsfield,

The members of the present genus are more strictly con-
fined to Australia than those of the last mentioned. Each of
the colonies, from north to south and from east to west, is in-
habited by a species peculiarly and restrictedly its own. They
have many characters which would appear to ally them to
the Pacliycephalcs, which they also somewhat resemble in their
nidification. They are neither Shrikes nor Thrushes, but are
most nearly allied to the former ; and feed on insects to a very
great extent, but occasionally partake of mollusks and berries.
Some of them defend themselves vigorously with both bill
and claws when attacked. Their voice is a loud whistle.

220 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

some parts of which are not devoid of melody, particularly
the loud swelling notes.

The nest is rather shghtly built, cup-shaped in form, and
is mostly placed in the hollow spout of a tree : the eggs are
four in number.

It is somewhat singular that each of the great divisions of
Australia should, as before mentioned, be tenanted by a
different species of this genus, each possessing distinctive
characters by which they may be readily recognized

Sp. 123. COLLURICINCLA HARMONICA.

Harmonious Shrike-Thrush.

Turdus harmonious, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xli.

Harmonic Thrush, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 182.

Grey-headed Thrush, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. v. p. 118.

Colluricincla cinerea, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 214.

Lanius saturninus, Nordm.

Turdus dilutus. Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xl ?

Dilute Thrush, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 182 ?

Turdus badius, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xli ?

Port Jackson Thrush, Lath. Gen. Syn., vol. ii. p. 183.

Austral Thrush, Lath. Gen. Hist,, vol. v. p. 124?

Pnigocichla harmonica. Cab. Mus. Hein., Theil i. p. QQ.

Certhia canescens, Lath. ?

Colluricincla harmonica, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ii.
pi. 74.

The Colluricincla harmonica is an inhabitant of New South
Wales and South Australia, and is one of the oldest-known of
the Australian birds, having been described in Latham's
'Index Ornithologicus,' figured in White's 'Voyage,' and
included in the works of all subsequent writers.

So generally is it dispersed over the countries of which it
is a native, that there are few localities in which it is not to
be found, the brushes near the coast, as well as the plains of
the interior, being equally frequented by it ; it is a very active

INSESSORES. 22 1

bird, living much among the branches, and feeding upon
insects of various kinds, caterpillars, and their larvae.

The term liarmonica applied to this species is very appro-
priate ; for although it does not give utterance to any con-
tinued song, it frequently pours forth a number of powerful
swelling notes, louder but less varied than those of the Song-
Thrush of Europe ; and it is somewhat singular that these
notes are emitted while in the act of feeding, and while
engaged in search of its insect food.

The site of the nest is very varied : sometimes a hollow in
the upright bole of a small tree is chosen ; at others the ledge
of a decayed branch, or a rock, or any similar situation. The
nest is a cup-shaped and somewhat slight structm^e, externally
composed of the outer and inner bark of trees, and leaves, and
lined with fibrous roots ; I have occasionally seen wool inter-
mingled with the outer materials. The eggs, which are three
in number, and one inch and two lines long by ten lines
broad, are of a beautiful pearly white, thinly sprinkled with
large blotches of light chestnut-brown and dull bluish grey,
the latter colour appearing as if beneath the surface of the
shell. In one instance I found a nest of eggs which were
brownish white instead of pearly white.

The sexes are very nearly alike, the only difference being
that the female has the bill browner and an indication of a
white stripe over the eye.

Head brownish grey, with an indistinct line of brown down
the centre of each feather ; back of the neck, back, and
shoulders olive-brown ; wings slaty black, margined with
grey ; rump and tail grey, the latter with dark-brown shafts ;
under surface light brownish grey, fading into pure white on
the vent and under tail-coverts, and greyish white on the
throat, each of the throat- and breast-feathers with a fine
line of brown down the centre ; irides dark brown ; bill
blackish brown ; feet dark greenish grey.

222 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Sp. 124. COLLURICINCLA RUFIVENTRIS, Gould.

Buff-bellied Shrike-Thrush.

Colluricincla rufiventris, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part viii. p. 164.
God-de-lung, Aborigines of Western Australia.
Thrush of the Colonists.

Colluricincla rufiventris, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ii.
pi. 75.

This species is about the size of the Colluricincla harmonica,
for which at a first glance it might be mistaken, but from
which on comparison it will be found to difler in the following
particulars : — the whole of the upper surface is pure grey
instead of brown ; the abdomen and under tail-coverts are
deep buff instead of greyish white ; and the lores are much
more distinctly marked with white. It is a native of Western
Australia, where it is to be found in all thickly-wooded places,
feeding as much on the ground as upon the trees and scrubs.

It breeds in the latter part of September and the beginning
of October, and the nest, which is generally placed in the
hollow part of a high tree, is formed of dried strips of gum-
tree bark very closely packed ; it is deep, and is sometimes
lined with soft grasses. The eggs, which are two or three in
number, are of a beautiful bluish or pearly white, with large
blotches of reddish olive-brown and dark grey, the latter
appearing as if beneath the surface of the shell ; the medium
length of the eggs is one inch and one line, by ten lines in
breadth.

Gilbert mentions that upon two occasions he found the
eggs of this bird in old nests of Pomaforhinus super ciliosus.

The stomach is muscular, and the food consists of insects,
principally of the coleopterous order, and seeds.

Lores greyish white ; crown of the head, and all the upper
surface deep grey, slightly tinged with olive ; primaries and
tail dark brown, margined with brownish grey ; throat and
under surface darkish grey, passing into buff on the vent and

INSESSORES. 223

under tail-coverts ; all the feathers of the under surface have
a narrow dark line down the centre ; thighs grey ; irides
dark reddish brown ; bill blackish brown ; feet dark greenish
leaden grey.

Sp. 125. COLLURICINCLA BRUNNEA, Gould.
Brown Shrike-Thrush.

Colluricincla brunnea, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part viii. p. 164.
Men-e-lob-roo, Aborigines of Port Essington.

Colluricincla brunnea, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ii. pi. 76.

This bird is abundantly dispersed over the Cobourg Penin-
sula, and is to be met with in all the forests in the immediate
neighbourhood of Port Essington and the north coast gene-
rally, in which distant localities it represents the Colluricincla
harmonica of New South Wales, the C. Selbii of Tasmania,
and the C. rufiventris of Western Australia. As might be
expected, its habits, manners, and general economy are very
similar to those of the other species of the genus ; conse-
quently the description of those of C. har^nonica is equally
descriptive of those of C. hrunnea.

A nest of this bird found on the 2nd of Eebruary was built
in the upper part of a hollow stump, and was outwardly
formed of narrow strips of the bark of the Melaleuca, and
lined with fine twigs. The eggs are of a pearly bluish white,
spotted and blotched with markings of olive-brown and grey,
the latter colour appearing as if beneath the surface of the
shell ; their medium length is one inch and two lines, by ten
lines in breadth.

It is a larger and more robust species than either C, har-
monica or C. rufiventris, the bill is shorter and much stouter,
and the colouring is of a uniform light brown ; even the
primaries and tail-feathers are* of the same hue.

All the upper surface pale brown; primaries and tail the
same, but somewhat lighter ; all the under surface brownish

224 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

white, becoming almost pure white on the vent and under
tail-coverts ; thighs greyish brown ; l)ill black ; feet blackish
brown.

Sp. 126. COLLURICINLA SELBII, Jardine.
Selby's Shrike-Thrush.

Colluricincla Selbii, Jar A. in Jard. and Selby's 111. Orn., vol. i. note to

text of pi. 71.

rectirostris, Jard. in Jard. and Selby's 111. Orn., vol. iv. pi. xxxi.

strigata, Swains. Anim. in Menag., &c., p. 283, female or young

male.
Whistling Dick of the Colonists of Tasmania.

Colluricincla Selbii, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ii. pi. 77.

The Colluricincla Selbii is a native of, and a permanent
resident in, Tasmania and Flinders Island, over all parts of
which it is very generally, but nowhere very abundantly, dis-
tributed ; it appears to give a decided preference to the thick
woods, wherein its presence may always be detected by its
loud, clear, liquid, and melodious whistle. It does not appear
to confine itself to any particular part of the forest ; for it may
sometimes be observed on the low scrub near the ground, and
at others on the topmost branches of the highest trees. It is
distinguished from all the other members of the genus by the
greater length of the bill.

It feeds on caterpillars and insects of various kinds, which
it often procures by tearing off the bark from the branches of
the trees in the most dexterous manner with its powerful bill,
and while thus employed frequently pours forth its remarkable
note. In disposition it is lively and animated, confident and
fearless, and might doubtless be easily tamed, when it would
become a most interesting bird for the aviary.

The nest, although composed of coarse materials, is a re-
markably neat structure, round )^ rather deep, and cup-shaped,
outwardly formed of strips of the rind of the stringy- bark
tree and lined with a few grasses ; it is about five inches in

INSESSORES. 225

diameter and four in height, the interior being three inches
and a half in breadth by two and a half in depth. The sites
usually selected for the nest are the hollow open stump of a
tree, a cleft in a rock, &c.

The male has the general plumage dark slate-grey, deepening
into brown on the back and wings, much paler on the under
surface, and fading into white on the throat and breast ; over
the eye a faint stripe of greyish white ; bill black ; irides
brown ; feet light lead-colour.

The female or young male has all the upper surface, wings,
and tail brown ; upper tail- coverts slate-grey ; over the eye a
stripe of rust-red ; under surface light grey tinged with brown
on the throat and breast, and each feather with a stripe of
dark brown down the centre ; bill horn-colour at the base,
black at the tip.

Sp. 127. COLLURICINCLA PARVULA, Gould
Little Shrike-Thrush.

Colluricincla parvula, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xiii. 1845,
p. 62.

Colluricincla parvula, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ii. pi. 78.

This species, to which I have given the name of j^arvula,
from the circumstance of its being the smallest of the genus
that has come under my notice, is a native of Port Essington
and the neighbouring parts of the northern coast of Australia.
Gilbert, to whose notes I must refer for all that is known
about it, states that it is " an inhabitant of the thickets, is an
extremely shy bird, and is generally seen on or near tlie
ground. Its note is a fine thrush-like tone, very clear, loud,
and melodious. The stomach is muscular, and the food con-
sists of insects of various kinds, but principally of colcoptera.
The nest and eggs were brought me by a native ; they were
taken from the hollow part of a tree, about four feet from the
ground ; the former, whicli was too much injured to be pre-

226 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

served, was formed of small twigs and narrow strips of the
bark of a Melaleuca. The eggs were two in number, of a
beautiful pearly flesli-wliite, regularly spotted all over with
dull reddish orange and umber-brown ; like the eggs of the
other species of the genus, they are also sprinkled over with
bluish markings, which appear as if beneath the surface of
the shell ; their medium length is one inch, and breadth nine
lines."

The sexes are so nearly alike in plumage, that they are not
readily distinguished from each other ; but the male is some-
what larger than his mate.

All the upper surface, wings, and tail olive-brown ; a faint
line over the eye and the chin white ; all the under surface
pale buff, the feathers of the throat and breast with a broad
stripe of brown down the centre ; irides dark brownish red ;
bill blackish grey ; tarsi bluish grey.

Sp. 128. COLLURICINCLA RUFIGASTER, Gould.

Rusty-breasted Shrike-Thrush.

Colluricincla rufogaster, Goukl in Proc. of ZooL Soc, part xiii. 1845,
p. 80.

Colluricincla rufogaster, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. i.
Introd., p. xxxvii.

I assigned this name to a bird sent to me by the late F.
Strange from the brushes of the Clarence in New South
Wales ; it may hereafter prove to be identical with the last-
mentioned species, C. parvula, the form and admeasurements
being precisely the same ; but the bird from New South
Wales has a lighter- coloured bill, and the whole of the under
surface washed with deep rufous.

Strange informed me that the bird " is tolerably common
in the brushes skirting the lower part of the Clarence and
Richmond rivers ; but I never saw it out of the brushes or
on the ground, as you may C. harmonica and the other species

INSESSORES. 227

of the genus. It imitates the note of Ptilonorliynclms holose-
riceus so exactly that I have often been deceived by it. You
mostly meet with the bird amongst the vines and supplejacks
trailing over a few stunted trees ; here it will be seen hopping
up the thick limbs in search of food, just after the manner of
the members of the genus Climacteris ; like them too, they
are continually on the move."

All the upper surface, wings, and tail olive-brown, with the
exception of the inner webs of the primaries, which are dark
brown ; throat pale bufty white, streaked with brown ; all the
under surface rusty red ; irides black ; bill and feet fleshy
brown.

Total length 7 J inches ; bill l\ ; wing 3f ; tail 8 J ;
tarsi 11.

Genus FALCUNCULUS, Vieillot.

The two species of this genus are not only strictly Austra-
lian, but are confined to the southern parts of the country ;
the F. frontcdns inhabiting New South Wales and South
Australia, and the F. leucogaster Western Australia. When
attacked by other birds or by man, both species defend them-
selves with their powerful bill and claws with the utmost fury;
they also use their strongly toothed bills for tearing off" pieces
of rotten wood and the thin scaly bark of the Eucalypti in
search of insects. The large branches of trees are their usual
place of resort, and in many of their actions and habits they
closely resemble the Tits of Europe and India (genus Parus),
while they also assimilate to the Pachycejjhalce. They build
a round, cup-shaped nest, and lay three or four eggs.

q2

228 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Sp. 129. FALCUNCULUS FRONTATUS, VieiUot
Frontal Shrike-Tit.

Lanius frontatus, Lath. Ind. Orn,, p. xviii.

Frontal Shrike, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 75, pi. 122.

Falcunculus frontatus, Vieill. Gal. des Ois., torn. i. pi. 138.

flavigulus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part v. p. 144, female.

Gouldi, Cab. Mus. Hein., Theil i. p. 66.

Falcunculus frontatus, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, voL ii.
pi. 79.

I had many opportunities of observing this bird, both in
New South Wales and South Australia, over both of which
countries it is very generally although not numerously dis-
persed. It alike inhabits the thick brushes as well as the
trees of the open plains. Its chief food is insects, which are
either obtained among the foliage or under the bark of the
larger brandies and trunks of the tree ; in procuring these it
displays great dexterity, stripping off the bark in the most
determined manner, for which purpose its powerful bill is ad-
mirably adapted.

It is very animated and sprightly in its actions, and in
many of its habits bears a striking resemblance to the Tits,
particularly in the manner in which it clings to and climbs
among the branches in search of food. While thus employed
it frequently erects its crest and assumes many pert and lively
positions : no bird of its size with which I am acquainted
possesses greater strength in its mandibles, or is capable of
inflicting severer wounds, as I experienced on handling one I
had previously winged, and which fastened on my hand in
the most ferocious manner.

As far as I am aware, the Falcunculus frontatus is not dis-
tinguished by any powers of song, for I only heard it utter a
few low piping notes.

I could neither succeed in procuring the nest of this species
nor obtain any authentic information respecting its nidification.

INSESSORES. 229

The stomachs of the specimens I dissected were filled with
the larvae of insects and berries.

The male has immediately above the bill a narrow band of
white, from which, down the centre of the head, is a broad
stripe of black feathers forming a crest ; sides of the face and
head white, divided by a line of black which passes through
the eye to the nape ; back, shoulders, and wing-coverts olive ;
primaries and secondaries blackish brown, broadly margined
with grey ; tail blackish brown, broadly margined with grey,
especially on the two centre feathers ; two outer tail-feathers
and tips of the remainder white, the white diminishing on
each feather as it approaches the centre of the tail ; throat
black; all the under surface bright yellow; irides reddish
brown ; bill black ; legs and feet bluish grey.

The sexes may at all times be distinguished from each other
by the smaller size of the female, and by the colouring of the
throat being green instead of black; by the irides being
darker, and the feet bluish lead-colour.

Sp. 130. FALCUNCULUS LEUCOGASTER, Gould.

White-bellied Shrike-Tit.

Falcunculus leucogaster, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part v. p. 144.
Goore-heet-goore-heet, Aborigines of the lowland districts of Western

Australia.
Jil-le-e-lee, Aborigines of the mountain districts of ditto.
Djoon-dool-goo-roon, Aborigines of the Murray in ditto.

Falcunculus leucogaster, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ii.
pi. 80.

This species is an inhabitant of the western portions of
Australia, where it represents the Falcunculus 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

230 BIRDS OP AUSTRALIA.

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 description 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.

Gilbert, while staying in the Toodyay district in the month
of October, found the nest of this species among the topmost
and weakest perpendicular branches of a Eucali^j^tus, at a
height of fifty feet : it was of a deep cup -shaped form, com-
posed of the stringy bark of the gum-tree, and lined with fine
grasses, the whole matted together externally with cobwebs ;
the eggs, which are three or four in number, are of a glossy
white with numerous minute speckles of dark olive most
thickly disposed at the larger end ; they are seven-eighths of
an inch long by five-eighths of an inch in breadth. It is a
shy bird, but when breeding becomes more bold and familiar.

The stomach is extremely muscular, and its food consists
principally of coleoptera.

The male has immediately above the bill a narrow band of
white, from which, down the centre of the head, is a broad
stripe of black feathers forming a crest ; sides of the face and
head white, divided by a line of black, which passes through
the eye to the nape ; back, rump, shoulders, and wing-coverts
bright yellowish olive; primaries and secondaries blackish
brown, margined with ohve-yellow; tail-feathers blackish
bro\vn, margined with olive-yellow, except the two outer,
which are grey, broadly margined with white ; all the tail-fea-
thers tipped with white, the white diminishing on each feather
as it approaches the centre of the tail ; throat black ; chest.

INSESSORES. 231

upper part of the breast, and under tail-coverts bright yellow ;
abdomen and thighs white ; irides wood-brown ; bill dark
brown, becoming lighter at the edges of the mandibles ; legs
and feet greenish blue.

The female differs from the male in being somewhat smaller
in size, and in having the throat green instead of black.

Genus OREOICA, Gould.

The only species known of this form is strictly Australian,
and is a sprightly animated bird frequenting the sterile districts
studded with large trees, where it hops about on the ground
in search of insects. Notwithstanding the singularly length-
ened form of its scapularies and its terrestrial habits, it appears
to me to partake of the characters of the ColluricindcB and
the Pachycephalas ; its loud piping note and mode of nidifica-
tion also favour this opinion. It lays three or four eggs in
a round cup-shaped nest, placed either in a XantJiorrhoea
or in a hole in the stump of a tree.

Sp. 131. OREOICA CRISTATA.

Crested Oreoica.

Turdus cristatus, Lewin, Birds of New HolL, pi. 9. fem.
Falcunculus gutturalis, Vig. and Horsf, in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 213.
Oreoica guttur alls, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part v. p. 151.
Oreica cristata, G. R. Gray, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., vol. xi. p. 190,

note.
Bo-kurn-ho-kurn, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western

Australia.
Bell-bird, Colonists of Swan River.

Oreoica gutturalis, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ii. pi. 81.

This very singular bird possesses an extremely wide range
of habitat, being dispersed over the whole of the southern
portion of Australia from east to west. It has not yet
been discovered in Tasmania or in any of the islands in

232 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Bass's Straits, neither has the extent of its range northwards
been ascertained. It is, I beheve, everywhere a stationary
species, but although its distribution is so general, it is
nowhere very plentiful. From what I observed of it, it
appeared to give a decided preference to the naked sterile
crowns of hills and open bare glades in the forests, and I
should say that its presence is indicative of a poor and
bad land. It resorts much to the ground, over the surface of
which it hops with great quickness, often in small companies
of from three to six in number. When flushed it flies but a
short distance, generally to a large horizontal branch of a
iicighhoui'mgUi(calj/ptus, along \Y\\ic\i it passes in a succession
of quick hops, similar to those of the Common Sparrow of
Europe. It is very animated in many of its actions, parti-
cularly the male, whose erected crest and white face, relieved
by tlie beautiful orange-colour of the eye, give it a very
sprightly appearance. The female, on the other hand, being
nearly uniform in colour, having the eye hazel and the crest
less developed, is by no means so attractive. I regret much
that it is not in my power to convey an idea of the sounds
uttered by this bird, for they are singular in the extreme ;
besides which, it is a perfect ventriloquist, its peculiar,
mournful, piping whistle appearing to be at a considerable
distance, while the bird is perched on a large branch of a
neighbouring tree. Gilbert having described to the best of
his power the singular note of this species, I give his own
words ; but no description can convey anything like an ac-
curate idea of it ; notes of birds, in fact, are not to be
described, — they must be heard to be understood. " The
most singular feature," says Gilbert, " connected with this
bird is, that it is a perfect ventriloquist. At first its note
commences in so low a tone that it sounds as if at a con-
siderable distance, and then gradually increases in volume
until it appears over the head of the wondering hearer, the
bird that utters it being all the while on the dead part of a

INSESSORES. 233

tree, perhaps not more than a few yards distant ; its motion-
less attitude renderhig its discovery very difficult. It has
two kinds of song, the most usual of which is a running suc-
cession of notes, or two notes repeated together rather slowly,
followed by a repetition three times rather quickly, the last
note resembling the sound of a bell from its ringing tone ;
the other song is pretty nearly the same, only that it concludes
with a sudden and peculiar fall of two notes."

In Western Australia its nest is formed of strings of bark
lined with a few fine dried grasses, and is generally placed in a
Xanthorrhoea or grass-tree, either in the upper part of the
grass or rush above, or in the fork of the trunk, and is of a
deep, cup-shaped form. It breeds in October, and generally
lays three eggs, which vary much in colour ; the ground-tint
being bluish white, in some instances marked all over with
minute spots of ink-black, in others with long zigzag lines
and blotches of the same hue. In some these markings are
confined to the larger end, where they form a zone ; in others
they are equally spread all over the surface, intermingled
with the black markings ; also blotches of grey appear as if
beneath the surface of the shell, and some eggs have been
found with the ground-colom* of the larger end of a beautiful
bluish green.

In its nidification and in many of its actions it off'ers
considerable resemblance to the members of the genus
Colhmcincla.

It has a thick muscular gizzard, and its food consists of
seeds, grain, coleoptera, and the larvae of all kinds of insects.
In Western Australia it often resorts to newly ploughed land,
as it there finds an abundance of grubs and caterpillars, its
most favourite food.

The male has the face white ; feathers on the fore part of
the head, along the centre of the crest, line from the eye
bounding the white of the face, and a large gorget-shaped
mark on the breast deep black ; sides of the head and crest

234 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

grey; all the upper surface and flanks liglit brown; wings
brown, margined with lighter brown ; tail dark brown ;
centre of the abdomen brownish white ; vent and under tail-
coverts buff; irides beautiful orange, surrounded by a narrow
black lash ; bill black ; legs and feet blackish brown.

The female resembles the male, but diff'ers in having the
face and forehead grey, only a line of black down the centre
of the crest, the chin dull white, in having a mere indication
of the black gorget, the irides hazel, and the feet olive- or
dark brown.

FamHy DICEUEID^.

" The family of Drongo-Shrikes," says Mr. Jerdon, " com-
prises a small number of birds found in Africa, India, and
Malayana, and extending in fewer numbers to Australia and
the neighbouring islands. They have almost always black
plumage and longish forked tails of only ten feathers, being
one of the very few groups in which there are fewer than the
normal number of twelve. The bill varies much, being short
and depressed in some, lengthened and curved in others.
They are capable of strong, rapid, and vigorous, but not of
sustained flight ; and they feed almost entirely on insects,
which they capture on the wing, or on the ground, or occa-
sionally on leaves or flowers ; their legs are short, and their
feet are only fitted for grasping. Some live in the open
country, in gardens, and fields, others occur only in the
forests, and they are found from the level of the sea to an
altitude of 8000 feet and upwards. They form a most
characteristic feature in Indian ornithology, for, go where you
will in India, you are sure to see one or more of the genus.
They build rather loosely constructed nests, and lay three or
four eggs, which are usually white with a reddish tinge, and
marked with spots and blotches of various shades of red or
purple."

INSESSORES. 235

Genus CHIBIA, Hodgson.

The following is the only species of this form that has yet
been found in Australia.

Sp. 132. CHIBIA BRACTEATA, Gould.

SrANGLED DrONGO-ShRIKE.

Dicrurus balicassius^Yig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 211.
bracteatus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part x. p. 132.

Dicrurus bracteatus, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ii. pi. 82.

Having carefully compared the bird here represented with
the other species of the genus inhabiting the Indian islands
and the continent of India, I find it to be quite distinct
from the w^hole of them; I have therefore assigned to it a
separate specific title, and selected that of bracteatus as ex-
pressive of its beautifully spangled appearance. Its range is
very extensive, the bii'd being equally abundant in all parts
of the northern and eastern portions of Australia ; it was
found by Sir George Grey on the north-west coast, by Gilbert
at Port Essington, and it has also been observed in the neigh-
bourhood of Moreton Bay. I did not encounter it myself
during my rambles in Australia ; we are therefore indebted
to Gilbert's notes for all that is known of its history. " This
species is one of the commonest birds of the Cobourg Penin-
sula, where it is generally seen in pairs and may be met with
in every variety of situation, but more frequently among the
thickets and mangroves than elsewhere. It is at all times
exceedingly active, and its food consists entirely of insects of
various kinds, particularly those belonging to the orders Coleo-
ptera and Neurojjtera. Its usual note is a loud, disagreeably
harsh, cackling or creaking whistle, so totally different from
that of any other bird, that having been once heard it is
readily recognized.

" I found five nests on the 16th of November, all of which

236 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

contained young birds, some of them nearly able to fly, and
others apparently but just emerged from the Qgg. The whole of
these nests were exactly alike and formed of the same mate-
rial, the dry wiry climbing stalk of a common parasitic plant,
without any kind of lining ; they were exceedingly difficult
to examine from their being placed on the weakest part of
the extremities of the horizontal branches of a thickly-foliaged
tree at an altitude of not less than thirty feet from the ground ;
they were of a very shallow form, about five inches and a half
in diameter ; the eggs Avould seem to be three or four in
number, as three of the nests contained three, and the other
two four young birds in each."

The head and the body both above and below are deep
black, the feathers of the head with a crescent, and those of
the breast with a spot of deep metallic green at the tip;
wings and tail deep glossy green ; under wing-coverts black,
tipped with white ; irides brownish red ; bill and feet blackish
brown.

Genus MANUCODIA, Boddaert.

Of this genus only a single species is found in Australia,
the exact position of which in the natural system has not, in
my opinion, been satisfactorily determined. I think it is as
well placed here as elsewhere.

Sp. 133. MANUCODIA GOULDII, G. R. Gray.

Gould's Manucode.
Manucodia gouldii, G. R. Gray in Proc. Zool. Soc.,part xxvii. p. 1 58, note.

Manucodia Keraudreni, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, Supple-
ment pi.

New Guinea, owing to the hostile character of its native
population, is a sealed country to the collector, and we really
know but little of its natural productions. There are doubt-
less many fine birds in its mountain districts which never
quit their own forests, while others are from time to time

INSESSORES. 237

found on the Cape York Peninsula and other northern pro-
montories of Australia, and this is probably one of them.

I have seen two or three specimens of this bird, all of which
were collected during Captain Stanley's Expedition. A fine
example in the British Museum, obtained at Cape York, is
stated by Mr. Macgillivray to be a male, and is the one from
which my description was taken.

Centre of the crown, the lengthened ear-plumes, the lanceo-
late feathers on the sides of the neck, back, rump, and breast
green ; shoulders, primaries, and tail purplish-black, as are
also the thighs, lower part of the abdomen, and under tail-
coverts ; bill and legs black.

When I published this species I believed it to be identical
with the Manucodia heraudreni ; but in his ' List of Birds sent
by Mr. Wallace from New Guinea,' Mr, G. R. Gray says,
" The specimen figured by Mr. Gould, in his ' Birds of Aus-
tralia,' as from Cape York, is of a uniform glossy golden-
green, with the feathers of the neck of a less pointed form
than those of the Dorey examples. It is certainly distinct
from the M. keraudreni of Dorey, and therefore will warrant
a new specific name being given to it ; and I now propose
that of Manucodia gouldiiy

Family MUSCICAPID^.

Birds pertaining to this family are found in nearly every
part of the globe. As their name implies, they live almost
solely on insects, and must perform a most important ofiice in
keeping those creatures in check.

Genus RHIPIDURA, Vigors and Horsfield.

Many species of this genus occur in India, the Indian
islands, New Guinea, and Polynesia ; and several are com-
prised in the fauna of Australia, in every part of which country,
including Tasmania, one or other member of the group is found.

238 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Sp. 134. RHIPIDURA ALBISCAPA, Gould.

White-shafted Pantail.

Bhipidura flabellifera, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. ^.24f7,
Rhipidura albiscapa, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part viii. 1840,
p. 113.

Rhipidura albiscapa, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ii. pi. 83.

Specimens of this bird from Tasmania are always much
darker than those of the continent, and have the tail-feathers
less marked with white ; others from Western Australia, again,
are somewhat hghter in colour, and have the white markings
of the tail more extensive than in those I collected in South
Australia or New South Wales ; the bird from Western Aus-
tralia has been characterized as distinct, and named B. Preissi
by M. Cabanis.

In Tasmania I have seen the White-shafted Fantail in the
depth of winter in the gullies on. the sunny sides of Mount
Wellington ; and it is my opinion that it only retires at this
season to such localities as are sheltered from the bleak
south-westerly winds which then so generally prevail, and
where insects are still to be found. The bird is also subject
to the same law on the continent of Australia ; but as the
temperature of that country is more equable, its effects are
not so decided ; and in support of this opinion I may adduce
the remark of Caley, w^ho says, " The species is very common
about Paramatta ; and I do not recollect having missed it at
any period of the year."

It is generally found in pairs, but I have occasionally seen
as many as four or five together. It inhabits alike the top-
most branches of the highest trees, those of a more moderate
growth, and the shrouded and gloomy foliaged dells in the
neighbourhood of rivulets : from these retreats it darts out a
short distance to capture insects, and in most instances
returns again to the same branch it had left. While in the
air it often assumes a number of lively and beautifid positions.

INSESSORES. 239

at one moment mounting almost perpendicularly, constantly
spreading out its tail to the full extent, and frequently
tumbling completely over in the descent ; at another it may
be seen flitting through the branches, and seeking for insects
among the flowers and leaves, repeatedly uttering a sweet
twittering; sono;.

This Fantail is rather a late breeder, scarcely ever com-
mencing before October, during which and the three follow-
ing months it rears two and often three broods. Its elegant
little nest, closely resembling a wine-glass in shape, is woven
together with exquisite skill, and is generally composed of
the inner bark of a species of Eucalyptus, neatly lined with
the down of the tree-fern intermingled with flowering stalks
of moss, and outwardly matted together with the webs of
spiders, which not only serve to envelope the nest, but are
also employed to strengthen its attachment to the branch on
which it is constructed. The situation of the nest is much
varied : I have observed it in the midst of dense brushes, in
the more open forest, and placed on a branch overhanging a
mountain rivulet, but at all times within a few feet of the
ground. The eggs are invariably two in number, seven lines
long ; their ground-colour white, blotched all over, but par-
ticularly at the larger end, with brown slightly tinged with
olive : the young from the nest assume so closely the colour
and appearance of the adults, that they are only to be distin-
guished by the secondaries and wing-coverts being margined
with brown, a feature lost after the first moult. The adults
are so precisely alike, that actual dissection is necessary to
determine the sexes.

In its disposition this little bird is one of the tamest
imaginable, allowing of a near approach without evincing the
slightest timidity, and will even enter the houses of persons
resident in the bush in pursuit of gnats and other insects.
During the breeding-season, however, it exhibits extreme
anxiety at the sight of an intruder in the vicinity of its nest.

240 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

All the upper surface, ear-coverts, and a band across the
chest sooty black, slightly tmged with olive, the tail, crown of
the head, and pectoral band being rather the darkest ; stripe
over the eye, lunar-shaped mark behind the eye, throat, tips
of the wing-coverts, margins of the secondaries, shafts, outer
webs, and tips of all but the two middle tail-feathers white ;
under surface buff; eyes black ; bill and feet brownish black.

Sp. 135. RHIPIDURA PREISSI, Cabanis.

Preiss's Pantail.
Rhipidura Preissi, Cab. Mus. Hein., Theil i. p. 57.

This is the bird I have alluded to in my account of B.
alhiscapa. As I have now no specimens in my collection, I
am unable to institute a comparison and form an opinion as to
its specific value ; it is, therefore, given on the authority of the
learned Berlin Professor, who has named it in honour of Dr.
Preiss, an ardent collector of natural history, who spent some
years in the neighbourhood of Swan River. If not identical,
it is very closely allied to H. albiscccpa. Its habitat is Western
Australia.

Sp. I86-. RHIPIDURA RUFIERONS.

Rufous-fronted Pantail.

Muscicapa rufifrons, Lath. Ind. Orn. Suppl., p. \.
Orange-rumped Flycatcher, Lewin, Birds of New Holl.^ pi. 13.
Rufous-fronted Flycatcher, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 220.
Rhipidura rufifrons, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 248.
Bur-ril, Aborigines of New South Wales.

Rhipidura rufifrons, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ii. pi. 84.

The Rufous-fronted Pantail is one of the most beautiful
and one of the oldest known members of the group to which
it belongs, having been originally described by Latham in
his ' Index Ornithologicus,' and included in the works of
nearly every subsequent writer on ornithology. In Mr.

INSESSORES. 241

Caley's short but valuable ' Notes on the Birds of New
South Wales,' he says, "This bird appears to me to be a
rare one ; at least T do not recollect having ever seen any
other specimen than the present. I met with it on the
15th of October, 1807, in a thick brush or underwood, the
resort of the great Bat," at Cardunny, a place about ten
miles to the north-east of Paramatta. The fact of the colony
having at that early date been but little explored will readily
account for Caley's opinion of the rarity of this bird ; but had
he visited the dense brushes of Illawarra, the Liverpool range,
and the Hunter, he would have found it in considerable
numbers.

Although many of its habits closely resemble those of the
Rhijoiditra albiscapa, they are, as the greater length of its
legs would indicate, far more terrestrial. It runs over the
ground and the fallen logs of trees with great facility. While
thus engaged, and particularly when approached, it constantly
spreads and displays its beautiful tail, and evinces a great
degree of restlessness. It is always found in the most secluded
parts of the forest, no portion of which appears to be too
dense for its abode.

I never met with it in Tasmania or on the islands in Bass's
Straits, neither do I recollect having seen it in South Australia ;
and it has not yet been found in Western Australia or on
the north coast, in which latter locality it is represented by
the Bhipidura dryas.

I had but little opportunity of observing it during the
breeding-season, but frequently found its deserted wineglass-
shaped nest, which bore a general resemblance to that of
B. alhiscapa. In one of them I found a single egg, which
may be thus described : — Ground-colour stony-white, speckled
all over with pm'ple and yellowish-brown spots and markings,
disposed so numerously as to form a zone at the larger end.
It is about eight lines long and six broad.

The sexes are precisely alike in colour ; and their only

R

242 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

outward difference consists in tlie somewhat smaller size of
the female.

Forehead rusty red, continuing over the eye ; crown of the
head, back of the neck, upper part of the back, and wings
olive-brown ; lower part of the back, tail-coverts, and the
basal portions of the tail rusty red ; remainder of the tail
blackish brown, obscurely tipped with light grey ; the shafts
of the tail-feathers, for nearly half their length from the base,
light rusty red ; throat and centre of the abdomen white ;
ear-coverts dark brow^n ; chest black, the feathers of the
lower part edged with white ; flanks and under tail-coverts
'light fawn-colour ; eyes, bill, and feet brown.

Sp. 137. RHIPIDURA DRYAS, Gould.

Wood Elycatcher.

Rhipidura dryas, Gould, Bii'ds of Australia, fol., vol. i. Introd.,
p. xxxix.

This bird differs from H. rujifrons in being of a smaller
size, in its dark-grey tail-feathers being more largely tipped
with white, and merely fringed with rufous at the base only,
in the breast being white, crossed by a distinct band of black,
and devoid of the dark spotted markings seen on the chest of
its ally.

Total length 5f inches ; wing 2f ; tail 3^ ; tarsi f .

The It. dryas inhabits the north-western portion of Austra-
lia, where it appears to be as common as the M. rujifrons is in
the south-eastern. I have several specimens, all of which bear
[\ general resemblance to each other.

Sp. 138. RHIPIDURA ISURA, Gould.

Northern Fantail.
Rhipidura isiira, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part viii. p. 174.

Rhipidura isura, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ii. pi. 85.
This species is an inhabitant of the north and north-west

INSESSORES. 243

coasts of Australia, in which localities specimens have been
procured by Sir George Grey and by Gilbert, the latter of
whom states that it is abundant in all parts of the Cobourg
Peninsula, and that it is to be met with in every variety of
situation, that it is usually seen in pairs, and that it secludes
itself during the heat of the day amidst the dense thickets of
mangroves.

A nest found by Gilbert in the early part of November
appeared to have been recently inhabited by young bu'ds ; it
was placed in the centre of three upright twigs of a species of
Banksia, and was formed of narrow strips of bark, firmly
bound together on the outside with cobwebs and vegetable
fibres ; it was very cup-like in shape, about two inches and a
half in height, one inch and three-quarters in diameter, and
three-quarters of an inch in depth.

The food consists of insects of various kinds and then' larvae.

All the upper surface dull brown ; wings and tail darker
brown, the outer feather of the latter on each side margined
externally and largely tipped with white, the next having a
large irregular spot of white at the tip, and the next with a
minute line of white near the tip ; chin and under sm-face
buffy white, with an indication of a dark brown band across
the chest ; bill and feet black.

Total length 8 inches ; bill f ; wing 3f ; tail 3^ ; tarsi xe .

Genus SAULOPROCTA, Cahanis.

M. Cabanis has considered it desirable to separate the
MMpidura motacilloides of Vigors and Horsfield and one or
two other nearly allied birds from the smaller BhijjidurcB and
to form them into a distinct genus, believing that their greater
size, longer wings and legs, and different style of colouring
justified his so doing.

Besides the two species found in Australia several others
exist in the islands lying to the northward of that country,
all of which bear a general resemblance to each other.

R 2

244 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Sp. 139. SAULOPROCTA MOTACILLOIDES.
Black Fantail.

I'ihipidura motacillu'ides, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 248.

Sauloprocta motacillo'ides, Cab. Mus. Hein. Theil i. p. 57.
n

Wil-la-ring, Aborigines of the lowland, and

II I
Jit-te-jit-te, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Westeni Australia.

Wagtail Flycatcher of the Colonists of Swan River.

Rhipidm-a motacilloides, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ii.
pi. 86.

With the exception of Tasmania, tliis bird has been found
in every part of Southern Australia yet visited by Europeans.

At the same time that it is one of the most widely diffused,
it is also one of the most tame and familiar of the Australian
birds, and consequently a general favourite ; it is constantly
about the houses, gardens, and stock-yards of the settlers,
often running along the backs and close to the noses of the
cattle in order to secure the insects which are roused and
attracted by the heat from their nostrils, along the roofs of the
buildings, the tops of pailings, gates, &c. ; constructing its
pretty nest beneath the verandah, and even entering the rooms
to capture its insect prey. It passes much of its time on the
ground, over which it runs and darts with the utmost celerity,
and when skirting the stream with tail erect and shaking from
side to side, it presents an appearance very similar to that of
the Pied Wagtails ; the movements of the tails of the two
birds, however, are very different, that of the European being
perpendicular, while that of the Australian is a kind of lateral
swing.

Its song, which consists of a few loud and shrill notes, is
continually poured forth throughout the entire night, espe-
cially if it be moonlight.

Its flight is at times gracefully undulating ; at others it con-
sists of a series of sudden zigzag starts, but is always of very

INSESSORES.

245

short duration ; it never poises itself in the air, like the Seisura
volitans, and never mounts higher than the tops of the trees.

It commences breeding in September, and generally rears
two or three broods. Its beautiful deep, cup-shaped and
compact nest is very often built on a branch overhanging water,
or on the dead limb of a tree overshadowed by a living
branch above it, but the usual and favourite site is the upper
side of a fallen branch without the slightest shelter from the
sun and rain, at about three or four feet from the ground ;
the nest itself is constructed of dried grasses, strips of bark,
small clumps of grass, roots, &c., all bound and firmly matted
together and covered over with cobwebs, the latter material
being at times so similar in appearance to the barkof the branch,
that the entire nest looks like an excrescence of the wood,
when it is almost impossible to detect it ; it is lined with
a finer description of grass, small wiry fibrous roots, or
feathers. The eggs are generally three in number, of a dull
greenish white, banded round the centre or towards the larger
end with blotches and spots of blackish and chestnut-brown,
which in some instances are very minute ; the medium length
of the egg is nine lines and a half, by seven lines in breadth.
On an intruder approaching the nest, the birds fly about and
hover over his head, and will even sit on the same branch on
which the nest is placed while the eggs are being taken ;
uttering all the time a peculiar cry which may be compared to
the sound of a child's rattle, or the noise produced by the
small cog-wheels of a steam-mill.

The sexes are alike in plumage, and may be thus de-
scribed : —

Head, neck, throat, sides of the chest, upper surface, and
tail glossy greenish black ; over each eye a narrow line of
white ; wings brown ; wing-coverts with a small triangular
spot of white at the tip j under surface pale buffy white ;
irides, bill, and feet black.

246 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Sp. 140. SAULOPROCTA PICATA, Gould.

Pied Pantail.
Sauloprocta picata, Cab. Mus. Hein. Tlieil i. p. 57 (note).

Rhipidura picata, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. i. Introd.
p. xxxix.

This northern species is a minute representative of the S.
motacilloides of the south. It is a native of Port Essington
and the surrounding country, and I have specimens brought
by Mr. Wallace from the Aru Islands which, if not identical,
are so similar that I have failed to detect any difference.

The colouring of the S. picata being the same as that of S.
motacillo'ides, a description of it is unnecessary ; the following
are its admeasurements : —

Total length 6f ; wing 3 J; tail 3| ; tarsi f.

Genus SEISURA, Vig. mid Horsf.

The present genus and Bhvpidura are mere modifications
of each other ; a difference of structure, however, exists of
sufficient importance to justify their separation, and, as is
always the case, a corresponding difference is found in the
habits and actions of the species.

Sp.l4I. SEISURA INQUIETA.

Restless Plycatcher.
Turdus inquietus, Lath. lud. Orn., Supp., p. xl.

volitans, Lath., ib., p. xli.

muscicola, Lath., ib., p. xli.

duhius, Lath., ib., p. xl.

Restless Thrush, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 181.

Volatile Thrush, Lath., ib., p. 183.

Seisura volitans, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 250.

Jit-tee-gnut, Aborigines of Western Australia.

The Grinder of the Colonists of Swan River and New South Wales.

$eisura iuquieta, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ii. pi. 87.
This species ranges over the whole of the southern portions

INSESSORES. 247

of the Australian continent, and appears to be as numerous
at Swan River as it is in New South Wales, where it may be
said to be universally distributed ; for I observed it in every
part I visited, both among the brushes as well as in the more
open portions of the country, in all of which it is apparently
a stationary species. It is a bird possessing many peculiar
and very singular habits. It not only captures its prey after
the usual manner of the other Flycatchers, but it frequently
sallies forth into the open glades of the forest and the cleared
lands, and procures it by poising itself in the air with a
remarkably quick motion of the wings, precisely after the
manner of the English Kestrel [Tinnunculus alaiidarius),
every now and then making sudden perpendicular descents
to the ground to capture any insect that may attract its
notice. It is while performing these singular movements
that it produces the remarkable sound, which has procured
for it from the colonists of New South Wales the appellation
of " The Grinder." The singular habits of this species appear
to have attracted the notice of all who have paid any atten-
tion to the natural history of New South Wales : Mr. Caley
observes, " It is very curious in its actions. In alighting on
the stump of a tree it makes several semicircular motions,
spreading out its tail at the time, and making a loud noise
somewhat like that caused by a razor-grinder at w^ork. I
have seen it frequently alight on the ridge of my house, and
perform the same evolutions." To this I may add the fol-
lowing account of the actions and manners of this species as
observed by Gilbert in Western Australia : —

" This bird is found in pairs in every variety of situation.
Its general note is a loud harsh cry several times repeated ;
it also utters a loud clear whistle ; but its most singular note
is that from which it has obtained its colonial. name, and
which is only emitted while the bird is in a hovering position
at a few feet above the ground ; this noise so exactly resem-
bles a grinder at work, that a person unaware of its being

248 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

produced by a bird might easily be misled. Its mode of
flight is one of the most graceful and easy imaginable; it
rarely mounts high in flying from tree to tree, but moves
horizontally with its tail but little spread, and with a very
slight motion of the wings ; it is during this kind of flight
that it utters the harsh note above-mentioned — the grinding
note being only emitted during the graceful hovering mo-
tion, the object of which appears to be to attract the notice
of the insects beneath, for it invariably terminates in the
bird descending to the ground, picking up something, fly-
ing into a tree close by, and uttering its shrill and distinct
whistle."

The months of September, October, and November consti-
tute the breeding-season. The nests observed by me in New
South Wales were rather neatly made, very similar to those
of Saiiloproda motacilloides, cup-shaped, and composed of
fine grasses matted together on the outside wdth cobwebs,
and lined with very fine fibrous roots and a few feathers ;
they were placed on horizontal branches frequently overhang-
ing water. The eggs, which are sometimes only two, but
mostly three in number, are dull white, distinctly zoned
round the centre with spots of chestnut and greyish brown,
the latter colour appearing as if beneath the surface of the
shell ; their medium length is nine lines and a half by seven
lines in breadth. The nests found by Gilbert in Western
Australia were remarkably neat and pretty, and were formed
of cobwebs, dried soft grasses, narrow strips of gum-tree
bark, the soft paper-like bark of the Melaleuca , &c., and
were usually lined with feathers or a fine wiry grass, and in
some instances horse-hair. The situations chosen for their
erection are the most difficult of access, being the upper side,
the extreme end, and the dead portion of a horizontal branch.
The bird is very reluctant to leave the nest, and will almost
suffer itself to be handled rather than desert its eggs.

The sexes are very similar in plumage, but the female and

INSESSORES. 249

young males have the lores or space between the bill and the
eye not so deep a black as in the male.

Head and all the npper sm-face shining bluish black;
wings dark brown ; tail brownish black ; lores deep velvety
black; under surface silky white, w^ith the exception of the
sides of the chest, which are dull black ; irides dark brown ;
basal half of the sides of the upper mandible and the basal
two-thirds of the lower mandible greenish blue ; the re-
mainder of the bill bluish black; legs and feet dark bluish
brown.

Genus PIEZORHYNCHUS, Gould.

The only species of this genus yet discovered in Australia
is a native of the northern parts of that country, from Cape
York to Port Essington, wdiere it frequents the dense beds of
mangroves.

Mr. G. R. Gray, in his Catalogue of the Birds of the Tro-
pical Islands of the Pacific Ocean in the collection of the
British Museum, enumerates two species of this form from
New Ireland, and in his Catalogue of the Birds of New Guinea
one from the Aru Islands.

Sp. 142. PIEZORHYNCHUS NITIDUS, Gould.

Shining Elycatcher.

Piezorhynchiis nitidus, GoVi\(\. m Proc. of Zool. Soc, part viii. p. 171.
Ui-g-bur-ka, Aborigines of Port Essington.

Piezorhynchus nitidus, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ii.
pi. 88.

This Elycatcher is by no means scarce at Port Essington,
but, from the extreme shyness of its disposition and the
situations it inhabits, it is seldom seen ; specimens in fact are
not procured without considerable trouble and difficulty. As

250 BIRDS or AUSTRALIA.

I have not myself seen the bird in its native haunts, I
transcribe Gilbert's notes respecting it : — " Inhabits the
densest mangroves and thickets, and is usually seen creep-
ing about close to the ground among the fallen trees in the
swamps, at which time it utters a note so closely resembling
the croak of a frog, that it might easily be mistaken for the
voice of that animal ; this peculiar note would seem to be
only emitted while the bird is feeding on the ground ; for
when it occasionally mounts to the higher branches of the
trees it utters rather a pleasing succession of sounds re-
sembling twit-te-twite ; on the shghtest disturbance it imme-
diately descends again to the underwood and recommences
its frog-like note. The nest is either built among the man-
groves, or on the verge of a thicket near an open spot.
One that I found among the mangroves was built on a seed-
ling-tree not more than three feet from the ground ; another
was on a branch overhanging a small running stream within
reach of the hand ; while a third, constructed on the branches
of the trees bordering a clear space in the centre of a dense
thicket, was at least twenty feet high. The nest at all times
so closely resembles the surrounding branches, that it is very
difficult to detect unless the birds are very closely watched ;
in some instances it looks so like an excrescence of the tree,
and in others is so deeply seated in the fork whereon it is
placed, that it can hardly be discovered when the bird is
sitting upon it. The nest is about two inches and a half in
height and three and a quarter in diameter, is of a cup-shaped
form, with the rim brought to a sharp edge, and is outwardly
composed of the stringy bark of a Eucalyptus bound together
on the outside with vegetable fibres, among which in some
instances cobwebs are mixed : all over the outside of the nest
small pieces of bark resembling portions of lichens are at-
tached, some of them hanging by a single thread and moving
about with every breath of air ; the internal surface is lined
with a strong thread-like fibrous root, whereby the whole

INSESSORES. 251

structure is rendered nearly as firm as if it were bound with
wire."

The eggs, which are two in number, are ten Unes long and
seven lines broad, of a bluish white, blotched and spotted all
over with olive and greyish brown, the spots of the latter hue
being less numerous and more obscure ; the spots inclining
towards the form of a zone at the larger end.

The male has the Avhole of the plumage rich deep glossy
greenish black; irides red; bill greyish blue at the base,
black at the tip ; tarsi greenish grey.

The female has the top and sides of the head and the back
of neck rich deep glossy greenish black ; the remainder of the
upper surface, wrings, and tail rusty brown ; and the whole of
the under surface white.

Total length 7 J inches ; bill 1 J ; wing 3 J ; tail ^^ ; tarsi J.

Genus ARSES, Lesson.

The members of this form are allied to those of Monarcha,
and should be placed between them and the Tcltitrece. One
species inhabits Australia, and others are found in the Aru
and neighbouring islands.

Sp. 143. ARSES KAUPI, Gould.

Kaup's Flycatcher.
Arses Kaupi, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xviii. p. 278.

Arses Kaupi, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, Supplement, pi.

I have some httle doubt as to the propriety of placing this
bird in the genus Arses, but rather than multiply the number
of genera, perhaps unnecessarily, I have assigned it a place
therein, as it accords more nearly with that form than with
Monarcha, the only other genus to which it presents alliance. I
am happy to have this opportunity of paying a just compli-
ment to my friend Dr. Kaup of Darmstadt, an ornithologist

252 BIRDS OP AUSTRALIA.

of vast acumen and research, and whose philosophical labours
are well known to all naturalists.

The specimen described was killed on the north coast of
Australia.

Small spot on the chin, crown of the head, lores, line be-
neath the eye, ear- coverts, broad crescentic band across the
back, xmd a broad band across the breast, deep shining bluish
black ; wings and tail brownish black ; throat and a broad
band across the back of the neck white ; lower part of the
back and abdomen white, the base of the feathers black, which
occasionally showing through give those parts a mottled ap-
pearance ; bill bluish horn-colour, becoming lighter at the
tip ; feet black.

Total length 6^ inches ; bill ^ ; wing 5|- ; tail 3 J ; tarsi

Genus MYIAGRA, Vig. and Horsf.

A group of insectivorous birds, the greater number of
which inhabit the Indian Islands and Polynesia, and of
which four species are found in Australia.

Sp. 144. MYIAGRA PLUMBEA, %. and Horsf .

Leaden-coloured Flycatcher.
Myiagra plumbea, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol, xv. p. 254.

Myiagra plumbea, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ii. pi. 89.

A summer visitant to New South Wales, where it takes up
its abode on high trees bordering creeks and low valleys,
and captures its insect food under the shady branches, the
Myiagra plumbea is mostly seen in pairs, which are rather
thinly dispersed over the districts forming its usual place of
resort. A low whistling note, frequently uttered by the
males, is, in all probability, indicative of the season of love.
On the approach of winter it retires northwards, and returns

INSESSORES. 253

again the following August or September, the months in
which spring commences in Australia.

It is a most active bird ; in fact all its actions are charac-
terized by great liveliness ; for even while in a state of
comparative repose, or when not actually in pursuit of
insects, it displays a constant tremidous motion of the tail,
by which means its presence is often betrayed when it would
otherwise remain unnoticed.

As is the case with all the other members of the genus,
the sexes present considerable difference in their plumage, the
female having the throat of a bright rusty red, while the
throat of the male is of a rich greenish lead-colour, like the
upper sm'face, — a style of colouring which has suggested the
specific name oijilumbea. The young males during the first
year so closely assimilate in plumage to the female, that by
dissection alone can they be distinguished with certainty.

The nest is cup-shaped, rather deep, formed of moss and
lichens, and neatly lined with feathers, and is generally placed
on the horizontal branch of a tree. I did not succeed in
procuring the eggs.

The male has the whole of the upper surface, wings, tail,
and breast lead-colour, glossed with green on the head, neck,
and breast, and becoming gradually paler towards the ex-
tremity of the body and on the wings and tail; primaries
slaty black ; secondaries faintly margined with white ; under
surface of the wing, abdomen, and under tail-coverts white ;
bill leaden blue, except at the extreme tip, which is black ;
irides and feet black.

The female has the head and back lead-colour, without the
greenish gloss ; wings and tail brown, fringed with bluish
grey, particularly the secondaries ; throat and breast rich rusty
red, gradually fading into the white of the lower part of the
abdomen and under tail-coverts ; upper mandible black ;
under mandible pale blue, except at the extremity, which
is black.

254 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Sp. 145. MYIAGRA CONCINNA, Gould.
Pretty Flycatcher.

Myiagra concinna, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ii. pi. 90.

This species is a native of tlie north-western portion of
Australia, where it inhabits the dense mangroves and thickets
adjacent to swamps. It is very shy and retiring in its
disposition, but may occasionally be seen on the topmost
branches of the highest trees of the forest. Like the other
Flycatchers, it has the habit of sitting for a long time on a
branch, watching the various insects as they pass, now and
then darting forth and capturing one on the wing, and then
returning again to the branch from which it had flown.

When among the low mangroves it utters a rather agreeable
twittering song ; but on high trees it emits a loud and shrill
whistle, drawn out at times to a considerable length.

The stomach is muscular, and the food consists of insects
of various kinds and their larvae.

Like the other members of the genus, the sexes differ
considerably in colour ; they may be thus described : —

The male has the whole of the upper surface, wings, tail,
and breast lead-colour, glossed with green on the head, neck,
and breast, and becoming gradually paler towards the ex-
tremity of the body and on the wings and tail; primaries
slaty black ; secondaries faintly margined with white ; under
surface of the wing, abdomen, and under tail-coverts white ;
bill leaden blue, except at the extreme tip, which is black ;
irides brown ; feet blackish grey.

The female has the head and back lead-colour, without the
greenish gloss ; wings and tail brown, fringed with bluish
grey, particularly the secondaries ; throat and breast rich
rusty red; abdomen and under tail-coverts white, which
colour does not gradually blend with the rusty red of the
breast as in the female of Myiagra plwmhea \ upper mandible

INSESSORES. 255

black ; under mandible pale blue, except at the tip, which is
black.

Sp. 146. MYTAGRA NITIDA, Gould.

Shining Flycatcher.

Todus rubecula, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xxii, female.
Red-hreasted Tody, Lat. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 147.
Platyrhynchus rubecula, Vieill., 2nde edit, du Nouv. Diet. d^Hist. Nat.

torn, xxvii. p. 16.
Myiagra rubeculoides, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 253,

female.

nitida, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., part v. p. 142.

Satin Sparrow of the Colonists of Tasmania.

Myiagra nitida, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ii. pi. 91.

The Myiagra nitida appears in Tasmania about the end of
September, commences breeding soon after its arrival, rears a
somewhat numerous progeny during the months of summer,
and departs again in February. In performing these migra-
tions it necessarily passes directly over the colonies of South
Australia and New South Wales, yet it seldom occurs in col-
lections from those countries. It is a most lively, showy, and
active bird, darting about from branch to branch and sallying "
forth in the aii- in pursuit of its insect prey with a singular,
quick, oscillating or trembling motion of the tail.

I experienced but little difficulty in obtaining several of its
nests and eggs among the gullies and forest land on the north
side of Mount Wellington, particularly those immediately in
the rear of New Town, near the residence of the Rev. Thomas
J. Ewing, who frequently accompanied and aided me in my
search. The nest is usually placed at the extreme tip of a
dead branch, at a height varying from twenty to forty feet
from the ground. Some nests are formed of a minute species
of light green moss ; others are constructed of fine threads of
stringy bark ; all are rendered very warm by a dense lining
of soft hair of the opossum, the fiocculent fibres of the tree

256 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

fern, and blossoms of many other kinds of plants ; and the
outsides of all are decorated with small pieces of lichen stuck
on without any degree of regularity ; these different materials
are all felted together with cobwebs. The form of the nest
appears to depend upon the nature of the site upon which it
is built : if placed on a level part of the branch, the nest is
large and high ; if in a fork, then it is a more shallow
structure ; in each case the opening is as perfect a circle as
the nature of the materials will admit : the height varies from
two inches to three inches and a quarter, the average breadth
of the opening is about one inch and three-quarters, and the
depth one inch. The eggs are generally three in number,
somewhat round in form, and of a greenish white spotted and
blotched all over with umber brown, yellowish brown, and
obscure markings of purplish grey ; the medium length is nine
lines, and breadth seven lines.

The note is a loud piping whistle frequently repeated.

The male has the lores deep velvety black ; all the upper
surface, wings, tail, and breast of a rich deep blackish green
with a metallic lustre ; primaries deep broAvn ; under surface
of the shoulder, abdomen, and under tail-coverts white ; bill
lead-colour at the base, passing into black at the tip ; irides
and feet black.

The female differs considerably from the male — the upper
surface being much less brilliant, and the throat and breast of
a rich rusty red — a style of colouring which is also characteristic
of the young males during the first autumn of their existence.

Sp. 147. MYIAGRA LATIROSTRIS, Gould.

Broad-billed Flycatcher.
My'iayra latirostris, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part viii. p. 172.

Myiagra latirostris, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ii. pi. 92.
This species was procured on the north coast by Mr. Dring,

INSESSORES. 2B7

and at Port Essington by Gilbert. It is in every respect a
true Myiagra, and is rendered remarkably conspicuous by the
great breadth or lateral dilatation of the bill. As no notes
accompanied the specimens, I am unable to give any par-
ticulars as to its habits and economy ; in all probability they
are very similar to those of the other members of the genus.

All the upper surface, wings, and tail dark bluish grey,
with a shining greenish lustre on the head and back of the
neck; throat and chest sandy buff; under surface white; bill
black ; irides blackish brown ; feet black.

Total length G inches ; bill f ; wing 2f ; tail 2f ; tarsi f .

Genus MACHvERIRHYNCHUS, Gould.

This is a very singular and distinct form among the smaller
Flycatchers. The bill is laterally developed to a greater
extent than in any other bird of its size. At least two species
are known, one of which inhabits Australia, the other, M.
xanthogenys, the Aru Islands.

Sp. 148. MACHiERIRHYNCHUS FLAVIVENTER, Gould.

Yellow-breasted Flycatcher.

Macharii-hynchus fiaviventer, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xviii.
p. 277, Aves, pi. xxxiii.

Machaerirhynchus fiaviventer, Gould, Birds of Australia, Supple-
ment, pi.

Mr. Macgillivray informed me that a single specimen of
this Flycatcher was shot at Cape York by Mr. James Wilcox,
who observed it on the skirts of one of the dense brushes or
jungles, making short flights in the ah', snapping at passing
flies, and returning again to the same tree, the JFormia alata
of botanists, distinguished by its red papery bark, large glossy
leaves and handsome yellow flowers, which attract numbers of

258 BTKDS OF AUSTRALIA.

insects. The place was frequently visited afterwards, but no
other example was seen.

Since Mr. Macgillivray's visit to Cape York other examples
have been procured in that locality.

Crown of the head, lores, ear-coverts, wings, and tail black ;
wing-coverts tipped with white ; secondaries margined with
white ; outer tail-feathers margined on the apical portion of
the external web and largely tipped with white, the white
becoming less and less, until only a shght trace of it is found
on the central feathers ; back olive-black ; throat white ; line
from the nostrils over each eye and the breast, abdomen,
and under tail-coverts bright yellow; bill black; feet bluish
black.

Total length 5 inches ; bill f ; wing 2 ; tail 2^ ; tarsi ^.

Genus MICRCECA, Gould.

Three species of this form inhabit Australia, to which
country they are probably confined.

Sp. 149. MICRCECA PASCINANS.

Brown Flycatcher.

Loxia fascinans, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xlvi.

Fascinating Grosbeak, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 197.

Myiagra macroptera, Vig. and Ilorsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 254.

Micrceca macroptera, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part viii. p. 172.

Sylvia leucophcea, Lath.

Brown Flycatcher of the Colonists.

Micrceca macroptera, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ii. pi. 93.

This bird is generally dispersed over the colonies of New
South Wales and South Australia, where it inhabits nearly
every kind of situation, from the open forest lands of the
interior to the brushes of thickly-grown trees near the sea-
coast, shrubs not a yard high and the branches of the

INSESSORES. 259

highest gum-trees bemg alike resorted to. It is certainly
one of the least ornamental of the Australian birds ; for it is
neither gaily coloured, nor is it characterized by any con-
spicuous markings ; these deficiencies, however, are, as is
usually the case, amply compensated for by the little sombre
tenant of the forest being endowed with a most cheerful and
pleasing song, the notes of which much resemble, but are
more clear and powerful than the spring notes of the Chaffinch
{Fringilla Ccelebs), and which are poured forth at the dawn of
day from the topmost dead branch of a lofty gum-tree, an
elevated position which appears to be frequently resorted to
for the purpose of serenading its mate, its usual place of abode
being much nearer the ground. It is mostly met with in pairs,
and may be frequently seen perched on the low bushy twigs of
a thistle-like plant, occasionally on the gates and palings and
in the gardens of the settlers. Mr. Caley states that " it has
all the actions of the British Robin Red-breast, except coming-
inside houses. When a piece of ground was fresh dug it was
always a constant attendant." It appeared to me that its
actions resemble quite as much those of the Flycatchers as of
the Robins, and at the same time are sufficiently distinct from
either to justify the bird being made the type of a new genus ;
I may particularly mention a singular lateral movement of the
tail, which it is continually moving from side to side.

Its food consists of insects, w^liich it captures both among
the foliage of the trees and on the wing, frequently flying forth
in pursuit of passing flies, and returning again to the branch it
had left.

It generally rears two broods in the course of the year.

The nest, which is built in October, is a slight, nearly flat,
and very small structure, measuring only two inches and a
half in diameter by half an inch in depth ; it is formed of fine
fibrous roots decorated externally with lichens and small flat
pieces of bark, attached by means of fine vegetable fibres and
cobwebs, and is most artfully placed in the fork of n dead

260 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

horizontal branch, whereby it is rendered so nearly invisible
from beneath, that it easily escapes detection from all but the
scrutinizing eye of the aboriginal native. The eggs are
generally two in number, of a pale greenish blue, strongly
marked with dashes of chestnut-brown and indistinct blotches
of grey ; they are eight and a half lines long by five and a
half lines broad.

The sexes are alike in colour ; the young differs from the
adult in being much paler, and in being spotted with white
on the head and back, and with brown on the breast.

The adult has all the upper surface and wings pale brown ;
wing-coverts slightly tipped with white, and a w^ash of white
on the margins of the tertiaries and tips of the upper tail-
coverts ; tail dark brown, the external feather white, and the
next on each side with a large spot of white on the inner
web at the tip ; all the under surface pale brownish white,
fading into nearly pure white on the chin and abdomen ; bill,
irides, and feet brown.

Sp. 150. MICRCECA ASSIMILIS, Gould.

Allied Flycateher.
Microeca assimilis, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part viii. p. 172.

Mlcroeca assimilis, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. i. Introd.
p. xl.

This species inhabits Western Australia, and is nearly
allied to the Micrceca fascinans, from which it only differs in
being much less in size, and in having the base of the outer
tail-feather brown instead of white.

All the upper surface brown ; primaries dark brown ; tail
brownish black; the tips and the terminal half of the ex-
ternal margins of the two outer feathers white; the three
next on each side also tipped with white, the extent of the
white becoming less upon each feather as they approach the
centre of the tail ; the four middle feathers without the white

INSESSORES. 201

tip; throat, centre of the abdomen, and under tail-coverts
white, passing into pale brown on the sides of the chest and
flanks ; irides reddish brown ; bill and feet blackish brown.
Total length 4f inches ; bill ye ; wings 3f ; tail 2i ; tarsi -^q.

Sp. 151. MICRCECA FLAYIGAST'E.R,. Gould,

Yellow-bellied Tlycatcher.
Microeca flavig aster, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, pait x. p. 132.

Microeca flavigaster, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ii. pi. 94.

This httle Flycatcher is met with in the neighbourhood of
Port Essington in every variety of situation, and is particularly
abundant on all the islands in Van Diemen's Gulf. " It gives
utterance," says Gilbert, " to many different notes, pouring
forth at the dawn of day a strain much resembling that of
some of the PetroiccB, and like them remaining stationary for
a long time while singing its agreeable melody. In the
middle of the day, when the sun is nearly vertical, it leaves
the trees and soars upward in circles, like the Skylark, until
it arrives at so great a height as to be scarcely perceptible ;
it then descends perpendicularly until it nearly reaches the
trees, when it closes its wings and apparently falls upon
the branch* on which it alights. During the whole of this
movement it pours forth a song, some parts of which are
very soft and melodious, but quite diff'erent from that of
the morning; in the evening the song is again varied, and
then so much resembles the unconnected notes of the
Gerijgoncs, that I have frequently been misled by it. The
Micrmca Jlavif/aster is a very familiar species, inhabiting the
trees and bushes close around the houses, and is little
alarmed or disturbed at the approach of man. At times it is
extremely pugnacious ; I have seen a pair attack a Crow and
beat it until it was obliged to seek safety by flight, all the
while calling out most lustily. Notwithstanding it is so
abundant everywhere, and it nuist have been breeding during

262 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

my stay here, as is proved by my killing young birds appa-
rently only a few days old, I did not succeed in finding the
nest ; and on inquiring of the natives, they could give me
110 information whatever respecting it or the period of
incubation."

The sexes do not differ in colour or size.

All the upper surface brownish olive; wings and tail
brown, margined with paler brown ; throat white ; all the
imder surface yellow ; irides blackish brown ; feet blackish
grey.

Total length 3f inches ; bill f ; wing 2| ; tail 2^ •, tarsi \,

Genus MONARCHA, Vigors and Horsfield,

Several species of this genus occur in the Indian Islands,
and two in Australia. They are insectivorous birds, and pro-
cure their food by quietly hopping about among the branches
of the trees.

The members of the present form and those of the genus
Jrses are very nearly allied.

Sp. 152. MONARCHA CARINATA.

Carinated Flycatcher.

Muscipeta carinata, Swains. Zool. 111., 1st ser. pi. 147.

Dn/mophila carinata, Temm, PI. Col. 418. f. 2.

Monarcha carinata, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 255,

Monarcha carinata, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ii. pi. 95.

This is a migratory bird in New South Wales, arriving in
spring and departing again in March and April, the Austra-
lian autumn. It gives a decided preference to thick brushy
forests, such as those at lilawarra and other similar districts
extending from the Hunter to Moreton Bay. It is also equally
abundant in the thick brushes which clothe the sloping moun-
tains of the interior. During the spring or pairing-time it

INSESSORES. 268

becomes very animated, and is continually flying about and
beneath the branches of the trees ; it does not capture insects,
like the true Flycatchers, on the wing, but obtains them while
hopping about from branch to branch, after the manner of
the Pach^cephalce. It has a rather loud whistling note, which
being often repeated tends considerably to enliven the woods
in which it dwells.

The Monarclia carinata does not inhabit Tasmania or South
Australia; its great nursery is evidently the south-eastern
portion of the country.

Forehead, lores, and throat jet-black ; all the upper surface
grey ; wings and tail brown ; sides of the neck and the chest
light grey ; abdomen and under tail-coverts rufous ; bill
beautiful light blue-grey, the tip paler than the base ; legs
bluish lead-colour ; irides black ; inside of the mouth greyish
blue.

In all probability, the females and the young males of the
year are destitute of the black mark on the face.

Sp. 153. MONARCHA TRIVIRGATA.

Black-fronted Flycatcher.

Drf/mophila trivirgata, Temm. PI. Col. 418. fig. 1.
Monarcha trivirgata, Gould in Syn. Birds of Australia, part ii.

Monarcha trivirgata, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ii. pi. 96.

Although the Monarcha trivircjata has been known to na-
tm'alists for many years, it is still a scarce bird, very few speci-
mens occurring in any of the numerous collections sent home
from Australia, which is doubtless occasioned by its true
habitat not having been yet discovered. The specimens seen
have been procured in the Moreton Bay district of the east
coast.

All the examples that have come under my notice have
been marked precisely alike, wdth the exception of one procured
during the early part of Dr. Lcichardt's expedition from

264 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Moreton Bay to Port Essington, which differs in being desti-
tute of the rufous tint on the flanks, and which may be a
female.

I can perceive little or no difference between Australian
examples and specimens brought by Mr. Wallace from the
islands of Batchian and Timor.

In form and markings this species closely assimilates to the
members of the genus Arses.

Forehead, throat, space round the eye, and the ears jet-
black ; upper surface dark grey ; tail black, the three outer
feathers on each side largely tipped with white ; cheeks, chest,
and flanks rufous ; abdomen and tail-coverts white ; bill lead-
colour ; feet black.

Sp. 154. MONARCH A LEUCOTIS, Gould.

White-eared Flycatcher.
Monarcha leucotis, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc.,part xviii. p. 201.

Monarcha leucotis, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, Supplement,
pi.

I have refrained from making the White-eared Flycatcher
the type of a new genus until more information has reached
us respecting it, and in the mean time have assigned it a
situation with the other member^ of that form to which it
seems to me to be most nearly allied. Like most of the other
new birds figured in the Supplement to the Birds of Australia,
it is a native of Cape York, and in all probability it ranges
widely over the north coast. " Respecting this bird," says
Mr. Macgillivray, " I regret to say I can afford you very little
information. A specimen was obtained at Dunk Island, off
the north-east coast of Australia, in lat. 17° 56' S., where it
was shot during its flight from one tree to another : a second
individual was afterwards procured at Cape York, which ren-
ders it probable that its range extends between these two
places."

INSESSORES. 265

Crown of the head, back of the neck, primaries and six
middle tail-feathers black ; three lateral tail-feathers on each
side black, with white tips ; lores, a broad mark over the eye,
ear-coverts, sides of the neck, scapularies, and upper tail-
coverts white ; throat white, bounded below with black, the
feathers lengthened and protuberant ; chest and abdomen
light grey ; bill and feet lead-colour.

Total length 5f inches ; bill f ; wing 2f ; tail 2f ; tarsi f .

Family ?

Genus GERYGONE, Gould.

The term Psilopus was originally proposed by me for this
genus ; but that name having been previously employed, Gert/-
gone was substituted for it.

Several species inhabit Australia, and others, I believe. New
Guinea and Polynesia. Their chief food consists of insects of
the most diminutive size, such as aphides, gnats, and mos-
quitos. The more thickly-billed species may probably feed
upon larger insects and their larvae. They mostly frequent
the thick umbrageous woods, where they flit about under the
canopy of the dense foliage, or sally forth into the open glade
like true Flycatchers. Their nests are of a domed form,
with the entrance near the top, some species protecting the
opening by constructing a projection above it like the peak of
a cap ; the eggs are generally four in number, and spotted
with red like those of the Maluri and Fari.

All the members of the genus yet discovered are of small
size, unobtrusive in colour, sprightly in their movements, and
but little skilled in song. The sexes are similarly marked,
and but slightly differ in outward appearance.

'Z6C) lURDS OF AUSTRALIA,

Sp. 155. GERYGONE ALBOGULARIS, Gou/d.
White-throated Gerygone.

Psilopus nlhog^iloris, Gould in Proc. of Zool, Soc.j part v. j). 14/
olivaceus, Gould, ibid., p. 147, young?

Gerygone albogularis, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ii. pi. 97.

This, so far as I know, is a stationary species, and is
abundantly dispersed over all parts of New South Wales,
but evinces a greater preference for the open forests of
Eucalypti than for the brushes near the coast. I found it
in considerable numbers in every part of the Upper Hunter
district, nearly always among the gum-trees, and constantly
uttering a peculiar and not very harmonious strain. It is
very active among the small leafy branches of the trees, where
it searches with the greatest avidity for insects, upon which it
almost exclusively subsists, resorting for this purpose to trees
of all heights, from the low sapling of two yards high to those
of the loftiest growth.

I killed young birds in January, but was not so fortunate
as to discover the nest.

The sexes are nearly alike in plumage ; but the young of
the year are distinguished from the adult by the throat being
of the same colour as the breast, instead of white.

Crown of the head, ear-coverts, and all the upper surface
olive-brown ; throat white ; chest and all the under surface
bright citron-yellow ; two centre tail-feathers brown, the re-
mainder brown at the base, above which is a bar of white,
succeeded by a broader one of deep blackish brown ; the tips
of all but the two middle ones buffy white on their inner
web ; bill blackish brown ; irides scarlet ; feet blackish brown
in some specimens, and leaden brown in others.

Total length 4^ inches ; bill \ ; wing 2f ; tail If ; tarsi f .

INSESSORES. 2G7

Sp. 150. GERYGONE EUSCA, Godd.

Brown Gerygone.

Psilopus fuscus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc.^ part v. p. 147.
Gerygone fusca, Gould iu De Strzelecki's Phys. Descr. of New South
Wales and Van Diemen's Land^ p. 321.

Gerygone fasca, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ii. pi. 98.

The Gerygone fusca is an inhabitant of New South Wales,
where it is to be found in all the brushes near the coast, as
well as in those on the sides of the ranges in the interior.
As its form would indicate, it has much of the habit of the
Elycatcher, and lives almost exclusively upon insects, which
are as frequently taken on the wing as they are from the under
sides of leaves, &c. It particularly loves to dwell in the most
retired and gloomy part of the forest, and is an active and
lively little bird, flitting about from flower to flower, some-
times, like the true Flycatchers, sallying out into the open
to capture an insect, and at others hanging to the under
sides of the leaves, after the manner of the Acanthizce.

Its feeble song is a pleasing, twittering sound, and is
pom'ed forth almost incessantly.

The breeding-season comprises the months of September,
October, and November. The nest is a delicate and beautiful
structure of a domed oblong form, the lower end terminating
in a point, with the entrance at the side near the top covered
with a well-formed spout, which completely excludes both
sun and rain from the interior of the nest ; it is about eight
inches in height and ten in circumference, the spout project-
ing about two inches, and the entrance being scarcely an inch
in diameter. The body of a nest found in the brushes of the
Hunter was composed of green moss, mouse-eared lichen, soft
wiry grasses, the inner bark of trees, and other materials, and
was lined with extremely soft grasses. The eggs are three
in number, and very similar, both in size and colour, to those

268 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

of the Malurus cyaneus, being minutely speckled with red on
a white ground j they are seven and a half lines long by five
and a half lines broad.

The sexes are alike in colour.

Crown of the head, all the upper surface and wings dark
fuscous brown, slightly tinged with olive ; two centre tail-
feathers brown ; the remainder white at the base, succeeded
by a broad band of deep blackish brown, round which is a
broad stripe of white, which entirely crosses the outer feathers,
but only the inner webs of the remainder, the tips pale
brown ; throat and chest grey ; abdomen and under tail-
coverts white; bill and feet deep blackish brown; irides
bright brownish red.

Total length 3f inches ; bill \ ; wing 2 J ; tail If ; tarsi f .

Sp. 157. GERYGONE CULICIVORA, Gould.
Western Gerygone.

Psihqms culicivorus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part viii. p. 174.
War -ryle -bur -dung, Aborigines of the lowlands of Western Australia.

Gerygone culicivorus, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ii. pi. 99.

This species is plentifully dispersed over the colony of Swan
River in Western Australia, where it inhabits forests, scrubs,
and all situations where flowering trees abound, and Avhere it
is seen either in pairs or in small groups of four or five in
number. Its food consists wholly of aphides and other small
insects, which are captured on the wing or from off the
flowers ; it sometimes traverses the smaller branches, and
even the upright boles of trees, prying about and searching
for its prey with the most scrutinizing care. Its powers of
flight are rarely exerted for any other purpose than to convey
it from shrub to shrub, and for its little sallies in pursuit of
insects, much after the manner of the true Flycatchers.

Its notes are very varied, being at one time a singing kind

INSESSORES. 269

of whistle, and at others a somewhat pleasing and plaintive
medody ; but it has a singular habit of uttering, when flitting
from tree to tree, a succession of notes and half-notes, some of
which are harmoniously blended, while others are equally dis-
cordant.

It is said by the natives to breed in September and October.

The nest is suspended by the top to the extremity of a
branch, and is formed of threads of bark, small spiders' nests,
green moss, &c., all felted together with cobwebs and vegeta-
ble fibres, and warmly lined with feathers ; it is about eight
inches in length, pointed at the top and at the bottom, and
about nine inches in circumference in the middle ; the extrance
is a small round hole, about three inches from the top, with a
slight projection immediately above it. I did not succeed in
procuring the eggs.

The sexes are alike in plumage.

All the upper surface olive-brown ; wings brown, margined
with olive ; two centre tail-feathers brown ; the remainder
white, crossed by an irregular band of black and tipped with
brown, the band upon all but the external feathers so blend-
ing with the brown at the tip that the white between merely
forms a spot on the inner web ; lores blackish brown ; line
over the eye, throat, and chest Hght grey, passing into buff
on the flanks, and into white on the centre of the abdomen
and under tail-coverts ; irides light reddish yellow ; bill and
feet black.

Total length 4 J inches ; bill ^ ; wing 2J ; tail If ; tarsi f.

270 BIRDS 01' AUSTHAMA.

Sp. 158. GERYGONE MAGNIROSTRIS, Gould.

Great-billed Gerygone.
Gerygone magnirostris, Gould in Proc, of" Zool. Soc, part x. p. 133.

Geiygone magnirostris, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ii.
pi. 100.

Of this species I regret to sa}^ but little information lias as
yet been received ; the two examples in my collection are all
that have come under my notice ; and these were shot by
Gilbert on Greenhill Island near Port Essingtcm, while
hovering over the blossoms of the mangroves and engaged in
capturing the smaller kinds of insects, during which occupa-
tion it gave utterance to an extremely weak twittering song :
unfortunately he had no further opportunity of making himself
acquainted Avith its habits and manners ; but they doubtless
resemble those of the other members of the genus.

All the upper surface brown ; margins of the primaries
slightly tinged with olive ; tail-feathers crossed near the ex-
tremity by an indistinct broad band of brownish black ; all
the under surface white, tinged with brownish buff; irides
light brown ; bill olive-brown ; the base of the lower mandi-
ble pearl-white ; feet greenish grey.

Total length 3f inches ; bill -fs ; wing 2 J ; tail If ; tarsi f .

Sp. 159. GERYGONE LyEVIGASTER, Gould.

BuFF-BREASTED GeRYGONE.
Gerygone Icevigaster, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part x. p. 133.

Gerygone Isvigaster, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol, vol. ii. pi. 101.

Gilbert killed several specimens of this little bird on the
Cobourg Peninsula, and on the islands in Van Diemen's Gulf,
and sometimes observed a solitary individual among the man-
groves near the settlement of Port Essington. He states that
it has a very pleasing but weak piping note, and occasionally

TNSESSOllES. 271

utters a number of notes in slow succession, but not so much
lengthened as those of the Gerygone culicivora of Swan River;
like that bird, it hovers before the smaller leafy branches of
the trees and creeps about the thickets. It is very tame, and
scarcely ever flies from the tree upon the approach of an in-
truder, but sits turning its little head about from side to side
until the hand is almost upon it, when it merely hops upon
another branch and again quietly looks about, apparently
quite unconcerned.

The stomach is tolerably muscular, and the food consists of
small insects, principally of the soft-winged kinds.

A narrow obscure line, commencing at the nostrils and
passing over the eye, yellowish white ; all the upper surface
rusty brown ; primaries brown, margined with lighter brown ;
tail whitish at the base, gradually deepening into nearly black,
the lateral feather largely and the remainder, except the two
middle ones, slightly tipped with white ; all the under surface
white, slightly washed with yellow ; irides light reddish
brown ; bill olive-brown ; base of lower mandible light ash-
grey ; feet dark greenish grey.

Total length 3-| inches; bill \; wing 2 ; tail \\; tarsi f.

Sp. 160. GERYGONE CHLORONOTUS, Gould.

Green-backed Gerygone.
Gerygone chloronotus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part x. p. 133.

Gerygone chlorontus, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ii.
pi. 102.

This species is an inhabitant of the northern parts of
Australia : it is tolerably abundant at Port Essington, where
it dwells among the extensive beds of mangroves which stretch
along the coast. It is of a very shy and retiring disposition ;
and as the colouring of its back assimilates very closely to
that of the leaves of the mangroves, it is a very difficult bird
to sight as it creeps about among the thick branches in search

272 BIRDS or AUSTRALIA.

of insects, upon which it solely subsists. In form and in
most of its habits and economy it offers some difference from
the typical members of the genus Geri/t/one ; and it would be
no great stretch of propriety to assign to it a new generic
appellation : the more lengthened form of its legs, the more
rigid structure of its primaries, and the less development of
the bristles at the gape are among the points in which it differs
from the Gerygone fusca of the brushes of New South Wales.

The sexes are so precisely similar in plumage, and differ so
little in size, that dissection must be resorted to to distinguish
the one from the other.

Head and back of the neck brownish grey ; back, wing-
coverts, rump, upper tail-coverts, margins of the primaries,
and the margins of the basal half of the tail-feathers bright
olive-green ; primaries and tail-feathers brown, the latter
becoming much darker towards the extremity ; under surface
white ; sides and vent olive-yellow ; irides wood-brown ; up-
per mandible greenish grey ; lower mandible white ; feet
blackish grey.

Total length 3^ inches ; bill -^^ ; wing 2^ ; tail If ; tarsi f .

Genus SMICRORNIS, Gould.

The members of this genus are the smallest birds of the
Australian fauna. I have described two species, one in-
habiting New South Wales, and the other Port Essington ;
and had I characterized the bird of this form found in
Western Australia as distinct, I should probably not have
been in error.

As it is impossible to convey a just conception of these di-
minutive birds by written descriptions, I must request those
readers who have the opportunity to consult the Plates in the
folio work, on which the species are represented.

INSESSORES. 273

Sp.161. SMICRORNIS BREVIROSTRIS, Gould.

Short-billed Smicrornis.

Psilopus brevirostris, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part v. p. 147. ■
Geah-ter-butf Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western Aus-
tralia.

Smicrornis brevirostris, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ii.
pi. 103.

This bird is a constant inhabitant of the leafy branches of
the Eucalypti, and resorts alike to those of a dwarf stature and
those of the loftiest growth. While searching for insects, in
which it is incessantly engaged, it displays all the scrutinizing
habits of the Pari or Tits, clinging about the finest twigs
of the outermost branches, prying underneath and above the
leaves and among the flowers, uttering all the while or very
frequently a low simple song. I found it abundant in every
part of South Australia I visited, particularly in the neigh-
bourhood of Adelaide and in the gullies of the ranges
skirting the belts of the Murray; in New South Wales it
was frequently seen at Yarrundi, and other parts of the
Upper Hunter district. Gilbert states that in Western
Australia he only met wdtli it in the York district, that it
was always seen on the branches of trees, where it feeds on
larvae and small insects, that its flight was of very short
duration, merely flitting from tree to tree, and that its note is
a weak twitter, a good deal resembling that of the Geobasileus
chrymrrhom.

It breeds in September and the two following months, and
forms a nest of the downy buds of plants, mixed with green
moss, the cocoons of spiders, &c., all matted and bound
together very firmly and closely with spiders' webs, and the
inside lined at the bottom with feathers; it is globular in
form, and is attached by the back part to an upright branch,
with the entrance in the side, the upper part over the
entrance being carried out to a point, which shades the

r

274 BIHDS OF AUSTRALIA.

opening like the eaves of a house. The eggs are three in
number, of a dull buff, marked with extremely fine freckles at
the larger end ; they are six and a half lines long by four and
a half lines broad.

A narrow stripe of yellowish white passes from the bill over
each eye ; crown of the head brownish grey, passing into
olive at the back of the neck ; back, rump, and upper tail-
coverts olive, brightest on the latter ; ear-coverts and sides of
the face very pale reddish brown ; throat and chest white,
tinged with olive, with a faint longitudinal mark of brown
down the centre of each feather, the remainder of the under
surface pale citron-yellow ; two centre tail-feathers brown ;
the remainder brown at the base, the middle being crossed
by a broad band of blackish brown, which is succeeded by a
spot of white on the inner webs, the tips pale brown ; feet
blackish brown ; irides pale straw-yellow ; bill varying from
fleshy white to ashy grey.

Total length 3^ inches ; bill f ; wing 2 ; tail 1^ ; tarsi ^.

Sp. 162. SMICRORNIS FLAVESCENS, Gould.

Yellow-tinted Smicrornis.
Smicrornis flavescens, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part x. p. 134.

Smicrornis flavescens, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ii.
pi. 104.

This is the least of the Australian birds I have yet seen,
scarcely exceeding in size the smaller Humming-birds. It is
tolerably abundant on many parts of the northern coasts of
Australia, and particularly on the Cobourg Peninsula; it
inhabits most of the high trees in the neighbourhood of Port
Essington, keeping to their topmost branches, and there
seeking its insect food among the leaves, over which it creeps
and clings in every possible variety of position. From the
circumstance of its confining itself exclusively to the topmost

INSESSORES. 275

branches of the trees, it is not easily procured, its diminutive
size preventing its being seen.

There is no outward difference in the sexes, either in size
or plumage. Future research, and a longer sojom'n in the
country than has hitherto been afforded for the investigation
of the natural productions of those distant parts, are requisite
to determine whether it be migratory or not, and to procure
correct information respecting its nidification.

All the upper surface bright yellowish olive ; the feathers
of the head with an indistinct line of brown down the centre ;
wings brown ; tail brown, deepening into black near the ex-
tremity, and with a large oval spot of white on the inner
web near the tip of all but the two central feathers ; all the
under surface bright yellow.

Total length 2f inches ; bill ^ ; wing -^ ; tail 1 J ; tarsi -i%.

Tamily SAXICOLID^.
Genus ERYTHRODRYAS, Gould.

The birds of this form are much more delicate in structure
than the members of the restricted genus Petroica, have their
feeble bill strongly beset with bristles, and are more arboreal
in their habits ; their usual places of resort being the inner-
most recesses of the forest, where, in a state of quiet seclusion,
they flit about in search of insects ; the true PefroicfB, on the
other hand, frequent open plains, are more bold and vigorous,
and possess a structure which adapts them for the ground,
over which they pass like the Wheatears.

The two species of this genus, all that are at present
known, are confined to the south-eastern portions of Australia
and Tasmania.

We may naturally conclude that, in their mode of nidifica-
tion, the form of their nests, and in the number and colour of
their eggs, they will very closely resemble the true Petroica.

T 2

276 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Sp. 163. ERYTHRODRYAS RHODINOGASTER.
Pink-breasted Wood-Robin.

Saxicola rhodinogaster, Drap. Ann. Gen. des Sci. Phys. de Bruxelles.
Muscicapa laihami, Vig. in Zool. Journ., vol. i. p. 410, pi. 13.
Petroica rhodinogaster, Jard. and Selb. 111. Orn. Add., vol. ii.
Erythrodryas rhodinogaster, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part x. p. 112.
Pink-hreasted Robin, Colonists of New South Wales.

Erjrthrodryas rhodinogaster, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iii.
pl.l.

The principal habitat of this species is Tasmania, where I
shot several specimens in the gullies under Mount Wellington ;
it is also abundant on the Hampshire Hills of that island.
In one instance only did I meet with it on the continent, 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
differ considerably from the Red-breasted Robins {PetroicoB),
and are much less spirited in all their actions. They prefer the
most remote parts of the forest, particularly the bottoms of
deep gullies, the seclusion of which is seldom disturbed by the
presence of man, and where animal life is almost confined to
aphides and other minute insects. 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 rare
occurrence.

The food of the Pink-breasted Wood-Robin consists solely
of insects, which it generally procures by pursuing them in
the air.

The 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, 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.

INSES80RES, 277

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 web 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 bill 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 buffy colour than in the male ; throat brownish
buff; 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.

Sp. 164. ERYTHRODRYAS ROSEA.

RoSE-BREASTED WOOD-ROBIN.

Petroica rosea, Gould iu Proc. of Zool. Soc, part vii. p. 142.
Erythrodryas rosea, Gould, ibid, part x. p. 112.

Erythrodryas rosea, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iii. pi. 2.

This pretty httle Robin inhabits all the brushes skirting
the south-eastern coast of New South Wales. I also ob-
served it to be numerous in the cedar brushes of the Liver-
pool range. It is a solitary species, more than a 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 Hun-
ter, it frequently perched within two or three yards of me.
What has been said respecting the habits and manners of tlie

278 BIllDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Pink-breasted Robin is equally descriptive of those of the
present bird.

Of its nidification and the number and colour of its eggs
nothing is at present known.

Its cheerful song 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.

Total length 4| inches ; bill ^ ; wing 2| ; tail 2^ ; tarsi ^.

Genus PETROICA, Swains.

Several species of this genus inhabit Australia, where they
form a conspicuous feature in the landscape, their bright red
colouring offering a strong contrast to the sombre tint of the
ground, upon which they dwell. They are very sprightly in
their actions, and, like the Wheatears, raise their breasts in
such a manner as to show off their fine colours to the greatest
advantage. They build round, cup-shaped nests, in the crevice
of a tree or in a wall, and sometimes under a stone or at the
base of a rock. The sexes are very dissimilar, the males
being adorned with black, white, and scarlet, while the females
jirc of a sombre broAvn.

INSESSORES. 279

Sp. 165. PETROICA MULTICOLOR.

Scarlet-breasted Robin.

Muscicapa multicolor, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans,, vol. xv. p. 243.
Red-breasted Warbler, Lewin, Birds of New Holl., pi. 17.
Petroica multicolor. Swains. Zool. 111., 2nd ser. pi. 36.
Petrceca multicolor. Cab. Mus. Hein., Theil i. p. IL
Goo-ba, Aborigines of Western Australia.
Robin of the Colonists.

Petroica multicolor, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iii. pi. 3.

This beautiful Robin enters the gardens of the settlers
in New South Wales, and is a great favourite, its attrac-
tiveness being much enhanced by its gay attire — the strong
contrasts of scarlet, jet-black, and white rendering it one of
the most beautiful to behold of any of the birds of Australia.
After a careful comparison of a large number of specimens, I
feel fully satisfied that the scarlet breast of this species, like
that of the Robin of Europe, is assumed during the first
autumn, and that it is never again thrown off; but, as might
be expected, it is much more brilliant and sparkling during
the breeding-season than at any other period of the year. A
slight diflference exists in the depth of the colouring of spe-
cimens from the western and eastern coasts, those from the
former, particularly the females, having the scarlet more
brilliant and of greater extent than those from New South
Wales and Tasmania ; the difference, however, is too trivial
to be regarded otherwise than as indicative of a mere variety.

Its song and call-note much resemble that of the European
Robin, but are more feeble, and uttered with a more inward
tone.

The nest is a very compact structure of dried grasses,
narrow strips of bark, mosses, and lichens, all bound firmly
together with cobwebs and vegetable fibres, and warmly
lined with feathers and wool or hair ; in some instances I
have seen it lined entirely with opossum's hair ; it is gene-

280 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

rally placed in the hollow part of the trunk of a tree, or in a
slight cavity in the bark six or seven feet from the ground ;
but I have found it placed in a fork of a small upright tree
more than thirty feet from the ground. The eggs, which are
three or four in number, are greenish white, slightly tinged
with bluish or flesh-colour, rather minutely freckled with
olive-brown and purplish grey, the latter more obscure than
the former ; these freckles are very generally dispersed over
the surface of the shell, but in some instances they also form
a zone near the larger end : the medium length of the eggs is
nine lines, and breadth seven lines.

It usually rears two or three broods in the year, the period
of nidification commencing in August and ending in February.

The male has the head, 'throat, and upper surface black ;
forehead snowy white ; a longitudinal and two oblique bands
of white on the wings ; breast and upper part of the belly
scarlet ; lower part of the belly dull white j irides very dark
brown ; bill and feet black.

The female has all the upper and under surface brown,
with the breast strongly tinged with red.

Sp. 16G. PETROICA GOODENOVII.

Red-capped Robin.

Muscicapa goodenovii, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 245.
Petroica goodenovii, Jard. and Selb. 111. Orn., Add. vol. ii.
Petrceca goodenovii, Cab. Mus. Hein., Theil i. p. 11.
Me-ne-ge-dang, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western

Australia.
Red-capped Robin of the Colonists.

Petroica goodenovii, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ill. pi. 5.

Its red crown and much smaller size at once distinguish
this Robin from every other species of the genus yet disco-
vered. Although not plentiful in any part I have visited, it is
very generally distributed over the whole of the southern

INSESSORES. 281

portion of Australia ; and was killed by Gilbert in Western
Australia, where, however, it is very local, for he only met
with it in two localities, one in the York district, and the
other at Kojenup, about one hundred miles towards the interior
from King George's Sound.

I generally observed it either singly or in pairs, and it ap-
peared to give a decided preference to the beds of dry rivulets,
and to thinly timbered plains, the dense brushes near the
coast never being visited by it ; it would seem therefore to be
a species peculiar to the interior of the country.

The whole of the actions and economy of this bird closely
assimilate to those of the Petroica multicolor ; of its nidifica-
tion but little information has yet been obtained ; I possess
an egg which may be described as of a bluish white, with
numerous fine speckles, particularly at the larger end, of yel-
lowish brown and purplish grey, the latter appearing as if
beneath the shell ; it is five-eighths of an inch long, by half
an inch wide.

It possesses a peculiarly sweet and plaintive song, very
much like that of the European Robin, but more weak and
not so continuous.

The male has the upper surface, neck, upper part of the
breast, and wings brownish black ; wing-coverts and second-
aries edged with white, forming a broad stripe along the
wings ; middle of the outer web of the quills with a narrow
white margin ; forehead, crown, and lower part of the breast
bright scarlet, passing into white on the vent ; irides, bill, and
feet blackish brown ; soles of the feet yellow.

The female, as is the case with the females of the other
species, differs much from her mate in the colouring of
the plumage.

282 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Sp. 167. PETROICA PHCENICEA, Gould.

Flame-breasted Robin.

Petroica phcenicea, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part iv. p. 105.
Petrceca phcenicea, Cab. Mus. Heiu., Theil i. p. 11.
Muscicapa erythrogaster, var.. Lath.

Petroica phcenicea, Grould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iii. pi. 6.

Tasmania and the south-eastern portion of the Austi-ahan
continent constitute the natural habitat of this species ; in
the former country it is very common, but in New South
Wales and South Australia it is not so numerous, and is very
local. It is far less arboreal than the Petroica multicolor,
giving a decided preference to open wastes and cleared lands
rather than to the woods : in many of its actions it much re-
sembles the Wheatears and other true Saxicoline birds, often
selecting a large stone, clod of earth or other substance, on
which to perch and show off its flame-coloured breast to the
greatest advantage. As the season of nidification approaches,
it retires to the forests for the purpose of breeding, and builds
its cup-shaped nest in the hole of a tree, in the cleft of a rock,
or any similar situation. It is a very familiar species, seeking
rather than shunning the presence of man, and readily taking
up its abode in his gardens, orchards, and other cultivated
grounds ; I have even taken its nest from a shelving bank in
the streets of Hobart Town.

It has a pretty, cheerful song, uttered somewhat low and
inwardly ; the male generally sings over or near the female
while she is sitting upon her eggs.

The nest, which is thick and warm, is formed of narrow
strips and thread-like fibres of soft bark, matted together with
cobwebs and sometimes wool, and lined with hair and fea-
thers, or occasionally with fine hair-like grasses. The general
colour of the eggs is greenish white, spotted and freckled with
purplish and chestnut-brown : much variety occurs in these
markings, some assuming the form of large, bold irregular

INSESSORES. 283

spots and blotches, while in others they are merely minute
freckles ; the eggs are three in number ; their medium length
nine lines, and breadth seven lines.

The male has the crown of the head and all the upper sur-
face sooty grey, except a small white spot across the forehead,
a patch of the same colour on the shoulders and the anterior
edges of the tertials ; primaries and tail-feathers greyish black,
except the outer feathers of the latter, which are nearly all
white ; the second tail-feather on each side is also tinged with
white ; upper part of the throat sooty grey, the rest of the
under surface rich scarlet ; under tail-coverts white ; irides,
bill, and feet black.

The female is uniform brown above ; wings dark brown ;
tertials and wing-coverts edged with reddish grey ; tail brown;
the outer tail-feathers on each side almost wholly white ; all
the under surface reddish grey ; irides, bill, and feet black.

Genus MELANODRYAS, Gould.

For the Pied Robins, of which at least two species inhabit
Australia, I propose the generic term of Melanodryas.

Sp. 168. MELANODRYAS CUCULLATA.
Hooded Robin.

Muscicapa cucuUata, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. 51 ?
Hooded Fit/catcher, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 223 ?
Petroica bicolor, Swains. III. Zool., 2nd ser. pi. 43.
Petrceca cucullata, Cab. Mus. Hein., Theil i. p. 11.
Grallina bicolor, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 223.
Jil-but, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western Australia.
Goo-ba-mugin, Aborigines around Perth, Western Australia.
Black Robin of the Colonists.

Petroica bicolor, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iii. pi. 7.

The Melanodryas cucullata inhabits New South Wales, Vic-
toria, South Australia, and Swan River, but not Tasmania. It

284 BIEDS OF AUSTRALIA.

loves to dwell in the open parts of the country rather than in
the thick brushes. 1 have always found it most numerous on
such flats as were studded here and there with large trees,
among the lower branches of which, as well as on the ground
immediately beneath them, it might be observed darting
about for insects in the most bold and active manner ; the
jet-black colouring of its upper surface, contrasted with the
whiteness of the other parts, rendering it very conspicuous,
particularly when its wings and tail are displayed to their full
extent.

Its food consists solely of insects of various kinds, particu-
larly coleoptera and their larvae.

The breeding-season commences in September, and con-
tinues during the four following months ; in this period two
broods at least are reared. The nest, which is rather small and
shallow, is formed of dried grasses, strips of bark, and fibrous
roots, bound together and partly smoothed over with cobwebs,
the inside being lined with fine wire-like fibres, and generally
a little wool at the bottom ; it is placed on the dried branch
of a small tree, resting against the trunk, or in the fork of a
fallen branch within two or three feet of the ground. The
eggs, which are three in number and of a rather lengthened
form, are light olive-green without any spots or markings, but
occasionally washed with brown, particularly at the larger
end ; their medium length is ten lines and a half, and breadth
seven lines and a half.

The male has the head, throat, neck, back, rump, upper
tail-coverts, and the two centre tail-feathers deep velvety
black ; the next tail-feather on each side black on the inner
web, white on the outer web, and largely tipped with black,
the remainder of the tail-feathers white, largely tipped with
black ; feathers covering the insertion of the wing white ;
wings dull black, the secondaries edged with white ; an
oblique band of white across all but the two first primaries
near their base ; under surface of the shoulder, breast, abdo-

INSE8S0RES. 285

men, and under tail-coverts white ; irides brownish black ;
bill black ; feet blackish brown.

The female has the upper surface dark brownish grey ;
wings brown, with the oblique band less prominent than in
the male ; under surface light brownish grey, passing into
white on the vent and under tail-coverts ; tail brown, the
lateral feathers white at the base, the white continuing to near
the tip on the external web of the outer feather.

The young immediately after leaving the nest is dark brown,
with a stripe of light brown down the centre of each feather,
the markings of the wings and tail resembling those of the
adult ; under surface like the upper, but becoming white as
it proceeds towards the vent.

Sp. 169. MELANODRYAS PICATA, Gould.

Pied Robin.

For many years I have had in my possession skins of two
Pied Robins, one from the north-west, and the other, which
is somewhat mutilated, and perhaps a female, from Port
Essington. In all probability they are two district species,
both difPering from the M. cucuUata of New South Wales ; I
shall here, however, only describe the one from the north-west
coast. The specimen is that of a fully adult male. In its
colour and general form it is very like the M. cucuUata, but is
much smaller than ornithologists admit to constitute a mere
race or variety.

Head, throat, neck, back, and wings black ; scapularies,
bases of the innermost primaries and the secondaries and
under surface white ; tail black, the lateral feathers white for
two-thirds of their length from the base ; bill and legs black.

Total length 5 J inches ; bill f ; wing 3 J ; tail 2\ ; tarsi

8'

286 BIRDS or AUSTRALIA.

Genus AMAURODRYAS, Gould.

The well-known Dusky Robin of Tasmania differs in several
particulars from the true Petroica, not only in colour, but in
the stouter and more robust or thicker form of the bill ; its
eggs are also very different from those of the Petroiccs. The
sexes are alike in colouring.

Sp. 170. AMAURODRYAS VITTATA.

Dusky Robin.
Muscicapa vittata, Quoy et Gaim. Voy. de VAstrolabe^ pi. 3. fig. 2 ?

Petroica fusca, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iii. pi. 8.

This plain-coloured species is very abundantly distributed
over all those parts of Tasmania that are suitable to its habits ;
it gives preference to thinly-timbered hills, and all such plains
and low grounds as are sterile and covered with thickets and
stunted brushwood. In its manners and whole economy it
assimilates to the Red-breasted Robins ; I frequently observed
it sitting on the stumps of dead and fallen trees, on the rail-
ings of inclosures, gardens, and other similar situations. Its
food appeared to consist solely of insects, which it swallows
entire, even coleoptera of a large size.

Its nest, which is rather large and of a cup-shape, is formed
of coarse fibrous roots, small twigs, strings of bark and dried
grasses intermixed with very fine hair-like fibrous roots, wool,
and the soft seed-stalks of mosses. The size and form of the
nest depend upon the nature of the situation chosen for a site ;
if a ledge or fissure of a rock, it is much spread out, but with
the inside and top very neatly finished ; the opening measures
on an average about two inches and a half, and the nest is
about one inch and a quarter in depth.

The eggs, which are three or four in number, differ in
colour from those of every othei member of the genus, but
more nearly assimilate in tint and markings to those of

INSESSORES. 287

Petroica bicolor than of any other. They are of a Hght
greenish blue, freckled and spotted with minute indistinct
markings of brown ; their medium length is ten lines, and
breadth seven and a half lines.

Although I have paid considerable attention to the distri-
bution of this species, I have never been able to meet with it
on the continent of Australia, or in any other country than
Tasmania. It is very numerous about Hobart Town, both
in the gullies under Mount Wellington, and on the opposite
side of the Derwent towards Clarence Plains.

Its note is low and monotonous, without any peculiar cha-
racter.

The sexes are alike in colour.

Head, and all the upper surface reddish brown tinged with
olive ; wings and tail brown ; primaries and secondaries
crossed by a narrow line of white at the base ; the outer tail-
feather on each side margined externally and at the tip with
white ; under surface pale brown, passing into bufFy white on
the vent and under tail-coverts ; irides, bill, and feet blackish
brovm.

The young is very dark brown above, striated with deep
buff; beneath mottled brown and buffy white; the latter
colour occupying the centre of the feathers.

Genus PCECILODRYAS, Gould.

On reference to the figures of the birds I have called
Petroica ? cerviniventris and P. superciliosa in the third
volume of the folio edition and in the Supplement, it will at
once be seen that these two species cannot be associated with
either of the preceding genera, and must be separated into a
new one ; this division I have accordingly made, and assigned
to it the above appellation.

288 BIRDS or AUSTRALIA.

Sp. 171. PCECILODRYAS CERVINIVENTRIS, Gould.

Buff-sided Robin.
Petroica 1 cej'viniveniris, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, pai't xxv. p. 221.

Petroica ? cerviniventris, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol.. Supple-
ment, pi.

So far as regards Ornithological science, it was fortunate
that Mr. Elsey remained for a long time encamped near the
Victoria River, on the north-west coast of Australia, since it
enabled him to pay much attention to the natural objects
which surrounded him ; and the discovery of the present
bird, which is quite new to science, is one of the results of
his long stay in that spot in charge of a portion of Mr.
Gregory's Expedition. All who have read my work on the
Birds of Australia, will have observed that a species of this
form, collected by Gilbert in the neighbourhood of the Bur-
dekin Lakes, towards the Gulf of Carpentaria, is figured in
the third volume under the name of F. siiperciliosa ; to this
species the one here described is very nearly allied — so nearly,
in fact, that, although I have treated them as distinct, a
suspicion has arisen in my mind that they may be the sexes
of one and the same species ; they both differ in form from
the typical or true Petroica, and are doubtless representatives
of each other in the respective countries they inhabit, the
P. siiperciliosa dwelling on the eastern parts of the continent,
and the P. cermniventris in the western.

The following is a correct description of the latter : —

All the upper surface, wings, and tail chocolate-brown ;
line over the eye, tlu-oat, tips of the greater wing-coverts, base
of the primaries, base and tips of the secondaries, and tips of
the tail white ; breast grey ; abdomen deep fawn-colour,
becoming almost white in the centre ; bill black ; feet black-
ish brown ; irides dark brown.

Total length 6| inches ; bill | ; wing 3^ ; tail 3^ ; tarsi |.

The original specimen from which the above description
was taken is now in the British Museum.

INSESSORES. 289

Sp. 172. PCECTLODRYAS SUPERCILIOSA, Gould.

White-eyebrowed Robin.
Petroica superciliosa, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xiv. p. 106.

Petroica superciliosa, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iii. pi. 9.

For our knowledge of this species we are indebted to the
researches of Gilbert, who, while in company with Dr.
Leichardt, during his adventurous expedition from Moreton
Bay to Port Essington, discovered it in the neighbourhood of
the Burdekin Lakes towards the Gulf of Carpentaria. The
following remarks in Gilbert's Journal comprise all that is
at present known respecting it : — " May 14th. In a ramble
vidth my gun I shot a new bird, the actions of which assimi-
late to those of the Fetroicts and the Uopsallria : like the
former it carries its tail very erect, but is more retiring in its
habits than those birds ; on the other hand, its notes resemble
those of the latter. It inhabits the dense jungle-like vegeta-
tion growing beneath the shade of the fig-trees on the banks
of the Burdekin. I succeeded in procuring two specimens."

Superciliary stripe, throat, abdomen, under surface of the
shoulder, and the bases of the primaries and secondaries
white ; lores, ear-coverts, wing-coverts, and the primaries and
secondaries for some distance beyond the white deep black ;
all the upper surface, wings, and tail sooty brown ; all but
the two central tail-feathers largely tipped with white ; bill
and feet black ; irides reddish brown.

Total length 5 inches ; bill J ; wing 3 ; tail 2^ ; tarsi f .

Genus DRYMODES, Gould.

Two species only of this genus have yet been discovered,
and these, as their long legs would indicate, are denizens of
the ground. One of them was figured in the folio edition, and
the other in the Supplement ; the latter was obtained near
Cape York.

290 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Sp. 173. DRYMODES BRUNNEOPYGIA, Gould.

Scrub-Robin.
Drymodes hrunneopygia, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part viii. p. 170.

Drymodes brunneopygia, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iii.
pi. 10.

I discovered this singular bird in the great Murray Scrub,
where it was tolerably abundant ; I have never seen it from
any other part of the country, and it is doubtless confined
to such portions of Australia as are clothed with a similar
character of vegetation. It is a quiet and inactive species,
resorting much to the ground, over which and among the
underwood it passes with great ease ; it appeared rarely to
take wing, but to depend for security upon its dexterity in
hopping away to the more scrubby parts. I have occasionally
observed it mount to the most elevated part of a low bush,
and there pour forth a sharp monotonous whistling note, not
very unlike that of some of the PachyceplialincB ; indeed it
was its note that first attracted my attention to it. When
on the ground, and occasionally when perched on a twig,
it elevates its tail considerably, but not to the extent of the
Maluri.

The sexes are alike in colouring, but the female is much
smaller than her mate ; the young resemble the immature
Petroicas in the character of their plumage.

Head and all the upper surface brown, passing into rufous
brown on the upper tail- coverts j wings dark brown, the
coverts and primaries edged with dull white ; primaries and
secondaries crossed near the base on their inner webs with
pure white ; tail rich brown, all but the two middle feathers
tipped with white ; under surface greyish brown, passing into
buff on the under tail-coverts ; irides, bill, and feet blackish
brown.

Total length 8 inches ; lull f; wing3|; tail 4J; tarsi \\.

INSESSORES. 291

Sp. 174. DRYMODES SUPERCILIARIS, Gould.

Eastern Scrub Robin.

Drymodes super cilim^is, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xviii. p. 200.
Trokaroo, Aborigines of Cape York.

Drymodes superciliaris, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, Supple-
ment, pi.

Perhaps one of the most interesting birds discovered by
me in the brushes of South Australia was a species of this
form, to which 1 gave the name of Drymodes hrurmeopygia ;
this second species of the genus is an inhabitant of the north-
east coast ; and it will be seen by the following notes by Mr.
Macgillivray that the two birds, as might be supposed, accord
as nearly in their habits as they are allied in structure.

" While traversing on the 17th of November, 1849, a thin
open scrub of small saplings growing in a stony ground
thickly covered with dead leaves, about five or six miles inland
from Cape York, I observed a nest placed on the earth at
the foot of a small tree ; its internal diameter was four inches
and a half ; it was outwardly composed of small sticks, with
finer ones inside, and lined with grass-like fibres, and was
moreover surrounded with dead leaves heaped up to a level
with its upper surface ; it contained two eggs an inch long
by seven-tenths of an inch broad, of a regular oval shape, and
of a very light stone-grey thickly covered with small umber
blotches, which increased in size and were more thickly placed
at the larger end : they were placed side by side, with the
large end of one opposite the small end of the other. After
watching near the nest for some time, one of the owners
appeared, and was procured ; but putrefaction having com-
menced before my return to the ship, I could not ascertain
the sex with certainty : it approached me within three or four
yards, hopping with sudden jerks over the leaves, and moving
by fits and starts like the Robin of Europe ; it uttered no cry

u 2

292 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

or note during the time I was watching its motions. Two others
were afterwards procured in the same kind of open scrub, and
the birds, being probably in the immediate neighbourhood of
their nest, hopped up quite close to the observer."

This is a much more gaily attired species than the last, its
back and tail-feathers being rich reddish brown, which, with
the black and white markings about its face and the two white
bands across its wings, render it conspicuously different.

The sexes assimilate in colour, but the female is somewhat
smaller than the male.

Lores white ; immediately above and below the eye a black
mark forming a conspicuous moustache ; crown of the head
and upper surface reddish brown, passing into chestnut-red
on the rump and six middle tail-feathers ; remainder of the
tail-feathers black, tipped with white ; wings black, with the
base of the primaries and the tips of the coverts white, forming
two bands across the wing ; throat and centre of the abdomen
fawn-white ; chest and flanks washed with tawny ; irides
umber-brown ; legs and feet flesh- colour.

Total length 8 J inches ; bill f ; wing 3f ; tail 4 ; tarsi If.

Genus EOPSALTRIA, Gould.

At least four species of this form are known ; two of these
are natives of Western Australia, and two inhabit the eastern
portion of the country. Although generically distinct from,
they are very nearly related to the PetroiccB. They are all
more arboreal in their habits than those birds, and also differ
from them in the silky character of their plumage and. in the
prevalence of yellow in their colouring. The females generally
lay only two eggs, while those of the Petroica lay four.

INSESSORES. 293

Sp. 175. EOPSALTRIA AUSTRALIS.

Yellow-breasted Robin.

Muscicapa australis, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp,, p. li.

Southern Motacilla, Motacilla australis, White's Journ., pi. in p. 239.

Southern Flycatcher, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 219.

Sylvia jiavigastr a, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. Uv ?

Todus flavigaster. Lath. Ind. Orn., vol. i. p. 168.

Pachycephala australis, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 242.

Muscipeta, sp. 15, Muscicapa australis, Less. Traite d'Orn., p. 385.

Eopsaltria flavicollis. Swains. Class, of Birds, vol. ii. p. 250. •

australis, G. R. Gray, List of Gen. of Birds, 2nd edit, p, 45.

flavigastra, G. R. Gray.

Yellow-breasted Thrush, Lewin, Birds of New Holl., pi. 23.
Eopsaltria parvula, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., part v. 1837, p. 144,

female.
Yellow Robin, Colonists of New South Wales.

Eopsaltria australis, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iii. pi. 11.

This is a very common species in all the brushes of New
South Wales ; I also observed it in most of the gardens in
the neighbourhood of Sydney, as well as in those of the
settlers in the interior. It is very Robin-like in its actions,
particularly in the habit of throwing up its tail, and in the
sprightly air with which it moves about. It is by no means
shy, and may often be seen crossing the garden walks,
perching on some stump or railing, regardless of one's
presence, at which time the fing yellow mark on its rump is
very conspicuous. Its powers of flight are but feeble, and
are seldom employed except to enable it to flit from bush to
bush or from tree to tree. Its food consists entirely of
insects, which are more frequently taken on the ground than
on the trees.

It breeds in September and October. The nest is a
beautiful, compact, round, cup-shaped structure, about three
inches in diameter, and an inch and a half deep, composed of
narrow strips of bark, wiry fibrous roots, and in some

294 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

instances grasses; the outside held together with cobwebs,
and sparingly speckled over with mouse-eared hchen and
small pieces of bark hanging loosely about it ; the inside of
the nest is generally lined with leaves, but occasionally with
portions of the broad blades of grasses. It is generally
placed in the fork of some low tree in an open or exposed
part of the brush, is a neat structure, and sometimes so
nearly resembles the bark of the tree upon which it is
constructed, as to be scarcely detectible. The eggs are
usually two in number, of a bright apple-green, speckled and
spotted all over with chestnut-brown and blackish brown, the
latter tint being much less conspicuous than the former;
they are nine lines long by seven and a half lines broad.

It is not migratory, and so far as is known, is confined to
the southern and eastern portion of the country.

The sexes are very similar in colour ; but the female is
somewhat smaller in size, and has the rump olive instead of
yellow : the young on leaving the nest has the plumage
streaked and spotted very similar to that of young Robins,
but obtains the plumage of the adult at an early period.

Head and all the upper surface, wings and tail, with the
exception of the rump, very dark grey ; chin white ; all the
under surface and rump wax-yellow; irides, bill, and feet
black.

Sp. "176. EOPSALTRIA GRISEOGULARIS, Gould,

Gret-breasted Robin.

Eopsaltria griseogularis, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part v. p. 144.
Muscicapa georgimia, Quoy et Gaim. Voy. de T Astrolabe, pi. 3. fig. 4.
Bam-hoore, Aborigines of the lowland districts of Western Australia.

Eopsaltria griseogularis, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iii.
pi. 12.

The Eopsaltria griseogularis is abundant in every part of
the colony of Swan River, inhabiting thickets and all spots

INSESSORES. 295

clothed witli vegetation of a brush-like character. "In its
actions," says Gilbert, " this bird is very like the Robins,
being much on the ground, and when feeding constantly
flying up and perching on a small upright twig. It does not
appear to be capable of great or continued exertion on the
wing, as it is rarely seen to do more than flit from bush to
bush. Its most common note much resembles the very
lengthened and plaintive song of the Estrelda bella, but
differs from it in being a double note often repeated ; it also
utters a great variety of single notes, and during the breeding-
season pours forth a short but agreeable song.

" The nest is very difficult to detect, the situations chosen
for it being the thickly-wooded gum-forests of the mountain
districts and the mahogany- forests of the lowlands ; from the
forks of the younger of these trees a great portion of the bark
generally hangs down in strips ; and in the fork the bird
generally makes its nest of narrow strips of the bark bound
together with cobwebs, while around the outside a quantity
of dangling pieces are suspended, giving it the exact appear-
ance of other forks of the tree ; the inside of the nest has no
other lining than a few pieces of bark laid across each other,
or a single dried leaf, large enough to cover the bottom. It
breeds in September and October, and lays two eggs, which
are more lengthened in form than those of Eopsaltria australis,
and are of a wood-brown, obscurely freckled with yellowish
red, ten lines long by seven lines and a haK broad.

" Its stomach is muscular, and its food consists of insects
of various kinds."

The sexes are precisely similar in outward appearance.

It is stationary in Western Australia, but the extent of its
range over the continent is not yet known.

Crown of the head, ear-coverts, sides and back of the neck,
and back grey ; throat and chest greyish white ; abdomen,
rump, upper and under tail-covcrts rich yellow ; wings and
tail greyish brown, the extreme tips of the latter edged with

296 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

white ; bill dark horn-colour ; irides very dark reddish brown ;
legs and feet dark olive-brown.

Sp. 177. EOPSALTRIA LEUCOGASTER, Gould.

White-bellied Robin.

Eupsaltria leucogaster, Gould ia Proc. of Zool. Soc, pax't xiv. p. 19.
Muscicapa gularis, Quoy et Gaiin. Voy. de 1' Astrolabe, pi. 4. fig. 1.

Eopsaltria leucogaster, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iii.
pi. 13.

The White-bellied Robin is a native of Western Australia,
but is only to be met with in the hilly portions of the country.
Gilbert states that the first specimen he procured was killed
on the Darling range, near the gorge of the River Murray,
at an elevation of about seven or eight hundred feet, and that
he afterwards met wdth it on the southern extremity of the
same range, between Vasse and Augusta, but that he never
observed it on the lower grounds between the mountain-
range and the coast. Like the other species of the genus, it
was constantly seen clinging to the bark of large upright
trees, or straight and small stems, in search of its insect
food. It is extremely quiet and secluded in its habits, is
almost exclusively confined to the neighbourhood of small
mountain-streams, where scarcely any other sound is heard
than the rippling and gurgling of the water over the rocks,
and on the slightest approach it immediately secretes itself
among the thick scrub or brushwood. Its song very closely
resembles that of the Fetroiccs.

Immediately before the eye a small triangular-shaped spot
of black ; above the eye a faint line of greyish white ; crown
of the head, all the upper smface, wings, and tail dark slate-
grey ; the lateral tail-feathers largely tipped with white on
their inner webs ; all the under surface white ; irides dark
brown ; bill and feet black.

INSESSORES. 297

Sp. 178. EOPSALTRIA CAPITO, Gould.

Lauge-headed Robin.
Eopsaltria capita, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xix. p. 285.

Eopsaltria capito, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., Supplement, pL

The outer slopes of the high ranges which skirt the
southern and eastern coasts of Australia, at a distance of from
forty to sixty miles from the sea, have in the course of time
changed into a soil so rich and deep as to be favourable, not
only to the growth of the largest kinds of Eucalypti, but to
magnificent cedars, fig-trees, and palms of two or three
species. Favoured by an aspect which commands the rays of
the sun, and by humidity from the sea, the vegetation here
becomes of that dense and peculiar character technically known
in New South Wales by the name of Brushes ; these districts
are tenanted by a bird-life equally peculiar; so that the
fauna of the brushes is as distinct from that of the plains as
if hundreds of miles of sea rolled between. The unobtrusively
coloured bird here described is a native of the brushes of
the south-east coast, and is tolerably plentiful in the neigh-
bourhood of the Clarence, the Manning, and the Brisbane
rivers. Its existence was not known to me when the ' Birds
of Australia ' was published ; and its discovery is due to the
late F. Strange, who sent me several specimens, two of which
have been figured in the supplement to the folio edition. Its
habits are doubtless very similar to those of the other Eojjsal-
trias. Like them, the sexes do not differ in colour, but the
female may generally be distinguished by her somewhat smaller
size.

Upper surface olive-green, inclining to brown on the head ;
wings and tail slaty-brown, faintly margined with olive-green ;
ear-coverts grey ; lores, a line below the eye, and the throat
greyish white ; under surface yellow ; irides hazel ; bill black ;
feet brownish flesh-colour.

Total length 5 inches ; bill | ; wing ^\ \ tail 2^ ; tarsi f .

298 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

FamHy MENURID-ffi.

Genus MENURA, Davies.

Two, if not three, species of this extraordinary form are
known to inhabit the dense woods of the south-eastern
portions of AustraHa; until very recently, however, the
M. superha was the sole representative of the genus. Other
species may yet be discovered when the country has been
more thoroughly explored.

Sp. 179. MENURA SUPEUBA, Bavies.

Lyre-bird.
Menura superba, Davies in Linn. Trans., vol. vii. p. 207, pi. 22.
Le Parkinson, Vieill. (Ois. Dor.) Ois. de Parad., pis. 14, 15, 16.
Megapodius menura, Wagl. Syst. Av., sp. 1.
Menura lijra, Shaw, Nat. Misc., pi. 577.

novce-hollandice. Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. Ixi.

Parkinsonius mirabilis, Bechst.
Menura vulgaris, Plem.

paradisea, Swains. Class, of Birds, vol. ii. p. 351.

Superb Menura, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 271.

Pheasant of the Colonists.

Beleck-Beleck and Balangara of the Aborigines.

Menura superba, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ill. pi. 14.

Were I requested to suggest an emblem for Australia
among its avifauna, I should without the slightest hesita-
tion select the Lyre-bird as the most appropriate, it being not
only strictly peculiar to that country, but one which will
always be regarded wdth the highest interest both by the
people of Australia and by ornithologists in Europe, from
whom it has received the specific appellations of superba, para-
disea, and mirabilis.

In the structure of its feet, in its lengthened claws, and in
its whole contour, the Lyre-bird presents the greatest simi-
larity to the Pteroptochus megapodius of Kittlitz. The im-

TNSESSORES. 299

mense feet and claws of this bird admirably adapt it for the
peculiar localities it is destined to inhabit.

The principal habitat of the Menura mperha is New South
Wales, and, from what I could learn, its range does not
extend so far to the eastward as Moreton Bay, nor have
I been able to trace it to the westward of Port Philip*;
but further research can alone determine these points. It
appears to inhabit alike the brushes on the coast and
those that clothe the sides of the mountains in the interior ;
on the coast it was especially abundant at Western Port and
Illawarra when I visited the colony in 1838. In the interior
the cedar-brushes of the Liverpool range, and, according to
Dr. Bennett, the mountains of the Tumat country, are among
the places of its resort. Of all the birds I have ever met
with, the Menura is by far the most shy and difficult to
procure. While among the brushes I have been surrounded
by these birds, pouring forth their loud and liquid calls, for
days together, without being able to get a sight of them ; and
it was only by the most determined perseverance that I was
enabled to effect this to me desirable object, which was ren-
dered the more difficult by their often frequenting the almost
inaccessible and precipitous sides of gullies and ravines,
covered with tangled masses of creepers and umbrageous
trees : the cracking of a stick, the rolling down of a small
stone, or any other noise, however slight, is sufficient to alarm
them ; and none but those who have traversed the rugged,
hot, and suffocating brushes can fully understand the excessive
labour attendant on the pursuit of the Menura. Those who
wish even to sight it must only advance when the bird's atten-
tion is occupied in singing, or in scratching up the leaves in
search of food. To watch its actions, it is necessary to remain

* It will be seen that I consider the Menura from this part of the
countiy to be different from the bird inhabiting New South Wales, and
that, under this impression, I have named it M. victorue in honour of oxir
gracious Sovereign.

300 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

perfectly motionless, or it vanishes from sight as if by magic.
But the Menura is not always so alert ; for in some of the more
accessible brushes through which roads have been cut, it
may frequently be seen, and on horseback even closely
approached, the bird apparently evincing less fear of those
animals than of man when thus unaccompanied. At Illawarra
it is sometimes successfully pursued by dogs trained to rush
suddenly upon it, when it immediately leaps upon the branch
of a tree, and, its attention being attracted by the dog which
stands barking below, it is more easily approached and shot.

The Lyre-bird is of a wandering disposition ; and although
it keeps to the same brush, it is constantly traversing it from
one end to the other, from mountain-top to the bottom of the
gullies, whose steep and rugged sides present no obstacle to
its long legs and powerful muscular thighs ; it is also capable
of performing extraordinary leaps ; and I have heard it stated
that it will spring to the ledge of a rock or the branch of a tree
ten feet perpendicularly from the ground. It appears to be of
solitary habits, as I have never seen more than a pair together,
and these only in a single instance ; they were both males,
and were chasing each other round and round with extreme
rapidity, apparently in play, pausing every now and then to
utter their loud shrill calls : while thus employed, they carried
the tail horizontally, as they always do when running quickly
through the brushes, that being the only position in which it
could be conveniently borne. Among its many curious habits
is that of forming small round hillocks, which are constantly
visited during the day, and upon which the male is con-
tinually trampling, at the same time erecting and spreading
out his tail in the most graceful manner, and uttering his
various cries, sometimes pouring forth his natural notes, at
others mocking those of other birds, and even the howhng of
the Dingo. The early morning and the evening are the
periods when it is most animated and active.

It may truly be said that all the beauty of this bird lies in

IN8ESSORE3. 301

the plumage of his tail, the new feathers of which appear in
February or March, but do not attain their full beauty and
perfection until June ; during this and the four succeeding
months it is in its finest state ; after this the feathers are
gradually shed, to be resumed again at the period above
stated. I am led to believe that they are all assumed
simultaneously, by the fact of a native having brought to my
camp a specimen with a tail not more than six inches long,
the feathers of which were in embryo, and all of the same
length. Upon reference to my journal I find the following
notes upon the subject : — " Mar. 14, Liverpool range. Several
3Ien?iras killed to-day : their tails not so fine as they will be."
" Oct. 25. — I find this bird is now losing its tail-feathers ; and,
judging from appearances, they will be all shed in a fortnight."

The food of the Menura consists of insects, particularly
centipedes and coleoptera ; I also found the remains of shelled
snails in the gizzard, which is very strong and muscular.

I never found the nest but once, and this unfortunately
was after the breeding-season was over ; but all those of
whom 1 made inquiries respecting it, agreed in assuring me
that it is either placed on the ledge of a projecting rock,
at the base of a tree, or on the top of a stump, but always
near the ground ; and a cedar-cutter whom I met in the
brushes informed me that he had once found a nest, which,
to use his own expression, was " built like that of a magpie,"
adding that it contained but one egg, and that upon his
visiting the nest again some time afterwards he found in it a
newly-hatched young, which was helpless and destitute of the
power of vision. The nest seen by myself was placed on
the prominent point of a rock, in a situation quite secluded
from observation behind, but affording the bird a command-
ing view and easy retreat in front ; it was deep and shaped
like a basin, and had the appearance of having been roofed,
was of a large size, formed outwardly of sticks, and lined with
the inner bark of trees and fibrous roots.

302 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

General plumage brown ; the secondary wing-feathers
nearest the body, and the outer webs of the remainder, rich
rufous brown ; upper tail-coverts tinged with rufous ; chin
and front of the throat rufous, much richer during the
breeding-season ; all the under surface brownish ash-colour,
becoming paler on the vent ; upper surface of the tail blackish
brown ; under surface silvery grey, becoming very dark on
the external web of the outer feather ; the inner webs of these
feathers fine rufous, crossed by numerous bands, which at
first appear of a darker tint, but on close inspection prove to
be perfectly transparent ; the margin of the inner web and
tips black ; bill and nostrils black ; irides blackish brown ;
bare space round the eye blackish lead-colour ; legs and feet
black, the scales mealy.

The female differs in wanting the singularly formed tail, and
in having the bare space round the eye less extensive and less
brilliantly coloured.

Sp. 180. MENURA VICTORItE, Gould.

Queen Victoria's Lyre-bird.
Menura victoria, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, 1862, p. 23.

Those ornithologists who have examined specimens of the
Menura from the neighbourhood of Melbourne must have
noticed a great difference in the structure of their tails from
this lyre-shaped organ in examples from New South Wales.
Although on slender grounds, I admit, I have been induced to
consider the Port Philip bird to be a distinct species ; I say
slender grounds, because I have not seen a sufficient number
of specimens from that locality to enable me to say positively
that it is really difierent. The specimens kindly sent to
me by Professor M'Coy, the learned naturalist at the head
of the zoological department of the public Museum at
Melbourne, would, however, tend to warrant this view ; and I
would especially call the attention of Australians to the

INSESSORES. 303

subject as one worthy of their attention. The chief difference
of the bird I have named M. victories is the diminished length
of its outer tail-feathers, and their much stronger and broader
markings.

Whether the bird be or be not distinct from M. superba,
the following highly interesting notes kindly sent to me by
the late Dr. Ludwig Becker have reference to it : —

" Bullan-Bullan is the name which the aborigines of the
Yarra tribe give to this bird. The word has some similarity
to the gurgling tone which the bird at times is heard to emit.
The favourite place chosen by the Bullan-Bullan for building
its nest is the dense scrub on the slopes of deep gullies, or
in thickly grown small scrubs, lying between the bends of
rivers, but still in the vicinity of mountains. Here the bird
selects young trees standing close together ; between the
saplings, one or tw^o feet from the ground, it makes fast its
nest. Sometimes it may be found also upon the trunk of a
tree, hollowed out by some bush-fire ; or it selects a fern tree,
of not too great a height, for the same purpose. The nest
proper is ten inches in diameter, and is five inches high.
It is closely woven together from fine but strong roots, and
the inside is lined with the softer feathers of the bird. Round
this nest the bird builds a rough covering, composed of sticks
and pieces of wood, grass, moss, and leaves, in such a manner
that it projects over the genuine nest, affording the sitting bird
a shelter from above. An opening in the side serves as an
entrance, through which the female enters backwards, with
her tail laid over her back, and, with watchful eye and ear,
keeps her head in the direction of the opening. She lays only
one egg, of a purplish-grey tint, with numerous spots and
blotches of purplish brown, especially at the larger end, as
seen in the egg of the common Gvow [{Corvus cor one); the
colour resembles in fact so closely that of the feathers with
which the nest is lined, that it is not easy to detect the egg.
It is two and a half inches long by one inch and five-eighths
broad.

304 BIRDS or AUSTRALIA.

" It is generally believed that the Menura makes use of
the same nest for several years. A nest and egg, found on
the 31st of August, arrived in Melbourne on the 4th of
September, in a good state of preservation. This is some-
what astonishing, considering that the ' black fellow ' carried
them on his back day by day, wrapped up in his opossum-
skin, while by night he had to protect them from the wild cats
and other animals. In Melbourne, unfortunately, or rather
fortunately, the egg was broken, and an almost fully deve-
loped young one dropped out, which would, in the course of
two or three days, have broken through the shell.

" The young one is almost unfledged, having only here and
there feathers, resembling black horsehair, of an inch in
length. The middle of the head and spine are the parts
most thickly covered, while the forearm and the legs are less
so. A tuft is visible on its throat, and two rows of small
and light-coloured feathers on its belly. The skin is of a
yellowish-grey colour ; feet dark ; claws grey ; beak black ;
eyelids closed.

" I believe that the period of incubation of the Lyre-bird
begins in the first week of August, and that the young one
breaks through the shell in the beginning of September."

Some further observations on this species were sent to me
by Dr. Becker, on the 24th of September, 1859.

" In the month of October 1858, the nest of a Lyre-bird
was found in the densely wooded ranges near the sources of
the river Yarra-Yarra. It contained a young bird in a sickly
state, and of a very large size compared with its helplessness.
When taken out of the nest, it screamed loudly ; the note was
high, and sounded like * tching-tching.' In a short time the
mother, attracted by the call, arrived, and, notwithstanding
the proverbial shyness of the species, she flew within a few feet
of her young, trying in vain to deliver it from captivity by
flapping her wings and making rapid motions in different
directions towards the captor. A shot brought down the

INSESSORES. 305

poor old bird, and, with its dead mother near it, the young
Meniira was soon silent and quiet. It was taken away, and
kept at a * Mia-Mia ' erected in the midst of the surrounding
forest.

" The following description will give you, as nearly as
possible, a correct idea of this interesting bird : —

" Its height, from foot to crown of head, was sixteen inches.
The body was covered with a brown down, but the wings and
tail were already furnished with feathers of a dark brown colour.
The head was thickly covered with a greyish-white down,
from one to two inches in length. The eyes were hazel-
brown ; the beak blackish and soft ; the legs nearly as large
as those of a full-grown specimen; but it walked most
awkwardly, with the legs bent inwards. When it rose, it did
so with difficulty, the wings assisting ; once on its legs, it ran
sometimes, often falling down, however, in consequence of
the want of strength to move properly the large and heavy
bones of its legs. It constantly endeavoured to approach the
camp-fire, attracted doubtless by the warmth, and it was a
matter of some difficulty to keep it from that dangerous
position. As I stated before, its cry was a high-sounding
* tching-tching,' often heard during daytime, as if recalling
the parent bird. When this call was answered by its keeper,
feigning the note ' bullan-buUan,' which is an imitation of

on '

the old bird's cry, it followed the voice at once, and was
easily led away by it. It became quite tame very shortly
after having been taken from the nest. It was always
voracious, refusing no food when offered ; it stood there with
the bill gaping, awaiting the approaching hand which held
the food, consisting principally of worms and the larvte of
ants, commonly called ants' eggs ; but it did not refuse bits
of meat, bread, &c. Sometimes it picked from the ground
ants' eggs itself, but was never able to swallow them, as
apparently the muscles of the neck had not. attained sufficient
power to produce the required jerk and throwing back of

306 BIRDS or AUSTRALIA.

the head necessary for swallowing the grubs. It scarcely
ever took water. It reposed in a nest made of moss, and
lined with opossum-skin, where it appeared quite contented.
Wliile asleep, the head was covered by one of the wings.
Wlien called ' Bullan-Bullan ' it awoke, looking for several
seconds at the disturber, and soon put its head again under
the wing, taking no notice whatever of other sounds or voices.
A proof that the young of this bird often remain for a long
time in their natural nest may be found in the manner in
which they dispose of their droppings. The young captive
always went backwards before discharging its dung, as if
afraid of soiling the nest. It is probable that in its natural
state and during daytime it leaves the nest, when the warmth,
of the weather invites it, but during the night, and if cold
weather sets in, the mother will be with her young.

" Notwithstanding all the care bestowed upon this poor
little bird, it died on the eighth day of its captivity, appa-
rently in consequence of the excessively cold weather which
set in, and which was even keenly felt by the possessor of the
bird himself. At this time the young Meniira had begun to
change its plumage, feathers taking the place of the down
with which it was previously covered ; and the legs, enveloped
in a sort of scaly scurf, which fell off as the bird grew older,
already were of a blackish colour.

" There is no doubt that the Lyre-bird could be easily
introduced into our menageries ; they only require care while
young, and, when full-grown and tamed, may be shipped to
England wilh as little difficulty as any other Australian bird,
none of which, however, offer such attractions as the Me-
nura."

INSESSORES. ^^07

Sp. 181. MENURA ALBERTI, Gould

Prince Albert's Lyre-bird.
Menura alberti, Gould in Proc. of Linn. See, February 5, 1850.

Henura alberti, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, Supplement,
pi.

The dense, luxuriant, and almost impenetrable brushes
which skirt the eastern coast of Australia from Sydney to
Moreton Bay are, as might be supposed, tenanted by many
forms both of mammalia and birds peculiarly their own ;
many of these districts are very partially known, and some of
them may be said to be as yet untrodden ; hence it is not sur-
prising that an additional species of this extraordinary form
should have been there discovered. I must fairly admit,
however, that I was not prepared for the acquisition of so
remarkable a bird within the limits of the colony of New
South Wales.

The specific differences between the present bird and the
M. superha are very apparent ; they consist in the rufous
colouring of the plumage, and in the total absence of the
brown barrings of the outer tail-feathers, which, moreover,
are much shorter than the others, while in M. superba they
are the longest.

The first specimens that came under my notice were sent
to me by the late F. Strange ; my friend Dr. Bennett also
forwarded to me almost simultaneously a fine example be-
longing to the Sydney Museum, which the Directors had at
his request permitted to be sent to England for illustration.
With reference to the latter. Dr. Stephenson, residing at
York Station, Richmond River, wrote to Dr. Bennett, " You
will perceive a very close affinity between it and the M. su-
perha, except in the tail, which is very different. Since the
idea of its being distinct occurred to me and to my friend
Augustus A. Leycester, Esq., I have made every possible in-

x2

308 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

quiry respecting the bird amongst the sawyers and others,
all of whom agree that it is distinct ; some of them had shot
specimens of the M. siiperha at Camden Haven and other
localities, but had never seen the present bird further to the
south than the Nambucca River ; they also state that the new
bird is not so timid as the old one, and is consequently more
easily shot. The locality it frequents consists of mountain-
ridges not very densely covered with brush ; it passes most of
its time on the ground, feeding and strutting about with the
tail reflected over the back to within an inch or two of the
head, and with the wings dropping on the ground. Each
bird forms for itself three or four ' corrohorying places' as the
sawyers call them ; they consist of holes scratched in the sandy
ground about two feet and a half in diameter by sixteen,
eighteen, or twenty inches in depth, and about three or four
hundred yards apart. Whenever you get sight of the bird,
which can only be done with the greatest caution and by taking
advantage of intervening objects to shelter yourself from its
observation, you will find it in one or other of these holes,
into which it frequently jumps and seems to be feeding, then
ascends again and struts roimd and round the place, imitating
with its powerful musical voice any bird it may chance to
hear around it ; the note of the Dacelo gigcis it imitates to
perfection ; its own whistle is exceedingly beautiful and
varied. No sooner does it percei(^e an intruder than it flies
up into the nearest tree, first alighting on the lowermost
branches and then ascending by a succession of jumps until
it reaches the top, whence it instantly darts off to another
of its play-grounds. The stomachs of those I dissected in-
variably contained insects, with scarcely a trace of any other
material."

The late F. Strange informed me that he met with the bird
" in the cedar-brushes which skirt Turanga Creek, Richmond
River. Like the M. superha, it is of a shy disposition. I spent
ten days in the midst of the cedar-brushes in the hope of learn-

TNSESSORES. 309

ing something of its iiidification, but did not succeed in find-
ing any nest with eggs ; I found, however, one large domed
nest made of sticks and placed in the spur of a large fig-tree,
which the natives assured me was that of the Colwin, their
name for this bird ; it resembled that of Orthonijx, except
that the inside was not lined with moss, but with the litter
from a large mass of parasitical plants that had fallen to the
ground. The natives agree in asserting that the eggs are
only laid in the cold weather, by which I apprehend they
mean the spring, as I shot a young bird about four months
old, on the 24th of November, which had the whole of the
body still covered with a brown and greyish down. I have
seen this species take some extraordinary jumps of not less
than ten feet from the ground on to a convenient branch,
whence it continues to ascend in successive leaps, until it has
attained a sufficient elevation to enable it to take flight into
the gully below."

The male has the crown of the head and back of a
sooty black, with a tinge of chestnut on the forehead and
some of the crest-feathers ; all the upper surface, and parti-
cularly the upper tail-coverts, rich rusty chestnut ; primaries
blackish brown, tinged with rufous on their external edges ;
throat rusty red, passing into a paler tint of the same colour
on the breast ; abdomen grey, washed with sandy buff;
thighs grey, slightly washed with buff; under tail-coverts
bright rufous ; upper surface of the tail-feathers slaty black,
their under surface silvery grey ; the large outer feather on
each side much shorter than the corresponding feathers in
Menura sujjerba, and entirely destitute of the bars so conspi-
cuous in that species ; the two centre feathers narrow, pro-
longed, crossing each other at the base, curving outward at
the tip, and webbed only on their external side.

The female is similar in colour to the male ; but distin-
guishable by the feathers of the tail being much less filament-
ous in their structure, and by the two middle feathers being

310 BIRDS or AUSTRALIA.

shorter, broader, and straighter than in the opposite sex, and
broadly webbed on both sides of the shaft.

Since the above appeared in the foHo edition, I have been
favoured with several notes respecting this species which, in
justice to the writers, I here insert.

The first is from A. A. Leycester, Esq., who says —

" These birds hitherto have been found only on the Rich-
mond and Tweed rivers, in the dense brushes which clothe
the mountains in those districts ; and, what is most remarkable,
though similar mountains and brushes exist on the rivers both
north and south of those rivers, yet the M. alherti is never to
be found in them, their boundary appearing to be limited to
a patch of country not wider than eighty by sixty miles.

" The habits of Menura alherti are very similar to M. su-

perha. Having seen and watched both on their play-grounds,

I find the M. alherti is far superior in its powers of mocking

and imitating the cries and songs of others of the feathered race

to the M. superha ; its own peculiar cry or song is also different,

being of a much louder and fuller tone. I once listened to

one of these birds that had taken up its quarters within two

hundred yards of a sawyer's hut, and he had made himself

perfect with all the noises of the sawyer's homestead — the

crowing of the cocks, the cackling of the hens, and the

barking and howling of the dogs, and even the painful

screeching of the sharping or filing of the saw. I have

never seen more than a pair together. Each bird appears

to have its own walk or boundary, and never to infringe on

the other's ground ; for I have heard them day after day in

the same place, and seldom nearer than a quarter of a mile

to each other. Whilst singing, they spread their tails over

their heads like a Peacock, and droop their wings to the

ground, and at the same time scratch and peck up the earth.

They sing mornings and evenings, and more so in winter

than at any other time. The young cocks do not sing until

they get their full tails, which, I fancy, is not until the fom-th

INSESSORES. 311

year, having shot them in four different stages; the two
centre, cm-ved feathers are the last to make their appearance.
They hve entirely upon small insects, principally beetles.
Their flesh is not eatable, being dark, dry, and tough, and
quite unlike other birds. They commence building their nests
in May, lay in June, and have young hi July. They generally
place their nests on the side of some steep rock, where there
is sufficient room to form a lodgment, so that no animals or
vermin can approach.

"The nest is constructed of small sticks, interwoven with
moss and fibres of roots, the inside being lined with the
skeleton leaf of the parasitical tree fern, resembling horsehair,
and covered in, with the entrance on the side. The single
egg laid is of a very dark colour, appearing as if it had been
blotched over with ink. The young bird for the first month
is covered with down, and remains in the nest about six weeks
before it takes its departure. Aboriginal name,' Col win.' "

Mr. Wilcox, in a letter dated Sydney, September 26, 1852,
writes : —

"It gives me much pleasure to forward to you the nest
and egg of Meniira alberti, which 1 have just obtained from
the Richmond River. It was placed on a rocky ledge, about
one hundred feet above the stream, so difficult of access as
to render its acquisition a task of no ordinary kind. Another
nest was also found in the brush near the water ; it would
seem, therefore, that there is no rule as to the elevation of
the locality in which it is placed. Only one egg was found
in each nest ; and, from all the information I could glean on
the subject, the bird never lays but one.

" You will be as sorry to hear as I am to tell you, that by
an accidental fire I have just lost four young birds which had
been taken from nests the moment they were ready to leave them,
and which had thriven well for four months on worms, insects,
bread, and meat. Mr. Lonsdale, a gentleman who has paid
much attention to the birds of Australia, tells me that while
out shooting on Mount Kera he came upon a bird sitting on

312 BIllUS OF AUSTRALIA.

a nest at the base of a large tree on the side of a deep gully ;
on going to the spot, the bird got off and ran away; he
pursued and captured it, when it proved to be a young
Menura supcrha ; on returning again to the spot, he found
the nest to be a loose structure of large sticks, and lined with
the fibres of the cabbage-tree leaf."

A nest and an egg sent to me by Mr. Turner were described
in the 'Proceedings of the Zoological Society' for 1858 : —

" The nest is oven-shaped in form, outwardly constructed
of roots, tendrils, and leaves of palms, and lined with green
mosses. It was about two feet in length by sixteen inches
in breadth, and domed over except at one end. The eggs
were barely two inches and a quarter in length by one inch
and three quarters in breadth, and of a deep purplish chocolate,
irregularly blotched and freckled with a darker colour. This
nest and egg are now in the British Museum."

Genus PSOPHODES, Vigors and Horsfield.

This form is peculiar to Australia. Two species are known,
one of which inhabits the eastern, and the other the western
portion of the country.

Sp. 182. PSOPHODES CREPITANS, %. and Horsf.

COACH-WHIP-BIRD.

Muscicapa crepitans, Lath. Ind. Orn., Suppl. p. li.

Coach-whip Honey-eater, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 187.

Psophodes crepitans, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 329.

Djou, Aborigines of New South Wales.

Corvus auritus et olivaceus, Lath. Ind. Orn., vol. i. p. 160, and Suppl.

p. xxvi.
Pica olivacea, Vieill. Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat., torn. xxix. p. 119.

gularis, Wagl. Syst. A v. Pica, sp. 13.

Dasyornis Aheillei, Less.

Psophodes crepitans, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iii. pL 15.
This bird, so renowned for the singularity of its note, is very

INSESSORES. 313

abundant in many parts of New South Wales, to which por-
tion of the AustraHan continent it appears to be confined.
It is to be found only in dense brushes, such as those at
Maitland, Manning, Illawarra, and the cedar-brushes of the
Liverpool range ; in fact, the localities that are suitable to the
Menura and the Wattled Talegalla are congenial to the
habits of the Coach-whip-bird. Its loud full note ending
sharply like the cracking of a whip, with which the woods
are constantly reverberating, appeared to me to be analogous
to the peculiar call of the Menura; besides this peculiar
whistle, it also gives utterance to a low inward song of con-
siderable melody.

It is a shy and recluse species, rarely exposes itself to view,
but generally keeps in the midst of the densest foliage and
among the thickest climbing plants, frequenting alike those
that have intertwined themselves with the branches of the
tallest trees, and those that form almost impenetrable masses
near the ground. It is extremely animated and sprightly in
all its actions, raising its crest and spreading its tail in the
most elegant manner. These actions become even more
animated during the spring, when the males may often be
seen chasing each other, frequently stopping to pour out their
notes with great volubility.

The food consists of insects of various kinds, obtained
almost entirely from the ground, and sought for by scratching
up the leaves and turning over the small stones, precisely
after the manner of the Menura superha.

The sexes are much alike in colour, but may be readily
distinguished by the more obscure plumage and smaller size
of the female. The young of the first year are of a much
browner hue, a character of plumage that soon gives place to
adult livery. On its nidification the late F. Strange sent me
the following note : — '' I found a nest on the 26th of Novem-
ber ; it was placed in a small bush surrounded with a great
number of weeds, at about two feet from the ground. It con-

814 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

tallied two young ones, wliicli I looked at every day until they
were half fledged, when they disappeared, having probably
been taken out by the old birds, as I observed them in the
neighbourhood for four days afterwards." More recently some
eggs of this bird (which is said to lay two) have been
sent to me from New South Wales, and may be thus de-
scribed : —

They are lengthened and elegant in form, about an inch
and an eighth in length by thirteen-sixteenths of an inch in
breadth, and are greenish white, sparingly dotted with black
and greyish black, the latter colour appearing as if beneath
the surface of the shell, and the spots being most numerous
at the larger end. In some specimens the markings assume
the form of commas, small oblique dashes, and crooked
Hebrew-like characters, reminding one somewhat of the mark-
ings of the eggs of the Buntings.

The male has the head, ear- coverts, chin, and breast black ;
a large patch of white on each side of the neck, all the upper
surface, wings, flanks, and base of the tail-feathers olive-green ;
the remaining portion of the tail-feathers black, except that the
three lateral feathers on each side are tipped with white ; under
surface olive-brown, some of the feathers on the centre of the
abdomen tipped with white, and forming a conspicuous irre-
gular patch ; irides brownish red ; bill, inside and out, and
base of the tongue black ; feet reddish brown.

Sp. 183. PSOPHODES NIGROGULARIS, Gould.

Black-throated Psophodes.
Psophodes nigrogularis, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xii. p. 5.

Psophodes nigrognlaris, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iii.
pi. 16.

The addition of a second species to the genus Psophodes
will be hailed with pleasure by every one who makes the
science of ornithology a matter of study ; nor will its discovery

INSESSORES. 315

be a subject of surprise, as it is only another illustration of
that beautiful law of representation which is conspicuously
carried out in Australia. The habitat of the present bird will
doubtless be hereafter found to be as strictly confined to the
western part of the continent as that of the P. crejntans is to
the eastern. It is to Gilbert's perseverance that science is
indebted for the knowledge of this new bird ; and his notes
respecting it I here transcribe : — " Inhabits thickets of a
small species of Leptospermum growing among the sand-hills
which run parallel with and adjacent to the beach. It utters
a peculiar harsh and grating song which it is quite impossible
to describe, and which is so different from that of every other
bird I ever heard or am acquainted with, that I shall have no
difficulty in recognizing it again wherever I may hear it. I
heard it for the first time, together with the notes of many
other birds equally strange to me, in the vicinity of the Won-
gan HiUs a few weeks back, but could not then obtain a sight
of the bird, although I knew that it was only a few yards
from me."

Plumage of the upper surface olive ; under surface ashy,
passing into brown on the flanks and white on the centre of
the abdomen ; primaries brown ; tail light olive-brown, the
four lateral feathers crossed near the extremity with a band
of black, and tipped with white ; throat deep black, with a
stripe of white from the angle of the lower mandible, just
within the black ; bill dark horn-colour ; irides dark brown ;
feet dark horn-colour.

Total length 6 J inches ; bill f ; wing 3 J ; tail 4 J ; tarsi 1-g-.

Genus SPHENOSTOMA, Gould.

The only known species of this genus frequents the sterile
parts of the interior of Australia generally, particularly those
portions of the country clothed with low shrubs and bushes.

That this form and Psophodes are nearly allied there can, I
think, be no doubt.

31G BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Sp. 184. SPIIENOSTOMA CRTSTATUM, Gould.
Crested Wedge-bill.

Sphenostomn cristatum, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part v. p. 150.
cristata, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. i. lutrod. p. xliii.

Sphenostoma cristatum, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iii.
pi. 17.

The Crested Wedge-bill is an inhabitant of the low scrubby
trees and Folygonum bushes which stud the hot plains of the
interior of Australia, particularly those on the borders of the
Lachlan and Darling : it has also been killed on the Lower
Namoi. Whether it has any kind of loud sharp whistle
analogous to that of the Coach-whip-bird {PsopUodes crepitans),
or if it has the same shy disposition, it would be interesting to
ascertain ; and to these points, as well as to all other details
connected with its history, I would call the attention of those
who may visit the interior, or may otherwise be favourably
situated for observing them. The sombre tints of the bird
are very like the colour of the earth of the plains it inhabits ;
and when the nature of its food shall have been ascertained,
its wedge-shaped bill will doubtless be found admirably
adapted for procuring it.

General plumage brown, lighter beneath; chin and centre
of the abdomen greyish white ; wings dark brown, edged
with pale brown, the fourth and fifth primaries conspicuously
margined with white ; four centre tail-feathers dark brown,
indistinctly barred with a still darker hue ; the remainder
brownish black, largely tipped with white ; bill blackish
brown ; feet lead-colour.

A nest of this species now in the British Museum is rather
large, round, cup-shaped, outwardly composed of fine twigs
and lined with grasses. The eggs in my own collection are
like those of Fsophodes crepitans, lengthened and elegant in
form, their ground-colour delicate greenish blue, thinly
sprinkled with purplish-black specks, particularly at the larger

INSESSORES. 317

end. In some instances these purple-black specks and mark-
ings assume forms similar to those described as occurring on
the eggs of Psopliodcs crejntans.

Family ?

Genus MALURUS, Vieillot.

The members of this genus are among the most beautiful
of the Australian birds. Their gay attire, however, is only
assumed during the pairing-season, and is retained for a very
short period, after which the sexes are alike in colouring.

The genus is strictly an Australian one, and, with two or
three exceptions, all the species are confined to the southern
parts of the continent and Tasmania. They build dome-
shaped nests, and are frequently selected to perform the
office of foster-parents to the young of the Bronze Cuckoo,
( Chrysococcyx lucidus).

Sp. 185. MALURUS CYANEUS, Vieillot.

Superb Warbler.

Sylvia cyanea, Lath. Ind. Orn., vol. ii. p. 545.
Motacilla cyanea, Gmel. Syst. Nat., vol. i. p. 991.

superba, Shaw, Nat. Misc., pi. 10.

Superb Warbler, Shaw in White's Voy., pi. in p. 256, upp. fig.
Malurus cyaneus, Vieill. Gal. des Ois., p. 265, pi. 163.
Superb Warbler, Blue Wren, &c., of the Colonists.

Malurus cyaneus, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iii. pi. 18.

Of the lovely group of birds forming the genus Malurus,
the present species is the oldest known, being that described
and figured in White's Voyage to New South Wales, under
the name of Superb Warbler, a term by which the bird is still
familiarly known in Australia. It is abundantly dispersed
over the eastern portion of the country, and I observed it to
be equally numerous on the plains of the interior ; but how

318 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

far its range may extend northwards, can only be determined
when those parts of the continent shall have Ijeen fully ex-
plored. I killed many specimens in South Australia which I
formerly believed to be identical with the present bird ; but
on a recent comparison, I find them to be more nearly allied
to the Malurus longicaudm ; a further knowledge of the South
Australian bird is therefore necessary, before I can determine
to which it is referable, or if it may not be distinct from both.

The Malurus cyaneus gives preference to those parts of the
country which is thinly covered with low scrubby brushwood,
and especially to localities of this description which are situ-
ated near the borders of rivers and ravines. During the
months of winter it associates in small troops of from six to
eight in number (probably the brood of a single pair), which
continually traverse the district in which they were bred.
At this period of the year the adult males throw off their fine
livery, and the plumage of the sexes then becomes so nearly alike
that a minute examination is requisite to distinguish them.
The old males have the bill black at all seasons, whereas the
young males during the first year, and the females, have this
organ always brown ; the tail-feathers also, which with the
primaries are only moulted once a year, are of a deeper blue
in the old male. As spring advances, the small troops sepa-
rate into pairs, and the males undergo a total transformation,
not only in their colour, but in the texture of their plumage ;
indeed a more astonishing change can scarcely be imagined.
This change is not confined to the plumage alone, but extends
also to the habits of the bird ; for it now displays great
vivacity, proudly shows off" its gorgeous attire to the utmost
advantage, and pours out its animated song unceasingly,
until the female has completed her task of incubation, and
the craving appetites of its newly-hatched young have called
forth a new feeling, and given its energies a new direction.

During the winter months no bird can be more tame and
familiar; for it frequents the gardens and shrubberies of the

INSESSORES. 319

settlers, and hops about their houses as if desirous to court,
rather than shun, the presence of man ; but when adorned
with his summer plumage, the male becomes more shy and
retiring, appearing to have an instinctive consciousness of the
danger to which his beauty subjects him ; nevertheless they
will frequently build their httle nest and rear their young in
the most populous places. Several broods are reared annually
in the Botanic Garden at Sydney, and I saw a pair busily
employed in constructing their nest in a tree close to the door
of the Colonial Secretary's Office. The short and rounded
wing incapacitates it for protracted flight, but the amazing
facility with which it passes over the surface of the ground
fully compensates for this deficiency; its mode of progression
can scarcely be called running, it is rather a succession of
bounding hops, performed with great rapidity : while thus
employed its tail is carried perpendicularly, or thrown forward
over the back ; indeed the tail is rarely, if ever, carried hori-
zontally.

The breeding-season continues from September to January,
during which period two, if not three, broods are reared :
the young of one being scarcely old enough to provide for
themselves, before the female again commences laying : inde-
pendently of rearing her own young, she is also the foster-
parent of the Bronze Cuckoo {Cltrijsococcyx lacidus), a single
egg of which species is frequently found deposited in her nest ;
but by what means, is (as in the case of its European prototype)
unknown.

The nest, which is dome-shaped, with a small hole at the
side for an entrance, is generally constructed of grasses, lined
with feathers or hair : the site chosen for its erection is usually
near the ground, in a secluded bush or tuft of grass. The
eggs are generally four in number, of a dehcate flesh-w^hite,
sprinkled with spots and blotches of reddish brown, which are
more abundant and form an irregular zone at the larger ex-
tremity : they are eight lines long by five and a half broad.

320 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

The song is a liurried strain, somewhat resembling that of
the Wren of Europe.

The stomach is muscular, and the food consists of insects
of various kinds, collected on the ground, the trunks of fallen
trees, &c.

The male in summer has the crown of the head, ear-coverts,
and a lunar- shaped mark on the upper part of the back light
metallic blue; lores, line over the eye, occiput, scapularics,
back, rump, and upper tail-coverts velvety black ; throat and
chest bluish black, bounded below by a band of velvety
black ; tail deep blue, indistinctly barred with a darker hue,
and finely tipped with white ; wings brown ; under surface
bufFy white, tinged with blue on the flanks ; irides blackish
brown; bill black ; feet brown.

The female has the lores and a circle surrounding the eye
reddish brown ; upper sm-face, wings, and tail brown ; under
surface brownish white ; bill reddish brown ; feet fleshy
brown.

Sp. 18G. MALURUS LONGICAUDUS, Gould.

Long-tailed Superb Warbler.
Maliirus hngicaudus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part v. p. 148.

Malurus longicaudus, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ill. pi. 19.

The Long-tailed Superb Warbler is so universally dispersed
over Tasmania, as well as the islands in Bass's Straits, that to
particularize any one part of the former island where it is
found more than another would be vain, since it is present in
every gully and every other place where low scrubby bushes
and underwood are to be met with : I have also received
from Kangaroo Island a single specimen in its winter dress
which, I believe, is referable to this species. Active and
cheerful, and possessing a sweet warbling song, the present
bird is as much a favourite in Tasmania as the Superb
Warbler is in New South Wales, and, like its congener, in

INSESSORES. 321

the winter season it is equally tame and familiar. It is
subject to the same changes of plumage, and its whole
economy is so similar as to render a separate description
unnecessary. Its nest is also similarly constructed, but is
of a rather larger size, is usually composed of grasses and
leaves, warmly lined with feathers, and in some instances with
the fur of the Kangaroo and Opossum, and is placed either in
a small bush near the ground, or artfully built in a tuft of
grass. The season of reproduction commences in August
and lasts until January, during which time two or three
broods are reared. Like the M. cyaneus, it is also the foster-
parent of the Bronze Cuckoo {Chrysococcyx lucidus). The
eggs, which bear a similar character, but are proportionally
larger than those of the M. cyaneus, are four or five in
number, of a flesh-white, blotched and spotted with markings
of reddish brown, particularly at the larger end, where these
form an irregular zone : they are nearly nine lines long by
six and a quarter broad.

The long legs of this species admirably adapt it for the
ground, and for traversing the fallen trunks of trees, along
which, with tail erect, it passes with the utmost activity : it is
also frequently to be observed among the low trees and bushes,
the male often selecting a small prominent bare twig, whereon
to perch and warble forth his animated song.

The male in summer has the crown of the head, ear-coverts,
and a broad lunar-shaped mark on the upper part of the back
metallic blue; lores, line over the eye, occiput, scapularies,
back, rump, and upper tail-coverts velvety black ; throat and
chest bluish black, bounded below by a band of velvety black ;
tail dark blue, indistinctly barred with a darker hue and finely
tipped with white ; wings brown ; under surface buffy white,
tinged with blue on the flanks ; irides blackish brown ; bill
black; feet brown.

The female has the lores and a circle surrounding the eye
reddish brown ; upper surface, wings, and tail brown ; under

Y

322 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

surface brownish wliite ; bill reddish brown ; feet fleshy
brown.

Sp. 187. MALURUS MELANOTUS, Gould.
Black-backed Superb Warbler.
Malurus melanotus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part viii. p. 163.

Malurus melanotus, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iii. pL 20.

The Belts of the Murray in South Australia were the only
places in which I observed this species ; but, although it was
tolerably abundant there, it was so extremely shy and dis-
trustful that specimens were obtained with the greatest
difficulty. It was most frequently observed on the ground,
particularly in the small open glades and little plains by
which the outer belt of this vast scrub is diversified. The
period of my visit was in winter ; consequently the specimens
I collected were all out of colour, or, more properly speaking,
divested of the rich blue and black plumage, in which state
a single specimen was afterwards forwarded to me by one of
the party that accompanied His Excellency Colonel Gawler
and Captain Sturt, when those gentlemen visited the Murray
in 1839; and other examples have since been received. It
is a most interesting species, inasmuch as it possesses cha-
racters intermediate between the M. cyaneus and M. splen-
dens, having the blue belly and conspicuous pectoral band
of the latter and the black back of the former ; from both,
however, it differs in the length of its toes, which are much
shorter than those of its near allies : this difference in struc-
ture exerts a corresponding influence upon its habits and
actions ; for while the others run over the ground with great
facility, the Black-backed Superb Warbler far exceeds them
in this respect. Instead of exerting any power of flight, those
I saw effected their escape by the extraordinary manner in
which they tripped over the small openings and through the

INSESSORES. 323

scrub, each troop appearing to have a leader, and keeping just
beyond the range of the gun.

The male in summer has the crown of the head, chin,
throat, abdomen, upper part of the back, upper and under
tail-coverts beautiful metallic blue ; ear-coverts verditer-blue ;
lores, back of the neck, band across the breast, and lower
part of the back velvety black ; external margins of all the
wing-feathers green ; tail bluish green, indistinctly barred
with a darker tint, and slightly tipped with white ; bill
black ; irides and legs blackish brown.

The female has the lores and circle surrounding the eye
reddish brown ; all the upper surface brown ; under surface
brownish white ; wings brown ; tail green, each feather slightly
tipped with white ; bill reddish brown ; feet brown.

Total length 4f inches ; bill ^ ; wing 2 ; tail 2^ ; tarsi |.

Sp. 188. MALURUS SPLENDENS.

Banded Superb Warbler.

Saxicola splendens, Quoy et Gaim. Voy. de TAstrol. Zool., torn. i. p. 197,

pi. 10. fig. 1.
Malurus pectoralis, Gould in Proc. of Zool. See, part i. p. 106.
Bjur-jeel-ya of the Aborigines of the lowland, and Jeer-jal of the

Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western Australia.

Malurus splendens, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iii.pl. 21.

Hhe Malurus splende??s, which may very justly be considered
more gorgeous than any other of its race, its whole plumage
sparkling with beautiful shining metallic lustre, is an in-
habitant of the western coast of Australia, and is, I believe,
very generally distributed over the Swan River settlement,
where it inhabits scrubby places covered with underwood.

Its song very nearly resembles that of the Tasmanian spe-
cies, M. longicaudus. It breeds in September and the three
following months : the nest is constructed of dried, soft grasses,
and lined either with hair, wool, or feathers, is of a dome-

Y 2

324 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

shape, the cover of the top resembling the peak of a cap, and
is about six or eight inches in height : the eggs are generally
four in number, of flesh-white, thickly blotched and freckled
with reddish brown, especially at the larger end ; eight and a
quarter lines long by six and a quarter lines broad. The
situation of the nest is much varied, being sometimes built
among the hanging clusters of the stinkwood tree, at others
among the upright reeds growing just above the water's edge
on the borders of lakes and the banks of rivers.

The male in its summer dress has the crown of the head,
back, scapularies, and upper tail-coverts deep metallic blue ;
ear-coverts verditer-blue ; throat and all the under surface
deep shining violet-blue ; lores, crescent-shaped mark across
the chest, and back of the neck deep velvet-black ; external
edges of the wing-feathers green ; tail greenish blue, in-
distinctly barred with a darker tint; bill black; eyes and
feet blackish brown.

The female has the bill, lores, and circle round the eyes
reddish brown ; crown of the head and all the upper surface
brown ; the external margins of the wing-feathers slightly
tinged with green ; tail as in the male, but paler, and slightly
tipped with white.

Sp. 189. MALURUS ELEGANS, Gould.

Graceful Superb Warbler.

Malurus elegans, Gould, Birds of Australia, part i. Aug. 1837.
T>jur-jeel-ya, Aborigines of the lowland districts of Western Australia.

Malurus elegans, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ill. pi. 22.

This is one of the largest species of the genus yet discovered,
and is a most beautiful and elegant bird : the delicate verditer-
blue of the centre of the back, and the larger size and more
spatulate form of its tail-feathers, at once distinguish it from
Malurus Lamberti, the species to which it is most nearly
allied. It is an inhabitant of the western coast of Australia ;

INSESSORES. 325

all the specimens I possess were collected at Swan River,
where it is tolerably abundant.

The nest is dome-shaped, with a hole in the side for an
entrance, and is generally formed of the thin paper-like bark
of the Tea-tree {Melaleuca), and lined with feathers : it is also
usually suspended to the foliage of this tree, and occasionally
to that of other shrubs which grow in its favourite localities.
The eggs are four in number, of a dehcate flesh- white, freckled
with spots of reddish brown, which are much thicker at the
larger end ; they are about eight lines long and six lines
broad. The breeding-season commences in September, and
continues during the three following months.

The males are subject to the same law relative to the
seasonal change of plumage as the Malurus cyaneus and the
other members of the genus. The gay nuptial costume of
these birds renders them conspicuously different from the
Prinias of India, to which they have otherwise a seeming
alliance.

The male has the forehead, ear-coverts, sides of the face,
and occiput rich verditer-blue ; centre of the back light
verditer-blue ; scapularies chestnut ; throat, chest, back of
the neck and rump deep velvety black, the throat in certain
lights tinged with blue ; wings brown ; abdomen and under
tail-coverts buffy white ; tail didl bluish green, crossed by
numerous indistinct bars, seen only in some positions, and
very slightly tipped with white ; bill black ; eyes and feet
blackish brown.

The female has all the upper surface and wings brown ;
throat and under surface buff-white ; tail as in the male, but
more dull, and devoid of the white at the extremity of the
feathers ; bill dull reddish brown, lighter beneath ; space
between the bill and eyes reddish brown ; legs brown.

Total length 5 J inches ; bill \ ; wing If ; tail 3|- ; tarsi 1.

326

BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Sp. 190. MALURUS PULCHERRIMUS, Gould.

Blue-brasted Superb Warbler.
Malurus pulcherrimus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xii. p. 106.

Maliirus pulcherrimus, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol, vol. iii.
pi. 23.

The Blue- breasted Superb Warbler is one of the variegated
species of its genus, and is nearly allied to the M. eleyans and
M. amabiUs, but is of larger size, and moreover differs from
them in having the throat and breast of a rich deep blue
instead of black.

For a knowledge of this species I am indebted to the
researches of Gilbert, who informs me that " it appears to be
exclusively confined to the thickets of the interior of Western
Australia; in habits and manners it greatly resembles the
other members of the genus, but its nest is somewhat smaller
than that of either of them. A. nest found on the 28th of
October, in the vicinity of the Wongan Hills, was placed on
the upper branches of a species of Hakea, about four feet
from the ground; it contained two newly-laid eggs, which
resembled those of the other species of the genus, but had the
blotches very much larger."

Crown of the head and a broad band across the centre of
the back rich glossy violet-blue ; space surrounding the eye,
and the ear-coverts, verditer-blue ; throat intense indigo-blue ;
bounded below by an indistinct band of black; lores, collar
surrounding the back of the neck, and the lower part of the
back deep velvety-black ; scapularies chestnut ; wings brown ;
tail dull greenish blue, indistinctly barred with a darker tint,
and slightly tipped with white; abdomen and under tail-
cov^rts white ; bill and feet black ; irides dark brown.

Total length 5 J inches ; bill -^; wing 2 ; tail 3^ ; tarsi |f .

INSESSORES. 327

Sp. 191. MALURUS LAMBERTI, %. mid Horsf.

Lambert's Superb Warbler.

Malurus lamberti, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 221.
Superb Warbler, Whitens Journ., pi. in p. 256, low. fig.
Variegated Warbler, Lewin, Birds of New Holland, pi. xv.

Malurus lamberti, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ill. pi. 24.

Although far less common and much more local than
M. cyaneus, this species ranges over a greater extent of
country, being an inhabitant of most parts of New^ South
Wales, the districts near the coast, as well as those of the
interior, but particularly, those in the neighbourhood of the
Namoi, where it is sometimes associated with its congener
M.. cyaneus.

The neighbourhood of Botany Bay is one of its most fa-
vourite resorts, and it is occasionally seen near Sydney, and
even in the small gardens within the town. It does not in-
habit Tasmania, nor did I observe it in South Australia, or
hear of its ever having been seen there, neither have I received
it from the colony of Swan River.

This is one of the few common birds of Australia of which
I was not able to find the nest ; but its changes of plumage,
nidification, the number and colour of its eggs, are doubtless
very similar to those of the other members of its family. Its
food consists of insects of various kinds, which are sought for
ou the ground, over which it runs with great facility.

The male has the forehead, ear-coverts, sides of the head,
occiput, and centre of the back beautiful violet-blue ; throat,
breast, crescent across the upper part of the back and rump
black ; scapularies chestnut ; wings brown ; abdomen white,
tinged with brown on the flanks ; tail dull greenish blue,
indistinctly barred with a darker tint, and Hghtly tipped with
white; bill black; eyes and feet dark brown.

The female has the body dull brown ; the throat and under

328 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

surface much paler ; tail-feathers as in the male, but less bright ;
bill and space round the eye reddish brown ; feet brown.

Sp. 192. MALURUS AMABILIS, Gould.

Lovely Superb Warbler.
Malurus amabilis, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xviii. p. 277.

Malurus amabilis, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, Supplement,
pi.

The officers of Her Majesty's Surveying Ship Rattlesnake
so well employed their time in collecting the natural produc-
tions of the Cape York district, that they added very consi-
derably to our knowledge of the fauna of that part of the
continent. A single and somewhat imperfect specimen of this
bird, bearing the words " Cape York, 1849," was transmitted
by the late Captain Owen Stanley to the Zoological Society of
London ; and it is from this specimen that my description
was taken. It is nearly allied to the Malurus elegans, but
differs from that bird in its larger bill, in the deeper and more
uniform blue of the cheeks and crown, in the darker colouring
of the thighs, and in the much greater extent of the white on
the tips and margins of the outer tail-feathers.

I feel assured the female of M. amahilis will be found to
closely resemble that sex of M. elegans whenever it is our
good fortune to have examples transmitted to us ; and that
this desideratum may soon be obtained, as weU as additional
skins of the male, is much to be wished. When the Cape York
Peninsula is closely explored, not only this, but many other
interesting species will reward the collector, and the fauna
will probably be found to partake of that of the adjacent island
of New Guinea, as well as of forms peculiar to New South
Wales.

Head, ear-coverts, and centre of the back delicate violet-
blue ; lores, throat, breast, crescent across the upper part of
the back, and the rump deep bluish-black ; scapularies chest-

INSESSORES. 329

nut; wings brown, the secondaries slightly margined with
white ; abdomen white, very slightly tinged with buff on the
flanks ; tail dull greenish blue, the four lateral feathers mar-
gined externally and largely tipped with white ; hinder part
of the thighs black ; bill black ; irides and feet dark brown.

Sp. 193. MALURUS CORONATUS, Gould.

Crowned Superb Warbler.
Malurus coronatus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xxv, p. 221.

Malurus coronatus, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol.. Supplement,
pi.

Charming as are many of the smaller Australian birds, I
think the present species is entitled to the palm for elegance
and beauty, not only among the members of its own genus,
numerous and beautiful as they really are, but among all other
groups of birds yet discovered; the charm, too, is consider-
ably enhanced by the great novelty in the style of its colour-
ing ; for in how few birds do we find the lovely lilac tint
which encircles and adorns the head of this bird ! a similar
tint, it is true, appears in the nape of the Bower-birds {Chla-
mydodercB) ; but I scarcely know of a third instance

Having premised thus much respecting this new Malurus,
T now come to the painful task of naming its collector ; I say
painful, because the gentleman who shot and brought it to
this country has fallen, like many other Australian explorers,
a victim to the climate of that country, congenial to Europeans
as it generally is. It will be recollected by all those who take
an interest in scientific explorations, that Mr. Elsey accom-
panied A. C. Gregory, Esq., as surgeon and naturalist on his
great journey from the Victoria River to Moreton Bay, Soon
after his return to England it became evident that he had
contracted the disease called hcsmo^ti/sis, which speedily
obliged him to remove to a warmer climate : he selected one

330 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

of the West-Indian Islands, and, on arriving, commenced his
investigations with his usual spirit ; but he rapidly became
worse, and science shortly had to deplore the loss of one of
her most enthusiastic votaries. The little I saw of this gen-
tleman impressed me with the belief that he had a true love
for nature ; and had he been spared, I feel assured he would
have distinguished himself greatly in one or other branch of
the natural sciences.

The Malurus coronatus is an inhabitant of the countries
bordering the Victoria River. Both sexes were procured, and
they now form part of the collection in the British Museum.

The male has the crown of the head rich lilac-purple, with
a triangular spot of black in the centre, and bounded below
by a band of velvety black, which, commencing at the nostrils,
passes backwards through the eye, dilates upon the ear-
coverts, and meets at the back of the neck ; back and wings
light brown ; tail bluish green, becoming of a deeper hue
towards the extremity ; lateral feathers margined externally
and tipped with white ; under surface buflPy white, becoming
gradually deeper on the flanks and vent ; irides brown ; bill
black ; feet fleshy brown.

The female has all the upper surface light brown; lores and
space behind _^the eye white ; ear-coverts chestnut ; in other
respects she is similar to the male.

Total length Q\ inches ; bill f ; wing 2 J ; tail 3|- ; tarsi 1^.

Sp. 194. MALURUS LEUCOPTERUS, Quoy et Gaim. ?

White-winged Superb Warbler.

Malurus leucopterus, Quoy et Gaim. Zool. de I'Uranie, p. 108, pi. 23.

fig. 2?
Amytis leucopterus, Less. Traite d'Orn., p. 454.

Malurus leucopterus, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ill. pi. 25.

I regret that I have not been able to clear up the doubt
which exists in my mind, whether the present bird is or is not

INSESSORES. 331

distinct from tlie one figured by Messrs. Quoy and Gaimard
in the ' Voyage de I'Uranie,' since, on applying at the Museum
of the Jardin des Plantes for the purpose of examining the
original specimen, it could not be found : the figure above
quoted, if intended for this bird, is by no means correct, and
it is, moreover, said to be from Dirk Hatich's Island, on the
vi^estern coast, a locality very distant from those in which my
specimens were procured, New South Wales ; which circum-
stance strengthens my belief that they may be distinct : besides
which, the bird under consideration is supposed to be ex-
clusively an inhabitant of the interior ; for I never observed it
between the mountain-ranges and the coast, and it is scarcely
probable, therefore, that it should inhabit an island like that
of Dirk Hatich. In case they should prove to be different, I
propose the name of Malurus cyanotus for the bird from New
South Wales.

The birds seen by me were either in pairs or in small
troops, and evinced so much shyness as to render the ac-
quisition of specimens a task of no little difficulty, particu-
larly of the full-plumaged male, who appeared to be conscious
that the display of his gorgeously coloured dress might lead to
his detection. Its powers of flight are not great ; but this is
fully compensated for by the extraordinary manner in which
it threads the bushes, and passes over the sm'face of the
ground in a series of hopping bounds, whereby it readily
eludes pursuit. The most successful mode of obtaining it
is to ascertain the precise spot in which it is located, to
approach it cautiously, and to remain silent for a short time,
when the male will soon show himself by hopping out from
the bush — the restless nature of his disposition not admitting
of his remaining long concealed.

The nest is composed of grasses, rather large and dome-
shaped, with a hole near the top for an entrance. The one
sent me from South Australia contained two eggs, one of
which was the Bronze Cuckoo's, thus showing that this little

332 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

bird is also the foster-parent of those birds. The number of
eggs laid by the Maliirus leucopterus is in all probability
four; the one I possess is flesh- white, finely freckled with
reddish brown (forming a zone at the larger end), and is eight
lines long by six lines broad.

The male has the whole of the head, body above and
beneath, and the tail beautiful deep blue ; scapularies, wing-
coverts, and tertiaries snow-white ; primaries brown, with
their external edges silvery green ; bill black ; feet brown ;
eyes dark brown.

The female has the crown of the head and all the upper
surface and flanks brown ; throat and abdomen white, faintly
washed with brown ; external edges of the primaries and tail
pale greenish blue ; bill reddish brown.

Sp. 195. MALURUS LEUCONOTUS, Gould.

White-backed Superb Warbler.
Malurus leuconotus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, 1865, p. 198.

In size this fine new species is very similar to the last,
from which, however, it may be at once distinguished by its
white back, which has suggested the specific name I have
assigned to it.

It inhabits the interior of Australia, but the precise locality
is unknown to me ; it accompanied fine examples of Geophaps
plumifera. My attention was called to it by Mr. Ward, of
Vere Street. The example described is in the possession of
Mrs. Ehzabeth F. M. Craufuird, of Budleigh Salterton, Devon.

The entire head, neck, under surface, rump, and tail deep
blue ; back, shoulders, greater and lesser wing-coverts, and
secondaries silky white ; primaries brown ; bill black ; feet
brownish black.

Total length 5^ inches ; bill \ ; wing 2 ; tail 3f ; tarsi f .

INSESSORES. 333

Sp.l96. MALURUS M^hANOCW}iAU]S,Fi^.andIIorsf.

Black-headed Superb Warbler.

Scarlet-backed Warbler, Lewin, Birds of New Holl., pi. xiv.
Malurus melanocephalus, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv.

p. 222.
brownii, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 223.

Malurus melanocephalus, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iii.
pi. 26.

The Black-headed Superb Warbler, which probably inhabits
all the south-eastern portion of Australia, is a local species,
not being generally diffused over the face of the country, like
several other members of the group, but confined to grassy
ravines and gullies, particularly those that lead down from the
mountain-ranges. I obtained several pairs of adult birds in
very fine plumage in the valleys under the Liverpool range, all
of which I discovered among the high grasses which there
abound ; but as the period of my visit was their breeding-
season, I never observed more than a pair together, each pair
being always stationed at some distance from the other, and
in such parts of the gullies as were studded with small clumps
.of scrubby trees.

This Superb Warbler has many actions in common with
the M. ci/aneus, and like that species carries its tail erect : it
also frequently perches on a stem of the most prominent
grasses, where it displays its richly-coloured back, and pours
forth its simple song. I did not succeed in finding the nest,
although I. knew they were breeding around me : it was pro-
bably placed among the grasses, but was so artfully concealed
as to completely baffle my research.

One might suppose the greater development of feather on
the back of this species to have been given it as a defence
against the damp and dense grasses of the ravines, among
which it usually resides ; but from the circumstance of the
female not possessing this character of plumage, and the rich

334 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

garb being only seasonal in the male, this supposition falls to
the ground. In their winter dress the sexes very nearly re-
semble each other ; but the males may always be distinguished
by the black colouring of the bill and tail-feathers. The young
male of the year has the tail-feathers brown, like the females ;
and it is a curious fact, that at this age these feathers are
much longer than in the adult.

The male has the head, all the under surface, wing-coverts,
upper tail-coverts, and tail deep velvety black ; back of the
neck, scapularies, and remainder of the upper surface rich
orange-scarlet ; bill black ; eyes blackish brown ; feet fleshy
brown.

Female brown above, paler beneath ; bill brown ; base of
the under mandible reddish brown ; feet flesh-brown.

Sp. 197. MALURUS CRUENTATUS, Gould.

Brown's Superb Warbler.
Malurus cruentatus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc.^ part vii. p. 143.

Malurus Brownii, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ill. pi. 27.

Among the species of which I sent home characters from
Australia, for publication in the Proceedings of the Zoological
Society, was the present pretty bird, to which I gave the
specific name of cruentatus. It is a native of the north-
western portion of the country, and formed part of the col-
lection placed at my disposal by the officers of H.M.S.
' Beagle.' It differs from Malurus melanoceplialus in the
more intense blood-red colour of the back, and in its much
smaller size.

We now know that this bird is common at Port Essington ;
and, as I have above stated, that it is also an inhabitant of the
north-western coasts, and in all probability enjoys an exten-
sive range over the north-western parts of the Australian
continent, where grassy ravines occur.

INSESSORES. 335

The male in summer has the head, neck, wings, all the
under surface, and tail black ; primaries and secondaries
brown ; back and shoulders fine crimson ; bill black ; legs
fleshy brown.

The female is uniform light brown, the abdomen inclining
to white ; bill and feet light brown.

Total length 4 inches ; bill ^ ; wing If ; tail If ; tarsi

Genus AMYTIS, Lesson.

A form nearly allied to Malurus, strictly Australian, and of
which three species are known, inhabiting the southern half
of the country, and not occurring in Tasmania.

Sp. 198. AMYTIS TEXTILIS.

Textile Wren.
Malurus textilis, Quoy et Gaim. Zool. dePUranie, p. 107, pi. 23. fig. 1.

Amytis textilis, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ill. pi. 28.

The bird figured in the " Voyage de I'Uranie," doubtless
represents the present species, while that figured by Lesson
in the Atlas to his " Traite d'Ornithologie," and which seems
to have been the subject from which he took his generic
characters and description, as clearly belongs to A. striattis.

The only place in which I observed the Textile Wren was
the plains bordering the Lower Namoi; and that its range
extends far to the northward and westward is tolerably
certain.

In the various positions it assumes, in the elevated carriage
of its tail, and in its whole economy, it bears a close re-
semblance to the Maluri : like them also it wanders about
in small troops of four or six in number, always keeping
within a short distance, and returning towards the close of
the day to its accustomed haunts. On the Lower Namoi,

336 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

where it is very abundant, it is found in all those parts of the
plains that are studded with scrubs and clumps of a low
shrub -like tree, resembling the Barilla of the coast, through
and among which it creeps with astonishing rapidity ; indeed
its mode of progression on the ground is such as no descrip-
tion can convey an accurate conception of, and must be seen
to be understood : I cannot perhaps compare it Avith anything,
unless with the motion of an Indian-rubber ball when thrown
forcibly along the ground. AVhile stealing from bush to bush,
with this rapid movement, its head low and tail perfectly
erect, it presents an exceedingly droll appearance. Like
many others of its family, it seldom employs its power of
flight.

On my arrival in Australia fresh from Europe, these birds
and those of the preceding genus were regarded by me with
the highest interest, as they must be by every person not born
and bred in Australia, who sees them for the first time in a
state of nature.

Of its nidificaiion I have nothing to communicate : it
doubtless builds a dome-shaped nest, and in all probability
lays four spotted eggs ; but to these points I would call the
attention of those who are favourably situated for observing
them, as also to confirm or refute the opiniorl I have elsewhere
expressed of this and the following bird being distinct.

All the upper surface dark brown, each feather with a
narrow stripe of white down the centre ; under surface the
same, but much paler ; flanks and under surface of the
shoulder rust-red ; tail dark brown, indistinctly barred with
a still darker hue and edged with pale brown ; irides reddish
hazel ; base of lower mandible bluish horn-colour ; remainder
of the bill black ; feet flesh-brown.

The male I dissected was destitute of the rusty red colour-
ing on the flanks and the under surface of the shoulder.

INSESSORES. 337

Sp. 199. AMYTIS STRIATUS, Gould.

Striated Wren.

Amytis textilis, Less. Traite d'Orn., p. 454, pi. 67. fig. 2.
Dasyornis striatus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part vii. p. 143.

Amytis striatus, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iii. pi. 29.

The only specimen I procured of this little bird in a recent
state was shot while I was traversing the Lower Namoi ; it
appeared to give preference to a loose sandy soil studded with
high rank grass, which, growing in tufts, left the interspaces
quite bare : through the natural labyrinth thus formed the
Striated Wren ran with amazing rapidity ; and it was only by
forcing it to take wing that I succeeded in killing the one I
obtained, which on dissection proved to be a male. All the
specimens I have seen from New South Wales were in the red
state of plumage, which goes far towards proving that this
bird is really distinct from Ami/tis textilis.

Nothing has yet been ascertained respecting its nidification :
its food, like that of the Textile Wren, consists of insects of
various kinds. As might be conjectured from its form, its
habits are terrestrial ; and it rarely, if ever, mounts into the
air, or flies except among the trees.

Upper surface fine rusty red, each feather with a line of
bufFy white bounded on each side by black down the centre ;
line beneath the eye black ; ear-coverts black, striated with
white ; wings and tail brown, margined with light reddish
brown ; base of the primaries rust-red, forming a conspicuous
patch ; chin and throat white ; feathers of the chest bufFy
white, with two lines of brown, one down each side the stem ;
under surface rust-red, some of the feathers with a stripe of
white down the centre ; tail dark brown, indistinctly barred
with a still darker tint, margined with lighter brown ; irides
hazel ; bill dark horn-colour ; feet brownish lead-colour.

Total length Q\ inches ; bill f ; wing 2| ; tail 3^ ; tarsi 1 .

z

338 lURDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Sp. 200. AMYTIS MACROURUS, Gould.

Laege-tailed Wren.

Amytis macrourus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xv. p. 2.
Nyern-de and Jee-Ta, Aborigines of the interior of Western Australia.

Amytis macrourus, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, voL iii. pi. 30.

The present is the only species of the genus that has been
discovered in AVestern Australia ; two examples were shot in
the interior by Gilbert, wlio states that " it inhabits the
thickets, and is almost always on the ground, moving about
in families of from four to seven in number : it carries its
tail more erect than any other bird I have seen, and certainly
no bird runs or rather hops over the surface of the ground
with greater rapidity."

It is evidently the representative of the Ami/tis textilis of
the eastern coast, to which it is very nearly allied, but from
which, as well as from the A. striatus, it may at once be
distinguished by its more robust form, and by the much
greater length and size of its tail.

All the upper surface brown, each feather with a narrow
stripe of white down the centre ; under surface the same, but
much paler ; under surface of the shoulder pale rusty red ;
tail brown, margined with pale brown ; irides hazel ; base of
the lower mandible horn-colour, remainder of the bill black ;
feet flesh-brown.

Total length 5^ inches ; bill \ ; wing 2f ; tail 2\ ; tarsi f .

Genus STIPITURUS, Lesson,

A form confined to Australia, where it frequents extensive
grass-beds, particularly those which occur in humid situations.
It runs quickly over the ground, and carries its tail erect like
the Maluri. Some slight variation occurs in specimens from
Tasmania, Southern and Western Australia ; but I believe they
are all referable to one species.

INSESSORES. 339

Sp. 201. STIPITURUS MALACHURUS, Less.

Emu Wren.

Muscicapa malachura, Lath. Ind. Oru., Supp. pi. 52.

Soft-tailed Flycatcher, Linn. Trans., vol. iv. p. 242, pi. 21.

Malurus malachurus, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 224.

palustris, Vieill., 2°'''' edit, du Nouv. Diet. d^Hist. Nat., torn. xx.

p. 214.
Stipiturus malachurus, Less. Traite d'Orn., p. 415.
Soft-tailed Warbler, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. vii. p. 123.
Waw-gul-jelly, Aboi-igines of New South Wales.
Djur-jeel-ya, Aborigines of the lowlands of Western Australia.

Stipiturus malacliurus, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol iii.
pL3L

This curious little bird has a wide distribution, since it
inhabits the whole of the southern portion of Australia, from
Moreton Bay on the east to Swan River on the west, including
Tasmania. Among the places where it is most numerous in
the latter country, are the swampy grounds in the neighbour-
hood of Recherche Bay in D'Entrecasteaux Channel, the
meadows at New Norfolk, Circular Head, and Flinders
Island in Bass's Straits ; on the continent of Australia,
Botany Bay and, indeed, all portions of the country having a
similar character are favoured with its presence.

The Emu Wren is especially fond of low marshy districts
covered with rank high grasses and rushes, where it conceals
itself from view by keeping near the ground in the midst of
the more dense parts of the grass-beds. Its extremely short
round wings ill adapt it for flight, and this power is con-
sequently seldom employed, the bird depending for progres-
sion upon its extraordinary capacity for running : in fact,
when the grasses are wet from dew or rain, its wings are
rendered perfectly unavailable. On the ground it is alto-
gether as nimble and active, its creeping mouse-like motions,
and the extreme facility with which it turns and bounds over

z 2

340 BIRDS or AUSTRALIA.

the surface, enabling it easily to elude pursuit, and amply
com[)ensating for the paucity of its powers of flight. The
tail is carried in an erect position, and is even occasionally
retroverted over the back.

The nest, which is a small ball-shaped structure, with
rather a large opening on one side, is composed of grasses
lined with feathers, and artfully concealed in a tuft of grass
or low shrub. One that I found in Recherche Bay contained
three newly-hatched young : this being the only nest I ever
met with, I am unable to give any description of its eggs
from my own observation ; but this want is supplied in the
following account of this species from the pen of Mr. E. P.
Ramsay, published in the ' Ibis ' for 1865 : —

"I had for many days visited the swamps upon Long
Island, where these birds are very plentiful, in the hope of
finding them breeding; but it was not until the 25th of
September that I succeeded in discovering a nest, although I
had watched them for hours together for several days. While
walking along the edge of the swamp on that day, a female
flew from my feet out of an overhanging tuft of grass growing
only a few yards from the water's edge. Upon lifting up the
leaves of the grass which had been bent down by the wind,
I found its nest carefully concealed near the roots, and
containing three eggs. They were quite warm, and within a
few days of being hatched, which may account for the bird
being unwilling to leave the spot; for upon my returning
about five minutes afterwards, the female was perched upon
the same tuft of grass, and within a few inches of whence I
had taken the nest. The nest is of an oval form (but that
part which might be termed the true nest is perfectly round),
placed upon its side ; the mouth very large, taking up the
whole of the under part of the front. It is very shallow,
so much so that, if tilted slightly, the eggs would roll out,
being almost upon a level with the edge. It is outwardly
composed of grass and the young dry shoots of the reeds

INSESSORES. 341

which are so common in all the swamps near the Hunter
River, lined with fine grass, roots, and, finally, a very fine
green moss. It is very loosely put together, and requu'es to
be moved very gently to prevent its falling to pieces.

" The eggs measure 0^ lines long by 4^ broad, sprinkled
all over with minute dots of a light reddish brown, particularly
at the larger end, where they are blotched with the same
colour. One of the three had no blotches, but was minutely
freckled all over. The ground-colour is a delicate white, with
a blush of pink before the egg is blown.

" The only note of the bird, besides a slight chirp when
flushed and separated, is a slight twitter, not unlike a faint
attempt to imitate the Malurus ci/aneus. While in the swamp,
which at the time was nearly dry, I observed several separate
flocks : of these some were hopping along the ground, picking
up something here and there ; others, whose appetites seemed
appeased, were creeping along through the reeds about a foot
from the ground, but as the reeds thickened T soon lost sight
of them. They seldom took wing, except when disturbed,
and not always then, seeming very averse to showing them-
selves. While watching them I observed one now and then
hop to the top of a tall reed as if to get a glimpse at the world
above. Upon coming suddenly upon a flock and following
them, they keep to the reeds just in front of you, and never
take wing unless hard driven, when they separate and do not
collect again for some time."

The male is readily distinguished from the female by the
blue colouring of the throat, and by a somewhat greater de-
velopment of the tail-feathers. The decomposed or loose
structure of these feathers, much resembling those of the Emu,
has suggested the colonial name of Emu Wren for this species,
an appellation singularly appropriate, inasmuch as it at once
indicates the kind of plumage with which the bird is clothed,
and the Wren-like nature of its habits.

342 BIRDS OF AUSTllALIA.

Genus SPHENURA, Lichtensfein.

A group of birds adapted for situations covered with an
impenetrable vegetation, reed-beds, &c. Two species are all
that are at present known ; of these one is from the eastern,
and the other from the western part of Australia.

Sp. 202. SPHENURA BRACHYPTERA.

Bristle-bird.

Turdus brachtjpterus, Lath. Ind. Orn., Supp. p. xliii.

Sphenura hrachyptei-a, Licht. Verz. der Doubl., p. 40.

Malurus pecturalis, Steph. Cont. Shaw's Gen. Zool., vol. xiii. part i.

p. 224.
Dasijornis australis, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 232.

Dasyornis australis, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iii. pi. 32.

This bird inhabits reed-beds and thickets, particularly such
as are overgrown with creepers and rank vegetation ; I be-
lieve it to be found throughout New South Wales in all places
suitable to its habits, although, from the recluse nature of its
disposition, it is a species familar to few, even of those who
have been long resident in the colony. Its powers of flight
are very limited, but it threads the thickets and runs over the
ground with the greatest facility. It resembles the true
Makiri in carrying the tail erect, and in many other of its
actions. My own impression is that it is a stationary species,
since its powers of flight are inadequate to enable it to pass
over much extent of country, and the thick brushes near the
coast afford it ample shelter in winter.

I did not succeed in finding its nest, but in its nidifica-
tion it doubtless closely assimilates to the next species, the
Long-billed Bristle-bird of the western coast.

The sexes present no difference in plumage, and but little
in size ; the female, however, is rather the smaller.

The food consists of insects of various orders.

INSESSORES. 343

All the upper surface brown ; wings, tail-coverts, and tail
rufous brown, the latter indistinctly barred with a darker tint ;
under surface grey, gradually passing into the brown of the
upper surface ; over the eye an indistinct buffy stripe ; irides
brown ; bill brown, becoming much lighter on the lower
mandible ; legs greyish brown.

Sp. 203. SPHENURA LONGIROSTRIS, Gould.

Long-billed Bristle-bird.

Dasyornis longirostris, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part viii. p. 170.
Djyr-dal-ya, Aborigines of the lowland districts of Western Australia.

Dasyornis longirostris, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iii.
pi. 33.

The present species assimilates very closely in the character
and colouring of its plumage to its eastern analogue, the S^jJie-
nura hracliyptera ; but differs from that bird in being of a
smaller size and in having a longer bill. It is a native of
Western Australia, and is very generally distributed over the
colony of Swan River, where it inhabits reed-beds and long
grasses, and is occasionally seen in scrubby places. *' It is
so remarkably shy," says Gilbert, " that it is extremely difficult
to get even a glimpse of it : it appeared to feed on the ground,
where its actions are extremely quick, running over the
surface with its tail erect. The only chance of procuring
specimens is when it ascends to a small branch on the top of
a scrub to sing. Its notes are loud, clear, and extremely
varied.

" It flies very low ; in fact the bird scarcely ever rises
more than a few yards above the scrub or long grass it
inhabits ; it is consequently very rarely seen on a tree.

" The nest is formed of dry wiry grass, without any lining,
more globular than those of the Maliiri, but, like them, with
an opening in the side ; it is of rather a large size, and the

344 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

only one I met with was built in a clump of coarse grass, shel-
tered by an overhanging dead bush. It contained two eggs,
the ground-colour of which is dull brownish white, blotched
and freckled with purplish brown, some of the blotches ap-
pearing as if beneath the surface, particularly at the larger
end, where they are most numerous,

" Its food consists of seeds and insects."

The sexes so closely resemble each other, that a representa-
tion and description of one will suffice for both.

All the upper surface brown ; wings, tail-coverts, and tail
rufous brown, the latter indistinctly barred with a darker tint ;
under surface grey, gradually passing into the brown of the
upper surface ; irides bright reddish brown ; upper mandible
brown, lower mandible bluish green at the tip and greenish
white at the base ; legs bluish grey.

Total length 7^ inches ; bill | ; wing 2f ; tail 4 ; tarsi f .

Genus ATRICHIA, Gould.

The only species of this genus yet discovered is as singular
in its structure as it is shy and retiring in its habits ; the
total absence of vibrissas in a bird apparently closely allied to
Sphenura, in which they are so much developed, renders it one
of the anomalies of the Australian fauna.

Sp. 204. ATRICHIA CLAMOSA, Gould.

Noisy Scrub-bird.
Atrichia clamosa, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xii. p. 2.

Atrichia clamosa, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ill. pi. 34.

Few of the novelties received from Australia more interested
me than the species to which I have given the generic name
of Atrichia. Gilbert met with it among the dense scrubs of
Western Australia, having had his attention attracted to it
by its peculiar and noisy note long before he had an oppor-

[NSESSORES. 345

tunity of observing it ; and it was only after many days of
patient and motionless watcliing among the scrubs, that he
succeeded in obtaining specimens. Future research will
doubtless furnish us with some interesting information re-
specting the habits of this curious form. It is a bird evi-
dently destined to tenant the most dense thickets and tangled
beds of dwarf trees.

The examples forwarded to me were killed between Perth
and Augusta, and were all males. The females will doubtless,
when discovered, prove to differ but little from their mates,
except that the black mark on the breast will not be so large
or conspicuous. I am led to offer this opinion from the cir-
cumstance of one of the specimens being a young male, which
usually resembles the female during the first year.

All the upper surface, wings, and tail brown, each feather
crossed by several obscure crescent- shaped bars of brown ;
the inner webs of the primaries very dark brown, without
markings, and the tail freckled instead of barred ; throat and
chest reddish white, with a large irregular patch of black on
the lower part of the throat ; flanks brown ; abdomen and
under tail-coverts rufous ; bill horn-colour ; irides dark brown.

Total length 7f inches; bill |^; wing 3 ; tail 4; tarsi 1.

Genus HYLACOLA, Gould,

A genus comprising two species peculiar to the southern
parts of the country, one of which enjoys an extensive range
from South Australia to Moreton Bay ; the other has, as yet,
only been found in the Great Murray Scrub. These birds
carry their tail in an upright position, move quickly over the
surface of the grov^nd, and trip with agility along the hori-
zontal branches of fallen trees. In size they are about equal
to om* well-known Hedgc-Sparrow {Acceiitor modularis), to
which they bear some resemblance when seen in their native
country. The sexes are alike in plumage.

346 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Sp. 205. HYLACOLA PYRRHOPYGIA.

Red-rumped Hylacola.
Acanthiza pyrrhopygia, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 227.

Hylacola pyrrhopygia, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol,, vol. iii.
pi. 39.

The situations most favourable to the habits of this bird
are open sterile spots, here and there studded with clumps of
brushes or dense herbage, the beds and sides of creeks, and
the crowns of stony hills. I have generally observed it in
small companies, probably the brood of a single pair.

Its agreeable song is poured forth while the bird is perched
upon some conspicuous part of a bush, or some little spray
among the branches of the large fallen trees, where it loves to
dwell, as on the approach of an intruder it can readily and
effectually secrete itself among the high grass and herbage
which have grown up amidst the branches. The facility with
which it creeps among or threads these little thickets is sur-
prising. It rarely flies, but depends for progression more
upon the rapidity with which it can pass over the ground,
than upon the feeble powers of its small rounded wing.

I found it plentiful on the low hills to the north of the
Liverpool Plains, as well as in most parts of South Aus-
tralia, and believe it to be a stationary bird, for it appeared
to be equally numerous in summer and winter.

Of its nidification I have nothing to communicate, its nest
not having been discovered either by myself or by any of my
party.

Its food consists of insects of various kinds.

The sexes present no visible difference in their plumage.

Crown of the head, all the upper surface, wings, and tail
brown ; lower part of the rump and upper tail-coverts chest-
nut-red ; all but the two centre tail-feathers crossed near the
tip with a broad band of black, beyond which the tips are

INSESSORES. 347

greyish white ; hue over the eye and all the under surface
greyish white, each feather of the latter with a line of black
down the centre, except on the middle of the abdomen ; bill
dark brown ; irides buffy white ; legs flesh-brown.

Sp. 206. HYLACOLA CAUTA, Gould.

Cautious Hylacola.
Hylacola cauta, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part x. p. 135.

Hylacola cauta, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iii. pi. 40.

The only locality in which I have seen this species is the
great scrub clothing the banks of the river Murray in South
Australia, where it was not uncommon, but so excessively
shy that I obtained but a single specimen during my stay in
the district. Its timidity being so great, and its natural
habitat the more dense parts of the scrub, it is a species
which must for a long time be exceedingly scarce in our
collections.

With the exception of its being even more shy, its whole
habits and economy appeared to be very similar to those of
the preceding species {H. pyrrliopijgia). It carries its tail
perfectly erect, and hops over the ground and threads the
bushes with the greatest ease, generally keeping among the
more dense parts of the low bushes, and only exposing itself
on the outermost twigs when desirous of pouring forth its song,
which is sweet and harmonious.

In size the H. cauta is rather less than the H. pyrrliopygiay
has the markings of the under surface much bolder, and the
chestnut-coloured mark on the rump of a much deeper tint.

Line from the base of the upper mandible along the side of
the face and over the eye white ; above this a narrow line of
black ; crown of the head and all the upper surface brown ;
upper and under tail-coverts bright chestnut; wing-coverts
brown, edged with brownish white j primaries brown, with

348 BIRDS or AUSTRALIA.

the outer web white at the base, forming a conspicuous spot
in the centre of the wing ; tail blackish brown, tipped with
white ; throat striated with black and white, produced by
each feather being black down the centre iind fringed with
white ; flanks mottled brown and white ; abdomen white ;
bill dark brown; irides buffy white; feet flesh-brown.

When I characterized this species in the ' Proceedings of
the Zoological Society of London,' I had only seen a single
example ; I have since received a second, proving the correct-
ness of my view of its being quite distinct from the H.pyrrho-
jpygia, a fact disputed by the late Mr. Strickland, who stated
it to be his opinion that H. pyrrhopygia and H. cauta were
one and the same species, but who, upon an examination of
the specimens themselves, acknowledged he was in error.

Total length 5f inches ; bill yq ; wing 2-g^ ; tail 2 J ; tarsi f .

Genus PYCNOPTILUS, Gould.

Of this form only a single species is known, all the in-
formation respecting which will be found below. Although I
do not doubt that it is really an inhabitant of Australia, I
have no positive evidence on this point. The type specimen
is in the British Museum.

Sp. 207. PYCNOPTILUS FLOCCOSUS, Gould.

Downy Pycnoptilus.

Pycnoptilus floccosus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xviii. pp. 95,
279.

Pycnoptilus floccosus, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol.. Supplement,
pi.

I know nothing of the habits and economy of this bird,
nor what part of Australia it inhabits. I purchased it of
Mr. Warwick, who had obtained it in a small collection of
birds said to have been formed in the interior of New South
Wales towards the river Morumbidgee. Judging from its

INSESSORES. 349

very thick clothing and overhanging back-feathers, I conclude
that, like the members of the genus Basyornis, it is a fre-
quenter of the ground in dense and scrubby places — a
conjecture which I should be happy to have verified by
residents in New South Wales who may be favourably
situated for observing it.

General plumage brown, inclining to rufous on the lower
part of the back, upper tail-coverts, and tail ; forehead, lores,
throat, and breast dark reddish bufiF, with a very narrow
crescent of dark brown at the tip of each feather ; centre of
the abdomen greyish brown, crossed by crescentic bands of
black ; flanks and vent brown, passing into deep rufous on
the under tail-coverts ; bill brown ; base of under mandible
fleshy brown ; legs and feet fleshy brown.

Total length 6f inches ; bill f ; wing 2f ; tail 2f ; tarsi 1 J.

Genus CISTICOLA, Kaup.

These little bu-ds are most perplexing, and the due eluci-
dation of the Australian members of this form can only be
effected by resident ornithologists ; to this subject I would
therefore direct the special attention of Mr. Ramsay of New
South Wales, Mr. White of South Australia, or any other
person favourably located for investigating them. A know-
ledge of the changes of the plumage, if any, of a single species
would be a key to the whole. By closely watching the birds
while breeding, obtaining the mated pairs, ascertaining the
sex of each by dissection, and by observing the young from
youth to maturity, the matter might easily be determined.

Sp. 208. CISTICOLA MAGNA, Gould.

Great Grass-Warbler.
Cysticola campestris, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xiii. p. 20.

Cysticola magna, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iii. pi. 41.
This is one of the largest species of the group, and hence

350 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

I have assigned to it the distinctive appellation of magna.
Nothing whatever is known of its habits and manners ; but we
may reasonably infer that they are very similar to those of its
congeners. The precise locality it inhabits is also unknown,
the specimen from which my description was taken having been
obtained from a general collection of Australian birds, without
the situation in which it had been procured being attached
to it.

Head rusty red ; back and wing-coverts brownish grey ;
all the feathers of the upper surface with a broad stripe of
dark brown down the centre ; wings blackish brown, the
primaries margined externally with rusty red, and the second-
aries edged all round with brownish grey ; tail reddish brown,
all but the two centre feathers with a large spot of black near
the tip ; all the under surface pale buff.

Total length 5f inches ; bill f ; wing 2f ; tail 2f ; tarsi J.

Sp.-209. CISTICOLA EXILIS.

Exile Grass-Warbler.

Exile Warbler, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. vii. p. 136.
Malurus exilis, Lath. MS., Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv.
p. 223.

Cysticola exilis, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iii. pi. 42.

This species appears to have been first noticed by Latham in
the seventh volume of his " General History of Birds " under
the title of Exile Warbler, and to have been subsequently placed
in the genus Cisticola by Vigors and Horsfield while engaged
in naming the collection of Australian birds in the possession
of the Linnean Society. Its natural habitat is New South
Wales and South Australia, in both of which colonies I
observed it to be abundantly dispersed among the thick beds
of grasses which clothe the valleys and open plains. I have
never received it from either of the other colonies, all of
which, however, are inhabited by nearly allied species. It is

INSESSORES. 351

very retiring in its habits, generally creeping about among
the grasses, and will almost admit of being trodden upon
before it will rise and take wing; during the months of
spring the male becomes somewhat bolder, and* early in the
morning will frequently perch on the highest of the grasses
and pour forth a pretty but feeble song, resembling that of the
Maluri. As some confusion existed respecting the sexes of
the various species of this genus, I was particular in dissecting
all the individuals I shot, and I can therefore state with cer-
tainty that the plumage of both sexes of this species is per-
fectly similar, and that the only outward difference between
them consists in the female being somewhat smaller than her
mate.

Crown of the head, back, wing-coverts, scapularies, and
tail-feathers brownish black, each feather narrowly margined
with buff; sides and back of the neck and all the under
surface sandy buff, fading into white on the throat and centre
of the abdomen ; bill and feet flesh-brown.

Sp. 210. CISTICOLA LINEOCAPILLA, Gould.

LiNEATED Grass-Warbler.

Cysticola lineocapilla , Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xv. p. 1.
Cisticola lineicapilla, Bonap. Cousp. Gen. Av., torn. i. p. 287^ Cisticola,
sp. 7.

Cysticola lineocapilla, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iii. pi. 43.

The Cisticola litieocapilla is a much smaller and more
delicately formed species than the C. exilis, and may, more-
over, be distinguished from that and every other member of
the genus with which I am acquainted by the lineated form
of the markings of the head. It is a native of the north coast
of Australia, and all the specimens I have seen were from the
neighbourhood of Port Essington. Gilbert states that it " is
very rarely seen, in consequence of its generally inhabiting the
long grass of the swamps, where it creeps about more like a

352 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

mouse than a bird, and if once alarmed it is no easy task to
get a sight of it again ; its note is a short and feeble but very
pleasing song.

" The stomach is muscular, and the food consists of insects
of various kinds."

General plumage pale rufous, vi^ith broad and conspicuous
striae of blackish brown forming lines down the centre of the
feathers of the head and back ; the under surface fading into
white on the throat and centra of the chest ; tail-feathers with
a conspicuous blackish spot on the under surface near the tip ;
irides light reddish brown ; bill and feet fiesh-brown.

Total length 3f inches ; bill ^ ; wing If j tail If ; tarsi f .

Sp. 211. CISTICOLA ISURA, Gould.

Square-tailed Grass-Warbler.
Cysiicola isura, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xv. p. 32.

Cysticola isura, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iii. pi. 44.

I am uncertain whether this bird may not prove to be a
female, or an example in some peculiar state of plumage of
the Cisticola ruficeps. Without a further knowledge of the
subject, I can only view it as distinct, and I have therefore
assigned to it the specific appellation of isura, as indicative
of the shorter and more truncated form of its tail, the prin-
cipal character by which it may be distinguished. Like the
other species of the group, it appears to enjoy an extensive
range over the grassy districts of the country, the specimens
in my possession having been killed on the Liverpool Plains
and at Port Phillip.

Sides and back of the neck and rump pale rufous ; crown
of the head, back, and secondaries deep brownish black, each
feather margined with buff; tail dark brown margined with
buff, and crossed on the under side near the tip with a broad
conspicuous band of black ; under surface deep buff, becoming

INSESSORES. 353

paler on the chin and centre of the abdomen ; bill brown ;
feet yellowish brown.

Total length 4 inches ; bill ^ ; wing If; tail 1-|- ; tarsi f .

Sp. 212. CISTICOLA RUFICEPS, Gould.

RUFOUS-HEADED GrASS-WaRBLER.
Cysticola ruficeps, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part v. p. 150.

Cysticola ruficeps, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ill. pi. 45.

It would give me great pleasure could I communicate any
particulars respecting this pretty little bird, but unfortunately
I am unable so to do, no information of any kind having
as yet reached me; I can only say therefore that I possess
three examples, one from the Liverpool Plains, another from
the district of Port Philip, and a third from the north coast,
which proves that it enjoys a widely extended range of habitat.
The uniform rufous colouring of the head and occiput at once
distinguishes it from all the other Australian members of the
genus. In its habits, manners, and general economy it doubt-
less closely assimilates to its congeners, and like them inhabits
the open grassy glades between the forests, the grassy crowns
of thinly-timbered hills, and all similar situations.

Crown of the head, and back of the neck, rump, chest,
flanks, and thighs delicate fawn-colour, becoming deeper and
redder on the crown and the rump ; upper part of the back,
secondaries, and tail deep brownish black, each feather mar-
gined all round with buff; throat and centre of the abdomen
white ; bill brown ; feet yellowish brown.

Total length 4 inches ; bill \ ; wing If ; tail If ; tarsi f .

Genus SERICORNIS, Gould.

A group of small birds peculiar to Australia, and confined
almost exclusively to the southern portion of the country.
Their habits lead them to frequent the most retired parts of

2 A

354 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

the forests, damp and secluded places, and scrubby gullies
where the herbage is thick and dense ; but some species are
found on the flat islands near the coast, covered with SalsolcB
and other shrub-like trees ; they usually frequent the ground,
over which they pass with celerity, and when their haunts
are intruded upon conceal themselves under the fallen or
dried herbage. They all build domed nests like that of the
common Wren {Troglodytes EuropcBus) ; and their plumage is
of a soft and silky character, impervious to wet.

The members of this genus, like the CisticolcBy require to
be more closely investigated than I had opportunities of
doing during my brief sojourn in the localities they frequent.
It is just possible that one or two of them must be united ;
but, after having had numerous examples before me for nearly
thirty years, I can come to no other conclusion than that the
species hereafter described are really distinct.

Sp. 213. SERICORNIS CITREOGULARIS, Gould.
Yellow-throated Sericornis.

Sericornis citreogularis, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part v. p. 133.
Muscicapa harbata, Lath. Ind. Orn., Supp. p. 11?

Sericornis citreogiQaris, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iii.
pi. 46.

This is the largest and most attractive species of the genus
yet discovered, and, so far as I am aware, its habitat is
restricted to the south-eastern portions of Australia, where it
dwells exclusively in the districts known by the name of
" brushes." I personally observed it in those of lUawarra
and the Hunter, and in the cedar-brushes of the Liverpool
range. It frequents the most retired parts of the forest,
living in gullies and under the canopy of lofty trees, hopping
about among the stems of the tree fern, fallen trunks of
patriarchal gums, and moss-covered stones. It rarely flies,
and, when disturbed, seeks seclusion and safety by hopping

INSESSORES. 355

away among the underwood. Its food, whicli consists of
insects of various kinds, is obtained on the ground or among
the trunks of the prostrate trees, over which and the large
stones it passes with much ease and agihty.

The sexes are very similar in colour, but the female may at
all times be distinguished by her smaller size and the less
strongly contrasted tints of her plumage, particularly in the
hue of the streak running through the eye and extending
over the ear-coverts, which is neither so dark nor so broad as
in the male.

One of the most interesting points connected with the
history of this species is the situations chosen for its nest.
All those who have rambled in the Australian forests must
have observed that in their more dense and humid parts there
is a redundant growth of mosses of various kinds, and that
these mosses not only grow upon the trunks of decayed
trees, but are often accumulated at the extremities of the
drooping branches, in masses of sufficient size to admit
of the bird constructing a nest in the centre of them with
so much art that it is impossible to distinguish those
selected for this purpose from any of the other pendulous
masses in the vicinity. These bunches are frequently a yard
in length, and in some instances hang so near the ground as
to strike the head of the explorer during his rambles ; while
in others they are placed high up upon the trees, but only in
those parts of the forest where there is an open space entirely
shaded by overhanging foliage. As will be readily conceived,
in whatever situations they are met with, they at all times
form a remarkable and conspicuous feature in the forest
scenery. Although the nest is constantly disturbed by the
wind and liable to be shaken when the tree is disturbed, so
secure does the inmate consider itself from danger or in-
trusion of any kind, that I have frequently captiu'ed the
female while sitting on her eggs.

The nest is formed of the inner bark of trees, intermingled

2a 2

35G BIRDS or AUSTRALIA.

with green moss, dried grasses, and fibrous roots, and is
warmly lined witli feathers. The eggs, which are three in
number and much elongated in form, vary considerably in
colour, the most constant tint being a clove- brown, freckled
over the larger end with dark umber-brown, frequently
assuming the form of a complete band or zone : their
medium length is one inch, and their breadth eight lines.

Lores, circle around the eye, and the ear-coverts deep
black ; a conspicuous line of yellowish white above and for
some distance beyond the eye ; crown of the head, and all
the upper surface, secondaries, wing-coverts, and tail reddish
brown, becoming more rufous on the upper tail-coverts and
tail ; outer edges of the primaries olive ; spurious wing
blackish brown ; throat yellow ; chest and flanks olive-brown ;
centre of the abdomen white ; bill brownish black ; irides
reddish brown ; legs purplish flesh-colour, in some specimens
flesh- white.

Total length 5^ inches ; bill f ; wing 2f ; tail 2f ; tarsi 1-g-.

Sp. 214. SERICORNIS HUMILIS, Gould.

SoMBRE-COLOURED SeRICORNIS.
Serico7'nis humilis, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part v. p. 133.

Sericomis humilis, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iii. pi. 47. •

This species is very generally dispersed over Tasmania ; and
as I have found it on some of the islands in Bass's Straits, it
is not improbable that it may also extend its range to the
southern coast of the continent of Austraha. Ravines, deep
glens, water-courses covered with dense herbage, and thickly-
wooded copses are the situations congenial to its habits.
Although abundant and generally distributed, it is a bird that
is less seen, and one whose habits are less known than most
others inhabiting the island. In many of its actions it closely
resembles the Troglodytes Europcsus, particularly in its manner

INSESSORES. 357

of hopping about on the ground, and from stone to stone, with
its tail erect, in search of insects, upon which it solely sub-
sists. It rarely flies more than a few yards at a time, but
secretes itself in the midst of the little thicket in which it
has taken up its abode. The male constantly cheers his mate
\yith a pretty lively song, which, although neither loud nor
voluminous, serves to give life to its secluded abode, which
in many instances is in the depths of the forests, where few
sounds are heard except the monotonous note of the Honey-
sucker, and the perpetual rippling of the rivulet as it steals
over the stony bed of the gully.

The sexes presenting no difference in the colouring of the
plumage, by dissection alone can they be distinguished.

There is but little difficulty in finding the nest ; for al-
though it is in general very artfully concealed among the
herbage at the base of a tree, on the edge of a shelving
bank, or among the thick tangle of the scrub, the actions of
the old birds soon indicate its site. It is of rather a large
size and of a domed form, outwardly composed of any coarse
materials at hand, such as leaves, tufts of grass, roots, &c.,
the interior beino- formed of similar substances, but of a
finer kind, and the whole carefully lined with feathers. The
eggs, which are large for the size of the bird, are three in
number, of a reddish white, curiously freckled and marked
all over with reddish brown, particularly at the larger end,
where the markings assume the form of a zone ; they are ten
and a half lines long by eight lines broad.

Lores blackish brown, above which an obscure stripe of
white ; crown of the head and all the upper surface, wings,
and tail dark olive-brown with a tinge of red, which becomes
more conspicuous on the rump and tail-feathers ; spurious
wing blackish brown, each feather margined with white ;
throat greyish white, spotted with blackish brown ; chest and
centre of the abdomen brownish yellow, the former singularly
but more obscurely spotted than the throat ; flanks chestnut-

358 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

brown ; bill blackish brown ; legs dark brown ; irides straw-
yellow.

Total length 5 inches; bill f ; wing 2f ; tail 2^; tarsi 1.

Sp.215. SERICORNIS OSCULANS, Gould.

Allied Sertcornis. »

Sericomis osculans, Gould in Proc. of Zool. See, part xv. p. 3.

Sericornis osculans, Grould, Birds of Australia, fol., voL iii. pi. 48.

The Sericornis osculans inhabits South Australia, where it
frequents underwoods, scrubby places, and the bottoms of dry
water-courses ; it is naturally shy and retiring in its habits,
and evades pursuit by creeping beneath the herbage and
making its exit on the other side. It is nearly allied to the
S. frontalis and S. hiimilis; but differs from the former in
having at all times numerous longitudinal blotches of black
on the throat, and from the latter in these spots being much
more distinct. I have seen specimens in which the yellow
tint which pervades the centre of the abdomen has given place
to grey or greyish white.

The sexes present the usual characteristic of the genus, in
the absence of any black mark on the lores of the female,
which are similar to the other parts of the body.

All the upper surface, wings, and tail dark brown, all but
the two centre feathers of the latter crossed by an obscure
band of black near the extremity ; spurious wing-feathers
black, margined with white ; lores black, above which on
each a patch of white, continued in a fine line over the eye ;
throat and centre of the abdomen greyish white in some and
yellowish white in others, marked with a few oblong black
spots on the throat.

The female is somewhat smaller in size, and has the lores
brown instead of black.

Total length 4^ inches ; bill | ; wing 2J ; tail 2 ; tarsi |.

INSESSORES. 359

Sp.21G. SERICORNIS FRONTALIS.

White-fronted Sericornis.

Acanthiza frontalis, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol.xv. p. 326.
Sericornis parvulus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part v. p. 134.

Sericornis frontalis, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol, vol. iii. pi. 49.

This little bird inhabits the brushes, and those humid situa-
tions which are clothed with thick underwood, such as the sides
of creeks, gullies, &c. The locality in which it is most abundant
is the south-eastern part of Australia, where it is very nume-
rous in all the dense forests which stretch along the coast
between Sydney and Moreton Bay ; and 1 believe I may safely
state that its range does not extend westward of the 134th
degree of East longitude, beyond which a nearly-allied species
is found; the species, therefore, inosculate about Spencer's
and St. Vincent's Gulfs in South Australia. Like the other
members of the genus, this bird generally hops about the
bottoms of the brushes, selecting in preference the most
humid parts, where rotten wood and moss-covered stones
afford some peculiar species of insect food, upon which it is
destined to live. The present is one of the smallest species
of its form yet discovered, and was always a favourite with
me ; for in the inmost recesses of the forest the presence of
this little bird, hopping about from stone to stone in search
of its insect food, now and then broke the monotony of the
scene with its inward warbling strain.

The sexes present so little difference in colour that they
cannot be distinguished with certainty ; the female, however,
is somewhat smaller than the male. The young birds differ
from the adult in having a few faint spots on the throat, which
are entirely lost as they advance in age.

The nest of this species is made of leaves, moss, and fibrous
roots, and lined with feathers ; it is sometimes placed under
the shelving of a bank, and at others at the foot of a tuft of

860 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

grass or herbage, beneath a stone, &c. ; it is spherical in
form, with a small neatly-made hole for an entrance. The
breeding-season includes August and the three or four follow-
ing months, during which period two or three broods are
usually reared. The eggs, which are generally three in num-
ber, are of a dull flesh-white, freckled and streaked with pur-
plish brown, particularly at the larger end; their medium
length is ten lines, and breadth seven and a half lines.

Centre of the forehead, lores, and a line beneath the eye
black ; over the eye a line of greyish white ; crown of the
head, all the upper surface, wings, and tail olive-brown;
wing-coverts tipped with white ; spurious wing blackish
brown ; throat white, striated with black ; centre of the
chest and abdomen citron-yellow; flanks olive-brown; bill
blackish brown ; feet yellowish white.

Sp.217. SERICORNIS LiEVIGASTER, Co^^/^Z.

Buff-breasted Sericornis.
Sericornis Icevigaster, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xv. p. 3.

Sericornis Isevigaster, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iii. pi. 50.

This species, although nearly allied to the 8. maculatus, is
distinguished by the entire absence of spots on the throat and
chest, and by having the tail-feathers largely tipped with
white.

The acquisition of a male and a female is part of the
results of Dr. Leichardt's overland expedition from Moreton
Bay to Port Essington, an example of each sex having been
killed by Gilbert on the 30th of November 1844 ; but there
is no information whatever respecting them in his Journal.

All the upper surface brown ; tail deepening into black
near the extremity and tipped with white ; spurious wing-
feathers dark brown, margined with white on their inner
webs ; lores and mark under the eye brownish black ; above

INSESSORES. 361

the eye an indistinct line of white; all the under surface
washed with yellowish buff; irides greenish white.

The female presents the usual differences, being somewhat
smaller in size and wanting the black mark on the lores.

Total length 4 J inches ; bill f ; wing 2^ ; tail 2 ; tarsi |.

Sp. 218. SERICORNIS MACULATUS, Gould,

Spotted Sericornis.

Sericornis maculatus, Gould iti Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xv. p. 2.
Goor-gal, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western Austraha.

Sericornis maculatus, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iii. pi. 51,

The present bird, to which I have assigned the specific
term of maculatus, has always been a source of perplexity to
me, from the circumstance of its varying considerably in its
markings ; after mature consideration, however, I am induced
to regard the specimens from Southern and Western Aus-
tralia and the north coast as referable to one and the same
species, each however possessing trivial differences by which
it may be known from whence it was received. Specimens
from the Houtman's Abrolhos are of a rather smaller size, of
a much greyer tint on the back, and have much darker-
coloured legs. I believe that the bright yellow wash on the
under surface of some individuals is characteristic of newly
moulted birds : in this species, not only is the throat spotted
with black, but the spotting extends over the chest and some
distance down the flanks ; it has at all times the tail tipped
with white, a character which serves at once to distinguish it
from S. osculans and S. frontalis. Scrubby places and ravines
covered with dense herbage, whether in sterile or humid
situations, are its favourite resort. It has the same shy dis-
position and retiring habits as the other members of the
genus, depending for safety rather upon its creeping, mouse-
like habits than upon its powers of flight, which are indeed
seldom resorted to.

362 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Its note is a harsh, grating kind of twitter, often repeated.

The nest is a warm, dome-shaped structure, formed of leaves
and grasses, and Hned with feathers ; the eggs, which are
reddish white, minutely freckled and streaked with reddish
brown, particularly at the larger end, are three in number,
and nine lines long by seven lines broad.

All the upper surface, wings, and tail brown ; the latter
crossed near the tip with a broad band of blackish brown,
and the outer feathers slightly tipped with white ; forehead
and lores deep black ; stripe above and a small patch below
the eye white ; spurious wing-feathers black, margined on
their inner web with white ; under surface in some specimens
greyish white, in others washed with yellow ; the feathers of
the throat and chest spotted with black on a light ground ;
irides greenish white.

The female is somewhat smaller than her mate, and has the
lores brown instead of black ; in other respects her plumage
is very similar to that of the male.

Total length 4 J inches ; bill f ; wing 2i ; tail 2 ; tarsi J.

Sp. 219. SERICORNIS MAGNIROSTRIS, Gould.

Large-billed Sericornis.
Acanthiza magnirostra, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part v. p. 146.

Sericornis magnirostris, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iii.
pi. 52.

The Sericornis mapiirostris is an inhabitant of the brushes
of New South Wales, both those which clothe the gulhes and
sides of the mountain -ranges of the interior, and those near
the coast, such as occur at Illawarra and on the banks of
the Hunter, the Clarence, the Macleay, and other rivers.
Although it has nothing either in its form or colouring to
recommend it to notice, it must always be an object of
interest, from the very singular nest it constructs, and which,
like that of Sericornis citreo^ularis, forms a remarkable

INSESSORES. 363

object in the scenery of the portion of the country it inhabits.
It is formed of a large loose mass of moss, and, being attached
to the extreme tips of the pendant branches, waves about
with every wind that blows ; it is very frequently constructed
within reach of the hand, but is more often suspended at
about ten and sometimes as high as thirty feet from the
ground; occasionally two or three are constructed together
under a dense canopy of foliage, overhanging water or a deep
and gloomy gully, and then present a very singular appear-
ance. I procured several examples by shooting the branch
asunder just above the nest, which so perfectly resembles the
tufts of living moss attached to many of the extremities of
the branches of the trees, that it is impossible to distinguish
the one from the other ; and it is a question whether the bird
purposely builds its nest in imitation of these hanging masses,
or whether, by a little architectural skill, it converts one of
them into a receptacle for its eggs. The breeding-season
commences in August and continues until February, during
which period many broods are reared. I procured a nest in
September, out of which flew three young birds, and others
during the same month which contained eggs so recently laid
that they could scarcely have been sat upon. The eggs are
generally two or three in number ; their ground-colour varies
from bluish white to dull reddish white, with the larger end
sparingly washed, freckled, and streaked with dark brown ;
they are large for the size of the bird, being nine and a half
lines long by seven lines broad.

The large-billed Sericornis is a very active but shy bird,
keeping much among the branches of the high trees, where
it gains a plentiful supply of insect food ; it may, however, be
easily enticed into view by imitating the squeak of its young.

The sexes do not differ in external appearance, nor do the
young when fully fledged offer any variation in colour from
the adult.

Crown of the head, all the upper surface, wings, and tail

364 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

olive-brown, the forehead and tail becoming rufous brown ;
throat and chest brownish white; abdomen greyish white,
passing into bright olive-green on the lower part of the flanks ;
bill black ; feet light brown ; irides brown.

Total length 4f inches ; bill f ; wing 3J ; tail 1| ; tarsi f .

Genus ACANTHIZA, Vigors and Horsfield.

With the exception of the north coast, the AcantJdzcd are
dispersed over all the wooded districts of the continent of
Australia and Tasmania : some species frequent the brushes,
while others tenant the shrubs and belts of trees on the plains ;
others again are only found in such districts as the belts of
the Murray.

Like some other groups, the Acanthizce admit of division
into two or more sections, some being feeble in structure, and
strictly arboreal in their habits, while others resort to the
ground ; for two of the latter, A. chri/sorrhcea and A. reguloides,
M. Cabanis has proposed the generic appellation of Geoba-
sileus, which I shall accordingly adopt. The nests of all the
species that I have seen are of a domed form.

The members of this genus are frequently the foster-
parents of the Shining Cuckoo {Chrysococcyx lucidm).

Sp. 220. ACANTHIZA PUSILLA.

Little Brown Acanthiza.

Sylvia pusilla, Lath. Ind. Orn., Supp. p. Ivi.

Motacilla pusilla, White's Journ., pi. in p. 257.

Dwarf Warbler, Lath. Gen. Syn., Supp. vol. ii. p. 251.

Acanthiza pusilla, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 227, note.

Acanthiza pusilla, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iii. pi. 53.

The present bird is very generally dispersed over New
South Wales, where it inhabits the brushes, thickets, and
gardens. It is most nearly allied to the A. diemcnensis, but

INSESSORES. 365

may be distinguished from that species by its more diminutive
size, by its much shorter bill, and smaller tail. It is an
active prying little bird, and spends much of its time amid
the smaller leafy branches of the trees, from among which it
collects its insect food : the tail is generally carried above the
line of the body. The nest is of a dome-shaped form, and is
constructed of fine dried grasses and hairy fibres of bark,
intermingled and bound together with the hairy cocoons of a
species of Lepidopterous insect, and lined with feathers. The
eggs are four or five in number, of a beautiful pearly white,
sprinkled and spotted with fine specks of reddish brown,
forming in some instances a zone near the larger end ; their
medium length is eight lines and a half, by six lines in
breadth.

The sexes are so precisely similar in outward appearance
that dissection must be resorted to to distinguish the one
from the other.

Forehead buff", each feather edged with brown; all the
upper surface and wings brown, tinged with olive; tail
reddish olive, crossed near the tip by a narrow band of
black ; throat and chest greyish white, each feather margined
with black, giving that part a mottled appearance; flanks,
abdomen, and under tail-coverts buff"; irides brownish red;
bill dark brown ; feet brown.

Sp. 221. ACANTHIZA DIEMENENSIS, Gould.
Tasmantan Acanthiza.

Acanthiza diemenensis, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part v. p. 146.

ewingii, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xv. p. 32 ; Id. Birds

of Aust. foL, vol. iii. pi. 55 ?
Bruiun-tuil, Colonists of Tasmania.

Acanthiza diemenensis, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iii.
pi. 54.

I believe this species to be peculiar to Tasmania, over the

366 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

whole of which country it is rather numerously dispersed,
and where it inhabits forests and open woodlands, but evinces
a preference to low and shrub-like trees rather than to those
of a higher growth. It also frequents the gardens and shrub-
beries of the colonists ; it is consequently one of the com-
monest and one of the best-known birds of the island. Active
and sprightly in its actions, it pries about the foliage with the
most scrutinizing care in search of insects and their larvae,
which constitute its sole food. It frequently utters a rather
loud harsh note, which is sometimes changed for a more full
and clear strain ; still its vocal powers are by no means con-
spicuous. It has a much more lengthened bill, and is alto-
gether a larger bird than the Acanthiza pusilla, whose habitat
seems restricted to the south-eastern portion of the Austra-
lian continent. The nest of this little bu-d, which is usually
built in a low shrub, is rather a dense structure, being formed
of grasses, fibrous roots, and the inner bark of trees, warmly
lined with feathers ; it is of a globular form, with a small hole
in the side near the top for an entrance. The eggs are four
or five in number, of a beautiful pearly bluish white, sprinkled
and spotted with reddish brown. In some instances the spots
form a zone round the larger end. The medium length of the
eggs is eight lines and a half, and breadth six lines.

Independently of the task of incubating its own offspring,
this species very frequently has to perform the additional
labour of hatching and rearing the young of the Bronze Cuckoo
{Chrysococcyx lucidus), whose single egg or young is often
found in the nest. It is a very early breeder, commencing in
August and continuing until January, during which period
two or three broods are generally reared by each pair.

The plumage of the sexes is alike, and their size and
general appearance so similar, that without the aid of dissec-
tion it was impossible to distinguish them.

Forehead rufous brown, each feather with a crescent-shaped
mark of bright buff near its extremity and tipped with black-

INSESSORES. 367

ish brown ; all the upper surface and wings deep olive-brown ;
upper tail-coverts reddish brown ; tail olive-brown, crossed
by a band of blackish brown ; cheeks, throat, and chest grey-
ish white, each feather margined with a broken line of deep
brown ; abdomen and under tail-coverts greyish white, tinged
with rufous, which is deepest on the flanks and under tail-
coverts ; bill dark brown ; irides lake-red ; feet brown.
Total length 4 inches ; bill yq ; wing 2 J ; tail 2 ; tarsi f .

Sp. 222. ACANTHIZA UROPYGIALIS, Gould.

Chestntjt-rumped Acanthiza.
Acanthiza uropygialis, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part v. p. 146.

Acanthiza uropygialis, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iii.
pi. 56.

I received examples of this new and well-marked species
from New South Wales, and believe that they had been col-
lected either on the Liverpool Plains or the country imme-
diately to the northward of them ; but as there is some
degree of uncertainty as to the locality in which they were
procured, a knowledge of the true habitat of the species is
very desirable, and I should be happy if this could be ascer-
tained.

The chestnut colour pervading the basal half of the tail and
the tail-coverts forms a very conspicuous mark, and presents
a strong contrast to the remainder of the plumage. That its
habits, actions, and economy are very similar to those of the
other members of the genus, there can be no doubt ; but on
these points also I am compelled to silence, no notes of any
kind having been sent with the specimens.

Head, upper surface, and wings brown, slightly tinged with
olive ; the feathers on the forehead tipped with a lighter co-
lour ; rump and upper tail-coverts rich reddish chestnut ; tail-
feathers brownish black, largely tipped with white, which on

368 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

the two centre feathers is tinged with brown ; throat, chest,
and centre of the abdomen greyish white ; flanks and under
tail-coverts buffy white ; bill and feet black.

Total length 3f inches ; bill | ; wing 2 ; tail If ; tarsi J.

Sp. 223. ACANTHIZA APICALIS, Gould.

Western Acanthiza.

Acanthiza apicalis, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xv. p. 31.
Djool-he-djuul-bung, Aborigines of the lowland districts of Western

Australia.
Wren, Colonists of Swan River.

Acanthiza apicalis, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ill. pi. 57.

This species, which is a native of Western Austraha, is
distinguished from those immediately allied to it, A. dieme-
nensis and A. pimlla, by its large size, by its larger and
rounder tail, by the broad and distinct band of black which
crosses the tail-feathers near their extremities, and by their
being largely tipped with white.

It occurs in great abundance in the colony of Western
Australia, both at Swan River and King George's Sound, and
is to be met with in all wooded situations. Like the other
members of the genus, it is active and sprightly in its actions,
leaping about from branch to branch with its tail erect, and
often repeating a note which very much resembles the sylla-
bles Gee-wo-wut. Its stomach is somewhat muscular, and the
food consists of small insects of various kinds.

It breeds in September and October. The nest, which is
usually placed in a thickly-foliaged bush, or in a clump of the
Tea-tree, is of a domed form, with an entrance in the side,
and is composed of dried grasses and strips of Tea-tree bark,
and lined with feathers. The eggs are from three to five in
number, of a flesh-white, thickly freckled with reddish chest-
nut, the freckles becoming so numerous at the larger end as

INSESSORES. 309

to form a complete zone ; their medium length is eight lines,
and breadth six lines.

The sexes are alike in plumage, but the female is somewhat,
smaller than the male.

Feathers of the forehead deep buff, edged with dark brown ;
all the upper surface, wings, and tail light olive-brown ; tail
crossed with a broad and distinct band of brownish black
near the extremity, and largely tipped with white ; upper
tail-coverts tinged with rufous ; throat and chest greyish ;
tail-coverts pale buff white, each feather margined with black,
giving that part a mottled appearance ; flanks, abdomen, and
under irides light red ; bill, legs, and feet dark brown.

Total length 4 inches ; bill ^ ; wing 2 ; tail 2 ; tarsi J.

Sp. 224. ACANTHIZA PYRRHOPYGIA, Gould.
Red-rumped Acanthiza.

Acanthiza pyrrhopygia, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iiL
pi. 58.

This species differs from the AcanthizcB diemenensis, pusilla,
and apicalis, in having a shorter and more robust bill, and in
the greater depth of the red colouring on the rump and upper
tail-coverts ; it also differs from the two former in having the
tail tipped with white, in which respect it assimilates to the
A. apicalis and A. uropyyialis, to the former of which it is
most nearly allied.

I discovered this species in the Belts of the Murray, where
it inhabits the small shrubby trees ; upon first seeing it, I at
once perceived that it was a distinct species by the red
colouring of the rump, which showed very conspicuously at
the distance of several yards, and also by the peculiarity of
its note. In its actions it very closely assimilates to the other
members of the genus, being an alert and quick little bird,
carrying its tail above the level of the back, and showing the
red colouring of the coverts to the greatest advantage. I

2 B

370 BIRDS or AUSTRALIA.

succeeded in killing both sexes, and found that they exhibit
no outward difference, and are only to be distinguished with
certainty by dissection.

All the upper surface and wings olive-brown, the feathers
of the forehead margined with buff; wings brown with pale
edges ; throat white, each feather margined with black ;
abdomen whitish; flanks pale bufi"; upper tail-coverts rufous;
tail olive, crossed by a broad band of black, and tipped on the
outer webs with pale olive, on the inner webs with white ;
bill blackish brown, under mandible somewhat lighter ; feet
brown ; irides reddish brown.

Total length 4 inches ; bill | ; wing 2 ; tail If ; tarsi f .

Sp. 225. ACANTHIZA INORNATA, Gould.

Plain-coloured Acanthiza.

Acanthiza inornata, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part viii. p. 171.
Djo-hul-djo'bul, Aborigines of the lowland districts of Western Aus-
tralia.

Acanthiza inornata, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ill. pi. 59.

Although neither elegant in form nor characterized by any
beauty of plumage, the present little bird demands as much
of our attention as any other species of the group. Its true
habitat seems to be the south-western parts of Australia, for
it is numerously dispersed over the colony of Swan River ; it
is equally abundant at King George's Sound ; and as I killed
specimens on the small low islands at the mouths of Spencer's
and St, Vincent's Gulfs, it is most probable that its range
extends all along the coast between those localities. Inde-
pendently of its plainer colourhig, the truncated form of its
tail serves at once to distinguish it from the Acanthiza
apicalis, with which it is often seen in company ; unlike the
latter bird however it does not erect its tail, but carries it in
a line with the body.

Its note is a little feeble song somewhat resembling that of

INSESSORES. 371

the Maluri. It feeds solely on minute insects of various
kinds, in searching for which it assumes the usual clinging
and prying positions of other insectivorous birds which seek
their food among the leaves and branches of shrubs and trees.

It breeds in November ; the nest, which is of a domed
form, being placed in some low shrub, often in that of the
jam-v4^ood, and composed of grasses lined with a few feathers.

The eggs are five in number, and of a white colour, slightly
tinged with greenish grey ; they measure seven and a half
lines long by five and a half lines broad.

No visible difference is observable in the sexes.

All the upper surface, wings, and tail olive-brown ; pri-
maries dark brown ; tail crossed by a broad band of brownish
black; all the under surface light buff; irides greenish white ;
bill and feet black.

Total length 3^ inches j bill \ \ wing 1| j tail 1^ ; tarsi -jV-

Sp. 226. ACANTHIZA NANA, Vig. and Horsf.

Little Acanthiza.

Dwarf Warbler, var. A, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. viii. p. 134 ?
Acanthiza nana, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 226.

Acanthiza nana, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iii. pi. 60.

This little bird, which is very generally distributed over the
colonies of New South Wales and South Austraha, frequents
the extremities of the branches of the various trees, without,
so far as I could observe, evincing a partiality for any par-
ticular kind ; the CasuarincB on \ks.^ banks of creeks, the
Eucalypti of the plains, and the belts of Banlsice being
equally resorted to by it. Mhiute insects constitute its sole
food, and in the capture of these it exhibited many lively
and varied actions, which strongly reminded me of those of
the Eef/ulus cristatus of England.

The nest is a neat domed structure with a small entrance

2 13 2

372 BIRDS OP AUSTRALIA.

near the top, and is composed of fine grasses ; its site varies
according to circumstances, but is generally among the smaller
branches of the trees. The number and colour of its eggs are
unknown to me.

As its name implies, the Acanthiza nana is one of the more
diminutive, although not the least of the Australian birds.

There is no outward difference by which the sexes can be
distinguished, neither do they undergo any seasonal change,
nor is there any great variation in the colouring of the young
and the adult.

All the upper surface bright olive ; tail greyish brown
tinged with olive, and crossed by a broad band of blackish
brown ; throat and under surface yellow ; irides brown with
a very narrow rim of yellowish white ; bill and feet blackish
brown.

Sp. 227. ACANTHIZA LINEATA, Gould.

Striated Acanthiza.
Acanthiza lineata, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part v. p. 14G.

Acanthiza lineata, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ill. pi. 61.

This pretty httle species inhabits most of the wooded dis-
tricts of South Australia, particularly the gullies among the
mountain ranges ; it is also tolerably abundant among the
brushes and trees near the brooks and rivulets of the Liver-
pool range in New South Wales. It is very active and
animated in its actions, clinging and prying about among the
branches in search of insects in every variety of position. It
is a permanent resident in the countries above-mentioned, but
is not found in Tasmania or Western Australia. Unfortu-
nately I did not succeed in procuring its nest, but judging
from those of the other members of the genus, it is doubtless
of a domed form.

Its food consists entirely of insects, which are procured
from the leaves and flowers of the various trees.

INSESSORES. 873

The sexes can only be distinguished by dissection, for no
perceptible difference whatever is observable either in their
size or the colouring of their plumage.

This species, the least of the genus to which it belongs, may
be thus described : —

Crown of the head brownish olive, with a fine line of white
down the centre of each feather ; back and wings greenish
olive ; tail the same, crossed by a broad band of brownish
black near the tip, beyond which the extremities are brownish
grey; throat and chest grey, tinged with olive, the margins
of the feathers spotted with dark brown, giving these parts
an irregular spotted appearance; bill and feet black; irides
brown.

Total length 3f inches ; bill f ; wing 2 ; tail If ; tarsi f .

Sp. 228. ACANTHIZA MAGNA, Gould.

Great Acanthiza.

Acanthiza magna, Gould, Birds of Australia, Supplement, pi.

For the knowledge of this new and very distinct species of
Acanthiza I am indebted to Ronald C. Gunn, Esq., a gentle-
man who has long resided in Tasmania, and whose name will
be for ever perpetuated in the annals of science for the nume-
rous botanical discoveries made by him in the island he has
adopted as his home. I have carefully compared the specimen
sent to me by Mr. Gunn, and which had been collected in the
northern part of Tasmania, with other members of the genus,
and have no hesitation in pronouncing it to be previously
unknown. In size it approaches the smaller species of Seri-
cornis ; but in its structure and the character of its plumage,
it is closely allied to the members of the genus in which I
have placed it.

Head, all the upper surface, sides of the neck, and flanks
olive-brown, becoming of a more rufous hue on the rump and
upper tail-coverts ; wings blackish brown, washed with olive

374 BIRDS or AUSTRALIA.

Oil the external webs ; coverts, particularly the greater ones,
tipped with white ; primaries narrowly edged with grey,
innermost secondaries margined all romid the tip with white ;
tail olive, crossed near the tip by a broad band of dusky
brown, beyond which the external feathers are margined on
both webs with greyish white ; lores black ; ear-coverts slaty
brown ; throat and under surface straw-yellow ; bill blackish
brown ; feet fleshy brown.

Total length 4f inches ; bill f ; wing 2 f ; tail 2 ; tarsi -§-.

Genus GEOBASILEUS, Cabanis

In my remarks on the members of the genus AcantMza^ I
stated that those birds might be divided into two or three
sections, and this view has been taken by M. Cabanis, who
has proposed the above generic title for the birds figured in
the folio edition as Acanthiza chrysorrhcea and A. reguloides.

Sp. 229. GEOBASILEUS CHRYSORRHOUS.

Yellow-rumped Gesobasileus.

Saxicola chrysorrhcBa, Quoy and Gaim. Voy. de I'Astrolabe, p. 198,

pi. 10. fig. 2.
Geobasileus chrysorrhous, Cab. Mus. Hein., Theil i. p. 32.
Jee-da, Aborigines of the lowland districts of Western Australia.

Acanthiza chrysorrhoea, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ill.
pi. 63.

This w^ell-known species inhabits Tasmania, Western and
Southern Australia, and New South Wales, in all of which
countries it is a permanent resident. It is generally met with
in small companies of from six to ten in number, and is so
tame that it may be very closely approached before it will rise,
and then it merely flits off to a short distance and alights
again ; during these short flights the yellow of the rump
shows very conspicuously.

INSESSORES. 375

It commences breeding very early, and rears at least three
broods a year. The nest is somewhat carelessly constructed
of leaves, grasses, wool, &c., and is of a domed form, Avith a
small hole for an entrance. But the most curious feature
connected with it is, that a small cup-shaped depression or
second nest, as it were, is frequently formed on the top or
side of the other, and which is said to be either the roosting-
place of the male, or wdiere he may sit in order to be in com-
pany with the female during the task of nidification. I have
myself found many of these double nests, but have not had
opportunities for satisfactorily ascertaining the use of the
upper one. The bird very readily resorts to the gardens of
the settler, and constructs its curious nest in any low shrub.
In Tasmania one of the trees most frequently selected for the
purpose is the prickly Mimosa : in Western Australia it is
suspended from the overhanging branches of the Xanthor-
rhcea, and in the district of the Upper Hunter upon the apple-
trees {AngophorcB). It varies very much in size. The eggs
are generally of a beautiful uniform flesh-colour, but occa-
sionally they are found sprinkled over with very minute specks
of reddish yellow, which in some instances form a zone at the
larger end : they are fom' or five in number, their medium
length being nine lines, and breadth six lines.

This is one of the species to which the Bronze Cuckoo
{Clirysococcyx lucidus) delegates the task of rearing its young.
I have several times taken the egg of the Cuckoo from the
nest of this bird and also the young, in which latter case the
parasitical bird was the sole occupant.

The song of the Geohasilem chrysorfhous is extremely pretty,
many of its notes closely resembling those of the Goldfinch of
Europe {Carduelis elegans). Its food consists of small coleo-
pterous and other kinds of insects.

The sexes are alike in plumage, and may be thus de-
scribed : —

Forehead black, with a spot of white at the tip of each

376 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

feather ; cheeks, throat, and a line from the nostrils over each
eye greyish white ; chest and under surface yellowish white,
passing into light olive-brown on the flanks ; upper surface
and wings olive-brown ; rump and upper tail-coverts bright
citron-yellow ; base of the tail-feathers white, tinged with
yellow; the external margin of the outer feathers and the
tips of all brownish grey, the central portion blackish brown ;
bill and feet blackish brown ; irides very light grey.

Sp. 230. GEOBASILEUS REGULOIDES.
Burr-RUMPED Geobasileus.

Acanthiza reguloides, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 226.
Geobasileus reguloides, Cab. Mus. Hein., Theil i. p. 32, note.
Dwarf Warbler, var. /3 ?, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. vii. p. 135.

Acanthiza reguloides, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ill. pi. 62.

Many of the actions of this little bird offer a close resem-
blance to those of the Geobasileus chrysorrhous -, like that
species, it moves about in small flocks of from eight to fifteen
in number; when flushed shows the yellow or buff of the
rump very conspicuously ; always spreads its tail while flying ;
flits along with a jerking motion, and is very tame. It is ex-
tremely common in South Australia, where I observed it in
every part of the country I visited ; in New South Wales I
found it in the interior beyond the ranges, and also on the
bare ridges between Patrick's Plains and the Liverpool range.
I did not meet with it in Tasmania. It evinces a decided
preference for the open country or hills slightly covered with
brush, where it can feed on the ground and fly to the low
shrub-like trees when disturbed ; I have also seen it busily
engaged among the branches, apparently in search of insects,
in the pursuit of which, like the other members of the genus,
it displays unusual alertness and address.

Its domed nest is placed among the foliage of the gum^
swamp-oak, and other trees, and is composed of fine grasses.

INSESSORES. 377

interwoven with cobwebs, and slightly lined with feathers.
The breeding-season comprises the months of September,
October, and November, and the eggs are four in number.

Crown, back of the neck, upper surface, and wings olive-
brown, the feathers of the forehead tipped with a lighter
colour ; rump, upper and under tail-coverts pale ochre ; throat
and chest white, each feather with a very slight broken
margin of brown ; base of all the tail-feathers pale buff, the
external margin of the outer feathers and the tips of all
brownish buff, the central portion blackish brown ; bill brown,
the under mandible paler than the upper ; feet olive-brown ;
irides beautiful straw-yellow.

Genus EPHTHIANURA, Gould.

The three species of this form at present known inhabit the
southern part of Australia, where they frequent open districts
studded with bushes and low trees.

Sp. 231. EPHTHIANURA ALBIFRONS.

White-fronted Ephthianura.

Acanthiza albifrons, Jard. and Selb. 111. Orn., vol. ii. pi. 56. figs. 1

and 2.
Ephthianura albifrons, Gould, Birds of Australia, vol. i. Introd. p. xlvii.
Cynura torquata, Brehm (Cabanis).

Ephthianura albifrons, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iii.
pi. 64.

This species appears to range over the whole of the southern
portion of the Australian continent, for I have specimens in
my collection which were killed at Swan River, in South
Australia, and in New South Wales. It does not inhabit
Tasmania ; but is very common, and breeds, on some of the
islands in Bass's Straits.

It is a most sprightly and active little bird, particularly the

378 BIRDS or AUSTRALIA.

male, whose white throat and banded chest render him much
more conspicuous than the sombre-coloured female. As the
structure of its toes and lengthened tcrtiaries would lead us
to expect, its natural province is the ground, to which it ha-
bitually resorts, and decidedly evinces a preference to spots of
a sterile and barren character. The male frequently perches
either on the summit of a stone, or on the extremity of a dead
and leafless branch. It is rather shy in its disposition, and
when disturbed flies off with considerable rapidity to the
distance of two or three hundred yards before it alights again.

From some interesting notes on Australian birds by E. P.
Ramsay, Esq., pubhshed in the ' Ibis ' for 1863, I learn that
" These birds arrive in New South Wales about the beginning
of September and October. In the latter month they com-
mence building on open lands studded with low bushes. The
stunted BassaricB, the prickly twigs of which are often used
to form the framework of their nests, seem their favourite
building-places. The nests are usually situated a few inches
from the ground, are cup-shaped, placed upon a strong frame-
work of twigs, and neatly lined with grass, hair, &c. I have
frequently found them among the dead leafy tops of a fallen
Eucali/ptiis which had been left by the wood-cutters when
clearing a piece of new ground.

" The eggs are usually three but sometimes four in num-
ber, from 6-|- to 7 lines long by 5 broad, of a beautiful white,
some spotted and others irregularly marked with bright deep
reddish brown at the larger end, where occasionally they form
an indistinct zone. In some specimens the spots are crowded
at the top, and very sparingly sprinkled on the other parts of
the egg.

" These birds readily betray the position of their nests or
young by their anxiety and attempts to draw one from the
spot by feigning broken wings, and by lying struggling on
the ground as if in a fit. They have two broods (and perhaps
more) in the year, after which the young accompany the

INSESSORES. 379

parent birds to feed generally on the salt marshy grounds
near the water's edge. About Botany and the Paramatta
River, upon the borders of the Hexham swamps, &c., they
are plentiful. They evince a decided preference for open half-
cleared patches of land. I never found more than four or six
together, doubtless the offspring of one pair ; still it is not
unusual to find them in pairs only. As far as I am aware,
they have but one very plaintive note, which is emitted chiefly
while flying or when the nest is approached."

Mr. White, of the Reed-beds near Adelaide, informs me
that a nest taken by him on the 10th of July was placed in
a tuft of rushes near the ground, but he has met with it in
a small bush at a height of two or three feet ; the ground-
colour of the eggs, like many others with thin shells, are of a
pinkish tint before being blown.

The male has the forehead, face, throat, and all the under
surface pure white ; occiput black ; chest crossed by a broad
crescent of deep black, the points of which run up the sides
of the neck and join the black of the occiput ; upper surface
dark grey, with a patch of dark brown in the centre of each
feather ; wings dark brown ; upper tail-coverts black ; two
centre tail-feathers dark brown ; the remainder dark brown,
with a large oblong patch of white on the inner web at the
tip ; irides, in some, beautiful reddish buff, in others yellow
with a slight tinge of red on the outer edge of the pupil ; bill
and feet black.

The female has the crown of the head, all the upper surface,
wings, and tail greyish brown, with a slight indication of the
oblong white spot on the inner webs of the latter ; throat and
under surface buffy white ; and a slight crescent of black on
the chest.

380 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Sp. 232. EPHTHIANURA AURIFRONS, Gould.

Orange-fronted Ephthianura.

EjMhianura aurifrons, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part v. p. 148.
Ephthianura aurifrons, Gould, Bird§ of Aust., vol. i. In trod. p. xlvii.

Ephthianura aurifrons, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iii.
pi. 65.

Skins of this species, which were very rare when I first
described it, are now common, being sent in abundance
from Victoria ; that it also inliabits South Australia we know
from the circumstance of Mr. White informing me that, in an
ornithological trip made by him to the north of Adelaide, he
saw this bird in great numbers from Port Augusta to the 27 th
degree of latitude ; he states that it lives chiefly on cater-
pillars, builds in low shrubs, and that the eggs, which are four
or five in number, are white or pinkish white spotted with
rust red.

Head, upper tail-coverts, sides of the neck, breast, and all
the under surface fine golden orange, which is richest on the
forehead and centre of the abdomen ; back olive ; wings
brown, margined with olive ; tail brownish black, each feather
except the two middle ones having an oval spot of white on
the inner web at the tip ; chin and centre of the throat black ;
bill black ; feet brown.

Total length 4 inches ; bill f ; wing 2-^ ; tail 1^ ; tarsi |.

Sp. 233. EPHTHIANURA TRICOLOR, Gould.

Tri-coloured Ephthianura.
Ephthianura tricolor, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part viii. p. 159.

Epthiamu-a tricolor, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iii. pi. 66.

While traversing, soon after sunrise on the 1 1th of Decem-
ber 1839, the forest lands near Peel's River to the eastward
of Liverpool Plains, a fine male specimen of this bird attracted

INSESSORES. 381

my notice by the beauty of its colouring, the sprightliness and
activity of its actions, and the busy manner in which it was
engaged in capturing small insects. As may be supposed,
the sight of a bird of such beauty, which, moreover, was en-
tirely new to me, excited so strong a desire to possess it that
scarcely a moment elapsed before it was dead and in my hand.
In a small collection procured in South Australia by the late
F. Strange, two other specimens occurred which I supposed
to be male and female ; unfortunately they were unaccom-
panied by any information respecting the habits or economy
of this rare bird; more recently, however, both G, French
Angas, Esq., and Mr. White have favoured me with brief notes
on the subject.

" A nest and eggs of the Tricoloured Ephthianura," says
Mr. Angus, " were taken on the 27th of October 1862, in a
low bush at Evandale, about three miles from CoUingrove,
Angaston, South Australia. It had never been seen in that
locality before, the farthest south being the head of Spencer's
Gulf, where I obtained it in the scrub in September 1860."

" This," says Mr. White, " is a very rare species ; and from
all I can learn, I imagine its true haunt to be in the far north
and west of South Australia, and that it occasionally comes
southward to breed. On a journey made in October last to
the head of Spencer's Gulf and Mount Brown, I first observed
it in a flock of ten or twelve males, females, and young birds,
and at once saw that it was a species I had not previously
noticed ; and on inquiring in various northern localities found
that it had not been seen by the residents until this spring.
Those I saw were in the scrubby country on the western
slopes of Flinder's Ranges, close to the head of Spencer's Gulf;
they were hopping about on the low bushes and on the
ground."

In another note by this gentleman he states that he saw
this species and E. aurifrons in considerable numbers about
latitude 27° and 28°.

382 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

The male has the crown of the head, upper tail-coverts,
breast, and abdomen bright scarlet; lores, line above and
beneath the eye, ear-coverts, occiput, and back dark brown ;
wings brown, each feather margined with brownish white;
tail dark brown, each feather having a large spot of white on
the inner web at the tip ; chin, throat, and under tail-coverts
white ; irides straw- white ; bill and feet blackish brown.

The female is similar in colour, but has only a slight wash
of the scarlet colouring, except on the upper tail-coverts, where
it is as brilliant as in the male.

Total length 3i inches ; bill-j^; wing2|; taillj; tarsi |.

Genus XEROPHILA, Gould.

A curious form, of which only one species is known, and
the situation of which in the natural system is quite unde-
termined. The single species known has many of the actions
and manners of the AcanthizcB, but its robust and gibbose bill
precludes its being placed with that genus. It is mainly
terrestrial in its habits and builds a domed nest.

Sp. 234. XEROPHILA LEUCOPSIS, Gould.

White-faced Xerophila.
Xerophila leucopsis, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part viii. p. 175.

Xerophila leucopsis, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ill. pi. 67.

I found this species tolerably abundant in all parts of the
colony of South Australia that I visited, both in the interior
and in the neighbourhood of the coast. It was generally met
with in small flocks of from six to sixteen in number, and
more frequently on the ground than among the trees. It
hops over the surface very quickly and appears a busy little
bird, prying among the herbage for its food, which principally
consists of the seeds of the grasses and small annuals which
abound on the plains and low hills of South Australia. In

INSESSORES. 383

disposition it is so remarkably tame that it will allow of a very
near approach before it will rise, and then it merely flies to
the nearest bush or low tree.

The male offers no external difference by which it can be
distinguished from the female, neither do the young exhibit
any contrast to the adults in their plumage ; it has in fact
little to recommend it to the notice of the general observer
either in its colouring or in the quality of its song.

The nest forwarded to me by Strange was of a rather large
size, of a domed form, with a hole for an entrance near the
top, and composed of dried grasses, moss, spiders' webs, wool,
the soft blossoms of plants, and dead leaves matted together
and warmly lined with feathers ; it was about seven inches in
height and fom* inches in diameter. The eggs received Avith
the nest were three in number, of a fleshy white, eight and a
half lines long and six lines broad.

Forehead and lores white ; upper surface olive-brown ;
wings and tail brown, the latter passing into black near the
extremity, and tipped with white ; all the under surface pale
buff ; bill and feet black ; irides light straw-colour.

Total length 4 inches ; bill f ; wing 2^ ; tail If ; tarsi f .

Genus PYRRHOL.^MUS, Gould.

A singular form, the structure of which does not approxi-
mate very nearly to that of any other genus, but is perhaps
most nearly allied to Accmthiza. The only species known
frequents scrubby places and thick underwood ; is much on
the ground, but occasionally mounts on a small branch to
sins:.

384 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA

Sp. 235. PYRRIIOLJ^MUS BRUNNEUS, Gould.

Red-Throat.

Pyrrholcemus hrunneus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part viii. p. 173.

Acanthiza brunnea, Gray & Mitch. Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 189, Acan-
thiza, sp. 26.

Ber-rit-ber-rit, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western Aus-
tralia.

Pyrrholsemus bnmneus, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iii.
pi. 68.

I found this bird tolerably abundant in the Belts of the
Murray, about forty miles to the northward of Lake Alex-
andrina, where it gave a decided preference to low stunted
bushes and fallen trunks of trees overgrown with herbage,
under which it secreted itself; it sometimes rose to the top
of a bush to sing, pouring forth a melody equal to any of the
smaller birds of Australia, which must render it a general
favourite when that portion of the country becomes colonized.
It passes much of its time on the ground, hopping about with
great celerity, and with its tail elevated considerably above
the level of its back.

Specimens were also obtained by Gilbert in Western
Australia, from whose notes I learn that it is there an
inhabitant of the underwood and the thickest scrub ; and
that " it possesses a very sweet and melodious song, which it
generally utters while perched on the extreme topmost branch
of a small scrubby tree, and having repeated it two or three
times, dives down into the impenetrable bush. While feeding
it utters a weak, piping, call-like note. I never saw it fairly
on the wing, for it seems averse to flying, but generally prefers
creeping from bush to bush, and even if closely hunted merely
flits a few yards. It makes its nest on the ground, precisely
like the members of the genus Calamanlhis. I found a pair
building in the month of September ; upon visiting the spot
again after an interval of a week, the nest appeared finished,

INSESSORES. 385

being lined with feathers ; but there were no eggs ; unfor-
tunately from this time the birds deserted the nest."

Lores greyish white ; all the upper surface and wings
brown; tail brownish black, the three lateral feathers on
each side largely tipped with white ; centre of the throat
rufous ; the remainder of the under surface brownish grey,
passing into sandy buff on the flanks and under tail-coverts ;
irides reddish brown, with an outer ring of yellowish white ;
upper mandible reddish brown ; lower mandible greenish
white ; legs and feet dark greenish grey.

«

Genus ORIGMA, Gould,

The only species of this form yet discovered, the structure,
habits, and manners of which are all equally singular,
inhabits New South Wales, where it frequents stony gullies
and rocky situations in the neighbourhood of caverns, to the
roofs of which it attaches its pendant nest.

Sp. 236. ORIGMA RUBRICATA.

Rock-Waubler.

Sylvia rubricata, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. li.

Ruddy Warbler, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 249.

Motacilla solitaria, Lewin, Birds of New Holl., pi. 16.

Solitary Flycatcher, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. vi. p. 220.

Saxicola solitaria, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 230.

Origma solitaria, G. R. Gray, List of Gen, of Birds, 2nd edit. p. 30.

Origma rubricata, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iii. pi. 69.

The true habitat of this species is New South AVales, over
which part of the country it is very generally distributed
wherever situations occur suitable to its habits ; water-courses
and the rocky beds of gullies, both near the coast and among
the mountains of the interior, being equally frequented by it ;
and so exclusively in fact is it confined to such situations,

2 c

386 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

that it never visits the forests, nor have I ever seen it perching
on the branches of the trees. It does not even resort to them
as a resting-place for its nest, but suspends it to the ceilings
of caverns and the under surface of overhanging rocks in a
manner that is most surprising ; the nest, which is of an
oblong globular form, and composed of moss and other
similar substances, is suspended by a narrow neck, and
presents one of the most singular instances of bird-archi-
tecture that has yet come under my notice.

It was one of the birds which excited the notice and
interest* of Mr. Caley, who, in his ' Notes,' says, " Cataract
Bird] an inhabitant of rocky ground. While at the waterfall
of Carrung-gurring, about thirty miles to the southward of
Prospect Hill, I saw several of them. I have also seen them
in the North Rocks, about a couple of miles from Paramatta."

Mr. Ramsay, in his " Notes on Australian Birds," published
in the 'Ibis' for 1863, states "that the Rock Warbler is a
very pleasing and lively little bird, and seems to love
solitude. I have never seen it perch on a tree, although I
have spent several evenings in watching it. It runs with
rapidity over the ground, and over heaps of rubbish left by
floods, where it seems to get a good deal of its food. Some-
times it will remain for a minute on the point of a rock, then,
as if falling over the edge, repeat its shrill cry, and dash off
into some hole in the cliffs.

" The nest is of an oblong form, very large for the size of
the bird, with an entrance in the side about two inches wide.
It is generally suspended under some overhanging rock, and
is composed of fibrous roots interwoven with spiders' webs ;
the bird evincing a preference for those webs which contain
the spiders' eggs, and that are of a greenish colour. The moss
does not assume the shape of a nest until a few days before it
is completed, when a hole for entrance is made, and the
inside is warmly lined with feathers ; but when finished, it is
a very ragged structure, and easily shaken to pieces. The

INSESSORES. 387

birds take a long time in building their nests : one found on
the Gth of August was not finished until the 25 th of that
month ; on the 30th three eggs were taken from it. This
nest was suspended from the roof of a small cave in the gully
of George's River, near Macquarie Fields, and was composed
of rootlets and spiders' webs, warmly lined with feathers and
opossum-fur; it contained three eggs of a pure and glossy
white, each of which was 8^ lines in length by 6^ in breadth.

"The breeding-season lasts from August to December,
during which two broods are reared.

" I have never found more than one nest or one pair of
birds near the same part of the gully ; and I do not think
they will make their nests near each other, much less under
the same rock."

Its food consists of insects of various kinds.

Its note is a low squeaking sound, which it utters while
hopping about the rocks with its tail raised above the level
of the body, after the manner of some of the Acanthizce.

The sexes are precisely similar in their plumage, which
may be thus described : —

AU the upper surface and wings dull brown ; tail brownish
black ; throat grey ; under surface dark rusty red ; forehead
slightly washed with ferruginous red; irides dark reddish
brown; bill and feet brownish black, the former rather
lighter than the latter.

Genus CALAMANTHUS, Gould.

This genus comprises two species, one inhabiting Tasmania,
the other Southern and Western Australia ; they are terres-
trial in their habits, but occasionally perch on the smaller
branches of the trees.

2 c 2

388 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Sp. 237. CALAMANTHUS FULIGINOSUS.

Striated Calamanthus.

Anthus fuliginosus, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 230.
Praticola fuliginosa, G. R. Gray, List of Gen. of Birds, 2nd edit. p. 27.

Calamanthus fuliginosus, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iii.
pL70.

This species is very generally dispersed over Tasmania,
where it frequents open forests and sandy land covered v^^ith
scrub and dwarf shrub-like trees. It carries its tail erect,
like the Maluri, but differs from the members of that group
in moving that organ in a lateral direction whenever it
perches, and at the termination of a succession of hops on the
ground, over which it passes with great celerity, depending
at all times for safety more on this power than on that of flight.
It eludes pursuit by running through a bush to the opposite
side, and hopping off to another beyond, which it does quite
unseen unless closely watched. It builds a dome-shaped nest,
which is placed on the ground, and frequently so hidden by
the surrounding grass as to be with great difficulty discovered;
a small narrow avenue of a yard in length, like the run of a
mouse, being frequently resorted to by the bird, expressly, as
one would suppose, to avoid detection. The eggs are three or
four in number, rather large and somewhat round in form, of a
reddish wood-brown, obscurely clouded with markings of
reddish brown, the larger end of the eggs being the darkest ;
their medium length is ten lines and a half, and breadth eight
lines and a half.

The nest is formed of dried grasses and leaves, and is
warmly lined with feathers. The breeding-season commences
in September and lasts until January.

This species emits so strong an odour, that pointers and
other game-dogs stand to it as they do to a quail, and that
too at a considerable distance. It possesses a clear and

INSESSORES. 889

pretty song, which it frequently pours forth while sitting on a
bare twig, or the summit of a low bush or shrub among the
thickets, to a part of which it dives on the least alarm.

The sexes are precisely similar in colour, and nearly so in
size.

All the upper surface olive, with a broad mark of sooty
black down the centre of each feather ; wings sooty black,
narrowly margined with olive ; tail olive, all but the two
centre feathers crossed near the tip by a broad band of sooty
black ; line over the eye white ; throat greyish white ; breast,
abdomen, and flanks deep buff, each feather of the throat
breastj and flanks with a narrow line of sooty black down the
centre; irides light sandy buff; bill and feet brownish flesh-
colour.

Sp. 238. CALAMANTHUS CAMPESTRIS.

Field Calamanthus.
Praticola campestris, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part viii. p. 171.

Calamanthus campestris, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iii.
pi. 71.

The Calamantliiis campestris is a native of Southern and
Western Australia, where it inhabits open plains and scrubby
lands, particularly such as are interspered with tufts of coarse
grasses. It has never yet been discovered within the colony
of New South Wales. Like its near ally of Tasmania it is a
rather shy and recluse species, running mouse-like over the
ground among the herbage with its tail perfectly erect, and is
not easily forced to fly, or even to quit the bush in which it
has secreted itself.

Its song is an agreeable and pretty warble, which is poured
forth while the bird is perched upon the topmost twig of a
small bush.

This species also emits so very powerful an odour, that my
dog frequently pointed at it from a very considerable distance.

390 BIRDS OV AUSTRALIA.

The nest, which is placed on the ground, is a globular
structure, composed of grasses and feathers. The eggs are
three or four in number, of a light chestnut-colour, thickly
blotched with deep chestnut-brown, particularly at the larger
end.

Forehead rufous, passing into the reddish brown of the
crown and upper surface, with a stripe of blackish brown
down the centre of each feather ; wings sandy brown ; in-
ternal webs of the primaries dark brown; two centre tail-
feathers reddish brown, the remainder reddish brown at the
base, crossed towards the extremity with a broad band of
brownish black and broadly tipped with white ; over the eye
a line of white ; ear-coverts mingled rufous and white ; throat
white, gradually passing into the buff of the under surface ;
all the feathers of the under surface with a stripe of brownish
black down their centre ; bill blackish brown, lighter at the
base of the under mandible ; irides rufous brown ; feet
blackish brown.

Total length 4-^ inches ; bill f ; wing 2 J ; tail 2 ; tarsi |.

Genus CHTHONICOLA, Gould.

The single species known of this genus combines in a re-
markable manner the outward appearance, habits, and manners
of the AcanthizcB and Anthi, but is, I beheve, more nearly allied
to the former than to the latter.

Sp. 239. CHTHONICOLA SAGITTATA.

Little CnTHONicoiiA.

Sylvia sagittata, Lath. Ind. Orn., Supp. p. Hv.

Anthus minimus, Vig. aud Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 230.

Chthonicola minima, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iii. pi. 72.

This pretty little bird is usually seen on the ground in
small companies of five or six in number, and is so very tame

INSESSORES. 391

in disposition as to admit of the nearest approach, and when
flushed merely flits ofl" to the distance of a few yards. Its
distribution, so far as we yet know, is confined to New South
Wales and South Australia, in both of which countries it is
a stationary and abundant species. It is very active in its
actions, passing with great celerity over the gravelly ridges
of the ground beneath the shade of the apple- and gum-
trees.

The nest is of a domed form, and is placed among withered
grass in a depression of the ground, so as to be on a level
with the surface, and being formed of the same material as
that with which it is surrounded, it is all but impossible to
discover it ; the entrance is an extremely small hole close to
the ground. The eggs, which are four in number, are of a
light cochineal-red, with a zone of blackish-brown spots at the
larger end ; then' medium length is nine lines by seven lines
in breadth.

The sexes are very similar ; some individuals however are
distinguished by the superciliary stripe being brown instead
of white ; whether this be characteristic of youth or maturity,
I have not satisfactorily ascertained ; I can scarcely conceive
that so trivial a difference should indicate a difference of
species.

General plumage olive-brown, the feathers of the back with
darker centres, and of the head with a longitudinal stripe of
buff down the middle of each ; primaries narrowly edged with
whitish ; tail slightly tipped with white ; under surface white,
washed with yellow, each feather with a broad stripe of
blackish brown down the centre, except on the middle of the
abdomen, which is nearly pure white and without stripes ;
irides straw-yellow ; bill brown ; feet fleshy brown.

392 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Family MOTACILLID-E.
Genus ANTHUS, Bechstein.

Whether this Old World form is represented in Australia
by more than a single species is a point I have not satisfac-
torily determined; every part of its extra-tropical regions,
including Tasmania, is inhabited by Pipits which differ some-
what in size in almost every colony ; still their difference is
so slight that I have hitherto regarded and still consider
them to be mere varieties or local races of one and the same
species.

Sp.240. ANTHUS AVSTUAUS, Fz^. and ITorsf.
Australian Pipit.

Anthus australis,Yig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 229.

pallescens, Vig. and Horsf., id., p. 229.

War-ra-joo-lon, Aborigines of the lowlands of Western Australia.
Common Lark of the Colonists.

Anthus Australis, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ill. pi. 73.

The Anthus australis has all the habits and actions of its
European prototypes ; its note is also very similar ; when
flushed from the ground it rarely flies to any great distance
before it descends again rather abruptly, to the earth, to the
branch of a tree, or a small bush.

The nest is a rather deep and compactly formed structure
of dried grasses ; it is placed in a hole in the ground, some-
times beneath the shelter of a tuft of grass, but more fre-
quently in a clear, open and exposed situation, the top of the
nest being level with the surface. The eggs, which are three
and sometimes four in number, are of a lengthened form,
being eleven lines long by seven and a half lines broad, and
are of a greyish white, blotched and freckled with light chest-
nut-brown and purplish grey, the latter colour appearing as if
beneath the surface of the shell.

INSESSORES. 393

The breeding-season commences in the early part of Sep-
tember and continues until January, during which season two
or three broods are reared.

The stomach is very muscular, and the food consists of
insects of various kinds and small seeds.

The sexes are alike in plumage and may be described as
follows : —

All the upper surface dark brown, each feather broadly
margined with reddish brown ; wings and two centre tail-
feathers brown, margined with whitish brown ; two lateral
tail-feathers w^hite, margined on the inner webs with blackish
brown and with blackish-brown shafts, the remaining tail-
feathers blackish brown ; stripe over the eye light buff ; ear-
coverts brown ; under surface dull white, washed with buff on
the under surface of the shoulder and on the under tail-coverts ;
the feathers of the breast, flanks, and sides of the neck with
a streak of dark brown down the centre, these marks being
most conspicuous on the sides of the neck and across the
upper part of the breast, where they are arranged in the form
of a gorget, the points of which proceed upward to the angle
of the lower mandible ; irides very dark brown ; bill and feet
fleshy brown.

Freshly moulted individuals differ in having a rich tint of
rufous pervading the whole of the upper surface, the breast,
and flanks.

Genus CINCLORAMPHUS, Gould.

The members of this genus are closely allied to the Indian
genus Megalurm, and present even a greater disparity in the
size of the sexes ; they are all confined to Austraha, where
they frequent the grassy plains and open districts. The song
of the males is more animated than that of any other bird in-
habiting the country.

394 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Sp. 241. CINCLORAMPHUS CRURALIS.

Brown Cincloramphus.

Megalurus cruralis, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn, Trans, vol. xv. p. 228.
Cincloi'amphus cruralis, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part v. p. 150.

Cincloramphus cruralis, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iii.
pi. 74.

As there are two, if not three, species of this very singular
genus inhabiting the southern portion of Australia, which
bear a great resemblance to each other, it becomes necessary
to state that this is the one commonly seen during the months
of spring and summer in all the open districts of New South
Wales, where it arrives in August, and after performing the
task of incubation, departs again in January or February.
Open downs, grassy flats, and fields of corn are its favourite
places of resort. It is certainly one of the most animated of
the Australian birds. Had I not visited Australia and per-
sonally studied its habits, my credulity would have been
severely taxed upon being informed that the two birds, differ-
ing so greatly in size, were the male and female of the same
species, many genera having been instituted upon much
slighter grounds of difference ; I had abundant proofs, how-
ever, that such is really the case, having seen many of the
nests and eggs with the parent bird in the act of incubation,
during the two seasons I spent in the country. In most of
its habits and in its economy this bird closely assimilates to
the Skylark of Europe. During the early months of spring
it trips over the ground in the most sprightly manner with
its tail nearly erect ; mounts on the dead limbs of trees and
the fences of enclosures, and runs along them with the
greatest dexterity ; at this season of the year also the male
may be frequently seen rvmning beside its diminutive partner,
and so busily engaged in pouring forth his song for her
amusement, as to be apparently unconscious of the presence
of any other object. After the female has chosen the place

^INSESSORES. 395

for her nest, which is always on the gronnd, the male, like the
Skylark, frequently mounts in the air with a tremulous motion
of the wings, and after cheering her with his animated song,
descends again to the ground or skims off to a neighbouring
tree, and incessantly pours forth his voluble and not unpleas-
ing notes.

I found it very abundant in all the Upper Hunter districts,
as well as in all the surrounding country, both to the north
and south : I killed numerous examples of both sexes, but
not one male with the throat and under surface black, like
specimens I have seen from Port Philip and South Australia,
and which I consider to be specifically distinct.

The male has the entire plumage brown, each feather mar-
gined with brownish white ; a large patch of dark brown on
the centre of the abdomen ; bill, inside of the mouth and
tongue black ; irides hazel ; feet flesh-brown.

The female, which is less than half the size of the male, is si-
milar in colour, but the feathers being more broadly margined
with brownish white gives her a paler hue than her mate ; the
under surface is also much lighter, and the patch in the centre
of the abdomen is much smaller.

Sp. 242. CINCLORAMPHUS CANTILLANS, Gould.

Black-breasted Cincloramphus.

Cincloramphus cantatoris, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part x. p. 135.
Ye-jul-lup, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western Australia.
Sky-Lark of the Colonists.

Cincloramphus cantillans, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iii.
pi. 75.

Specimens killed at Port Philip in South Australia and
others procured at Port Essiiigton are precisely similar ; but
they differ from C. cruralis in their smaller size and in their
darker colouring, a character which is confined to the male sex,
and which is, I believe, strictly a summer livery. At Swan

396 BIRDS or AUSTRALIA,

River the individuals are still smaller, and like the C. cruralis
are never so black on the breast.

I possess no information respecting the habits of the Port
Philip bird. The following notes are the result of Gilbert's
observations of the bird in Western Australia : —

" The Cincloramphus cantillans is a summer visitor, a
remarkably shy and wary species, and a most difficult bird to
procure, from its generally perching on a part of a tree whence
it can command an uninterrupted view all round, rarely
admitting any one to approach it within gun-shot. On being
flushed from the ground it immediately takes to a tree, where,
with its tail erect, and its head stretched out to the full extent
of its neck, it presents a most grotesque appearance. It often
ascends perpendicularly to a considerable height in the air,
and then floats horizontally without any apparent motion of
the wings to the distance of three hundred yards. While
flying it utters a most disagreeably harsh and grating note,
which is exchanged for an inward, rather plaintive tone when
perched among the branches. The nest, which is deposited
in a slight depression of the ground, is formed of dried
grasses, and is so loosely put together that it is extremely
diflicult to preserve it entire ; the eggs are four in number,
and are similar to, but larger and of a lighter colour than
those of the C. rufescens."

All the upper surface sandy brown, the centres of the
feathers darker ; primaries and tail greyish brown, slightly
margined with reddish brown ; immediately before the eye a
triangular spot of brownish black ; throat and chest dull
white, the latter with a stripe of brown down each feather ;
under surface light brown ; in the centre of the abdomen a
patch of dark brown, each feather margined with pale brown ;
bill and feet fleshy brown.

Total length 8 inches ; bill 1^ ; wing 4|^ ; tail 4|^ ; tarsi 1 J.

INSESSORES. 397

Genus PTENOEDUS, Cabanis.

M. Cabanis has instituted the above genus for the bird
named by Messrs. Vigors and Horsfield AntJius rufescens, and
placed by me with the Ciyidorampld ; I admit the justice of
the separation, and therefore adopt his generic appellation. A
single species only has as yet been discovered in Australia,
and so far as I am aware the form does not exist in other
countries.

Sp. 243. PTENOEDUS RUFESCENS.

Rufous-tinted Cincloramphus.

Antkus rufescens, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 230.
Megaluras rufescens, Gray and Mitch. Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 169,

Megaluras, sp. 3.
Ptenoedus rufescens. Cab. Mus. Hein., Theil i. p. 39.
E-role-del, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western Australia.
Singing Lark of the Colonists.

Cincloramphus inifescens, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol, vol. iii.
pi. 76.

If Australia be not celebrated for its singing-birds, it has
still some few whose voices serve to enliven the monotony of
its scenery ; and of these no one deserves greater attention
than the bird here described, which is a very sweet songster,
and whose note somewhat resembles, but is much inferior to
that of our own Skylark. With the exception of Tasmania,
where I believe it is never seen, it appears to be distributed
over all parts of Australia, specimens having been obtained in
every locality yet visited by Europeans. In New South Wales
and Western Australia it is strictly migratory, and only a
summer visitor, arriving in August and departing in February ;
on the other hand, I met with it on the sandhills at Holdfast
Bay, in South Australia, in the month of July, the period of
winter : although not exclusively a terrestrial bird, it evinces
a great partiality to open gtassy plains here and there studded

398 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

with trees, and spends much of its time on the ground, from
which it makes perpendicular ascents to a great height in the
air, and then descending to the tops of the highest trees, flies
horizontally from one tree to another, singing all the time
with the greatest volubility ; the female, which is not inore
than half the size of the male, remaining all the while on
the ground, from which she is not easily aroused, and con-
sequently not so often seen. It breeds in October, November,
and December, and generally rears two broods during the
season. The nest is placed in a depression of the earth, most
frequently at the foot of a slightly raised tuft of grass, and is
externally composed of strong grasses and lined with very fine
grasses, and sometimes with hairs. The eggs are four in
number, ten lines long by seven and a half lines broad, and
are of a purplish white, very broadly marked with freckles
and small blotches of deep chestnut-brown, so much so as
frequently to render the blotches more conspicuous than the
ground-colour.

The male has all the upper surface dark brown, each
feather margined with olive brown ; upper tail-coverts rufous ;
lores black ; stripe above the eye and throat whitish ; all the
under surface pale brownish grey, deepening into buff on the
under tail- coverts, and with a series of minute spots of brown
on the breast ; irides hazel j bill dark lead- colour in summer,
fleshy brown in winter ; tarsi yellowish grey ; feet bluish
ashy grey.

The female is smaller, and is destitute of the black lores ;
in other respects she is so like the male that a separate
description is unnecessary. She is said to frequently utter a
sharp shriek during the night.

INSESSORES. 399

Family ?

Genus SPHENCEACUS, Strickland.

A group of reed- and grass-frequenting birds, which are
found not only in every part of Austraha, but also in the
Indian Islands and India.

Sp.244. SPHENCEACUS GALACTOTES.

Tawny Grass-bird.

Malurus galactotes, Temm. PI. Col., 65.

Megalurus galactotes, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 228.

Sphenoeacus galactotes, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iii.
pi. 35.

This is a scarce species in New South Wales, the few
individuals I have seen being from the grassy districts of the
Liverpool Plains ; in all probability, however, it ranges along
the eastern and over the whole of the northern portion of
Australia. Gilbert's notes inform me that he found it
" tolerably abundant on the islands at the head of Van
Diemen's Gulf, where it inhabits the long grass or rushes
growing in or adjacent to the swamps ; it is so shy that it is
very rarely seen ; when closely hunted it takes wing, but
flying appears to be a difficult action at all times ; at least I
have never seen it sustain a flight of more than a hundred
yards at the utmost, and even in that short distance it seemed
ready to sink into the grass with fatigue. The only note I
have heard it emit is a harsh and rapidly repeated chutch.
The stomachs of those I dissected were extremely muscular,
and contained the remains of insects of various kinds and
what appeared to be vegetable fibres."

General plumage pale brown, deepening into rufous on the
crown of the head and fading into dull white on the throat
and centre of the abdomen ; all the feathers of the upper
surface with blackish brown centres ; secondaries blackish

400 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

brown, broadly margined with pale brown ; tail pale brown,
crossed with indistinct bars of a darker tint ; irides light
brown ; upper mandible olive-brown, the cutting edges light
yellowish white ; lower mandible bluish white ; tarsi and feet
light reddish flesh-colour.

Sp. 245. SPHENCEACUS GRAMINEUS, Gould.

Little Grass-Bird,

Sphenosacus gramineus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xiii. p. 19.
Megalurus gramineus, Gray and Mitch. Gen. of Birds^ vol. i. p. 169,

Megalurus, sp. 5.
Poodytes gramineus, Cab. Mus. Hein., Theil i. p. 42.

Sphenoeacus gramineus, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ill.
pi. 36.

Although the present species is very generally dispersed
over the whole of the southern and western portions of Aus-
tralia and Tasmania, in all situations suitable to its habits, it
is as little known to the colonists as if it were not in existence,
which is readily accounted for by its recluse nature and the
localities it frequents, the thick beds of grasses, rushes, and
other kinds of herbage growing in low, damp, and wet places
on the mainland, and on such islands as those of Green and
Actseon, in D'Entrecasteaux's Channel, being its favourite
places of resort. It is a very shy species, and will almost allow
itself to be trodden upon before it will quit the place of its
concealment ; in the open grassy beds of the flats it is more
easily driven from its retreat, but even then it merely flies a
few yards, and pitches again among the herbage.

Its song consists of four or five plaintively-uttered notes,
repeated five or six times in succession.

The nest is generally a very compact structure ; in Western
Australia it is formed of the soft tops of the flowering part
of the reeds, and the thin skin-like coating of the reed-
stalks, but occasionally of fine swamp grasses, and is always

INSESSORES. 401

lined with feathers ; in some instances two large feathers are
made to meet over the opening, near the top of the nest, and
thus protects the inside from cold or rain : it is attached to
two or three upright reeds about two feet from the surface
of the water. The eggs, which are laid during the months of
August and September, are four in number, nearly eight
lines long and six lines broad ; they are of a fieshy-white,
freckled and streaked all over, particularly at the larger end,
with purplish red : in some instances large obscure blotches
of reddish grey appear as beneath the surface of the shell.

The sexes present no difference in size or colour, and there
is scarcely any variation in specimens from Tasmania, Swan
River, and New South Wales.

Stripe over the eye white : all the upper surface brown, the
centre of the feathers being dark brown ; secondaries brownish
black, margined with buff; tail pale reddish brown, with dark
brown shafts ; under surface grey, passing into black on the
flanks and vent ; each feather of the breast with a very minute
line of dark brown down the centre ; bill and tarsi fleshy
brown.

Total length 5^ inches ; bill f ; wing 2^ ; tail 2f ; tarsi }.

Fanuly SYLVIAD-ffil.
Genus CALAMOHERPE, Meyer.

Of this European and Indian form two species inhabit
Australia, where they frequent the reed-beds and the dense
herbage of marshy situations.

Those who are acquainted with the habits of the Great
Sedge-Warbler of Europe {Calamoherpe turdoides) will have
a just idea of what the present and the following species
are like.

2 D

402 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Sp. 246. CALAMOHERPE AUSTRALIS, Gould.

Reed-Warbler.
Reed-Warbler, Lewin, Birds of New Holland, pi. 18.

Acrocephalus australis, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iii.
. pi. 37.

This bird does not inhabit Tasmania, but is universally
dispersed among the sedgy sides of rivers and lagoons, both
in South Australia and New South Wales ; I also observed it
in great abundance on the banks of the rivers to the north-
ward of Liverpool Plains ; in all these localities it is strictly
migratory, arriving in September, and departing again before
the commencement of winter. In its general economy it
closely resembles its European congeners, but possesses a still
louder and more melodious song than any of them, except
the Calamoherpe tiirdoides. It is rather a late breeder,
scarcely ever beginning this natural duty before the month of
November. The nest, like that of the Reed- Warbler of
Europe, is suspended from two or three reeds at about two
feet above the surface of the water, and is composed of the
soft skins of reeds and dried rushes. The eggs, which are
four in number, ten lines long by seven lines broad, are of a
greyish white, thickly marked all over with irregular blotches
and markings of yellowish brown, umber brown, and bluish
grey, intermingled together without any appearance of order
or arrangement.

The food consists of insects of various kinds.

The sexes are so precisely alike that dissection must be
resorted to to distinguish them.

All the upper surface olive-brown ; wings and tail brown,
margined with olive-brown ; all the under surface tawny or
deep buff, fading into white on the throat ; under mandible
fleshy white, remainder of the bill and the legs olive horn-
colour ; irides brown.

INSESSORES. 403

Sp. 247. CALAMOHERPE LONGIROSTRIS, Gould.

Long-billed Reed-Warbler.
Calamoherpe lonyirostris, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xiii. p. 20.

Goor-jee-goor-jee, Aborigines of the lowland districts of Western Aus-
tralia.

Acrocephalus longirostris, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iii.
pi. 38.

The present bird, which I have designated longirostris, is
the largest of the two species of Calamoherpe known to in-
habit Australia.

It is a native of the western portion of the country, where
I learn from Gilbert's notes that " it is to be found in all the
dense reed-beds bordering the river and lakes around Perth,
but is so shy that it scarcely ever shows itself above the reeds,
I have remarked also that it never wanders many yards from
the nest, which is placed on four or five upright reeds growing
in the water at about two feet from the surface. It is of a
deep cup-shaped form, and is composed of the soft skins of
reeds and dried rushes. The breeding-season comprises the
months of August and September. The eggs are four in
number, of a dull greenish white, blotched all over, but parti-
cularly at the larger end, with large and small irregularly
shaped patches of olive, some being darker than the others,
the lighter-coloured ones appearing as if beneath the sur-
face of the shell ; they are three-quarters of an inch in length
by five- eighths of an inch in breadth.

" It sings both night and day, and its strain is more beau-
tiful and melodious than that of any other Australian bird
with which I am acquainted ; being in many parts very like
to that of the far-famed Nightingale of Europe.

" The stomach is tolerably muscular, and the food consists
of coleopterous and other kinds of insects."

Faint line over the eye fawn-colour ; all the upper surface
reddish brown, becoming more rufous on the upper tail-

2 D 2

404 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

coverts ; primaries and tail deep brown, fringed with rufous ;
chin whitish ; all the under surface deep fawn-colour ; irides
yellowish brown.

Total length 6 J inches ; bill ^f ; wing 3 ; tail 3 ; tarsi 1.

Genus MIRAFRA, Horsfield.

One, if not two, species of this well-defined genus inhabit
Australia. At present one only has been characterized ; but
the bird of this form, frequenting the intertropical portions of
the country, may prove to be a distinct species.

Sp. 248. MIRAFRA HORSFIELDII, Gould.

Horsfield's Bush-Lark.
Mirafra Horsfieldii, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xv. p. 1.

Mirafra Horsfieldii, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iii. pi. 77.

This species, which I have named horsfeldii after the
founder of the genus, is sparingly dispersed over all the
plains and open districts of New South Wales, but is more
abundant on the inner side of the mountain ranges towards
the interior than between the ranges and the sea ; I have also
a specimen procured during Dr. Leichardt's overland expedi-
tion from Moreton Bay, and one from the neighbourhood of
Port Essington : both of these, although possessing characters
common to each other, differ from specimens obtained in New
South Wales in being larger, redder in colour, and in having
a stouter bill — features which will probably hereafter prove
them to be distinct, and which exhibit a near alliance to the
Mirafra javanica.

The bird here described is from New South Wales, where
I found it more abundant on the Liverpool Plains than else-
where ; I also met with solitary individuals in the district of
the Upper Hunter.

In its habits it is more terrestrial than arboreal, and will

INSESSORES. 405

frequently allow itself to be almost trodden upon before it will
rise, and then it merely flies to a short distance and descends
again ; it may often be seen perched upon the strong blades
of grass and occasionally on the trees ; it frequently mounts
high in the air after the manner of the Skylark of Europe,
singing all the time very melodiously, but with a weaker
strain than that favourite bird ; it also occasionally utters its
pleasing song while perched on the branches of the trees.

The sexes are alike in colour and size.

General plumage ashy brown, the centre of the feathers
dark brown, the latter colour predominating on the head,
lower part of the back and tertiaries ; wings brown margined
with rufous ; over the eye a stripe of buff; chin white ; under
surface pale buff"; throat crossed by a series of dark brown
spots arranged in a crescentic form ; under surface of the wing
rufous ; bill flesh-brown at the base and dark brown at the
tip ; feet fleshy brown.

Family FEINGILLID^.

The Finches of Australia comprise about twenty well-
marked species, pertaining to several genera or subgenera, each
of which exhibits a slight difference in structure, accompanied
as is always the case, by a diff'erence in habit, and in the
districts inhabited ; thus the Stictopterce frequent grassy
patches in the glades of the forests, the open parts of gullies,
&c. ; the Steganopleur(B, the stony hills and flats ; the PoepJiilcs,
the grass beds of the open plains ; and the DonacolfB, the
marshy districts and reed-beds : of the habits of Emhlema
nothing is known ; its pointed bill indicates some peculiarity
in its economy differing from those of the other genera.

Most if not all the species build large grassy nests, some
with a spout-like opening.

4UG BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Genus ZON^GINTHUS, Cahanis.

Of this genus, established by M. Cabanis, two species
inhabit Austraha, both of which are very similarly marked,
and differ in this respect from the other species of this exten-
sive family.

Sp.249. ZONtEGINTHUS BELLUS.

Eire-tailed Finch.

Loxia hella et nitida, Lath. Ind. Orn., Supp. pp. xlvi, xlvii.
Black-lined Grosbeak, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp,, vol. ii. p. 198.
Fringilla bella, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 257.
Amadina nitida, Gray and Mitch. Gen. of Birds, vol. ii. p. 370;

Amadina, sp. 15.
Zonceginthus nitidus, Cab. Mus. Hein., Theil i. p. 171.
Wee-hong, Aborigines of New South Wales.
Fire-tail, Colonists of Tasmania.

Estrelda bella, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, voL iii. pi. 78.

Tasmania may be considered the principal habitat of this
species, for it is universally and numerously dispersed over all
parts of that island suited to its habits and economy. It also
inhabits New South Wales, but is there far less abundant.
I generally observed it in small communities varying from
six to a dozen in number, searching on the ground for the
seeds of grasses and other small plants which grow on the
plains and open parts of the forest. It also frequents the
gardens and pleasure-grounds of the settlers, with whom it is
a favourite, few birds being more tame or more beautifully
coloured than this little Einch ; the brilliant scarlet of the
rump and the base of the tail-feathers strongly contrasting
with the more sombre hue of the body. Its flight is ex-
tremely rapid and arrow-like, particularly when crossing a
plain or passing down a gulley. It is a stationary species in
Tasmania, and probably also in New South Wales. In the
former country I constantly found it breeding in communities.

INSESSORES. 407

my attention being usually attracted by the enormous nests
which they build among the branches of shrubby trees with-
out the slightest attempt at concealment. They are con-
structed entirely of grasses and stalks of plants, dome-shaped
in form, with a hole near the top for the ingress and egress
of the bird. The eggs are five or six in number, rather
lengthened in form and of a beautiful flesh-white, eight and a
half lines long by six and a half lines broad. It breeds from
September to January, during which period two or three
broods are reared. Its note is a single mournful sound
emitted while perched on the low branches of the trees in the
neighbourhood of its feeding-places.

The sexes present no external difference, and may be thus
described :-T-circle surrounding the eyes, lores, and a line
crossing the forehead black ; all the upper surface, wings,
and tail olive-brown, crossed by numerous narrow crescentic
lines of black ; rump and base of the tail-feathers shining
scarlet; all the under surface grey, crossed by numerous
narrow crescentic lines of black ; centre of the abdomen and
under tail-coverts black ; tips of the primaries and tail-feathers
brown without bars ; bill crimson, becoming paler at the base
of the upper mandible ; irides very dark brown ; eyelash
beautiful light blue ; feet flesh-colour.

Sp.250. ZON^GINTHUS OCULEUS.

Red-eaued Finch.
Fringilla oculea, Quoy et Gaim. Voy. de TAstrolabe, Zool., part i.

p. 211; Ois., pi. 18. fig. 2.
Zonceginthm oculeus, Cab. Mus. Hein., Theil i. p. 171, note.
Jee-ree, Aborigines of the lowland, and
Dwer-den-ngool-gna*n-neer, Aborigines of the mountain districts of

Western Australia.
Native Sparrow, Colonists of Swan River.

Estrelda oculea, Gould, Birds of Australia, fob, vol. iii. pi. 79.

This species is abundant in many parts of the colony of

408 BIHDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Swan River. Like its near ally the Zonmgi7ithus belliis, it
inhabits open grassy glades studded with thickets, particu-
larly in moist swampy districts and along the borders of lakes
and rivers. Its food consists of small grass-seeds procured
among the herbage. Gilbert states that "it is a solitary
species and is generally found in the most retired spots in the
thickets, where its mournful, slowly drawn-out note only
serves to add to the loneliness of the place. Its powers of
flight, although sometimes rapid, would seem to be feeble, as
they are merely employed to remove it from tree to tree. The
natives of the mountain districts of Western Austraha have a
tradition that the first bird of this species speared a dog and
drank its blood, and thus obtained its red bill."

^he sexes are so much alike that dissection is necessary to
distinguish the male from the female. The beautiful patch of
scarlet feathers behind the eye, together with the rich colour-
ing of the bill, assists very materially in relieving the more
sombre but delicate markings of the remainder of the body.

Lores, line over the bill and a narrow circle surrounding
the eye black ; behind the eye a small patch of shining
scarlet ; all the upper surface olive- brown, crossed by numer-
ous fine irregular crescent-shaped bands of black, which are
broadest and most conspicuous on the lower part of the back ;
wings and tail similarly marked, but with the black bands
still broader and more distinct ; rump and the margins of the
base of the central tail-feathers shining scarlet ; throat and
breast light brown, crossed by numerous crescent-shaped
bands of black ; abdomen and under surface black, with a
large spot of white near the tip of each feather ; irides red ;
bill bright vermilion, the base of the upper mandible edged
with pearl-grey ; eyelash greenish blue ; legs yellowish grey.

INSESSORES. 409

Genus STICTOPTERA, Reichenhach.

Two species of this form are found in Australia; one in-
habits the south-eastern, the other the northern parts of the
country. Both are distinguished by a conspicuous double
zone of black on the breast ; and their short and rather gib-
bose bills are doubtless admirably adapted for procuring some
particular kind of food, probably the seeds of grasses.

Sp. 251. STICTOPTERA BICHENOVII.

BiCHENo's Finch.
Fringilla bichenovii, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 258.

Estrelda Bichenovii, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iii. pi. 80.

This beautiful little Finch inhabits the extensive plains of
the interior, particularly such portions of them as are thinly
intersected with low scrubby trees and bushes. My specimens
were obtained on the Liverpool and Brezi Plains. As I have
had occasion to remark with respect to other species, it will
be impossible to determine the precise extent of its range
until Australia has been more fully explored.

The Bicheno's Finch is very tame in its disposition, and is
generally to be observed on the ground, occupied in procuring
the seeds of the grasses and other small plants, which form
its principal food. When I visited the interior in the month
of December, it was assembled in small flocks of from four to
eight in number ; these, when flushed from among the grasses,
would perch on the neighbouring bushes rather than fly off"
to any distance, and indeed the form of its wings and tail
indicate that it possesses lesser powers of flight than many of
the other Finches.

I was not fortunate enough to obtain its nest or eggs,
neither did I ever hear it utter any kind of song ; conse-
quently I am unable to give any information on these points.

41U BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

The male has the face, ear-coverts, and throat pure white,
completely surrounded by a band of black, which is broadest
on the forehead ; crown of the head, nape of the neck, and
back broccoli-brown, each feather crossed by numerous trans-
verse lines of a lighter tint ; upper part of the rump black ;
lower part of the rump and upper tail-coverts snow-white ;
wings black, all the feathers except the primaries beautifully
spotted with white; chest greyish white, tinged with buff,
bounded below by a broadish band of jet-black; abdomen
and flanks buffy white; under tail-coverts and tail black;
irides black, surrounded by a narrow black lash ; bill beautiful
pale blue.

The sexes, although having a similar character of marking,
may be distinguished from each other by the male having the
black bands of the chest and throat broader, and its plumage
more brilliant. The young also at an early age possess the
characteristic markings of the adult.

Sp. 252. STICTOPTERA ANNULOSA, Gould.

Black-rumped Finch.

Amadina annulosa, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part vii. p. 143.
Stidoptera annulosa, Reich. Sing-Vogel.

Estrelda annulosa, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iii. pi. 81.

This species was one of several, collected by the Officers of
H.M.S.S. Beagle, and for the specimens from which my
descriptions were taken I am indebted to Messrs. Bynoe and
Dring. The bird has also been brought to England by Sir
George Grey : all these specimens were collected on the north-
west coast, and it is not unfrequently seen on the Coburg
Peninsula, where it inhabits the grassy banks of running
streams, in small families of from six to ten in number.

It differs from Bicheno's Finch in the spots and markings
on the upper surface being rather less defined, and in the co-

INSESSORES. 411

louring of the rump, which in this species is black, while in
the other it is white.

Face, ear-coverts, and throat white, surrounded by a jet-
black band, which is broadest on the forehead ; chest greyish
white, bounded below by a conspicuous band of black ; lower
part" of the abdomen white ; crown of the head, back of the
neck, and back greyish brown marked with numerous fine
transverse lines of greyish white ; rump, upper and under
tail-coverts and tail black ; wings blackish brown, the second-
aries and coverts thickly dotted with fine markings of greyish
white ; bill and feet lead-colour.

Total length 4 inches ; bill f ; wing 2 ; tail 2 J ; tarsi ^.

Genus tEGINTHA, Cahanis.

M. Cabanis has instituted this genus for Fringilla tempo-
ralis of Latham. It is the only species of this form yet dis-
covered in Australia, and is nearly allied to Edrelda.

Sp. 253. iEGINTHA TEMPORALIS.

Red-eyebrowed Finch.

Fringilla temporalis, Lat. Ind. Orn., Supp. p. xlviii.

Temporal Finch, Lat. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 211.

Le Senegali quinticolor, Vieill. Ois. Chant., p. 38, pi. 15.

Fringilla quinticolor, Vieill. 2ude edit, du Nouv. Diet. d^Hist. Nat.,

tom. xii. p. 183.
Amadina temporalis, Gray and Mitch, Gen. of Birds, vol. ii. p. 370,

Amadina, sp. 25.
JEgintha temporalis. Cab. Mus. Hein., Theil i. p. 170.
Goo-lung-ag-ga, Aborigines of New South Wales.
Red-Bill of the Colonists.

Estrelda temporalis, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iii. pi. 82.

This species of Finch is very generally spread over the gar-
dens and all such open pasture lands of New South Wales
and South Australia as abound in grasses and small plants,

412 BIRDS OV AUSTRALIA.

upon the seeds of which it chiefly subsists. It is particularly
abundant in the neighbovirhood of Sydney ; even in the Bo-
tanic Garden numbers may always be seen flitting from
border to border. It is easily domesticated, and it is of a
lively disposition in captivity, even old birds becoming per-
fectly reconciled after a few days. In the autumn it is gre-
garious, and Mr. Caley states it often assembles in large flocks ;
in the spring they are mostly seen in pairs, and then build
their large and conspicuous nest, which is formed of dead
grass, Uned with thistle down, in any low bush adapted for a
site, but in none more frequently than in the beautiful Zep-
tosjpermum squarromm.

The eggs are five or six in number, of a beautiful fleshy
white, seven lines long by five and a half lines broad.

Crown of the head bluish grey ; upper surface, wings, and
tail olive-brown ; under surface white ; patch over the eye
and rump crimson ; irides brownish red ; eyelash narrow,
naked and black ; bill fine blood -red, with the ridge of the
upper and the lower part of the under mandible black ; legs
yellowish white.

Genus BATH I LD A, Reichenhach.

This genus has been established for the beautiful Estrelda
ritf Cauda of the folio edition of the Birds of Australia, a deli-
cately coloured bird, rendered conspicuously different from
other Finches by the spotted markings of the chest.

Sp. 254. BATHILDA RUFICAUDA, Goidd.

Red-tailed Finch.

Amadina ruficauda, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part iv. p. 106.
Bathilda ruficauda, Reich. Sing-Vogel.

Estrelda ruficauda, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol; ill. pi. 84.
I observed this beautiful Finch rather thinly dispersed on

INSESSORES. 413

the sides of the river Namoi, particularly along the sloping
banks covered with herbage, where it appeared to be feeding
upon such grasses and other annuals as afforded seeds con-
genial to its taste ; I also frequently observed it among the
rushes which grow in the beds of mud along the sides of the
water.

The adult male and female are scarcely to be distinguished
by outward appearance ; the female is, however, a trifle less
than the male in size. The young, on the contrary, present
a very different appearance ; the whole of their plumage
being of a uniform buffy brown ; eye yellowish olive sur-
rounded by a narrow olive lash ; bill reddish brown ; legs
brownish yellow.

Face and cheeks scarlet, the latter covered with narrow
feathers, which are finely spotted with white at the tip ; upper
surface and wings olive-brown ; upper tail-coverts and tail
deep crimson-brown, the former having a large spot of pinkish
white near the tip of each feather ; throat, chest, and flanks
delicate olive-grey, each feather having a large oval white spot
transversely disposed near the tip ; centre of the abdomen
and under tail-coverts dirty yellowish white ; bill scarlet ;
irides orange slightly inclining to hazel, surrounded by a
rather broad, naked, flesh-coloured lash ; legs and feet rather
darker than fine lemon-yellow.

Total length 4| inches ; wing 2^ ; tail 1 J ; tarsi f .

Genus AIDEMOSYNE, Reichenhach.

The extreme modesty of its colouring and the jetty hue of
its bill afford sufficient differential characters from the other
Australian members of the family to warrant its separation
into the type of a new genus. Without questioning the pro-
priety of these numerous subdivisions, I must, in justice to
those who make them, remark that they do differ very con-
siderably, and that additional species of most of the forms
occur in other countries.

414 BIRDS OP AUSTRALIA.

Sp. 255. AIDEMOSYNE MODESTA, Gould.

Plain-coloured Finch.

Amadina modesta, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part iv. ]). 105.
Estrelda modesta, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. i. Introd. p. xlix.
Aidemosyne modesta, Sing-Vogel.

Amadina modesta, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iii. pi. 85.

I found the Plain-coloured Pinch tolerably abundant on the
Liverpool Plains and on the banks of the Namoi, and Gilbert
also mentions his having observed it on the low ranges to the
northw^ard of Moreton Bay. In its habits, actions, and eco-
nomy no remarkable differences were observed from those of
the other species of the genus.

It is usually seen in pairs or associated in small companies,
feeding cither on or near the ground ; the seeds of grasses
and other annuals forming its chief supply of food.

A nest found by Gilbert was of a domed form, composed
of grasses, and contained five or six white eggs, about half an
inch long by three-eighths broad.

The sexes may be distinguished by the absence of the black
mark in the female, as shown in the accompanying plate.

The male has the fore-part of the head deep crimson-red ;
lores and a spot on the chin black ; nape of the neck, mantle,
and back brown ; wings brown ; tertials (which are very long
in this species), together with the greater and lesser quill-
feathers,' having a spot of white at the tip ; rump and upper
tail-coverts alternately barred with lines of greyish white and
brown ; tail-feathers black, the two outer ones on each side
tipped with white ; under surface white, transversely barred
with lines of brown, which are strongest on the flanks ; middle
of the abdomen and under tail-coverts white ; bill black ;
irides reddish brown ; eyes surrounded by a very narrow lash
of blackish brown ; legs flesh-white.

The female differs in having the colouring of the crown less
extensive, and in wanting the black on the chin and lores.

Total length 4| inches ; wing 2^ ; tail 2 ; tarsi f .

INSESSORES. 415

Genus NEOCHMIA, Hombron et Jacquinot.

The bird to which the above generic title has been given,
and by which it must hereafter be known, differs from all the
other members of its family in the lengthened form of its tail,
and in its peculiar red colouring.

Sp. 256. NEOCHMIA PHAETON.

Crimson Einch.

Fringilla phaeton, Homb. et Jacq. Ann. des Sci. Nat., torn. vi. p, 314.
Neochmia phaeton, G. R. Gray, Cat. of Gen. and Subgen. of Birds in

Brit. Mus., p. 76.
Ing-a-dam-oon, Aborigines of Port Essington.
Red Finch, Residents of Port Essington.

Estrelda phaeton, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ill. pi. 83.

In a paper addressed by MM. Hombron and Jacquinot to
the Academic des Sciences on the 9th of August 1841,
entitled " Description de plusieicrs Oiseaux nouveaux ou pen
connus, provenant de V expedition autour du monde faite sur les
corvettes l' Astrolabe et la Zelee^ I find the characters of a
Einch, which, although the colouring does not quite agree
with that of the bird here figured, I have little doubt is
identical with it, I am the more inclined to consider this
to be the case from the circumstance of MM. Hombron and
Jacquinot's bird having been collected at Raffles' Bay, a
locality closely bordering that in which Gilbert procured his
specimens, and who states that " this bird is an inhabitant of
moist grassy meadows, particularly where the Pandanits
(Screw Pine) is abundant. It is generally found feeding
among the grass, and when distm'bcd invariably takes to those
trees. Erom July to November it is to be observed in large
flocks, sometimes of several hunckeds ; but although great
numbers were shot during this period, not more than three or
four were obtained in the rich plumage. About the latter

416 BIRDS OP AUSTRALIA.

part of November they were either in pairs or in small
companies, not exceeding six in number : the males decorated
with their rich red and spotted dress."

The stomach is muscular, and the food consists of grass
and other small seeds.

Crown of the head deep bluish black ; lores, line over the
eye, sides of the face, and ear-coverts rich crimson red ; under
surface crimson red, spotted on the flanks with white ; centre
of the abdomen and under tail-coverts black ; back of the
neck and rump dark brownish grey ; back and wings brownish
grey, each feather crossed near the extremity with a band of
deep crimson red; upper tail-coverts and two centre tail-
feathers deep red; the remainder deep red at the base,
passing into brown at the tip ; bill rich carmine, bounded at
the base by a band of greyish white about one-tenth of an
inch in breadth ; hinder part of the tarsi and inside of the
feet ochre-yellow ; front of tarsi and upper surface of the
feet ochre-yellow, strongly tinged with hyacinth-red.

The female, which is rather smaller than the male, is brown
above, a few of the feathers on the back and the wing-coverts
crossed with red as in the male ; lores, line over the eye, sides
of the face, chin, upper tail-coverts, and tail as in the male,
but not quite so brilliant ; breast and flanks greyish brown,
the latter ornamented with a few small spots of white ; centre
of the abdomen buff.

Genus STAGONOPLEURA, Cabanis.

This genus has been instituted for the Loxia guttata of
Shaw, and as yet Australia has given us but a single species ;
but when the interior and the northern coast line have been
explored, others may be discovered there.

When fully adult, the sexes of this form are very similar ;
but the young birds are very different.

INSESSORES. 417

Sp. 257. STAGONOPLEURA GUTTATA.

Spotted-sided Finch.

Fringilla leucocephala, var., Lath. Ind. Orn., Supp. p. xlviii.

Loxia guttata, Shaw, Mus. Lev., pi.

Spotted Grosbeak, Lewin, Birds of New Holl., pi. 9.

White-headed Finch, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 210, pi. 132.

Spotted-sided Grosbeak, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. v. p. 248, pi. 89.

Fringilla lathami, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 256,

Amadina guttata, Gray and Mitch. Gen. of Birds, vol. ii. p. 370,

Amadina, sp. 8.
Stagonopleara guttata, Cab. Mas. Hein., Theil i. p. 172.

Amadina Lathami, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, voL iii. pi. 86.

I found this species plentiful in South Australia and in
every part of New South Wales that I visited ; and it was
equally numerous on the Liverpool Plains, the sides of the
Eiver Mokai, Namoi, &c. It is a showy attractive species,
and passes much of its time on the ground, where it procures
its food, which consists of the seeds of various kinds of
grasses, &c.

The nest is frequently built among the large sticks forming
the under surface of the nest of the smaller species of Eagles,
and that too during the time the Eagle is incubating, both
species hatching and rearing their progeny in harmony ; this
I have witnessed in several instances, and have taken the eggs
of the Eagle and of the Einch at the same time, as mentioned
in the following extract from my journal : — " Oct. 23. Found
the nest of the Spotted-sided Einch placed under and among
the sticks of a Whistling Eagle's {Haliastur"^ spheniirus) nest,
in which latter the old bird was then sitting. My black com-
panion Natty ascended the tree, a high swamp oak {CamariTia)
on the bank of the Dartbrook, and brought down the eggs of
both birds. The little Finches were sitting on the small
twigs close to their rapacious but friendly neighbour." At
other times the nest of this Einch is- placed on the leafy branch

418 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

of a gum- or apple-tree. It is of a large size, and is con-
structed of grasses of various kinds ; in form it is nearly
spherical, with a short pendant spout on one side, through
which the bird obtains access to the interior ; the eggs are
white, rather long in shape, and five or six in number.

The sexes offer little or no difference in the markings of
their plumage.

Crown of the head and back of the neck brownish grey ;
back and wings brown, becoming deeper on the tips of the
primaries ; lores, a broad band across the breast, flanks, and
tail deep black ; each feather of the flanks with a large spot
of white near the tip; rump and upper tail-coverts shining
scarlet ; throat, abdomen, and under tail-coverts white ; irides
red, surrounded by a narrow, naked, lilac-red lash ; bill blood-
red, passing into lilac at the base and on the culmen ; feet
purplish brown.

The young for the first year has the bill black, except at
the base, where it is flesh-colour ; the band across the breast
and the flanks greyish brown, the latter being barred indi-
stinctly with black and greyish white; in other respects the
plumage nearly resembles the adult.

Genus TiENIOPYGIA, Reichenhach.

The BerHn Professor, Cabanis, established the genus Staga-
nopleura for the Loxia guttata of Shaw, and associated there-
with the bird described by me as Amadina castanotis; the
Dresden Professor, Reichenbach, has, however, gone further
still, for he has separated the latter bird from the former
under the generic name of TcBnioptera. To this form must
be added the Loxia guttata of Vieillot, not of Shaw. Pro-
bably the Timor bird recently described by Mr. Wallace as
Amadina insularis is Vieillot's bird ; there are, therefore, two,
if not three, distinct species of this form.

INSESSORES. 419

Sp. 258. T^NIOPYGIA CASTANOTIS, Gould.

Chestnut-eared Finch.

Amadina castanotis, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part iv. p. 105.
Staffonopleura castanotis, Cab. Mus. Hein., Theil i. p. 172.
Tteniopygia castanotis, Reich. Sing. Yogel.

Amadina castanotis, Gonld, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iii. pi. 87.

This bird appears to be almost peculiar to the interior of
Australia ; among other places it inhabits the large plains to
the north of the Liverpool range and is particularly abundant
about Brezi and the banks of the river Mokai ; but that it
sometimes occurs on the southern side of the range is proved
by my having killed five specimens on the Upper Hunter. It
has also been found, though very sparingly, at Swan River,
and a specimen is contained in the collection formed by Mr.
Bynoe at Port Essington. It passes much of its time on the
ground, and feeds upon the seeds of various kinds of grasses.
On the plains it congregates in small flocks, and evinces a
decided preference to those spots where the trees are thinly
dispersed and grasses abundant.

The Chestnut-eared Pinch is one of the smallest of the
genus yet discovered in Australia; it is also one of the most
beautiful, and in the chasteness of its colouring can scarcely
be excelled.

The two sexes differ very considerably in their markings,
and may be thus described : —

The male has the crown of the head, nape, and back
brownish grey ; wings brown ; rump white ; upper tail-
coverts jet black, each feather having three large and conspi-
cuous oval spots of white ; tail-feathers blackish brown,
slightly tinged with white at their tips ; cheeks and ear-
coverts reddish chestnut, separated from the bill by a narrow
transverse line of white, which white line is bounded on each
side by a still finer line of black ; throat and chest grey, the

2 1-: 2 ^

420 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

featliers transversely marked with fine lines of black ; a small
black patch on the middle of the chest ; abdomen white ;
under tail-coverts bufty white ; flanks chestnut, each feather
marked near the tip with two small oval spots of white ; bill
reddish orange ; feet reddish orange, rather lighter than the
bill ; irides red.

The female has the transverse lines on the face, upper tail-
coverts, and feet as in the male ; upper surface, ear-coverts,
wings, tail, and flanks greyish brown ; throat and chest grey,
slightly tinged with brown ; abdomen yellowish brown ; bill
reddish orange.

Total length 4^ inches ; wing 2 J ; tail 1 J ; tarsi ^.

Genus POEPHILA, Gould.

A generic division proposed for a number of Grass-Finches
distinguished for the beauty of their plumage and the elegance
of their form ; they principally inhabit the plains of the north-
ern portions of Australia.

Sp. 259. POEPHILA GOULDI^, Gould.

GouLDiAN Grass-Pinch. I

Amadina gouldice, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xii. p. 5.
Poephila ffouldice, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. i. Introd. p. xlix.

Chloebia gouldicB, Reich. Sing. Vogel.

Amadina Gouldise, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iii. pi. 88.

It was with feelings of the purest affection that I ventured,
in the folio edition, to dedicate this lovely bird to the memory
of my late wife, who for many years laboriously assisted me
with her pencil, accompanied me to Australia, and cheerfully
interested herself in all my pursuits. The dedication of this
bird to Mrs. Gould's memory will surely then receive the
sanction of every scientific ornithologist.

The Fofijjhila youldm was discovered by Gilbert on Green-

INSESSORES. 421

hill Island at the head of Van Diemen's Gulf, " where it inha-
bited the edges of the mangroves and thickets : when dis-
turbed it invariably flew to the topmost branches of the
loftiest gums, a habit I have not before observed in any other
member of the genus. Its note is a very mournful sound
added to a double twit. Those I observed were feeding
among the high grass in small families of from four to seven
in number, and were very shy. The stomach is tolerably
muscular, and the food consists of grass and other seeds."

More recently the late Mr. Elsey observed it in great
abundance on the Victoria River.

The adult has the forehead, lores, ear-coverts, and throat
deep velvety black ; from behind the eye, round the occiput,
and down the sides of the neck a mark of verdigris-green,
gradually blending into the yellowish green of the upper surface
and wings ; across the breast a broad band of shining lilac-
purple, below which all the under surface is shining wax-
yellow ; tail black ; bill flesh-white at the base, tipped with
blood-red ; feet flesh-colour.

Total length 3f inches; bill f ; wing 2J; tail 2J; tarsi f.

The young bird has the head grey; upper surface light
olive ; under surface pale buff ; chin white ; primaries and
tail brown ; irides dark brown.

8p. 260. POEPHILA MIRABILIS, Ilomd. et Jacq.

Beautiful Grass-Finch.
Po'ephila mirabilis, Homb. et Jacq. Voy. au Pole Sud., tab. 22. tig. 2.

Poephila mirabilis, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iii. pi. 89.

Some ornithologists have entertained the opinion that the
P. mirabilis and the P. (/onldicB were one and the same species ;
but that such is not the case has been proved by the re-
searches of the late Mr. Elsey, who lived for some time at
the Victoria llivcr, surroimded by hundreds of both these
birds. This gentleman found them breeding, and collected

422 BIRDS 0¥ AUSTRALIA.

many examples, which, all carefully labelled, are now in the
national collection. Some of the black-headed ones, or P.
()ouldi(E, are labelled " adult male ; " one is marked " female
obtained from the nest ; '* there are also red-headed speci-
mens labelled " adult male " and " adult female/* and
young birds which are totally different in colouring, being
nearly uniform olive, without markings of any kind. Mr.
Elsey informed me that he often saw the two species associ-
ated in large flocks.

Crown of the head and cheeks of a beautiful carmine,
bounded posteriorly by a narrow line of black ; throat black ;
to this succeeds a band of pale blue, narrow on the throat and
broad on the back of the neck ; back and wings green, passing
into yellow at the nape of the neck ; breast crossed by a broad
band of lilac, separated from the yellow of the abdomen by a
narrow line of orange ; rump and upper tail-coverts pale blue ;
quills brown ; tail black ; bill fleshy white, becoming redder
at the tip ; feet flesh- colour.

Sp. 261. POEPHILA ACUTICAUDA, Gould.

Long-tailed Guass-Finch.
Amadina acuticauda, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part vii. p. 143.

Poephila acuticauda, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol.,vol. iii. pi. 90.

The specimens from which my description of this bird was
taken are from the interesting collection placed in my hands
by the late Mr. Bynoe, whose great perseverance and assi-
duity have enabled me to add many species to the fauna
of Australia. Indeed many of the officers of the 'Beagle* will
have their names handed down to posterity in consequence
of the attention they paid to this branch of science, inde-
pendently of the legitimate objects of their various expe-
ditions ; among others I may particularly allude to Mr.
Charles Darwin, Captain Wickham, Captain Stokes, Mr.
Dring, &c. Since the arrival of Bynoe's birds I have also

INSESSORES. 423

received specimens from Port Essiiigton, which, hke their
analogue the Poephila cincta of the eastern coast, inhabit the
open plains bordering streams, and feed on the seeds of various
grasses and other plants.

I regret that so little information has been transmitted to me
respecting the habits and economy of this beautiful species.

The sexes differ but little in outward appearance ; the
female is, however, rather less in size, is less strikingly marked,
and has the two middle tail-feathers shorter than her mate.

Crown of the head and cheeks grey ; upper and under
surface of the body fawn-colour, becoming more delicate, and
assuming a pinky hue on the abdomen ; lores, throat, band
across the rump, and tail jet-black ; upper and under tail-
coverts and thighs white ; wings fawn-grey ; bill and feet
yellow.

Total length 5f inches ; bill f ; wing 2f ; tail 3f ; tarsi f .

There are magnificent specimens in the British Museum —
one a male, having the centre tail-feathers ^\ inches in length,

Sp. 262. POEPHILA PERSONATA, Gould,

Masked Grass-Finch.
Po'iphila personata, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part x. p. 18.

Poephila personata, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ill. pi. 91.

This beautiful and well-marked species of Grass-Pinch is
a native of the north-west coast of Australia, where several
specimens were shot by Gilbert during an excursion from
Port Essington towards the interior of the country, who
states that it inhabits grassy meadows near streams, feeding
on grass-seeds, &c. It was tolerably abundant, being con-
gregated in flocks of from twenty to forty. When on the
wing it utters a very feeble cry of twit, twit, tivit, but at
other times pours forth a drawn-out mournful note, like that
of some of the other Grass-Pinches.

The sexes are scarcely to be distinguished by their outward

424 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

appearance, both possessing the masked face ; the female is,
however, rather less in size, and her markings are not quite
so brilliant or decided as those of the male.

Base of the bill surrounded by an irregular ring of deep
velvety black ; crown of the head, upper sm-face, and wings
light cinnamon-brown ; lower part of the abdomen banded
with deep velvety black ; lower part of the rump and under
tail-coverts white ; upper tail-coverts white, striped longitudi-
nally with black on the outer side ; tail deep blackish brown ;
irides of the old birds red, of the young birds dark brown ;
bill bright orange ; legs and feet fleshy red.

Total length 3^ inches ; bill f ; wing 2 J ; tail 2 ; tarsi -/g-.

In some specimens the upper and lower ridges of the bill
are black, while in others the basal half only is orange, the
remaining portion being brown.

Sp. 263. POEPHILA LEUCOTIS, Gould.

White-eared Geass-Finch.
Po'ephila leucotis, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xiv. p. 106.

Poephila leucotis, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iii. pi. 92.

The present beautiful species of Poephila is one of the
novelties discovered during Dr. Leichardt's expedition from
Moreton Bay to Port Essington ; it was killed in the neigh-
bourhood of the river Lynd by Gilbert, in whose Journal,
under the date of June 3, 1845, I find the following remark :
— "The most interesting circumstance that occurred to me
to-day was the discovery of a new species of Poephila, which
is very nearly allied to the one from Port Essington {P. per-
sonata), but which differs from that bird in having the bill
light yellowish horn-colour instead of orange, the irides dark
brown, and the legs red ; it is in every respect a true Poe-
phila, having the black face and throat, the black marks on
the flanks, the lengthened tail-feathers, and the general

INSESSORES. 425

plumage of a light brown ; like the other members of the
genus, it inhabits the open spots of country, and feeds on
grass-seeds."

In addition to the differences pointed out by Gilbert, I may
mention that it may also be distinguished from the F. per-
sonata by its white ear-coverts and by the black of the throat
being bounded below, and the black marks on the flanks
anteriorly, with white ; the colouring of the upper sm"face is
also a somewhat richer brown.

As is the case with the other members of the genus, the
sexes of this species differ but little from each other.

Band crossing the forehead, lores, tlu'oat, and a large patch
on each flank deep velvety black ; ear-coverts, a narrow line
beneath the black of the throat, and a space surrounding the
black patch on the flanks white ; crown of the head deep
reddish chestnut ; all the upper surface and wings dark
cinnamon-brown ; chest and abdomen pale vinous brown ;
upper and under tail-coverts white, the former margined
externally with deep black ; tail black ; irides dark brown ;
feet red ; bill yellowish horn-colour.

Total length 4f inches ; biU | ; wing 2 J ; tail 2\ ; tarsi f .

Sp. 264. POEPHILA CINCTA, Gould.

Banded Grass-Finch.
Amadina cincta, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part iv. p. 105.

Poephila cincta, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iii. pi. 93.

This species is tolerably abundant on the Liverpool Plains,
and the open country to the northward towards the interior.
It occurs so rarely on the sea side of the ranges, that I only
once met with it during my sojourn in New South Wales. It
is doubtless a native of the great basin of the interior, where,
like the P. acuticauda, P. pcrsonata, and P. Icucotis, it fre-
quents those parts of the open plains which abound in grasses.

426 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

upon the seeds of which and other plants it mostly subsists.
The range of this species is entirely unknown ; I have never
seen a specimen except from the localities above mentioned.

Crown of the head and back of the neck grey ; ear- coverts
and sides of the neck silvery grey ; throat and lores black ;
back, chest, and abdomen chestnut-brown ; wings the same,
but darker ; lower part of the body surrounded by a black
band ; tail-coverts white ; tail, which is short when compared
with other species of the genus, black ; bill black ; irides
reddish brown ; eyelash blackish brown ; feet pink-red.

Total length 4^ inches ; bill | ; wing 2f ; tail 2^ ; tarsi f .

The female differs from her mate by all her markings being
more obscurely defined.

Genus DONACOLA, Gould.

When the habits of the Australian Pinches become fully
known, I have no doubt that they will be found to differ con-
siderably, and that the members of each division of them will
exhibit as marked a difference in their economy as they do in
their structure and markings.

The late Mr. Elsey informed me that the Donacola build, in
low tea-trees overhanging water, a large spouted nest, with a
small cavity, of dry bark of those trees and of Paridanus.

Sp. 265. DONACOLA CASTANEOTHORAX, Gould.

Chestnut-breasted Pinch.
Amadina castaneothorax, Gould in Syn. Birds of Australia, part ii.

Donacola castaneothorax, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iii.
pi. 94.

I had not the good fortune to meet with this bird in a state
of nature, but I have been informed that it frequents reed-
beds bordering the banks of the rivers and lagoons of the
eastern coast, and that it much resembles the Bearded Tit

INSESSORES. 427

( Calamophilus biarmicus) of Europe, in the alertness with which
it passes up and down the upright stems of the reeds, from
the lower part to the very top, a habit for which the length-
ened and curved form of its claws seems well adapted.

The sexes appear to differ but little in colouring ; in some
individuals, however, the cheeks and throat are black instead
of brown, a character doubtless dependent on age or season.

I have not as yet seen this bird from the northern or western
coast.

Crown of the head and back of the neck grey, the centre of
each feather being brown ; cheeks, throat, and ear-coverts
blackish brown in some specimens, each feather slightly tipped
with pale buff; upper surface and wings reddish brown ;
upper tail-coverts orange ; tail brown, margined with paler
brown ; across the chest a broad band of pale chestnut,
bounded below by a line of black, which gradually widens
towards the flanks, along which it is continued for some
distance ; the remainder of the feathers on this part white,
with a spot of blackish brown at the extremity of each ; ab-
domen white ; thighs black ; under tail-coverts white, with a
spot of blackish brown at the extremity of each ; bill black ;
feet brown.

Total length 4 inches ; bill f ; wing 2^ ; tail 1^ ; tarsi f .

Sp. 266. DONACOLA PECTORALIS, Gould.

White-breasted Finch.
Amadina pectoralis, Gould inProc. of Zool. Soc, part viii. p. 127.

Donacola pectoralis, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ill. pi. 95.

For two beautiful specimens of this entirely new Finch I
am indebted to E. Dring, Esq., of the Beagle, who procured
them on the north-west coast of Australia : no notes of their
habits or economy having been forwarded with the specimens,
I am unable to give any particulars respecting them.

428 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

In structure and in the general disi)osition of its markings,
the White-breasted Finch offers a considerable resemblance to
the Donacola castaneothoracc of the eastern coast, and in all
probability they arc analogues of each other, in accordance
with a law which appears very generally to prevail among the
birds of Australia ; each great division of this vast country
having its own peculiar species.

Crown of the head, all the upper surface, and wings delicate
greyish brown ; the tips of the wing-coverts very minutely
spotted with white ; tail blackish brown ; throat and ear-
coverts glossy blackish purple ; chest crossed by a band of
feathers, black at the base, largely tipped with white ; abdo-
men and under tail-coverts vinous grey ; flanks ornamented
with a few feathers similar to those crossing the breast ; bill
bluish horn-colour ; feet flesh-colour.

Total length 4^ inches ; bill | ; wing 2^ ; tail 1 J ; tarsi f .

Genus MUNIA, Hodgson.

This genus has been established for the Loxia malacca of
Linnaeus, to which may be added the Loxia frrruginca of
Sparmann, and the Australian bird to which I gave the name
of Donacola jlaviprymna.

Sp. 267. MUNIA FLAVIPRYMNA, Gould.

Yellow-rumped Finch.

Donacola flaviprymna, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xiii. p. 80.
Dermophnjs Jiaviprymnus, Cab. Mus. Hein., Theil i. p. 174^ note.

Donacola flaviprymna, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iii. pi. 96.

A single specimen, and the only one I have ever seen of
this pretty Finch, was presented to me by the late Mr.
Bynoe, who procured it on the banks of the Victoria
River during the late surveying voyage of H.M.S. Ship
Beagle. It is very nearly allied to the Donacola castaneothoraXy
but is specifically distinct from that as well as from every

INSESSORES. 429

other known species of this now numerous tribe of birds. I
regret to add that nothing whatever is known of its habits or
mode of hfe ; but in these respects it doubtless as closely
assimilates to its congeners as it does in form.

Head pale fawn-colour; back and wings light chestnut-
brown; under surface buff; upper tail-coverts wax-yellow ;
under tail-coverts black ; tail brown.

Total length 4 J inches ; bill ^ ; wing 2 J ; tail 1| ; tarsi

Genus EMBLEMA, Gould.

The bird to which I have assigned the above generic
designation differs from all the other Finches in its lengthened
and pointed bill, and in the character and disposition of its
markings.

Sp. 268. EMBLEMA PICTA, Gould.

Painted Einch.
Emblema pict a, (jo\x\(\ in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part x. p. 17.

Emblema picta, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iii. pi. 97.

This beautiful Einch is a native of the north-west coast of
Australia, where it was procured by the late Mr. Bynoe. The
single individual sent me by that gentleman was unaccom-
panied by any account whatever of its habits and economy ;
but we may reasonably infer from the lengthened and pointed
form of its bill, that the kind of food upon which it subsists
will be somewhat different from that of the other Australian
Einches. The disposition of the colouring of the present bird
is very singular, the under parts being extremely beautiful,
while on the upper, which is generally the most highly orna-
mented, a more than ordinary degree of plainness prevails.

The example of this beautiful bird above mentioned, which
was presented to me by Bynoe,is, I believe, all that has ever
been seen ; I regret to say it no longer graces my collection,

430 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

having been stolen therefrom, together with some other
vahiable birds, in the year 1846; and up to the present
time the bird has not been again discovered.

Face and throat deep vermiHon red ; the base of all the
feathers of the throat black, giving that part a mingled
appearance of black and red ; crown of the head, all the upper
surface, and wings brown ; rump deep vermilion red ; tail
dark brown ; chest and all the under surface jet-black, the
flanks numerously spotted with white, and the centre of the
abdomen dashed with deep vermilion red ; feet light red ;
upper mandible black, under mandible scarlet, with a tri-
angular patch of black at the base.

Total length 3-g- inches ; bill -j^ ; wing 2 J ; tail If ; tarsi f .

FamHy MERULID^.

Genus PITTA, Vieillot.

The members of this genus extend from India, through-
out the islands of the Indian Archipelago to New Guinea and
Australia : one species also occurs in Africa.

Sp. 269. PITTA STREPITANS, Tenmi.

Noisy Pitta.

Pitta strepitans, Temm. PI. Col., 333.

vej'sicolor, Swains, in Zool. Journ., vol. i. p. 468.

Brachyurus strepitans, Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av., torn. i. p. 254,

Brachyurus, sp. 5.
Coloburis strepitans, Cab. et Hein. Mus. Hein., Theil ii. p. 3.

Pitta strepitans, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv. pi. 1.

This species inhabits the eastern coast of Australia, and is
tolerably abundant between the river Macquarrie and Moreton
Bay. Specimens from Cape York are smaller in all their ad-
measurements ; but the differences, I think, are too trivial to

INSESSORES. 431

be regarded as specific. It is said to be very Thrush-like in
its habits and disposition, and, as its long legs would lead us
to suppose, to resort much to the ground, but to take readily
to the branches of trees when its haunts arc intruded upon.
Its food consists of insects, and probably berries, fruits, and
snails.

Since my account of this species was printed in the folio
edition, I have received its eggs, accompanied by the follow-
ing notes from the late F. Strange of Sydney : —

" I never saw any bird whose actions are more graceful than
those of the Vitta strepitans, when seen in its native brushes,
where its presence is indicated by its singular call, resembling
the words ' tvant a watch,' by imitating which you can call it
close to the muzzle of your gun ; no sooner, however, does it
commence breeding, than it becomes shy and retiring, keeping
out of sight in the most artful manner, moving about from
place to place, and occasionally uttering its cry until it has
drawn you away from the nest. The nests I have seen were
generally placed in the spur of a fig-tree, sometimes near the
ground, and were outwardly constructed of sticks and lined
with moss, leaves, and fine pieces of bark ; the eggs are four
in number," of a pale creamy-white, marked all over with
irregularly-shaped blotches of brown and deep vinous grey,
the latter appearing as if beneath the surface of the shell;
they are one inch and a quarter in length by seven-eighths of
an inch in breadth.

The sexes present but little differences either in colom* or
size; some specimens, which I take to be males, however,
have the tail-feathers more largely tipped with green than
others.

Crown deep ferruginous, with a narrow stripe of black
down the centre ; on the chin a large spot of black, termi-
nating in a point on the front of tlic neck, and uniting to a
broad band on each side of the head, encircles the crown, and
terminates in a point at the back of the neck ; back and wings

432 lURDS OF AUSTRALIA.

pure olive-green ; shoulders and lesser wing-coverts bright
metallic caerulean blue ; across the rump a band of the same
colour; upper tail-coverts and tail black, the latter tipped
with olive-green ; primaries black, becoming paler at the tips ;
at the base of the fourth, fifth, and sixth a small white spot ;
sides of the neck, throat, breast, and flanks buff; in the
centre of the abdomen a patch of black ; vent and under
tail-coverts scarlet ; irides dark brown ; bill brown ; feet
flesh -colour.

The young, like those of the Kingfisher, assume the charac-
teristic plumage of the adult from the time they leave the
nest.

Sp. 270. PITTA IRIS, Gould.

Rainbow Pitta.
Pitta iris, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part x. p. 17.

Pitta iris, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iv. pi. 3.

The Rainbow Pitta inhabits the Cobourg Peninsula, and
will doubtless, hereafter, be found to range over a great
portion of the northern part of the country. No further
account of this fine bird has been received than that it fre-
quents the thick " cane-beds" near the coast, through which it
runs with great facility, and that the boldness and richness of
its markings render it a most attractive object in the bush.

Head, neck, breast, abdomen, flanks, and thighs deep
velvety black ; over the eye, extending to the occiput, a band
of ferruginous brown ; upper surface and wings golden green ;
shoulders bright metallic cserulean blue, bordered below with
lazuline blue ; primaries black, passing into olive-brown at
their tips, the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth having a spot
about the centre of the feather ; tail black at the base, green
at the tip, the former colour running on the inner web nearly
to the tip ; rump-feathers tinged with caerulean blue ; lower
part of the abdomen and under tail-coverts bright scarlet.

INSESSORES. 433

separated from the black of the abdomen by yellowish brown ;
irides dark brown ; bill black ; feet flesh-colour.

Total length 7 inches ; bill 1|- ; wing 4 ; tail If ; tarsi 1-^.

Genus CINCLOSOMA, Vigors and Horsf.

Among the novelties comprised in the present work, there
are none more important than the additional members of
this genus ; four well-defined species being described, of which
only one was previously known. The form is peculiar to
Australia.

Sp. 271. CINCLOSOMA PUNCTATUM, Vi^. and Horsf.

Spotted Ground-Thrush.

Ttirdus pundaius, Lath. Ind. Orn., Supp. p. xliv.
Punctated Thnish, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 187.
Cinclosoma punctatum, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 220.

Ciuclosoma punctatum, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv.
pi. 4.

The Cinclosoma punctatum is a stationary species, and is
distributed over the whole of Tasmania and the eastern por-
tion of Australia, from Moreton Bay to Spencer's Gulf.

It gives a decided preference to the summits of low stony
hills and rocky gullies, particularly those covered with scrubs
and grasses. Its flight is very limited, and this power is rarely
employed, except for the purpose of crossing a gully or pass-
ing to a neighbouring scrub ; it readily eludes pursuit by the
facility with which it runs over the stony sm'face and conceals
itself among the underwood. When suddenly flushed it rises
with a loud burring noise, like a Quail or Partridge. Its short
flight is performed by a succession of undulations, and is ter-
minated by the bird pitching abruptly to the ground almost
at right angles.

It seldom perches on the smaller branches of trees, but may

2 P

434 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

be frequently seen to run along the fallen trunks so common
in the Australian forests.

Unlike many others of the Thrush family which are cele-
brated for their song, the note of this species merely consists
of a low piping whistle, frequently repeated while among the
underwood, and by which its presence is often indicated.

In Hobart Town it is frequently exposed for sale in the
markets with Bronzewing Pigeons and Wattlebirds, where it
is known by the name of Ground-Dove, an appellation which
has doubtless been given both from its habit of running and
feeding upon the ground like the Pigeons, and the circum-
stance of its flesh being very delicate eating ; to its excellence
in this respect I can bear testimony. The pectoral muscles
are very largely developed, and the body, when plucked, has
much the contour of a Quail.

The duty of incubation is performed in October and the
three following months, during which period two and often
three broods are produced. The nest is a slight and rather
careless structure, composed of leaves and the inner bark of
trees, and is of a round open form ; it is always placed on the
ground, under the shelter of a large stone, stump of a tree, or
a tuft of grass. The eggs are two, and sometimes three, in
number, one inch and three lines long, and are white, blotched
with large marks of olive-brown, particularly at the larger end,
some of the spots appearing as if on the inner surface of the
shell. The young, which at two or three days old are thickly
clothed with long black downy feathers, soon acquire the
power of running, and at an early age assume the plumage of
the adult, after which they are subject to no periodical change
in their plumage. The stomach is very muscular, and in those
dissected were found the remains of seeds and caterpillars
mingled with sand.

Adult males have the forehead and chest ash-grey ; crown
of the head, back, rump, and the middle tail-feathers rufous-
brown, each feather of the back having a broad longitudinal

INSESSORES. 435

stripe of black down the centre ; shoulders and wing-coverts
steel-black, each feather having a spot of white at the extreme
tip ; primaries blackish-brown, margined on their outer edges
with lighter brown ; throat and a narrow band across the chest
steel-black ; stripe over the eye, a nearly circular spot on the
side of the neck, and the centre of the abdomen white ; flanks
and under tail-coverts reddish-buff, with a large oblong stripe
of black down the centre of each feather ; lateral tail-feathers
black, broadly margined with grey on their inner webs, and
largely tipped with white ; bill black ; legs fleshy-white ; feet
darker ; eyes very dark lead colour, with a naked blackish-
brown eyelash. The female differs from the male in having
all the upper surface of a lighter hue ; the throat greyish- white
instead of black ; the spot on the neck rufous instead of white,
and in being destitute of the black pectoral band.

Sp. 272. CINCLOSOMA CASTANEONOTUM, Gould.

Chestnut-backed Ground-Thrush.

Cinclosoma castanotus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part viii. p. 113.

castanotum, Cab. Mus, Hein., Theil i. p. 85.

Boone-Yung, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western Australia.

Cinclosoma castanotus, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iv. pi. 5.

The habits and economy of the present bird closely resemble
those of the Spotted Ground-Thrush; but the more level
plains, particularly those that are studded with clumps of
dwarf trees and scrubs, would appear to be the situations for
which it is more peculiarly adapted, at least such was the cha-
racter of the country in the Belts of the Murray where I dis-
covered it. On the other hand, it is stated in the notes
accompanying specimens received from Swan River, that " it
is rarely seen in any but the most barren and rocky places.
The white gum forests, here and there studded with small
patches of scrub, are its favourite haunts. It is only found
in the interior ; the part nearest to the coast, where it has

2 F 2

436 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

been observed, being Bank's Hutts on the York Road about
fifty-three miles from Fremantle."

Its disposition is naturally shy and wary, a circumstance
which cannot be attributed to any dread of man as an enemy,
since it inhabits parts scarcely ever visited either by the
natives or Europeans. 'Few persons, I may safely say, had
ever discharged a gun in that rich arboretum, the Belts of
the Murray, before the period of my being there : still the
bird was so difficult of approach, that it required the utmost
exertion to procure specimens. They were generally observed
in small troops of four or six in number, running through the
scrub one after another in a line, and resorting to a short
low flight, when crossing the small intervening plains. It
runs over the surface of the ground with even greater facihty
than C. pmidatum.

In its mode of flight and nidification it assimilates so closely
to the Spotted Ground-Thrush, as to render a separate descrip-
tion superfluous.

The stomach is extremely muscular, and the food consists
of seeds and the smaller kind of Coleoptera.

The male has the crown of the head, ear-coverts, back of
the neck, upper part of the back, upper tail-coverts, and two
central tail-feathers brown ; stripe over the eye and another
from the base of the lower mandible down the side of the
neck white ; scapularies and lower part of the back rich
chestnut; shoulders and wing-coverts black, each feather
having a spot of white at the tip ; primaries and secondaries
dark brown, margined with fighter brown ; lateral tail-fea-
thers black, largely tipped with white ; chin, throat, and
centre of the breast steel black ; sides of the chest and flanks
brownish grey, the latter blotched with black ; centre of the
abdomen and under tail-coverts white ; bifi black ; base of
the under mandible lead colour ; irides reddish hazel ; legs
blackish brown. The female differs in having the whole of
the plumage much lighter, and with only a slight tinge of

INSESSOllES. 437

chestnut on the rump ; the stripes of white over the eye and
down the sides of the neck less distinctly marked ; the chin,
throat, and breast grey instead of black ; the irides hazel, and
the feet leaden brown.

Total length 9 inches ; bill 1 ; wing 4j ; tail 4 J ; tarsi 1 J.

Sp. 273. CINCLOSOMA CINNAMOMEUM, Gould.

Cinnamon-coloured Cinclosoma.
Cinclosoma cinnamomeus, Gould in Froc. of Zool. Soc, part xiv. p. 68.

Cinclosoma cinnamomeus, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iv.
pi. 6.

For our knowledge of this new Cinclosoma we are indebted
to the researches of that enterprising traveller Captain Sturt,
who procured a single specimen during his lengthened so-
journ at the Depot in that sterile and inhospitable region,
the interior of South Australia. Since that date many other
examples have been sent to Europe, which have been collected
in other parts of the country.

It is considerably smaller than either of its congeners, the
C. castaneonotum, C. jpundatiim, and C. castaneotJwrax, and,
moreover, differs from them in the cinnamon colom'ing of the
greater portion of its plumage.

The female differs from the opposite sex in the absence of
the black markings of the throat, breast, and wings, those
parts being brownish grey.

The whole of the upper surface, scapularies, two central
tail-feathers, sides of the breast, and flanks cinnamon-brown ;
wing-coverts jet-black, each feather largely tipped with white ;
above the eye a faint stripe of white ; lores and throat glossy
black, with a large oval patch of white seated within the
black, beneath the eye; under sm^face white, with a large
arrow-shaped patch of glossy black on the breast ; feathers
on the sides of the abdomen with a broad stripe of black
down the centre ; lateral tail-feathers jet-black, largely tipped

438 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

with pure white ; under tail-coverts black for four-fifths of
their length on the outer web, their inner webs and tips
white ; eyes brown ; tarsi olive ; toes black.

Total length 7i inches; bill J; wing 3f ; tail ^; tarsi l^.

Sp. 274. CINCLOSOMA CASTANEOTHORAX, Gould.
Chestnut-breasted Ground Thrush.

Cinclosoma castaneothorax, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, 1848, p. 139,

Aves, pi. 6.
castaneithorax, Bonap. Consp. Gen, Av., p. 278, Cinclosoma,

sp. 4.

Cinclosoma castaneothorax, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol. vol.
Supplement, pi.

For a knowledge of this richly coloured and very distinct
species of Ground-Thrush science is indebted to Charles
Coxen, Esq., of Brisbane, who discovered it in the scrubby
belts of trees growing on the table-land to the northward of
the Darling Downs. In size it nearly equals the Cinclosoma
castaneonotmn , but differs from that bird in the buflfy stripe over
the eye, in the colouring of the back, and in the band of
chestnut-brown which crosses the breast. To my regret, only
a single male specimen has yet been forwarded to me; I
trust, however, that through Mr. Coxen or some other lover of
ornithology I may ere long be favoured with an example of
the female.

Crown of the head, ear-coverts, back of the neck, and upper
tail-coverts brown ; stripe over the eye and another from the
base of the lower mandible, down the side of the neck, white ;
shoulders and wing-coverts black, each feather with a spot of
white at the tip ; all the upper surface, the outer margins of
the scapularies and a broad longitudinal stripe on their inner
webs next the shaft deep rust-red ; primaries, secondaries,
and the central portion of the scapularies dark brown ; tail
black, all but the two central feathers largely tipped with

TNSESSORES. 439

white ; chin and throat black ; chest crossed by a band of
rich rust-red ; sides of the chest and flanks brownish-grey, the
latter blotched with black ; centre of the abdomen white ;
under tail-coverts brown, deepening into black near the tip,
and margined with white ; bill and feet black.

Total length 8^ inches ; bill 1 ; wing 4 ; tail 4 J ; tarsi 1 .

Genus OREOCINCLA, Gould.

Species of this genus inhabit India, the Indian Islands, and
Australia, in which latter country, although much difference
in size is observable in specimens from different localities, I
believe only one exists. It is decidedly a brush bird, and has
many habits in common with the typical Thrushes, but is
more shy and retiring.

Sp. 275. . OREOCINCLA LUNULATA.

Mountain-Thrush.

Turdus lunulatus, Lath. Ind. Orn., Supp. p. xlii.
Lunulated Thrush, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 184.

Honey-eater, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 180.

Turdus varius,Y\g. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 218.
Oreocincla novce-hollandiee et 0. macrorhyncha, Gould in Proc. of Zool.

Soc., part V. p. 145.
Mountain Thrush, Colonists of Tasmania.

Oreocincla lunulata, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv. pi. 7.

In all localities suitable to its habits and mode of life this
species is tolerably abundant, both in Tasmania and in New
South Wales ; it has also been observed in South Australia,
where however it is rare. From what I saw of it personally,
I am led to infer that it gives a decided preference to thick
mountain forests, where large boulder stones occur covered
with green moss and lichens, particularly if there be much
humidity ; rocky guUeys and the sides of water-courses are

440 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

also among its favourite places of resort. In Tasmania, the
slopes of Mount Wellington, and other similar bold elevations
are situations in which it may alvy^ays be seen if closely looked
for. During the summer it ascends high up the mountain
sides, but in winter it descends to the lower districts, the
outskirts of the forests, and occasionally visits the gardens of
the settlers. In New South Wales, the Cedar Brushes of the
Liverpool range and all similar situations are frequented by
it; I also observed it on the islands at the mouth of the
Hunter ; and I possess specimens from the north shore near
Sydney and the banks of the Clarence. Its chief food is
helices and other moUusks, to which insects of many kinds
are added ; and it is most likely that fruits and berries occa-
sionally form a part of its diet. It is a solitary species, more
than two being rarely observed together, and frequently a
single individual only is to be seen, noiselessly hopping over
the rugged ground in search of food. Its powers of flight are
seldom exercised, and so far as I am aware it has no song.
Considerable variation exists in the size and colouring of indi-
viduals from different districts. The Tasmanian specimens
are larger, and have the bill more robust, than those from
New South Wales ; considerable difference also exists in the
lunations at the tip of the feathers, some being much darker
and more distinctly defined than others. The young assume
the plumage of the adults from the nest, but have the luna-
tions paler and the centre of the feathers of the back bright
tawny instead of olive-brown.

The Mountain-Thrush breeds in many of the localities
above-mentioned during the months of August, September,
and October, the nest being placed on the low branches of
the trees, often within reach of the hand ; those I saw were
outwardly formed of green moss and lined with fine crooked
black fibrous roots, and were about seven inches in diameter
by three inches in depth ; the eggs are of a bufty white or
stone-colour, minutely freckled all over with reddish brown,

INSESSORES. 441

about one inch and three-eighths long by seven-eighths
broad.

The sexes are alike in plumage, and may be thus described :
The whole of the upper surface olive-brown, each feather
with a lunar-shaped mark of black at the tip ; wings and tail
olive-brown, the former fringed with yellowish olive and the
outer feather of the latter tipped with white ; under sm-face
white, stained with buff on the breast and flanks, each feather,
with the exception of those of the centre of the abdomen and
the under tail-coverts, with a lunar-shaped mark of black at
the tip, narrow on the breast and abdomen, and broad on the
sides and flanks ; irides very dark brown ; bill horn-colour,
becoming yellow on the base of the lower mandible; feet
horn-colour.

Family PARADISEID^ ?

I certainly consider the following accounts of the extra-
ordinary habits of the Ftilonorhynchi and CUamyderce as
some of the most valuable and interesting portions of my
work ; and, however incredible they may appear, they have
been fully confirmed by specimens of the Fiilonorhynchus
Jiolosericeiis having constructed their bowers in the Gardens
of the Zoological Society of London, and by the observation
of other persons hi Australia. These, with the genera Ailu-
Toediis and Sericulus, appear to me to constitute a very natural
group, and to be nearly allied to the JParadiseidce.

Genus PTILONORHYNCHUS, KuU.

Of this genus I am acquainted with only a single species,
the well-known Satin-Bird of the colonists.

442 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Sp. 276. PTILONORHYNCHUS HOLOSERICEUS, KuliL

Satin Bower-bird.

Ptilonorhynchus holosericeus, Kuhl, Beytr. zur Zool., S. 150.

Pyirhocorax violaceus, Vieill. Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat., torn. vi. p. 569.

Kitta holosericea, Temra. PI. Col., 395 and 422.

Satin Grakle, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iii. p. 171.

Ptilonorhynchus macleayii, Lath. MSS., Vig. and Horsf. in Linn.

Trans., vol. xv. p. 263.
Corvus squamulosus, 111., female or young ?

Ptilonorhynchus squamulosus, Wagl. Syst. Av., sp. 2, female or young ?
Ptilorhynchus holosericeus, Cab. Mus. Hein., Theil i. p. 213.
Satin Bird of the Colonists of New South Wales.
Cowry of the Aborigines of the coast of New South Wales.

Ptilonorhynchus holosericeus, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol.,
vol. iv. pi. 10.

Although this species had been long known to ornithologists
and to the colonists of New South Wales, its extraordinary
habits had never been brought before the scientific world
until I had the gratification of publishing an account of them
after my return from Australia.

The localities frequented by the Satin Bower-bird are the
luxuriant and thickly-foliaged brushes stretching along the
coast from Port Philip to Moreton Bay, and the cedar-brushes
of the Liverpool range. So far as is at present known, it is
restricted to New South Wales ; certainly it is not found so
far to the westward as South Australia, and I am not aware
of its having been seen on the north coast ; but its range in
that direction can only be determined by future research.

It is a stationary species, but appears to roam from one
part of a district to another, either for the purpose of varying
the nature, or of obtaining a more abundant supply of food.
Judging from the contents of the stomachs of the many
specimens I dissected, it would seem that it is altogether
frugivorous, or if not exclusively so, that insects form but a
small portion of its diet. Independently of numerous berry-

TNSESSORES. 443

bearing plants and shrubs, the brushes it inhabits are studded
with enormous fig-trees, to the fruit of which it is especially
partial. It appears to have particular times in the day for
feeding, and when thus engaged among the low shrub-like
trees, I have approached within a few feet without creating
alarm; but at other times the bird was extremely shy and
watchful, especially the old males, which not unfrequently
perch on the topmost branch or dead limb of the loftiest tree
in the forest, whence they can survey all round, and watch the
movements of their females and young in the brush below.

In the autumn they associate in small flocks, and may often
be seen on the ground near the sides of rivers, particularly
where the brush descends in a steep bank to the water's edge.

The extraordinary bower-like structure, alluded to in my
remarks on the genus, first came under my notice in the
Sydney Museum, to which an example had been presented
by Charles Coxen, Esq., of Brisbane, as the work of the
Satin Bower-bird. This so much interested me that I deter-
mined to leave no means untried for ascertaining every par-
ticular relating to this peculiar feature in the bird's economy ;
and on visiting the cedar-brushes of the Liverpool range, I
discovered several of these bowers or playing-places on the
ground, under the shelter of the branches of overhanging trees,
in the most retired part of the forest : they diff'ered consider-
ably in size, some being a third larger than others. The base
consists of an extensive and rather convex platform of sticks
firmly interwoven, on the centre of which the bower itself is
built : this, like the platform on which it is placed, and with
which it is interwoven, is formed of sticks and twigs, but of a
more slender and flexible description, the tips of the twigs
being so arranged as to curve inwards and nearly meet at
the top : in the interior the materials are so placed that the
forks of the twigs are always presented outwards, by which
arrangement not the slightest obstruction is ofl'ered to the
passage of the birds. The interest of this curious bower is

444 BIRDS 0¥ AUSTRALIA.

mucli enlianccd by the manner in which it is decorated with the
most gaily-colom'ed articles that can be collected, such as the
blue tail-feathers of the Rose-hill and Pennantian Parrakeets,
bleached bones, the shells of snails, &c. ; some of the feathers
are inserted among the twigs, while others with the bones and
shells are strewed about near the entrances. The propensity
of these birds to fly off with any attractive object, is so well
known to the natives, that they always search the runs for
any small missing article that may have been accidentally
dropped in the brush. I myself found at the entrance of one
of them a small neatly-worked stone tomahawk, of an inch
and a half in length, together with some slips of blue cotton
rags, which the birds had doubtless picked up at a deserted
encampment of the natives.

It has now been cleai^y ascertained that these curious
bowers are merely sporting-places in which the sexes meet,
and the males display their finery, and exhibit many remark-
able actions ; and so inherent is this habit, that the living
examples, which have from time to time been sent to this
country, continue it even in captivity. Those belonging to
the Zoological Society have constructed their bowers, decorated
and kept them in repair, for several successive years.
In a letter received from the late P. Strange, he says —
"My aviary is now tenanted by a pair of Satin-birds,
which for the last two months have been constantly engaged
in constructing bowers. Both sexes assist in their erection,
but the male is the principal workman. At times the male
will chase the female all over the aviary, then go to the bower,
pick up a gay feather or a large leaf, utter a curious kind of
note, set all his feathers erect, run round the bower, and
become so excited that his eyes appear ready to start from his
head, and he continues opening first one wing and then the
other, uttering a low whistling note, and, like the domestic
Cock, seems to be picking up something from the ground,
until at last the female goes gently towards him, when, after

INSESSORES. 445

two turns round her, he suddenly makes a dash, and the
scene ends."

I regret to state, that although I have used my utmost
endeavours, I could never discover the nest and eggs of this
species, neither could I obtain any authentic information
respecting them, either from the natives or the colonists.

The adult male has the whole of the plumage of a deep
shining blue-black, closely resembling satin, with the excep-
tion of the primary wing-feathers, which are of a deep velvety
black, and the wing-coverts, secondaries, and tail-feathers,
which are also of a velvety black, tipped with the shining
blue-black lustre ; irides beautiful light blue with a circle of
red round the pupil ; bill bluish horn, passing into yellow at
the tip ; legs and feet yellowish white.

The female has the head and all the upper surface greyish
green ; wings and tail dark sulphur-brown, the inner webs of
the primaries being the darkest; under surface containing
the same tints as the upper, but very much lighter, and with
a wash of yellow ; each feather of the under surface also has
a crescent-shaped mark of dark brown near the extremity,
giving the whole a scaly appearance ; irides of a deeper blue
than in the male, and with only an indication of the red
ring ; bill dark horn-colour ; feet yellowish white tinged
with olive.

Young males closely resemble the females, but differ in
having the under surface of a more greenish-yellow hue, and
the crescent-shaped markings more numerous ; irides dark
blue ; feet olive brown ; bill blackish olive.

Genus AILURCEDUS, Cahanis.

I quite agree with Dr. Cabanis in the propriety of institut-
ing a new genus for the reception of the Cat-bird of Australia,
inasmuch as it certainly differs from the Satin-bird in the
structure of its bill and in the character and colouring of its
plumage. A single species only inhabits Australia.

446 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Sp. 277. ATLURCEDUS SMITHII, Fir/, and Horsf.

Cat-Bird.

Varied RoUer, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iii. p. 80.

Ptilono7'hi/nchussmithii,ha.th.MSS. Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans.,
vol. XV. p. 264.

vii'idis, Wagl. Syst. Av., sp. 3.

Kitta virescens, Temm. PI. Col., 396.

Ailurcedus smithi, Cab. Mus. Hein., Theil i. p. 2L3.

Cat-Bird of the Colonists of New South Wales.

Ptilonorhynchus smithii, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv.
pL 11.

So far as our knowledge extends, this species is only found
in New South Wales, where it inhabits the luxuriant forests that
extend along the eastern coast between the mountain ranges
and the sea ; those of Hlawarra, the Hunter, the MacLeay,
and the Clarence and the cedar brushes of the Liverpool range
being, among many others, localities in which it may be found :
situations suitable to the Regent- and Satin-Birds are equally
adapted to the habits of the Cat-Bird, and I have not unfre-
quently seen them all three feeding together on the same tree.
The wild fig, and the native cherry, when in season, afford
an abundant supply. So rarely does it take insects, that I do
not recollect ever finding any remains in the stomachs of those
specimens I dissected. In its disposition it is neither a shy
nor a wary bird, little caution being required to approach it,
either when feeding or while quietly perched upon the lofty
branches of the trees. It is at such times that its loud, harsh
and extraordinary note is heard; a note which differs so
much from that of all other birds, that having been once heard
it can never be mistaken. In comparing it to the nightly
concerts of the domestic cat, I conceive that I am conveying
to my readers a more perfect idea of the note of this species
than could be given by pages of description. This concert,
is performed either by a pair or several individuals, and

INSESSOBES. 447

nothing more is required than for the hearer to sluit his eyes
to the neighbouring foliage to fancy himself surrounded by
London grimalkins of house-top celebrity.

While in the district in which this bird is found, my atten-
tion was directed to the acquisition of all the information I
could obtain respecting its habits, as I considered it very
probable that it might construct a bower similar to that of
the Satin-Bird ; but I could not satisfy myself that it does,
nor could I discover its nest, or the situation in which it
breeds ; it is doubtless, however, among the branches of the
trees of the forest in which it lives.

The sexes do not offer the slightest difference in plumage,
or any external character by which the male may be distin-
guished from the female ; she is, however, rather less brilliant
in her markings, and somewhat smaller in size.

Head and back of the neck olive-green, with a narrow line
of white down each of the feathers of the latter ; back, wings,
and tail grass-green, with a tinge of blue on the margins of
the back-feathers ; the wing-coverts and secondaries with a
spot of white at the extremity of their outer web ; primaries
black, their external webs grass-green at the base and bluish
green for the remainder of their length ; all but the two cen-
tral tail-feathers tipped with white ; all the under surface yel-
lowish green, with a spatulate mark of yellowish white down
the centre of each feather ; bill light horn-colour ; irides
brownish red ; feet whitish.

Genus CHLAMYDODERA, Gould.

Of this well-defined genus four very distinct species are
now known : viz., C. nuchalis which frequents the northern
parts of the country, C. maculata of the east coast, C. cerviiii-
ventris of Cape York, and C. guttata of the north-western
districts.

Sonie parts of tiicir economy are more astonishing than

448 BIRDS 0¥ AUSTRALIA.

those of Ptilonorhynclius. I allude more particularly to their
bowers or playing-places, which are of no great size in the
former case, but here attain their maximum so far as is
known. These extraordinary playing-places have been a
source of much speculation, and by some persons have been
considered to be made by the Aborigines as cradles for their
children ; but it is now known that they are places of resort
for both sexes of these birds at that season of the year when
nature prompts them to reproduce their kind. Here the
males meet and contend with each other for the favours of
the females, and here also the latter assemble and coquet
with the males. These highly decorated halls of assembly
must, therefore, be regarded as the most wonderful instances
of bird-architecture yet discovered. Those of my readers
who are not acquainted with these curious structures will do
well to refer to the drawings of them in the folio edition, for
no description, however accurate, can convey an adequate
idea of them. The bowers must not be confounded with
their nests, which are made in the ordinary way among the
branches of trees, and, as far as we yet know, assimilate very
closely in size and form to that of the Jay of Europe, Garruhis
glandarius,

Sp. 278. CHLAMYDODERA NUCHALIS.
Great Bower-bird.

Ptilonorhynchus nuchalis, Jard. and Selb. 111. Orn., vol. ii. pi. 103.
Calodera nuchalis, Gould, Syn. Birds of Australia, part i.
Chlamyder-a nuchalis, Gould, Birds of Australia, 1837, part i. cancelled.
Chlamydodera nuchalis, Cab. Mus. Hein., Theil i. p. 212.

Chlamydera nuchalis, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iv. pi. 9.

This fine species was first described and figured in the
" Illustrations of Ornithology," by Sir William Jardine and
Mr. Selby, from the then unique specimens in the collection
of the Linnean Society ; but neither the part of Austraha of

INSESSORES. 449

which it is a native, nor any particulars relative to its habits
were known to those gentlemen : it is now clearly ascertahied
that it is an inhabitant of the north-west coast, a portion of
the Australian continent that has, as yet, been but little
visited. I am indebted for individuals of both sexes to two
of the officers of the ' Beagle,' Messrs. Bynoe and Dring ; but
neither of these gentlemen furnished me with any account of
its economy.

The following passage from Captain Stokes's ' Discoveries
in Australia,' vol. ii, p. 97, comprises all that has, as yet,
been recorded respecting the curious bower constructed by
this bird.

" 1 found matter for conjectm-e in noticing a number of
twigs with their ends stuck in the ground, which was strewed
over with shells, and their tops brought together so as to form
a small bower ; this was 2^ feet long, 1^ foot wide at either
end. It was not until my next visit to Port Essington that I
thought this anything but some Australian mother's toy to
amuse her child ; upon being asked, one day, to go and see
the 'birds' playhouse,' I immediately recognized the same
kind of construction I had seen at the Victoria River, and
found the bird amusing itself by flying backwards and for-
wards, taking a shell alternately from each side, and carrying
it through the archway in its mouth."

Head and all the upper surface greyish brown, the feathers
of the former with a shining or satiny lustre; the feathers of
the back, wing-coverts, scapulars, quills, and tail tipped with
greyish white ; on the nape of the neck a beautiful rose-pink
fascia, consisting of narrow feathers, partly encircled by a ruff
of satin-like plumes, the tips distinct, rounded, and turning
inwards ; under surface yellowish grey, the flanks tinged with
brown ; irides, bill, and legs brownish black.

In one of the specimens I possess no trace of the nuchal
ornament is observable, a circumstance I conceive to be indica-
tive of the female.

2 G

450 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Sp. 279. CHLAMYDODERA MACULATA, Gould.
Spotted Bower-bird.

Calodera maculata, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part iv. p. 106.
Chlamijdera maculata, Gould, Birds of Australia, 1837, part i. cancelled.
Chlamydodera maculata, Cab. Mus. Hein., Theil i. p. 212.

Chlamydera maculata, Grould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv. pi. 8.

During my journey into tlie interior of New South Wales,
I observed this bird to be tolerably abundant at Brezi on the
river Mokai to the northward of the Liverpool Plains : it is
also equally numerous in all the low scrubby ranges in the
neighbourhood of the Namoi, as well as in the open brushes
which intersect the plains on its borders ; and collections from
Moreton Bay generally contain examples ; still from the ex-
treme shyness of its disposition, the bird is seldom seen by
ordinary travellers, and it must be under very peculiar cir-
cumstances that it can be approached sufficiently close to
observe its colours. The Spotted Bower-bird has a harsh,
grating, scolding note, which is generally uttered when its
haunts are intruded on, and by which means its presence is
detected when it would otherwise escape observation : when
disturbed it takes to the topmost branches of the loftiest trees,
and frequently flies off to another neighbourhood.

In many of its actions and in the greater part of its eco-
nomy much similarity exists between this species and the
Satin Bower-bird, particularly in the curious habit of con-
structing an artificial bower or playing-place. I was so far
fortunate as to discover several of these bowers during my
journey in the interior, the finest of which I succeeded in
bringing to England; it is now in the British Museum.
The situations of these runs or bowers are much varied : I
found them both on the plains studded with Myalls {Acacia
pendula) and other small trees, and in the brushes clothing
the lower hills. They are considerably longer and more

INSESSORES. 451

avenue-like than those of the Satin Bower-bird, being in many
instances three feet in length. They are outwardly built of
twigs, and beautifully lined with tall grasses, so disposed that
their heads nearly meet ; the decorations are very profuse, and
consist of bivalve shells, crania of small mammalia and other
bones bleached by exposure to the rays of the sun or from the
camp-fires of the natives. Evident indications of high instinct
are manifest throughout the whole of the bower and decorations
formed by this species, particularly in the manner in which
the stones are placed within the bower, apparently to keep the
grasses with which it is lined fixed firmly in their places :
these stones diverge from the mouth of the run on each side
so as to form little paths, while the immense collection of
decorative materials are placed in a heap before the entrance
of the avenue, the arrangement being the same at both ends.
In some of the larger bowers, which had evidently been re-
sorted to for many years, I have seen half a bushel of bones,
shells, &c., at each of the entrances. I frequently found these
structures at a considerable distance from the rivers, from
the borders of which they could alone have procured the shells
and small round pebbly stones ; their collection and trans-
portation must therefore be a task of great labour. I fully
ascertained that these runs, like those of the Satin Bower-
bird, formed the rendezvous of many individuals ; for, after
secreting myself for a short space of time near one of them, I
killed two males which I had previously seen running through
the avenue.

The natives unhesitatingly state that the bird makes its
nest in the high gum trees, and Mr. Charles Coxen of Bris-
bane found a nest of the Chlamydodera maculata with young
birds in it some years ago on Oaky Creek near the present
Jondaryan head station, on the Darhiig Downs ; the nest was
built in one of the Myrtacc(E overhanging a watcrhole, near a
scrub, on which a bower was built ; and was in form very
similar to that of the Common Thrush of Europe, being of a

2 G 2

452 BIRDS OP AUSTRALIA.

cup-shape, constructed of dried sticks with a slight Uning of
feathers and fine grass. The eggs are still unknown.

Crown of the head, ear-coverts, and throat rich brown, each
feather surrounded with a narrow line of black ; feathers on
the crown small, and tipped with silvery grey ; a beautiful
band of elongated feathers of light rose-pink crosses the back
of the neck, forming a broad, fan-like, occipital crest ; all the
upper surface, wings, and tail of a deep brown ; every feather of
the back, rump, scapularies, and secondaries tipped with a large
round spot of rich buff; primaries slightly tipped with white ;
all the tail-feathers terminated with buffy white ; under sur-
face greyish white ; feathers of the flanks marked with faint,
transverse, zigzag lines of light brown ; bill and feet dusky
brown ; irides dark brown ; bare skin at the corner of the
mouth thick, fleshy, prominent, and of a pinky flesh-colour.

I am in some doubt as to whether the female ever acquires
the lilaceous mark at the back of the neck : for the first and
perhaps the second year, she is certainly without it.

Total length 11^ inches ; bill 1 J ; wing 6 ; tail 4| ; tarsi 1

Sp. 280. CHLAMYDODERA GUTTATA, Gould.

GUTTATED BOWER-BIRD.
Chlamydera guttata, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, 1862, p. 161.

I am indebted to the researches of T. F. Gregory, Esq., the
West Australian explorer, for a knowledge of this new species.
It was collected in North-western Australia, and is doubtless
the bird which constructs the bowers described by Captain
(now Sir George) Gray in his " Travels," vol. i. pp. 196 and
245, where he states, that on gaining the summit of one of
the sandstone-ranges forming the watershed of the streams
flowing into the Glenelg and Prince Regent's Rivers, "We
fell in with a very remarkable nest, or what appeared to me
to be such. We had previously seen several of them, and they
had always afforded us food for conjecture as to the agent

TNSESSORES 453

and purpose of such singular structures. This very curious
sort of nest, which was frequently found by myself and other
individuals of the party, not only along the sea-shore, but in
some instances at a distance of six or seven miles from it, I
once conceived must have belonged to a Kangaroo, until I
was informed that it was the run or playing-place of a species
of Chlamydodera. These structures were formed of dead grass
and parts of bushes, sunk a shght depth into two parallel
furrows in sandy soil, and then nicely arched above. But the
most remarkable fact connected with them was, that they were
always full of broken sea-shells, large heaps of which protruded
from each extremity. In one instance, in a bower the most
remote from the sea that we discovered, one of the men of
the party found and brought to me the stone of some fruit
which had evidently been rolled in the sea ; these stones he
found lying in a heap in the nest, and they are now in my
possession."

The bird sent to me by Mr. Gregory is rather larger, but
bears a very general resemblance to the Chlamydodera macu-
lata, being spotted all over like that species ; but it differs in
the guttations of the upper surface being of a larger size and
much more distinct, in the abdomen being buff, and in the
shafts of the primaries being of a richer yellows In all pro-
bability, the specimen is a female, since there is no trace of
the beautiful lilaceous nuchal mark seen in the males only of
C. maculata and C. nuchalis. Since Mr. Gregory discovered
this interesting bird, Mr. Stuart, as all the world knows, has
crossed the continent of Australia from Adelaide to the
Victoria River ; and that he met with this bird in some part
of his journey is shown by his having kindly left at my house
the head of a male adorned with fine lilaceous feathers at the
back of the neck like C. nuchalis and C. maculata.

General tint of the upper surface and wings deep brownish
black, with a spot of rich buff at the tip of each feather,
those of the head and nape being very small, while those on

454 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA,

the body and wings are of a large size, accordant in fact with
the increased size of the feathers ; the spots on the tips of the
wing-feathers are not so round as those on the back ; the
primaries are very pale brown, fading into white on the basal
portion of their inner webs, which is yellow on their under
surface; their shafts straw-yellow; these feathers are much
worn, and are doubtless tipped with white in fresh moulted
specimens ; tail-feathers pale brown, with buff shafts and
Avhite tips ; throat-feathers brown at the base, with an arrow-
head-shaped mark of pale buff at the tip of each, the buff tips
becoming much larger on the chest ; centre of the abdomen
pale buff; flanks, thighs, and under tail-coverts buff, barred
with light brown ; bill black ; gape rich yellow ; feet appa-
rently very dark olive.

Total length 11^ inches ; bill IJ ; wing 6 ; tail 4 J ; tarsi If.

Sp.281. CHLAMYDODERA CERVINIVENTRIS, 6'o/^/^.
Fawn-beeasted Bowek-bird.

Chlamydera cerviniventris^ Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xviii. p. 201 •

Chlamydera cerviniventris, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., Supple-
ment, pi.

The discovery of the present species is due Mr. Macgillivray,
who procured a specimen at Cape York, which with its curious
bower he transmitted to the British Museum. Other ex-
amples have since been procured, but none are adorned with
the lovely frill of liliaceous feathers at the nape of the neck
although I believe some of them are very old birds. In size
this species is rather larger than C. maculata, or almost inter-
mediate between that species and C. nuchalis ; its distinguish-
ing feature is its rich, uniformly-coloured, buff under surface.
Its bower differs from those of the other species; its walls,
which are very thick, being nearly upright, or but little
inclining towards each other at the top, so that the passage
through is very narrow ; it is formed of line twigs, is placed

INSESSORES. 455

on a very thick platform of thicker twigs, is nearly 4 feet in
length and almost as much in breadth, and has here and
there a small snail-shell or berry dropped in as a decoration.

The following note relative to this bird is extracted from
Mr. Macgillivray's " Narrative of the Voyage of H.M.S.
Rattlesnake : " —

" Two days before we left Cape York, I was told that some
Bower-birds had been seen in a thicket or patch of low scrub,
half a mile from the beach ; and after a long search I found
a recently-constructed bower, 4 feet long and 18 inches high,
with some fresh berries lying upon it. The bower was
situated near the border of the thicket, the bushes composing
which were seldom more than 10 feet high, growing in
smooth sandy soil without grass.

" Next morning I was landed before daylight, and pro-
ceeded to the place in company with Paida, taking with us a
large board on which to carry off the bower as a specimen.
I had great difficulty in inducing my friend to accompany me,
as he was afraid of a war party of Gomokudins, which tribe
had lately given notice that they were coming to fight the
Evans Bay people. However, I promised to protect him, and
loaded one barrel with ball, which gave him increased confi-
dence ; still he insisted upon carrying a large bundle of spears
and a throwing-stick.

" While watching in the scrub, I caught several glimpses
of the tewinga (its native name) as it darted through the
bushes in the neighbourhood of the bower, announcing its
presence by an occasional loud churr-r-r, and imitating the
notes of various other birds, especially the Tropidorlu/nchus. I
never before met with a more wary bird ; and, for a long time,
it enticed me to follow it to a short distance, then flying off and
alighting on the bower it would deposit a berry or two, run
through and be off again before I could reach the spot. All
this time it was impossible to get a shot. At length, just as
my patience was becoming exhausted, I saw the bird enter

456 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA

the bower and disappear, when I fired at random through
the twigs, fortunately with effect. So closely had we con-
cealed ourselves latterly, and so silent had we been, that a
kangaroo, while feeding, actually hopped up within fifteen
yards, unconscious of our presence until fired at."

Upper surface brown, each feather of the back and wings,
margined and marked at the tip with buffy white ; throat
striated with greyish brown and buff; under surface of the
shoulder, abdomen, thighs, and under tail-coverts light pure
fawn-colour.

Total length 1 1^ inches ; bill 1^ ; wing 5f ; tail 5 ; tarsi If.

Genus SERICULUS, Swainson.

Of this genus only a single species is known ; and that this
bird has many characters in common with the ParadiseidcR
will, I think, be evident to every one who will compare it
with those birds. In my opinion much has been added to
the interest of the Regent Bird by Mr. Coxen's discovery that
it constructs a bower or playing-place like the members of
the genera Clilamydodera and Ptilinorhynchus.

Sp. 282. SERICULUS MELINUS.

Regent-Bird.

Turdus melinus, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xliv.
Meliphaga chrysocephala, Lewin, Birds of New Holl., pi. 1.
Golden-crowned Honey-eater, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 184.
Oriolus regens, Wagl. Syst. Av., Oriolus, sp. 2.

regius, Temm. PI. Col., 320.

Sericulus chrysocephalus, Swains, in Zool. Journ., vol. i. p. 478.

regens, Less. Man. d'Orn., torn. i. p. 256.

magnirostris, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part v. p. 145.

melinus, Gray, Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 233, Sericulus, sp. 1.

Sericulus chrysocephalus, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv.
pi. 12.

This beautiful species, one of the finest birds of the

INSESSORES. 457

Australian Fauna, is, I believe, exclusively confined to the
eastern portion of the country ; it is occasionally seen in the
neighbourhood of Sydney, which appears to be the extent of
its range to the southward and westward. I met with it in
the brushes at Maitland in company, and feeding on the same
trees, with the Satin- and Cat-Birds and the Mimeta viridis ;
it is still more abundant on the Manning, at Port Macquarrie,
and at Moreton Bay ; I sought for and made every inquiry
respecting it at Illawarra, but did not meet with it, and was
informed that it is never seen there, yet the district is
precisely similar in character to those in which it is abundant,
about two degrees to the eastward : while encamped on
Mosquito Island, near the mouth of the River Hunter, I shot
several, and observed it to be numerous on the neighbouring
islands, particularly Baker's Island, where there is a fine
garden, and where it commits serious injury to the fruit
crops.

Although I have spoken of this bird as abundant in the
various localities referred to, I must mention that at least
fifty out of colour may be observed to one fuUy-plumaged
male, which, when adorned in its gorgeous livery of golden
yellow and deep velvety black, exhibits an extreme shyness of
disposition, as if conscious that its beauty, rendering it a
conspicuous object, might lead to its destruction ; it is usually
therefore very quiet in its actions, and mostly resorts to the
topmost branches of the trees ; but when two gay-coloured
males meet, conflicts frequently take place. To obtain spe-
cimens in their full dress, considerable caution is necessary ;
on the other hand, females and immature males are very
tame, and, when feeding among the foliage, appear to be so
intent upon their occupation as not to heed the approach of
an intruder ; and I have occasionally stood beneath a low
tree, not more than fifteen feet high, with at least ten feeding
voraciously above me.

I did not succeed in discovering the nest; but the late

458 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

F. Strange, writing from Moreton Bay, informed me that it
" is rudely constructed of sticks ; no other material being
employed, not even a few roots as a lining. On the 4th of
November I observed one building, and, as I was leaving for
the Richmond the next day, I gave instructions that it should
be taken fifteen days after ; when the time arrived, however,
no native could be got to secm'e it, and it remained till my
return on the 4th of December. I then sent a native up,
and he brought me the nest, with two young ones covered
with down, except the wings, which were feathered. As the
two birds quite filled the nest, and I have heard of other
nests being taken with the same number of birds in them, I
am inclined to believe that two is the normal number of eggs
laid. After taking the young, I wounded and succeeded in
capturing the old bird; which, after being two days in
confinement, became reconciled to captivity, attended to her
progeny, fed them, and removed the dirt that accumulated in
the nest."

The eggs are still a desideratum, and their acquisition
would be a source of much gratification to me.

The following extracts from a paper on the habits of this
fine bird, by C. Coxen, Esq., of Brisbane, read at a meeting
of the Queensland Philosophical Society on the 23rd of
May 1864, I consider to be of high interest, as affording a
clue to the position the bird should occupy in our systems : —

"Although the Regent-bird has been known to ornitho-
logists for many years, very little of its habits has become
known, and it has been left for me to bring under your notice
the very peculiar and curious habit it enjoys in common
with the Satin-l)ird {Ptilonorhpichus Jiolosericeus) and the
Spotted Bower-bird {Chlami/dodera maculata). My attention
was called to this peculiarity in August last, by Mr. Waller,
taxidermist, of Edward-street, in this city, to whose untiring
energy and ability as a collector I must always bear testimony.
Mr. Waller informed me that, while shooting in a scrub on

IN8E990RE8. 459

the banks of the Brisbane River, he saw a male Regent-bird
playing on the ground, jumping up and down, puffing out
its feathers, and rolling about in a very odd manner, which
occasioned much surprise, never having seen the bird on the
ground before. The spot where it was playing was thickly
covered with small shrubs ; not wishing to lose the opportunity
of procuring a specimen, he fired, but only succeeded in
wounding it : and on searching the spot, he found a bower
formed between, and supported by, two small brush plants,
and surrounded by small shrubs, so much so, that he had to
creep on his hands and knees to get to it ; while doing so, the
female bird came down from a lofty tree, uttered her peculiar
note, and lit on a branch immediately over the bower,
apparently with the intention of alighting in front of it,
but was scared away on seeing Mr. Waller so close to her.
She continued flitting over the place, and calling for her
mate so long as he was in the neighbourhood. Mr. Waller
believes that the male bird, after being wounded, flut-
tered to some distance from the bower, and died, as a male
Regent- bird was found dead two days afterwards in a more
open part of the brush. On visiting the scrub on the
following and several successive days, the female bird was
seen in the locality of the bower, and by her constant calling
was apparently lamenting the loss, or what might seem to
her the inconstancy of her mate. The ground around the
bower was clear of leaves for some twelve or eighteen inches,
and had the appearance of having been swept, the only ob-
jects in its immediate vicinity being a small specimen of hehx.
The structure was alike at both ends, but the part designated
as the front was more easy of approach, and had the principal
decorations ; the approach to the back being more closed
by scrub. Mr. Waller being desirous that this curious habit
of the Regent-bird should be verified, determined to leave
the bower untouched until he had acquainted me with his
discovery. Circumstances occurred to prevent me from

4C0 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

accompanying him to its whereabouts until the following
November, when we found the bower in good preservation.
Previous to my seeing and examining the structure, I must
confess to having had considerable doubts as to whether it
would not prove to be a bower of the Satin-bird, but these
doubts were dissipated at the first glance, the formation of the
structure differing considerably, and the decoration more so.
With Mr. Waller's assistance I removed the building without
injuring or in any way defacing its architectural style. It
may not be inopportune for me to state that I was the first
to discover the bower and habits of the Satin -bird, and, also,
among the first discoverers of the bower of the Spotted
Bower-bird, that I have had frequent opportunities of seeing
them in the New South Wales brushes and the myall scrubs
to the westward, and am consequently conversant with
their peculiarities. The bower of the Regent-bird differs
from the Satin-bird's in being less dome-shaped, straighter in
the sides, platform much less, being only ten inches by ten,
but thicker in proportion to its area, twigs smaller and not
so arched, and the inside of the bower smaller; indeed,
I believe, too small to admit an adult Satin-bird without
injury to its architecture. The decorations of the bower are
uniform, consisting only of a small species of helix, herein
forming a marked distinction from the Satin-bird. Mr. Gould
had shown his usual power of observation and knowledge of
generic distinctions, in having placed the Regent-bird next in
order to the Satin Bower-bird, without having any know-
ledge of its pecidiar building-instincts. The Regent-bird
frequents our river scrubs during the winter months, from
the beginning of May to the end of September, coming from
the south, whither he repairs during the summer. Its food
consists of berries, wild fruits, and insects. In confinement
it greedily disposes of house-flies, cockroaches, and small
insects, showing great activity in their capture ; but its prin-
cipal food is the banana, of which it eats largely. It is very

INSESSORES. 461

bold and pugnacious, the young males particularly so. In
confinement several cases have occurred of one having killed
the other. The young males closely resemble the females in
plumage during their first year, in the second they partially
assume the gay plumage of their sire, and in their third year
they put on the full livery of the adult male."

The male has the head and back of the neck, running in a
rounded point towards the breast, rich bright gamboge-yellow,
tinged with orange, particularly on the centre of the forehead ;
the remainder of the plumage, with the exception of the se-
condaries and inner webs of all but the first primary, deep
velvety black ; the secondaries bright gamboge-yellow, with a
narrow edging of black along the inner webs ; the first primary
is entirely black, the next have the tips and outer webs black
— the half of the inner web and that part of the shaft not
running through the black tip are yellow ; as the primaries
approach the secondaries, the yellow of the inner web extends
across the shaft, leaving only a black edge on the outer web,
which gradually narrows until the tips only of both webs
remain black; bill yellow; irides pale yellow; legs and feet
black.

The female has the head and throat dull brownish white,
with a large patch of deep black on the crown ; all the upper
siu-face, wings, and tail pale olive-brown, the feathers of the
back with a triangular-shaped mark of brownish white near
the tip ; the under surface is similar, but here, except on the
breast, the white markings increase so much in size as to
become the predominant hue ; irides brown ; bill and feet
black.

Genus MIMETA, Vigors mid Horsfield.

This form is merely an offshoot from Oriolus, from which
it is distinguished by the absence of any gay colouring in
the plumage of its members. Three species inhabit Australia,

462 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

and others are found in the islands immediately to the north-
ward of that country.

Sp. 283. MIMETA VIRIDTS.

New South Wales Oriole.

Gracula viridis, Lath. Ind. Orn., Supp. p. xxviii.

Green Grakle, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 129.

Coracias sagittata, Lath. Ind. Orn., Supp. p. xxvi.

Striated Roller, Lath. Gen. Syn., Supp. vol. ii. p. 122.

Streaked Roller, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iii. p. 84, young.

Oriolus viridis, Vieill. 2nd edit, du Nouv. Diet. d^Hist. Nat., torn, xviii.

p. 197.

variegatus, Vieill. lb., torn, xviii. p. 196.

Mimetes viridis, King, Survey of Intertropical Coast of Australia,

vol. ii. p. 419.
Mimeta viridis, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 326.
merulo'ides, Vig. and Horsf. lb., vol. xv. p. 327, young.

Oriolus viridis, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iv. pi. 13.

The true and probably the restricted habitat of this species
is New South Wales, where in the months of summer it is
tolerably plentiful in every part of the colony. I frequently
observed it in the Botanic Garden at Sydney, and in all the
gardens of the settlers where there were trees of sufficient size
to afford it shelter ; the brushes of the country, the sides of
brooks, and all similar situations are equally inhabited by it.
I did not find it in South Australia, neither has it been
observed to the westward of that part of the country. That
its range extends pretty far to the northward I have no
doubt, as its numbers rather increased than diminished in
the neighbourhood of the rivers Peel and Namoi.

The following notes respecting this species, by Mr. E. P.
Ramsay, are extracted from the ' Ibis ' for 1863 : —

" During the winter months these birds may be found in
flocks of from five to twenty in number, feeding upon various
cultivated and wild fruits, and often in company with the

INSESSORES. 463

Fruit-eating Magpie, the note of which they often imitate.
They frequent nearly all the orchards and gardens about
Sydney, especially if they contain any of the native olive- or
Moreton Bay fig-trees in fruit, to which they are very partial.
I have known them, though seemingly with great reluctance,
eat the berries of the white cedar. Towards the beginning
of September those near Sydney pair, and seek for breeding-
places, each couple selecting a distinct locality, where they
remain during the whole of the season ; even if the nest be
taken, they will, like the Grallina australis, continue building
near the same place until the season has expired.

" The nest is cup-shaped, and composed of shreds of the bark
of the stringy-bark tree, a species of Eucalyptus, strongly
interwoven, with the inside made thick and more compact by
the addition of the white paper-like bark of the tea-tree, or
any other material adapted for the purpose ; and lined with
the narrow leaves of the native oaks, or with grass and hair.
It is from four to five inches in diameter, three to four inches
wide inside, about three and a half inches deep, and is usually
suspended between a fork at the extreme end of a horizontal
bough of a gum-, tea-, or turpentine-tree, &c., and often in
very exposed situations.

" The eggs are two or three in number, usually the latter ;
but in two instances I have found four. They are from one
inch and two lines to one inch and four lines in length by
from nine lines to one inch in breadth. Their ground-colour
varies from a rich cream to a dull white or very light brown,
minutely dotted and blotched with umber and blackish brown,
and instances with faint lilac spots which appear beneath the
surface, all over in some instances, but generally the spots are
more numerous at the larger end, where they form an indis-
tinct band.

" The note of this Oriole is very melodious and varied. It
may often be seen perched on some shady tree, with its head
thrown back, showing to perfection its mottled breast, singing

464 BIRDS OP AUSTRALIA.

in a low tone and imitating the notes of many birds, includ-
ing the Zostcrops, and particularly the Black or Fruit-eating
Magpie. While feeding, it frequently utters a harsh guttural
sort of squeak. During the breeding-season, which commences
at the end of September and ends in January, it confines itself
to a very monotonous although melodious cry, the first part of
which is quickly repeated, and ends in a lower note."

The bird as observed by me in New South Wales was bold
and active, and was often seen in company with the Regent-,
Satin-, and Cat-birds, feeding in the same trees and on similar
berries and fruits, particularly the small wild fig. I often
observed it capturing insects on the wing and flying very
high, frequently above the tops of the loftiest trees.

The sexes when fully adult differ so little in colour that
they can scarcely be distinguished ; the male is however of a
more uniform tint about the head, neck, and throat, and has
the yellowish olive of the upper surface of a deeper tint than
the female.

Head and all the upper surface yellowish olive ; wings and
tail-feathers dark brown ; the outer webs of the coverts and
secondaries grey, margined and broadly tipped with white ;
all but the two centre tail-feathers with a large oval-shaped
spot of white on the inner, and the extremity of the outer
web white, the white mark gradually increasing in size as
the feathers recede from the centre until it becomes an inch
long on the external one ; under surface white, washed with
olive-yellow on the sides of the chest, each feather with an
elongated pear-shaped mark of black down the centre ; bill
dull flesh-red ; irides scarlet ; feet lead-colour.

The young bird during the first year has the bill blackish
brown instead of dull flesh-red ; the upper surface olive-
brown, each feather strongly streaked down the centre with
dark brown ; wings brown, under surface of the shoulder
and all the wing-feathers except the primaries margined with
sandy red ; the black streaks on the breast more decided, and

[NSESSORES. 465

the white spot at the tip of the lateral tail-feathers much
smaller, than in the adult.

Sp. 284. MIMETA AFFINIS, Gould.

Mur-re-a rwoo of the Aborigines.

Oriolus affinis, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol, vol. i. Introd. p. liii.

This species inhabits the neighbourhood of Port Essington,
and only differs from the preceding in having a smaller body,
a shorter wing, a much larger bill, and in the white spots at
the tips of the lateral tail-feathers being much smaller in
extent. Although I have not at this moment any specimens
wherewith to institute a comparison, I have but little doubt
that this bird is quite distinct from its southern representa-
tive, M. viridis.

Gilbert informed me that it is abundant in every part of the
Cobourg Peninsula and the adjacent islands, in every variety of
situation. Its note is loud, distinct, and very unlike that of
every other bird he had ever heard ; the sound usually uttered
is a loud clear whistle, terminating in a singular guttural harsh
catch ; but in the cool of the evening, when perched among
the thick foliage of the topmost branches of the Eucalypti
and other trees, it pours forth a succession of very pleasing
notes.

A nest taken on the 4th of December contained two nearly
hatched eggs ; it was attached by the rim to a drooping
branch of the swamp Melaleuca, about five feet from the
ground, was very deep and large, and formed of very narrow
strips of the paper bark mixed with a few small twigs, the
bottom of the interior lined with very fine wiry twigs.

The eggs, w^hich are large for the size of the bird, are of a
beautiful bluish white, sparingly spotted all over with deep
umber brown and bluish grey ; the latter appear as if beneath
the surface of the shell ; their medium length is one inch and
three lines long by eleven Hnes broad.

2 n

466 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Sp. 285. MIMETA FLAVOCINCTA.

Crescent-marked Oriole.

Mimetes fiavo-cinctus, King, Survey of Intertropical Coasts of Austra-
lia, vol. ii. p. 419.
Mimeta flayo-cincta, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 327.

Oriolus flavocinctus, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv. pi. 14,

This species was discovered on the north coast of Australia
by Captain Philip Parker King, R.N., and described by
him in his " Survey of the Intertropical Coasts of Australia,"
referred to above ; Gilbert procured two specimens at Port
Essington, and Commander Ince, R.N,, subsequently obtained
an additional example in the same locality. All the informa-
tion that has reached me respecting its habits and economy
is contained in a short note sent to me by Gilbert, which
merely states that his specimens were obtained in the forests
of mangroves bordering the coast.

The Mimeta Jlavocincta is the largest and by far the most
gaily coloured species of the genus yet discovered in Australia.
In the islands to the northward of that country there are
other species of still larger size, but none of them are so
richly coloured.

The male has the head, neck, and all the upper surface dull
greenish yellow, with a stripe of black, broad at the base and
tapering to a point, down the centre of each feather ; under
surface greenish yellow, passing into piu-e yellow on the under
tail-coverts; wings black, all the feathers margined with
greenish yellow and broadly tipped with pale yellow ; tail black,
washed on the margins with greenish yellow, and largely
tipped, except the two middle feathers, with brightyellow,
which increases in extent as the feathers recede from the centre;
irides reddish orange ; bill dull red ; feet lead-colour.

The female differs in being of smaller size, in having the
ander surface striated with black, and the markings of the
whigs straw-white instead of yellow.

INSESSORES. 467

Genus SPHECOTHERES, Vieillot.

Australia presents us with two well-defined species of this
genus ; others inhabit New Guinea and the neighbouring
islands ; but as yet we have no evidence of the form occurring
on the continent of India.

These birds appear to offer an alliance to the members of
the genera Oriolus and Mimeta.

Sp. 286. SPHECOTHERES MAXILLARIS.
Southern Sphecotheres.

Turdus maxillaris, Lath. Ind. Orn., Suppl. p. xliii.

Sphecotheres viridis, Vig, and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 215.

virescens, Jard. and Selb. 111. Orn., vol. ii. pi. 79.

australis, Swains.

canicoUis, Swains. Anim. in Menag., p. 320.

grisea, Less. Traite d'Orn., p. 351.

maxillaris, Gray Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 231, Sphecotheres, sp. 1.

Sphecotheres australis, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv.
pi. 15.

I killed a fine specimen of this bird on Mosquito Island, at
the mouth of the river Hunter, in September 1839 ; it was
perched on a dead branch which towered above the green
foliage of one of the high trees of the forest, and my attention
was drawn to it by its loud and singular note : this was the
only example that came under my observation : but it is
more plentiful in the neighbourhood of the river Clarence, is
abundant at Moreton Bay, and that it enjoys a wide range is
proved by Mr. Bynoe having procured an adult male on the
north coast. It appears to be peculiar to the brushes, and its
food doubtless consists of the berries and fruits which abound
in those districts. Nothing is known of its nidification.
The sexes differ very widely from each other in colour.
The male has the crown of the head and the cheeks glossy

2 H 2

468 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

black ; orbits and a narrow space leading to the nostrils
naked and of a light bufFy yellow ; throat, chest, and collar at
the back of the neck dark slate-grey ; all the upper surface,
greater wing-coverts, outer webs of the secondaries, abdomen,
and flanks yellowish green ; lesser wing-coverts, primaries,
and inner webs of the secondaries slaty black, fringed with
grey ; vent and under tail -coverts white ; tail black, the
apical half and the outer web of the external feather pure
white ; the apical half of the second feather on each side
white, the next on each side with a large spot of white at the
extremity, and the six central feathers slightly fringed with
white at the tip ; bill black ; irides very dark brown in some,
red in others ; feet flesh-colour.

The female has the upper surface brown, washed with
olive, each feather with a darker centre ; wings dark brown,
the coverts and secondaries conspicuously, and the primaries
narrowly, edged with greenish grey ; under surface buffy
white, each feather with a broad and conspicuous stripe of
brown down the centre ; flanks washed with yellowish green ;
under tail-coverts white, with a narrow stripe of brown down
the centre ; tail brown, each feather narrowly edged on the
inner web with white, and all but the two lateral ones on each
side washed with yellowish green.

Sp. 287. SPHECOTHERES FLAVIVENTRIS, Gould,

Northern Sphecotheres.
Uphecotheres flavwentris, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, 1849, p. 111.

Sphecotheres flaviventris, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, Supple-
ment, pi.

This bird may always be distinguished from its near ally
the 8. maxiUuris by the beautifid jonquil-yellow of its under
surface. Mr. Macgillivray informed me that it is very com-
mon in the neighbom-hood of Cape York, where he daily
observed it either in pairs or in small parties of three or four

INSESSORES. 469

individuals, which were generally very shy and difficult of
approach. It frequents the open forest land in company
with the Tropidorhynchus argenticeps, and resorts to the
branches for its food, which consists of fruit of various kinds,
such as figs, &c. His specimens wxre procured by keeping
himself carefully concealed beneath one of its favourite feed-
ing trees and watching until an opportunity offered of getting
a shot. He once saw several nests which he had no doubt
belonged to this species ; nearly all of them were built among
the topmost branches of very large gam-trees, which he could
not induce the natives to attempt to climb ; a deserted nest was
however within reach, being placed on an overhanging branch
not more than twenty feet from the ground ; it measured
about a foot in diameter, and was composed of small sticks
lined with finer ones.

As is the case with the other members of the genus, the
sexes offer a marked difference in colour.

The male has the crown of the head and cheeks glossy
black; orbits, and a narrow space leading to the nostrils
naked, and of a light buffy yellow, or flesh-colour ; all the
upper surface, wing-coverts, outer webs of the secondaries,
and a patch on either side of the chest, olive-green ; chin,
chest, abdomen, and flanks beautiful yellow ; vent and under
tail-coverts white ; primaries and inner webs of secondaries
black, edged with grey ; tail black, the external web and the
apical half of the internal web of the outer feather on each
side white ; the apical half of the second feather on each side
white ; the next, or third, on each side wdtli a large spot of
white at the tip ; bill black ; feet flesh-colour.

The female is striated on the head with brown and whitish ;
has the upper surface olive-brown ; the wing-feathers narrowly
edged with greenish grey ; the under surface white, with a
conspicuous stripe of brown down the centre of each feather ;
a^nd the vent and under tail-coverts white, without striae.

Total length 10^ inches ; bill \\ ; wing 5f ; tail 4^ ; tarsi f .

470 BIRDS or AUSTRALIA.

Family ?

Genus CORCORAX, Lesson.

A genus containing only one species, which possesses many
singular habits. So far as is yet known, it is confined to
Australia.

Sp.288. CORCORAX MELANORHAMPHUS.
White-winged Corcorax.

Coracia melanoramphos, Vieill. Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat., torn. viii. p. 3.
Vyrrhocorax leucopterus, Temm. Man. d^Orn., torn. i. p. 121.
Fregilus leucopterus, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 265.
Coi'vus leucopterus, Wagl. Syst. Nat., Corvus, sp. 14.
Corcorax australis, Less. Traite d'Orn., p. 325.

leucopterus, G. R. Gray, List of Gen. of Birds, 2nd edit. p. 52.

melanorhynchus. Gray, Gen. of Birds, vol. ii. p. 321.

Cercoronus melanorhynchus , Cab. Orn. Nat. in Wiegra. Archiv, 1847,
p. 325.

melanorhamphus, Cab. Mus. Hein., Theil i. p. 228.

Wayhung, Aborigines of New South Wales.

Corcorax leucopterus, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iv. pi. 16.

This bird is distributed over all parts of New South Wales
and South Australia ; it is very abundant in the whole of the
Upper Hunter district, I killed it in the interior of South
Australia ; and Mr. Elsey met with it at the edge of a dense
scrub on the Burdekin in lat. 19° 30' S. It usually occurs in
small troops of from six to ten in number, feeding upon the
ground, over which it runs with considerable rapidity. In
disposition it is extremely tame, readily admitting of a very
close approach, and then merely flying off" to the low branch of
some neighbouring tree. During flight the white marking
of the wing shows very conspicuously, and on alighting the
bird displays many curious actions, leaping from branch to
branch with surprising quickness, at the same time spreading

INSESSORES. 471

the tail and moving it up and down in a very singular manner ;
on being disturbed it peeps and pries down upon the intruder
below, and generally utters a harsh, grating, disagreeable
and tart note ; at other times, while perched among the
branches of the trees, it makes the woods ring with its
peculiar soft, low, very pleasing but mournful pipe.

During the pairing-season the male becomes very animated,
and his manners so remarkable, that it would be necessary
for my readers to witness the bird in its native wilds to form
a just conception of them : while sitting on the same branch
close to the female, he spreads out his wings and tail to the
fullest extent, lowers his head, pujffs out his feathers and dis-
plays himself to the utmost advantage, and when two or more
are engaged in these evolutions, the exhibition cannot fail to
amuse and delight the spectator. A winged specimen gave
me more trouble to catch than any other bird I ever chased ;
its power of passing over the ground being so great, that it
bounded on before me and cleared every obstacle, hillocks
and fallen trees, with the utmost facility.

The White-winged Corcorax is a very early breeder, and
generally rears more than one brood in a year, the breeding-
season extending over the months of August, September,
October, and November. The nest is a most conspicuous
fabric, composed of mud and straw, resembling a bason, and
is usually placed on the horizontal branch of a tree near to or
overhanging a brook. The eggs vary from four to seven in
number, and are of a yellowish white, boldly blotched all over
with olive and purplish brown, the latter tint appearing as if
beneath the surface of the shell ; they are one inch and a half
long by one inch and one line broad.

It has often struck me that more than one female deposited
her eggs in the same nest, as four or five females may be
frequently seen either on the same or the neighbouring trees,
while only one nest is to be found.

The bird generally evinces a preference for open forest land.

472 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

but during the breeding-season affects the neighbourhood of
brooks and lagoons, which may be accounted for by the fact
of such situations being necessary to enable it to procure the
mud to build its nest, besides which they also afford it an
abundance of insect food.

The whole of the plumage black, with glossy green re-
flexions, with the exception of the inner webs of the primaries,
which are white for three parts of their length from the base ;
irides scarlet ; bill and feet black.

Family ?

Genus STRUTHIDEA, Gould.

The only known species of this genus is confined to the
stony ridges of the southern and eastern parts of Australia.
Probably some peculiarity in the construction of the bill is
requisite for the extraction of the seeds in the cones of the
Callitris pj/ramidalis, upon which it is mostly seen, and if the
short arched bill of this bird be given for this purpose, it is
one of the most striking instances of means to an end with
which I am acquainted. I consider this to be one of the
most anomalous forms comprised in the avi-fauna of Australia.

Sp. 289. STRUTHIDEA CINEREA, Gould.

Grey Struthidea.

Struthidea cinerea, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part iv. p. 1 43.
Brachystoma cinerea, Swains. An. in Menag., p. 297.
Brachyprorus cinereus, Cab. Mus. Hein., Theil i. p. 217.

Struthidea cinerea, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iv. pi. 17.

Prom what I personally observed of this bird, it would
seem to be a species peculiar to the interior, and, so far as is
yet known, confined to the southern and eastern portions of

INSESSORES. 473

Australia. I found it inhabiting the pine ridges, as they are
termed by the colonists, bordering the extensive plains of the
Upper and Lower Namoi, and giving a decided preference to
the Callitris pijraniidalis, a fine fir-like tree peculiar to the
district. It was always seen in small companies of three or
four together, on the topmost branches of the trees, was
extremely quick and restless, leaping from branch to branch
in rapid succession, at the same time throwing up and
expanding the tail and wings ; these actions being generally
accompanied with a harsh unpleasant note ; their manners,
in fact, closely resemble those of the White-winged Corcorax
and the Pofnatorhini.

The following notes on this species I find in Gilbert's
journal of the occurrences during his expedition with Leichardt
from Moreton Bay to Port Essington. They were written on
the sixteenth day after his departure, and will not be devoid
of interest: —

" Oct. 19. — Strolled about in search of novelties, and was
amply repaid by finding the eggs of Struthidea cinerea. I
disturbed the bird several times from a rosewood-tree grow-
ing in a small patch of scrub, and felt assured it had a nest,
but could only find one, which I considered to be that of a
Grallina ; determined, if possible, to solve the difficulty, I lay
down at a short distance within full view of the tree, and was
not a little surprised at seeing the bird take possession of, as
I believed, the Grallina % nest ; I immediately climbed the tree
and found four eggs, the medium length of which was one
inch and a quarter by seven-eighths of an inch in breadth ;
their colour was white, with blotches, principally at the larger
end, of reddish brown, purplish grey and greenish grey ; some
of the blotches appearing as if they had been laid on with a
soft brush. From the appearance of the nest I should say it
was an old one of Grallina, particularly as it contained a much
greater quantity of grass for a lining than I ever observed in
the nest of a Gallina while that bird had possession of it ; if

474 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

this be not the case, then the nest of Struthidea is precisely-
similar, being like a great basin of mud, and placed in the
same kind of situation, on a horizontal branch.

" Oct. 2i. — In the evening I again met with the Struthidea,
which I disturbed from a nest like the one above described,
and from the new appearance of the structure I am inclined
to believe it to be constructed by the bird itself, although it
does so closely resemble that of Grallina, especially as in this
case the nest was placed in a situation far from water, and
there were no GrallincB in the neighbourhood. This nest,
like the last, had a very thick lining of fine grass, and ap-
peared as if just finished for the reception of the eggs."

There is no doubt that the nests above described were
those of Struthidea ; those of Corcorace and Grallina are pre-
cisely similar ; and we now know that all three birds build
the same kind of mud nests.

The food, as ascertained by dissection, is insects ; the
stomachs of those examined were tolerably hard and muscular,
and contained the remains of coleoptera.

The sexes assimilate so closely in size and in the colouring
of their plumage, that they are to be distinguished only by
dissection.

Head, neck, back, and under surface grey, each feather
tipped with lighter grey ; wings brown ; tail black, the
middle feathers glossed with deep rich metallic green ; irides
pearly white ; bill and legs black.

Total length 11 J inches j bill J ; wing 5 J ; tail 6 ; tarsi 1^.

IN8ESS0RES. 475

Fanuly CORVID^.

Genus CORVUS, Linnaeus.

It is exceedingly interesting to trace the range of the
members of this genus or the true Crows ; not so much on
account of their wide distribution, as from the circumstance
of the form being non-existent in some countries which appear
admirably adapted for their well-being ; thus, while the spe-
cies are widely distributed over the whole of Europe, Asia,
Africa, North America, the Indian Islands, and Australia,
none are to be found in South America or New Zealand

Sp. 290. CORVUS AUSTRALIS, Gmelin.

White-eyed Crow.
Corvus australis, Gmel. Edit. Linn. Syst. Nat,, vol. i. p. 365.

coroneoides, Wagl. Isis, 1829, p. 748.

corondides, Vig. and Horsf. iu Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 261. —

Schlegel, Not. sur Gen.Corvus in Nat. Art. Mag., Aclitste Aff. p. 8.
Wur-dang, Aborigines of Western Australia.
Om-bo-lak, Aborigines of Port Essington.
Crow of the Colonists.

Corvus coronoides, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv. pi. 18.

This species is so intermediate in size, in the development
of the feathers of the throat, in its voice, and in many parts
of its economy, between the Carrion Crow and Raven of our
own island, that it is difficult to say to which of those species
it is most nearly allied ; I prefer, however, placing it among
the true Crows to assigning it to a companionship with the
larger members of the family. Every part of Australia yet
explored has been foimd to be inhabited by it ; some slight
difference, however, is observable between individuals from
Port Essington, Swan River, Tasmania, and New South Wales,
but these differences appear to me to be too trivial to be
regarded as specific ; specimens from Western Australia are
somewhat less in size than those procured in the other

476 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

localities mentioned, while Port Essington examples have
the basal portion of the feathers on the back of the neck
greyish white, which is not the case with those inhabiting the
south coast. When the birds are fully adult, the colour of
the eye is white, I believe, in the whole of them — a circum-
stance which tends to strengthen the opinion I entertain of
their being one and the same species.

In Western Australia, for the greater part of the year, this
bird is met with in pairs or singly ; but in May and June it
congregates in families of from twenty to fifty, and is then
very destructive to the farmer's seed crops, which appear to
be its only inducement for assembling together, as it is not
known to congregate at any other period. In New South
Wales and Tasmania it is also usually seen in pairs, but
occasionally congregated in small flocks. At Port Essington,
where it is mostly seen in pairs, in quiet secluded places, it is
not so abundant as in other parts of Australia.

The stomach is tolerably muscular, and the food consists of
insects, carrion of all kinds, berries, seeds, grain, and other
vegetable substances.

Its croak very much resembles that of the Carrion Crow,
but differs in the last note being lengthened to a great extent.

Its nest, which is formed of sticks and of a large size, is
usually placed near the top of the largest gum-trees. The
eggs, which are three or four in number, are very long in
form, and of a pale dull green colour, blotched, spotted, and
freckled all over with umber-brown, the blotches being of a
much greater size at the larger end ; they are about one inch
and three quarters long by one inch and an eighth broad.

The whole of the plumage rich shining purplish black, with
the exception of the elongated feathers on the throat, which
ai"e slightly glossed with green ; bill and feet black ; irides in
some white, in others brown.

INSESSORES. 477

Family STURNID-Sl.

Genus CALORNIS, G. R. Gray.

But one species of this form has yet been discovered in
AustraUa; others inhabit Batchian and New Guinea, and, I
beheve, Java and Sumatra. Of their habits and economy but
little is known ; the Australian member is perhaps the most
beautiful of the whole.

Sp. 291. CALORNIS METALLICA.

Shining Calornis.

Lamprotornis metallicus, Temm. PI. Col. 266.

Calornis metallica, Gray, Gen. of Birds, vol. ii. p. 327, Calornis, sp. 2.

Mooter, Goodang tribe of Aborigines at Cape York.

Aplonis metallica, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol.. Supplement, pi.

This species inhabits the northern portion of Australia, New
Guinea, Timor, the Celebes, Amboyna, and New Ireland.

Mr. Macgillivray has obligingly furnished me with the
following interesting account of its habits and nidification : —

" During the early part of our last sojourn at Cape York,
this bird was often seen passing rapidly over the tops of the
trees in small flocks of a dozen or more. In their flight they
reminded me of the Starlings, and, like them, made a chattering
noise while on the wing. One day a native took me to a
breeding-place in the centre of a dense scrub, where I found
a gigantic cotton-tree standing alone, with its branches
literally hung with the pensile nests of the bird : the nests,
averaging two feet in length and one in breadth, are of a
somewhat oval form, slightly compressed, rounded below and
above, tapering to a neck, by the end of which they arc
suspended; the opening is situated in the centre of the
widest part ; they arc almost entirely composed of portions of

478 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

the stem and the long tendrils of a climbing-plant {Cissus)
matted and woven together, and lined with finer pieces of the
same, a few leaves (generally strips of Pandanus leaf), the
hair-like fibres of a palm [Caryota cereiis), and similar mate-
rials : the eggs, usually two, but often three in number, are
an inch long by eight-tenths of an inch broad, and of a bluish
grey, speckled with reddish pink, chiefly at the larger end ;
some have scarcely any markings, others a few minute dots
only. The note of the bird is short, sharp, and shrill, and
resembles ' twee-twee,' repeated, as if angrily, several times in
quick succession.

" On the tree above mentioned the nests were about fifty
in number, often solitary, but usually three or four together
in a cluster — sometimes so closely placed as to touch each
other.

"The bird appears to enjoy a wide range. During the
progress of the expedition two were shot at the Duchateau
Isles, in the Louisiade Archipelago, and I saw a specimen on
board H.M.S. Meander, which had been procured at Carteret
Harbour, in New Ireland.

"The stomachs of those examined contained triturated
seeds and other vegetable matter."

When fully adult, the two sexes are so precisely alike that
dissection must be resorted to to distinguish them.

The general plumage is a mixture of dark rich bronzy green
and purple, the green hue predominating on the lower part of
the throat and the upper part of the back; wings and tail
bluish black, washed on the margins with bronzy green ; bill
and feet black ; irides vermilion.

The young of both sexes have the upper surface similarly
coloured, but not so bright as in the adult; wings brown,
narrowly margined with brownish white ; all the under surface
bufFy white, streaked on the breast, flanks, and under tail-
coverts with brownish black.

INSESSORES. 479

TamHy CRATEROPODID-ffi ?

Genus POMATOSTOMUS, Cabanis.

The members of this genus range over all parts of Australia,
but do not extend to India, where their place is supplied by
numerous species of the allied form Pomotorhinus.

Sp. 292. POMATOSTOMUS TEMPORALIS.
Temporal Pomatorhinus.

Pomatorhinus temporalis, Vig. and Horsf. in Linu. Trans., vol. xv.

p. 330.

trivirgatus, Temm. PL Col., 443.

frivolus, temporalis, et trivirgatus, Gray, Gen. of Birds, vol. i.

p. 229, Pomatorhinus, sp. 8, 9, 10.
Turdus frivolus, Lath. lud. Orn., Supp. p. xliii?
Pomatostomus temporalis, Cab. Mus. Hein., Theil i. p. 83.

Pomatorhinus temporalis, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iv.
pi. 20.

This species inhabits Nevr South Wales, particularly those
districts where Anffophorce and Eucalypti abound ; it is grega-
rious in its habits, and is exceedingly noisy and garrulous.
Commencing with the branches nearest the ground, it gra-
dually ascends, in a succession of leaps, to the very tops of
the trees, whence, with elevated tail, it peers down, and
continually utters its peculiar chattering cry ; it is frequently
to be seen on the ground, but on the slightest alarm it resorts
to the trees, and ascends them in the manner described. Its
powers of flight are not very great, and appear to be only
employed to convey it from the top of one tree to another,
the whole troop following one after the other.

The situation of the nest is somewhat varied ; on the Uu-
calypti it is mostly built at the extremity of the branch :
it is of a large size, and very much resembles that of the

480 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Magpie of Europe, being of a completely domed form,
outwardly composed of small long twigs about the size of a
thorn, crossing each other, and but very slightly interwoven :
the entrance is in the form of a spout, about half the length
of a man's arm, and the twigs are placed in such a manner
that the points incline towards each other, rendering it ap-
parently impossible for the bird to enter without breaking
them, while egress, on the other hand, is very easy ; the nest
has a thick inner lining of the fine inner bark of trees and
fine grasses. In traversing the pasture-lands at Camden, any
part of the Upper Hunter district, and some portions of the
Liverpool Plains, the attention of the traveller is often at-
tracted by the large nest of this bird ; three or four are often
to be seen on the same tree.

The eggs, which are four in number, and one inch in length
by nine lines in breadth, are buffy brown, clouded with dark
brown and purple, and streaked with hair-like lines of black,
which generally have a tendency to run round the egg ; in
some instances, however, they take a diagonal direction,
and give the surface a marble-like appearance.

The food consists of insects of various kinds.

The sexes do not differ in outward appearance, and may
be thus described : —

Throat, centre of the breast, and a broad stripe over each
eye white ; lores and ear-coverts dark brown ; centre of the
crown, back, and sides of the neck greyish brown, gradually
deepening into very dark brown on the wing-coverts, back,
and scapularies ; wings very dark brown, with the exception
of the inner webs of the primaries, which are rufous for three-
fourths of their length from the base ; tail-coverts and tail
black, the latter largely tipped with pure white ; abdomen
and flanks dark brown, stained with rusty red ; bill blackish
olive brown, except the basal portion of the lower mandible,
which is greyish white ; irides in the adult straw-yellow, in
the young brown ; feet blackish brown.

INSESSORES. 481

Sp. 293. POMATOSTOMUS RUBECULUS, Gould.

Red-breasted Pomatorhinus.

Pomatorhinus rubeculus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part vii. p. 144.
Pomatostomus rubeculus, Cab. Mus. Hein., Theil i. p. 83, note.

Pomatorhinus rubeculus, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iv.
pi. 21.

This bird is rather numerously dispersed over the northern
parts of Australia, where it takes the place of the Pomatostomus
temporalis of New South Wales, from which it differs but little
either in size or colouring; its slightly smaller dimensions
and the red hue of the breast are, however, characteristics by
which it may at all times be distinguished from its prototype.
On the Cobourg Peninsula it inhabits the open parts of the
country, and when disturbed takes to the higher branches of
the gums, first mounting upon one of the lower boughs, and
then, by a succession of hops and leaps, ascending to the top.
In its actions and economy it very closely assimilates to the
other species of the genus, being, like them, a noisy and
restless bird; and feeding on insects, which are frequently
sought for on the ground under the canopy of the larger
trees.

Throat and stripe over each eye white ; chest and upper
part of the abdomen dull brownish red ; stripe from the
nostrils, through each eye to the occiput, blackish brown ;
centre of the crown, back, and lower part of the abdomen
dark brown, slightly tinged with olive ; upper and under tail-
coverts and tail black, all the feathers of the latter tipped with
white ; irides straw-yellow ; bill blackish grey, becoming paler
at the base ; legs and feet greenish grey.

The sexes are alike in plumage.

Total length 9 J inches ; bill 1-g^ ; wing 4 ; tail 4f ; tarsi \\.

2i

482 BIRDS OF AUSTHALTA.

Sp. 294. POMATOSTOMUS SUPERCILIOSUS.

WhITE-EYEBROWED POMATORHINUS.

Pomatorhinus super ciliosus, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv.

p. 330.
Pomatostomus super ciliosus, Cab. Mus. Hein,, Theil i. p. 84.
Gnow-un, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western Australia.

Pomatorhinus superciliosus, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol.
iv. pi. 22.

This species ranges over the whole of the southern portion
of the continent of Australia, where it must be regarded as a
bird peculiar to the interior, rather than as an inhabitant of
the districts near the coast. It is common on the Liverpool
Plains, and it was particularly noticed by my friend Captain
Sturt during his expedition to the Darling. I myself met
with it near the bend of the river Murray, and it has also
been found in the York district of Western Australia, but I
have never heard of its having been seen either in the north
or north-western parts of the country. It usually moves about
in small troops of from six to ten in number, and is without
exception the most restless, noisy, querulous bird I ever ob-
served. Its mode of progression among the branches of the
trees is no less singular than is its voice different from that of
other birds ; it runs up and down the branches of the smaller
trees with great rapidity and with the tail very much spread
and raised above the level of the back. It usually feeds upon
the ground under the Banksias and other low trees, but upon
the least intrusion flits on to the lowest branch, and by a run-
ning or leaping motion quickly ascends to the highest, when it
flies off to the next tree, uttering at the same time a jarring,
chattering, and discordant jumble of notes, which are some-
times preceded by a rapidly repeated, shrill, piping whistle.

When a troop are engaged in ascending the branches,
which they usually do in line, they have a singular habit of
suddenly assembling in a cluster, spreading their tails and

INSESSORES. 483

wings, and puffing out their plumage until they resemble a
great ball of feathers.

The breeding-season commences in September and con-
tinues during the three following months. The nest is a large
domed structure of dried sticks, with an entrance in the side,
which is hidden from view by the sticks of the upper part of
the nest being made to project over it for four or five inches
like the thatch of a shed ; the inside is generally lined with
the soft parts of flowers and the dust of rotten wood, but
occasionally with feathers. In Western Australia the nest is
usually constructed in a dead jam-tree, the branches of which
are drawn together at the top like a broom. It often happens
that three or four pairs of birds build their nests in the same
small clump of trees. The eggs are very like those of P.
temporalis, the ground-colour being olive-grey clouded with
purplish brown, and streaked with similar hair-like lines of
black ; they are usually four in number, eleven and a half
lines long by eight lines broad.

The sexes as well as the young so closely resemble each
other, that they can only be distinguished by the aid of dis-
section.

Lores, space surrounding the eye and the ear-coverts dark
silky brown ; a broad line of white, bounded above and
beneath with a narrow one of dark brown, commences at the
base of the upper mandible, passes over the eye and continues
to the occiput ; crown of the head and all the upper surface,
flanks, and under tail-coverts olive-brown, passing into a
purer and deeper brown on the primaries ; tail dark brown,
crossed by very indistinct bars of a darker colour, the five
lateral feathers on each side tipped with white ; chin, throat,
and chest white ; bill blackish brown, the lower part of the
under mandible greyish white ; irides in the adult straw-
yellow, in the young brown ; feet blackish brown.

2 ] 2

484 BIRDS OF AUSTKAIJA.

Sp. 295. POMATOSTOMUS RUFICEPS, Ilartlaub.

Chestnut-crowned Pomatorhinus.
Pomatorhinus ruficeps, Hartl. in Cabanis's Journ. fiir Orn., vol. i. p. 21.

Pomatorhinus ruficeps, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, Supple-
ment, pi.

When I visited South Australia in 1838 the colony was in
its infancy, and the city of Adelaide a chaotic jumble of sheds
and mud huts, with trees growing here and there in the newly
marked-out streets and squares. Among these trees Parrakeets
of various kinds, and Honey-eaters still more numerous, were
busily occupied in search of food or otherwise engaged ; here
and there also might be seen groups of newly-arrived emi-
grants, both English and Irish, who had chosen this distant
country for their future home ; groups of Germans, too, whose
fatherland no longer offered opportunities for enterprise, were
dotted about the country busily engaged in constructing their
little villages and getting their gardens under cultivation. It
was one of these German emigrants who, inspired by the
works of nature with which he was so profusely surrounded,
employed some of his leisure hours in collecting the birds
which came under his notice and in transmitting them to the
Museum at Bremen. Among the birds so collected and trans-
mitted was the present new and very beautiful Pomatostomiis,
which Dr. Ilartlaub has the merit of first describing. Since
that period the bird has been discovered in other parts of
Austraha, and I am indebted to Professor M'Coy for fine ex-
amples procured in the interior of Victoria.

" Of this fine and typical species," says Dr. Hartlaub, "the
Bremen Collection received two examples, scarcely differing
in colour, in a collection of South Australian birds sent from
Adelaide. It is remarkable that the bird escaped the re-
searches of Mr. Gould and his collectors, and one cannot help
imagining that it must have recently arrived from some part

INSESSORES. 485

of the interior of tlie country, and accompanied other stragglers
towards the coast.

" In size and colour P. rnjiceps is more nearly allied to P.
superciliostis than to any other, but it differs from that species
in the brown-red colour of the head, in the white bars on the
wings, and in the black mark which separates the reddish
brown of the flanks from the white of the breast. In our two
specimens the sexes have not been ascertained ; one of them
is rather less brilliantly coloured than the other."

Crown of the head and nape chestnut- or brown-red,,
bounded below by a conspicuous line of white ; lores blackish
brown ; behind the eye and ear-coverts brown ; upper part of
the back and wing-coverts grey, each feather with a dark
brown centre, giving those parts a mottled appearance ; lower
part of the back and rump pure dark grey ; greater and
lesser wing-coverts and secondaries tipped with white ; throat,
breast, and centre of the abdomen white ; flanks reddish
brown, separated from the white of the abdomen by a stripe
of black ; under tail-coverts brown, spotted with greyish
white ; four central tail-feathers dark brown, indistinctly
rayed with black; the three outer feathers on each side
brown, largely tipped with pure white ; bill and feet blackish
horn-colour, the base of the mandibles lighter.

Faimly MELIPHAGID^.

The Honey- eaters, or that group of birds forming the family
Melipliagidod, are unquestionably the peculiar and most strik-
ing feature in Australian ornithology. They are in fact to the
fauna what the Eucalypti, Banhia:, and Melaleuca are to the
flora of Australia. The economy of these birds is so strictly
adapted to those trees that the one appears essential to the
other ; for what can be more plain than that the brush-like
tongue is especially formed for gathering the honey from the
flower-cups of the Bucahjpti, or that their diminutive stomachs

486 BIRDS OF AL'STUALTA.

are especially formed for this kind of food, and the peculiar
insects which constitute a portion of it? When I say that
there are at least fifty species of Meliphagous birds in Aus-
tralia, my readers will naturally expect that they are divisible
into many genera, and this is really the case, as will be seen
as we proceed.

Genus MELIORNIS, G. R. Gray.

No example of this genus has yet been discovered in the
northern or intertropical regions of Australia, all the species
known being confined to the southern parts of the continent,
the islands in Bass's Straits, and Tasmania. They feed prin-
cipally upon the pollen and honey of the flowers, but occa-
sionally upon insects ; in disposition they are tame and
familiar ; and they frequent the BanIcsi(E in preference to other
trees.

The sexes are generally alike in plumage, and the young
assume the adult Hvery at an early period of their existence.

Sp.296. MELIORNIS NOViE-HOLLANDIJj].
New Holland Honey-eateu.

Certhia nova-hollandia, Lath. Ind. Orn., p. 296.

New Holland Creeper, White's Journ., pi. in p. 186.

U Heorotaire tachete, Vieill. Ois. Dor., torn. ii. p. 91, pi. 57.

Meliphaga nova-hollandice, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv.

p. 311.
Melitreptus nova-hollmidice, Vieill. 2nde edit, du Nouv. Diet. d'Hist.

Nat., torn. xiv. p. 328.
Meliphaga balgonera, Steph. Cont. of Shawns Gen. Zool.,vol. xiv. p. 261.

bai'bata, Swains. Class, of Birds, vol. ii. p. 326.

Meliornis novce-hollandia, G. R. Gray, List of Gen. of Birds, 2nd edit.

p. 19.

Meliphaga novse-hollandise, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv.
pL23.

The Meliornis novfE-hollandics is one of the most abundant

INSESSORES. 487

and familiar birds inhabiting the colonies of New South
Wales, Tasmania, and South Australia : all the gardens of
the settlers are visited by it, and among their shrubs and
flowering plants it annually breeds. The belts of Banksias,
growing on sterile, sandy soils, also afford it so congenial an
asylum, that I am certainly not wrong in saying they are
never deserted by it, or that the one is a certain accom-
paniment of the other. The range enjoyed by this species
appears to be confined to the south-eastern portions of Aus-
tralia : it is abundant on the sandy districts of South Australia
wherever the Banksias abound. In Tasmania it is much more
numerous on the northern than on the southern portion of
the island. It evinces a more decided preference for shrubs
and low trees than for those of a larger growth ; consequently
it is a species particularly subject to the notice of man ; nor
is it the least attractive of the Australian avi-fauna; the
strikingly-contrasted markings of its plumage, and the beau-
tiful appearance of its golden-edged wings, when passing with
its quick jumping flight from shrub to shrub, rendering it a
most conspicuous and pleasing object.

It has a loud, shrill, liquid, although monotonous note. Its
food, which consists of the pollen and juices of flowers, is pro-
cured while clinging and creeping among them in every
variety of position : it also feeds on fruits and insects.

It usually rears two or three broods during the course of
the season, which lasts from August to January : the nest is
very easily found, being placed in any low open bush. One
of those in my collection was taken from a row of peas in
the kitchen-garden of the Government House at Sydney. It
is a somewhat compact structure, composed of small wiry
sticks, coarse grasses, and broad and narrow strips of bark ;
the inside lined with the soft woolly portion of the blossoms
of small ground plants : the eggs, which are two or three in
number, are of a pele bufi*, thinly spotted and freckled with
deep chestnut-brown, particularly at the larger end, where they

488 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

not unfrequently assume the form of a zone; their mediara
length is nine lines and a half, and breadth nearly seven lines.
The sexes are alike in colour, and may be thus described : —
Crown of the head and cheeks black, with minute white
feathers on the forehead round the base of the upper mandible ;
a superciliary stripe, a moustache at the base of the upper
mandible, and a small tuft of feathers immediately behind the
ear-coverts white ; feathers on the throat white and bristle-
like ; upper surface brownish black, becoming browner on
the rump ; wings brownish black, the outer edges of the
quills margined at the base with beautiful wax-yellow, and
faintly margined with white towards the extremities ; tail
brownish black, margined externally at the base with wax-
yellow, and all but the two centre feathers with a large oval
spot of white on the inner web at the tip ; imder surface
white, broadly striped longitudinally with black, the black
predominating on the breast and the white on the abdomen;
irides white ; bill and feet black.

Sp. 297. MELIORNIS LONGIROSTRIS, Gould.

Long-billed Honey-eater.

Meliphaga longirostris, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc.^ part xiv. p. 83.
Meliornis longirostris, Cab. Mus. Hein., Theil i. p. 117.
Ban-dene, Aborigines of the lowland districts of Western Australia.
Yellow-winged Honey-eater of the Colonists of Swan River.

Meliphaga longirostris, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv.
pi. 24.

Although the Meliornis longirostris and M. novce-hollandice
are very similar, they will on comparison prove to be specifi-
cally distinct; they are, in fact, beautiful representatives of
each other on the opposite sides of the great Australian con-
tinent, the M. longirostris inhabiting the western, and the M,
nov(B-1iollandi(B being spread over the eastern portion of the
country, and it would be a matter of some interest to know

INSESSORES. 489

at what, degree of longitude the two species inosculate.
Several points of difForence are found to exist in the two
species, the most material of which are in the shape and
length of the bill, and in the size of the white mark on the
fore-part of the cheeks ; the M. longirostris, as its name im-
plies, has the bill much more lengthened and comparatively
stouter than that of its near ally, and it moreover has the
white patch on the face much less defined, and blended to a
greater extent with the neighbouring black colouring ; in the
size of the body the two species are very much alike.

The M. lonffirostris, like the other species of the group, is
very pugnacious, and when fighting utters a rapidly repeated
chirrup, very much resembling that of the European Sparrow.

It is a very early breeder, commencing in the first days of
July and continuing as late as the last week in November.
The nest consists of small sticks and fibrous roots, lined with
Zamia wool or the buds of flowers, and is built in a variety of
situations, sometimes in small thinly-branched trees, at about
twelve feet from the ground, at others in small clumps of
grass, only a few inches above it ; the eggs are ordinarily two
in number, but towards the latter end of the breeding-season
three are often found ; their ground-colour is a delicate buff,
with the larger end clouded with reddish buff, and thickly
spotted and blotched with chestnut-brown and chestnut-red
arranged in the form of a zone ; their medium length is nine
lines, and breadth seven lines.

The sexes are alike in colouring, but the female is about
one-fifth smaller than her mate in all her admeasurements.

Crown of the head and cheeks black, with minute white
feathers on the forehead round the base of the upper man-
dible; a superciliary stripe, a moustache at the base of the
lower mandible, and a small tuft of feathers immediately
behind the ear-coverts white ; feathers on the throat white
and bristle-like; upper surface brownish black, becoming
browner on the rump ; wings brownish black, the outer edges

490 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

of the quills margined at the base with beautiful wax-yellow,
and faintly margined with white towards the extremities ; tail
brownish black, margined externally at the base with wax-
yellow, and all but the two centre feathers with a large oval
spot of white on the inner web at the tip ; surface white,
broadly striped with black, the black predominating on the
breast and the white on the abdomen ; irides white ; bill and
feet black.

Total length 7 inches ; bill 1 ; wing f ; tail 3 J ; tarsi f .

Sp. 298. MELIORNIS SERICEA, Gould.

White-cheeked Honey-eater.

New Holland Creeper, female, White's Voy., pi. in p. 297 ?
UHeorotaire noir, Vieill. Ois. Dor., torn. ii. p. 106, pi. 71.
Meliphaga sericea, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soe., part iv. p. 144.

sericeola, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part v. p. 152, female.

Meliornis sericea, Cab. Mus. Hein., Theil i. p. 117.

Meliphaga sericea, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iv. pi. 25.

The White-cheeked Honey-eater is an inhabitant of New
South Wales, and certainly proceeds as far to the eastward as
Moreton Bay; but the birds inhabiting the country to the
northward of this being comparatively unknown, it is impossible
to say how far its range may extend in that direction. It
has not been discovered in Tasmania or South Australia.
It differs materially in its habits and diposition from the
Meliphaga nova-hollandicB, being less exclusively confined to
the brushes, and affecting localities of a more open character.
I observed it to be tolerably abundant in the Illawarra district,
particularly among the shrubs surrounding the open glades
of the forest ; it is also common at Botany Bay, and on most
parts of the sea-coast between that place and the river Cla-
rence ; but I never met with it during any of my excursions
into the interior of the country.

Unlike its near ally, it is a remarkably shy species ; so much

INSESSORES. 491

SO, that I had much difficulty in getting within gun-shot of it.
When perched on the trees it is a most showy bird, its white
cheek-feathers and contrasted tints of colouring rendering it
very conspicuous.

I did not succeed in finding its nest.

The sexes are alike in colour, but the female is somewhat
smaller than the male. The white cheeks and the absence of
white tips to the tail-feathers will at all times distinguish it
from the M. nov(B-hollandi(B.

Crown of the head, throat, and space round the eye black ;
an obscure band of white crosses the forehead and passes over
each eye ; a beautiful plume of hair-like white feathers spreads
over the cheeks and ear-coverts ; back dusky brown, striped
longitudinally with black ; under surface white, each feather
having a central longitudinal mark of black ; wings dark
brown, the outer edge of all the primaries and secondaries
wax -yellow; tail dark brown, the external edges margined
with yellow ; irides dark brown ; feet and bill black.

Total length 6 J inches ; bill \ ; wing 2f ; tail 2f ; tarsi f .

Sp. 299. MELIORNIS MYSTACALIS, Gould.

MOUSTACHED HoNEY-EATER.

MelipJiaga mystacalis, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part viii. p. 161.
Meliornis mystacalis, Cab. Mus. Hein., Theil i. p. 117.
Ban-dene, Aborigines of Swan River.

Meliphaga mystacalis, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv.
pi. 26.

At the time I described this new species of Meliornis in
the ' Proceedings of the Zoological Society,' I was not aware
that Temminck had applied the term mystacalis to another
species of Honey-eater, or I should have selected a different
appellation ; as, however, Temminck's bird belongs to a
distinct section of this great family, any alteration would
rather tend to produce confusion than otherwise.

492 BIRDS or AUSTRALIA.

The Meliornis mystacalis is a native of Western Australia,
in which country it beautifully represents the M. sericea of New
South Wales. It is abundant in the vicinity of Perth and
rremantlc, and is sparingly dispersed over many other districts
of the Swan River colony ; according to Gilbert it is remark-
ably shy, and only found in the most secluded places in the
bush, or on the summits of the limestone hills running parallel
with the beach ; it generally feeds on the topmost branches of
the BatiksicB, and is very pugnacious, defending its young from
intruders with the most determined courage.

Its flight is very varied, and is occasionally characterized
by a great degree of rapidity : during the season of incubation
it frequently rises above its nest in a perpendicular direction,
and having attained a considerable height, suddenly closes its
wings, and descends abruptly until it reaches the top of the
scrub, when the wings are again expanded, and it flies
horizontally for a few yards, perches, and then utters its
peculiar sharp chirping note ; it also occasionally hovers over
small trees, and captures insects after the manner of the
Flycatchers.

It is a very early breeder, young birds ready to leave the
nest having been found on the 8th of August ; it has also
been met with breeding as late as November ; it doubtless,
therefore, produces more than one brood in the course of the
season. The nest is generally built near the top of a small,
weak, thinly-branched bush, of about two or three feet in
height, situated in a plantation of seedling mahogany or other
Eucalypti; it is formed of small dried sticks, grass, and
narrow strips of soft bark, and is usually lined with Zamia
wool ; but in those parts of the country where that plant is
not found, the soft buds of flowers, or the hairy flowering
part of grasses, form the lining material, and in the neigh-
bourhood of sheep-walks, wool collected from the scrub. The
eggs are usually two in number. They are nine lines long by
seven hues broad, and are usually of a dull reddish buff,

INSESSORES. 493

spotted very distinctly with chestnut and reddish brown, in-
terspersed with obscure dashes of purpHsh grey.

Head, chin, and throat black ; over the eye a narrow line
of white ; ears covered by a conspicuous tuft of white feathers,
which are closely set, and terminate in a point towards the
back ; upper surface brownish black, the feathers edged with
white ; under surface white, with a broad stripe of black down
the centre of each feather ; wings and tail blackish brown,
conspicuously margined with bright yellow ; irides brown ;
bill black ; feet blackish brown.

Total length 6^ inches ; bill 1 ; wing 3 ; tail 2f .

Genus LICHMERA, Cahanis.

Of this form I consider there is only one species known,
the L. ausfrcdasiana, for I cannot agree with M. Cabanis in
associating with it the Glycephala {Stigmaiops) ocularis.

Lichnera differs from Meliornis in presenting a considerable
variation in the colouring of the sexes, in other respects it is
very similar.

Sp. 300. LICHMERA AUSTRALASIANA.

Tasmanian Honey-eater.
U Heorotaire noir et blanc, Vieill. Ois. Dor., t. ii. pi. 55. p. 89.
Certhia australasiana, Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 226.

pyrrho'ptera, Lath. Ind. Orn., Supp. p.xxxviii?

Meliphaga austraIasiana,Y'ig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans.^ vol. xv. p. 313.
Meliphaga inornata, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part v. 1837, p. 152.
Melithreptus melanoleucus, Vieill., 2* edit, du Nouv. Diet. d^Hist. Nat.,

toui. xiv. p. 328.
Lichmera australasiana, Cab. Mus. Hein., Theil i. p. 118.

Meliphaga australasiana, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv.
pi. 27.

This little Honey-eater is abundantly dispersed over every

part of Tasmania, South Australia, and New South Wales.

494 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

It is one of the few species which enliven with their pre-
sence the ahnost impenetrable forests that cover a great por-
tion of Tasmania, giving })rcfercnce to such parts as are
clothed with a thick brush of dwarf shrubby trees growing
beneath the more lofty gums. It also resorts to the thick
beds of the Epacris impressa, whose red and white heath like
flowers bespangle the sides of the more open hills ; the
blossoms of this beautiful plant afford it an abundant supply
of food, which it seeks so intently as to admit of a sufficiently
close approach to enable one to observe its actions without
disturbing it ; while thus occupied it may be seen clinging to
the stems in every possible attitude, and inserting its slender
brush-like tongue up the tube of every floret with amazing
rapidity. Independently of honey it feeds on insects of
various kinds, particularly those of the orders Bvptera and
Ilymenoptera. Wlien disturbed it flits off with a quick dart-
ing flight, settling again at the distance of a few yards among
the thickest tufts of the Upacris, or shrouds itself from obser-
tion among the foliage of the sapling gums. It breeds in
September and the four following months.

The nest, which is always placed on a low shrub, is of a
round, open form, outwardly constructed of the inner rind of
the stringy bark gum-tree, and generally lined with fine
grasses.

The male has a black stripe passing from the base of the
bill through the eye, and a lunar-shaped mark down each side
the breast, nearly meeting in the centre, black ; g, narrow stripe
above the eye and one behind the lunar marks on the breast
white ; all the upper surface dusky black ; wings blackish
brown, the primaries and secondaries margined externally,
particularly at their base, with golden yellow ; tail-feathers
brownish black, fringed with golden yellow at the base, the
two lateral feathers having a long oval spot of white on their
inner webs at the tip ; throat and chest white, with a streak
of brown down the middle of each feather; centre of the

INSESSORES. 495

abdomen white ; flanks and under tail-coverts sooty grey ;
irides red ; bill and feet black.

The female is of a nearly uniform dusky brown ; is desti-
tute of the white stripe over the eye and the white spots on
the lateral tail-feathers ; has only a faint tinge of the golden
yellow on the wings and tail.

Genus GLYCIPHILA, Swainson.

The members of this genus resort to higher trees than the
Meliornes, are more shy in disposition, possess considerable
power of flight, and partake more exclusively of insect-food.

The young differ considerably from the adult in their
markings.

Sp. 301. GLYCIPHILA FULVIFRONS.

Fulvous-fronted Honey-eater.

Certhia fulvifrons, Lewin, Birds of New Holl., pi. 22.

Meliphaga fulvifrons, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 317.

Glyciphila fulvifrons, Swains. Class, of Birds, vol. ii. p. 326.

melanops, Gray, Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 119, Glyciphila, sp. 1.

Philedon ruhrifrons, Less. Voy. de la Coq.

Wy-ro-dju-dong, Aborigines of the lowland districts of Western

Austraha.
White-throated Honey-sucker, Colonists of Swan Hiver.
Certhia melanops, Lath. Ind. Orn., Supp. p. xxxvi ?

mellivora, Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. part 1, p. 245.

Meliphaga albiventris, Steph.Cont. of Shawns Gen. Zool. , vol. xiv. p. 261.

Glyciphila falvifrons, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv. pi. 28.

This species would appear to be distributed over the whole
of the southern portion of the Australian continent, since it is
to be found in New South Wales, South Australia, and at
Swan River, where it is particularly abundant on the limestone
hills near the beach around Fremantle ; it is also an inhabitant

49G BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

of the northern parts of Tasmania, and all the islands in Bass's
Straits.

Its flight is very rapid, and it frequently mounts high in the
air, and flies off" to a distance with an horizontal and even
motion. It is an exceedingly active bird among the branches,
clinging about and around the flowers of the Eucalypti in
search of food in every variety of position.

The site generally chosen for its nest, as observed at Swan
River, is some low bush or scrubby plant, in which it is often
placed near the ground ; it is of a deep cup-shaped and
compact form, constructed of dried grasses, and frequently
lined with Zamia wool, or buds of the Banksia cones ; some-
times, however, sheep's wool is employed to impart warmth
and softness ; the materials, in fact, depend entirely upon
the nature of those that the locality may furnish, while in the
form of the nest little or no variation occurs. The eggs are
large for the size of the bird, and are often of a lengthened
form ; and sometimes quite white, without the least trace
of spots, but they are generally blotched with marks of chest-
nut-red ; occasionally this colour is very faint, and spread
over the surface of the shell as if stained with it ; in other
instances the marks are very bold and decided, forming a
strong contrast to the whiteness of the other part of the
surface : the medium length of the eggs is ten lines and a
half, and breadth seven lines ; they are usually two in number,
but the bird very frequently lays only one. The breeding- .
season lasts from August to February.

The song is rather remarkable, commencing with a single
note slowly drawn out, and followed by a quick repetition of
a double note, repeated six or eight times in succession ; it is
mostly uttered when the bird is perched on the topmost
branch of a tree.

The sexes present the usual difference in size, the female
being somewhat less than her mate ; but in the colour and
disposition of the markings they are alike.

INSESSORES. • 497

Forehead and under surface of the wing fulvous or tawny ;
over each eye a narrow Hue of white ; a Hue of brownish black
commences at the base of the bill, surrounds the eye, passes
down the sides of the neck and chest, and nearly meets on the
breast ; behind the ear-coverts a narrow stripe of bufFy white,
separated from the line over the eye by a small patch of black ;
centre of the back dark brown, with a stripe of ashy brown
down the centre of each feather ; the remainder of the upper
surface and flanks ashy brown ; throat and abdomen white ;
wings and tail dark brown, the wing-coverts and primaries
margined with olive ; irides brown ; bill blackish brown ;
legs and feet greenish grey.

The young has all the upper surface dark brown, streaked
with bufFy white, and is entirely destitute of the fulvous
covering of the forehead and the lunulate markings on the sides
of the chest ; the throat, moreover, is of a dull wax-yellow, the
chest mottled dark brown and buflpy white, and the primaries
edged with a dull wax-yellow.

Sp. 302. GLYCIPHILA ALBIFRONS, Gould.

White-fronted Honey-eater.

Glyciphila albifrons, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part viii. p. 160.

"II
Gool-be-gool-burn, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western

Australia.

White-throated Honey-eater, of the Colonists.

Glyciphila albifrons, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iv. pi. 29.

I first observed this fine species of GhjcipMla in the great
Murray scrub of South Australia, where I succeeded in
killing several specimens of both sexes ; it is an inhabitant of
the York and other inland districts of Western Australia, and
it is also found in the interior of Victoria and New South
Wales.

In its disposition the present bird is remarkably shy, a trait

2 K

498 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

common, it would seem, to all the members of the genus. All
those I observed were busily engaged in collecting their insect
and saccharine food from the flowers of a species of dwarf
JEiucalyptus.

Its note is rapidly repeated, and much resembles the
double call of the Pardalotus striatus, but is much louder
and more distinct.

The breeding-season lasts from August to February. The
nests observed were constructed in the fork of a small dead
branch in an exposed situation ; they were very similar to
that of Meliornis longirostris, but more shallow and less
neatly formed. The eggs also closely resembled those of that
bird, the ground-colour being delicate buff*, clouded with a
reddish tint at the larger end, and distinctly spotted with
chestnut and purplish grey, thickly disposed at the larger
end, but very sparingly over the rest of the surface ; the
eggs are nine and a half lines long by seven lines broad.

The sexes present no difference in colour or markings, but,
as usual, the female is much less in size.

Forehead, lores, a narrow ring round the eye, and a narrow
line running from the angle of the lower mandible white ;
crown of the head black, each feather slightly margined with
white ; ear-coverts blackish grey, behind which an irregular
line of white; all the upper surface brown, irregularly margined
with white, producing a mottled appearance ; wings and tail
brown, the primaries margined externally with yellowish
green ; chin and throat brownish black, the former minutely
speckled with white; under surface of the wing buff; chest
and abdomen white, striped with blackish brown on the flanks ;
irides dark brown ; naked skin round the eyes dark brownish
black in front, arterial blood-red behind ; bill black ; legs and
feet greenish grey.

Total length 5f inches ; bill f ; wing 3 J ; tail 2f ; tarsi f .

INSESSORES. 499

Sp. 303. GLYCIPHILA FASCIATA, Gould,

Fasciated Honey-eater.
Glyciphila fasciata, Gould in Proc. of Zool. See., part x. p. 137.

Glyciphila fasciata, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv. pi. 30.

All the specimens hitherto collected of this species have
been obtained from the Cobourg Peninsula, where, according
to Gilbert, it is far from being common, for in his notes he
says, " I only once observed it near the settlement, and once
again met with it on the neck of the peninsula near the main-
land. Its favourite haunts appeared to be the upper branches
of the Melaleuca, from the blossoms of which it collects
its food. In both instances I observed small families of about
twelve in number. Its note is a sharp shrill piping call, very
rapidly repeated."

The fasciated markings of the under surface, by which this
species is at once distinguished from every other member of
the genus Glyci^Mla, would seem to indicate the propriety
of its being separated therefrom ; as, however, it is precisely
of the same structm-e, and agrees with them in the colouring
of the upper surface, I have preferred retaining it where it was
originally placed.

Its food consists of insects generally, the pollen and
occasionally the buds of flowers.

Crown of the head brownish black, with a small crescent of
white at the extremity of each feather ; feathers of the back
very dark brown, margined with buffy brown ; rump tinged
with rufous ; wings and tail dark brown, fringed with light
brown ; sides of the face, throat, and under surface white ;
from the angle of the mouth, down the side of the neck, a
narrow stripe of brownish black ; chest crossed by a number
of semicircular brownish-black fasciae ; flanks and under tail-
coverts buff, the former with a stripe of brownish black down
the centre ; irides reddish brown ; bill greenish grey ; feet
aurora-red.

Total length 4f inches ; bill f ; wing 2f ; tail ^l\ ; tarsi f .

2k 2

500 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Genus STIGMATOPS, Gould.

Of this form, I believe two, if not three species inhabit
Australia, and as many more the islands to the northward.

Sp. 304. STIGMATOPS OCULARIS, Gould.
Brown Honey -eater.

Ghjciphila ? ocular-is, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part v. p. 154.
Lichmera ocularis, Cab. Mus. Hein., Theil i. p. 118.
Jin-jo-r/our, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western Australia.
Brown Honeij-sucker of the Colonists.

Glyciphila ocularis, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, voL iv. pi. 31.

I met with the Brown Honey-eater in abundance on Baker's
Island at the mouth of the Hunter, and on the banks of the
Namoi in the interior of New South Wales ; and Gilbert
records that lie found it equally numerous at Swan River.

In its actions and manners it displays the usual activity of
the Honey- eaters generally, creeping and clinging among the
branches with the greatest ease, and particularly affecting
those most laden with blossoms, into which it inserts its brush-
like tongue to procvu'e the sweet pollen : like other species of
the group, it also feeds with avidity upon all kinds of small
insects.

Its powers of song are considerable : the most frequently
repeated note being remarkably shrill, rich, clear, and distinct
in tone. While the female is sitting upon her eggs, the
male sings all day long with scarcely any intermission.

The situations chosen for the site of the nest are various ;
the most favourite position appears to be the side of a tea-
tree, the bark of which is hanging down in tatters; it is
also sometimes suspended from the drooping branches of the
stinkwood ; and in one instance Gilbert found it attached to
two slender fibrous roots, hanging from beneath a bank over a
pool of water. The nest is generally formed of soft strips of

INSESSORES. 501

paper bark or dried grasses, matted together with small
spiders' cocoons or vegetable fibres, and so closely resembles
the branch upon which it is placed, as to render it very difficult
of detection ; it is usually lined with fine grasses, zamia wool,
the soft part of the cones of the Banksice, delicate white buds
of flowers, or sheep's wool collected from the bushes of the
sheep-runs.

September, October, and November constitute the breeding-
season. The eggs, which are two in number, vary consider-
ably in their colouring, some being pure white without a trace
of spots or markings, others having a zone round the larger
end formed of freckled markings of light reddish brown;
others again are thinly sprinkled with this colour over the
whole of their surface, and one or two procured at Swan River
were bespeckled with numerous fine freckles of bluish grey ;
the average length of a number of eggs was eight lines by six
lines in breadth.

Crown of the head, all the upper surface, wings, and tail
dark olive-brown, passing into yellowish brown on the rump
and bases of the tail-feathers ; primaries and secondaries
margined with wax-yellow ; immediately behind the eye a
very small patch of glossy brownish-yellow feathers, the
anterior portion of which is silvery ; throat and chest greyish
brown ; abdomen and under tail-coverts olive-grey ; irides
light red ; bill dark brown ; legs and feet bluish grey ; tarsi
tinged with green.

Total length 5 J inches ; bill J ; wing 2| ; tail 2^ ; tarsi f .

Sp. 305. STIGMATOPS SUBOCULAKIS, Gould.

Least Honey-eater.
Glyciphila ? subocularis, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part v. p. 154.

In the folio edition of the ' Birds of Australia ' I united
this bird with S. ocularis ; but upon further examination and
comparison I have come to the conclusion that it is different.

502 BIRDS OP AUSTRALIA.

I believe that another species of this form exists on the north-
west coast.

The JS. suhocularis is a smaller bird than S. ocularis, and
consequently one of the most diminutive of the MeliphagidcB ;
besides differing in size, a yellower tint pervades the entire
plumage, and the little spangle-like feathers behind the eye
are scarcely observable ; in all other respects the two birds
are very similar.

The /S. siibociilaris was shot on the north-west coast, and the
skin kindly sent to me by Lieut. Emery of H. M.S. Beagle.

Total length 4f inches; bill \^ ; wing 2| ; tail 2\; tarsi \^.

Genus PTILOTIS, Swainson.

The species of this group are not only more numerous than
those of any other division of the Meliphagid(B, but they also
comprise some of the most beautiful and gaily-coloured mem-
bers of the family. Nearly all the species are either prettily
marked about the face, or have the ear-coverts largely deve-
loped and characterized by a colouring different from that of
the other parts of the plumage. The species with olive-green
backs, such as P. jlavigula and P. leucoiis, frequent the
dwarf and thickly-leaved Eucalypti ; the more gaily-attired
species with bright yellow cheeks and ear-coverts, such as
P. ornata and P. plumula, are most frequently found among
the flowering AcacicB ; some species, particularly P.^wnicillata,
descend from the trees and seek for insects on the ground ;
while the P. chri/sotis, P. clirysops, and P.fusca are almost
entirely confined to the brushes and seek honey and insects
from among the hanging festoons of Tecoma and other beau-
tiful creepers. The members of this group are principally
Australian, but some inhabit New Guinea and the adjacent
islands ; they are generally alike in plumage, but the females
are smaller than the males, and the young assume the adult
livery from the nest.

INSESSORES. 503

Sp. 306. PTILOTIS LEWINIT, Swainson.

Lewin's Honey-eater.

Meliphaga chrysotis, Lewin^ Birds of New Holl., pi. 5.
Ptilotis lewinii, Swains. Class, of Birds, vol. ii. p. 320.
Spot-eared Creeper, Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 244.

Ptilotis chrysotis, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iv. pi. 32.

This bird is certainly the Meliphaga chrysotis of Lewin's
" Birds of New Holland," where it is beautifully figured, but
it is equally certain that it does not correspond with Latham's
description of his CertJiia chrysotis as given in his " General
History ; " neither is it figured by Vieillot in his " Oiseaux
Dores," to which Latham refers. I shall, therefore, adopt
the specific name Lewinii proposed for it by Swainson.

The Yellow-eared Honey-eater is very common in New
South Wales, where it inhabits the thick brushes. I found it
especially abundant in all parts of the river Hunter, as well as
on the Liverpool and other ranges. No examples came under
my notice in South Australia, and I do not believe that it
extends so far to the westward. In its habits and disposition
it assimilates very closely to the Ptilotis Jlaviyida of Tasmania.
It prefers low shrubby trees to those of a larger growth.
I have often been permitted to approach within a few yards
of it while threading the dense brushes without causing it
the least alarm. Like the rest of its genus, this species feeds
on insects, the pollen of flowers, and occasionally fruits and
berries. It is not celebrated for the richness of its notes or
for the volubility of its song, but its presence, when not visible
among the foliage, is always to be detected by the loud ringing
whistle note, which it continually pours forth dm'ing the
months of spring and summer.

The sexes are alike in colom*, but the female presents the
same disparity of size that is observable between the sexes of
the other species of the genus ; the young at an early age

504 BIRDS or AUSTRALIA.

assume the plumage of the adults, but the colour is not so
rich or decided.

I found a nest of this species in a gully under the Liverpool
range ; it was placed in the thickest part of one of the creep-
ing i)lants which overhung a small pool of water ; like that of
the rest of the genus, it was cup-shaped in form, suspended
by the brim, and very neatly made of sticks and lined with
very fine twigs ; the eggs are two in number, of a pearly
white spotted with purplish brown, the spots forming a zone
at the larger end ; they are eleven and a half lines long by
eight lines broad.

Upper surface ohve-green ; under surface the same colour
but paler; behind the ears an oval spot of fine yellow; region
of the eyes blackish ; below the eye a narrow stripe of yellow ;
bill black at the tip, yellow at the base ; legs purphsh flesh-
colour ; irides dark lead-colour ; gape white.

Sp. 307. PTILOTIS SONORA, Gould. .

Singing Honey-eater.

Ptilotis soaorus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part viii. p. 160.
Meliphaga sonora, Gray and Mitch. Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 122, Me-

liphaga, sp. 12,
Doo-7'um-duo-rwn, Aborigines of the lowlands, and
Goolbo-ort, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western Australia.
Large?- Honey- sucker, Colonists of Swan River.

Ptilotis sonoms, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iv. pi. 33.

I have abundant evidence that the range of this species
extends across the entire continent of Australia from east to
west; I found it very numerous on the Namoi and other
portions of the interior of New South Wales, and equally
plentiful in South Australia ; it is one of the commonest birds
of the colony of Swan River, and we know that it extends very
far north, for examples were procured by Gilbert during Dr.
Leichardt's expedition from Moreton Bay to Port Essington.

INSESSORES. 505

Moderately-sized trees, particularly CasuarincB and Banksice,
thinly scattered over grassy plains and the crowns and sides
of low hills, are its usual places of resort. In Western
Australia it enters the gardens and commits considerable
havoc among the fruit-trees, particularly figs, of the seeds of
which it appears to be very fond. It also feeds upon insects,
which are principally sought for among the branches ; but it
frequently seeks for them and small seeds on the ground,
when it hops around the boles and beneath the branches of
the trees in a most lively manner.

Its natural notes are full, clear, and loud, and may be heard
at a considerable distance. In South Australia I heard it in
full song in the midst of winter, when it was one of the
shiest birds of the country.

It is exceedingly pugnacious in disposition, often fighting
with the Wattle Birds {AniJiochcBrcB), and other species even
larger than those.

The breeding-season commences in August and terminates
in December. The nest is a frail, round, cup-shaped structure,
the materials of which vary in different situations ; those ob-
served by me in New South Wales being composed of fine
dried stalks of annuals thinly lined with fibrous roots woven
together with spiders' webs, and suspended by the rim to
two or three fine twigs near the centre of the tree ; on the
other hand, those observed by Gilbert in Western Australia
were formed of green grasses, which become white and wiry
when dry, matted together with the hair of kangaroos or
opossums, lined with fine grasses and the down of flowers,
and placed iu a thick scrubby bush at about three feet from
the ground.

The eggs are usually two, but occasionally three in number,
of a light yellowish bufi', thickly freckled with small indistinct
reddish brown marks ; or of a nearly uniform fleshy buff" with-
out spots or markings, but of a deeper tint at the larger end ;
their medium length is eleven lines, and breadth eight lines.

506 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Crown of the head and all the upper surface greyish olive ;
wings and tail brown, margined on their external webs with
greenish yellow ; lores, space round the eye and broad line
down the sides of the neck black; ear-coverts pale yellow,
behind which is an obscure spot of greyish white ; throat and
under surface pale yellowish grey striated with light brown ;
irides dark brown ; bill black ; legs and feet greenish grey.

Total length 7^ inches ; bill 1 ; wing 3f ; tail 3^ ; tarsi 1.

The female is like the male in colour, but smaller in all her
dimensions.

Sp. 308. PTILOTIS VERSICOLOR, Gould.
Varied Honey-eater.

Ptilotis versicolor, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part x. p. 136.
Meliphaga versicolor, Gray, Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 122; Meliphaga,
sp. 17.

Ptilotis versicolor, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv. pi. 34.

This fine species, which is a native of the northern portion
of Australia, is only known to me from a specimen contained
in a collection from that part of the country. That its whole
habits and economy will hereafter be found to assimilate most
closely to those of the Ptilotis sonora is certain, as it is most
intimately allied to that species, but may be readily distin-
tinguished from it by its larger size, its much longer and
stouter bill, by the more contrasted character of its markings,
and the sulphur or wax-yellow colour which pervades the
breast and upper surface. It is one of the finest species yet
discovered of the genus to which it belongs, and is at present
so rare, that my own specimen is probably the only one that
has been brought to Europe.

All the upper surface brownish olive, tinged with yellowish
olive on the margins of the feathers ; outer webs of the pri-
maries and tail wax-yellow ; inner webs brown ; under smface
of the wing and tail yellowish buff ; stripe over the eye to the

INSESSORES. 507

back of the neck black ; ear-coverts dark grey ; below the
ear-coverts a stripe of bright yellow ; throat and under surface
yellow, becoming paler as it approaches the vent, each feather
with a stripe of brown down the centre.

Total length 8 inches ; bill 1 ; wing 4 ; tail 3f ; tarsi 1.

Sp. 309. PTILOTIS FASCIOGULARIS, Gould.

Fasciated Honey-eater.
Ptilotis fasciogularis, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xix. p. 285.

Ptilotis fasciogularis, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., Supplement,
pi.

It is pleasing to record for the first time a species so well
marked as the present, and which differs from the other
members of its genus, in the distinct bars of pale yellow and
brown which occupy the throat and fore part of the neck. All
the specimens that have yet come under my notice were sent
to me a few years since by Strange, who collected them on the
low swampy islands lying off the eastern coast of Australia,
northward of Moreton Bay ; they comprise examples of both
sexes, ascertained by dissection, and the only difference between
them consists, as is usual with the other members of the
genus, in the smaller size of the female.

Por a Ptilotis this is a large and robust species, equalling
in size the P. sonora, to which it has a close afiinity.

All the upper surface, wings, and tail olive-brown, the
feathers of the head and back with darker centres, and the
primaries and tail-feathers narrowly margined externally with
wax-yellow ; lores and a streak down the side of the head
from the posterior angle of the eye blackish-brown; ear-
coverts pale yellow ; on each side of the neck a patch of yellow-
ish-white ; feathers of the throat brownish-black, each bordered
with pale yellow, presenting a fasciated appearance ; breast
blackish-brown ; under surface striated with brown and buff,

508 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

becoming paler towards the vent; irides lead-colour; bill
bluish-black, with a yellow gape ; feet black.

Total length 7^ inches ; bill | ; wing 3f ; tail 3^ ; tarsi 1|-.

Sp. 310. PTILOTIS FLAVIGULA, Gould.

Yellow-throated Honey-eater.

PHlotis flavigula, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part vi. p. 24.
Meliphaga flavigula, Gray and Mitch. Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 122,

Meliphaga, sp. 15.
Melithrepus flavicollis, Vieill., 2" edit, du Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat.,

torn. xiv. p. 325 ?

Ptilotis flavigula, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv. pi. 35.

This fine and conspicuous species of Ptilotis is abundant in
all the ravines round Hobart Town, and is very generally dis-
persed over the whole of Tasmania. If I mistake not, I have
also seen specimens from Victoria. Its colouring assimilating
in a remarkable degree with that of the leaves of the trees it
frequents, it is somewhat difficult of detection. When en-
gaged in searching for food it frequently expands its wings
and tail, creeps and clings among the branches in a variety of
beautiful attitudes, and often suspends itself to the extreme
ends of the outermost twigs. It flies in an undulating manner
like a Woodpecker, but this power is rarely exercised.

Its note is a full, loud, powerful, and melodious call.

The stomach is muscular, but of a very small size, and the
food consists of bees, wasps, and other Hymenoptera, to which
are added Coleoptera of various kinds, and the pollen of
flowers.

It is a very early breeder, as proved by my finding a nest
containing two young birds covered with black dowm, and
about two days old, on the 28th of September.

The nest of this species, which is generally placed in a low
bush, differs very considerably from those of all the other

TNSESSORES. 509

Honey-eaters with which I am acquainted, particularly in
the character of the material forming the lining ; it is the
largest and warmest of the whole, and is usually formed of
ribbons of stringy bark, mixed with grass and the cocoons of
spiders ; towards the cavity it is more neatly built, and is
lined internally with opossum or kangaroo fur ; in some
instances the hair-like material at the base of the large leaf-
stalks of the tree-fern is employed for the lining, and in
others there is merely a flooring of wiry grasses and fine
twigs. The eggs, which are either two or three in number,
are of the most delicate fleshy buff, rather strongly but thinly
spotted with small, roundish, prominent dots of chestnut-red,
intermingled with which are a few indistinct dots of purplish
grey ; their average length is eleven lines, and breadth eight
lines.

The only external difference in the sexes is the smaller size
of the female, which is nearly a third less than that of the
male.

Lores and cheeks black ; crown of the head, ear-coverts,
breast, and under surface dark grey, with silvery reflexions ;
a few of the ear-coverts tipped with yellow ; chin and upper
part of the throat rich gamboge-yellow ; all the upper surface,
wings, and tail rich yellowish olive, brightest on the margins
of the quill- and tail-feathers; inner webs of the primaries
and secondaries dark brown ; under surface of the shoulder
and wing gamboge-yellow ; abdomen and flanks washed with
olive ; bill black ; interior of the bill, throat, and tongue rich
orange ; irides wood-brown ; legs and feet brownish lead-
colour.

Total length 8 inches ; bill 1 ; wing 4 J ; tail 4^ ; tarsi 1.

The young birds assume the adult colouring from the time
they leave the nest.

510 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Sp.311. PTILOTIS LEUCOTIS.

White-eared Honey-eater.

Turdus leucuiis, Lath. Ind. Orn., p. xliv.

White-eared Honey-eater, Lewin, Birds of New Holl., pi. 20.

Thrush, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 373.

Meliphaga leucotis, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 314.

Ptilotis leucotis, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iv. pi. 36.

The White-eared Honey-eater enjoys a very wide range of
habitat ; I found it in abundance in the belts of the Murray
and other parts of South Australia, and in the brushes near
the coast as well as in the open forests of Eucalypti in New
South Wales ; it is very common in the Bargo brush on the
road to Argyle, and Gilbert mentions that he shot a specimen
near York in the interior of Western Australia, but it is there
so rare that he believed the individual he procured was the
only one that had been seen. It is as much an inhabitant of
the mountainous as of the lowland parts of the country, and
is always engaged in creeping and clinging about among the
leafy branches of the Eucalypti, particularly those of a low or
stunted growth.

Its note is loud, and very much resembles that of the
Ptilotis penicillata. The stomach is small and membranous,
and the food consists of insects of various kinds.

The sexes are alike in their markings, but they differ con-
siderably in size, the male being much larger than the female.

Upper surface and abdomen yellowish olive ; crown of the
head grey, streaked longitudinally with black ; throat and
chest black; ear-feathers pure silvery white ; tips of the tail-
feathers yellowish white; bill black; irides greenish grey,
with a narrow ring of pale wood-brown ; legs and feet leaden
greenish grey.

INSESSORES. 511

Sp. 312. PTILOTIS AURICOMIS.

Yellow-tufted Honey-eater.

Muscicapa auricomis, Lath. Ind. Orn., Supp. p. xlix.

rmjstacea, Lath. Ind. Orn., Supp. p. li.

novce-hollandia, Lath. Ind. Orn., vol. ii. p. 478.

Mustachoe Honey-eater, Lath. Gen. Syn., Supp. vol. ii. p. 221 ?
Yellow-tufted Flycatcher, Lath. Gen. Syu., Supp. vol. ii. p. 215.
Certhia auriculata, Shaw, Gen. ZooL, vol. viii. p. 236.
U Heorotaire a oreilles jaunes, Vieill. Ois. dor., torn. ii. p. 123. pi. 85.
Tufted-eared Honey-eater, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 197.
Meliphaga auricomis, Swains. Zool. Ill,, vol. i. pi. 43.
Philemon erythrotis, Vieill. 2® edit, du Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat., torn,
xxvii. p. 429.

Ptilotis auricomis, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv. pi. 37.

The Yellow-tufted Honey-eater is abundant in New South
Wales, inhabiting at one season or other every portion of the
country ; the brushes near the coast, the flowering trees of
the plains, and those of the sides and crowns of the hills
towards the interior being alike tenanted by it. It is an
active, animated species, flitting with a darting flight from tree
to tree ; and threading the most thickly-leaved branches with
a variety of sprightly actions.

I never succeeded in finding the nest of this species,
but E. P. Ramsay, Esq., has contributed an interesting account
of its nidification to the * Ibis ' for 1864, from which I extract
the following passages : —

"The Yellow-tufted Honey-eater is perhaps one of the
most beautiful birds of New South Wales ; nor are its eggs
less beautiful than the bird itself. It evinces a preference
for the more open underwood of young Eucalyptus and
Wattle-trees {Acacia decurrens), which are plentiful near
Dobroyde, Enfield, and Parramatta, rather than for the dense
scrub-land near the coast. I have met with it as far as
Manar, between Braid wood and Goulburn. Like most of its

512 BIRDS OP AUSTRALIA.

tribe, the Yellow-tufted Honey-eater is ver}^ partial to fruit,
and during the latter end of February, and throughout the
month of March, the pear-trees swarm with this and many
other species. During the orange season also they visit us in
great numbers, and many may be seen fighting over the half-
decayed fruit with which the ground at that time is literally
strewed.

The Ftilotis aiiricomis "remains with us throughout the
whole year, and breeds earlier than the generality of Honey-
eaters. Eggs have been taken early in June, and as late
as the end of October, during which month they sometimes
have a third brood ; but August and September appear to be
their principal breeding months. The nest is a neat, but
somewhat bulky structure, open above, and composed of
strips of the Stringy-bark-tree. The eggs, which are usually
two in number, are of a pale flesh-pink, darkest at the larger
end, where they are also spotted and blotched with markings
of a much deeper hue, inclining to salmon colour ; in some
these markings form a zone, in others one irregular patch, with
a few dots upon the rest of the surface. When taken
they have a beautiful blush of pink, but it generally disappears
a few days after they are blown. Their length is from ten to
eleven lines by seven to eight in breadth. Some have a few
obsolete dots of faint lilac ; others are without markings, save
one patch at the larger extremity. The site selected is usually
some low bushy scrub among the rich clusters of Tecoma
australis, or amidst the thick tufts of Bleclmum cartilaginemn,
which often covers a space of many square yards in these clumps,
where it clings to the stems of the ferns. I have several times
found two or three pairs breeding at the same time within
a few yards of each other. The ferns and TecomcB seem to
be their favourite places for breeding ; but the nests are often
found suspended between forks in the small bushy oaks
{Casuari7i(B).

" In the nest of this Honey-eater I have several times found

INSESSORES. 513

the egg of a Cuckoo ; this egg is of a very pale flesh-colour,
eleven and a half lines long by eight and a half broad, and
usually without any markings ; but one specimen had a few
dots of black and dark reddish brown upon a pale flesh-
coloured ground. I have also taken similar eggs from the
nests of a species of Ptilotis and of Melithreptus Imiulatus.
I have not been able to determine to which species of Cuckoo
they belong — most probably to the Cuctdiis ci7iereus," i. e.
Cacoman tis Jlabelliformis.

The female of this species, as is the case with others of the
genus, is smaller than the male, but exhibits no difference
whatever in the colouring of her plumage.

Crown of the head olive-yellow ; throat bright yellow ; a
black line commences at the base of the bill, surrounds the
eye, and extends over the ear-coverts ; behind the ear springs
a lengthened tuft of rich yellow feathers ; upper surface, wings,
and tail dark brown, with a tinge of olive ; primaries and tail-
feathers margined with olive-yellow ; chest and under surface
brownish yellow ; bill black ; irides reddish brown ; feet
blackish brown.

Sp. 313. PTILOTIS CRATITIA, Gould.

Wattle-cheeked Honey-eater.

Ptilotis cratitius, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part viii. p. 160.
Meliphaga cratitia, Gray, Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 122, Meliphmja,

sp. 13.
Lichenostomus cratitius, Cab. Mas. Hein., Theil. i. p. 119, note.
occidentalis Cab. Mus. Hein,, Theil i. p. 119?

Ptilotis cratitius, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv. pi. 38.

I first met with this new species of Honey-eater on the
26th of June 1839, on the ranges near the Upper Torrens in
South Austraha : it appeared to be a most pugnacious bird,
driving every other species from the tree upon which it was
feeding. I afterwards met with it on Kangaroo Island and

2 L

514 BIRDS or AUSTRALIA.

in the Belts of the Murray. In all these situations it evinced
a decided preference for the Eucalypti, among the smaller
branches and flowers of which it was busily engaged in
extracting pollen and honey from the flower-cups. The trees
in the Belts of the Murray and on Kangaroo Island are of a
dwarf character, Avhile those of the Upper Torrens are very
lofty ; yet each appeared to be equally resorted to.

I have never seen this bird from any other parts of
Australia than those I have mentioned ; further research may,
however, enable us to assign to it a much greater range of
habitat. It is very closely allied to the Ptilotis auricomis,
but may at all times be distinguished from that, as well as
from every other known species by the stripe of beautiful lilac-
coloured bare skin, which stretches from the corner of the
mouth and extends down the sides of the cheeks ; after death,
this skin becomes dry and discoloured.

The sexes are nearly alike in plumage, and both have the
fleshy appendage on the cheeks, but the female is somewhat
smaller than the male.

Crown of the head grey ; all the upper surface olive-green ;
wings and tail brown, margined with greenish yellow ; lores,
a large space surrounding the eye and the ear-coverts black,
below which is a narrow line of bright yellow ; from the gape,
down each side of the throat for five-eighths of an inch, a
naked fleshy appendage, free at the lower end, of a beautiful
lilac-colour and very conspicuous in the living bird ; anterior
to this is a tuft of bright yellow feathers ; throat and under
surface olive-yellow ; irides and eyelash black ; bill black ;
feet blackish brown tinged with olive.

Total length 7 inches ; bill J ; wing 2 J ; tail 2>\ ; tarsi f.

Although I have placed M. Cabanis's Lichenostomus occi-
dentalis as a synonym of this species, with which, after care-
fully reading his description, I believe it to be identical, I
shall restore his bird to the rank of a species, whenever I may
obtain evidence that it is really difl'erent.

INSESSORES. 515

Sp. 314. PTILOTIS ORNATA, GoM.

Graceful Ptilotis.

Ptilotis ornatus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part vi. p. 24.
Meliphaga ornata, Gray, Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 122, Meliphaga,
sp. 10.

Ptilotis ornatus, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv. pi. 39.

It was a source of much gratification to myself to have
unexpectedly found this elegant little bird in that rich ar-
boretum, the Belts of the Murray, which had already supplied
me with so many novelties. It was there confined to trees of
a dwarf growth, while in the country in the neighbourhood of
Swan River I am informed it is seen on the topmost branches
of the gum- and mahogany-trees, clinging and flitting about
the blossoms, not unfrequently descending to the ground and
hopping about beneath the branches and near the boles of the
larger trees, doubtless in search of insects.

It has rather a loud ringing and not unpleasing song, which
is constantly poured forth.

The nest is generally suspended from a horizontal forked
branch, frequently in an exposed situation, and is of a neat,
small, open, cup-shaped form, composed of fine vegetable
fibres and grasses matted together with spiders' webs, and
sometimes wool. The eggs are either two or three in num-
ber, of a deep salmon-colour, becoming paler at the smaller
end, and minutely freckled with reddish brown, particularly
at the larger end ; they are nine lines long by seven broad.

The female differs from the male in being somewhat less in
size, and those I collected had the nostrils, eyelash, and basal
portion of the bill orange instead of black, as in the male ; still
I am not fully satisfied that this orange colouring may not in-
dicate immaturity, and that the fully adult female may not
have these, as in her mate.

Crown of the head, external edge of the wings, ramp, and

2 L 2

516 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

tail-feathers olive ; back olive-brown ; all the under surface
greyish white, each feather having a longitudinal mark of
brown down the centre ; under tail-coverts lighter ; on each
side of the neck a lengthened tuft of rich yellow feathers ;
eye black, surrounded in the male by a narrow black eyelash
except for a third of the space, behind which is yellow ; feet
purplish brown ; bill black.

Total length 6 J inches ; bill f ; wing 3f ; tail ^l ; tarsi f .

Sp. 315. PTILOTIS PLUMULA, Gould.

Plumed Ptilotis.

Ptilotis plumulus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part viii, p. 150.
Meliphaga plumula, Gray, Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 122, Meliphaga,
sp. 11.

Ptilotis plumulus, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iv. pi. 40.

In size this species is rather less than Ptilotis ornata, and,
independently of the accessory black tuft on the sides of the
neck, the breast is of more delicate and paler colour, with the
feathers much more faintly marked with brown down the
centre. All the specimens I have seen were collected in the
district of York, about 60 miles eastward of Swan River,
where it inhabits the white-gum forests, resorting to the tops
of the highest trees, and is seldom to be seen on the ground.
Its note is much varied, consisting of a loud shrill shake,
somewhat resembling the sportsman's pea-whistle, continued
without intermission for a great length of time. When dis-
turbed it flits among the branches with a quick darting flight ;
while at other times it soars from tree to tree with the most
graceful and easy movement.

Its small, elegant, cup- shaped nest is suspended from a
slender horizontal branch, frequently so close to the ground
as to be reached by the hand ; it is formed of dried grasses
lined with soft cotton-like buds of flowers. The breeding-
season continues from October to Januarv : the esrsrs beino-

INSESSORES. 517

two ill number, ten lines long by seven lines broad, of a pale
salmon colour, with a zone of a deeper tint at the larger end,
and the wdiole freckled with minute spots of a still darker hue.
The stomach is diminutive and slightly muscular, the food
consisting of insects and honey.

The sexes appear to present no difference in the colour of
their plumage ; but the female, as is the case with the other
members of the genus, is considerably smaller than her mate.

Crown of the head and all the upper surface bright olive -
yellow, approaching to grey on the back ; lores black ; ear-
coverts, throat, and under surface pale yellowish grey, faintly
striated with a darker tint ; behind the ear two tufts, the
upper of which is narrow and black j the lower, which is
more spread over the sides of the neck, of a beatiful yellow ;
primaries and tail-feathers brown, margined with bright olive-
yellow ; irides very dark reddish brown ; bill black ; legs and
feet apple-green.

Total length 4f inches ; bill f ; wing 3J- ; tail 2f ; tarsi f .

Sp. 316. PTILOTIS FLAVESCENS, Gould.

Yellow-tinted Honey-eater.

Ptilotis flavescens, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part vii. p. 142.
Meliphaga flavescens, Gray, Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 122, Meliphaga,
sp. 16.

Ptilotis flavescens, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv. pi. 41.

The only example of this new species that I have seen is
from the north coast of Australia, where it was procured and
subsequently presented to me by my friend Benjamin Bynoe,
Esq., late of Her Majesty's Surveying Ship the ' Beagle.' It
differs from all the other members of its genus in the uniform
yellow colouring of its plumage, for which reason I have
assigned to it the specific appellation oi flavescens.

I regret to say that nothing w^iatever is at present known
of its habits or economy.

518 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Head and all the under surface delicate citron -yellow, the
yellow prevailing over the head ; immediately under the ear-
coverts a spot of blackish brown, posterior to which is a spot
of bright yellow ; the remainder of the plumage olive-grey.

Total length 4^ inches ; bill f ; wing 2| ; tail 2 J ; tarsi f .

Sp. 317. PTILOTIS PLAVA, Gould.

Yellow Honey-eater.

Ptilotis flava, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part x. p. 136.
Meliphaga flava, Gray, Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 122^ Meliphaga, sp. 7.

Ptilotis flava, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iv. pi. 42.

This new species may be distinguised from all its con-
geners by the uniform colouring of its plumage ; it is in fact
a most remarkable bird, inasmuch as I scarcely recollect one
similarly coloured in any genus that has come under my
notice. I regret that, as regards the history of this Honey-
eater, its range over the Australian continent, its habits and
economy, all is a perfect blank ; a single specimen is all I
have at present seen ; this was procured by one of the officers
of Her Majesty's Ship the ' Beagle,' while employed on the
north coast. Tlie names of Captain Stokes, Lieutenant Emery,
and Mr. Bynoe have been repeatedly mentioned in this work,
with feelings of personal gratification that their labours have
been useful to science. It now only remains for me to describe
the colours of this bird ; having I trust thrown out a suffi-
cient hint to those who may visit its native country, and may
have opportunities of observing it, that contributions to its
history are very desirable.

Head and all the under surface delicate citron -yellow, the
yellow prevailing over the head ; immediately under the ear-
coverts is a spot of blackish brown, posterior to which is a patch
of briglit yellow, the remainder of the plumage olive-grey.

Total length 6^ inches ; bill | ; wing 3^ ; tail 3^ ; tai'si f ,

insessorp:s. 519

Sp. 318. PTILOTIS PENICILLATA, Gould.

White-plumed Honey-eater.
Meliphaga penicillata, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part iv. p. 143.

Ptilotis penicillatus, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv. pi. 43.

This species, which is rarely met with in New South Wales,
is very abundant in South Australia ; I met with it even in
the streets and gardens of Adelaide ; and it doubtless enjoys
a wide range over the interior of the country. Prom what I
observed of its habits, it appears to differ from the generality
of Honey-eaters in the partiality it evinces for the ground ; for
although most of its time is spent among the leafy branches of
the gums and wattles, it is often to be seen hopping about
under the trees in search of insects and seeds, which with the
pollen of the flowers of the Eucalypti and Acacics constitute
its food.

Its silvery white neck-plumes present a character by which
it is at once distinguished from all other known species. The
smaller size of the female is the only external difference
between the sexes, for when fully adult their markings are
precisely alike. Some of the specimens killed had the bill
entirely black, while others had the base yellowish white,
which is doubtless indicative of immaturity.

Its shghtly-constructed nest, formed of grasses and wool, is
cup-shaped, and is suspended by the rim, like those of the other
Honey-eaters. "The Ptilotis penicillata" says Mr. An gas,
" builds in the Acacias close to my house at Collingrove, near
Angaston. I can sit at dinner and watch the young ones
being fed. One female sat hatching close to the window
with the strong light of a moderator lamp shining on her at
night. The eggs are three in number."

Sides of the face and ear-coverts pale yellow ; behind the
ear-coverts a small tuft of white silky feathers ; upper surface
rich yellowish grey, the outer edges of the quill- and tail-

520 BIRDS or AUSTRALIA.

feathers tinged with a richer colour ; under surface Hght
yellowish brown ; bill black ; legs purplish flesh- colour ;
irides very dark brown.

Total length G J inches ; bill |; wing 3 ; tail 3 ; tarsi f .

Sp. 319. PTILOTIS rUSCA, Gould.

Fuscous Honey-eater.

Meliphaga fusca, Gould in Syn. Birds of Australia, part ii.

Ptilotis fusca, Gould, id., part iv.

Certhia chrysotis, Lath. Ind. Orn., Supp. p. xxxviii ?

Ptilotis fusca, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iv. pi. 44.

This species of Honey-eater, which is not distinguished by
any brilliancy in its plumage, is abundantly dispersed over the
thick brushes of New South Wales ; and in the months of
August and September, when the beautiful Tecoma is in
blossom, it may be seen flitting about among the thick
clusters of the pendent flowers in search of insects, which are
sometimes captured while on the wing, but more generally
extracted from the tubular florets.

I observed nothing remarkable in its economy, or in which
it differed from the other members of the group. Like them
it is generally found among the flowers and the most leafy
branches of the trees. I have never seen it on the plains, nor
have I received specimens from any other part of Australia
than New South Wales, where it is to be met with both in
winter and summer.

The sexes are very nearly alike in colouring ; in fact, with
the exception of the female being a trifle smaller than the
male, no outward distinction is visible.

The whole of the upper surface greyish brown with a tinge of
olive ; a ring of black feathers surrounds the eye ; ear-coverts
blackish brown ; behind the ear a small patch of yeUow ;
throat, chest, and under surface light greyish brown ; irides

INSESSOllES. 521

light yellow ; eyelash light yellow ; gape and corners of the
mouth yellow ; bill dull yellow at the base and black at the
tip ; feet fleshy brown.

Total length 6| inches ; bill f ; wing 3 J ; tail 2f ; tarsi f .

Sp.320. PTILOTIS CHRYSOPS.

Yellow-faced Honey-eater.

Sylvia chrysops, Lath. Ind. Oru., Supp. p. liv.
Black-cheeked Honey-eater, Lath. Gen. Syn.^ Supp. vol. ii. p. 248.
Meliphaga chrysops, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 315.
Yellow-eared Flycatcher, Whitens Voy., pi. in p. 161 ?

Ptilotis chrysops, Groiild, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv. pi. 45.

The Ftilotis chrysops may be regarded as one of the com-
monest species of Honey-eaters inhabiting the colonies of
New South Wales and South Australia, its distribution over
those countries being almost universal. On reference to my
jom-nal I find that it was equally abundant in the gardens of
Sydney, in the brushes near the coast, in the district of the
Upper Hunter, and on the Liverpool range ; and that in
South Australia it was quite as numerous in the mangrove
thickets on the coast, as in the interior of the country. It is
very animated and sprightly in its actions, and during the
months of spring and summer is constantly engaged in sing-
ing ; its melodious song being poured forth while the bird is
perched on the topmost branches of the trees.

A nest found near the Liverpool range in October was very
neatly constructed, rather small in size, round and open in
form, and so thin that I could see through it ; it was sus-
pended to the fine twigs of a Casuarina at some height from
the ground, while another suspended to the lower branches
of a sapling gum was within reach of the hand. They were
outwardly composed of the inner bark of trees, moss, &c.,
lined with fine vegetable fibres and grasses. The eggs, which
are two and sometimes three in number, are of a lengthenec^

522 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

form, and of a deep reddish buff, strongly marked at the
larger end with deep chestnut-red and purplish grey ; the
remainder of the surface ornamented with large spots and
blotches of the same colour, somewhat thinly dispersed ;
their medium length is ten lines and a half by seven lines
in breadth.

The sexes are so much alike that no visible difference is
perceptible, except in the smaller size of the female.

Crown of the head, back of the neck, all the upper surface,
wings, and tail dark brown with a slight tinge of olive ;
throat and under surface dark greyish brown, the latter
colour predominating on the chest ; a fine line of black runs
from the nostrils through the eye ; this black line is bounded
below by a stripe of yellow which runs under the eye and
over the ear-covert, and below this runs another parallel
line of black, which commences at the base of the lower man-
dible and extends beyond the line of the ear-coverts ; imme-
diately above the eye behind is a small spot of yellow, and
behind the ear-coverts a like spot of white ; bill blackish
brown ; irides and eyelash dark brown ; legs leaden brown.

Sp. 321. PTILOTIS FILIGERA, Gould.

Streaked Honey-eater.
Ptilotis filigera, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xviii. p. 278.

Ptilotis filigera, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol.. Supplement, pi.

The F, filigera is one of the novelties which rewarded the
researches of Mr. Wilcox, who obtained two examples among
some mangroves at Cape York, where he observed it in com-
pany with another species of the same genus. Although a
dull-coloured species, it is rendered interestingly different
from all its congeners by the thread-like streak beneath the
ear-coverts, and by the small striae which decorate the back
of the neck and the upper part of the mantle.

INSESSORES. 523

Upper surface, wings, and tail rich olive-brown, with nume-
rous small marks of greyish white on the apical portion of the
nuchal feathers ; the wing-coverts broadly, and the remainder
of the feathers narrowly edged with brownish buff; from the
gape beneath the eye a streak of white ; ear-coverts blackish
grey ; from the centre of the lower angle of the ear-coverts a
very narrow streak of silky yellow, which, proceeding back-
wards, joins the line of white from beneath the eye ; throat
brownish grey ; under surface sandy buff, the feathers of the
breast and the middle of the abdomen with lighter centres ;
bill olive-black; naked space beneath the eye yellow; legs
and feet slate-colour.

Total length 7f inches ; bill 1 ; wing 4 ; tail 3 ; tarsi f .

The young are destitute of the white marks on the nape,
and have the under surface more rufous and without the
lighter centres.

^O'

Genus STOMIOPERA, Reichenhach.

Dr. Reichenbach considers the following species sufficiently
different from the true Ptilotes, to warrant its separation into
a distinct genus, and if the difference in its singular habits be
taken into consideration, the separation is justifiable.

Sp. 322. STOMIOPERA UNICOLOR, Goidd.

Uniform-coloured Honey-eater.

Ptilotis unicolor, Gould in Proc. of ZooL Soc, part x, p. 136.
Meliphaga unicolor, Gray, Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 122, Meliphaga,

sp. 8.
Stomiopera unicolor, Reich. Handb. der Spec. Orn., p. 109.

Ptilotis unicolor, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv. pi. 46.

This bird, which differs from the true Ptilotes in some parts
of its structure, in the uniform colouring of its plumage, and
in its habits and manners, is one of the many species that

524 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

rewarded Gilbert's researches at Port Essiiigton; where he
states it was seldom met with in the immediate vicinity of
the harbour, but that it gradually increased in number as he
approached the narx'ow neck of the peninsula and the main-
land about Mountnorris Bay. The situations in which it was
usually observed were those adjacent to swampy thickets, and
here it was generally seen in pairs : it appears to be of a most
lively disposition, being always in motion ; its actions much
resemble those of the TropidorhyncUus argenticeps, with which
bird it often fights severe battles. When among the trees its
movements are very amusing, and its agility in running upon
and creeping round the branches in search of insects is fully
equal to that of the Sitella. Its flight is very short, feeble,
and peculiar, rarely extending to a greater distance than from
branch to branch, or from tree to tree, and is performed with
a very rapid motion of the wings ; the tail being at the same
time much retroverted over the back, gives the bird a most
ludicrous appearance. It emits a great variety of notes and
calls ; frequently giving utterance to a loud chattering cry,
much resembling that of the MayzantUcs, but more often a
note so similar to the well-known chirrup of the common
English Sparrow, that it might be easily mistaken for the
note of that bird.

The stomach is diminutive but muscular, and the food
consists of honey, insects of various kinds, seeds, and berries.

Lores and orbits deep brown ; all the plumage brownish
ohve; the under surface paler than the upper; primaries
margined with brighter olive than the other parts of the body ;
under surface of the shoulder pale buff; irides obscure red;
bill dark olive-brown ; naked gape fleshy white, passing into
yellow at the corner of the mouth ; legs and feet light ash
grey.

Total length 7 inches ; bill 1 ; wing 3f ; tail 3 J ; tarsi 1.

INSESSORES. 525

Genus PLECTORHYNCHA, Gould

Of this singular form only one species has yet been
discovered. It inhabits the plains of the eastern portion of
Australia, where it dwells among the Eucalypti and Acacice,
and is a very noisy garrulous bird.

The sexes are alike in plumage, and the young assume the
adult plumage at a very early age.

Sp. 323. PLECTORHYNCHA LANCEOLATA, Gould.
Lanceolate Honey-eater.

Pledorkyncha lanceolata, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part v. p. 153.
Melit/ireptuslanceolatus^Gray, Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 128, Melithreptus,
sp. 11.

Plectorhyncha lanceolata, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iv.
pi. 47.

The Liverpool Plains and the country immediately to the
northward are, I believe, the only portions of the Australian
continent in which this bird has been seen. I found it rather
sparingly dispersed over the forests bordering the rivers
Mokai and Namoi, and it appeared to increase in number as
I descended the latter stream towards the interior. It was
generally observed alone, or in pairs, keeping almost exclu-
sively to the AcacicB and Eucalypti. Its chief food is the
pollen of flowers and insects, for procuring which and for
constructing its beautiful nest its pointed sphie-like bill is
admirably adapted. I find it stated, in my notes taken on
the spot, that this bird possesses the peculiar habit of sitting
motionless among the thickest foliage of the topmost branches
of the highest trees, where it cannot be seen without the
closest observation, although its immediate locality is indicated
by its powerful whistling note. Upon one occasion only did
I discover the nest ; it was suspended from the extreme tip

526 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

of a branch of a Casuarina overhanging a stream, was out-
wardly composed of grasses, interwoven with wool and the
cotton-Hke texture of flowers, and contained two eggs rather
lengthened in shape, being eleven and a half lines long by eight
lines broad, and of a flesh-white, very minutely sprinkled
with reddish buff, forming an indistinct zone at the larger end.

So closely do the sexes resemble each other in colour, that
by dissection alone can they be distinguished ; the male,
however, rather exceeds the female in size.

Crown of the head, ear-coverts, and back of the neck
mottled with black and white, a longitudinal mark of black
running down the centre of each feather ; throat and under
surface greyish white, the stem of each feather, which ends
lanceolate, pure white ; back, wings, and tail light brown ;
irides brown ; bill dark bluish horn-colour ; legs and feet
light blue.

Total length 9 inches ; bill 1 ; wings 4-J- ; tail 4^ -, tarsi 1.

The young, of which I killed several specimens in the
month of January, had even at that early age assumed the
general markings of the adult; and the circumstance of
there being fully-fledged young and eggs at the same time,
proves that these birds rear at least two broods in the
season.

Genus MELIPHAGA, Leivin.

The only species of this form known appears to be confined
to the south-eastern portions of Australia. It is extremely
bold and pugnacious, and generally frequents the highest
branches of the lofty Eucalypti, both of the brushes and
of the plains, but is most abundant in the districts near the
coast.

The sexes are alike in plumage, and but little difference is
observable between nestling and adult birds.

INSESSORES. 527

Sp. 324. MELIPHAGA PHRYGIA.

Warty-faced Honey-eater.

Mei'ops phryyius, Lath. Tnd. Orn., Supp. p. xxxiv.
Warty-faced Honey-eater, Lewin, Birds of New Holl., pi. 14.
Black and Yellow Bee-eater, Lath. Gen. Syn., Supp. vol. ii. p. 154.
Black and Yellow Honey-eater, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 165.
Philemon phrygius, Vieill. Ency. Meth., part ii. p. 617.
Meliphaga phrygia, Lewin, Birds of New Holl., p. 13. pi. 4.
Anthochcera phrygia, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 323.
Zanthomiza phrygia, Swains. Class, of Birds, vol. ii, p. 326.
Xanthomyza phrygia, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv. pi. 48.
Mock Regent Bird, Colonists of New South Wales.

Zanthomyza phrygia, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv.,
text to pi. 48.

This is not only one of the handsomest of the Honey-eaters,
but is also one of the most beautiful birds inhabiting Australia,
the strongly contrasted tints of its black and yellow plumage
rendering it a most conspicuous and pleasing object, parti-
cularly during flight. It is a stationary species, and enjoys a
range extending from South Australia to New South Wales ;
I also met with it in the interior nearly as far north as the
latitude of Moreton Bay. Although it is very generally
distributed, its presence appears to be dependent upon the
state of the Eucalypti, upon whose blossoms it mainly depends
for subsistence ; it is consequently only to be found in any
particular locality diu-ing the season that those trees are in
blossom. It generally resorts to the loftiest and most fully-
flowered tree, where it frequently reigns supreme, buffeting
and driving every other bird away from its immediate neigh-
bourhood ; it is, in fact, the most pugnacious bird I ever saw,
evincing particular hostility to the smaller Meliphayidce, and
even to others of its own species that may venture to approach
the trees upon which two or three have taken their station.
While at Adelaide, in South Australia, I observed two pairs

528 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

that had possessed themselves of one of the high trees that
had been left standing in the middle of the city, which tree,
during the whole period of my stay, they kept sole possession
of, sallying forth and beating off every bird that came near,
I met with it in great abundance among the brushes of New
South Wales, and also found it breeding in the low apple-tree
flats of the Upper Hunter. I have occasionally seen flocks of
from fifty to a hundred in number, passing from tree to tree
as if engaged in a partial migration from one part of the
country to another, or in search of a more abundant supply
of food.

The nest, which is usually constructed on the overhanging
branch of a Eucalyptus, is round, cup-shaped, about five
inches in diameter, composed of fine grasses, and lined with a
little wool and hair. The eggs are two in number, of a deep
yellowish buff", marked all over with indistinct spots and irre-
gular blotches of chestnut-red and dull purplish grey, parti-
cularly at the larger end, where they frequently form a zone ;
they are eleven lines long by eight lines and a half broad.

The stomachs of the specimens I killed and dissected on the
Hunter were entirely filled with liquid honey ; insects, how-
ever, doubtless form a considerable portion of their diet.

The sexes are nearly alike in colouring, but the female is
much smaller than the male, and the young are destitute of
the warty excrescences on the face, that part being partially
clothed with feathers.

Head, neck, upper part of the back, chin, and chest black ;
scapularies black, broadly margined with pale yellow ; lower
part of the back black, margined with yellowish white ; upper
tail-coverts like the scapularies ; wings black, the coverts
margined with yellow ; spurious wing yellow ; primaries
black, with an oblong stripe of yellow occupying the margin
of the outer and a portion of the inner web next the quill,
which is black ; secondaries black, broadly margined on the
outer web with yellow ; under surface black, with an arrow-

TNSKSSORES. 529

shaped mark of yellowish white near the extremity of each
feather; two centre tail-feathers black, slightly tipped with
yellow ; the remainder black at the base, and yellow for the
remainder of their length, the black decreasing and the yellow
increasing as the feathers recede from the two central ones ;
irides reddish brown ; bill black ; feet blackish brown ; warty
excrescences covering the face dirty yellowish white.

Genus LICHNOTENTHA, Cabanis.

The generic term of MelicopMla proposed by me for this
form, having been previously employed, I adopt that substituted
by M. Cabanis.

The single species known is, I believe, confined to Southern
and Western Australia. It possesses many singular habits,
and differs from most other species of the Meliphagidcs in the
totally different colouring of the sexes.

Sp. 325. LICHNOTENTHA PICATA, Gould.
Pied Honey-eater.

Entomophila picata, Gray Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 118, Entomophila,

sp. 4.
Lichnotentha picata, Cab. Mus. Hein., Theil i. p. 116.

MelicopMla picata, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv. pi. 49.

The actions of this bird when on the wing are extremely
varied, and some of them very graceful ; it frequently ascends
in a perpendicular direction to a considerable height above the
trees, when the contrast presented by its black and white
plumage renders it a conspicuous and pleasing object. It
is at all times exceedingly shy, and invariably perches on
the top of an isolated bush or dead branch. It usually utters
a peculiar plaintive note, slowly repeated several times in
succession ; it also emits a single note, which so closely
resembles that of the Myzomela nigra, as to be easily mistaken

2 M

530 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

for it. It is at all times extremely difficult of approach,
and the female is even more shy and wary than the male.

Gilbert states that this species assembles in vast flocks,
which continue soaring about during the greater portion of
the day. It is a periodical visitant to Western Australia,
where it arrives in the latter part of October. It also
inhabits the plains round Adelaide in the neighbouring colony.

The male has the head, throat, sides of the chest, back,
wings, inner webs of the upper tail-coverts, two centre and
the tips of the remaining tail-feathers black ; the wing -coverts,
the base and the margins of both webs of the secondaries, the
rump, outer webs of the upper tail-coverts, the under surface,
and the lateral tail-feathers for three-fourths of their length
pure white ; irides reddish brown ; bill bluish grey, becoming
black on the culmen near the tip ; naked skin and a small
fleshy appendage beneath the eye ash grey ; legs and feet
greenish grey.

The female is light brown, each feather being darkest in the
centre ; wings and tail dark brown, the former margined with
buffy white ; under surface buffy white, with a small streak
of black near the tip of each feather.

Total length 6f inches ; bill f ; wing 3f ; tail 2f ; tarsi ^.

Genus ENTOMOPHILA, Gould.

But one species of this form has yet been discovered. It
is strictly Australian, and appears to be confined to the interior
of the country.

Sp. 326. ENTOMOPHILA PICTA, Gould.

Painted Honey-eater.
Entomophila picta, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part v. p. 154.

Entomophila picta, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iv. pi. 50.
This beautiful little Honey-eater is an inhabitant of tlie

INSESSORES. 531

interior of New South Wales, where it frequents the myalls
{Acacia 2^^ndida) and other trees bordering the extensive
plains of that part of Australia. On a comparison of skins of
this species with those of the other Melij)ha(/id(E, prior to my
visit to the country, I had been led to suspect that its actions
and economy would be found to diflfer materially from those
of the other members of its family, and such proved to be the
case, for it is much more active among the branches, captures
insects on the wing, and darts forth and returns to the same
spot much after the manner of the Flycatchers. Its song is
a loud but not very harmonious strain, which is frequently
uttered when on the wing. During flight it repeatedly spreads
its tail, when the white portion of the feathers shows very
conspicuously ; the yellow colouring of the wing also con-
tributes to the beauty of its appearance.

I found the nest of this bird with two nearly fledged
young on the 5 th of September ; the nest was the frailest
structure possible, most ingeniously suspended by the rim to
the twigs and thick drooping leaves of the Acacia pendula,
and entirely composed of very fine fibrous roots.

Head, cheeks, and all the upper surface black, the posterior
edges of the ear-coverts tipped with white ; wings black, the
outer edges of the primaries and secondaries rich yellow at
their base, forming a conspicuous broad mark on the wing ;
tail black, margined externally with rich yellow, each feather
except the two centre ones more or less largely tipped on the
internal web with white ; throat and all the under surface
white, the flanks having a few longitudinal faint spots of
brown ; biU soft and pulpy, and of a deep pink red ; irides
hazel ; eyelash darker hazel ; feet purplish lead-colour.

Total length 5^ inches ; bill f ; wing 3f ; tail 2f ; tarsi f .

The female is much less brilliant than the male, but does
not differ in the distribution of the markings.

Total length 5^ inches ; bill f ; wing 3f ; tail 2f ; tarsi f .

■1 M 2

532 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Genus CONOPOPHILA, Reichenhach.

The members of this genus are two in number ; both are
confined to Australia.

Sp. 327. CONOPOPHILA ALBIGULARIS, GouM.

White-throated Honey-eater.

Entomophila ? albogularis, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part x. p. 137.
Conopophila albiyularis, Reich. Handb. der Spec. Orn., p. 119.

Me-lud-be-re, Aborigines of Port Essington.

Entomophila albogularis, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv.
pi. 61.

This species is a native of the northern portion of Aus-
tralia. " I first met with it," says Gilbert, " on Mayday
Island in Van Diemen's Gulf, where it appeared to be tolera-
bly abundant ; I afterwards found it to be equally numerous
in a large inland mangrove swamp near Point Smith. It is
an extremely active little bird, constantly flitting from branch
to branch and taking irregular flights, during which it utters
its pretty song ; it also pours forth its agreeable melody for a
length of time without intermission while sitting on the top-
most branches of the trees. I never observed it in any other
than swampy situations, or among the mangroves bordering
the deep bays and creeks of the harbours. Its small pensile
nest is suspended from the extremity of a weak projecting
branch in such a manner that it hangs over the water, the
bird always selecting a branch bearing a sufficient number of
leaves to protect the entrance from the rays of the sun ; in
form the nest is deep and cup-like, and is composed of narrow
strips of the soft paper-like bark of the Melaleucas, matted
together with small vegetable fibres, and slightly lined with
soft grass. I found a nest in the latter part of November and
another in the early part of December which contained three

INSESSORES. 533

eggs in each, while a third procured towards the end of January
had only two ; the eggs are rather lengthened in form, and
not very unlike those of Malurus cyaneiis in the colour and
disposition of their markings ; their ground-colour being
white, thinly freckled all over with bright chestnut-red, par-
ticularly at the larger end ; they are nine lines long and six
lines broad. During the breeding-season it exhibits con-
siderable pugnacity of disposition, and instead of its usual
pretty note, utters a chattering and vociferous squeaking,

" The stomach was very small, but tolerably muscular, and
its food consisted of insects generally."

Head dark grey ; all the upper surface brown ; wings and
tail darker brown ; primaries, secondaries, and basal half of
the tail-feathers margined with wax-yellow ; throat pure
white ; chest and flanks reddish buff ; centre of the abdomen
and under tail-coverts white ; irides bright reddish brown
bill blackish grey ; feet bluish grey.

Total length 4^ inches ; bill f ; wing 2f ; tail 2 ; tarsi f .

Sp. 328. CONOPOPHILA RUFIGULARIS, Gould.
Red-throated Honey-eater,

Entomophila rufogularis, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part x. p. 137.
Conopophila rufigularis, Reich. Handb. der Spec. Orn., p. 120.

Entomophila rufogularis, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv.
pi. 52.

This is another of the novelties that has rewarded the re-
searches of the Officers of H.M.S, * Beagle ' on the northern
coast of Australia. It is the least of the genus yet discovered,
and is nearly allied to C. albiyularis, but from which it may
at once be distinguished by the red colouring of its throat.
The sexes, judging from the specimens sent me by Bynoe, are-
very similar in their markings.

Nothing whatever is known of its habits and economy.

Head and all the upper surface brown ; wings and tail

534 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

darker brown ; primaries, secondaries, and tail-feathers mar-
gined externally with wax -yellow ; throat rust-red ; sides of
the head and all the under surface very pale brown ; bill and
feet dark purplish brown.

Total length 4f inches ; bill ^ ; wing 2f ; tail 2^ ; tarsi f .

Genus ACANTHOGENYS, Gould.

The genus Acanthogenys^ of which only one species is
known, presents us with a form intermediate in size and in
structure between the smaller Honey-eaters [MeliorneSy
Ptilotes, &c.) on the one hand, and the larger kinds {Antho-
ch(Br(£) on the other.

The sexes are alike in plumage, and the young are very
similar, but are destitute of the spines on the cheek, which
are scarcely assumed during the first year. The Banksia are
the trees most frequented by it.

Sp. 329. ACANTHOGENYS ROTIGULARIS, Gould.

Spiny-cheeked Honey-eater.

Acanthagenys rufogularis, Gould in Proc.of Zool. Soc, part v. p. 153.
Meliphaga rufogularis, Gray and Mitch. Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 122.
Meliphaga, sp. 28.

Acanthogenys rufogularis, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol.,vol. iv.
pi. 53.

Numerous and diversified as are the forms of the great
family of the Meli^hagidce, the present species has always
appeared to me more than usually interesting, because in
the first place few are more elegantly formed, and in the
second it differs widely from all others in plumage, and in the
singular spiny processes which adorn its cheeks and ear-
coverts. In its habits and general economy it bears a close
alliance to the Wattle-birds {Antliochcercs), but still presents
in these respects sufficient differences to waiTant its separa-

INSESSORES. 535

tion into a distinct genus or subgenus, as ornithologists may
think fit to designate the division.

The Spiny-cheeked Honey-eater ranges very widely over the
interior of Austraha. I observe it to be very numerous on
the Lower Namoi to the northward of the Liverpool Plains
in New South Wales. It was the commonest species of the
Meliphagidcs I met with in the interior of South Australia ;
and I have also received a pair of this or a closely allied species
from the interior of Western Australia ; as, however, some
difference exists between these latter and the birds from New
South Wales, I refrain, until I have seen other examples, from
stating that it goes so far to the westward as the Swan River
Settlement. Like the Brush Wattle-bird it is rather a shy
species, but its presence may at all times be detected by the loud
hollow whisthng note which it frequently utters while on the
wing, or while passing with a diving flight from tree to tree.
It appears to give a decided preference to the Banksia and
other trees growing upon sandy soil ; its presence therefore is
a certain indication of the poverty of the land. It is very
active among the branches, chnging and creeping about with
the greatest ease and elegance of position.

The nest, which is a round, rather deep, cup-shaped struc-
ture, is suspended from a fine branch of a low tree, and is
composed of long wiry grasses, and now that the sheep is a
denizen of the country, matted together both internally and
externally with wool. The eggs are three in number, of a
dull olive-buff, strongly dotted with deep chestnut-brown and
bluish grey, the markings being most numerous at the larger
end. The average length is one inch, and breadth nine lines.

The sexes are so much alike, that, with the exception of the
female being slightly inferior to the male in size, no difference
is perceptible.

Crown of the head, back, and wings dusky brown, each
feather margined with pale brown ; upper tail-coverts with
each feather dusky brown in the centre ; stripe behind the

536 lilRUS Oif AUSTRALIA.

eye and on the sides of the neck black, above wliich on the
side of the neck another hne of whitish mingled with dusky ;
hairs on the cheeks white ; below the lower mandible a line
of feathei's, which are white crossed by black lines ; throat
and fore part of the chest pale rufous ; under surface dirty
white, each feather striated with dusky brown ; tail blackish
brown, tipped with white ; bare part of the face and base of
the bill soft, pulpy, and of a pinky flesh-colour ; irides bluish
lead-colour ; feet olive.

Total length 9f inches ; bill 1^ ; wing 4 J ; tail 4^ ; tarsi 1.

Genus ANTHOCH^RA, Vigors and Horsfield.

The two species of this peculiarly Australian genus are
exclusively confined to the southern or extra-tropical parts of
the country ; one to Tasmania, the other to the continent.

Sp. 330. ANTHOCH^RA INAURIS.

Wattled Honey-eater.

Anthochara carunculata, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv.

p. 321.
Creadion carunculatus, Vieill. Gal. des Ois., torn. i. pi. 94.
Wattle Bird of the Colonists of Tasmania.

Anthochaera inauris, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv. pi. 54.

The vast primaeval forests of Eucalypti clothing the greater
portion of Tasmania are the habitual resort of this bird ; from
these retreats however it frequently emerges, and visits the
flowering Eucalypti of the more open parts, where forty or
fifty individuals may be frequently seen on a single tree, even
in the vicinity of Hobart Town and the islands of South Arm
and Bruni. The neighbourhood of the Macquarrie Plains is
also a locality particularly favouable to it ; from this district
liundreds are annually sent to the markets of Hobart Town
lor the puri)oscs of the table. It is highly prized as an article

INSESSORES. 537

of food, and in winter becomes excessively fat, the entire body
and neck, both internally and externally, being completely
enveloped. This bird feeds almost exclusively on honey and
the pollen of the Eucalypti : the only other food detected in
its very diminutive stomach being the remains of coleopterous
insects. Its whole structure is admirably adapted for pro-
curing this kind of food ; its long tongue, with its brush-
like tip, being protruded into the honey-cups of the newly
opened flowers, a succession of which appears with every
rising sun throughout the year, upon one or other of the nu-
merous species of the Eucalypti.

The same restless disposition seems to be common to all
the tribe of Honey-eaters, and this bird is as active and quick
in its movements as the smallest of the genus, hanging and
clinging to the branches in every possible variety of position ;
and when thirty or forty are seen on a single tree, they pre-
sent a very animated appearance. Its flight, which seldom
extends farther than from tree to tree, is very similar to that
of the Magpie of Europe. Its note is a harsh and disagree-
able scream, resembling in loudness and somewhat in tone
the call of the Pheasant. Both sexes have the wattled ap-
pendages beneath the ear, but they are less developed in the
female, which moreover is smaller than the male.

The nest is a moderately large cup-shaped structure, formed
of fine twigs and grasses intermingled with wool, and is
usually built on some low tree, such as the Casuarina or
Acacia. I failed in procuring the eggs, but my son Charles,
now engaged in a Geological Survey of Tasmania, having
transmitted some to me I am enabled to state that they are
of a pale salmon-colour sprinkled all over, but particularly
at the larger end, with small specks and blotches of yellowish
red and here and there with grey; they are one inch and
three-eighths long by seven-eighths broad. They are very like
those of A. carunculata, but arc more thickly blotched with
yellowish red.

538 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

In size this bird nearly equals the Magpie {Pica caudatd)
of the British Islands.

Crown of the head and back of the neck striped with black
and grey, the centre of each feather being black, and its ex-
ternal edges grey ; back and shoulders dusky brown, the shaft
of each feather buffy white ; wings deep blackish brown, the
external margins of the primaries slightly, and the secondaries
broadly fringed with grey ; tips of all the primaries white ;
tail much graduated ; the upper tail-coverts and two middle
tail-feathers grey, the remainder- blackish brown, and the
whole tipped with white ; chin and under tail-coverts white ;
throat, breast, and flanks grey, each feather having a central
mark of blackish brown, which is much enlarged on the lower
part of the breast ; centre of the abdomen rich yellow -, bill
black ; corner of the mouth yellow ; irides very dark brownish
black ; feet light flesh-colour ; claws black ; bare skin round
the ear, and the upper part of the long pendulous wattle
which hangs from below the ear white, gradually deepening
into rich orange at its extremity.

Sp. 331. ANTHOCH^RA CARUNCULATA.
Wattled Honey-eater.

Merops carunculatus , Lath. Ind. Orn., vol. i. p. 276.
Corvus paradoams, Lath. Ind. Orn., Supp. p. 26.

carunculatus, Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. vii. p. 378.

Pie a pendeloques, Daud. Orn., torn. ii. p. 246. pi. 16.

Wattled Crow, Lath. Gen. Syn., Supp. vol. ii. p. 119.

Wattled Bee-eater, Lath. lb., vol. ii. p. 150.

Anthoch(jBra lewinii, Vig. and Horsf. Linn. Trans,, vol. xv. p. 322, note.

Djung-gung, Aborigines of Western Australia.

Wattle Bird of the Colonists.

Anthochaera carimculata, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv.
pi. 55.

This long known species, the Merops carunculatus of Latham,
enjoys a wide range of habitat, extending as it does over

INSESSORES. 539

the whole of the southern portion of the contment, the bird
being equally as abundant in Southern and Western Austra-
lia as in New South Wales ; how far it may proceed to the
northward has not yet been ascertained ; it does not inhabit
Tasmania. I observed it to be very numerous in all the high
gum-trees around Adelaide, in most parts of the interior, and
in all the Angopltora flats and forests of Eucalypti of New
South Wales. It is a showy active bird, constantly engaged
in flying from tree to tree and searching among the flowers
for its food, which consists of honey, insects, and occasionally
berries. In disposition it is generally shy and wary, but at
times is confident and bold : it is usually seen in pairs, and
the males are very pugnacious. Its habits and manners, in
fact, closely resemble those of the A. inauris, and, like that
bird, it utters with distended throat a harsh disagreeable
note.

It breeds in September and October, The nests observed
by myself in the Upper Hunter district were placed on the
horizontal branches of the Ayigojphorcs, and were of a large
rounded form, composed of small sticks, and lined with fine
grasses ; those found by Gilbert in Western Australia were
formed of dried sticks, without any kind of lining, and were
placed in the open bushes. The eggs are two or three in
number, one inch and three lines long by ten lines and a half
broad ; their ground-colour is reddish buff, very thickly dotted
with distinct markings of deep chestnut, umber, and reddish
brown, interspersed with a number of indistinct marks of
blackish grey, which appear as if beneath the surface of the
shell : eggs taken in New South Wales are somewhat larger
than those from Western Australia, and have markings of a
blotched rather than of a dotted form, and principally at the
larger end.

In size this bird is about equal to A. inauris^ and the
sexes are only distinguished by the smaller size of the
female.

540 BIRDS or AUSTRALIA.

Crown of the head, a line running from the base of the bill
beneath the eye, and the ear-coverts blackish brown ; space
under the eye silvery white, bounded behind by an oblong
naked flesh-coloured spot, below which is a short pendulous
wattle of a pinky blood-red colour ; back of the neck and all
the upper surface greyish brown, each feather having a stripe
of white down the centre ; upper tail-coverts greyish brown,
broadly margined with grey ; primaries and secondaries deep
blackish brown, the former slightly, and the latter broadly
edged with grey ; all the primaries tipped with white ; two
middle tail-feathers greyish brown, the remainder deep
blackish brown, the whole largely tipped with white;
throat, breast, and flanks grey, the centre of each feather
being lighter ; middle of the abdomen yellow ; irides bright
hazel-red; legs brownish flesh-colour; inside of the mouth
yellow.

Genus ANELLOBIA, Cabanis.

Besides the two species of this form known to inhabit
Australia, others, I believe, exist in the islands adjacent to
and in New Guinea. These birds are nearly allied to the
Antlioch(Br(B, but differ in their plumage and in the absence
of auricular appendages. They frequent low swampy places,
and are particularly fond of the Leptospermum or tea-tree, in
the midst of which they often secrete themselves. They are
alike in plumage ; and the egg, or eggs to the number of
two or three are deposited in a round, cup-shaped nest.

It will be seen by the synonyms of A. mellivora that both
Cabanis and Reichenbach have proposed generic names for
this form ; that of the former author, having the priority of a
year, is necessarily the one adopted.

INSESSORES. 541

Sp. 332. ANELLOBIA MELLIVORA.

Brush Wattle-Bird.

Certhia mellivora, Lath. Ind. Orn., Supp. p. xxxvii.
Goruck Creeper, Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 243.
Mellivorous Creeper, Lath. Gen. Syn., Supp. vol. ii. p. 166.
Merops chrysopterus, Lath. Ind. Orn., Supp. p. xxxiii.
Mellivorous Honey-eater, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 161.
Anthochcera mellivora, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 321.
Anellobia mellivora. Cab. Mus. Hein., Theil i. p. 120.
Melichcera mellivora, Reich. Hand, der Spec. Orn., p. 130.
Goo- ff war-ruck, Aborigines of the coast of New South Wales.

Anthochsera mellivora, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv.
pi. 56.

This bird is a native of Tasmania, New South Wales, and
South Australia ; and in all these countries may be found in
such situations as are favourable to the growth of Lepto-
spermums. In the former country it is especially abundant
on the banks of the Tamar, and in the belts of Banksias that
stretch along the northern shores of that island. Among
the places in which it is most numerous on the continent,
are near the Port of Adelaide, in South Australia; and
Illawarra, Newcastle, and Sydney, in New South Wales.
The Botanic Garden at the latter place, although in the midst
of a populous city, is visited by great numbers of this bird,
and I may mention that two of their nests with eggs, forming
part of my collection, were taken from the shrubs growing on
the borders of this place of public resort. It is but sparingly
dispersed in the interior of New South Wales and South
Australia : how far its range may extend to the westward of
Spencer's Gulf I have had no means of ascertaining : I have
never yet received it from Swan River or any part of the
western coast, its place being there supplied by an allied
species, the A. Imiulata.

The Brush Wattle-bird is a bold and spirited species,

542 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

evincing a considerable degree of pugnacity, fearlessly attacking
and driving away all other birds from the part of the tree on
which it is feeding. During the months of spring and
summer the male perches on some elevated branch and
screams forth its harsh and peculiar notes, which have not
unaptly been said to resemble a person in the act of vomiting,
whence the native name of Goo-gwar-ruch . While thus
employed it frequently jerks up its tail, throws back its head,
and distends its throat, as if great exertion was required to
force out these harsh and guttural sounds.

The breeding-season commences in September and continues
during the three following months. The nest, which is round,
open, and rather small in size, is generally placed in the fork
of a small branch often within a few feet of the ground, and
is formed of fine twigs and lined with fibrous roots.

The eggs are two and sometimes three in number, of a
beautiful salmon-colour, strongly blotched at the larger end,
and here and there over the remainder of the surface with deep
chestnut-brown ; thirteen lines long by nine lines broad.

In size this bird is about equal to the following, A. lunulaia.

The sexes are only to be distinguished from each other by
the smaller size of the female ; and the young from the nest
have all the marks of the adult, but much less apparent.

All the upper surface dark brown, each feather marked
down the centre with a minute line of white; primaries
chestnut-brown on the inner webs for three parts of their
length from the base ; outer webs and remainder of the inner
brown, tipped with white ; secondaries, wings, and tail-
coverts greyish brown, tipped with white ; tail brown, tinged
with olive, and all the feathers tipped with white ; feathers of
the throat and chest blackish brown at the base and white at
the tip ; feathers of the under surface the same as the upper,
but with the white mark broader and more conspicuous ; bill
black ; irides grey ; feet vinous brown.

INSESSORES. 543

Sp. 333. ANELLOBIA LUNULATA, Gould.

LUNULATED WaTTLE-BIRD.

Anthocliara lunulata, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part v. p. 153.

Anellobia lunulata, Cab. Mus. Hein., Theil i. p. 120.

Melichara lunulata, Reich. Haub. der Spec. Orn., p. 132.

Djung-gung, Aborigines of the lowland, and

Tur-dal-l, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western Australia.

Little Wattle-bird, Colonists of Swan River.

Anthochsera lumilata, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv. pi. 57.

This species is very nearly allied to the Anthochara melli-
vora, but differs from that bird in the greater length of its
bill, in the entire absence of the striae down the head and the
back of the neck, and in the possession of a lunulate mark of
white on either side of the neck. Its natural habitat is
Western Australia, where it generally frequents the Banksias
bordering rivers and lakes, and in fact all situations similar to
those resorted to by its near ally : it is to be found in every
part of the colony, but appears to be more abundant in the
neighbourhood of Swan River than elsewhere. In its habits it
is very solitary and shy, and is moreover very pugnacious,
attacking every bird, both large and small, that approaches
its domicile.

Its flight is rapid and uneven, and its general note is a dis-
cordant cackling sound of the most disagreeable description.

" A remarkable circumstance," says Gilbert, " connected
with the incubation of this bird is, that it appears to lay but
a single egg, and to have no regular time of breeding, its nest
being found in abundance from August to November. It is
rather small in size, and is deposited in the fork of a perpen-
dicular growing branch : the tree most generally chosen is
that called by the colonists of Swan River the stink-wood, but
it has been found in the parasitic clump of a Banksia, and also
in a small scrubby brush two or three feet from the ground ;
but it is more frequently constructed at a height of at least

544 BIRDS or AUSTRALIA.

eight or twelve. It is formed of dried stickf^, and lined with
Zamia wool, soft grasses or flowers, and sometimes with
sheep's wool. The egg is rather lengthened in form, being
one inch and two lines long by nine and a half lines broad ;
its ground-colour is a full reddish buff, thinly spotted and
marked with deep chestnut-brown and chestnut-red, some of
the spots and markings appearing as if beneath the surface
of the shell, and being most thickly disposed near the larger
end."

The stomach, which is slightly muscular, is diminutive in
size, and the food consists of honey and insects with which
the young are also fed.

The female is considerably smaller than the male, but does
not differ in the colouring of her plumage.

Crown of the head, back of the neck, and upper part of the
back olive-brown, the feathers being darkest in the middle ;
lower part of the back and rump olive-brown, each feather
having a line of white down the stem, dilated into a spot at
the extremity ; upper tail-coverts olive-brown, with a crescent-
shaped mark of white at the tip ; primaries brown, the inner
webs for nearly their whole length deep chestnut ; secondaries
and tertiaries brown margined with grey ; two middle tail-
feathers greyish brown, very slightly tipped with white, the
remainder dark brown largely tipped with white ; feathers of
the sides of the neck long, narrow, pointed, and of a silvery
grey ; throat and fore part of the neck greyish brown, with a
round silvery grey spot at the extremity of each feather;
feathers of the chest and under surface greyish brown, with a
fine line of white down the centre, dilated into an oblong spot
at the extremity, the white predominating on the hinder part
of the abdomen and under tail-coverts ; on each side of the
chest an oblique mark of pure Avhite ; irides bright hazel ; bill
blackish brown ; feet and legs yellowish grey, the former the
darkest with a tinge of olive.

Total length 12 inches ; bill If ; wing G^ ; tail 5J ; tarsi l\.

INSESSORES. 545

Genus TROPIDORHYNCHUS, Vigors and Horsf.

The law of representation in Australia appears to be chiefly
confined to the species inhabiting the eastern and western
coasts, but in this case it takes the opposite direction, for
more singular and perfect representations cannot be found
than the T. cornicidatiis and 1\ citreogulans of the south-
eastern parts of the country, are of the T. argenticeps and T.
sordidus of the north-western ; another species, T. buceroides,
inhabits the north-east coast, and others are found in New
Guinea and the neighbouring islands.

Sp.334. TROPIDORHYNCHUS CORNICULATUS,

Fig. and Horsf.

Friar Bird.

Merops corniculatus, Lath. Ind. Orn., vol. i. p. 276.

Corbi calao, Le Vaill. Ois. d'Am. et des Indes., torn. i. p. 69, pi. 24.

Knob-fronted Honey-eater, Lath. Gen. Hist.^ vol. iv. p. 16L

Bee-eater, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 151.

Tropidorhynchus corniculatus, Vig, and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv.

p. 324.
Merops monachus, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xxxiv, young.
Cowled Bee-eater, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 155.

Honey-eater, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 162, young.

Knob-fronted Bee-eater, White's Voy., pi. in p. 190, young.
Coldong, Aborigines of New South Wales.
Friar, Poor Soldier, ^c, of the Colonists.
Buceros corniculatus, Temm.

Tropidorhynchus corniculatus, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol.,
vol. iv. pi. 58.

There are few birds more familiarly known in the colony of
New South Wales than this remarkable species of Honey-
eater : it is generally dispersed over the face of the country,
both in the thick brushes near the coast and in the more open

2 N

546 BIRDS OV AUSTRALIA.

forests of the interior. My own observations induce me to
consider it as a summer visitant only to New South Wales ;
but as a lengthened residence in the country would be neces-
sary to determine this point, my limited stay may have led me
into error. It does not visit Tasmania, neither have I traced
it so far to the westward as South Australia.

The Friar Bird, selecting the topmost dead branch of the
most lofty trees whereon to perch and pour forth its garrulous
and singular notes, attracts attention more by its loud and
extraordinary call than by its appearance. From the fancied
resemblance of its notes to those words, it has obtained from
the Colonists the various names of " Poor Soldier," " Pimlico,"
" Four o'clock," &c. Its bare head and neck have also suggested
the names of " Friar Bird," " Monk," " Leather Head," &c.

Its flight is undulating and powerful, and it may frequently
be seen passing over the tops of the trees from one part of the
forest to another. While among the branches it displays a
more than ordinary number of singular positions ; its curved
and powerful claws enabling it to cling in every variety of
attitude, frequently hanging by one foot with its head down-
wards, &c. If seized when only wounded, it inflicts with
its sharp claws severe and deep wounds on the hands of its
captor.

Its food consists of the pollen of the Eucalypti and insects,
to which are added wild figs and berries.

It commences breeding in November, when it becomes
animated and fierce, readily attacking hawks, crows, magpies
{Gynmorliinoe), or other large birds that may venture within
the precincts of its nest, never desisting from the attack
until they are driven to a considerable distance. The nest,
which is rather rudely constructed, and of a large size for
a Honey-eater, is cup-shaped, and outwardly composed of
the inner rind of the stringy bark and wool, to which suc-
ceeds a layer of fine twigs lined with grasses and fibrous
roots, the whole being suspended to the horizontal branch

INSESSORES. 547

of an apple- {Angopliord) or gum-tree without the least
regard to secresy, frequently within a few feet of the ground.
So numerous were they breeding in the Apple-tree Flats near
Aberdeen and Yarrundi, on the Upper Hunter, that they
might almost be termed gregarious. The eggs are generally
three in number, of a pale salmon-colour with minute spots of
a darker tint, one inch and five lines long by eleven lines
broad.

There is no observable difference in the plumage of the
sexes, but the female is somewhat smaller in size.

The adults have the bill and head dull ink-black ; all the
upper surface, wings, and tail greyish brown, the feathers of
the latter tipped with white ; chin and lanceolate feathers on
the chest silvery white, with a fine line of brown down the
centre ; remainder of the under surface brownish grey ; eye
red, fading immediately after death to brown and sometimes
to greyish hazel ; feet lead- colour.

The young, although having the same general colouring as
the adult, have the head less denuded of feathers, and a mere
rudiment of the knob on the bill ; the feathers on the breast
are also less lanceolate in form, and those on the sides of the
chest are margined with yellow ; eye dark brown, surrounded
with short brown feathers lengthening into a tuft at the back
of the head ; feet much more blue than in adults.

Sp. 335. TROPIDORHYNCHUS BUCEROIDES.
Helmeted Friar Bird.

PhiJedon bucerdides, Swains. Anim. in Menag., p. 325.
Tropidorhijnchus hucero'ides, Gray and Mitch. Geu. of Birds, vol. i.
p. 125, Tropidorhynchus, sp. 2.

Tropidorhynchus buceroides, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, Sup-
plement, pi.

This bird may be regarded as the representative on the north
coast of Tropidorynchis corniculatus of the southern part of

,2 N 2

548 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

the country, for it was in the Cape York Peninsula that it
was obtained ; not, however, by Mr. MacgiUivray, who, I be-
Ueve, mistook it for the common species, and did not procure
examples; which is much to be regretted, since the bird is so
extremely rare in our collections.

The Tropidorhynchis buceroides differs very considerably
from the T. corniculatus and every other Australian species
in its much larger size, in the great elevation of the culmen,
and in the crown of the head being clothed with feathers.

Feathers of the crown and nape brown, with pale greyish
or silvery edges ; all the upper surface, wings, and tail light
brown ; feathers of the under surface lighter brown with a
silky lustre, those of the throat with darker centres ; face
leaden-black ; bill black ; feet blackish brown.

Total length 11 inches ; bill If; wing 5 ; tail 4}, tarsi If.

Sp. 336. TROPIDORHYNCHUS ARGENTICEPS, Gould.
Silvery-crowned Friar Bird.

Tropidorhynchus argenticeps, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part vii.

p. 144.
monachus, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 324, young

female ? (nee Merops monachus, Lath.)

Tropidorynchus argenticeps, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol.,
vol. iv. pi. 59.

For the first knowledge of this species of Tropidorhyn'
chus, science is indebted to the late Mr. Bynoe, Surgeon
of Her Majesty's Surveying ship * Beagle,' who, on my visit-
ing Sydney, placed his specimens at my disposal ; after my
return, other examples were sent to me by Sir George Grey.

Bynoe's specimens were all obtained during the survey of
the north-west coast, a portion of Australia the natural pro-
ductions of which are but little known ; and Sir George Greys'
during his expedition into the interior, from the same coast.

In size the Silvery-crowned Friar-bird is somewhat inferior

INSESSORES. 549

to the common species {Tropidorhi/nchus cornicidatus), from
which it may also be readily distinguished by the crown of
the head being clothed with well-defined, small, lanceolate
feathers. Of its habits and economy nothing is known ; but
as it is very nearly allied to the last-mentioned species, we
may reasonably conclude that they are very similar.

Crown of the head silvery grey ; the remainder of the head
naked, and of a blackish brown ; throat and all the under
surface white; back, wings, and tail brown; bill and feet
blackish brown.

Total length 10^ inches ; bill If ; wing 5|; tail 4^; tarsi 1|^.

337. TROPIDORHYNCHUS CITREOGULARIS, Gould.

Yellow-throated Priar Bird.

Tropidorynchus citreogularis, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part iv.

p. 143.
Yellow-throated Friar, Colonists of New South Wales.

Tropidorhynchus citreogularis, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol.,
vol. iv. pi. 60.

This is strictly a bird of the interior of the south-eastern
portion of Australia, and is never, so far as I am aware, found
on the sea-side of the mountain ranges. I observed it in
tolerable abundance during my tour to the Namoi ; first
meeting with it in the neighbourhood of Brezi, whence as I
descended the river to the northward it gradually became
more numerous. I killed both adult and young birds in De-
cember, the latter of which had just left the nest, consequently
the breeding-season must have been about a month previous.
The yellow colouring of the throat peculiar to the period of
immaturity is entirely wanting in the adult, and the bird is
one of the plainest -coloured species of the Australian Pauna.

Its habits and manners are very similar to those of the
Tropidorhynclms cornicidatus ; like that bird it feeds on insects,
berries, fruits, .and the flowers of the Eucalypti, among the

550 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

smaller branches of which it may constantly be seen hanging
and clinging in every possible variety of attitude.

The adult has the whole of the upper surface, wings, and
tail light brown ; all the under surface pale greyish brown ;
bill and legs leaden ohve ; irides and eyelash nearly black ;
naked part of the face mealy bluish lead-colour.

Total length lOj inches; bill IJ; wing 5J; tail4J; tarsi 1^.

The young are similar to the adult, but have the feathers
of the upper surface fringed with grey, and those of the wings
slightly margined with greenish yellow ; the throat and sides
of the chest lemon-yellow ; face blackish, and not so mealy as
in the adult.

Sp.338. TROPIDORHYNCHUS SOm)lDVS, Gould.

Sordid Friar Bird.

Ar-dulk and Wul-loo-rat ? Aborigines of Port Essington.
Leather-neck of the Colonists of Port Essington.

Tropidorhyncus sordidus, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. i.
Introd., p. Iviii.

This species inhabits the Cobourg Peninsula, and is very
similar to T. citreogularis, but is smaller in all its admeasure-
ments except in the bill, which is more developed.

Gilbert informed me that its habits and manners are pre-
cisely similar to those of T. argenticeps, but that it is less
abundant, less active, and has not so deep a voice as that
species.

The young has the yellow colouring of the throat still more
extensive than in immatm'e examples of T. citreogularis.

Genus ACANTHORHYNCHUS, Gould.

This genus, like many others of the family, may be regarded
as strictly Australian : it comprises two, if not three, well-

INSESSORES. 551

marked species, each of which is confined to a particular part
of the country; the A. tenuirostris dwelHng on the eastern
coast, and the A. superciliosus on the western ; both inhabit
countries precisely in the same degree of latitude, and form
beautiful representatives of each other.

Sp. 339. ACANTHORHYNCHUS TENUIROSTRIS.

Spine-bill.

Certhia tenuirostris, Lath. Ind. Orn., Suppl. p. xxxvi.

Le Cap noir, Vieill. Ois. Dor., torn. ii. p. 94. pi. 60.

Slender-hilled Honey -eater, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 194. pi. 62.

Flapping Honey-eater, Lath. lb., vol. iv. p. 195.

Slender-billed Creeper, Lath. Gen. Syn., Supp. vol. ii. p. 165. pi. 129.

Meliphaga tenuirostris, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 317.

Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris, Gould, Syn. Birds of Australia, part ii.

dubius?, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., part v. p. 25.

Leptoglossus cucullatus. Swains. Class of Birds, ii. p. 327.
Cobbler's Awl, Colonists of Tasmania.
Spine-bill, Colonists of New South Wales.

Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol.
vol iv. pi. 61.

On referring to the above list of synonyms, it will be seen
that I formerly entertained an opinion that there were two
species of this genus very nearly allied to each other, the one
a native of Tasmania, and the other of the continent of
Australia ; the former being distinguished from the latter by
its smaller size in all its admeasurements, by the crescent-
shaped markings of the neck, and by the brown of the
abdomen being much deeper in colour ; I am now, however,
inclined to believe they are identical ; but should the Tasma-
nian bird to which I have given the name of dubius prove to
be merely a local variety, this species will be found to range
over Tasmania and all the south-eastern portions of Australia.

There is no member of the large family of Honey-eaters to
which it belongs that enjoys a structure more especially

552 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

adapted for the purposes of its existence than the present
species, whose fine and extremely delicate bill is peculiarly
suited for the extraction of insects and honey from the inmost
recesses of the tubular flowers which abound in many parts of
Australia, particularly of the various species of Epacris, a tribe
of plants closely allied to the Heaths {Erica) of Africa and
Europe, which when in bloom are always frequented by
numbers of these birds ; so much so, indeed, that it would
seem as if the one was expressly designed for the other.
Those who have traversed the immense beds of Epacris
impressa, so abundantly dispersed over Tasmania, must
have often observed the bird darting out from beneath
his feet, flitting ofl" to a very short distance, and de-
scending again to the thickest parts of the beds. It also
frequents the wattles and gums during their flowering-season,
and appears to be attracted to their blossoms quite as much
for the insects as for the nectar, the stomachs of all those
dissected containing the remains of coleoptera and other
insects. It is rather shy in disposition except when closely
engaged in procuring food, when it may be approached
within a few yards or so.

Its flight is extremely quick and darting, and performed
with a zigzag motion ; and its note, which is a monotonous
shriek, is somewhat loud for so small a bird.

The nest is a small cup-shaped and rather neat struc-
ture, although not so compact or nicely formed as that
of many other birds ; those I found, both in Tasmania
and New South Wales, were built on some low shrubs a few
feet from the ground, mostly in a species of Loptospermum ;
it is outwardly constructed of moss and grasses, and lined
with feathers ; the eggs are two in number, of a delicate
buffy white, increasing in depth of colour towards the larger
end ; in some instances I have found them marked with a
zone of reddish chestnut spots shaded with indistinct markings
of grey, intermingled with very minute ink-like dots ; in form

INSESSORES. 553

the eggs are much lengthened and pointed; theu^ medium
length is nine lines, and breadth six lines.

Crown of the head shining greenish black ; space between
the bill and the eye, ear- coverts, lunated band on the sides of
the chest, primaries, and six middle tail-feathers black; the
remainder of the tail-feathers black, largely tipped with
white, and slightly margined on the external web with
brown ; back of the neck rufous chestnut, passing into
chestnut-brown on the upper part of the back ; secondaries,
greater wing-coverts, rump, and upper tail-coverts grey ;
throat, cheeks, and chest white, the first with a patch of
chestnut-brown in the centre, deepening into black on its
lower edge; abdomen, flanks, and under tail-coverts light
chestnut-brown ; irides scarlet ; bill black ; feet reddish brown.

Specimens from Tasmania have the patch in the centre of
the throat and the lunated marks on the sides of the neck
much deeper, and the whole of the under surface richer
chestnut.

340. ACANTHORHYNCHUS SUPERCILIOSUS, Gould.
White-eyebrowed Spine-bill.

Acanthorhynchus super ciliosus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part v.

p. 24.
Bool-jeet, Aborigines of the lowland districts of Western Australia.

Acanthorhynchus superciliosus, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL,
vol. iv. pi. 62.

Hitherto I have only received this fine and well-marked
species of Spine-billed Honey-eater from Western Australia,
but hereafter it will doubtless be found to range over a much
greater extent of country ; although a very local bird, it is
tolerably abundant both at Swan River and King George's
Sound, and is found to give a decided preference to the
forests of Baiiksias, upon the blossoms of which trees it
almost solelv subsists. Its food consists of insects and

554 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

honey, for obtaining which its delicately organized bill is
peculiarly adapted. Like its congeners, this species occa-
sionally frequents the low shrub-Uke trees, and sometimes is
even to be observed upon the ground in search of food. In
its actions it displays great activity, darting about from
branch to branch with a rapid zigzag motion ; its flight is
irregular and uneven, but it often rises perpendicularly in the
air, uttering at the same time a rather pretty song.

The nest, which is constructed among the large-leaved
Banksias, is of a round compact form, and is composed of
dried fine grasses, tendrils of flowers, narrow threads of bark,
and fine wiry fibrous roots matted together with zamia wool,
forming a thick body, which is warmly lined with feathers
and zamia wool mingled together ; the external diameter of
the nest is three inches, and that of the cavity about one inch
and a quarter. The eggs are two in number, nine lines long
by six and a half broad; their ground-colour in some
instances is a delicate buff, in others a very delicate bluish
white, with a few specks of reddish brown distributed over
the surface, these specks being most numerous at the larger
end, where they frequently assume the form of a zone. The
breeding-season is in October.

The sexes present little or no difference in external appear-
ance, but the female may generally be distinguished from the
male by her more diminutive size and the more slender
contour of her body.

Crown of the head, all the upper surface, wings, and six
middle tail-feathers greyish brown, the remainder of the tail-
feathers black, largely tipped with white, and narrowly mar-
gined on their external edges with brown ; space between the
bill and eye, and the ear-coverts blackish brown ; stripe over
the eye, chin, and a broader stripe beneath the eye white ; back
part of the neck light chestnut-brown ; centre of the throat
rich chestnut, bounded below by a crescent of white, which is
succeeded by another of black; abdomen and under tail-

INSESSORES.

555

coverts light greyish brown, in some specimens deepening
into buff; irides reddish brown; bill black; legs dark
brown.

Total length 5^ inches ; bill 1^ ; wing 2| ; tail 2^ ; tarsi f .

Genus MYZOMELA, Vigors and Horsfield.

Five well-marked species of this genus are distributed over
Austraha; numerous others are found in New Guinea and
the neighbouring islands ; the form also occurs in the Poly-
nesian Islands.

Sp.341. MYZOMELA SANGUINOLENTA.

Sanguineous Honey-eater.

Certhia sanguinolenta, Lath. Ind. Orn., Supp. p. xxxvii.

dibapha, Lath, ib., p. xxxvii.

erythropygia, Lath, ib., p. 38.

australasia, Leach, Zool. Misc., vol. i. pi. 11.

Meliphaga cardinalis, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 316.
Cinnyris rubrater, Less. Kittl. Kiipf., t. 8. f. 1.
Blood-bird of the Colonists of New South Wales.

Myzomela sanguinolenta, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv.
pi. 63.

This beautiful little bird is an inhabitant of the thick
brushes of New South Wales, particularly those near the
coast and those clothing the hilly portions of the interior, and
I have reason to believe that it is rarely, if ever, found among
the trees of the open parts of the country. I have not yet
seen specimens from the western, and only a single example
from the northern coasts, whence T infer that the south-eastern
part of the continent is its natural habitat. It gives a
decided preference to those parts of the forest that abound
with flowering plants, whose fragrant blossoms attract large
numbers of insects, upon which and the pollen of the flower-
cups it chiefly subsists.

556 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

The sexes are very dissimilar in colour, the female being of
a uniform pale brown above and lighter beneath, while the
male is dressed in a gorgeous livery of scarlet and black ; the
young, as is usually the case where the sexes differ in colour,
resemble the female until after the first moult, when they
gradually assume the colouring of the male.

The male has the head, neck, breast, back, and upper tail-
coverts rich shining scarlet ; lores, wings, and tail black, the
wing-coverts margined with buffy white, and the primaries
with greyish olive ; under surface of the wing white ; abdo-
men and under tail-coverts buff ; bill and feet black ; irides
dark brown.

The female is uniform light brown above, becoming much
lighter beneath.

Sp. 342. MYZOMELA ERYTHROCEPHALA, Godd.

Red-headed Honey-eater.
Myzomela erythrocephala, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part vii. p. 141.

Myzomela erythrocephala, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv.
pi. 64.

The Red-headed Honey-eater is so distinctly marked as
almost to preclude the possibility of its being confounded
with any known Australian species of the genus.

The northern portion of the country appears to be its true
habitat, all the specimens that have come under my notice
having been procured at Port Essington, where it is exclu-
sively confined to the extensive beds of mangroves bordering
the inlets of the sea. Erom the flowers of these trees it
collects its favourite food, which, like that of the other species
of the group, consists of insects and honey. It is a most
active little creature, flitting from one cluster of flowers to
another, and from branch to branch with the greatest rapidity,
uttering at the same time its rather sharp and harsh chirrup.
Gilbert states that it is far from being abundant, and is so

INSESSORES. 557

seldom seen near the settlement that no examples had been
procured prior to his visit.

The sexes present the usual difference in the smaller size
and sombre colouring of the female.

The male has the head and rump scarlet, the remainder of
the plumage deep chocolate-brown ; irides reddish brown ;
bill olive-brown, becoming much lighter on the lower mandi-
ble ; legs and feet olive-grey.

Total length 4 J inches ; bill f ; wing 2^ ; tail If ; tarsi f .

The female is uniform brown above, lighter beneath.

Sp. 343. MYZOMELA PECTORALIS, Gould.

Banded Honey-eater.
Myzomela pectoralis, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part viii. p. 170.

Myzomela pectoralis, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv. pi. 65.

It will be seen from the number of novelties received from
the northern portion of Australia that that part of the country-
possesses a fauna almost peculiar to itself, few species, of the
smaller birds at least, being similar to those of the southern
districts.

The present interesting bird was forwarded to me by Bynoe
as having been shot by him on the north coast, but to my
regret it was unaccompanied by any information whatever
respecthig its habits.

Some of the specimens sent me had the centre of the back
of a ferruginous hue, while in others the same part was jet-
black ; I am inclined to regard the former to be the plumage
of the young birds, and it is just possible it may also be cha-
racteristic of the adult female.

Forehead, crown of the head, upper surface, wings, tail, and
a narrow band across the chest black; throat, upper tail-
coverts and all the under surface white ; bill and feet black.

Total length 4^ inches ; bill | ; wing 2| ; tail if j tarsi |.

558 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Sp. 344. MYZOMELA NIGRA, Gould.

Black Honey-eater.

Myzomela nigra, Gould in Birds of Australia, part ii. cancelled.
Dwer-da-ngok-ngun-nin, Aborigines of the mountain districts of
Western Australia.

Myzomela nigra, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iv. pi. 66.

This most active little bird is peculiar to the interior of
Australia, over which it has an extensive range. Gilbert
found it at Swan River, and I met with it on the plains near
the Namoi ; here it was always on the Myalls {Acacia pen-
dula), while in Western Australia it generally evinced a pre-
ference for the sapling gums. Although it has the feathered
tongue and sometimes partakes of the sweets of the flowers,
it feeds almost exclusively on insects, which it procures both
on the blossoms and among the thickly-foliaged branches.
The male frequently pours forth a feeble plaintive note,
perched upon some elevated dead branch, where he sits with
his neck stretched out and without any apparent motion,
except the swelling of the throat and the movement of the bill.

The flight of this bird is remarkably quick, and performed
with sudden zigzag starts.

The female differs remarkably from the male in the colouring
of the plumage, and, as is the case with many other birds, is
much more difficult to detect than the male, which is always
more animated, and frequently betrays his presence by his song.

Gilbert was more fortunate than myself in finding the nest
of this httle bird, and has furnished the following notes
respecting its incubation : —

" This species constructs a neat cup-shaped nest, formed of
dried grasses. I found two, both of which were built in the
most conspicuous situations ; one in a fork at the top of a
small scrubby bush, unsheltered by even a bough or a leaf ;
the other was on the dead branch of a fallen tree, in a similar
exposed situation, and quite unprotected from wet or heat.

INSESSORES. 559

It breeds during the months of October and November, and
lays two eggs," which are of a Hght brownish buff, encircled
at the centre with a band of brown, produced by numerous
small blotches of that colom', which appear as if beneath the
surface of the shell ; they are seven lines long by five and a
lialf lines broad.

The male has the head, throat, stripe down the centre of the
abdomen, all the upper surface, wings, and tail sooty black ;
the remainder of the plumage pure white ; irides blackish
brown ; bill and feet black.

Total length 5 inches ; bill f ; wing 2^ ; tail If ; tarsi ^.

The female differs in having the head, all the upper surface,
wings, and tail brown ; throat and all the under surface
brownish white, the centre of each feather being the darkest ;
bill brown ; legs brownish black.

Sp. 345. MYZOMELA OBSCURA, Gould.

Obscure Honey-eater.
Myzomela ohscura, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part x. p. 136.

Myzomela obscura, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv. pi. 67.

This species is a native of the northern parts of Australia.
AtPortEssington, where my specimens were procured, it is only
to be met with in quiet, secluded and thickly-wooded districts,
adjacent to small streams of water ; its favourite tree appears
to be the GreviUia, from the blossoms of which it obtains great
quantities of honey and insects. The shy and retiring dispo-
sition of this species renders the acquisition of specimens very
difficult : " at no time during my stay," remarks Gilbert,
" did I succeed in getting sight of more than a solitary indi-
vidual at a time, and I believe it to be a rare bird in all parts
of the Cobourg Peninsula."

This bird differs so much in colour from all the other species
yet discovered, that it is readily distinguished from all of them."

560 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

The sexes present no external marks of distinction, except
that the female is somewhat smaller than the male.

The whole of the plumage is dull brown, with a vinous
tinge on the head ; under surface paler than the upper ; irides
bright red ; bill dark greenish black ; feet dark bluish grey ;
tarsi tinged with yellow.

Total length 5 inches ; bill f ; wing 2 j ; tail 2 J ; tarsi f .

Genus ENTOMYZA, Swainson.

Two species of this well-defined genus are comprised in the
Australian fauna, one of which inhabits the south-eastern
parts of the country, or New South Wales ; the other, which
so far as we yet know is strictly confined to the north-eastern
coast, is very plentiful at Port Essington and in the neigh-
bouring districts.

The form appears to be confined to Australia, for I have
never seen it from any other country.

Sp. 346. ENTOMYZA CYANOTIS, Swains.
Blue-faced Honey-eater.

Gracula cyanotis, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xxix.

Meliphaga cyanops, Lewin, Birds of New Holland, pi. 4.

Turdus cyaneus, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xlii.

Merops cyanops, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xxxiv., young.

Tropidorhynchus cyanotis, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv.

p. 325.
Entomyza cyanotis. Swains. Class, of Birds, vol. ii. p. 328.
Batikin, Aborigines of the coast of New South Wales.
Blue-eye of the Colonists.

Entomyza cyanotis, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv. pi. 68.

This attractive and beautiful Honey-eater, one of the finest
of the Meliphagidm, is strictly indigenous to New South
Wales, where it is abundant and very generally dispersed : I
observed it in nearly every part of the colony I visited, both

INSESSORES. 561

in winter and summer. I also shot a single specimen on the
Namoi, but as this was almost the only one I saw beyond the
mountain ranges, I believe its most natural habitat to be
between the great dividing chain of mountains and the sea.
In all probability it may be found far to the northward on the
eastern coast, but it has not yet been observed in South
Australia, neither is it an inhabitant of Tasmania.

In habits and actions the Blue-faced Honey-eater bears a
striking resemblance to the members of the genera Ptilotis
and Melithreptus \ like them, it is found almost exclusively
on the Eiicali/pti, searching among the blossoms and smaller
leafy branches for its food, which is of a mixed character,
consisting partly of insects and partly of honey, and probably,
berries and fruits, but this latter supposition I was not able
to verify. Mr. Cayley states, that he once saw " several of
them frequenting a tree, where they were very busy in obtain-
ning something that appeared to have exuded from a wounded
part. I do not know what the substance could be otherwise
than a kind of gum of a bitter and astringent taste." As
I have never detected them in feeding on this or any similar
substance, I should rather suppose they were in search of
the insects attracted by this exudation.

I have frequently seen eight or ten of these bold and
spirited birds on a single tree, displaying the most elegant
and easy movements, clinging and hanging in every variety of
position, frequently at the extreme ends of the small, thickly-
flowered branches, bending them down with their weight ;
they may be easily distinguished from other birds with which
they are frequently in company by their superior size, the
brilliancy of their blue face, and the contrasted colours of their
plumage ; they are rendered equally conspicuous by the pug-
nacity with which they chase and drive about the other species
resorting to the same tree.

It frequently utters a rather loud and monotonous cry, not
worthy the name of a song.

2o

562 BIRDS OP AUSTRALIA.

I observed a most curious fact respecting the nidification
of this bird : in every instance that I found its eggs, they
were deposited on the deserted, dome-shaped, large nest of
the Pomatosfomus temporalis, so numerous in the Apple-tree
Flats in the district of the Upper Hunter ; never within the
dome, but in a neat round depression on the top. I had
many opportunities of driving the female off the nest, and I
can therefore speak with confidence as to this fact. Whether
the bird always resorts to these nests, or if, under other
circumstances, it constructs a nest for itself, are points to
which I would call the attention of those who are favourably
situated for investigating them. It is probable that, in places
where no suitable substitute is to be found, it makes a nest,
like other species of its tribe. It commences breeding early,
and rears at least two broods in the year : on reference to
my note-book, I find I saw fully-fledged young on the 19th
of November, and that I took many of their eggs in December :
they were generally two in number, of a rich salmon-colour
irregularly spotted with rustbrown, one inch and a quarter
long by ten and a half lines broad.

The sexes differ in no respect from each other either in the
colouring of the plumage or in the blended richness and deli-
cacy of the blue surrounding the eye, to which it is almost
impossible for the artist to do justice.

The young assume the plumage of the adult from the nest,
but differ from them in having the naked face and the base
of the bill of a pale yellowish olive, which gradually changes
to blue after the first season ; this has doubtless occasioned the
great number of synonyms quoted above.

The adults have the crown of the head and back of the
neck black ; lower part of the face, chin, and centre of the
chest slaty black ; a crescent-shaped mark at the occiput, a
line from the lower mandible passing down each side of the
neck, and all the under surface pure white ; the upper sur-
face, wings, and tail golden olive ; the inner webs of the pri-

TNSESSORES. 563

maries and all but the two centre tail-feathers brown ; the
tail-feathers tipped with white ; basal portion of the bill pale
bluish grey, passing into blackish horn-colour at the tip ; bare
space surrounding the eye rich deep blue, becoming of a
lighter and greenish hue above the eye; irides yellowish
white ; eyelash jet-black ; feet bluish grey.

The young of the first autumn have the eye dark olive with
a black lash, and the denuded parts surrounding it, the base
of the under mandible and the gape greenish brimstone-
yellow; nostrils and culmen near the head yellowish horn-
colour, passing into blackish brown at the tip ; feet very
similar to those of the adult.

Sp. 346. ENTOMYZA ALBIPENNIS, Gould.

White-quilled Honey-eater.

Entomyza alb'tpennis, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part viii. p. 169.
Wur-ra-luh, Aborigines of Port Essington,

Entomyza albipennis, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv.
pi. 69.

The Bntom^za albipennis exhibits so many specific differ-
ences from the E. ci/anotis, that it is almost impossible for
one to be mistaken for the other: in the first place it is
smaller in size, and in the next the tints of the plumage
are more strongly contrasted; besides which, the white at
the basal portion of the quills is a character which will
at all times distinguish it from its near ally. So far as
is yet known, its habitat is confined to the northern coast of
Australia, where it is said to be rather abundant, particularly
in the neighbourhood of the settlement at Port Essington.
Gilbert states that it "is one of the first birds heard in the
morning, and often utters its plaintive peet half-an-hour before
daylight ; but as soon as the sun is fairly above the horizon,
its note is changed to a harsh squeaking tone, which is fre-
quently uttered while the bird is on the wing, and repeated

2 o 2

564 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

at intervals throughout the day ; it often takes long flights,
mounts high above the trees, and then progresses steadily
and horizontally. It is mostly met with in small families of
from six to ten in number, frequenting the topmost branches
of the loftiest trees, and is seldom seen on or near the ground."

The sexes present little or no difference in the colouring of
the plumage, or, when fully adult, in the colouring of the soft
parts, such as the naked skin round the eyes, &c. ; immature
birds, on the contrary, vary very much in the colouring of the
face and bill ; in the youthful those parts are saffron-yellow,
wdiich changes to rich ultramarine blue in the adult.

The adults have the crown of the head and back of the
neck black ; lower part of the face, chin, and centre of the
chest slaty black ; a crescent-shaped mark at the occiput, a
line from the lower mandible passing down each side of the
neck, and all the under surface pure white ; upper surface
and wings greenish golden olive ; primaries brown, the basal
half of their inner webs snow-white ; tail-feathers brown,
tinged with golden olive, all but the two centre ones tipped
with white ; point and cutting edges of the upper mandible
blackish grey; basal half of the culmen horn-colour; re-
mainder of the bill sulphur-yellow ; orbits brilliant blue ; legs
and feet leek-green.

Total length 1 2 inches ; bill 1 J ; wing 6 ; tail 4 J ; tarsi If.

Genus MELITHREPTUS.

No one group of birds is more universally distributed over
Australia than the members of this genus, for, like the Euca-
lypti, the trees upon which they are almost exclusively found,
their range extends from Tasmania on the extreme south to the
most northern part of the continent, and in an equal degree
from east to west, each part of country being inhabited by a
species peculiarly its own. I believe the form is unknown
out of Australia.

INSESSORES. 565

Sp. 347. MELITHREPTUS VALIDIROSTRIS, Gould.

Strong-billed Honet-eater.

Hcematops validirostris, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part iv. p. 144.
Eidopsaris bicinctus, Swains. An. in Menag., p. 344.
Sturnus virescens, Wagl. Syst. Av. Sturnus, sp. 5 ?
Melithreptus virescens, Gray Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p, 12.8.
Cherry -picker, Colonists of Tasmania.

Melithreptus validirostris, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv.
pi. 70.

This bird, the largest species of the genus yet discovered,
is a native of Tasmania, and so universally is it distributed
over that island that scarcely any part is without its presence.
The crowns of the highest mountains as well as the lowlands,
if clothed with Eucalypti, are equally enlivened by it. Like
all the other members of the genus, it frequents the small
leafy and flowering branches ; it differs, however, from its
congeners in one remarkable character, that of alighting upon
and clinging to the surface of the boles of the trees in search
of insects. I never saw it run up and down the trunk, but
merely fly to such parts as instinct led it to select as the pro-
bable abode of insects.

I am indebted to the Rev. Thomas J. Ewing, D.D., for
the nest and eggs of this bird, which I failed in procuring
during my stay in Tasmania. Like those of the other mem-
bers of the genus the nest is round and cup-shaped, suspended
by the rim and formed of coarse wiry grasses, with a few
blossoms of grasses for a hning ; the eggs are three in num-
ber, eleven lines long by eight lines broad, and of a dull olive-
buff, thickly spotted and blotched with markings of purplish
brown and bluish grey, the latter a})pcaring as if beneath the
surface of the shell.

The song consists of a couple of notes, and is not remark-
able for its melody.

The sexes assimilate so closely in size and plumage, that by

566 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

dissection alone can they be distinguished ; the young, on the
contrary, during the first autumn differ considerably.

Crown of the head jet-black, with an occipital band of
white terminating at each eye ; ear-coverts, chin, and back of
the neck black ; all the upper surface greyish olive, becoming
brighter on the rump and external edges of the tail-feathers ;
wings brown, with a slight tinge of olive ; throat pure white ;
under surface brownish grey ; bill black ; feet brownish horn-
colour ; eyes reddish brown ; bare skin over the eye white,
tinged with bright green.

Total length 6f inches ; bill | ; wing 3^ ; tail 3 ; tarsi f .

The young have the bill and feet yellow, but the latter paler
than the former, and a circle of the same colour round
the eye ; the band at the occiput is also pale yellow instead
of white.

Sp. 348. MELITHREPTUS GULARIS, Gould.

Black-throated Honet-eater.
Hcematops gularis, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part iv. p. 144.

Melithreptus gularis, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv. pi. 71.

This species is very abundant in all parts of South Australia.
It frequents the large Eucalypti, and during my stay in
Adelaide I frequently saw it on some of the high trees that
had been allowed to remain by the sides of the streets in the
middle of the city. From this locality it extends its range
eastward to Victoria and New South Wales. I killed several
specimens in the Upper Hunter district, and observed it to
be tolerably numerous on the plains in the neighbom-hood of
the river Namoi ; and that it breeds in these countries is
proved by my having shot the young in different stages of
growth in all of them. It is a very noisy bird, constantly
uttering a loud harsh grating call while perched on the top-
most dead or bare branch of a high tree ; the call being as

INSESSORES. 567

frequently uttered by the female as by the male. Like the
Melithreptus lunidatm, it frequents the leafy branches, which
it threads and creeps among with the greatest ease and
dexterity, assuming in its progress a variety of graceful atti-
tudes. Insects and the pollen of flowers being almost its sole
food, those trees abounding with blossoms are visited by it in
preference to others.

With the nest and eggs of this species I am unacquainted ;
they are therefore desiderata to my cabinet, and would be
thankfully received from any person resident in the colonies.
That the nest when discovered will be cup-shaped in form,
and suspended by the rim to the smaller branches of the
Eucalypti, and that the eggs will be two or three in number,
there can be little doubt.

Crown of the head black, an occipital band of white
terminating at each eye; ear-coverts and back of the neck
black ; back and rump golden olive ; wings and tail brown ;
throat greyish white, with a central stripe of black ; under sur-
face greyish brown; bill black ; feet and tarsi brownish orange;
irides hazel; bare skin above the eye beautiful bluish green.

Total length 6 inches ; bill f ; wing 3|- ; tail 2f ; tarsi -J.

There is no variation in the colouring of the sexes, but
a very considerable difference between the young and old
birds, particularly in the colouring of the soft parts, the
young having the gape, lower mandible, and feet yellowish
orange.

This bird, the M. validirostris and the doubtful M. brevi-
rostris, spoken of on page 569, differ from the other members
of the genus in having brown wings and a sordid brown
under surface, which feature in the colouring is in favour of
Dr. Bennett's and Mr. Angas's views of the latter being distinct
and not the young of M. lunulatus.

568 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Sp. 349. MELITHREPTUS LUNULATUS.

LUNULATED HONKY-EATER.

Certhia lunulaia, Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 224.

Le Fuscalbin, Vieill. Ois. dor., torn. ii. p. 95. pi. 61.

Red-eyed Honey-eater, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 203. no. 65.

Meliphaga lunulata, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 315.

Black-ci'owned Honey-sucker, Lewin, Birds of New Holl., pi. 24.

Meliphaga atricapilla, Teram. PI. Col., 335. fig. 1.

torquata, Swains. Zool. 111., 1st ser. pi. 116.

Haematops lunulatus, Gould in Syn. Birds of Australia, part i.
Gymnophrys torquatvs, Swains. Class, of Birds, vol. ii. p. 327.
Mehthreptus lunulatus, G. R. Gray, List of Gen. of Birds, 2nd edit.

p. 21.
Meliphaga brevirostris, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 315 ?

Melithreptus lunulatus, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv.
pi. 72.

The Lunulated Honey-eater is very abundantly dispersed
over New South Wales and South Australia, where it inhabits
almost every variety of situation, but gives a decided prefe-
rence to the Bucahjpti and AngophorcB trees, among the
smaller branches of which it may be constantly seen actively
engaged in searching for insects, which, with the pollen and
honey of the flower-cups, constitute its food. It is a sta-
tionary species, and breeds during the months of August
and September; its beautiful, round, cup-shaped, open nest
is composed of the inner rind of the stringy bark or other
allied gum-trees, intermingled with wool and hair, warmly
lined with opossum's fur, and is suspended by the rim to the
small leafy twigs of the topmost branches of the Eucalypti.
The eggs are two or three in number, of a pale buff, dotted
all over, but particularly at the larger end, with distinct
markings of rich reddish brown and chestnut-red, among
which are a few clouded markings of bluish grey ; their
medium length is nine lines, and breadth six and a half lines.

Like the young of M. cJdoropsis, the young birds of this

INSE8S0RES. 669

species breed some time before they, have attained their green
livery ; at all events I have found examples breeding in a
state of plumage, which I believe to be characteristic of youth.

The sexes are alike in plumage, but the female is somewhat
smaller than the male.

Upper surface greenish olive ; head and chin black ; cres-
cent-shaped mark at the occiput and all the under surface
white ; wings and tail brown, the apical half of the external
webs of the primaries narrowly edged with grey ; basal half
of the external webs of the primaries, the outer webs of the
secondaries, and the tail-feathers washed with greenish olive ;
naked space above the eye scarlet ; feet olive ; irides very
dark brown ; bill blackish brown.

Dr. Bennett, of Sydney, and Mr. George French Angas
have called my attention to a Melithreptiis inhabiting New
South Wales, which they consider to differ from all those
figured by me in the folio edition, and which they state had
been found breeding, proving, in their opinion, that it must
have attained maturity. The remarks of those gentlemen were
accompanied by two very fine skins, which, with two others
that had been in my collection for some time, are now before
me. At a first glance almost any ornithologist would imagine
these birds to be the young of M. lunulatus, and I must admit
that this was my own impression ; but, upon a more minute
examination and comparison, I perceive characters which
render me somewhat doubtful of this being the case. In the
first place, I find all the specimens larger and stouter than any
of M. lunulatus to which I have access ; in the second, I have
been informed that the bare space above the eye is greenish blue,
and not red ; all the under surface of the body is sandy brown
in lieu of pure white ; the axillary feathers are buff" instead of
white ; the wings are brown, and not wax-yellow ; the crown
of the head is brownish black instead of pure black ; and the
lunate band on the occiput is greyish buff*, and not white.

570 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

In comparing it with . another species, M. gidaris, I find
that the latter has cinnamon-brown wings, brown axillaries,
and a vinous-brown under surface ; consequently the bird is
as nearly allied to M. gidaris as to M. lunidatiis, except in
size. I must therefore leave this matter to the investigation
of residents in New South Wales or South Austraha, from
which latter country one of the specimens was sent.

Total length 4| inches ; bill f ; wing 2| ; tail 2f ; tarsi |.

Should it ultimately prove to be distinct, then it must bear
the inappropriate name of Melithreptus brevirostris, as I find
it is strictly identical with the type-specimen of the bird so
called by Vigors and Horsfield, formerly in the collection of
the Linnean Society, and now in the British Museum.

Sp. 350. MELITHREPTUS CHLOROPSIS, Gould.

Swan River Honey-eater.

Melithreptus chloropsis, Gould iu Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xv. p. 220.
Ji'/i-gee, Aborigines of the lowland, and
Bun-geen, of the mountain districts of Western Australia.
Ber-ril-ber-ril, Aborigines of Swan River.

Melithreptus chloropsis, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iv.
pi. 73.

This species differs from the Melithreptus lunulatus in being
of a larger size, and in having the bare space above the eye of a
pale green instead of red ; in other respects the two birds so
closely assimilate, that they are scarcely distinguishable from
each other. Individuals in a browner and more dull style of
plumage, presenting in fact all the appearances of young
birds of the first year, have occasionally been found breeding,
a circumstance which has induced many persons to believe
them to be distinct ; as, however, if I mistake not, I found in
New South Wales individuals breeding in a similar style of
plumage in company with adults of M. lunulatus, I am induced
to regard these dull-coloured birds as merely precocious

IN8ESS0RES. 571

examples of the respective species, affording additional evi-
dence of the extreme fecundity of the Australian birds.

The Melithreptus clilorojpsis is a native of Western Australia,
where it is almost always found on the upper branches of the
different species of Eucalypti, feeding upon the honey of the
flowers and insects. Its usual note is a rapidly uttered twit,
but it occasionally emits a harsh, grating, and lengthened cry.

The nest is usually suspended from the small branches
near the top of the gum-trees, where the foliage is thickest,
which renders it extremely difficult to detect. A nest found
by Gilbert in October was formed of sheep's wool and small
twigs ; another found by him in November was attached to a
small myrtle-like tree, in a thick gum forest, not more than
three feet from the ground ; both these nests contained three
eggs, nine and a half lines long by six and a half lines broad,
of a deep reddish buff, thinly spotted all over, but particularly
at the larger end, with dark reddish brown, some of the spots
being indistinct, while others were very conspicuous.

Upper surface greenish olive ; head and chin black ; cre-
scent-shaped mark at the occiput and under surface white ;
wings and tail brown, margined with greenish olive ; apical
half of the external webs of the primaries narrowly edged
with white ; irides dull red ; bill blackish brown ; naked
space above the eye greenish white in some, in others pale
vrine-yellow ; tarsi and outer part of the feet light greenish
olive ; inside of the feet bright yellow.

Total length 5^ inches ; bill \^ ; wing 3^ ; tail 2f ; tarsi f .

Sp.351. MELITHREPTUS ALBOGULARIS, 6'o^^/^.

White-throated Honey-eater.
Melithreptus albogularis, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xv. p. 220.

Melithreptus albogularis, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iv.
pi. 74.

This species, which inhabits the northern and eastern parts

572 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

of Australia, is very abundant on the Cobourg Peninsula, and
I have received specimens from the east coast. The total
absence of any black mark beneath the lower mandible and
the pure whiteness of the throat serve to distinguish it from
every other known species ; the colouring of the back, which
inclines to rich wax-yellow, is also a character peculiar to it.
It is very numerous around the settlement at Port Essington,
where it occurs in families of from ten to fifteen in number ;
it is of a very pugnacious disposition, often fighting with
other birds much larger than itself. While among the leafy
branches of the Eucalypti, which are its favourite trees,
it frequently pours forth a loud ringing whistling note, a
correct idea of which is not easily conveyed. Like its near
allies the sexes present no other external difference than the
smaller size of the female ; and the young at the same age
present a similar style of colouring to that observable in the
M. limidatus and M. cJdoropsis, the head and sides of the neck
being brown instead of black, and the naked skin above the
eye scarcely perceptible.

The food consists entirely of insects and the pollen of
flowers, in searching for which it displays a great variety of
positions, sometimes threading the leaves on the smaller
branches, and at others clinging to the very extremities of the
bunches of flowers.

The nest, which is always suspended to a drooping branch,
and which swings about with every gust of wind, is formed
of dried narrow strips of the soft bark of the Melaleuca. The
eggs, which are generally two in number, are of a light salmon-
colour, blotched and freckled with reddish brown, and are
about nine lines long by six lines broad.

Upper surface greenish wax-yellow ; head black ; crescent-
shaped mark at the occiput, chin and all the under surface
white ; wings and tail brown margined with greenish wax-
yellow ; irides dull red ; bill brownish black ; legs and feet
greenish grey, with a tinge of blue on the front of the tarsi.

Total length 4^ inches ; bifl | ; wing ^ ; tail 2\ ; tarsi \l.

INSESSORES. 573

Sp. 352. MELITHREPTUS MELANOCEPHALUS, Gould.

Black-headed Honey-eater.

Melith7-ej)tus melanocephalus, Gould iu Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xiii.

p. 63.
Meliphaga atricapilla, Jar. and Selb. 111. Orn., pi. 134. fig. 1.
affinis, Less. Rev. Zool., 1839, p. 167 ?

Melithreptus melanocephalus, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol.,
vol. iv. pi. 75.

This bird I believe to be peculiar to Tasmania, over the
whole of vv^hich island it is very abundant. The Eucalypti
are the trees for which it evinces a preference, and it may con-
stantly be seen among their foliage and flowers searching for
its food, which, like that of the other members of the Meli-
phagidcE, consists principally of insects, particularly small cole-
optera ; like the other species of the family also, it creeps and
clings about the branches after the manner of the Tits of
Europe. It is a hvely, animated bird, and generally goes in
companies of from ten to twenty in number, according as the
supply of food may be more or less plentifid. During the
fruit-season it frequents the gardens of the settlers and com-
mits considerable havoc among the fruit, of which it is ex-
ceedingly fond.

The sexes are precisely alike in external appearance, but
the young differ considerably from the adults, having the
throat yellowish white instead of black, and the basal portion
of the bill flesh-colour or yellow; their feet also are much
hghter than the adults.

This bird is one of the numerous foster-parents of Caco-
mantisjlabelliformis, which I have seen it feeding while perched
on a bare branch at the edge of the forest.

The whole of the head and throat, and a semilunar mark on
either side of the chest deep glossy black ; all the upper surface
yellowish olive, becoming brighter on the rump ; wings and
tail brownish grey with lighter margins ; breast white ; re-

574 BIRDS OP AUSTRALIA.

mainder of the upper surface greyish white ; bill black ; irides
reddish brown ; feet brown ; bare skin over the eye pearly
white, slightly tinged with green.

Total length 5 J inches ; bill -^5- ; wing 3 ; tail 2| ; tarsi f .

Mr. G. R. Gray is of opinion that this is the bird charac-
terized by Latham as Certhia agilis ; but independently of the
difficulty of identifying his description, I may remark that
Latham states his bird to be an inhabitant of New South
Wales, where I believe the Melithreptm melatiocejjJmlus is
never found.

Genus MYZANTHA, Vigors and Horsfield,

A very well defined form among the Honey-eaters, all the
species of which are confined to Australia. They are noisy,
familiar birds, attractive in their manners, though not in their
plumage. The sexes are similarly clothed, and the young
assume the adult colouring from the nest.

Sp. 353. MYZANTHA GARRULA, Vig. and Horsf.

Garrulous Honey-eater.

Merops garrulus, Lath. Ind. Orn., Supp. p. xxiv.

Chattering Honey-eater, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 164.

Philemon garrulus, Vieill. 2nd edit, du Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat.,

torn, xxvii. p. 427.
Myzantha garrula, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 319.
Gracula melanocephala, Lath. Ind. Orn., Supp. p. xxviii.
Manorhina melanocephalu^,Wa.g\. Syst. Av., Manor hina, sp. 1.

garrula, Gray Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 127, Manorhina, sp. 2.

Cobaygin, Aborigines of New South Wales.
Miner, Colonists of Van Diemen's Land.

Myzantha garrula, G-ould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv. pi. 76.

Tasmania, and all parts of the colonies of New South Wales,
Victoria, and South Australia, are alike inhabited by this well-
known bird. On comparing examples from Tasmania with

INSESSORES. 575

others killed on the continent of Australia, a difference is
found to exist in their relative admeasurements, the Tasmanian
birds being more robust and larger in every respect ; still as
not the slightest difference is observable in the markings of
their plumage, I consider them to be merely local varieties
and not distinct species.

The natural habits of this bird lead it to frequent the thinly
timbered forests of Eucalypti clothing the plains and low hills,
rather than the dense brushes.

It moves about in small companies of from four to ten in
number. In disposition it is restless, inquisitive, bold, and
noisy, and frequently performs the most grotesque actions,
spreading out the wings and tail, hanging from the branches
in every possible variety of position, and keeping up all the
time an incessant babbling : were this only momentary
or for a short time, their droll attitudes and singular note
would be rather amusing than otherwise ; but when they
follow you through the entire forest, leaping and flying
from branch to branch, they become very troublesome and
annoying.

The nest is cup-shaped and about the size of that of the
European Thrush, very neatly built of fine twigs and coarse
grass, and lined either with wool and hair, or fine soft haii'-
like strips of bark, frequently mixed with feathers ; it is
usually placed among the small upright branches of a mode-
rately sized tree. The eggs, which vary considerably, are
thirteen lines long by nine and a half lines broad, are of a
bluish white, marked all over with reddish brown, without
any indication of the zone at the larger end so frequently
observable in the eggs of other species.

The sexes offer no other external difference than that the
female is a trifle smaller than the male.

Face grey ; crown of the head dull black ; ear-coverts and
a crescent-shaped mark inclining upwards to the angle of the
bill glossy black ; all the upper surface light greyish brown ;

576 BIRDS OP AUSTRALIA.

the feathers at tlic back of the neck tipped with silvery grey ;
primaries dark brown margined externally with grey ; second-
aries dark brown on their inner webs, the outer webs grey at
the tip, and wax-yellow at the base ; tail greyish brown, with
dark hrown shafts, and all but the two centre feathers largely
tipped with brownish white ; chin grey, a patch of dark
brown down the centre ; under surface grey ; the feathers of
the breast with a narrow crescent-sliaped mark of brown near
the tip of each ; irides dark hazel ; naked space beneath the
eye, bill and feet yellow.

Sp. 354. MYZANTHA OBSCURA, Gould.

Sombre Honey-eater.

Myzantha ohscura, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part viii. p. 159.
Manorhina obscura, Gray Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 127, Manorhina,

sp. 3.
Bil-ija-goo-rong, Aborigines of the lowland, and

Bil-your-ya, Aborigines of the mountain districts of "Western Aus-
tralia.

Myzantha obscura, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iv. pi. 77.

This species inhabits Swan River and the south-western
portion of Australia generally, where it beautifully represents
the Myzantha garrula of New South Wales. In habits,
actions, and disposition the two birds closely assimilate.

Gilbert's notes supply me with the following information,
which I give in his own words : —

" It inhabits every variety of wooded situation, in all parts
of the colony, and is generally met with in small families. In
flying the wings are moved very rapidly, but the bird does
not make progress in proportion to the apparent exertion ;
at times, when passing from tree to tree, its flight is graceful
in the extreme.

" The stomach is small but tolerably muscular ; and the
food, which consists of coleopterous and other insects, seeds.

INSESSORES. 677

and berries, is procured both on the ground and among the
branches.

" The nest is built on an upright fork of the topmost
branches of the smaller gum-trees, and is formed of small
dried sticks lined with soft grasses and feathers. The eggs
are eleven and a half lines long by nine lines broad, of a rich
orange-bufF, obscurely spotted and blotched with a deeper tint,
particularly at the larger end."

The sexes offer but little difference in colour, but the female
is somewhat smaller in all her admeasurements.

Forehead yellowish olive ; lores, line beneath the eye, and
ear-coverts black; head and all the upper surface dull grey, with
an indistinct line of brown down the centre of each feather,
giving the whole a mottled appearance ; wings and tail brown,
margined at the base of the external webs with wax-yellow,
the tail terminating in white ; throat and under surface dull
grey, becoming lighter on the lower part of the abdomen
and under tail-coverts ; the feathers of the breast with a
crescent-shaped mark of light brown near the extremity, and
tipped with light grey ; irides dark brown ; bare skin round
the eye, bill, and bare patch on each side of the throat, bright
yellow; legs and feet dull reddish yellow ; claws dark brown.

Total length 9^ inches ; bill 1 J ; wing 5 J ; tail 4f ; tarsi i^.

.Sp. 355. MYZANTHA LUTEA, Gould.

LuTEOUs Honey-eater.

Myzantha lutea, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part vii. p. 144.
Manorhina lutea, Gray, Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 127. Mmiorhiaa, sp. 5.

Myzantha lutea, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iv. pi. 78.

I consider this to be by far the finest species of the genus
yet discovered, exceeding as it does every other both in size
and in the brilliancy of its colouring. I am indebted to
Messrs. Bynoe and Dring for fine specimens of this beautiful
bird, which were obtained by those gentlemen ou the north-

2 p

578 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

west coast of Australia, in which part of the country it sup-
pHes the place of the Myzantha garrula of New South Wales.
The law of representation is rarely carried out in a more beau-
tiful manner, than in the members of the present genus ; the
Myzantha garrula being, so far as is yet known, confined to
the south-eastern portion of the country, the M. lutea to the
neighbourhood of the north coast, the Myzantha obscura to
Swan River and the M.flavigula to the north-eastern portion
of the country.

Naked space behind the eye, forehead, and the tips of
several feathers on the sides of the neck, fine citron-yellow ;
lores blackish brown with silvery reflexions ; upper surface
grey, the feathers of the back of the neck and back crossed
near the tip with white ; rump, upper tail-coverts, and under
surface white ; throat and chest tinged with grey, each feather
crossed by an arrow-shaped mark of brown ; wings and tail
brown, the external margins of the feathers dull citron-yellow ;
tail tipped with white ; bill fine citron-yellow ; feet yellowish
brown.

Total length lOf inches ; wing 5| ; tail 5 J ; tarsi 1:^.

Sp. 356. MYZANTHA FLAVIGULA, Gould.

Yellow-thoated Miner.

Myzantha flavigula, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part vii. p. 143.
Manorhina flavigula, Gray and Mitch. Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 127,.
Manorhina, sp. 4.

Myzantha flavigula, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv. pi. 79.

This species is tolerably abundant in the belts of Eucalypti
bordering the river Namoi and all similar situations in the
interior of New South Wales. Although it has many of the
habits and actions of its near ally the Myzantha garrula,
it is much more shy in disposition, less noisy, and more
disposed to frequent the tops of the trees ; and so exclusively
does it replace the common species in the districts alluded
to that the latter does not occur therein.

INSESSORES. 579

I did not succeed in finding the nest, but the fact of my
having shot very young individuals affords indubitable evi-
dence that the bird breeds in the localities above-mentioned.

The sexes are alike in plumage.

Naked space behind the eye, forehead, upper part of the
throat, and the tips of several feathers on each side of the
neck citron -yellow ; rump and upper tail-coverts w^hite ; back
of the neck and back grey, each feather obscurely barred with
white near the tip ; lores and ear-coverts black, the latter
crossed with silvery grey ; throat, cheeks, and all the under
siu-face white, the feathers of the chest crossed by an arrow-
shaped mark of brown ; wings and tail dark brown, the outer
webs of the primaries, many of the secondaries, and the basal
portion of the tail-feathers dull citron-yellow; all the tail-
feathers tipped with white ; bill bright orange-yellow ; feet
yellow ; irides leaden-brown.

Total length 9f inches ; bill 1 ; wing 5 J ; tail 5 ; tarsi 1^-.

Genus MANORHINA, Vieillot.

The single species of this form is a native of the south-
eastern parts of Austraha; it is very nearly allied to the Myzan-
tJicB, but differs from them in some minor points.

Sp. 357. MANORHINA MELANOPHRYS.

Bell-bird.

Turdus melanophrys, Lath. Ind. Orn., Supp. p. xlii.

Manorhina viridis, Vieill. Gal. des Ois., pi. 149.

Mysantha flavirostris, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 319.

Manorina viridis, Bonn, et Vieill. Ency. Meth. Orn., part ii. p. 692.

Dilbong and Dilring, Aborigines of New South Wales (Latham) .

Bell-bird of the Colonists.

Myzantha melanophrys, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv.
pi. 80.

The present bird evinces a decided preference for, and

2r 2

580 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

appears to be strictly confined to dense and thick brushes,
particularly such as are of a humid and swampy nature, and
with the foliage of which the peculiar tint of its plumage
closely assimilates. I frequently met with it in companies of
from ten to forty, and occasionally still greater numbers were
seen disporting among the leafy branches in search of insects
and displaying many varied actions, at one time clinging to
and hanging down from the branches by one leg, and at
another prying beneath the leaves, or flying with outspread
wings and tail from tree to tree, and giving utterance to a
peculiar garrulous note totally different in sound from the
faint monotonous tinkle usually uttered, which has been
justly compared to the sound of distant sheep-bells, and
which, when poured forth by a hundred throats from various
parts of the forest, has a most singular effect. The same
appellation of Bell-bird having been given by the colonists of
Swan River to a species inhabiting that part of Australia, I
must here warn my readers against considering them identical,
by informing them that the two birds are not only specifically
but generically distinct.

This bird has not as yet been observed out of New South
Wales, where its peculiar province is the brushes ; and if it
departs from those which stretch along the coast from Port
Philip to Moreton Bay, I believe it will only be found in
those which clothe the sides of the higher hills, such as the
Liverpool range and others of a similar character.

Like the Myzanth(B it is of a prying and inquisitive
disposition, and the whole troop may be easily brought
within the range of observation by uttering any kind of harsh
squeaking note, when they will descend to ascertain the cause,
and evince the utmost curiosity. Its flight is of the same
skimming motionless character as that of the Garrulous Honey-
eater ; and upon some given signal the whole flock, or the
greater portion of it, fly off simultaneously and collect on
some neighbouring branch in a cluster.

INSESSORES. 581

The sexes are precisely alike in plumage, and the young
soon attain the colouring of the adult.

The whole of the plumage, with the exception of the
primaries and secondaries, yellowish olive, but the under
surface much paler than the upper; forehead, stripe from
the angle of the lower mandible, ring encircling and dilated
into a spot above the eye, black ; ear-coverts olive-brown ;
primaries and secondaries dark brown, the former mar-
gined with grey and the latter with yellowish olive; bill
fine yellow ; tarsi and toes fine orange yellow ; eye dark
leaden brown ; eyelash leaden grey ; bare space below and
behind the eye orange-red.

Genus DICTUM, Cuvier.

The continent of India, the Indian Islands, and New Guinea
are the countries in which the members of this geims abound ;
as yet only a single species has been found in Australia.

Sp. 358. ' DICTUM HIRUNDINACEUM.

Swallow Dictum.

Sylvia hirundinacea, Shaw, Nat. Misc., vol. iv. pi. 114.
Swallow Warbler, Lath. Gen. Syn., Supp. vol. ii. p. 250.
Pipra desmaretii, Leach, Zool. Misc., vol. i. p. 94. pi. 41.
Crimson-throated Honey-sucker, Lewin, Birds of New Holl., pi. 7.
Desmaretian Manakin, Sliaw, Gen. Zool., vol. x. p. 18.
Dicceum atrogaster, Less. Tvaite d'Orn., p. 303.

pardalotus, Cuv. De la Fres. Mag. de Zool., 1833, pi. 14.

Microchelidon hirundinacea, Eeich. Handb. der Spec. Orn., p. 243.
Moo-ne-je-tang, Aborigines of the lowland districts of Western Aus-
tralia.

Dicaeum hinmdinaceum, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, voL ii.
pL34.

By far the greater number of the Australians are, I
believe, unacquainted with this beautiful little bird, yet

582 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

there is scarcely an estate in either of the colonies in which it
may not be found either as a permanent resident or an
occasional visitor.

Its natural disposition, leading it to confine itself almost
exclusively to the topmost branches of the loftiest trees, is
doubtless the cause of its not being more generally known
than it is ; its rich scarlet breast, not even attracting notice
at the distance from the ground at which it generally
keeps; and, in obtaining specimens, I was more frequently
made aware of its presence by its pretty warbling song than
by its movements among the branches ; so small an object,
in fact, is most difficult of detection among the thick foliage
of the lofty CasuarincB, to which trees it is extremely partial,
particularly to those growing on the banks of creeks and
rivers. It is also frequently to be seen among the clusters
of the beautiful parasitic Lorcmthus, which is very common on
the Casuarin(B in the neighbourhood of the Upper Hunter.
Whether the bird is attracted to this misseltoe-like plant for
the purpose of feeding upon its sweet and juicy berries I
could not ascertain ; its chief food is insects, but in all
probability it may occasionally vary its food.

The Swallow Dicseum has neither the actions of the
Pardalotes nor of the Honey-eaters; it differs from the
former in its quick darting flight, and from the latter in its
less prying, clinging, and creeping actions among the leaves, &c.
When perched on a branch it sits more upright, and is more
Swallow-like in its contour than either of the forms alluded
to ; the structure of its nest and the mode of its nidification
are also very dissimilar.

Its song is a very animated and long-continued strain, but
is uttered so inwardly, that it is almost necessary to stand
beneath the tree upon which the bird is perched, before its
notes can be heard.

It would appear that the range of this species extends to
all parts of the Australian continent, since I have received

INSESSORES. 583

specimens from every locality yet explored. I fomid it
breeding on the Lower Namoi, which proves that the interior
of the comitry is inhabited by it as well as those portions
between the ranges and the coast.

Mr. White, of the Reed-beds near Adelaide, says —

" This little bird is sometimes rather numerous here. It
appears to be wholly frugivorous, for all of those I have
dissected had fruit in them ; it has no regular stomach, not
even an enlargement of the intestine, which averages above
five inches and a half in length, and through which the food
passes whole. It arrives at Adelaide about February, and
stays but a short time. I have met with it very far north."

Its beautiful purse-like nest is composed of the white
cotton-like substance found in the seed-vessels of many plants,
and among other trees is sometimes suspended on a small
branch of a Casuarina or an Acacia pendula. The ground-
colour of the eggs is dull white, with very minute spots of
brown scattered over the surface ; they are nine lines long-
by five and a half lines broad.

The male has the head, all the upper surface, wings, and
tail black, glossed with steel-blue ; primaries black ; throat,
breast, and under tail-coverts scarlet ; flanks dusky ; abdomen
white, with a broad patch of black down the centre ; irides
dark brown ; bill blackish brown ; feet dark brown.

The female is dull black above, glossed with steel-blue on
the wings and tail ; throat and centre of the abdomen bufi";
flanks light brown ; under tail-coverts pale scarlet.

Genus NECTARINIA, Illiger.

It gives me great pleasure to state that at least one species
of this genus is found in Australia, a circumstance which
might naturally be expected when so many inhabit New
Guinea and the adjacent islands. Birds of this form are also
spread throughout the Philippines to Malasia, China, and

584 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

India ; nor are tliey wanting in Africa. Tliat the NectarinidcB
and MeliphaffidcB are closely allied must be evident to every
one who attends to ornithology as a science.

Sp. 859. NECTARINIA AUSTRALIS, Gould.

Australian Sun-bird.

Nedarinia frenata, Miill. Verh. Nat. Gesch., p. 61. t. 8. f. 1?

australis, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, pai-t xviii. p. 201.

TerridiTri, Aborigines of Cape York.

Nectarinia australis, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, Supplement,
pi.

The Nectarinia australis offers a very close alliance to the
N.fratiata of the Celebes; it will be found, however, to
differ from that species in its larger size, in the mark above
the eye being less conspicuous, and in the straighter form
of the bill. For my first knowledge of this bird I am in-
debted to the researches of the late Commander Ince, E.N.,
who, while attached to H.M.S. Fly, paid considerable atten-
tion to the natural history of the northern parts of Australia.
Since then many other specimens have been forwarded to me
by Mr. Macgillivray and others.

Mr. Macgillivray informed me that "this pretty Sun-bird
appears to be distributed along the whole of the north-east
coast of Australia, the adjacent islands, and the whole of the
islands in Torres Straits. Although thus generally distributed,
it is nowhere numerous, seldom more than a pair being seen
together. Its habits resemble those of the Ptilotes, with
which it often associates, but still more closely to those of
Myzomela obscura ; like those birds, it resorts to the flowering
trees to feed upon the insects which frequent the blossoms,
especially those of a species of Sciadopliylhm : this singular
tree is furnished with enormous spike-like racemes of small
scarlet flowers, which attract numbers of insects, and thus
fiu'nish an abundant supply of food to the present bird and

INSESSORES. 585

many species of the Melipha(/id(B. Its note, whicli is a sharp
shrill cry, prolonged for about ten seconds, may be represented
by ' Tsee-tsee-fsee-tss-ss-ss-ss.' The male appears to be of a
pugnacious disposition, as I have more than once seen it drive
away and pursue a visitor to the same tree ; perhaps, how-
ever, this disposition is only exhibited during the breeding-
season. I found its nest on several occasions, as will be seen
by the following extracts from my note-book : —

"Nov. 29, 1849. — Cape York. Found two nests of Necta-
rinia to-day : one on the margin of a scrub, the other in a
clearing. The nests were pensile, and in both cases were
attached to the twig of a prickly bush : one, measuring seven
inches in length, was of an elongated shape, with a rather
large opening on one side close to the top ; it was composed
of shreds of Melaleuca bark, a few leaves, various fibrous
substances, rejectamenta of caterpillars, &c., and lined with
the silky cotton of the Bombax Australis. The other, which
was similar in structure, contained a young bird, and an egg
with a chick almost ready for hatching. The female was seen
approaching with a mouthful of flies to feed the young. The
egg was pear-shaped, generally and equally mottled with ob-
scure dirty brown on a greenish-grey ground.

"Dec. 4th. — Mount Ernest, Torres Straits. A nest of
Nectar inia found to-day differs from those seen at Cape York
in having over the entrance a projecting fringe-like hood
composed of the panicles of a delicate grass-hke plant. It
contained two young birds, and I saw the mother visit them
twice with an interval of ten minutes between ; she glanced
past like an arrow, perched on the nest at once, clinging to
the lower side of the entrance, and looked round very
watchfully for a few seconds before feeding the young, after
which she disappeared as suddenly as she had arrived."

Mr. Ramsay, in his "List of Birds received from Port
Denison, Queensland," published in the 'Ibis' for 18G5,
says : —

58G BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

"According to Mr. Rainbird, numbers of this beautiful
little Sun-bird may be seen, on bright mornings, among the
leafy tops of the mangrove-belts near Port Denison, which is
nearly in lat. 20° S., long. 148° E. of Greenwich. They are ever
darting out to capture some insect on the wing, returning
and disappearing again in the thick foliage, or perching upon
some topmost twig, to devour their captures, and show their
shining purple breasts glittering in the sun. During the
hottest part of the day the Sun -birds betake themselves to
the thick scrub , which in many places runs down to the
water's edge. They breed in the months of November and
December. One pair chose a little break in the scrub within
a few yards of the water, where, facing the rising sun, they
suspended their nest by the top from the dead twig of a
small shrub at the foot of a large 'Bottle-tree' {Sterculia
riipestris). The nest is of an oval form, much resembling,
and suspended in the same way as that of Acanthiza lineata,
with a small hood over the opening, which is near the top.
It is composed of fibrous roots and shreds of cotton-tree
{Gofjiphocarpiis fruticosus) bark, firmly interwoven with webs
and cocoons of various spiders, and a few pieces of white
seaweed ornamenting the outside. It is lined with feathers
and the silky native cotton, and is about five inches long by
three and a half in diameter. The eggs, I regret to say, I
did not receive, as Mr. Rainbird was obliged to come away
before they were laid."

The male has the crown of the head and upper surface
olive-green ; over and under the eye two inconspicuous marks
of yellow ; throat and chest steel-blue ; remainder of the
under surface fine yellow; irides chestnut; bill and feet
black.

Total length 4f inches; bill f ; wing 2|- ; tail \\; tarsi f.

The female differs in having the whole of the under surface
yellow, without a trace of the steel-blue gorget so conspicuous
in the male.

INSESSORES. 587

Family

Genus ZOSTEROPS.

The members of this genus are very widely dispersed over
the Old World, except its extreme northern portions ; three
well-defined species inhabit the continent of Australia and
Tasmania ; two are found on Norfolk Island.

In placing this group next to the Honey-eaters, I have
been influenced by their approximation to those birds both
in form and habits, and to which they exhibit a further
degree of affinity in the form and structure of their nest, but
not in the colouring of their eggs, which are always blue.
The sexes are alike in plumage.

Sp. 360. ZOSTEROPS CCERULESCENS.
Grey-backed Zosterops.

Certhia coerulescens, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xxxviii.

Sylvia lateralis, Lath., id., p. Iv.

Certhia diluta, Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 244.

Philedon coeruleus, Cuv.

Meliphaga ccerulea, Steph. Cont. of Shaw's Gen. Zool., vol. xiv. p. 264.

Sylvia annulosa, var. /S, Swains. Zool. 111., 1st ser., pi. 16.

Zosterops dorsalis, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 235.

White-eye, Colonists of New South Wales.

Zosterops dorsalis, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iv. pi. 81.

This bird is stationary in all parts of Tasmania, New South
Wales, and South Australia, where it is not only to be met
with in the forests and thickets, but also in nearly every
garden. It even builds its nest and rears its young in the
shrubs and rose-trees bordering the walks. Among the trees
of the forest the beautiful Leptosjjermum is the one to which
at all times this species evinces a great partiality.

Its flight is quick and darting, and when among the

588 BIllDS OF AUSTRALIA.

branches of the trees it is as active as most birds, prying and
searching with scrutinizing care into the leaves and flowers
for the insects, upon which it feeds. It is sometimes seen
singly or in pairs, while at others it is to be observed in great
numbers, on the same or neighbouring trees. It is of a
familiar disposition, and utters a pretty and very lively song.

The breeding-season commences in September and con-
tinues to January. The nest is one of the neatest structures
possible ; it is of a round deep cup-shaped form, composed
of fine grasses, moss, and wool, and most carefully lined with
fibrous roots and grasses. The eggs are usually three in
number, of a beautiful uniform pale blue, eight and a half
lines long by six broad.

The sexes present no difference of plumage.

Crown of the head, wings, and tail olive ; back dark grey,
eyes surrounded by a zone of white feathers, bounded in
front and below with black ; throat, centre of the abdomen,
and under tail-coverts greyish white with a slight tinge of
olive ; flanks light chestnut brown ; upper mandible dark
brown, under mandible lighter; irides and feet greyish
brown.

In some specimens the throat and sides of the head are
wax-yellow, and the flanks are only stained with chestnut
brown.

Sp. 361. ZOSTEROPS GOULDI, Bonaparte.

Green-backed Zosterops.

Zosterops chloronotus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part viii. p. 165.

Guuldi, Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av., torn. i. p. 308, Zosterops, sp. 3.

Jule-ive-de-lung, Aborigines of the lowland districts of Western Aus-
tralia.
Grape- and Fig-eater, Colonists of Swan River.

Zosterops chloronotus, G-ould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iv.
pi. 82.

The Zosterops (jouldi is an inhabitant of the western

INSESSORES. 589

coast of Australia, where it constitutes a beautiful representa-
tive of the Z. coerulescens of the southern and eastern coasts.
As might be supposed, the habits, manners, actions, and
economy of two species so nearly allied are very similar ;
hence the settlers of Swan River were not long in discovering
that in this species they had found no friend to their gardens
during the season when the fruits are ripening, whatever good
it may effect by the destruction of insects at other periods.

Gilbert informed me that " This bird is particularly fond of
figs and grapes, it consequently abounds in all the gardens
where those plants are cultivated ; and it is often to be seen
as numerous as sparrows in England ; besides feeding upon
fruits, I have also observed it taking flies while on the wing
after the manner of the true Flycatchers.

" Its note is a single plaintive one, several times repeated ;
and its flight is irregular, and of short duration.

"The breeding-season commences in August and ends in
November ; those nests that came under my observation
during the earlier part of the season, invariably contained two
eggs; but in October and November I usually found the
number to be increased to three, and upon one occasion to
four. The nest is small, compact, and formed of dried wiry
grasses, bound together with the hairy tendrils of small plants
and wool, the inside being lined with very minute fibrous
roots ; its breadth is about two inches, and depth one inch ;
the eggs are greenish blue without spots or markings, eight
lines long by six lines broad."

Lores black ; crown of the head and all the upper surface
olive-green ; primaries and tail-feathers brown, margined with
olive-green ; throat and under tail-coverts light greenish
yellow ; breast and under surface grey, tinged with brown
on the abdomen and flanks ; irides wood-brown ; bill brown,
lighter on the under mandible ; legs and feet dark grey.

Total length 4^ inches ; bill -nf ; wing 2-J ; tail 1 J ; tarsi f .

The specific term chlorouotus having been previously

590 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

assigned to another bird of this form, the late Prince Charles
Bonaparte was pleased to dedicate the present one to myself.

Sp. 362. ZOSTEROPS LUTEUS, Gould.

Yellow Zosterops.

Zosterops luteus, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iv. pi. 83.

This new species is an inhabitant of the northern portion
of AustraHa. " I first met with it," says Gilbert, " in August,
on Greenhill Island, Van Diemen's Gulf, dwelling among the
mangroves or the densest thickets. It is much more wild
and solitary than Zosterops ccerulescens, and does not resort
like that bird to the gardens and the neighbourhood of the
houses of the settlers ; its note is also very different, being a
pretty canary-like song. When disturbed it usually left the
thicket for the higher branches of the gum-trees, where it was
effectually hidden from view by the thick fohage. It was
generally met with in small families of from three to seven or
eight in number."

All the upper surface olive-yellow ; primaries and tail-fea-
thers brown, margined with olive-yellow ; forehead and throat
pure yellow ; lores and lines beneath the eye black ; eye en-
circled with a zone of white feathers ; abdomen and under
tail-coverts dull yellow; irides light reddish brown; upper
mandible blackish grey, the basal half rather lighter ; apical
third of the lower mandible blackish grey ; basal two-thirds
light ash-grey ; legs and feet bluish grey.

Total length 4 J inches ; bill \ ; wing 2f ; tail If ; tarsi

Family EPIMACHID^.

Many authors place the three following birds in the family
ParadiseidcB ; Cabanis makes them part of the subdivision of
the subfamily EpimacMnw. Mr. G. R. Gray retains them in

INSESSORES. 591

the same subfamily, but makes it form a part of the family
UpupidcB. It has always appeared to me that they bear a
strong resemblance to the Climaderes, preceding which I
shall therefore place them.

Genus PTILORHIS, Swainson.

Of this genus two well-defined species inhabit Australia, viz.
P. paradisea and P. Victories.

Sp. 363. PTILORHIS PARADISEA, Swains.

Rifle-Bird.

Ptiloris paradiseus, Swains. Zool. Journ., vol. i. p. 481.
Epimachus regius, Less. Zool. de la Coq., pi. 28.

brisbanii, Wils. 111. of Zool., pi. 9.

Ptiloris paradisea, G. R. Gray, Gen. of Birds, 2nd edit. p. 15.
Epimachus paradiseus, Gray and Mitch. Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 94,

Epimachus, sp. 4.
Ptilorhis paradiseus. Cab. Mus. Hein., Theil i. p. 214.
paradisea, Reich. Handb. der Spec. Orn., p. 328.

Ptiloris paradiseus, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iv. pi. 100.

Hitherto this magnificent bird has only been discovered in
the brushes of the south-eastern portion of Australia; so
limited in fact does its range of habitat seem to be, that the
river Hunter to the southward, and Moreton Bay to the east-
ward, may be considered its natural boundaries in either
direction. I have been informed by several persons who have
seen it in its native wilds that it possesses many habits in com-
mon with the Climaderes, and that it ascends the upright boles
of trees precisely after the manner of those birds. It was a
source of regret to me that I had no opportunity of verifying
these assertions, but an examination of the structure of the
bird induces me to believe that such is the case : that its
powers of flight are very limited, is certain from the short-
ness and peculiarly truncate form of the wing, and this mode

592 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

of progression is doubtless seldom resorted to further than to
transport it from tree to tree, or from one part of the forest
to another. That it is stationary, and breeds in South-eastern
Australia, is evident from the numerous specimens of all ages
that have been sent from thence to Europe.

Since the above remarks were published in the folio edition,
the late Y. Strange forwarded me the following note, which I
give in his own words : —

" The principal resort of the Rifle-Bird is among the large
cedar-brushes that skirt the mountains and creeks of the
Manning, Hastings, MacLeay, Bellenger, Clarence, and Rich-
mond Rivers, and there, during the pairing-months of No-
vember and December, the male bird is easily found. At
that time of the year, as soon as the sun's rays gild the tops of
the trees, up goes the Rifle Bird from the thickets below to
the hicrher branches of the pines (Araucaria macleayana)
which there abound. It always affects a situation where
three or four of these trees occur about two hundred yards
apart, and there the morning is spent in short flights from
tree to tree, in sunning and preening its feathers, and in utter-
ino- its song each time it leaves one tree for another. The
sound emitted resembles a prolonged utterance of the word
" Yass," by which the bird is known to the natives of the Rich-
mond River. In passing from tree to tree, it also makes an
extraordinary noise resembling the shaking of a piece of new
stiff silk. After 10 a.m. it descends lower down, and then
mostly resorts to the thick limb of a Cedar-tree {Cedrela
ausfralis), and there continues to utter its cry of Yass at in-
tervals of two minutes' duration ; at this time, owing to the
thickness of the limb and the closeness with which the bird
keeps to it, it is very difficult of detection ; wait with patience,
however, and you will soon see him, with wings extended, and
his head thrown on his back, whirling round and round,
first one way and then another."

The adult male has the general plumage rich velvety black,

TNSESSORES. 593

glossed on the upper surface with brownish lilac ; under sur-
face similar to the upper, but all the feathers of the abdomen
and flanks broadly margined with rich olive-green ; feathers
of the head and throat small, scale-like and of a shining me-
tallic blue-green ; two centre tail-feathers rich shining metallic
green, the remainder deep black ; bill and feet black.

The female has the whole of the upper surface greyish
brown ; the wings and tail edged with ferruginous ; the
feathers of the head with a narrow line of white down the
centre ; line passing down the side of the head from behind
the eye, chin, and throat bufFy white ; all the under surface
deep buff, each feather with a black arrow-shaped mark near
the tip.

Sp. 364. PTILORHIS VICTORItE, Gould.
Queen Victoria's Rifle-Bird.

Ptiloris victoria, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, 1849, p. Ill, Aves,

pi. 12.
Ptilorhis victoria, Reich. Handb. der Spec. Orn,, p. 329.

Ptiloris victoriae, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., Supplement, pi.

This Rifle-Bird is smaller in all its admeasurements than the
Ptilorhis 2)aradiseus, and may be distinguished by the purple
of the breast presenting the appearance of a broad pectoral
band, bounded above by the scale-like feathers of the throat,
and below by the abdominal band of deep oil-green, and by
the broad and much more lengthened flank feathers which
show very conspicuously.

" This bird," says Mr. Macgillivray, " was seen by us during
the survey of the N.E. coast of Australia on the Barnard Isles,
and on the adjacent shores of the mainland at Rockingham Bay,
in the immediate vicinity of Kennedy's first camp. On one
of the Barnard Isles (No. III. in hit. 17° 43' S.), which is
covered with dense brush, I found Queen Victoria's Rifle Bird
in considerable abundance. Females and young males were

2 a

594 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

common, but rather shy ; however, by sitting down and
quietly watching in some favourite locality, one or more
would soon alight on a limb or branch, run along it with
great celerity, stop abruptly every now and then to thrust its
beak under the loose bark in search of insects, and then fly
off as suddenly as it had arrived. Occasionally I have seen
one anxiously watching me from behind a branch, its head
and neck only being visible. At this time (June) the young
males were veiy pugnacious, and upon one occasion three of
them were so intent upon their quarrel that they allowed me
to approach sufficiently near to kill them all with a single
charge of dust shot. The adult males were comparatively
rare, always solitary and very shy. I never saw them upon
the trees, but only in the thick bushes and masses of climbing
plants beneath them ; on detecting the vicinity of man they
immediately shuffled off among the branches towards the
opposite side of the thicket and flew off for a short distance.
I did not observe them to utter any call or cry ; this, how-
ever, may have arisen from my attention not having been so
much directed to them as to the females and young males,
which I was more anxious to procure, the very different style
of their colouring having led me to believe they were a new
species of Pomatostomus."

The male has the general plumage rich deep velvety black,
glossed on the upper surface, sides of the neck, chin, and
breast with plum-colour; feathers of the head and throat
small, scale-like, and of a shining, metallic bronzy green ;
feathers of the abdomen very much developed, of the same
hue as the upper surface, but each feather so broadly mar-
gined with rich deep olive-green, that the colouring of the
basal portion of the feather is hidden, and the olive-green
forms a broad abdominal band, which is sharply defined
above, but irregular below ; two centre tail-feathers rich
shining metallic green, the remainder deep black ; bill and
feet black.

INSESSORES. 595

The female has all the upper surface greyish brown, tinged
with olive ; head and sides of the neck dark brown, striated
with greyish brown ; over each eye a superciliary stripe of
buff ; wing-feathers edged with ferruginous ; chin and throat
pale buff; remainder of the under surface, under wing-
coverts, and the base of the inner webs of the quills rich deep
reddish buflp, each feather with an irregular spot of brown
near the tip, dilated on the flanks in the form of irregular
bars ; bill and feet black.

Male, length 10^ inches ; bill If ; wing 5 ; tail 3 J ; tarsi 1:^.

Genus CRASPEDOPHORA, G. R. Gray.

The Epimaclius magnijicus of Cuvier differing from the
members of the genus Ptilorhis in form and colovu'ing, Mr.
G. R. Gray has made it the type of his genus Craspedopkora.

Sp.365. CRASPEDOPHORA MAGNIFICA.
Magnificent Rifle-Bird.

Le Promefil, Levaill. Ois. de Parad., p. 36, pi. 16.

Falcinellus magnijicus, Vieill. Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat., toni. xxviii.

p. 167, pi. G. 30. No. 3.
Epimachus magnificus, Cuv. Regii. Anim., pi. 4. fig. 2.

paradiseus, Gray and Mitch. Gen. of Birds, vol. i. pi. xxxii.

splendidus, Steph. Cont. of Shaw's Gen. Zool., vol. xiv. p. 77.

Craspedophora magnijica, G. R. Gray, List of Gen. of Birds, 2nd edit.

p. 15.

Ptiloris magnifica, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, Supplement, pi.

" It is New Guinea," says Vieillot, " that country in which
are found the most beautiful birds in the world, and the most
remarkable for the singularity of their plumage, that is the
habitat of this species, one of the richest of its family." " It
is still," says M. Lesson, writing in 1830, " very rarely met
with in collections ; the individual in the gallery of the
Museum (at Paris) was procured in London, at the sale of

2 a 2

596 BIRDS OP AUSTRALIA.

Bullock's collection. During our sojourn at New Guinea
with the corvette ' La Coquille,' we only obtained two muti-
lated skins; and M. Dumont-Durville, commander of the
expedition of the ' Astrolabe,' secured only a single skin
deprived of its wings and feet, the manner in which they are
usually prepared by the natives. It is in the dense and vast
forests which surround the harbour of Dorey in New Guinea,
that this fine species resides." The researches of Mr. Mac-
gillivray and others enable me to state that it also inhabits
the north-eastern portion of Australia, a circumstance of no
ordinary interest, since besides adding another fine species to
the already exceedingly rich fauna of that country, we now
know that our museums will ere long be graced with fine
and perfect specimens in lieu of the mutilated skins hitherto
procurable. We have abundant evidence of its being fre-
quently met with at Cape York, since nearly every officer of
the ' Rattlesnake ' procured and brought home specimens from
that locality.

The following are Mr. Macgillivray's notes respecting it : —
" This fine Rifle-Bird inhabits the densest of the brushes in
the neighbourhood of Cape York. The natives are familiar
with it under the name of ' Yagoonya ' ; the Darnley Islanders
also recognized a skin shown them, and described it to be a
native of Dowde, or the south coast of New Guinea, near
Bristow Island. Its cry is very striking : upon being imitated
by man, which may be easily done, the male bird will answer ;
it consists of a loud whistle resembling wheeoo repeated three
times and ending abruptly in a note like wlio-o-o. Both sexes
utter the same note, but that of the male is much the loudest.
The old males were generally seen about the tops of the
highest trees, where, if undisturbed, they would remain long
enough to utter their loud cry two or three times at intervals
of from two to five minutes. If a female be near, the male
frequently perches on a conspicuous dead twig in a crouching
attitude, rapidly opening and closing his wings, the feathers

tNSESSORES. 597

of which by their peculiar form and texture produce a loud
rustling noise, which in the comparative stillness of these
solitudes may be heard at the distance of a hundred yards,
and may be faintly imitated by moving the feathers of a dried
skin. The full-plumaged males are much more shy than the
females or immature birds. According to the testimony of
several of the Cape York natives whom I questioned upon the
subject, the C. magnifica breeds in a hollow tree and lays
several white eggs. The ovary of a female shot in November,
the commencement of the rainy season, contained a very large
and nearly completely formed egg.

" From the shyness of this Rille-Bird, it is difficult to catch
more than a passing glimpse of it in the dense brushes which
it inhabits ; I once, however, saw a female running up the
trunk of a tree like a Creeper, and its stomach was afterwards
found to be filled with insects only, chiefly ants ; while the
stomach of a male, shot about the same time, contained merely
a few small round berries, the fruit of a tall tree, the botanical
name of which is unknown to me."

Let me add that differences too slight to be considered
specific are observable in Australian and New Guinea speci-
mens ; one of them being the greater length of the black side
plumes in the New Guinea examples.

The male has the general plumage deep velvety black,
slightly tinged with purple; wings dull purplish black,
glossed with a greenish hue on the margins of the feathers ;
feathers of the head small, scale-like, and of a shining metallic
bronzy green ; feathers of the throat similar in form, and of a
shining metallic oil-green, bounded below by a crescent of
velvety black, to which succeeds a narrower crescent of
shining yellowish green; under surface purplish black, the
flank-feathers prolonged into a filamentous form and reaching
beyond the extremity of the tail ; two central tail-feathers
shining metallic green, the remainder deep black ; iridcs
umber-brown ; feet lead-colour, the soles ochraceous.

598 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

The female has all the upper surface brown ; wings reddish
brown, margined with bright rufous ; tail rufous ; over each
eye a superciliary stripe of buffy white ; throat bufiy white ;
from the lower angle of the bill on each side a narrow streak
of brown ; breast and under sm^face buffy, crossed with
numerous irregular bars of dark brown.

Fanuly CERTHIAD^?
Genus CLIMACTERIS, Temminck.

Great additions have been made to the species of this well-
defined and singular group of Australian birds, two out of
the six now known being all that had been described prior to
the publication of the folio edition. With the exception of
Tasmania, every colony is inhabited by one or other of the
following species.

Sp. 3G6. CLIMACTERIS SCANDENS, Temm.
Brown Tree-Creeper,

Buff-winffed Honey-eater, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 178.
Climactei-is scandens, Temm. PI. Col., 281. fig. 2.

Climacteris scandens, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv. pi. 93.

The Brown Tree-Creeper inhabits the whole of the south-
eastern portion of the Australian continent, from South Aus-
tralia to New South Wales. It gives a decided preference to
the open thinly-timbered forests of Eucalypti, as well as the
flats studded with the apple-trees {Angopliorcd), the bark of
which, being rough and uneven, affords numerous retreats for
various tribes of insects ; its food, however, is not only sought
for upon the boles and branches of the trees, but is obtained
by penetrating the decayed and hollow parts ; and it even
dives into the small hollow spouts of the branches in search
of spiders, ants, and other insects : although its form would

INSESSOllES. 599

lead to a contrary supposition, it spends mucli of its time on
the ground, under the canopy and near the boles of the larger
trees, in a similar pursuit, and also traverses the fallen trunks
with a keen and scrutinizing eye. While on the ground it
has a pert lively action, passing over the surface in a succession
of quick shuffling hops, carrying its head erect with the
feathers puffed out, almost in the form of a crest. Among
the trees it assumes all the actions of the true Creeper,
ascending the upright boles, and traversing with the greatest
facility both the upper and under sides of the branches. It
never descends with the head downwards, like the members
of the genera Sitta and Sittella ; still I have seen it descend
an upright bole for a short distance, by hopping or shuffling
backwards, as it were, generally making a spiral course.

It flies with a skimming motion of the wings, during which
the brown marking of the primaries is very conspicuous.

Like many other insectivorous birds in Australia it seldom,
if ever, resorts to the water for the purpose of drinking. It
has a sharp piercing cry, which is frequently uttered, espe-
cially if the tree upon which it is climbing be approached.

The breeding-season commences in August and continues
until January. The nest is generally placed deep down in a
hollow branch : those I found were entirely composed of
the hair of the Opossum, which, judging from its brightness
and freshness, had doubtless been plucked from the living
animal while reposing in the hollow trees. The eggs in all
the nests I took were two in number, of a reddish flesh-
colour, thickly blotched all over with reddish brown ; they
are ten and a half lines long by eight lines broad.

The male has the crown of the head blackish brown ; lores
black ; line over the eye and the throat dull butf ; at the base
of the throat a few indistinct blackish-brown spots ; all the
upper surface rufous brown ; primaries blackish brown at the
base and light brown at the tip, all but the first crossed in
the centre by a broad band of buff", to which succeeds another

000 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

broad band of blackish brown ; tail brown, all but the two
centre feathers crossed by a broad band of blackish brown ;
all the nnder surface greyish brown, each feather of the chest
and abdomen having a stripe of dull white, bounded on either
side with black, running down the centre ; under tail-coverts
reddish buff, crossed by irregular bars of black ; irides, bill,
and feet blackish brown.

Little difference is observable either in the colour or size of
the sexes ; the female may, nevertheless, be at once distin-
guished from the male by the spots at the base of the throat
being rufous instead of blackish brown as in the male.

Sp.3()7. CLIMACTERIS RUFA, Gould.

Rufous Tree-Creeper.

Climacteris rvfa, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part viii. p. 149.
Jin-nee, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western Australia.

Climacteris rufa, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv. pi. 94.

In its robust form and general contour this species closely
resembles the Climacteris scandens, but from which it is readily
distinguished by the rufous colouring of its plumage.

It is a common bird at Swan River, where Gilbert states
it is most abundant in the gum forests abounding with
the white ant : it ascends the smooth bark of the Eaculypti,
and traverses round the larger branches with the greatest
facility, feeding, like the other members of the genus, upon
insects of various kinds ; but is frequently to be seen on
tlie ground, searching for ants and their larvae, and in this
situation presents a most grotesque appearance, from its
waddling gait.

Its note is a single piercing cry, uttered more rapidly and
loudly when the bird is disturbed, and having a very singular
and striking effect amidst the silence and solitude of the
forest.

INSESSORES. 001

It makes a very warm nest of soft grasses, the down of
flowers and feathers, in the hollow part of a dead branch,
generally so far down that it is almost impossible to reach it,
and it is, therefore, very difficult to find. I discovered one
by seeing the old birds beating away a Wattle-bird that tried
to perch near their hole ; the nest, in this instance, was
fortunately within arm's length ; it contained three eggs of a
pale salmon-colour, thickly blotched all over with reddish
brown, eleven lines long by eight and a half lines broad : this
occurred during the first week in October.

The stomach is large and tolerably muscular.

The male has the crown of the head, all the upper surface,
and wings dark brown ; rump and upper tail- coverts tinged
with rufous ; primaries brown, all but the first crossed by a
broad band of rufous, to which succeeds a second broad band
of dark brown ; two centre tail-feathers brown, indistinctly
barred with a darker hue ; the remainder pale rufous, crossed
by a broad band of blackish brown, and tipped with pale
brown ; line over the eye, lores, ear-coverts, throat, and under
surface of the shoulder rust-brown ; chest crossed by an
indistinct band of rufous brown, each feather with a stripe of
bufly white, bounded on each side with a line of black down
the centre ; the remainder of the under surface deep rust-
red, with a faint line of buffy white down the centre of each
feather, the white line being lost on the flanks and vent;
under tail-coverts light rufous, with a double spot of blackish
brown at intervals along the stem ; irides dark reddish brown ;
bill and feet blackish brown.

The female is rather less in size ; is of the same colour as
the male, but much lighter, without the bounding line of
black on each side of the buff" stripes on the breast, and
having only an indication of the double spots on the under
tail-coverts.

Total length 6 inches ; bill | ; wing 3^ ; tail 2f ; tarsi I.

G02 BIRDS OP AUSTRALIA.

Sp. 308. CLIMACTERIS ERYTHROPS, Gould.

Red-eyebrowed Tree-Creeper.
Climaderis erythrops, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part viii. p. 148.

Climacteris erythrops, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv. pi. 95.

I obtained this interesting species while encamped on the
low grassy hills under the Liverpool range ; but whether it
is generally distributed over the colony, or merely confined
to districts of a similar character to those in which I found
it, I had no opportunity of ascertaining. So far as I could
observe, its habits and manners bore a striking resemblance
to those of the Climacteris leucophoea.

One singular feature connected with this species is the
circumstance of the female alone being adorned with the
beautiful radiated rufous markings on the throat, the male
having this part quite plain; a fact which I ascertained beyond a
doubt by the dissection of numerous specimens of both sexes ;
it is true that a faint trace of this character is observable both
in Climacteris scandens and C. rufa, but the present is the
only species of the genus in which this reversion of a general
law of nature is so strikingly apparent.

The male has the .crown of the head blackish brown, each
feather margined with greyish brown ; lores and a circle
surrounding the eye reddish chestnut ; back brown ; sides of
the neck, lower part of the back, and upper tail-coverts grey ;
primaries blackish brown at the base and light brown at the
tip, all but the first crossed in the centre by a broad band of
buff, to which succeeds another broad band of blackish brown ;
two centre tail-feathers grey, the remainder blackish brown,
largely tipped with light grey ; chin dull white, passing into
greyish brown on the chest; the remainder of the under
surface greyish brown, each feather having a broad stripe of
dull white, bounded on either side with black running down
the centre, the lines becoming blended, indistinct, and tinged

INSESSORES. 603

with buff on the centre of the abdomen ; under tail-coverts
bufFy white, crossed by irregular bars of black ; irides brown ;
bill and feet black.

Total length 5 inches ; bill f ; wing 3^ ; tail 2f ; tarsi f .

The female differs in having the chestnut marking round
the eye much richer, and in having, in place of the greyish
brown on the breast, a series of feathers of a rusty red colour,
with a broad stripe of dull white down their middles, the
stripes appearing to radiate from a common centre ; in all
other particulars her plumage resembles that of the male.

Sp. 3G9. CLIMACTERIS MELANONOTA, Gould.

Black-backed Tree-Creeper.
Climacteris melanotus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xiv. p. 106.

Climacteris melanotus, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv.
pi. 96.

For this additional species of the limited genus Climacteris,
a form confined to Australia, we are indebted to Dr. Leichardt's
Expedition from Moreton Bay to Port Essington. It was
killed in latitude 15° 57' south, on the eastern side of the
Gulf of Carpentaria, and is rendered particularly interesting
to me as being one of the birds procured by poor Gilbert on
the day of his lamented death, the 28th of June 1 845, which
untoward event prevented him from recording any particulars
respecting it : all, therefore, that I can do, is to point out the
differences by which it may be distinguished from the other
members of the genus, and recommend to future observers
the investigation of its habits.

In the dark coloming and thick velvety plumage of the
upper surface it is most nearly allied to the Climacteris
melanura, but differs from that species in being destitute of
the lanceolate marks on the throat, and from all others in the
dark colouring of the back.

The usual distinction of the sexes — the finer colouring of

604 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

the female — exists in this as in the other species of the genus ;
they may be thus described :-—

Supercihary Hue and throat buffy white; line before and
behind the eye, all the upper surface, wings, and tail dark
brownish black ; the base of the primaries, secondaries, and
tertiaries, and the under surface of the shoulder buff; under
surface pale vinous brown ; the feathers of the abdomen with
two stripes of black running parallel to and near the stem,
the space between dull white ; at the base of the throat several
irregular spots of black ; under tail-coverts buffy white, crossed
by broad bars of black ; irides brown.

Total length 5 J inches ; bill f ; wing 3^ ; tail 2^ ; tarsi f .

The female differs in having the markings of the abdomen
larger and more conspicuous, and in having the spots at the
base of the throat chestnut instead of black.

Sp. 370. CLIMACTERIS MELANURA, Gould.

Black-tailed Tree-Creeper.
Climacteris melanura, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part x. p. 138.

Climacteris melanura, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iv. pi. 97.

I formerly believed that all the members of this genus
were confined to the southern portions of Australia, but that
such is not the case is proved by the circumstance of Mr.
Bynoe having killed this bird on the northern coast. It
exceeds all the other species in size, and also differs from
them in its colouring, particularly in the lanceolate feathers
on the throat and in the black colour of the tail. Nothing
whatever is known of its habits or general economy, but,
judging from its structure, it doubtless closely assimilates
to its congeners in all these particulars.

Forehead, all the upper surface, and the tail-feathers velvety
brownish black ; the occiput and back of the neck stained
with ferruginous brown ; primaries and secondaries dark
brown at the base and at the tip, the intermediate space buff.

INSESSORES. 605

forming a conspicuous band across the wing when expanded ;
feathers of the throat white, edged all round with black, giving
the throat a striated appearance ; abdomen and flanks ferru-
ginous brown ; under tail-coverts black, irregularly crossed
with bars of buff ; bill and feet blackish brown.

Total length 6f inches ; bill J ; wing 4 ; tail 3 ; tarsi 1 .

Sp. 371. CLIMACTERIS LEUCOPHOEA.

White-throated Tree-Creeper.

Certhia leucophcea, Lath. Ind. Orn., Supp. p. xxxvi.

picumnus, 111. Mas. Berol.

Climacteris picumnus, Temm. PI. Col. 281. fig. 1.
New Holland Nuthatch, Lath. Gen. Hist,, vol. iv. p. 78.
Certhia leucoptera, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 182.
The Common Creeper, Lewin, Birds of New Holl., pi. 25.
Climacteris leucophoea, Strickl. Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., vol. xi. 1843,
p. 336.

Climacteris picumnus, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iv.
pi. 98.

The range of this species is as widely extended as that of
the Climacteris scandens, being a common bird in New South
Wales and the intervening country, as far as South Australia :
the precise limits of its habitat northward have not been
ascertained ; but it does not form part of the Fauna of Western
Australia.

The whole structure of this species is much more slender
and Creeper-like than any other member of its genus, and I
observed that this difference of form has a corresponding in-
fluence over its habits, for they are more strictly arboreal than
those of its congeners ; indeed so much so, that it is ques-
tionable whether the bird ever descends to the ground. It
also differs from the C. scandens in the character of country
and kind of trees it inhabits, being rarely seen on the large
Bucalypti of the open forest lands, but resorting to trees border-

606 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

ing creeks, as well as those on the mountains and the brushes.
I have frequently seen it in the brushes of Illawarra and Mait-
land, in which localities the C. scandcns is seldom if ever
found. While traversing the trunks of trees in search of
insects, which it does with great facility, it utters a shrill
piping cry: in this cry, and indeed in the whole of its actions,
it strikingly reminded me of the Common Creeper of Europe
{Certhia familiaris), particularly in its manner of ascending
the upright trunks of the trees, commencing at the bottom
and gradually creeping up the bole to the top, generally
in a spiral direction. It is so partial to the Casua7'in(B, that I
have seldom seen a group of those trees without at the same
time observing the White-throated Tree- Creeper, their rough
bark affording numerous receptacles for various kinds of
insects, which constitute its sole diet. I have never observed
this species near the water-holes, and I feel assured it has the
power of subsisting without drinking.

The breeding-season is September and the three following
months. The nest is built of grasses, is warmly lined with
feathers, and is placed in the hollow branch or bole of a tree.
The eggs are three in number, of a dull white thinly speckled
with fine spots of rich brown, and a few larger blotches of
the same colour ; they are ten lines long by eight lines broad.

Crown of the head and back of the neck sooty black ; back
olive-brown; wings dark brown, all the primaries and se-
condaries crossed in the centre by a dull buff-coloured band ;
throat and centre of the abdomen white, the latter tinged
with buff; feathers of the flanks brownish black, with a broad
stripe of dull white down the centre ; rump and upper tail-
coverts dark grey ; under tail-coverts white, crossed by several
bands of black, each of which being separated on the stem
appear like a double spot ; tail greyish brown, crossed by a
broad band of black near the tip ; bill black ; the under
mandible horn- colour at the base ; feet blackish brown.

The female is precisely the same in colom*, with the excep-

INSESSORES. 607

tion of having a small orange-coloured spot just below the
ear-coverts, and by which she is at once distinguished from
the male.

Genus ORTHONYX.

Much difference of opinion has arisen among ornithologists
respecting the situation of this bird in systematic arrange-
ments, and as to what genus it is most nearly allied ; I regret
to say that not having seen much of the bird in a state of
nature, I am unable to clear up these disputed points. The
form is strictly Australian, and the single species known is
confined to the south-eastern part of the country.

Sp. 372. ORTHONYX SPINICAUDUS, Temm.

Spine-tailed Orthonyx.

Orthonyx spinicaudus, Temm. PI. Col., 428 male, 429 female.

temminckii, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 294.

maculatus, Staph. Cont. of Shaw's Gen. Zool., vol. xiv. p. 186.

Orthonyx spinicaudus, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv.
pi. 99.

The Spine-tailed Orthonyx is very local in its habitat, being
entirely confined, so far as I have been enabled to ascertain,
to the brushes which skirt the southern and eastern coasts of
Australia, such as those at lUawarra, and in the neighbour-
hood of the rivers Manning, Clarence, and MacLeay. It is
usually found in the most retired situations running over the
prostrate logs of trees, large moss-covered stones, &c. I
ascertained by an examination of the stomach that the food
consists of insects, principally of the order Coleoptera, and
that the white throat distinguishes the male and the rufous
throat the female.

M. Jules Verreaux, who has written a highly interesting
account of this bird, states that it is strictly terrestrial, and
scratches among the detritus and fallen leaves for its food.

008 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

throwing back the earth Hke the GallinacecB. It never climbs,
as was formerly supposed, but runs over fallen trunks of
trees; — is rather a solitary bird, seldom more than two being
seen together. Its often -repeated cry of cri-cri-cri-crife
betrays its presence, when its native haunts, the most retired
parts of the forest, are visited. Its chief food consists of
insects, their larvse, and wood-bugs. It builds a large domed
nest, of slender mosses ; the entrance being by a lateral hole
near the bottom. The eggs are white and disproportionately
large. The situation of the nest is the side of a slanting rock
or large stone, the entrance-hole being level with the surface.
— Revue Zoologique, July 1847.

The male has the crown of the head and upper part of the
back reddish brown, with a large mark of black on each
feather ; lower part of the back and upper tail-coverts rich
rufous brown ; wings black ; coverts largely tipped with grey;
primaries crossed with grey at the base ; apical half of the pri-
maries and the tips of the secondaries dark brownish grey ;
tail dark brown ; sides of the head and neck dark grey ;
throat and chest white, separated from the grey of the sides
of the neck by a lunar-shaped mark of deep black ; flanks and
under tail-coverts grey, stained with reddish brown ; bill and
feet black ; irides very dark hazel.

The female only differs in colour in having the throat rich
rust-red.

Genus SITTELLA, Sivainson.

During the progress of the " Birds of Australia" I had the
pleasure of characterizing several new species of this form ;
one from Southern and Western Australia, another from
Moreton Bay, and a third from the north coast. The Sittella
chrysoptera was the only one previously known.

No species of this genus exists in Tasmania.

These birds build singular, upright nests on the branches of

INSESSORES. 009

trees, and do not incubate in the holes of trees hke the Nut-
hatches of Europe and India.

Sp.373. SITTELLA CHRYSOPTERA, Swains.

Orange-winged Sittella.
Sitta chrysoptera, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., p. xxxii.
Orange-winyed Nuthatch, Lath. Gen. Syu. Supp., vol. ii. p. 146, pi. 227.
Sitta ? chrysoptera, Steph. Cont. Shaw's Gen. Zool., vol. xiv. p. 189.
Neops chrysoptera, Vieill. 2nde edit, du Diet. d'Hist. Nat., torn. xxxi.

p. 331.
Sittella ch-ysoptera. Swains. Class, of Birds, vol. ii. p. 317.
Mur-ri-gang, Aborigines of New South Wales.

Sittella chrysoptera, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv. pi. 101.

New South Wales is the true habitat of this species, over
nearly every part of which it is rather plentifully distributed.
I generally observed it in small companies of from four to
eight in number, running over the branches of the trees with
the greatest facility, and assuming every possible variety of
position; often, like the Nuthatch, traversing the boles of
the trees with its head downwards. .

During its flight, which is quick and darting, the red mark
on the wing shows very conspicuously ; its powers of flight
are, however, seldom employed, further than to enable it to
pass from one tree to another.

The colouring of this bird is more sombre, and has the
markings of the head less decided, than any other species of
the genus. The darker colouring of the head and ear-coverts
of the female, however, at once points out to the ornithologist
the sex of any specimen he may possess of this genus.

The male has the head dark brown ; all the upper surface
grey, with a broad streak of dark brown down the centre of
each feather ; wings dark brown, with a broad patch of rich
rufous crossing the primaries and secondaries ; upper tail-
coverts white ; tail black, the outer feathers tipped with
white ; all the under surface grey, with a faint streak of

2 K

610 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

brown down each feather ; under tail-coverts white, crossed
near the tip with a spot of brown ; bill horn-colour at the
base; irides cream-colour ; eyelash light buff ; feet yellow.

The female differs only in having the head of a darker tint
of brown.

I possess a somewhat mutilated specimen of a Sittella,
which was given to me by Captain Sturt, but I am unaware
of the locality in which he obtained it. This bird, which I
feel assured is a new species, is very nearly allied to S. chry-
soptera, but differs from it in having a longer and more
upturned bill, the base of which is yellow, and a uniformly
coloured back and breast without apparently any trace of
the brown striae seen on the feathers of those parts in S. chry-
soptera ; in other respects, particularly in the chestnut coloured
band across the wings, it is very similar to that species.
If it should hereafter prove to be new, I would propose for it
the specific name of tenuirostris.

Sp. 374. SITTELLA LEUCOCEPHALA, Gould.

White-headed Sittella.
Sittella leucocephala, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part v. p. 153.

Sittella leucocephala, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iv. pL 102.

My collection contains several specimens of this species of
Sittella, two of which were received from the neighbourhood
of Moreton Bay ; another was procured during Dr. Leichardt's
overland expedition to Port Essington, Gilbert having killed
it near Peak-Range Camp on the 27th of January 1845 : the
latter differs from the former in the greater purity of the
white colouring of the head, and in the darker tint of the striae,
which run down the centre of each of the feathers on the breast ;
and it is possible that it may hereafter prove to be distinct.

Head and neck pure white ; upper surface greyish brown
with darker centres ; under surface greyish white, with a
stripe of brownish black down the centre of each feather ;
wings dark brown, crossed by a band of pale rusty red ; tail

TNSESSORES. Oil

brownish black, the middle feathers slightly, and the outer
ones largely tipped with white ; upper tail-coverts white, the
lateral feathers with a patch of dark brown in the centre ;
under tail-coverts brown, tipped with white ; irides greenish
yellow ; base of the bill, nostrils, and eyelash orange-yellow.
Total length 4^ inches ; bill f ; wing 2| ; tail 1^ ; tarsi -|-.

Sp. 375. SITTELLA LEUCOPTERA, Gould.

White -WINGED Sittella.
Sittella leucoptera, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part vii. p. 144.

Sittella leucoptera, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iv. pi. 103.

The present bird, which is a native of the northern parts of
Australia, is a perfect representative of the Sittella chrysoptera
of the south coast, to which species it is most nearly allied.
The contrasted style of its plumage, together with the white
spot in the wings, sufficiently distinguish it from every other
species of the genus yet discovered. It is found in the
Cobourg Peninsula, but is nowhere very abundant ; it moves
about in small families of from four to twelve in number.
Its note, actions, and general habits are precisely similar to
those of the other members of the genus.

The sexes differ from each other in the markings of the
head ; the male has the summit only black, while the female
has the whole of the head and ear-coverts of that colour.

The male has the forehead, crown of the head, and occiput
deep black ; wings black, with a broad band of white cross-
ing the primaries near the base ; tail black, the lateral feathers
tipped with white ; throat, under sm-face, and upper tail-
coverts white ; under tail-coverts white, with a spot of black
near the tip of each feather ; back greyish brown, the centre
of each feather streaked with blackish brown ; irides ochre-
yellow ; eyelash straw-yellow ; bill straw-yellow, tipped with
black ; legs and feet lemon-yellow.

Total length 4 inches ; bill yg ; wing 3 ; tail 1^ ; tarsi y^.

2 11 'Z

612 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Sp. 376 SITTELLA PILEATA, Gould.

Black-capped Sittella.

Sittellu jMeata, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc.^ part v. p. 151, male.
melanocephala, Gould in Ibid., p. 152, female.

Goo-mal-de-dite, Aborigines of Western Australia.

Sittella pileata, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iv. pi. 104.

This species of Sittella enjoys a range extending over
several degrees of longitude. I killed several examples during
my excursion into the interior of South Australia, and I tran-
scribe from my journal the following notes on the subject : —
" I met with a flock of these birds on the hills near the source
of the River Torrens, about forty miles northward of Adelaide :
they were about thirty in number and were, extremely shy,
keeping on the topmost branches of the trees, and the whole
company flying from tree to tree so quickly, that I and my
companion were kept at a full run to get shots at them."

The following is from Gilbert's notes made in Western
Australia : —

" An extremely active bird, running up and down the
trunks and branches of the trees with the utmost rapidity,
always in families of from ten to twenty in number. It
utters a weak piping note while on the wing, and occasionally
while running up and down the trees. Its flight, which is
generally performed in rather rapid undulating starts, is of
short duration."

Gilbert subsequently informed me, on the authority of Mr.
Johnson Drummond, that this species " makes a nest of short
strips of bark attached together and fastened to the branch with
cobwebs, and so covered over with them as to be very nearly
smooth ; the cobweb is laid or felted on, not wound round
the pieces; and portions of lichen are frequently attached. The
nest is generally placed in the highest and most slender fork
of an Acacia, and is most difficult to detect, from its very
diminutive size and from its resembling a slight excrescence

INSESSORES. 613

of the wood ; the eggs are three in number, of a whitish
colour, with circular green spots regularly distributed over
the whole surface. The bird breeds in September.

On reference to the synonyms given above, it will be seen
that, prior to my visit to Australia, I regarded, described, and
named the two sexes of this bird as distinct species, an error
which the opportunity I subsequently had of observing the
bird in a state of natm'e and of dissecting recent specimens has
enabled me to correct ; the black-headed specimens proving to
be females, and those with a black cap only, males.

The male has the forehead, stripe over the eye, throat,
breast, and centre of the abdomen white ; crown of the head
black ; ear-coverts, back of the neck and back greyish brown,
with a small stripe of dark brown down the centre of each
feather of the latter ; rump white ; upper and under tail-
coverts greyish brown, crossed with an arrow-shaped mark of
dark brown, and tipped with white; tail black, the centre
feathers slightly and the outer ones largely tipped with
white ; wings blackish brown, with a large patch of rufous
in the centre, interrupted by the blackish brown margins of
some of the secondaries ; all the feathers slightly tipped with
greyish brown ; flanks and vent greyish brown ; bill yellow
at the base, black at the tip ; feet beautiful king's-yellow ;
irides buffy hazel ; eyelash buff.

The female differs in being somewhat darker on the upper
surface, and in having the whole of the upper part of the
head including the orbits deep black.

Total length 4f inches ; bill|; wing 3^; tail If; tarsi f.

Family CTJCULID-ffi.

The species of this extensive family, many of which arc
rendered remarkable by their parasitic habits, arc universally
dispersed over the surface of the globe ; they abound in the
old world, but are much less numerous in the new. In Africa,

614 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Asia, the Indian and Polynesian islands they are about equally
abundant ; generally speaking the range of the various species
is somewhat limited, while the genera are more widely spread.
All the Australian species, with the exception of the members
of the genus Centropus are parasitic, the huge Scijthrops and
the diminutive Chrysococcyx alike depositing their eggs in the
nests, and entrusting their young to the fostering care of
other birds.

Genus CUCULUS, Limiceus.

Miiller, Bonaparte, Cabanis, and other writers having sepa-
rated the Cuckoos of the southern portion of Australia from
the genus Ctccidus, only one species of that form, as now
restricted, finds a place in the avifauna of the country.

Sp. 377. CUCULUS CANOROIDES, MiiUev- ?
Australian Cuckoo.

Cuculus canoroicles , Miill. Verb. Nat. Gesch. &c., Land-en Volk., p. 235.

horsfieldi, Moore's Cat. Birds E. I. Comp., vol. xi. p. 703.

optatus, Gould in Proe. of Zool. Soc., part xiii. p. 18.

Nicoclarius optatus, Bonap. Consp. Vol. Zygod., p. 6.

Cuculus optatus, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iv. pi. 84.

The northern part of Australia is the only locality in which
this bird has been found ; the specimens I have seen were
killed in the month of January : whether it utters the word
' Cuckoo' or not I am unable to say, but it is most likely that
in its voice as in its form and general appearance it closely
assimilates to its European relative.

In the Australian bird the black bands on the breast are
broader and more defined than in the European C. canorus ;
the claws of the Australian bird are also smaller and more
delicate than those of its European ally.

INSESSORES. 615

All the upper surface slaty grey ; inner webs of the prima-
ries broadly barred with white ; tail-feathers dark violet-
brown, with a row of oblong spots of white, placed alternately
on either side of the stem, and slightly tipped with white ;
the lateral feathers have also a row of white spots on the mar-
gin of their inner webs ; chin and breast light grey ; all the
under surface buffy white, crossed by bands of black ; irides,
bill, and feet orange.

Total length 13 inches ; bill 1 J ; wing 7f ; tail Q^ ; tarsi f .

Genus CACOMANTIS, Muller.

This genus was founded for the Cuculiis jlavus of Gmelin,
a form which is freely represented in Australia, where there
are at least four species, some inhabiting the southern, and
others the western and northern parts of the country.

Sp.378. CACOMANTIS PALLIDUS.

Pallid Cuckoo.

Columba pallida, Lath. Gen. Syn., Supp. vol. ii. p. 270.

Cuculus inornatus, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans.^ vol. xv. p. 297.

albostrigatus, Vig. and Horsf. lb., p. 298, young.

variegatus et cinereus, Vieill. Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat., tom.viii.

pp. 224, 226.
Cacomantis inornatus, Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av., torn. i. p. 103, Caco-

mantis, sp. 1.

cinereus, Bonap. Consp. Vol. Zygod., p. 6.

Heteroscenes pallidus, Cab. et Hein. Mus. Hein., Theiliv. Heft 1. p. 26

occidentalis, Cab. et Hein. lb., Theil iv. Heft. 1. p. 27, note.

Dju-dur-ruu, Aborigines of Western Australia.
Greater Cuckoo of the Colonists.

Cuculus inornatus, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv. pi. 85.

The southern portion of Australia generally, and the island
of Tasmania, are inhabited by this species of Cuckoo ; to the
latter country, however, it is only a summer visitant, and a

(JlG BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

partial migration also takes place in the adjacent portion of
the continent, as is shown by its numbers being much fewer
during winter. It arrives in Tasmania in the month of Septem-
ber, and departs northward in February. During the vernal
season it is an animated and querulous bird, and may then
be seen either singly, or two or more males engaged in chasing
each other from tree to tree. Its ringing whistling call, which
consists of a succession of running notes, the last and highest
of which are several times rapidly repeated, is often uttered
while the bird is at rest among the branches, and also occa-
sionally while on the wing. Its food consists of caterpillars,
FhasmidcE, and coleopterous insects, which are generally pro-
cured among the leafy branches of the trees, and in searching
for which it displays considerable activity, and great power of
traversing the smaller limbs. When desirous of repose after
feeding, it perches on the topmost dead branches of the trees,
on the posts and rails of the fences, or any other prominent
site whence it can survey all around. Its flight is straight
and rapid, and not unlike that of the Cuculus canoriis.

In respect to its reproduction it is strictly parasitic, devolving
the task of incubation on the smaller birds, many species of
which are known to be the foster-parents ; among them may
be enumerated the various MelitJirejjti, Ptilotes, Maluri, Acan-
Ihizce, &c. After the young Cuckoo has left the nest, it selects
some low dead branch in an open glade of the forest as a
convenient situation for its various foster-parents to supply it
with food, for the procuring and supplying of which the
smaller birds appear to have entered into a mutual compact.

The specimens of this bird from Western Austraha are
somewhat smaller, and have the white marks of the tail less
distinct than specimens from Tasmania, but these differences
are, in my opinion, too trivial to be regarded as other than
mere local variations ; but MM. Cabanis and Heine think other-
wise, and have assigned to them the specific appellation of occi-
dcntalis. When fully adult the plumage is nearly of a uniform

INSESSORES. 617

brown, with the inner webs of the wing and tail-feathers
reheved by bars and markings of white ; the immature
colouring, on the contrary, presents a variegated and very
diversified character, which, owing to the constant change
taking place, cannot be described so as to render it clear to
my readers. When the young leaves the nest, the throat,
face, and shoulders are black, the feathers of the remainder
of the body crossed and spotted with buff; the black colouring
gradually gives place to the grey of the under surface, while
the bufFy marks of the upper surface are retained even after
the second or third moult ; it breeds in this state, and it is
doubtful whether in the female it is ever entirely cast off.

The stomachs of those dissected were found to be capacious,
membranous, and thickly lined with hair.

The egg is about seven-eights of an inch long by five-eighths
broad, and is of a cream-colour, speckled all over with markings
of brown.

The adult male has the head, neck, and all the under surface
brownish grey, with a streak of dark brown down the sides of
the neck ; all the upper surface olive-brown, becoming much
darker on the wings and tail; basal portion of the inner webs
of the primaries broadly barred with white ; tail-feathers barred
on the margins of both webs with white, slightly on the outer
and deeply on the inner ; all the feathers tipped with white,
and with a mark of white on the stem near the tip, this mark
being very small on the central tail-feather, and gradually
increasing on the lateral feathers until on the outer it forms a
band ; under-irides very dark brown ; eyelash yellow ; gape
and inside of the mouth rich deep orange ; feet olive.

The female differs in having the upper surface mottled with
buff and rufous, in having a triangular spot of reddish buff at
the extremity of each of the wing-coverts, and the markings of
the tail buff instead of white; all which markings may in
very old birds give place to a style of colouring similar to the
male.

G18 BIRDS or AUSTRALIA.

The young, "independently of the differences pointed out
above, has the feet yellowish olive, the soles of the feet yellov^ ;
the bill yellowish olive, the corner of the mouth and the tip of
the bill being more yellow than the rest of that organ ; irides
greyish brown.

Sp. 379. CACOMANTIS FLABELLIFORMIS.
Fan-tailed Cuckoo.

Cuculus flabellifurmis, Lath. Ind. Orn., Supp. vol. ii. p. 30.

rufulus, Vieill. Nouv. Diet. d^Hist. Nat., toni. viii. p. 234.

jjyrrhophaenus, Vieill. lb., torn. viii. p. 234.

prionurus, Licht. Verz. Doubl., p. 9.

cineraceus, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans. ^ vol. xv. p. 298.

incertus, Vig. and Horsf. lb., vol. xv. p. 299.

variolosus, Vig. and llorsf. lb., vol. xv. p. 300.

■ flavus, pt., Less. Traite d'Orn., p. 152.

cinerascens, Gray and Mitch. Gen. of Birds, vol. ii. p. 463,

Cuculus, sp. 41.

pyrrhophanes, Gray and Mitch. lb., vol. ii. p. 463, Cuculus, sp. 46.

Cacomantis flahelliformis, Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av., torn. i. 104, Caco-

mantis, sp. 7.

incertus, Bonap. Consp. Vol. Zygod., p. 6.

Du'laar, Aborigines of the lowland districts of Western Australia.
Lesser Cuckoo of the Colonists.

Cuculus cineraceus, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, voL iv. pL 86.

This is a migratory species, arriving in Tasmania in Septem-
ber, and, after spending the summer months therein, departing
to the northward in January and February. In the southern
parts of the continent of Australia solitary individuals remain
throughout the winter, as evidenced by my having observed it
round Adelaide in July : I have never seen individuals from
the north coast ; I therefore infer that its migratory movements
are somewhat restricted ; in all probability the 26th degree of
latitude may be the extent of its range to the northward.
During the summer months, its distribution over the southern
portion of the continent may be said to be universal, but

INSESSORES. 619

withal it is rather a solitary bird and loves to dwell in
secluded situations, where, but for its loud ringing call, which
much resembles its aboriginal name, it would easily escape
detection.

It flies rather heavily, and on alighting moves the tail up
and down for some time ; a similar movement of the tail also
invariably precedes its taking flight.

Like the other species of Cuckoo, it deposits its single egg
in the nest of some one or other of the smaller kinds of birds :
it is of a perfectly oval form, of a flesh-white sprinkled all over
with fine spots of purplish brown, nine or ten lines long by
seven and a half lines broad.

The stomach is capacious, membranous,and lined with hairs;
and the food consists of the larvae of insects of various kinds.

The sexes are alike in plumage, but the female is a trifle
smaller than the male.

Head and all the upper surface dark slate-grey; wings
brown, glossed with green; tail dark glossy greenish brown,
each feather toothed on the edge with white, the extent of
which gradually increases until on the lateral feathers they
assume the form of irregular interrupted bars ; on the edge
of the shoulder a short narrow stripe of white ; on the under
surface of the wing an oblique band of white ; chin grey ;
under surface ferruginous ; bill black, except at the base of
the lower mandible, where it is fleshy orange; irides dark
brown ; eyelash beautiful citron-yellow ; feet yellowish olive.

Sp. 380. CACOMANTIS INSPERATUS, Gould.
Brush-Cuckoo.

Cuculus insperatus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xiii. p. 19.
Cacomaniis imperafus, Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av.^ torn. i. p. 104, Caco-
mantis, sp. 2.

Cuculus insperatus, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv. pi. 87.
While traversing the cedar brushes of the Liverpool range

620 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

on the 26th of October, 1839, my attention was attracted by
the appearance of a Cuckoo, which I at first mistook for the
Cacomantis fiahelliformis, but which on examination proved
to be a new species ; this example was the only one I ever
saw Kving, and a single skin is all that has since been sent
to me from New South Wales ; it must therefore be very
rare in the south-eastern portion of the continent. More
recently I have received examples from Western Australia.

On comparison, this species will be found to differ from
C.Jlabelliformis, for which it might be readily mistaken, in its
smaller size, in the more square form of the tail, and in that
organ being destitute of white markings on the outer webs of
the feathers. In its structure and colouring it will be found
to approximate to the members of the genus Mesocalius, and
in fact to form one of the links which unite the two groups.

Head, throat, and all the upper surface dark slate-grey;
back and wings glossed with green ; tail glossy brownish
green, each feather tipped with white, and with a row of
triangular-shaped white markings on the margins of the inner
webs ; primaries and secondaries with a patch of white on
their inner webs near the base ; edge of the shoulder white ;
under surface of the shoulder, vent, and under tail-coverts
rufous ; remainder of the under surface grey, washed with
rufous ; bill black ; feet olive.

Total length 9 J inches ; bill 1 ; wing 6 J ; tail 5 ; tarsi f .

Sp. 381. CACOMANTIS DUMETORUM, Gould.

Square-tailed Cuckoo.

Cuculus dumetorum, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xiii. p. 19.
Cacomantis dumetorum, Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av., torn. i. p. 104, Caco-
mantis, sp. 3.

This species, which inhabits the north-western coast, differs
from C. insperatus in being of a much smaller size and in the
whole of the plumage being browner.

ENSESSORES. 621

Head, neck, and rump dark slate-grey ; back, wings, and
tail bronzy brown ; tail-feathers slightly tipped with white,
and with a row of small triangular-shaped spots on the
margins of their inner webs ; breast grey, washed with
rufous ; under sm^face of the shoulder, flanks, vent, and under
tail-coverts deep rufous ; irides brown.

Total length S^ inches ; bill f ; wing 5 ; tail 4^ ; tarsi ^.

Genus MESOCALIUS, Cahanis et Heine.

MM. Cabanis and Heine have established the above genus
for the bird I had called Chalcites osculans, and as I have
adopted many of the new genera into which the CiicuUdcB
are now divided, I have no alternative but to adopt this one
also. The only species of the form yet discovered is a larger
or more robust bird than the little Bronze Cuckoos, and it
also differs from them in its colouring.

Sp. 382. MESOCALIUS OSCULANS, Gould.
Black-eared Cuckoo.

Chalcites osculans, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xv. p. 32.
Cuculus osculans, Gray and Mitch. Gen. of Birds, vol. ii. p. 463

Cuculus, sp. 29.
Chrysococcyx osculans, Gould, Birds of Australia, vol. i. Introd. p. Ixi.
Misocalius palliolatus. Cab. et Hein. Mus. Hein. Theil iv. Heft i.

p. 16, note.
Black-eared Cuckoo, Colonists of Swan River.

Chalcites osculans, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iv. pi. 88.

Tour examples of this species came imder my notice during
the time I was engaged on the folio edition of the Birds of
Australia — one from Swan River, two killed by myself in New
South Wales, and one in the collection of the late H. E.
Strickland, Esq. ; since its completion a fine example has been
sent to me by G, French Angas, Esq., from South Australia.

622 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Judging from the little I saw of this species in a state of
nature, its habits were those of the members of the genus
Lamprococcyx ; thick shrubby trees of moderate height ap-
peared to be its favourite resort, and its food to consist of
insects obtained among the branches and from off the leaves,
in search of which it hops about with stealthiness and
quietude ; further than this, little is known respecting it.
One of my specimens was killed near Gundermein on the
Lower Namoi, on the 24th of December, 1839 ; but the true
habitat of the species has not yet been discovered. That it
is confined to Austraha is almost certain, but this can only
be verified by future research.

Gilbert, who observed this bird in Western Australia,
states that it is very shy, and that he only met with it in tlie
interior of the country. It utters a feeble, lengthened, and
plaintive note at long intervals. It flies slowly and heavily,
and but short distances at a time. The stomach is thin and
capacious, and slightly lined with hairs of caterpillars.

Head, all the upper surface, and wings glossy olive-brown,
becoming darker on the shoulders and primaries, and fading
into white on the upper tail- coverts ; tail dark olive-brown,
each feather tipped with white, and the lateral one on each
side crossed on the inner web with five bars of white ; ear-
coverts black, encircled with white ; under surface of the
wing, throat, breast, and abdomen pale cinnamon-brown,
fading into white on the under tail-coverts ; bill very dark
brown ; irides dark blackish brown ; tarsi and upper surface
of the feet greenish grey ; under surface of the feet and the
back of the tarsi mealy fleshy grey.

Total length 1\ inches ; bill f ; wing 4f ; tail 3f ; tarsi f .

That this bird is not identical with the Cuculus palliolatus
of Latham as supposed by MM. Cabanis and Heine is, in my
opinion, quite certain ; Latham's description does not agree
with it in any particular; besides which it is not likely that
the bird, which is strictly confined to the interior of the

TNSESSORES. 623

country, could have been sent to England at the period at
which he wrote : it is even now extremely rare in our col-
lections.

Genus LAMPROCOCCYX, Cahanis et Heine.

The members of this genus are widely dispersed, being
found in New Zealand, Australia, Java, and Africa. At least
three inhabit Australia, of which, the two frequenting the
southern portions of that country have been considered iden-
tical, but with a little care they may be easily distinguished.

Sp. 383. LAMPROCOCCYX PLAGOSUS.

Bronze-Cuckoo.

Cuculus plagosus, Lath. Ind. Orn., Sup. p. xxxi.

metallicus, Vig. and Hoisf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 302,

versicolor, Gray, Gen. of Birds, vol. ii. p. 464, Cuculus sp. 30.

Golden or Bronze-Cuckoo of the Colonists.

Chrysococcyx lucidus, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., voL iv.
pi. 89, centre figure.

The New Zealand Lamprococcyx lucidus being now consi-
dered distinct from the species found in New South Wales,
it becomes necessary to determine which specific appellation
was first appHed to the latter ; this I beUeve to be C. plagosus
of Latham, which I therefore adopt, and reduce the C. metallicus
of Vigors and Horsfield, and the C. versicolor of Mr. G. R.
Gray's Genera of Birds to the rank of synonyms.

The Lamprococcyx plagosus is very widely dispersed over
every part of the Australian continent, and if it be not mi-
gratory in New South Wales, the greater number certainly
retire in winter to the northward, where insect food is more
abundant. I have, however, seen it in the Botanic Garden at
Sydney in the month of March. Its food consists of insects
of various orders, the stomachs of those examined containing

624 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

the remains of Hymenoptera, Coleoptera, and caterpillars.
While searching for food, its motions, although very active,
are characterized by a remarkable degree of quietude, the bird
leaping from branch to branch in the gentlest manner possible,
picking an insect here and there, and prying for others among
the leaves and the crevices of the bark with the most scrutiniz-
ing care. Its flight is quick and undulating, and when passing
from one tree to another on a sunny day, the brilliant green
colouring of the male shows very beautifully. Like the true
Cuckoos, it always deposits its single egg in the nest of
another bird, those of the Maluri and Acanthizcd being gene-
rally selected ; in New South Wales the Malurns cyaneus and
the Geobasileus chysorrhous are among others the foster-
parents ; in Western Australia the nests of the Malurus splen-
dens are resorted to ; and it is a remarkable fact, that the egg
is mostly deposited in nests of a domed form, with a very
small hole for an entrance.

The stomach is capacious, membranous, and slightly lined
with hair.

Its note is a mournful whistle, very like that usually em-
ployed to call a dog.

The egg is of a clear olive-brown, somewhat paler at the
smaller end, about eleven-sixteenths of an inch long by half
an inch in breadth.

The adult male has the head, all the upper surface and
wings of a rich coppery bronze ; primaries brown with a
bronzy lustre ; tail bronzy brown, crossed near the tip with a
dull black band ; tho two lateral feathers on each side with a
series of large oval spots of white across the inner web, and a
series of smaller ones opposite the interspaces on the outer
web ; third and fourth feathers on each side with a small oval
spot of white at the tip of the inner web ; all the under sur-
face white, crossed by numerous broad conspicuous bars of
rich deep bronze ; irides brownish yellow ; feet dark brown,
the interspaces of the scales mealy.

rNSESsoRES. 625

The female is similarly marked, but has only a wash of the
bronzy colouring on the upper surface, and the bars of the
under surface much less distinct.

The young, which are brown, with a still fainter wash of
bronze, have the throat and under surface grey, without any
trace of the bars, except on the under surface of the shoulder ;
the base of the tail-feathers deep rusty -red, the irides bright
grey, and the corners of the mouth yellow.

Sp. 384. LAMPROCOCCYX MINUTILLUS, Gould,
Little Bronze Cuckoo.

Ch-ysococcyx minutillus, Gould ia Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xxvii.

p. 128.
Lamprococcyx minutillus, Cab. et Hein. Mus. Hein., Theil iv. Heft i.

p. 15, note.

Chrysococcyx minutillus, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, Supple-
ment, pi.

Nothing further is known respecting this little bronze
Cuckoo than that it is a native of Port Essington, whence the
only specimen I have yet seen was sent. The example alluded
to is fully adult, and differs very considerably from every other
species with which I am acquainted. It is one of the smallest
species of the genus, yet it has as stout a bill as some of the
larger kinds.

Head, all the upper surface, and wings shining bronzy
green ; all the under surface white, barred with bronzy green,
the bars being most distinct on the flanks ; primaries and
secondaries white on the basal portion of their inner webs ;
two centre tail-feathers bronzy green, the next on each side
bronzy green on the outer web, rufous on the inner web,
crossed by a broad band of black near the tip, and with an
oval spot of white across the tip of the inner web ; the two
next on each side bronzy green on their outer webs, their
inner webs rufous with large spots of black near the shaft,

2s

626 BIRDS OF AUSTRAIJA.

most conspicuons on the outermost of the two feathers ; their
inner webs are also crossed near the tip with a very broad
band of black, and have an oval spot of white at the tip ; the
outer feather on each side is barred alternately on the outer
web with dull bronzy green and dull white, and on the inner
one with broad decided bars of black and white, and tipped
with white ; bill black ; feet olive.

Total length 5^ inches ; bill f ; wing 3 J ; tail 2^ ; tarsi -J.

Sp.385. LAMPROCOCCYX BASALIS.

Narrow-billed Bronze Cuckoo.

Cuculus auratus, var., Vieill. Ency. Meth. Oni., part iii. p. 1338.

hasalis, Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xiii. p. 179.

malayanus, Raflf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xiii. p. 286.

chalcites, Blyth, Journ. Asiat. Soc. Bei\g., 1842, p. 919.

Clirysococcyx basalts, Blyth, id., 1846, p. 54.

chalcites, Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av., torn. i. p. 106, Chrysococcijx ,

sp. 8.
Chalcites hasalis, Bonap. Consp. Vol. Zygod., p. 7.
Chrysococcyx malayanus, Horsf. and Moore, Cat. of Birds in Mus.

East Ind. Comp., vol. ii. p. 707.
Lamprococcyx basalis,Cah.et Hein.lMus. Hein., Theiliv. Heft l.p.l2.
Chrysococcyx pcecilurus, G. R. Gray, Proc. of Zool. Soc, 1861, p. 431 ?

Chrysococcyx lucidus, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv. pi. 89 ;
lower figure adult, upper figui*e young.

If the residents in the southern portion of Australia will
examine the little Bronze Cuckoos which annually visit them
in summer, they will find that they are of two distinct species.
They bear a general resemblance ; but one will be found to
have a stouter bill than the other, and a nearly uniformly
coloured tail, the outer feather on each side only being barred.
This bird may be observed in all the southern parts of Aus-
tralia from east to west, and I believe in Tasmania. The
other species is about the same size, but has a narrower
bill, a lighter-brown head, a paler-coloured back ; the outer

INSESSORES. G27

feathers of the tail strongly barred, as in the last, and the
basal portion of the next tliree feathers on each side rufous-
chestnut, which colour must, I presume, show very con-
spicuously when the bird is flying, or when sitting on a
tree with its tail spread. I have specimens of this species
from South Australia and Moreton Bay, and I believe I
may state that it is the Common Bronze Cuckoo of Tas-
mania, but of this I am not certain ; the chances are that
both it and the L. lucidus is found there. After a careful
examination I have come to the conclusion that the stout-
billed bird is the C. 2:)lagosus of Latham, and that the narrow-
billed one is identical with the Javan species to which
Horsfield gave the appellation of C. hasalls. Having the
type specimen of C. basalis, New Zealand skins to which
the specific term lucidus was originally applied, and examples
of C. plagosus, wherewith to compare it, I am the more cer-
tain of being correct in these conclusions.

Plaving said thus much about these little parasitic Cuckoos,
I leave to the rising ornithologists of Australia the task of in-
vestigating the subject, and of informing the scientific world
whether there be any differences in the eggs of the two
birds, and the character of the plumage of their nestlings.
If their first dress be not nearly uniform, and destitute of
any bars on the throat and under surface, then there is another
species yet to be described.

Crown of the head and nape bronzy brown ; over the eye
a stripe of dull white ; feathers of the back, wing-coverts,
upper tail-coverts, and two centre tail-feathers dark shining
green, edged with grey; wings brown, glossed with green
and margined with grey ; outer tail-feather on each side
alternately and broadly barred with blackish brown and
white ; the three rest on each side rufous chestnut at the
base, passing into green towards the extremity, and ending
in blackish brown spotted with white ; ear-coverts and sides
of the neck brown ; under surface buffy white, mottled with

9, c o

028 BIRDS 01' AUSTRALIA.

bars of pale brown on the throat, and strongly barred on the
flanks with bronzy brown ; under surface of the shoulder
similarly but not so strongly barred.

Genus SCYTHROPS, Latham.

The only known species of this remarkable form inhabits
the eastern parts of Australia, and according to the informa-
tion gained from the notes made by Gilbert during Dr.
Leichardt's Expedition, extends it range northward from
thence to Torres Straits.

Sp. 386. SCYTHROPS NOV^-HOLLANDI^, Lat/u

Channel-Bill.

Scythrops novce-hollandia, Lath. Ind. Orn., vol. i. p. 141.
Psittaceous Hornbill, Phil. Bot. Bay, pi. in p. 165.
Anomalous Hornbill, Whitens Journ., pi. in p. 142.
Channel-Bill, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 96, pi. 124.
Australasian Channel-Bill, Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 378, pi. 50.
Scythrops australasice, Shaw, id., p. 378.

goerang, Vieill. Nouv. Diet. d^Hist. Nat., torn. xxx. p. 456.

australis, Swains. Class, of Birds, vol. ii. p. 299.

Curriay-gim, Aborigines of New South Wales.

Scythrops novae-hoUandias, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iv.
pL 90.

This remarkable bird, which has been considered a Horn-
bill by some authors, and as nearly allied to the Toucans
by others, is in reality a member of the family QuculidcB.
An examination of its structure and a comparison of it
with that of the other species of the family will render
this very apparent, and I may add, that the little I saw of it
in a state of nature fully confirms the opinion here given ; its
habits, actions, and mode of flight are precisely the same, as
is also the kind of food upon which it subsists, except that it
devours the larger kinds of Phasnilm and Coleojjtera instead

INSESSORES. 629

of the smaller kinds of insects eaten by the other members of
the family, and that it occasionally feeds upon fruits ; the
changes too which it undergoes from youth to maturity are
very similar.

The Channel-Bill is a migratory bird in New South Wales,
arriving in October and departing again in January ; whither
it proceeds is not known. As I had but few opportunities of
observing it myself, I cannot do better than transcribe the parti-
culars recorded by Latham, who, in the second volume of his
' General History of Birds,' says, " It is chiefly seen in the
morning and evening, sometimes in small parties of seven or
eight, but more often in pairs ; both on the wing and when
perched it makes a loud screaming noise when a hawk or
other bird of prey is in sight. In the crop and gizzard the
seeds of the red gum- and peppermint- trees have been found ;
it is supposed that they are swallowed whole, as the pericarp
or capsule has been found in the stomach ; exuviae of beetles
have also been seen, but not in any quantity. The tail, which
is nearly the length of the body, is occasionally displayed like
a fan, and gives the bird a majestic appearance. The natives
appear to know but little of its habits or haunts ; they con-
sider its appearance as an indication of blowing weather, and
that its frightful scream is through fear. It is not easily tamed,
for Mr. White observes, that he kept a wounded one alive
for two days, during which it would eat nothing, but bit
everything that approached it very severely."

In some notes by the late Mr. Elsey on the birds observed
by him during Mr. Gregory's Expedition, and which were
kindly made for my use, he says, " This bird appeared on the
northern side of the ranges. It settled in a tree close to our
camp, and for five minutes at a time pumped out its awful notes.
Sometimes it was quite indifferent to our presence, but gene-
rally it was very shy. I have never seen it on the ground,
but always at the tops of large trees. One, shot by Mr.
Gregory and preserved, proved to be an incubating female ;

G30 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

it contained several eggs, one nearly matured, and from the
state of the oviduct another must have been recently ex-
truded. Its habits seem to indicate that it is parasitic," and
this view is confirmed by Lady Dowling informing me that a
young specimen, kindly presented to me by her Ladyship, was
one of two taken from a branch of a tree while being fed by
birds not of its own species.

Li some notes on the habits of the Sci/throps forwarded to
me by my friend Dr. Bennett, of Sydney, in June 1858, he
says: — "Ihave much pleasure in telling you that when the young
Sci/throps was introduced into Mr. Denison's aviary it was
placed in a compartment already occupied by a Dacelo (/igaSy
and doubtless feeling hungry after its journey, immediately
opened its mouth to be fed, and its wants were readily at-
tended to by tlie Dacelo, who, with great kindness, took a piece
of meat, and, after sufficiently preparing it by beating it about
until it was in a tender and pappy state, placed it carefully in
the gaping mouth of the young Sci/throps ; this feeding process
continued until the bird was capable of attending to its own
wants, which it now does, feeding in company with the
Dacelo in the usual manner. When I saw it in the morning
it was perched upon the most elevated resting-place in the
aviary, occasionally raising itself, flapping its wings, and then
quietly settling down again after the manner of Hawks in
confinement, and presenting much the appearance of a mem-
ber of that tribe of birds. It comes down for food every
morning, and immediately returns to its elevated perch.
Judging from what I saw of this specimen, I should imagine
that the bird might be readily tamed, and would bear con-
finement very well. In the young state it is destitute of the
scarlet orbits so conspicuous in the adult."

I once possessed an egg sent me by Strange, which he
informed me was taken by himself from the ovarium after he
had shot the bird. It was of a light stone-colour, marked
all over, but particidarly at the larger end, with irregular

INSESSORES. 631

blotches of reddish brown, many of which were of a darker
hue and appeared as if beneath the surface of the shell ; it
was one inch and eleven-sixteenths long by one inch and
a quarter broad ; without wishing to cast a doubt upon
Strange's veracity, I should much like to see an authenticated
mature egg of this bird, as it may differ in colour from the
one described.

The sexes are alike in plumage, but the female is somewhat
smaller than the male.

Head, neck, and breast grey ; all the upper surface, wings,
and tail greenish olive-grey, each feather largely tipped with
blackish brown ; tail crossed near the extremity by a broad
band of black and tipped with white, Avhich gradually in-
creases in extent as the feathers recede from the centre ; the
inner webs are also largely toothed with white, which is
bounded posteriorly with a broad streak of black ; under
surface of the wing and body buffy white crossed with indis-
tinct bars of greyish brown, which gradually deepen in colour
on the flanks and thighs ; orbits and lores scarlet ; biU light
yellowish horn -colour ; feet olive-brown.

Genus EUDYNAMIS, Vigors and Horsfield.

One species only of this form inhabits Australia; others
are found in the Indian Islands and on the continent of India ;
in which latter country the trivial name of Koel has been
applied to them. They are all parasitic, depositing their egg
in the nests of Crows, and doubtless in those of other birds.
The sexes differ considerably in size, the female being the
larger; moreover, her plumage is spotted, while that of the
male is of a uniform colour.

Mr. Blyth states that the Indian bird of this genus, which
is very nearly allied to the Australian species, ejects from its
mouth the seeds of the fruits upon which it feeds.

632 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Sp. 387. EUDYNAMIS FLINDERST.

Australian Koel.

Cuculus cyanocephalus, Lath. lud. Orn., Supp. vol. ii. p. xxx.

flindersiiylidith., Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 305,

Eudynamys orientalis, Vig. and Horsf. lb., p. 304.

flindersii, Vig. and Horsf. lb., p. 305.

Eudynamis australis, Swains. Anim. in Menag., &c., p. 344.
Eudynamys australis, Gray, Gen. of Birds, vol. ii. p. 464, Eudynamys,

sp. 6.
Eudynamis flindersi, Reich. Vog. Neuholl., torn. ii. p. 216.

Eudynamys flindersii, G-ould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iv. pi. 91.

It will be seen by the list of synonyms quoted above, that the
young and the adult have been considered as distinct species,
and that the specific name FUndersi, which I have retained
from its priority, has been applied to the bird in one of the
earhest stages of its existence after leaving the nest, when the
prevailing tints of its plumage are rufous brown, with trans-
verse markings of dark brown ; from this state until the bird
attains maturity, many parti-coloured changes of plumage
occur ; but whether the sexes when fully adult are alike in
colouring, I have not been able to ascertain ; I am inclined
to think they are not, and that the specimens having the
upper surface regularly spotted with white on a bronzed olive
ground, and with zigzag marks or bars on the bufFy white of
the under surface, are adult females.

This bird is very abundant in all the brushes of the east
coast, from the river Hunter to Moreton Bay, and thence
round to Torres Straits ; it was also found in considerable
abundance by Sir George Grey on the north-west coast. I
did not meet with it myself, and I regret to say that no
information has yet been obtained respecting its habits and
manners. I should be glad to know if it be parasitic or not,
and also the size and colour of its egg.

The adult male has the entire plumage deep glossy greenish

INSESSORES. 633

blue-black, the green tint predominating on the back and
wings ; irides red ; bill yellowish olive ; feet purplish black.

The adult female has the head and neck glossy greenish
black; back, wings, and tail bronzy brown, with numerous
oblong spots of white on the back and wing-coverts, the
remainder of the wing crossed by irregular bars of white,
stained with rufous ; tail regularly barred with white stained
with rufous, and slightly tipped with white j Hue from the
angle of the mouth and all the under surface white stained
with buff, spotted with black on the sides of the throat, and
crossed on the abdomen and under tail-coverts with narrow
irregular lines of blackish brown.

The young has the head and upper surface mingled bronze
and buff, disposed in large patches ; wing-coverts reddish
buff, crossed by narrow bands of brown ; remainder of wings
and tail bronzy brown, crossed by bands of rufous ; under
surface rufous, crossed by narrow bars of blackish brown ; tail-
feathers longer and more pointed than in the adult.

Genus CENTROPUS, Illiger.

On reference to my account of the Centropus p/iasianus, it
will be seen I have stated that some difference occurs in
specimens from different localities, intimated a belief of there
being more than one species, and remarked that should such
prove to be the case, the term macrourus might be applied to
the Port Essington bii'ds, and melanurus to those from the
north-west coast ; and these names are provisionally retained
until future research has proved that they are the same species.
The birds of this genus have a harsh and spiny kind of
plumage, and one of their hind toes armed with a lengthened
spur-like claw. The old and young differ considerably in
colour, the prevaihng hue of the former being black or blue,
while the latter are brown. Species of this form are found in
Asia, Africa, and Australia.

2t

634 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

Sp. 388. CENTROPUS PHASIANUS

Pheasant-Coucal.
Cuculus phasianus, Lath. Ind. Orn., Supp. vol. ii. p. 30.
Polophilus phasianus, Leach, Zool. Misc., vol. i. p. 116. pi. 46.

variegatus, Leach, lb., pi. 51.

leucogaster, lb., p. 117. pi. 52.

gigas, Steph. Cont. of Shaw's Gen. Zool., vol. ix. p. 45.

Cuculus gig as, Cuv. Regn. Anim., torn. i. p. 426, not. 1.
Corydonix phasianus, Vieill. N. Dt. d'Hist. Nat., torn, xxxiv. p. 295.

giganteus, Vieill. lb., p. 295.

variegatus, Vieill. lb., p. 298.

leucogaster, Vieill. lb., p. 299.

Centropus gigas, Steph. Cont. of Shaw's Gen. Zool., vol. xiv. part i.
p. 214.

variegatus, Steph. lb., p. 214.

phasianus, Steph. lb., p. 214.

leucogaster, Steph. lb., p. 214.

phasianinus, Blyth, Cat. of Birds Mus. Asiat. Soc, Calc. p. 78.

Centropus phasianus, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv. pi. 92.

The Centropus inhabiting New South Wales differs from that
found at Port Essington in having a much shorter and more
arched bill, and in being somewhat smaller in size ; specimens
from the western coast again differ in being smaller than the
bird of New South Wales, in having a more attenuated bill
and a more uniform colouring of the tail. The greater part
of the coast-line of New South Wales, the eastern, northern,
and north-western portions of Australia generally are tenanted
by Centropi, but only in such situations as are favourable to
their habits, namely swampy places among the brushes
abounding with tall grasses and dense herbage, among which
they run with facility, and when necessity prompts, fly to the
lower branches of the trees, from which they ascend in a suc-
cession of leaps from branch to branch until they nearly reach
the top, and then they fly off to a neighbouring tree. The most
westerly part of New South Wales in which I have heard of

INSESSORES. 635

their existence is Illawarra, where they are rare, and from
whence to Moreton Bay they gradually increase in numbers.

The nest, which is placed in the midst of a tuft of grass, is
of a large size, composed of dried grasses, and is of a domed
form with two openings, through one of which the head of
the female protrudes while sitting, and her tail through the
other. At Port Essington the nest is sometimes placed among
the lower leaves of the Pandanus, but this occurrence seems
to be rare ; a large tuft of long grass being most frequently
selected, as affording a better shelter. The eggs are from
three to five in number, nearly round, and of a dirty white,
in some instances stained with brown, and with a rather
rough surface, somewhat like that of the eggs of the Cormo-
rant ; they are about one inch and four lines long by one inch
and two lines broad.

By dissection I learn that the males are always smaller
than the females ; it also appears that when fully adult both
sexes are alike in plumage, and have the bill, head, neck, and
abdomen black, whereas the young has the bill horn-colour,
and the same parts which are black in the adult, of a deep
brown with a tawny stripe down the centre of each feather.

The adults of the present species have all the feathers of the
upper and under surface dull black with glossy black shafts ;
wing-coverts mottled tawny brown and black, each feather with
a conspicuous tawny shaft ; remainder of the wing rich reddish
chestnut crossed with irregular double bars of black, the inter-
stices between which fade into tawny on the outer webs of the
primaries ; lower part of the back and upper tail-coverts deep
green freckled with black ; tail dark brown glossed with
green, and minutely freckled with rufous and pale tawny, the
latter hue assuming the form of irregular and interrupted
bars, all but the two centre feathers tipped with white ; bill
black ; feet leaden black, the scales lighter.

The young have all the upper surface reddish brown with
glossy conspicuous tawny shafts ; the throat and breast tawny

630 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

with lighter-coloured shafts ; in other respects the colouring
is similar to the adult, except that the markings of the tail are
more distinct.

The eyes of the birds at Port Essington are said to be red.

Sp. 389. CENTROPUS MACROURUS, Gould.
Great-tailed Coucal.

Centropus macrourus, GovQd, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. i. Introd.
p. 68 ; and vol. iv. text to pi. 92.

Mr. Gregory informs me that " this bird is almost invariably
found in thickets or cane-brakes near water, and appears to live
principally upon seeds and insects; but one was observed
devoimng a Cockatoo that had been recently shot and fallen
in a jungle. In flight it somewhat resembles the Common
Hawk, but with an irregular and uncertain movement; it
runs over the ground with great speed, and then resembles a
hen Pheasant ; in the trees their actions are much like those
of Jays and Magpies. The eye has a rich golden tint, and is
remarkably keen and Hawk-like. The body is slender, and
by no means fleshy. We observed it generally in small
companies, and sometimes only in pairs."

Sp. 390. CENTROPUS MELANURUS, Gould.
Black-tailed Coucal.

Centropus melanurus, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. i. Introd.
p. 68 ; and vol. iv. text to pi. 92.

See remarks in Ceniroj)us phasianus.

END of vol. i.

Printed by Taylor and Francis, Red Lion Court, Fleet Street.

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