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diff --git a/old/60833-0.txt b/old/60833-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 7db0ffa..0000000 --- a/old/60833-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,8403 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's The Birds of Australia, Vol. 4 of 7, by John Gould - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Birds of Australia, Vol. 4 of 7 - -Author: John Gould - -Release Date: December 2, 2019 [EBook #60833] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA, VOL 4 OF 7 *** - - - - -Produced by Richard Tonsing, MWS, and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - - THE - BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. - - - BY - - JOHN GOULD, F.R.S., - - F.L.S., F.Z.S., M.E.S., F.ETHN.S., F.R.GEOG.S., M. RAYS., HON. MEMB. OF - THE ROYAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF TURIN, OF THE ROY. ZOOL. SOC. OF - IRELAND, OF THE PENZANCE NAT. HIST. SOC., OF THE WORCESTER NAT. HIST. - SOC., OF THE NORTHUMBERLAND, DURHAM AND NEWCASTLE NAT. HIST. SOC., OF - THE NAT. HIST. SOC. OF DARMSTADT AND OF THE TASMANIAN SOCIETY OF VAN - DIEMEN’S LAND, ETC. - - - IN SEVEN VOLUMES. - - - VOL. IV. - - - LONDON: - - PRINTED BY RICHARD AND JOHN E. TAYLOR, RED LION COURT, FLEET STREET. - - PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR, 20, BROAD STREET, GOLDEN SQUARE. - - 1848. - - - - - LIST OF PLATES. - VOLUME IV. - - - Pitta strepitans, _Temm._ Noisy Pitta 1 - - —— Vigorsii, _Gould_ Vigors’ Pitta 2 - - —— Iris, _Gould_ Rainbow Pitta 3 - - Cinclosoma punctatum, _Vig. & Horsf._ Spotted Ground-Thrush 4 - - —— castanotus, _Gould_ Chestnut-backed Ground-Thrush 5 - - —— cinnamomeus, _Gould_ Cinnamon-coloured Cinclosoma 6 - - Oreocincla lunulata Mountain Thrush 7 - - Chlamydera maculata, _Gould_ Spotted Bower-Bird 8 - - —— nuchalis Great Bower-Bird 9 - - Ptilonorhynchus holosericeus, _Kuhl_ Satin Bower-Bird 10 - - —— Smithii, _Vig. & Horsf._ Cat Bird 11 - - Sericulus chrysocephalus Regent Bird 12 - - Oriolus viridis New South Wales Oriole 13 - - —— flavo-cinctus Crescent-marked Oriole 14 - - Sphecotheres Australis, _Swains_. Australian Sphecotheres 15 - - Corcorax leucopterus White-winged Chough 16 - - Struthidea cinerea, _Gould_ Grey Struthidea 17 - - Corvus Coronoïdes, _Vig. & Horsf._ White-eyed Crow 18 - - Neomorpha Gouldii, _G. R. Gray_ Gould’s Neomorpha 19 - - Pomatorhinus temporalis Temporal Pomatorhinus 20 - - —— rubeculus, _Gould_ Red-breasted Pomatorhinus 21 - - —— superciliosus, _Vig. & Horsf._ White-eyebrowed Pomatorhinus 22 - - Meliphaga Novæ-Hollandiæ New Holland Honey-eater 23 - - —— longirostris, _Gould_ Long-billed Honey-eater 24 - - —— sericea, _Gould_ White-cheeked Honey-eater 25 - - —— mystacalis, _Gould_ Moustached Honey-eater 26 - - —— Australasiana Tasmanian Honey-eater 27 - - Glyciphila fulvifrons Fulvous-fronted Honey-eater 28 - - —— albifrons, _Gould_ White-fronted Honey-eater 29 - - —— fasciata, _Gould_ Fasciated Honey-eater 30 - - —— ocularis, _Gould_ Brown Honey-eater 31 - - Ptilotis chrysotis Yellow-eared Honey-eater 32 - - —— sonorus, _Gould_ Singing Honey-eater 33 - - —— versicolor, _Gould_ Varied Honey-eater 34 - - —— flavigula, _Gould_ Yellow-throated Honey-eater 35 - - —— leucotis White-eared Honey-eater 36 - - —— auricomis Yellow-tufted Honey-eater 37 - - —— cratitius, _Gould_ Wattle-cheeked Honey-eater 38 - - —— ornatus, _Gould_ Graceful Honey-eater 39 - - —— plumulus, _Gould_ Plumed Honey-eater 40 - - —— flavescens, _Gould_ Yellow-tinted Honey-eater 41 - - —— flava, _Gould_ Yellow Honey-eater 42 - - —— penicillatus, _Gould_ White-plumed Honey-eater 43 - - —— fusca, _Gould_ Fuscous Honey-eater 44 - - —— chrysops Yellow-faced Honey-eater 45 - - —— unicolor, _Gould_ Uniform Honey-eater 46 - - Plectorhyncha lanceolata, _Gould_ Lanceolate Honey-eater 47 - - Zanthomyza Phrygia Warty-faced Honey-eater 48 - - Melicophila picata, _Gould_ Pied Honey-eater 49 - - Entomophila picta, _Gould_ Painted Honey-eater 50 - - —— albogularis, _Gould_ White-throated Honey-eater 51 - - —— rufogularis, _Gould_ Red-throated Honey-eater 52 - - Acanthogenys rufogularis, _Gould_ Spiny-cheeked Honey-eater 53 - - Anthochæra inauris, _Gould_ Great Wattled Honey-eater 54 - - —— carunculata Wattled Honey-eater 55 - - —— mellivora Brush Wattle-Bird 56 - - —— lunulata, _Gould_ Lunulated Wattle-Bird 57 - - Tropidorhynchus corniculatus Friar-Bird 58 - - —— argenticeps, _Gould_ Silvery-crowned Friar-Bird 59 - - —— citreogularis, _Gould_ Yellow-throated Friar-Bird 60 - - Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris Slender-billed Spine-bill 61 - - —— superciliosus White-eyebrowed Spine-bill 62 - - Myzomela sanguineolenta Sanguineous Honey-eater 63 - - —— erythrocephala, _Gould_ Red-headed Honey-eater 64 - - —— pectoralis, _Gould_ Banded Honey-eater 65 - - —— nigra, _Gould_ Black Honey-eater 66 - - —— obscura, _Gould_ Obscure Honey-eater 67 - - Entomyza cyanotis Blue-faced Entomyza 68 - - —— albipennis, _Gould_ White-pinioned Honey-eater 69 - - Melithreptus validirostris, _Gould_ Strong-billed Honey-eater 70 - - —— gularis, _Gould_ Black-throated Honey-eater 71 - - —— lunulatus Lunulated Honey-eater 72 - - —— chloropsis, _Gould_ Swan River Honey-eater 73 - - —— albogularis, _Gould_ White-throated Honey-eater 74 - - —— melanocephalus, _Gould_ Black-headed Honey-eater 75 - - Myzantha garrula Garrulous Honey-eater 76 - - —— obscura, _Gould_ Sombre Honey-eater 77 - - —— lutea, _Gould_ Luteous Honey-eater 78 - - —— flavigula, _Gould_ Yellow-throated Miner 79 - - —— melanophrys Australian Bell-Bird 80 - - Zosterops dorsalis, _Vig. & Horsf._ Grey-backed Zosterops 81 - - —— chloronotus, _Gould_ Green-backed Zosterops 82 - - —— luteus, _Gould_ Yellow Zosterops 83 - - Cuculus optatus, _Gould_ Australian Cuckoo 84 - - —— inornatus, _Vig. & Horsf._ Unadorned Cuckoo 85 - - —— cineraceus, _Vig. & Horsf._ Ash-coloured Cuckoo 86 - - —— insperatus, _Gould_ Brush Cuckoo 87 - - Chalcites osculans, _Gould_ Black-eared Cuckoo 88 - - Chrysococcyx lucidus Shining Cuckoo 89 - - Scythrops Novæ-Hollandiæ, _Lath._ Channel-Bill 90 - - Eudynamys Flindersii Flinders’s Cuckoo 91 - - Centropus Phasianus Pheasant Cuckoo 92 - - Climacteris scandens, _Temm._ Brown Tree-Creeper 93 - - —— rufa, _Gould_ Rufous Tree-Creeper 94 - - —— erythrops, _Gould_ Red-eyebrowed Tree-Creeper 95 - - —— melanotus, _Gould_ Black-backed Tree-Creeper 96 - - —— melanura, _Gould_ Black-tailed Tree-Creeper 97 - - —— picumnus, _Temm._ White-throated Tree-Creeper 98 - - Orthonyx spinicaudus, _Temm._ Spine-tailed Orthonyx 99 - - Ptiloris paradiseus, _Swains_. Rifle Bird 100 - - Sittella chrysoptera Orange-winged Sittella 101 - - —— leucocephala, _Gould_ White-headed Sittella 102 - - —— leucoptera, _Gould_ White-winged Sittella 103 - - —— pileata, _Gould_ Black-capped Sittella 104 - -[Illustration: - - PITTA STREPITANS: _Temm._ - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ -] - - - - - PITTA STREPITANS, _Temm._ - Noisy Pitta. - - _Pitta strepitans_, Temm. Pl. Col. 333.—Jard. and Selb. Ill. Orn., - vol. ii. pl. 77. - - _Pitta versicolor_, Swains. in Zool. Journ., vol. i. p. 468. - - -The description of _Pitta versicolor_ given by Mr. Swainson in the -“Zoological Journal” agrees so accurately with the description and -figure of _Pitta strepitans_ in the “Planches Coloriées,” that not the -slightest doubt exists in my mind as to their identity; but which of -these names has the priority is a point I have been unable -satisfactorily to determine, in consequence of the latter work having -been published in parts at irregular periods. Mr. Swainson, it is true, -refers to the “Planches Coloriées,” and institutes a comparison between -his bird and the _Pitta cyanoptera_, beautifully figured in Pl. 218; the -_Pitta strepitans_, on the other hand, forms the subject of Pl. 333, -which we may reasonably suppose must have appeared at a much later -period, although it may still have been prior to the publication of _P. -versicolor_; the numbers of foreign works being frequently much in -arrear in this country. In support of the priority of M. Temminck’s -name, I may quote a passage from the “Illustrations of Ornithology” of -Messrs. Jardine and Selby:—“This species seems to have been unnoticed -until the figure of M. Temminck, who received his specimen from Mr. -Leadbeater. It then appeared to be the only individual of this form -known to belong to New Holland; and it is only lately that Mr. Swainson -has added a second species, in his _P. versicolor_, to the interesting -ornithology of that country.” - -Never having seen this bird alive, I am unable to give any account of -its habits and manners from my own observation. It is said to dwell in -those almost impenetrable brushes of the eastern coast of Australia, and -is tolerably abundant in all such localities between the river -Macquarrie and Moreton Bay; it is also said to be very thrush-like in -its disposition, and, as its long legs would lead us to suppose, resorts -much to the ground, although it readily takes to the branches of trees -when its haunts are intruded upon. Its food consists of insects, and -probably berries and fruits. - -The two young figured in the accompanying Plate with an adult were -collected in the brushes bordering the river Clarence on the east coast, -which must consequently be enumerated among its breeding-places. The -circumstance of the young, like those of the Kingfishers, assuming the -characteristic plumage of the adult from the time they leave the nest is -very singular, and the knowledge of this fact is very important, -inasmuch as it may lead to some valuable results in classification. - -The sexes appear to present but little differences either in colour or -size; some specimens, which I take to be males, however, differ in -having 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 terminating in a point on the front of -the 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 pure olive-green; shoulders and lesser wing-coverts -bright metallic cærulean 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 figures are of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - PITTA VIGORSII; (_Gould_). - - _Drawn from Nature & on Stone by J. & E. Gould._ _Printed by C. - Hullmandel._ -] - - - - - PITTA VIGORSII, _Gould_. - Vigors’ Pitta. - - _Pitta brachyura_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 218. - - -A single specimen of this beautiful species of _Pitta_ forms part of the -collection of the Linnean Society of London, where it has always been -considered as identical with the _Pitta brachyura_, but from which it -differs in many important characters, among the most conspicuous of -which may be noticed its larger size, and the narrow streak of light -greenish grey which passes from the nostrils over each eye, and nearly -surrounds the occiput. - -I have not been able to obtain any decided information respecting the -portion of Australia from which this bird was obtained, but the eastern -and northern coasts may be regarded as its most likely habitat; and I am -unable to render any account of its habits, or the situations it -frequents: several of the members of the group, however, particularly -the other Australian species (_Pitta strepitans_), are known to prefer -the thick brushes near the coast, where it hops about and scratches up -the leaves, etc., in search of food. The _Pitta brachyura_ is also said -to perch on the topmost branches of decayed trees, and to resort to the -sides of inland streams and waters, where it sports among the shallows, -frequently wading up to its knees, which aquatic habits are indicated by -the general character of its plumage; and as the present bird is very -nearly allied to that species, it has doubtless similar habits. - -Messrs. Vigors and Horsfield having omitted to notice the distinctive -characters of this species, while engaged upon their elaborate Catalogue -of the Australian Birds in the Linnean Society’s collection, I have much -pleasure in dedicating it to the memory of the late Mr. Vigors, whose -high scientific attainments, especially in Ornithology, are so well -known that my testimony is unnecessary. - -Crown of the head, ear-coverts, and back of the neck jet-black; a narrow -stripe of greenish grey commences at the nostrils, passes over each eye, -surrounds the crown, and nearly unites at the occiput; back, -scapularies, outer edges of the secondaries, and the greater -wing-coverts bronzy green; shoulders, rump, and upper tail-coverts fine -lazuline blue; throat white; chest, flanks, and thighs tawny buff; -centre of the abdomen dark blood-red, passing into scarlet on the under -tail-coverts; primaries black, with a white bar across the centre of the -third, fourth, fifth and sixth; tail black, tipped with green; bill dark -brown; legs flesh-colour. - -The figure is of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - PITTA IRIS: _Gould_. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ -] - - - - - PITTA IRIS, _Gould_. - Rainbow Pitta. - - _Pitta Iris_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., February 8, 1842. - - -Two specimens of this new and beautiful _Pitta_, both killed on the -north coast of Australia, have already come under my notice. One of -these is in the collection of Dr. Bankier, Acting Surgeon of H.M.S. -Pelorus, and the other, apparently a female, is in the British Museum, -having been lately presented to the national collection with many other -fine birds, by Captain Chambers, R.N., of the same vessel. - -The Rainbow Pitta differs so much from all other known species of this -lovely tribe of birds, as to render a comparison quite unnecessary. By -its discovery we can now enumerate three species from Australia. How -rapidly is this fine country unfolding her rich treasures, of which, -indeed, sufficient have been seen to rank her second to none in the -interest of her productions! - -Both the specimens above-mentioned are from the Cobourg Peninsula, where -the species is not uncommon, and it will doubtless, hereafter, be found -to range over a great portion of the north coast. No further account of -the habits of this fine bird have been received than that it inhabits -the thick “cane-beds” near the coast, through which it runs with great -facility; 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 cærulean 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 cærulean blue; lower part of the abdomen and -under tail-coverts bright scarlet, separated from the black of the -abdomen by yellowish brown; irides dark brown; bill black; feet -flesh-colour. - -The figures are of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - CINCLOSOMA PUNCTATUM: _Vig. & Horsf._ - - _J. & E. Gould del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ -] - - - - - CINCLOSOMA PUNCTATUM, _Vig. & Horsf._ - Spotted Ground-Thrush. - - _Turdus Punctatus_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xliv. - - _Punctated Thrush_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 187.—Ib. Gen. - Hist., vol. v. p. 130.—Shaw, Zool. New Holl., p. 25.—Ib. - Gen. Zool., vol. x. p. 202. - - _Cinclosoma Punctatum_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. - 220.—Griff. An. King., vol. vi. p. 529. pl. 29. - - -This species has been long known to ornithologists, being one of the -birds earliest described from Australia; still little or no information -has hitherto been acquired respecting its habits and economy, which, -however, are extremely interesting. - -It is everywhere a stationary species, and enjoys an extensive range of -habitat, being distributed over the whole of Van Diemen’s Land and the -eastern portion of Australia, from Moreton Bay to Spencer’s Gulf, to the -westward of which I have never been able to trace it, and I have -therefore reason to believe that this is the limit of its range in that -direction; its place appearing to be supplied in Western Australia by -the species represented in the succeeding Plate. During my researches in -South Australia, I found both species sparingly dispersed over the -country, in such localities as are suitable to their habits, between the -great bend of the Murray and Lake Alexandrina; this, therefore, would -seem to be the border-line of their range on either hand; how far these -species are spread to the northward, is yet to be determined. - -The Spotted Ground-Thrush 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 passing to a -neighbouring scrub; it readily eludes pursuit by the facility with which -it runs over the stony surface and conceals itself among the underwood. -When suddenly flushed it rises with a loud burring noise, like the Quail -or Partridge. Its short flight is performed by a succession of -undulations, and is terminated by the bird pitching abruptly to the -ground almost at right angles. - -It seldom perches on the smaller branches of trees, but may be -frequently seen to run along the fallen trunks so common in the -Australian forests. - -Unlike many others of the Thrush family which are celebrated 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 Wattle-birds, 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 -circumstance 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 days old are thickly clothed with long black down, like the -young of the genus _Rallus_, 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 appearance. 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 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. - -The figures are of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - CINCLOSOMA CASTANOTUS: _Gould_. - - _J. & E. Gould del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ -] - - - - - CINCLOSOMA CASTANOTUS, _Gould_. - Chestnut-backed Ground-Thrush. - - _Cinclosoma castanotus_, Gould, Proc. of Zool. Soc., September 8, - 1840. - - _Boȍne-Yung_, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western - Australia. - - -This new species of _Cinclosoma_ appears to be as much confined to the -southern and western portions of Australia as the preceding species is -to the eastern. It inhabits various parts of the great scrub bordering -the Murray above Lake Alexandrina, and I have ascertained that it is -also found in the neighbourhood of Swan River. - -The economy of the present bird closely resembles that of the Spotted -Ground-Thrush, as the similarity of their form would naturally lead us -to expect; 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 character of the country in the Belts of the Murray where I -discovered 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 -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 any number of 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. The facility with which it runs over the -surface of the ground is even greater than in its near ally, and on -examination the toes will be found shorter than in that species, and -admirably suited to its terrestrial habits: although it doubtless -possesses the power of perching, I do not recollect having ever seen it -on a tree. - -In its mode of flight and nidification it assimilates so closely to the -Spotted Ground-Thrush, as to render a separate description 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 lighter brown; lateral tail-feathers 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; bill 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 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. - -The figures are of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - CINCLOSOMA CINNAMOMEUS: _Gould_. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._ -] - - - - - CINCLOSOMA CINNAMOMEUS, _Gould_. - Cinnamon-coloured Cinclosoma. - - _Cinclosoma cinnamomeus_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part XIV. p. - 68. - - -We are indebted to the researches of that enterprising traveller Captain -Sturt for our knowledge of this new _Cinclosoma_, which is the more -interesting as forming an additional species of a singular group of -Ground-Thrushes peculiar to Australia, of which only two were previously -known. The specimen from which my figure is taken now forms part of the -collection at the British Museum, and we learn from Captain Sturt that -it was the only one procured during his lengthened sojourn at the Depôt -in that sterile and inhospitable country, the interior of Australia. - -It is considerably smaller than either of its congeners, the _C. -castanotus_ and _C. punctatum_, and, moreover, differs from them in the -cinnamon colouring of the greater portion of its plumage. - -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 surface 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 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. - -The accompanying Plate represents the bird in two positions of the -natural size. - -[Illustration: - - OREOCINCLA LUNULATA. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._ -] - - - - - OREOCINCLA LUNULATA. - Mountain Thrush. - - _Turdus lunulatus_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xlii. - - _Philedon_, Temm. Man. d’Orn., 2nd Edit. tom. i. p. lxxxvii. - - _Lunulated Thrush_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 184. - - —— _Honey-eater_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 180. - - _Turdus varius_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 218. - - _Oreocincla Novæ-Hollandiæ_ et _O. macrorhyncha_, Gould in Proc. of - Zool. Soc., Part V. p. 145; and in Syn. Birds of Australia, - Part IV. - - _Mountain Thrush_, Colonists of Van Diemen’s Land. - - -In all localities suitable to its habits and mode of life this species -is tolerably abundant, both in Van Diemen’s Land 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 -frequently occur covered with green moss and lichens, particularly if -there be much humidity; rocky gulleys and the sides of water-courses are -also among its favourite places of resort. In Van Diemen’s Land, the -slopes of Mount Wellington and other similar bold elevations are -situations in which it may always 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 mollusks, to -which insects of many kinds are added; most likely fruits and berries -occasionally 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 in the colouring of individuals from different districts. -The Van Diemen’s Land 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 lunations paler and -the centre of the feathers of the back bright tawny instead of -olive-brown. - -The Mountain Thrush breeds in all 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, which are two in number, are of a buffy white -or stone-colour, minutely freckled all over with reddish brown, 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 surface 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. - -The figures are of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - CHLAMYDERA MACULATA: _Gould_. - - _J. & E. Gould del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ -] - - - - - CHLAMYDERA MACULATA, _Gould_. - Spotted Bower-bird. - - _Calodera maculata_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part IV. p. 106, - and Syn. Birds of Australia, Part I. - - _Chlamydera maculata_, Gould, Birds of Australia, 1837, Part I. - cancelled. - - -This species, which is nearly allied to the Satin Bower-bird, is -especially interesting, as being the constructor of a bower even more -extraordinary than that of the latter, and in which the decorative -propensity is carried to a far greater extent. It is as exclusively an -inhabitant of the interior of the country as the Satin Bower-bird is of -the brushes between the mountain ranges and the coast; and though in all -probability it has a wide range over the central portions of the -Australian continent, the only parts in which I have observed it, or -from which I have ever seen specimens, are the districts immediately to -the north of the colony of New South Wales. During my journey into the -interior I observed it 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; still, from the extreme shyness of its disposition, the bird is -seldom seen by ordinary travellers, and it must be under very peculiar -circumstances that it can be approached sufficiently close to observe -its colours. It 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. I found the readiest way of -obtaining specimens was by watching at the water-holes where they come -to drink; and on one occasion, near the termination of a long drought, I -was guided by a native to a deep basin in a rock, which still held water -from the rains of many months before, and where numbers of these birds, -as well as Honey-suckers and Parrots, were constantly assembling -throughout the day. This natural reservoir had probably been but seldom, -if ever, visited by the white man, being situated in a remote mountain, -and presenting no attraction to any person but a naturalist. My presence -was evidently regarded with suspicion by the visitants to the spot; but -while I remained lying on the ground perfectly motionless, though close -to the water, their thirst overpowering their fear, they would dash down -past me and eagerly take their fill, although an enormous black snake -was lying coiled upon a piece of wood near the edge of the pool. Of the -numerous assemblage here congregated the Spotted Bower-birds were by far -the shyest of the whole, yet six or eight of these, displaying their -beautiful necks, were often perched within a few feet of me. The scanty -supply of water remaining in the cavity must soon have been exhausted by -the thousands of birds that daily resorted to it, had not the rains, so -long withheld, soon afterwards descended in torrents, filling every -water-course and overflowing the banks of the largest rivers: I remained -at this, to me, interesting spot for three days. - -In many of its actions and in the greater part of its economy much -similarity exists between this species and the Satin Bower-bird, -particularly in the curious habit of constructing an artificial bower or -playing-ground. I was so far fortunate as to discover several of these -bowers during my journey to the interior, the finest of which I -succeeded in bringing to England, and 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 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. -Evident and beautiful indications of design 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, bones, shells, &c., are placed in a heap before -the entrance of the avenue, this arrangement being the same at both -ends. In some of the larger bowers, which had evidently been resorted to -for many years, I have seen nearly half a bushel of bones, shells, &c., -at each of the entrances. In some instances small bowers, composed -almost entirely of grasses, apparently the commencement of a new place -of rendezvous, were observable. 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 transportation must therefore be a task of great -labour and difficulty. As these birds feed almost entirely upon seeds -and fruits, the shells and bones cannot have been collected for any -other purpose than ornament; besides, it is only those that have been -bleached perfectly white in the sun, or such as have been roasted by the -natives, and by this means whitened, that attract their attention. 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. - -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 surface 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. - -Both sexes, when fully adult, are adorned with the rose-coloured frill; -but the young birds of the year, both male and female, are without it. - -The Plate represents the bower, with two birds, a male and a female, all -of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - CHLAMYDERA NUCHALIS. - - _J. & E. Gould del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ -] - - - - - CHLAMYDERA NUCHALIS. - Great Bower-bird. - - _Ptilonorhynchus nuchalis_, Jard. and Selb. Ill. Orn., vol. ii. pl. - 103. - - _Calodera nuchalis_, Gould, Syn. Birds of Australia, Part I. - - _Chlamydera nuchalis_, Gould, Birds of Australia, 1837, Part I. - cancelled.—G. R. Gray, List of Gen. of Birds, p. 40. - - -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 Australia of which it is a native or any particulars -relative to its habits were known to those gentlemen, nor have I myself -had an opportunity of observing it in a state of nature, the bird being -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 of this bird 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. Captain Grey, however, on -his return from his expedition to those regions, informed me that he -frequently found during his rambles a most singular bower, made in every -way like that of the _Chlamydera maculata_, and which was always an -object of great interest to him, being unable to satisfy himself as to -what animal had constructed it, or even whether it was the work of a -bird or of a quadruped: he was inclined to suppose the latter, but I -think there need not be the slightest hesitation in ascribing its -formation to the _Chlamydera nuchalis_; for we may reasonably expect -that a species so very closely allied to that of the southern and -eastern portions of the continent would partake of its peculiar habits -and economy. The following notes were written on the spot, and were -kindly given to me by Captain Grey:— - -“These bowers were formed of dead grass and parts of bushes, sunk a -slight depth into two parallel furrows, in sandy soil, and were 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 also -protruded from each extremity of the bower. In one of these bowers, the -most remote from the sea that we discovered, were found a heap of the -stones of some fruit which had evidently been rolled in the sea. I never -saw any animal in or near to these bowers, but the dung of a small -species of Kangaroo was always abundant close to them, which induced me -to suppose them to be the work of some kind of quadruped.” - -The circumstance of Captain Grey, never having perceived the birds near -the runs, serves to show that it exhibits the same shyness of -disposition as the other species. - -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, and which formed the subject of the -upper figure in the Plate, no trace of the nuchal ornament is -observable, a circumstance I conceive to be indicative of youth rather -than a distinguishing characteristic of the sexes, since in the other -species I find the mark common to both, but the young bird of the year -without any trace of it. - -The Plate represents a male and a young bird, of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - PTILONORHYNCHUS HOLOSERICEUS: _Kuhl_ - - _J. & E. Gould del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ -] - - - - - PTILONORHYNCHUS HOLOSERICEUS, _Kuhl_. - Satin Bower-bird. - - _Ptilonorhynchus holosericeus_, Kuhl, Beytr. zur Zool. S. 150.—Wagl. - Syst. Av. sp. 1.—G. R. Gray, Gen. of Birds, p. 40.—Swains. - Class. of Birds, vol. ii. p. 271. - - _Pyrrhocorax violaceus_, Vieill. Nouv. Diet. d’Hist. Nat., tom. vi. p. - 569.—Ib. Ency. Méth. 1823, p. 896. - - _Kitta holosericea_, Temm. Pl. Col. 395 and 422.—Less. Traité d’Orn., - p. 350, pl. 46. fig. 1. - - _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_, Ill., female or young? - - Ptilonorhynchus squamulosus, Wagl. Syst. Av. sp. 2, female or young? - - _Satin Bird_, of the Colonists of New South Wales. - - _Cowry_, of the Aborigines of the coast of New South Wales. - - -Although this species has been long known to ornithologists, and is -familiar to the colonists of New South Wales, its habits, which in many -respects are most extraordinary, have hitherto escaped attention; or if -not entirely so, have never been brought before the scientific world. It -is, therefore, a source of high gratification to myself to be the first -to place them on record. - -One point to which I more particularly allude,—a point of no ordinary -interest, both to the naturalist and the general admirer of nature,—is -the formation of a bower-like structure by this bird for the purpose of -a playing-ground or hall of assembly, a circumstance in its economy -which adds another to the many anomalies connected with the Fauna of -Australia. - -The localities favourable to the habits of the Satin Bower-bird are the -luxuriant and thickly-foliaged brushes stretching along the coast from -Port Philip to Moreton Bay, the cedar brushes of the Liverpool range, -and most of the gullies of the great mountain-chain separating the -colony from the interior. 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 range 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 granivorous and frugivorous, or if not exclusively so, that -insects form but a small portion of its diet. Independently of numerous -berry-bearing plants and shrubs, the brushes it inhabits are studded -with enormous fig-trees, some of them towering to the height of two -hundred feet; among the lofty branches of these giants of the forest, -the Satin Bower-bird and several species of Pigeons find in the small -wild fig, with which the branches are loaded, an abundant supply of a -favourite food: this species also commits considerable depredation on -any ripening corn near the localities it frequents. 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 I have found this bird 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 the 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. - -Besides the loud liquid call peculiar to the male, both sexes frequently -utter a harsh, unpleasant, guttural note indicative of surprise or -displeasure. The old black males are exceedingly few in number, as -compared with the females and young male birds in the green dress, from -which and other circumstances I am led to believe that at least two, if -not three years, elapse before they attain the rich satin-like plumage, -which, when once perfectly assumed, is, I believe, never again thrown -off. - -I regret to state, that although I 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, of whom I made frequent inquiries. - -The extraordinary bower-like structure, alluded to above, first came -under my notice at Sydney, to the Museum of which place an example had -been presented by Mr. Charles Coxen, as the work of the Satin -Bower-bird. I at once determined to leave no means untried for -ascertaining every particular 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; and a glance at -the accompanying illustration will, I presume, give a more correct idea -of the nature of these erections than the most minute description. They -are usually placed under the shelter of the branches of some overhanging -tree in the most retired part of the forest: they differ considerably in -size, some being a third larger than the one here represented, while -others are much smaller. 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 -of the bower the materials are so placed that the forks of the twigs are -always presented outwards, by which arrangement not the slightest -obstruction is offered to the passage of the birds. The interest of this -curious bower is much enhanced by the manner in which it is decorated at -and near the entrance with the most gaily-coloured articles that can be -collected, such as the blue tail-feathers of the Rose-hill and -Pennantian Parrots, bleached bones, the shells of snails, &c.; some of -the feathers are stuck in among the twigs, while others with the bones -and shells are strewed about near the entrances. The propensity of these -birds to pick up and fly off with any attractive object, is so well -known to the natives, that they always search the runs for any small -missing article, as the bowl of a pipe, &c., 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. - -For what purpose these curious bowers are made, is not yet, perhaps, -fully understood; they are certainly not used as a nest, but as a place -of resort for many individuals of both sexes, which, when there -assembled, run through and around the bower in a sportive and playful -manner, and that so frequently that it is seldom entirely deserted. - -The proceedings of these birds have not been sufficiently watched, to -render it certain whether the runs are frequented throughout the whole -year or not; but it is highly probable that they are merely resorted to -as a rendezvous, or playing-ground, at the pairing time and during the -period of incubation. It was at this season, as I judged from the state -of the plumage and from the internal indications of those I dissected, -that I visited these localities; the bowers I found had been recently -renewed; it was however evident, from the appearance of a portion of the -accumulated mass of sticks, &c., that the same spot had been used as a -place of resort for many years. Mr. Charles Coxen informed me, that, -after having destroyed one of these bowers and secreted himself, he had -the satisfaction of seeing it partially reconstructed; the birds engaged -in this task, be added, were females. With much care and trouble I -succeeded in bringing to England two fine specimens of these bowers, one -of which I presented to the British Museum, and the other to the -collection at Leyden, where they may be seen by all those who take an -interest in the subject. - -It will be observed, that the two following nearly allied species, -_Chlamydera maculata_ and _Chlam. nuchalis_, also build similar -erections, and that in them the decorative propensity is carried to a -much greater extent than in the Satin Bower-bird. - -The adult male has the whole of the plumage of a deep shining -blue-black, closely resembling satin, with the exception 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. - -The Plate represents the bower, an old male, female, and two young -males; one in the green dress and the other in a state of change, all -about a fifth less than the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - PTILONORHYNCHUS SMITHII: _Vig. & Horsf._ - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._ -] - - - - - PTILONORHYNCHUS SMITHII, _Vig. & Horsf._ - Cat Bird. - - _Varied Roller_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iii. p. 86. - - _Ptilonorhynchus Smithii_, Lath. MSS. Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., - vol. xv. p. 264. - - —— _viridis_, Wagl. Syst. Av., sp. 3. - - _Kitta virescens_, Temm. Pl. Col., 396. - - _Cat Bird_ of the Colonists of New South Wales. - - -So far as our knowledge extends, this fine species is only found in New -South Wales, where it inhabits all those luxuriant forests that extend -along the eastern coast between the mountain ranges and the sea; those -of Illawarra, the Hunter, the MacLeay, and the Clarence and the cedar -brushes of the Liverpool range being, among many others, localities in -which it may always be found: situations suitable to the Regent and -Satin Birds are equally adapted to the habits of the Cat Bird, and I -have not unfrequently seen them all three feeding together on the same -tree, when the branches bore a thick crop of berries and fruits. The -wild fig, and the native cherry, when in season, afford it an abundant -supply. So rarely do they 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, like that of the animal whose name it bears, -is performed either by a pair or several individuals, and nothing more -is required than for the hearer to shut his eyes from 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 almost undivided -attention 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. It certainly is -not a migratory bird, although it may range from one portion of the -brushes to another, according as the supply of food may be more or less -abundant. - -The sexes do not offer the slightest difference in plumage, or any -external character by which the male may be distinguished 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 -central tail-feathers tipped with white; all the under surface yellowish -green, with a spatulate mark of yellowish white down the centre of each -feather; bill light horn-colour; irides brownish red; feet whitish. - -The Plate represents the two sexes of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - SERICULUS CHRYSOCEPHALUS. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hallmandel & Walton Imp._ -] - - - - - SERICULUS CHRYSOCEPHALUS. - Regent Bird. - - _Meliphaga chrysocephala_, Lewin, Birds of New Holl., pl. 1. - - _Golden-crowned Honey-eater_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 184. - - _Oriolus regens_, Temm. Pl. Col., 320.—Quoy et Gaim. Zool. de - l’Uranie, pl. 22.—Less. Zool. de Coquille, pl. 20 (female). - - _Sericulus chrysocephalus_, Swains. in Zool. Journ., vol. i. p. - 478.—Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 326.—Jard. - and Selb. Ill. Orn., vol. i. pls. 18, 19, 20.—G. R. Gray, - List of Gen. of Birds, 2nd edit., p. 38.—Swains. Class. of - Birds, vol. ii. p. 237.—Less. Traité d’Orn., p. 340.—Steph. - Cont. of Shaw’s Gen. Zool., vol. xiv. p. 266. - - _Sericulus regens_, Less. Man. d’Orn., tom. i. p. 256. - - -This beautiful species, one of the finest birds of the 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 _Oriolus 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 encounter 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 is one of the -greatest pests the proprietor has to contend with; for during the summer -months, when the peaches and other fruits are ripening, it commits -serious injury to the crops and their owner. - -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 fully-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 encounter -each other, frequent conflicts take place. To obtain specimens 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. The stomachs of those dissected contained the -remains of wild figs, berries and seeds, but no trace of insects. - -I did not succeed in discovering the nest, or in obtaining any -information respecting it. - -I believe that the fine plumage represented in the Plate is not assumed -until the second or third year, and when once acquired is not afterwards -thrown off; it may be thus described:— - -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 secondaries 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 surface, 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. - -The young males at first resemble the females, but their hues are -continually changing until they gain the livery of the adult. - -The Plate represents a male and a female on a branch of one of the wild -figs of the brushes of New South Wales, all the size of life. - -[Illustration: - - ORIOLUS VIRIDIS. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._ -] - - - - - ORIOLUS VIRIDIS. - New South Wales Oriole. - - _Gracula viridis_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xxviii.—Shaw, Gen. Zool., - vol. vii. p. 473. - - _Loriot_, Temm. Man. d’Orn., 2nd Edit. p. liv. - - _Green Grakle_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 129.—Ib. Gen. - Hist., vol. iii. p. 168. - - _Coracias sagittata_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xxvi.—Shaw, Gen. - Zool., vol. viii. p. 400. - - _Striated Roller_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 122.—Ib. Gen. - Hist., vol. iii. p. 83. - - _Streaked Roller_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iii. p. 84, young. - - _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.—Jard. and Selb. Ill. Orn., vol. ii. pl. 61.—G. R. Gray, - List of Gen. of Birds, 2nd Edit. p. 38. - - —— _Merulöides_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 327, - young. - - _Oriolus viridis_, Vieill., 2nd Edit. du Nouv. Dict. d’Hist. Nat., - tom. xviii. p. 197.—Ib. Ency. Méth. Orn., part ii. p. 697. - - —— _variegatus_, Vieill., 2nd Edit. du Nouv. Dict. d’Hist. Nat., tom. - xviii. p. 196.—Ib. Ency. Méth. Orn., part ii. p. 696. - - -This bird was first described by Latham, by whom it was placed in the -genus _Gracula_, but it agrees in no respect with the members of that -genus, and “in fact,” says Captain King, “the genus _Oriolus_ is that to -which it bears the closest resemblance in its general appearance. I -would at once refer it to that genus, but that I have some reason to -think that it belongs to the meliphagous birds.... Of the tongue or mode -of feeding I can myself say nothing decisively; but general opinion -places this bird among the groups that feed by suction, and as I have a -second species hitherto undescribed which is closely allied to it, I -prefer forming both provisionally into a new genus” (_Mimetes_) “to -referring them to one, from which, although they agree with it in -external appearance, they may be totally remote in consequence of their -internal anatomy and habits of life. If the tongue be found to accord -with that of the _Orioles_ and not of the _Honey-suckers_, my group of -course must fall.” Messrs. Jardine and Selby took the same view of the -subject when describing and figuring the bird in their “Illustrations of -Ornithology,” and have given a description of the structure of the -tongue, which certainly offers a slight resemblance to that of the true -meliphagous birds; but my own observations of the bird in a state of -nature enable me to affirm that in appearance, habits, economy, and in -the nature of its food it is truly an Oriole, to which group of birds it -was correctly assigned by M. Vieillot in the second edition of the -“Dictionnaire d’Histoire Naturelle,” and that consequently Captain -King’s generic term _Mimetes_ must sink into a synonym of _Oriolus_. - -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; and -many persons would, I feel assured, assign to it a much more extended -range by considering it identical with the bird of the same form found -at Port Essington,—an opinion in which I cannot myself coincide, -believing as I do that the latter bird is a distinct species, although -at a hasty glance it would appear to be one and the same; the general -colouring of the two birds is, it is true, very similar, but the -following differences exist and are found to be constant:—The Port -Essington bird (for which the specific term _affinis_ would be an -appropriate appellation) is smaller in the body, has a shorter wing, a -much larger bill, and the white spots at the tip of the lateral -tail-feathers considerably smaller than the bird inhabiting New South -Wales; in other respects they are so precisely alike that it will not be -necessary to figure both. - -The following notes descriptive of their habits and economy are equally -applicable to the one and the other. - -The bird 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. It possesses a loud pleasing whistling note, which is poured -forth while the bird is perched on a lofty branch. I often observed it -capturing insects on the wing and flying very high, frequently above the -tops of the loftiest trees. - -Mr. Gilbert states that the Port Essington bird is “abundant in every -part of the peninsula and the adjacent islands in every possible variety -of situation.” Its native name is _Mur-re-a-̏rwoo_. It possesses a very -loud and distinct note, unlike that of every other bird I have yet -heard; the sound most commonly uttered is a loud clear whistle -terminating in a singular guttural harsh catch, but in the cool of the -evening, when perched on and sheltered in the thick foliage of one of -the topmost branches of a _Eucalyptus_, it pours forth a regular -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, which 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 appearing as if beneath the surface of the -shell; their medium length is one inch and three lines long by eleven -lines broad. - -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 the -white spot at the tip of the lateral tail-feathers much smaller than in -the adult. - -The figures represent the two sexes of the natural size on a plant -gathered in the brushes of New South Wales, the name of which I have not -been able to ascertain. - -[Illustration: - - ORIOLUS FLAVOCINCTUS. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._ -] - - - - - ORIOLUS FLAVOCINCTUS. - Crescent-marked Oriole. - - _Mimetes flavo-cinctus_, King, Survey of Intertropical Coasts of - Australia, vol. ii. p. 419.—Steph. Cont. of Shaw’s Gen. - Zool., vol. xiv. p. 351. - - _Mimeta flavo-cincta_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. - 327. - - -This species was discovered on the north coast of Australia by Captain -Philip Parker King, R.N., who described it in his “Survey of the -Intertropical Coasts of Australia,” referred to above; Mr. Gilbert -procured two specimens at Port Essington, and Lieut. Ince, R.N., -subsequently obtained an additional example in the same locality. All -the information that has reached me respecting its habits and economy is -contained in a short note sent to me by Mr. Gilbert, which merely states -that his specimens were obtained in the forests of mangroves bordering -the coast. - -Like the _O. viridis_ it is in every respect a true Oriole, although -neither of them are so gaily attired as the other members of the genus. - -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 pure yellow on the under tail-coverts; wings black, all the -feathers margined externally 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 bright yellow, -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 under surface -striated with black, and the markings of the wings straw-white instead -of yellow. - -The Plate represents the two sexes of the size of life. - -[Illustration: - - SPHECOTHERES AUSTRALIS _Swains._ - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._ -] - - - - - SPHECOTHERES AUSTRALIS, _Swains._ - Australian Sphecotheres. - - _Sphecotheres viridis_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. - 215. - - —— _virescens_, Jard. and Selb. Ill. Orn., vol. ii. pl. 79. - - —— _Australis_, Swains. - - —— _canicollis_, Swains. Anim. in Menag., p. 320. - - -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: I am informed -that it is more plentiful in the neighbourhood of the river Clarence, -and 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 a bird peculiar to the brushes, and its food doubtless -consists of the berries and fruits which abound in those districts. - -The sexes differ very widely from each other in the colouring of their -plumage; that of the male being in masses, while that of the female is -of a striated character. - -The male has the crown of the head and the cheeks glossy 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, assuming on the head the form of striæ, the brown -hue passing into yellowish green on the rump and upper tail-coverts; -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; bill and feet lighter -than in the male. - -The figures represent a male and a female of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - CORCORAX LEUCOPTERUS. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._ -] - - - - - CORCORAX LEUCOPTERUS - White-winged Chough. - - _Pyrrhocorax leucopterus_, Temm. Man. d’Orn., tom. i. p. 121.—Less. - Man. d’Orn., tom. i. p. 384. - - _Fregilus leucopterus_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. - 265.—Less. Man. d’Orn., tom. i. p. 384. - - _Corcorax Australis_, Less. Traité d’Orn., p. 325. - - —— _leucopterus_, G. R. Gray, List of Gen. of Birds, 2nd Edit., p. 52. - - _Waybung_, Aborigines of New South Wales. - - -This bird is a stationary species, and appears to be distributed over -all parts of New South Wales and South Australia; it is very abundant in -the whole of the Upper Hunter district, and I have also killed it in the -interior of South Australia; it is usually met with in small troops of -from six to ten in number, feeding upon the ground, over which it runs -with considerable rapidity; the entire troop keeping together, but one -bird running before the other and searching for food with the most -scrutinizing care. In disposition it is one of the tamest of the larger -birds I ever encountered, 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 -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 hollow 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, puffs out his -feathers and displays 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 Chough 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, 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 wherewith to build its nest, -besides which they also afford it an abundance of insect food. - -The whole of the plumage black, with glossy green reflections, 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. - -The figure is that of a male somewhat less than the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - STRUTHIDEA CINEREA: _Gould_. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ -] - - - - - STRUTHIDEA CINEREA, _Gould_. - Grey Struthidea. - - _Struthidea cinerea_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part IV. p. 143; - and in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part I.—G. R. Gray, List of - Gen. of Birds, 2nd Edit., p. 51. - - _Brachystoma cinerea_, Swains. An. in Menag., and Two Cent. and a - Quarter of New Birds, No. 51.—Class. of Birds, vol. ii. p. - 266. - - -So little information has been obtained respecting this highly curious -bird, that my account of it must necessarily be very meagre. From what I -have personally observed, it would seem to be a species peculiar to the -interior, and so far as is yet known, confined to the south-eastern -portion of the Australian continent. 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 pyramidalis_, a fine fir-like tree peculiar to the -district. Those I observed were always in small companies of three or -four together, on the topmost branches of the trees, and were extremely -quick and restless, the whole company leaping from branch to branch in -rapid succession, at the same time throwing up and expanding their tails -and wings; these actions were generally accompanied with a harsh -unpleasant note; their manners, in fact, closely resembled those of the -White-winged Chough and the _Pomatorhini_: a knowledge of its -nidification and the number and colour of its eggs would throw -considerable light upon the affinities of this curious form. I would, -therefore, particularly impress upon those who may reside in, or visit -the localities it inhabits, to pay especial attention to, and to make -known their observations upon, these points. - -The food, as ascertained by dissection, was 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. - -The figures are of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - CORVUS CORONOÏDES: _Vig. & Horsf._ - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._ -] - - - - - CORVUS CORONOÏDES, _Vig. & Horsf._ - White-eyed Crow. - - _Corvus Australis_, Lath. Ind. Orn., vol. i. p. 151.?—Gmel. Syst. - Nat., vol. i. p. 365.?—Daud. Orn., tom. ii. p. 226.? - - _South Sea Raven_, Lath. Gen. Syn., vol. i. p. 363.?—Cook’s Last Voy., - vol. i. p. 109.?—Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iii. p. 7.? - - _Corvus Coronoïdes_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 261. - - _W̏ur-dang_, Aborigines of Western Australia. - - _Ȍm-bo-lak_, Aborigines of Port Essington. - - _Crow_ of the Colonists. - - -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 found to be inhabited by it; some slight -difference however is observable between individuals from Port -Essington, Swan River, Van Diemen’s Land, 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 localities mentioned. When the birds are fully -adult, the colour of the eye is white and is the same in the whole of -them,—a circumstance 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 appears to be its only inducement for assembling -together, as it is not known to congregate at any other period. In New -South Wales and Van Diemen’s Land 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 are slightly glossed with -green; bill and feet black; irides in some white, in others brown. - -The Plate represents a male, killed in Van Diemen’s Land, of the natural -size. - -[Illustration: - - NEOMORPHA GOULDII: _G. R. Gray_. - - _J. & E. Gould del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ -] - - - - - NEOMORPHA GOULDII, _G. R. Gray_. - Gould’s Neomorpha. - - _Neomorpha acutirostris_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part IV. p. - 144.—Ib. Syn. Birds of Australia, Part I. - - —— _crassirostris_, Gould in Ib., p. 145.—Ib. in Syn. Birds of - Australia, Part I. - - —— _Gouldii_, G. R. Gray, List of Gen. of Birds, p. 12. - - _E llia_, Aborigines of New Zealand. - - -Two specimens of this highly curious and anomalous bird, male and -female, wanting the legs and wings, which form part of the collection of -the Zoological Society of London, were described by me in 1836, when, -from the great difference in the form and length of their bills, I very -naturally concluded that they constituted two distinct species, many -genera even having been founded upon more trivial differences of -character. Mr. George Robert Gray, however, entertained a different -opinion from myself, and, while engaged upon his valuable little work -entitled “A List of the Genera of Birds,” conceiving they were sexes of -the same species, and that consequently both my names were -inappropriate, inasmuch as, if either were retained, it might lead to -some misconception, has been pleased to dedicate it to myself, a -compliment which I duly appreciate; and I have only to hope that this -change of the specific name may not be productive of any confusion on -the subject. - -Through the kindness of a friend, who presented me with a specimen, I -brought to England the entire bird, and still more recently I have been -much gratified by the receipt of an additional pair, male and female, -direct from New Zealand. These, with some other very interesting birds, -were consigned to me by Dr. Dieffenbach, with a request that they should -be forwarded to the New Zealand Company, and it is to this body that I -am indebted for permission to describe and figure the female of this and -several other novelties sent home by Dr. Dieffenbach. In a letter -written from Port Jackson, this gentleman confirms the opinion of Mr. G. -R. Gray as to my _N. acutirostris_ and _crassirostris_ being the same -species; and further states, that “these birds, which the natives call -_E llia_, are confined to the hills in the neighbourhood of Port -Nicholson, whence the feathers of the tail, which are in great request -among the natives, are sent as presents to all parts of the island. The -natives regard the bird with the straight and stout beak as the male, -and the other as the female. In three specimens I shot this was the -case, and both birds are always together. These fine birds can only be -obtained with the help of a native, who calls them with a shrill and -long-continued whistle, resembling the sound of the native name of the -species. After an extensive journey in the hilly forest in search of -them, I had at last the pleasure of seeing four alight on the lower -branches of the trees near which the native accompanying me stood. They -came quick as lightning, descending from branch to branch, spreading out -the tail, and throwing up the wings. Anxious to obtain them I fired, but -they generally come so near that the natives kill them with sticks. -Their food consists of seeds and insects: of their mode of nidification -the natives could give me no information. The species is apparently -becoming scarce, and will probably soon be exterminated.” - -The whole of the plumage black, glossed with green; the tail largely -tipped with white; bill horn-colour, much darker at the base; wattles -rich orange; legs and toes blackish horn-colour; claws light -horn-colour. - -The figures represent a male and a female of the natural size, on the -_Corynocarpus lævigata_. - -[Illustration: - - POMATORHINUS TEMPORALIS: _Vig. & Horsf._ - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._ -] - - - - - POMATORHINUS TEMPORALIS. - Temporal Pomatorhinus. - - _Dusky Bee-eater_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 146. - - _Pomatorhinus temporalis_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. - p. 330.—Sturt, Travels in Australia, vol. ii. pl. in p. 190. - - —— _trivirgatus_, Temm. Pl. Col., 443. - - -As I have never seen an example of this species from any other portion -of Australia than New South Wales, its habitat would appear to be -restricted to that part of the country, where it is to be met in all -those districts in which the _Angophoræ_ and _Eucalypti_ abound; it is -gregarious in its habits, six or eight being generally seen in company, -and is an exceedingly noisy and garrulous species; it ascends the trees -with great rapidity in a succession of leaps from branch to branch, or -along the slanting boles of those that are not perfectly erect: -commencing with the branches nearest the ground it gradually ascends to -the very top, whence with elevated tail it peeps 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; when placed on the -_Casuarinæ_ it is usually constructed close to the stem of the tree, but -on the _Eucalypti_ it is mostly built at the extremity of the branch, -and often within reach of the hand: it is of a large size, and very much -resembles that of the Magpie of Europe, being of a completely domed -form, outwardly composed of small long twigs about the size of a thorn, -crossing each other, but very slightly interwoven: the entrance is in -the form of a spout about half the length of an arm, and the twigs are -placed in such a manner that the points incline towards each other, -rendering it apparently 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, weighing several pounds, of the fine inner -bark of trees and fine grasses. In traversing the pasture-lands at -Camden, the whole of the Upper Hunter district and some parts of the -Liverpool Plains, the attention of the traveller is often attracted by -the large nest of this bird; and it frequently happens that four, six or -even eight are to be seen on the same, or two or three closely planted -trees. - -The ground colour of their singular and beautifully marked eggs, which -are four in number, is a buffy brown, clouded with dark brown and -purple, and strongly marked 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 egg a marble-like -appearance; the markings of these eggs may be more easily imagined, by -supposing a hair or hairs to have been carelessly drawn over them after -having been dipped in ink; the eggs are one inch in length by nine lines -in breadth. - -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. - -The figures are of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - POMATORHINUS RUBECULUS: _Gould_ - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ -] - - - - - POMATORHINUS RUBECULUS, _Gould_. - Red-breasted Pomatorhinus. - - _Pomatorhinus rubeculus_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VII. p. - 144. - - -This bird is rather numerously dispersed over the northern parts of -Australia, where it takes the place of the _Pomatorhinus 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. Mr. Gilbert states that 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, as will be seen by the accompanying -Plate, which represents a male and a female of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - POMATORHINUS SUPERCILIOSUS: _Vig. & Horsf._ - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ -] - - - - - POMATORHINUS SUPERCILIOSUS, _Vig. & Horsf._ - White-eyebrowed Pomatorhinus. - - _Pomatorhinus superciliosus_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. - xv. p. 330.—Capt. Sturt’s Expeditions to South Australia, - vol. ii. p. 219. - - _Gnow-un_, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western Australia. - - -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 in New South Wales, and it -was particularly noticed by my friend Captain Sturt during his -expedition to the Darling. I myself encountered 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 encountered. 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 running 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 sometimes 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 wings, and puffing out their plumage -until they resemble a complete ball of feathers. - -The breeding-season commences in September and continues 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 dissection. - -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. - -The figures are of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - MELIPHAGA NOVÆ-HOLLANDIÆ: _Vig. & Horsf._ - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ -] - - - - - MELIPHAGA NOVÆ-HOLLANDIÆ, _Vig. & Horsf._ - New Holland Honey-eater. - - _Certhia Novæ-Hollandiæ_, Lath. Ind. Orn., p. 296.—Turton’s Edit. of - Linn. Syst. Nat., vol. i. p. 292. - - _New Holland Creeper_, White’s Journ., pl. in p. 186.—Lath. Gen. - Hist., vol. iv. p. 171.—Shaw’s Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. - 225. - - _L’Héorotaire tacheté_, Vieill. Ois. dor., tom. ii. p. 91. pl. 57. - - _Meliphaga Novæ-Hollandiæ_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. - p. 311. - - _Melitreptus Novæ-Hollandiæ_, Vieill. 2nde Edit. du Nouv. Dict. - d’Hist. Nat., tom. xiv. p. 328; and Ency. Méth. Orn., Part - II. p. 606. - - _Meliphaga Balgonera_, Steph. Cont. of Shaw’s Gen. Zool., vol. xiv. p. - 261. - - _Meliphaga barbata_, Swains. Class. of Birds, vol. ii. p. 326. - - _Meliornis Novæ-Hollandiæ_, G. R. Gray, List of Gen. of Birds, 2nd - Edit., p. 19. - - -I quite agree with Messrs. Vigors and Horsfield in making the bird -forming the subject of the present Plate the type of the restricted -genus _Meliphaga_. Independently of its claim to this distinction from -the circumstance of its being the oldest known, it is the species to -which the generic term is especially applicable, since, I conceive, it -feeds less upon insects and more upon nectarine juices than any other of -the family. - -The _Meliphaga Novæ-Hollandiæ_ is one of the most abundant and familiar -birds inhabiting the colonies of New South Wales, Van Diemen’s Land, and -South Australia: all the gardens of the settlers are visited by it, and -among their shrubs and flowering plants it annually breeds. It is not a -migratory species, but occasionally deserts some districts for others -whose flowering plants offer it a more tempting _locale_, and furnish it -with a more abundant supply of food: the belts of Banksias, growing on -sterile, sandy soils, afford it so congenial an asylum, that I am -certainly not wrong in stating that they are never deserted by it, or -that the one is a certain accompaniment of the other. The range enjoyed -by this species appears to be confined to the south-eastern portions of -Australia: it is abundant on the sandy districts of South Australia -wherever the Banksias abound; but to the westward of this part of the -country I have not traced it. At the Swan, and the other parts of the -western coast, it certainly is never found. In Van Diemen’s Land it is -much more numerous on the northern than on the southern portion of the -island; it is also most abundantly dispersed over all the islands in -Bass’s Straits, whose sandy, sterile soil favours the growth of the -Banksias; it is equally common over every part of the colony of New -South Wales, which may, in fact, be regarded as the great stronghold of -the species; at the same time I must not fail to observe, that the -districts bordering the sea-coast are most favourable to the growth of -its favourite tree; hence while it is there most numerous, in the -interior of the country it is seldom to be seen. 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 while it flits from bush to bush. Nor is it the least attractive -of the Australian Fauna; the strikingly-contrasted markings of its -plumage, and the beautiful appearance of its golden-edged wings, when -passing with its quick, devious and jumping flight from shrub to shrub, -rendering it a 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 procured 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 the forest, in any low open bush, and in the gardens among -the shrubs and flowers: one of the nests in my collection was taken from -a row of peas in the kitchen-garden of the Government House at Sydney. -It is usually placed at about eighteen inches or two feet from the -ground, and is a somewhat compact structure, composed of small wiry -sticks, coarse grasses, and broad and narrow strips of bark; the inside -is lined with the soft woolly portion of the blossoms of small ground -plants: it usually lays two, but occasionally three eggs, which are of a -pale buff, thinly spotted and freckled with deep chestnut-brown, -particularly at the larger end, where they not unfrequently assume the -form of a zone; their medium length is nine lines and a half, and -breadth nearly seven lines. - -The sexes are alike in colour and may be thus described:— - -Top 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; -under 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. - -The figures are those of a male and female of the natural size, on a -Banksia of Van Diemen’s Land. - -[Illustration: - - MELIPHAGA LONGIROSTRIS: _Gould_. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._ -] - - - - - MELIPHAGA LONGIROSTRIS, _Gould_. - Long-billed Honey-eater. - - _Meliphaga longirostris_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Sept. 22, - 1846. - - _Bȁn-dene_, Aborigines of the lowland districts of Western Australia. - - _Yellow-winged Honey-eater_ of the Colonists. - - -Although the _Meliphaga longirostris_ and _Meliphaga Novæ-Hollandiæ_ are -very similar, they will on comparison prove to be specifically distinct; -they are, in fact, beautiful representatives of each other on the -opposite sides of the great Australian continent, the _M. longirostris_ -inhabiting the western, and the _M. Novæ-Hollandiæ_ being spread over -the eastern portion of the country, and it would be a matter of some -interest to know at what degree of longitude the two species inosculate: -I have traced the latter as far to the westward as Port Lincoln, while, -so far as is known, the range of the former does not extend beyond the -Swan River settlement. Several points of difference 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 implies, 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. longirostris_ inhabits all those districts of the Swan River -settlement in which there are Banksias, a group of trees which it is -evidently formed to inhabit, and the flowers of which yield it a -constant supply of food, both of insects and honey. Like the other -species of the group, it is very pugnacious, and when fighting utters a -rapidly repeated chirrup, very much resembling that of the European -Sparrow. - -Its flight, which is varied, is sometimes extremely rapid. - -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 the ground: in the -York district it is frequently constructed among the bulrushes; but the -most usual situation is in a scrubby bush surrounded with grass, at an -altitude of about two or three feet; 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 their admeasurements. - -Top 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 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 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. - -The figures are of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - MELIPHAGA SERICEA: _Gould_. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ -] - - - - - MELIPHAGA SERICEA, _Gould_. - White-cheeked Honey-eater. - - _New Holland Creeper_, female, White’s Voy., pl. in p. 297. - - _L’Heorotaire noir_, Vieill. Ois. dor., tom. ii. p. 106. pl. 71. - - _Meliphaga sericea_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part IV. p. 144; - and in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part I. - - _Meliphaga sericeola_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part V. p. 152, - female. - - -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 are so entirely unknown, -that it is impossible to say how far its range may extend in that -direction. It has not yet been discovered in Van Diemen’s Land or South -Australia. It differs materially in its habits and disposition from the -_Meliphaga Novæ-Hollandiæ_, 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 luxuriant brushes; -it is also common at Botany Bay, and on most parts of the sea-coast -between that place and the river Clarence; but I never met with it -during any of my excursions into the interior of the country. - -I found it, unlike its near ally, a remarkably shy species; so much so, -that I frequently 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, a circumstance I much regret; for -although it is probable that in the colour of its eggs and its mode of -nidification it generally resembles the _M. Novæ-Hollandiæ_, there will -doubtless be found as great a specific difference in these respects as -is to be observed in the markings of their plumage. - -The sexes are alike in colour, but the female is somewhat the smaller. -The white cheeks and the absence of white tips to the tail-feathers will -at all times distinguish it from the _M. Novæ-Hollandiæ_. - -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. - -The figures represent two males of the natural size, on a plant growing -in the district of Illawarra, called Christmas by the settlers. - -[Illustration: - - MELIPHAGA MYSTACALIS: _Gould_. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._ -] - - - - - MELIPHAGA MYSTACALIS, _Gould_. - Moustached Honey-eater. - - _Meliphaga mystacalis_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VIII. p. - 161. - - _Bȁn-dene_, Aborigines of Swan River. - - -At the time I described this new species of _Meliphaga_ in the -“Proceedings of the Zoological Society,” I was not aware that M. -Temminck had applied the term _mystacalis_ to another species of -Honey-eater, or I should have selected a different appellation; as -however M. Temminck’s bird belongs to a distinct section of this great -family, any alteration would rather tend to produce confusion than -otherwise. - -The _Meliphaga mystacalis_ is a native of Western Australia, in which -country it beautifully represents the _Meliphaga sericea_ of New South -Wales. It is abundant in the vicinity of Perth and Fremantle, and is -sparingly dispersed over many other districts of the Swan River colony; -according to Mr. Gilbert it is remarkably 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 _Banksiæ_, and is very pugnacious, defending its young -from intruders with the most determined courage. - -Its note is a loud chirp, which is often rapidly repeated six or seven -times in succession; but while rising on the wing, it emits a song very -much resembling that of the Tree Lark of Europe. - -Its flight, which is very varied, 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 often 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 -neighbourhood of sheep-walks, wool collected from the scrub. The eggs -are usually two in number, but frequently only a single one is laid and -hatched. They are nine lines long by seven lines broad, and are usually -of a dull reddish buff, spotted very distinctly with chestnut and -reddish brown, interspersed with obscure dashes of purplish grey; but -they appear to differ considerably in colour and form; I have seen one -variety in which the ground colour was nearly white and destitute of -markings, except at the larger end, where it was clouded with dull -reddish brown. - -The stomach is small and muscular, and the food consists of small -coleoptera and other insects. - -The sexes are only distinguishable by the smaller size of the female. - -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. - -The figures are of the natural size, and represent the bird on a species -of _Banksia_, one of a tribe of trees on which it is most frequently -found. - -[Illustration: - - MELIPHAGA AUSTRALASIANA: _Vig. & Horsf._ - - _J. & E. Gould del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ -] - - - - - MELIPHAGA AUSTRALASIANA, _Vig. & Horsf._ - Tasmanian Honey-eater. - - _L’Heorotaire noir et blanc_, Vieill. Ois. Dor., t. ii. pl. 55, p. 89. - - _Certhia Australasiana_, Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 226. - - _Meliphaga Australasiana_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. - p. 313.—Swains. Class. of Birds, vol. ii. p. 326. - - _White-browed Honey-eater?_ Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 172. - - _Meliphaga inornata_, Gould, in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part. V. 1837, p. - 152.—Ibid., Syn. of Birds of Australia, Part IV. female. - - -This little Honey-eater is abundantly dispersed over every part of Van -Diemen’s Land, to which country, in all probability, the species is -restricted, though there is another in South Australia and New South -Wales so nearly resembling it, as to render this supposition doubtful, -and a further acquaintance with the continental bird is necessary to -determine whether it is a mere variety or a distinct species. The chief -difference consists in its being smaller in size, and less brilliantly -marked on the wing. - -The _Meliphaga Australasiana_ is one of the few species that enlivens -with their presence the almost impenetrable forests that cover a great -portion of Van Diemen’s Land, giving preference to such parts as are -clothed with a thick brush of dwarf shrubby trees growing beneath the -more lofty gums. The extreme silence of these solitudes is agreeably -broken by the loud shrill and liquid notes which are poured forth in -quick succession by numbers of this bird in various parts of the wood. -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, 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 _Diptera_ -and _Hymenoptera_. When disturbed it flits off with a quick darting -flight, settling again at the distance of a few yards among the thickest -tufts of the _Epacris_, or shrouds itself from observation among the -foliage of the sapling gums. - -It is extremely abundant on the hills at the foot of Mount Wellington, -and it may also be observed at most seasons among the thick beds of -_Epacris_ growing on the north side of the Derwent, between Kangaroo -Point and Clarence Plains. I also observed it in every similar situation -on the banks of the Tamar, at the other extremity of the island. The -breeding-season is September and the four following months, during which -period each pair of birds rear two or three broods; and it is a curious -fact, that at the first laying only two eggs are found in each nest, -while in the height of the summer, when insect food is far more -abundant, they almost invariably lay three: the cause of which is either -that the birds are more vigorous as the season advances, or that Nature -has wisely ordained that the number of young should bear a relative -proportion to the amount of food to be procured for their support. - -The nest is always placed on a low shrub within a foot or two of the -ground; it is of a round, open form, and is outwardly constructed of the -inner rind of the stringy bark gum-tree, generally lined with fine -grasses. - -Unlike every other member of the restricted genus _Meliphaga_ that I -have had opportunities of observing, the sexes are distinguished by a -different style of colouring, a circumstance which led me to -characterize the female as a distinct species under the name of -_Meliphaga inornata_, an error which my visit to the country enables me -now to rectify. - -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; a 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 abdomen white; flanks and under -tail-coverts sooty grey; irides red; bill and feet black. - -The female is of a nearly uniform dusky brown above and beneath; is -destitute 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; the black and white marks on the throat not very -apparent; the throat pale brownish grey instead of white, and the irides -brown. - -The Plate represents a male and female of the natural size on the -_Epacris impressa_. - -[Illustration: - - GLYCIPHILA FULVIFRONS: _Swains._ - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ -] - - - - - GLYCIPHILA FULVIFRONS, _Swains._ - Fulvous-fronted Honey-eater. - - _Meliphaga fulvifrons_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. - 317.—Lewin, Birds of New Holl., pl. 22. - - _Glyciphila fulvifrons_, Swains. Class. of Birds, vol. ii. p. 326.—G. - R. Gray, List of Gen. of Birds, 2nd Edit., p. 319. - - _Philedon rubrifrons_, Less. Voy. de la Coq. - - _Wy-ro-̏dju-dong_, Aborigines of the lowland districts of Western - Australia. - - _White-throated Honey-sucker_, Colonists of Swan River. - - -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 of Van Diemen’s Land, and all the -islands in Bass’s Straits. I have never observed it in collections from -the northern coast of Australia, whence I infer that it is confined to -those portions of the country mentioned above. In Van Diemen’s Land it -is by far the most abundant on the north side of the island, while in -the neighbourhood of Hobart Town it is rarely, if ever, seen. - -Independently of a slight difference in structure, the habits of this -bird differ sufficiently from those of the true _Meliphagi_ to fully -justify its separation into a distinct genus. In the first place it -affects very different localities, preferring to dwell among the trees -that crown the low stony ridges, rather than those growing on the lower -lands or the brushes; its flight is also very rapid, and, which is -rather remarkable for the smaller Honey-eaters, it mounts high in the -air, and flies off to a distance with an extremely rapid 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 graceful 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 so near the -ground as almost to touch; 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; sometimes, 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 much lengthened in figure; sometimes -they are quite white without the least trace of spots, but they are -generally blotched with large marks of chestnut-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 and hatches only one. The breeding-season lasts from -August to February. - -The song is rather remarkable, being commenced 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. - -Its food consists of the pollen of flowers and insects. - -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. The young, of which an accurate figure is given -in the accompanying Plate, has all the upper surface dark brown streaked -with buffy white, and is entirely destitute of the fulvous colouring 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 buffy white, and the primaries edged with a dull wax-yellow. - -Forehead and under surface of the wing fulvous or tawny; over each eye a -narrow line of white; a line 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; hill blackish brown; legs and feet greenish grey. - -The figures are those of a male, a female, and a young bird of the -natural size, on one of the Banksias of Van Diemen’s Land. - -[Illustration: - - GLYCIPHILA ALBIFRONS: _Gould_. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ -] - - - - - GLYCIPHILA ALBIFRONS, _Gould_. - White-fronted Honey-eater. - - _Glyciphila albifrons_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VIII. p. - 160. - - _Goȍl-be-g̏ool-burn_, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western - Australia. - - _Black-throated Honey-sucker_, Colonists of Swan River. - - -I first observed this fine new species of _Glyciphila_ in the great -Murray scrub of South Australia, where I succeeded in killing several -specimens of both sexes; it is also an inhabitant of the York and other -inland districts of Western Australia, and Captain Sturt obtained an -example during one of his overland journeys from Sydney to Adelaide: we -may consequently infer that, like many others, it is a species peculiar -to the interior, where it probably supplies the place of the -Fulvous-fronted Honey-eater, so abundantly dispersed along the line of -coast. - -In its disposition the present bird is remarkably shy, a trait 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 _Eucalyptus_, during which their -actions much resembled those of the restricted genus _Meliphaga_; but -they appeared if possible to hang and cling beneath the branches with -even greater facility. - -Its flight much resembles that of its near ally, being short, performed -in sudden starts, and all times unsteady. - -Its note is a double one, 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, and without the slightest shelter; they were very similar to -that of _Meliphaga 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 reddish buff at the larger end, -and distinctly spotted with chestnut-red 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 silvery 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. - -The figures are of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - GLYCIPHILA FASCIATA: _Gould_. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ -] - - - - - GLYCIPHILA FASCIATA, _Gould_. - Fasciated Honey-eater. - - _Glyciphila fasciata_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., October 11, 1842. - - -All the specimens hitherto collected of this new species have been -obtained from the Cobourg Peninsula, in the neighbourhood of Port -Essington, where, according to Mr. 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 -_Melaleucæ_, 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 to which it is -at present assigned, and the circumstance of its moving about in small -parties, would seem to indicate the propriety of its separation; as, -however, it is precisely of the same structure, and agrees with them in -the colouring of the upper surface, I have preferred retaining it in the -present genus. - -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 fasciæ; 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. - -The figures are those of a male and a female of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - GLYCIPHILA OCULARIS: _Gould_. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._ -] - - - - - GLYCIPHILA OCULARIS, _Gould_. - Brown Honey-eater. - - _Glyciphila? ocularis_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part V. p. 154; - and in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part IV. - - ——? _subocularis_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part V. p. 154; and - in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part IV., female or young male. - - _Jȉn-jo-gour_, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western - Australia. - - _Brown Honey-sucker_ of the Colonists. - - -Not one of the numerous species of Honey-eaters inhabiting Australia -appears to enjoy a more universal range than the _Glyciphila ocularis_; -I have received specimens from every portion of the country yet visited; -and if it does not also inhabit New Guinea and Timor, its place is there -supplied by species so very nearly allied to it, that they are not -readily distinguishable from each other. - -It inhabits every variety of situation: I met with it 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 Mr. Gilbert records that he -found it to be equally numerous at Swan River and at Port Essington: in -each and all of these various localities it was observed feeding alike -on the topmost branches of the tallest gums, as well as in the low -trees. - -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 procure the -sweet pollen: like the other species of the group, it also feeds with -avidity upon all kinds of small insects. - -Its powers of song are very great, the most frequently repeated note -being remarkably shrill, rich, clear and distinct in tone, and the -others forming an agreeable melody. While the female is sitting upon her -eggs, the male sings all day long with scarcely any intermission. - -Its flight merely consists of short flits from tree to tree. - -The situations chosen for the site of the nest are various, but in -nearly every instance contiguous to water and frequently overhanging it; -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 often seen -suspended in the most conspicuous manner from the drooping branches of -the stink-wood; and in one instance Mr. 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 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 _Banksiæ_, -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 considerably 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. - -The Plate represents a male and a female of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - PTILOTIS CHRYSOTIS. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._ -] - - - - - PTILOTIS CHRYSOTIS. - Yellow-eared Honey-eater. - - _Certhia chrysotis_, Lath. Ind. Orn., Supp., p. xxxviii. No. 16. - - _Yellow-eared Honey-eater_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 195. No. 54. - - _Meliphaga chrysotis_, Lewin, Birds of New Holl., pi. v.—Vig. and - Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 314.—Gould in Syn. Birds - of Australia, Part I. - - _Spot-eared Creeper_, Shaw, Zool., vol. viii. p. 244. - - -The Yellow-eared Honey-eater is very common in New South Wales, where it -inhabits the thick brushes near the sea, breeding and dwelling therein -all the year round. I found it especially abundant in all parts of the -river Hunter, as well as in the cedar brushes of the Liverpool and other -ranges of hills. No examples of this bird came under my notice in South -Australia, and I do not believe that it extends so far to the westward; -neither does it occur at Port Essington, in which district a different -character of country and of vegetation prevails. Mr. Bynoe procured a -single specimen on the north coast, but did not note the precise -locality. In its habits and disposition it assimilates very closely to -the _Ptilotis flavigula_ of Van Diemen’s Land. It prefers low shrubby -trees to those of a larger growth, frequently descending to the ground -among the underwood in search of insects. No one species of the genus is -more bold and fearless of man; 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. The flowering creeper upon which the bird is figured (together -with many similar plants), growing in the utmost luxuriance on the sides -of rivers, and attracting a corresponding amount of insect life, is -often visited by the _Ptilotis chrysotis_, which may be observed busily -engaged in search of its prey, heedless of the proximity of a human -intruder in its sequestered haunts. It is not celebrated for the -richness or liquidity 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 its loud ringing whistling note, which is continually poured -forth during the months of spring and summer. - -The sexes are alike in colour, 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 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 creeping plants 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 large end; they are eleven and a half lines long by eight lines -broad. - -Upper surface olive-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 purplish flesh-colour; irides dark -lead-colour; gape white. - -The Plate represents a male and a female of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - PTILOTIS SONORUS: _Gould_. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._ -] - - - - - PTILOTIS SONORUS, _Gould_. - Singing Honey-eater. - - _Ptilotis sonorus_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VIII. p. 160. - - _Dȍo-rum-dȍo-rum_, Aborigines of the lowland, and - - _Gool-b̏o-ort_, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western - Australia. - - _Larger Honey-sucker_, Colonists of Swan River. - - -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 a part of the country of a similar -character to the northward of Adelaide, and it is also one of the -commonest birds of the colony of Swan River. It does not, I believe, -extend very far north, at least no examples have as yet been sent from -the northern parts of the country. Moderately-sized trees, particularly -_Casuarinæ_ and _Banksiæ_, thinly scattered over grassy plains and the -crowns and sides of low hills, are its usual coverts, and I have never -found it in the brushes which form so peculiar a feature in New South -Wales, and which are the ordinary abode of several other species of the -genus. In Western Australia it enters the gardens and commits -considerable havoc among the fruit-trees, particularly figs, the seeds -of which appear to be its most favourite food. It also feeds upon -insects, which are principally sought for among the branches; but it -frequently descends and 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. - -As its name implies, it possesses the power of singing, and for an -Australian bird, and particularly a Honey-eater, in no ordinary degree; -its notes being so full, clear and loud as to be heard at a considerable -distance, and very much resembling those of the Missel Thrush (_Turdus -viscivorus_). 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, and I find -that in the memoranda made at the time I have described its notes as -full, loud and ringing. - -It is exceedingly pugnacious in disposition, often fighting severe -battles with the Wattle-Birds (_Anthochæræ_), and other species even -larger than those. - -Its flight is undulating and tolerably rapid. - -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 observed 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 Mr. 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 in 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 buff, thickly freckled with small indistinct reddish brown -marks; or of a nearly uniform fleshy buff without spots or markings, but -of a deeper tint at the larger end; their medium length is eleven lines, -and breadth eight lines. - -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 around 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. - -The female is like the male in colour, but smaller in all her -dimensions. - -The Plate represents the two sexes and a nest of the natural size on a -branch of a _Casuarina_. - -[Illustration: - - PTILOTIS VERSICOLOR: _Gould_. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._ -] - - - - - PTILOTIS VERSICOLOR, _Gould_. - Varied Honey-eater. - - _Ptilotis versicolor_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part X. p. 136. - - -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 -sonorus_ is certain, as it is most intimately allied to that species, -but may be readily distinguished 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 primaries and tail -wax-yellow; inner webs brown; under surface of the wing and tail -yellowish buff; stripe over the eye to the 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. - -The Plate represents the bird in two positions of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - PTILOTIS FLAVIGULA: _Gould_. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._ -] - - - - - PTILOTIS FLAVIGULA, _Gould_. - Yellow-throated Honey-eater. - - _Ptilotis flavigula_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VI. p. 24; - and in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part IV. - - -This fine and conspicuous species of _Ptilotis_ is abundant in all the -ravines round Hobart Town, and is very generally dispersed over the -whole of Van Diemen’s Land, to which island I believe it to be -exclusively confined, for I neither observed it myself nor have I met -with any example in the numerous collections I have received from South -Australia and New South Wales. It is very animated and sprightly in its -disposition, extremely quick in its actions, elegant in its form, and -graceful in all its movements; but as its colouring assimilates in a -remarkable degree with that of the leaves of the trees it frequents, it -is somewhat difficult of detection. When engaged 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 occasionally perches on -the dead branches of the highest trees, but is mostly to be met with in -the dense thickets. 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 down 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 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 leafstalks 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. - -The young birds assume the adult colouring from the time they leave the -nest. - -The Plate represents a male and a female of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - PTILOTIS LEUCOTIS. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._ -] - - - - - PTILOTIS LEUCOTIS. - White-eared Honey-eater. - - _Turdus leucotis_, Lath. Ind. Orn., p. xliv. No. 26. - - _White-eared Honey-eater_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 186. No. 41. - - _White-eared Thrush_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Suppl., vol. ii. p. 373. - - _Meliphaga leucotis_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. - 314.—Jard. and Selb. Ill. Orn., vol. i. pl. xxxv. fig. - 2.—Temm. Man., part i. p. lxxxvii.—Temm. Pl. Col. 435.—Gould - in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part I. - - -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 Mr. 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, such as the thick forests -of sapling and dwarf gum-trees growing on Kangaroo Island, one among the -other localities in which it abounds. - -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. - -I did not succeed in discovering the nest. - -The plumage of the upper surface harmonizes beautifully with the tint of -the green leaves, among which it is always disporting. - -The sexes are alike in their markings, but they differ considerably in -size, the male being much less than her mate. - -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. - -The figures represent the two sexes of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - PTILOTIS AURICOMIS: _Swains._ - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ -] - - - - - PTILOTIS AURICOMIS. - Yellow-tufted Honey-eater. - - _Yellow-tufted Flycatcher_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. - 215.—Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 172. - - _Certhia auriculata_, Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 236. - - _Muscicapa mystacea_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. li.? - - _Mustachoe Honey-eater_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 221?—Ib. - Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 177? - - _Muscicapa auricomis_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xlix.—Steph. Cont. of - Shaw’s Gen. Zool., vol. x. p. 354. - - _L’Heorotaire à oreilles jaunes_, Vieill. Ois. dor., tom. ii. p. 123. - pl. 85. - - _Tufted-eared Honey-eater_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 197. - - _Meliphaga auricomis_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. - 313.—Swains. Zool. Ill., vol. i. pl. 43. - - -By the list of synonyms given above, it will be seen that much doubt -existed in the minds of the earlier writers on ornithology as to the -place this bird should occupy in the natural system; the question was -finally decided by Messrs. Vigors and Horsfield assigning it to its true -station among the _Meliphagidæ_. - -It is certainly one of the most beautiful as well as one of the oldest -known species of the genus _Ptilotis_,—a genus, so far as is yet known, -peculiar to Australia and New Guinea, the natural habitat of whose -members is the evergreen _Eucalypti_, _Acaciæ_, &c.; and it is extremely -interesting to observe how closely the plumage of the various groups of -birds assimilates in colour to that of the flowers and leaves of the -trees which they inhabit. I have often watched various species of this -group among the leavey and flowering branches, busily engaged in -gathering honey and insects, when the assimilation of the general tint -of their plumage to the leaves, and their beautiful ornamental -ear-coverts to the flowers, was very remarkable. - -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 highest hills towards the interior being alike tenanted by -it. It is an active, animated species, flitting with a darting flight -from tree to tree; threading the most thickly-leaved branches with a -variety of sprightly actions; clinging beneath as well as traversing the -upper side of the branch, for performing which its structure is -beautifully adapted. - -I never succeeded in finding the nest of this species, although, from -its being very abundant on the Liverpool range at the period of the -breeding-season, I can venture to state this to be one of the parts of -the country in which it breeds, and that it evinces a decided partiality -to mountain districts, and hence during great droughts suffers -considerably from want of water; a fact I witnessed many times during my -visit to the mountains during the great drought of 1839: all the gulleys -and water-courses were then exhausted, and the natural beds of the -rivers were as dry as the most arid plains; and the deep clefts and -fissures in the rocks were the only resource for those animals of the -forest to whom water was essential to their existence. To these natural -basins this bird resorted in flocks of countless numbers, arriving in a -famishing state, not only in the morning and evening but at all hours of -the day, dashing down to drink quite regardless of my presence, although -seated within two yards of them. - -The female of this species, as is the case with others of the genus, is -smaller than her mate, 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. - -The Plate represents a male and a female on a branch of the _Tecoma -Australis_, of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - PTILOTIS CRATITIUS: _Gould_. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ -] - - - - - PTILOTIS CRATITIUS, _Gould_. - Wattle-cheeked Honey-eater. - - _Ptilotis cratitius_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VIII. p. 160. - - -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 Australia: 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 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, while 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 of the group, by the -lengthened wattle, of a beautiful lilac-colour, which stretches from the -corner of the mouth and extends down the sides of the cheeks; after -death, this wattle, which is but slightly pendulous, becomes dry and -discoloured, so as to be scarcely distinguishable. - -Of its nidification no information could be obtained. - -The sexes are nearly alike in plumage, and both have the fleshy -appendage on the cheeks, but the female is somewhat smaller than her -mate. - -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. - -The Plate represents a male and a female on a branch of the beautiful -_Prostanthera lasianthos_, of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - PTILOTIS ORNATUS: _Gould_. - - _J. & E. Gould del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ -] - - - - - PTILOTIS ORNATUS, _Gould_. - Graceful Ptilotis. - - _Ptilotis ornatus_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VI., 1838, p. - 24.—Ibid., Syn. Birds of Australia, Part IV. - - -The first notice of this species of Honey-eater may be found in the -“Proceedings of the Zoological Society for 1838,” as quoted above. The -specimen there characterized was the only one I had then seen, and -formed part of the fine collection of Fort Pitt at Chatham. It was -received from Western Australia, where the species appears to be -plentiful, being common at Swan River, and in all probability over the -whole of the present unknown country between that place and the River -Murray in South Australia, as I found it inhabiting the extensive belts -of dwarf _Eucalypti_ and other singular shrub-like trees which border -the lower part of that river, and this may possibly be the extreme limit -of its range in that direction. It was a source of much gratification to -myself to have unexpectedly found this elegant little bird in the rich -arboretum, which had already supplied me with so many novelties, both -animal and vegetable: among the latter I found the plant figured in the -accompanying Plate (_Pittosporum salicifolium_, R. Brown), not as one to -which the bird gives preference, but upon which it was occasionally -seen; the _Eucalypti_ being the trees to which the birds of this genus -more especially resort, among whose thick leafy branches and blossoms -they may at all times be observed actively engaged in searching for -insects, upon which, and the pollen and saccharine juices of the -flowers, they almost solely subsist. In the Belts of the Murray it was -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 number, 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 indicate immaturity, and -that the fully adult female may not have these, as in her mate. - -Crown of the head, external edge of the wings, rump and 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. - -The figures are of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - PTILOTIS PLUMULUS: _Gould_. - - _J. & E. Gould del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ -] - - - - - PTILOTIS PLUMULUS, _Gould_. - Plumed Ptilotis. - - _Ptilotis plumulus_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., November 10, 1840. - - -The double tuft of black and yellow feathers situated on the sides of -the neck suggested the name of _plumulus_ for this species, whose range -of habitat appears to be confined to the western portions of Australia, -specimens never having been seen in any of the numerous collections from -the southern or from the north-west coast: had it advanced so far to the -eastward as the Belts of the Murray, in all probability I should have -discovered it, while investigating that region. In size it is rather -less than _Ptilotis ornatus_, and, independently of the accessory black -tuft on the sides of the neck, the breast is of a more delicate and -paler colour, with the feathers much more faintly marked with brown down -the centre. All the specimens I have 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 sportman’s pea-whistle, -continued without intermission for a great length of time. When -disturbed it flits among the branches with a quick darting flight; while -at other times, like the Miners (genus _Myzantha_), 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 January; the -eggs being two in 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 -whole 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; the -lower, which is more spread over the sides of the neck, of a beautiful -yellow; primaries and tail-feathers brown, margined with bright -olive-yellow; irides very dark reddish brown; bill black; legs and feet -apple-green. - -The figures are male and female of the natural size, on one of the -Acacias of Western Australia. - -[Illustration: - - PTILOTIS FLAVESCENS: _Gould_. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._ -] - - - - - PTILOTIS FLAVESCENS, _Gould_. - Yellow-tinted Honey-eater. - - _Ptilotis flavescens_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VII. p. 144. - - -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 of _flavescens_,—a term -indicative of the colouring by which it may be readily distinguished -from its congeners. - -I regret to say that nothing whatever is at present known of its habits -or economy. - -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. - -The figures are of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - PTILOTIS FLAVA: _Gould_. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._ -] - - - - - PTILOTIS FLAVA, _Gould_. - Yellow Honey-eater. - - _Ptilotis flava_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part X. p. 136. - - -This new species may be distinguished from all its congeners 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. The 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 sufficient hint to -those who may visit its native country, and may have opportunities of -observing it, that any contributions to its history will be 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 bright yellow, the -remainder of the plumage olive-grey. - -The Plate represents the bird in two positions of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - PTILOTIS PENICILLATUS: _Gould_. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._ -] - - - - - PTILOTIS PENICILLATUS, _Gould_. - White-plumed Honey-eater. - - _Meliphaga penicillata_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part IV. p. - 143; and in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part I. - - -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, where it strongly reminded me of the Sparrow of our -own island; and it doubtless enjoys a wide range over the interior of -the country. From 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, where its movements are characterized by ease -and grace, 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 _Acaciæ_ 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 of that organ of -a yellowish white, which is doubtless indicative of immaturity. - -Its slightly-constructed nest, formed of grasses and wool, is -cup-shaped, and is suspended by the rim, like those of the other -Honey-eaters; I ascertained that the eggs are two in number, but -unfortunately did not succeed in procuring specimens of them. - -The figures in the accompanying Plate represent the birds coloured so -closely after nature as to render the following description almost -unnecessary. The beautiful tree upon which they are placed is one of the -numerous Acacias that abound in the interior of the country. - -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-feathers tinged with a richer -colour; under surface light yellowish brown; bill black; legs purplish -flesh-colour; irides very dark brown. - -The figures are of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - PTILOTIS FUSCUS: _Gould_. - - _J. & E. Gould del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ -] - - - - - PTILOTIS FUSCUS, _Gould_. - Fuscous Honey-eater. - - _Meliphaga fusca_, Gould in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part II. - - _Ptilotis fusca_, Ib., Part IV. - - -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_ upon which it is figured 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 her mate, 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 yellow; throat, chest, and under surface -light greyish brown; irides light yellow; eyelash bright yellow; gape -and corners of the mouth yellow; bill dull yellow at the base and black -at the tip; feet fleshy brown. - -The Plate represents a male and female of the natural size on the -_Tecoma Australis_. - -[Illustration: - - PTILOTIS CHRYSOPS. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._ -] - - - - - PTILOTIS CHRYSOPS. - Yellow-faced Honey-eater. - - _Sylvia chrysops_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. liv.—Bonn. et Vieill. - Ency. Méth. Orn., part ii. p. 455. - - _Black-cheeked Honey-eater_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. - 248.—Id. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 196. - - _Meliphaga chrysops_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. - 315.—Jard. and Selb. Ill. Orn., vol. i. pl. xxxv. fig. - 1.—Less. Man. d’Orn., tom. ii. p. 73. - - _Yellow-eared Flycatcher_, White’s Voy., pl. in p. 161? - - -The _Ptilotis chrysops_ may be regarded as one of the commonest species -of Honey-eaters inhabiting the colonies of New South Wales and South -Australia; its distribution over those countries, particularly the -former, being almost universal. On reference to my journal 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. No -instance is on record of its occurrence in Van Diemen’s Land, nor can -the colonies of Swan River on the western, or Port Essington on the -northern coast of Australia, claim a place for it in their faunas; its -range, in fact, appearing to be confined to the south-eastern part of -the country. It is very animated and sprightly in its actions, and -during the months of spring and summer is constantly engaged in singing; -its melodious song, which much resembles, but is not so loud as that of -the Song Thrush of Europe, 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 suspended 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, etc., lined -with fine vegetable fibres and grasses. The eggs, which are two and -sometimes three in number, are of a lengthened 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-coverts, and below this runs another parallel line of black, -which commences at the base of the lower mandible and extends beyond the -line of the ear-coverts; immediately 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. - -The Plate represents the two sexes of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - PTILOTIS UNICOLOR: _Gould_. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._ -] - - - - - PTILOTIS UNICOLOR, _Gould_. - Uniform Honey-eater. - - _Ptilotis unicolor_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part X. p. 136. - - -Although I have placed this species in the genus _Ptilotis_, it is more -than probable that it will hereafter be found necessary to constitute it -the type of a distinct form, as on a careful comparison it will be seen -that it differs from the true _Ptiloti_ in some parts of its structure -and in the uniform colouring of its plumage; besides which, its habits -and manners are also somewhat different. It is one of the many species -that rewarded Mr. Gilbert’s researches at Port Essington; 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 narrow -neck of the peninsula and the mainland 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 _Tropidorhynchus 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 _Sittellæ_. -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 _Myzanthæ_, 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 olive; 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. - -The Plate represents the bird of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - PLECTORHYNCHA LANCEOLATA: _Gould_. - - _J. & E. Gould del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ -] - - - - - PLECTORHYNCHA LANCEOLATA, _Gould_. - Lanceolate Honey-eater. - - _Plectorhyncha lanceolata_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part V. p. - 153; and in Syn. of Birds of Australia, Part IV. - - -The Liverpool Plains and the country immediately to the northward -thereof 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 -exclusively to the _Acaciæ_ and _Eucalypti_. Its chief food is the -pollen of flowers and insects, for the procuring of which among the -blossoms, and for constructing its beautiful nest, its pointed -spine-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; I have also heard these notes uttered by the bird while on the -wing. Upon one occasion only did I discover its nest, which was -suspended from the extreme tip of a branch of a _Casuarina_ overhanging -the stream, and in which the female was sitting, as represented in the -Plate. The nest is outwardly composed of grasses, interwoven with wool -and the cotton-like texture of flowers. The eggs are two in number, -rather lengthened in shape, being eleven and a half lines long by eight -lines broad; they are 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 dissection alone will -enable us to distinguish them; the male, however, rather exceeds the -female in size. - -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 from 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. - -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. - -The figures are those of a male and a female, and a nest, of the natural -size. - -[Illustration: - - ZANTHOMYZA PHRYGIA: _Swains._ - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ -] - - - - - ZANTHOMYZA PHRYGIA, _Swains._ - Warty-faced Honey-eater. - - _Merops Phrygius_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xxxiv.—Shaw, Zool. of New - Holl., p. 13. pl. 4,—Vieill. 2nde édit. du Nouv. d’Hist. - Nat., tom. xxvii. p. 428. - - _Philedon_, Temm. Men., 2nde édit., tom. i. p. lxxxvii. - - _Warty-faced Honey-eater_, Lewin, Birds of New Holl., pl. 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. - - _Embroidered Bee-eater_, Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 167. pl. 20. - - _Philemon Phrygius_, Vieill. Ency. Méth., Part II. p. 617. - - _Le Merle écaillé_, Le Vaill. Ois. d’Afr., tom. iii. pl. 116. - - _Meliphaga Phrygia_, Lewin, Birds of New Holl., p. 13. pl. 4.—G. R. - Gray, Gen. of Birds, 2nd Edit., p. 20. - - _Anthochæra Phrygia_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. - 322. - - _Zanthomiza Phrygia_, Swains. Class. of Birds, vol. ii. p. 326. - - _Mock Regent Bird_, Colonists of New South Wales. - - -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, particularly 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 during the -season that those trees are in full bloom. 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 -neighbourhood; it is, in fact, the most pugnacious bird I ever saw, -evincing particular hostility to the smaller _Meliphagidæ_, 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 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, probably in search of a more abundant -supply of food. - -Its note is a peculiar loud whistle, not entirely devoid of harmony. - -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 irregular blotches of chestnut-red and dull -purplish grey, particularly at the larger end, where they frequently -form a zone; they are eleven lines long by eight lines and a half broad. - -The stomachs and intestines of those specimens that I killed and -dissected among the brushes of the Hunter were entirely filled with -liquid honey only; insects, however, 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-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. - -The figures represent two males, a female, and the nest of the natural -size. - -[Illustration: - - MELICOPHILA PICATA: _Gould_. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ -] - - - - - MELICOPHILA PICATA, _Gould_. - Pied Honey-eater. - - _Melicophila picata_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., April 9, 1844. - - -The accompanying illustration represents an entirely new species of -Honey-eater, differing both in form and in colouring from every other at -present known; in the pied style of its plumage it so strongly resembles -the _Petroica bicolor_, that it might be easily mistaken for that bird; -its structural difference is, however, so apparent on comparison that no -doubt can for a moment be entertained as to its proper situation in the -‘Systema Avium.’ Its flight is also very different from that of the -_Petroica bicolor_. Like many other of the Honey-eaters, its actions -when on the wing are extremely varied, and some of them exceedingly -graceful; it frequently ascends in a perpendicular direction to a -considerable height above the trees with its tail very much spread, 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 for it. It is at -all times extremely difficult of approach, particularly the female, -which, if possible, is even more shy and wary than her mate. Mr. Gilbert -mentions, that unlike the other members of the family, 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 simultaneously with the _Artamus personatus_ -and _Melopsittacus undulatus_ in the latter part of October. - -Specimens of this bird have been forwarded to me from South Australia by -my excellent friend George Grey, Esq., Governor of that province, and -from Swan River by Mr. Gilbert; they reached me simultaneously, the -latter fortunately in good order, the former sadly mutilated “by a cat,” -writes His Excellency, “which got into the room and ate the heads off -the male and female of this entirely new bird, of which I have no other, -and which I had ridden fifty miles to procure.” One of Mr. Gilbert’s -specimens had been given to him by Mr. Lock Burgess, to which gentleman -I am also indebted for several other rare species kindly presented by -him to Mr. Gilbert for me, whereby the interest and value of this work -is much enhanced. - -I regret to say that nothing more than is stated above is present at -known respecting it. - -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 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 huffy white; under -surface buffy white, with a small streak of black near the tip of each -feather. - -The figures represent a male and a female of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - ENTOMOPHILA PICTA: _Gould_. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ -] - - - - - ENTOMOPHILA PICTA, _Gould_. - Painted Honey-eater. - - _Entomophila picta_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part V. p. 154. - - -This beautiful little Honey-eater is strictly peculiar to the interior -of New South Wales, where it inhabits the myalls (_Acacia pendula_), 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 -_Meliphagidæ_ prior to my visit to the country, I had been led to -suspect that the actions and economy of the Painted Honey-eater would be -found to differ 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. I have generally met with it in pairs, flying and chasing each -other from top to top of the most lofty trees. During flight they -repeatedly spread their tails, when the white portion of the feathers -shows very conspicuously; the yellow colouring of the wing also -contributes to the beauty of their appearance, which somewhat resembles -that of the Goldfinch. I found the nest of this bird with two nearly -fledged young on the fifth of September; the nest was the frailest -structure possible, round, of small size, most ingeniously suspended by -the rim to the thick drooping leaves of the _Acacia pendula_, and -entirely composed of very fine fibrous roots. The female is much less -brilliant than the male, but does not differ in the distribution of the -markings. - -I have never seen this bird from any other part of Australia than that -above-mentioned, nor in any other collection than my own. - -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; bill soft and pulpy, and of a deep pink red; irides hazel; -eyelash darker hazel; feet purplish lead-colour. - -The figures represent the two sexes and the nest of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - ENTOMOPHILA ALBOGULARIS: _Gould_. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ -] - - - - - ENTOMOPHILA ALBOGULARIS, _Gould_. - White-throated Honey-eater. - - _Entomophila? albogularis_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part X. p. - 137. - - _Me-lȕd-be-re_, Aborigines of Port Essington. - - -This new species is a native of the northern portion of Australia. “I -first met with it,” says Mr. Gilbert, “on Mayday Island in Van Diemen’s -Gulf, where it appeared to be tolerably 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 Goldfinch-like song; it also pours forth its agreeable melody -for a length of time without intermission while sitting on the topmost -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; small breaks in the mangroves formed by little coves or -bays having a narrow entrance, and thus secluded from the effects of -every wind, are the situations it chooses for the purpose of rearing its -young. Its small pensile nest is suspended from the extremity of a weak -projecting branch in such a manner that it hangs over and at about two -feet from the water, the bird always selecting a branch bearing a -sufficient number of leaves to protect the entrance, which is invariably -at the top; in form the nest is deep and cup-like, and is composed of -narrow strips of the soft paper-like bark of the _Melaleucæ_, matted -together with small vegetable fibres, with which also the nest is firmly -bound to the branch; the inside is slightly lined with soft grass. The -eggs appear to vary from two to three in number, as I found a nest in -the latter part of November and another in the early part of December -which contained three in each, while a third procured towards the end of -January had only two; they are rather lengthened in form, and not very -unlike those of _Malurus cyaneus_ in the colour and disposition of their -markings; their ground colour being white, thinly freckled all over with -bright chestnut-red, particularly at the larger end; they are nine lines -long and six lines broad. During the breeding-season it exhibits -considerable pugnacity of disposition, and instead of its usual pretty -note, utters a chattering and vociferous squeaking; at other times it is -rather familiar and may be easily approached. - -“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. - -The figures are those of the two sexes, and the nest of the natural -size. - -[Illustration: - - ENTOMOPHILA? RUFOGULARIS: _Gould_. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ -] - - - - - ENTOMOPHILA RUFOGULARIS, _Gould_. - Red-throated Honey-eater. - - _Entomophila rufogularis_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part X. p. - 137. - - -This is another of the novelties that has rewarded the researches of the -Officers of H.M.S. Beagle on the northern coast of Australia; the -specimens from which my figures were taken were transmitted to me by my -friend Benjamin Bynoe, Esq., of that vessel. - -The _Entomophila rufogularis_ is the least of the genus yet discovered, -and is more nearly allied to _E. albogularis_ than to _E. picta_, from -both of which it may at once be distinguished by the red colouring of -its throat. The sexes, judging from the specimens sent me by Mr. 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 darker brown; -primaries, secondaries and tail-feathers margined 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. - -The figures are those of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - ACANTHOGENYS RUFOGULARIS: _Gould_. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ -] - - - - - ACANTHOGENYS RUFOGULARIS, _Gould_. - Spiny-cheeked Honey-eater. - - _Acanthogenys rufogularis_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part V. p. - 153; and in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part IV. - - -Numerous and diversified as are the forms of the great family of the -_Meliphagidæ_, 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 (_Anthochæræ_), but still presents in these respects -sufficient differences to warrant its separation into a distinct genus -or subgenus, as naturalists may think fit to designate the division. - -The Spiny-cheeked Honey-eater ranges very widely over the interior of -Australia. I observed 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 Honey-eater I encountered 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. It is not at -all improbable that there may be two or more species of this singular -form. Like the Brush Wattle-bird it is rather a shy species, but its -presence may at all times be detected by the loud hollow whistling note -which it frequently utters while on the wing, or while passing with a -darting 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 in -the immediate neighbourhood. It is very active among the trees, clinging -and creeping about with the greatest ease and elegance of position, -passing its brush-like tongue over the flowers of the Banksias as well -as inserting it into the interstices for lurking insects, upon which, -like all the other Honey-eaters, it partially subsists. - -The nest, which is a round, rather deep, cup-shaped structure, 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. -Their 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 her mate 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 eye and on the sides of the neck black, above -which on the side of the neck another line of whitish mingled with -dusky; hairs on the cheeks white; below the lower mandible a line of -feathers, 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. - -The Plate represents a male and female on a branch of one of the -Banksias, all of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - ANTHOCHÆRA INAURIS. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ -] - - - - - ANTHOCHÆRA INAURIS. - Wattled Honey-eater. - - _Anthochæra carunculata_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. - 321.—Gould, Syn. Birds of Australia, Part I. - - _Creadion carunculatus_, Vieill. Gal. des Ois., tom. i. pl. 94. - - _Wattle Bird_ of the Colonists of Van Diemen’s Land. - - -By nearly every author who has had occasion to mention or refer to this -species, it has been confounded with the bird originally described by -Latham under the name of _Merops carunculatus_, which bird is strictly -confined to New South Wales and South Australia, while that here figured -is I believe exclusively an inhabitant of Van Diemen’s Land; hence it -becomes necessary to give the latter a new specific appellation, and I -have selected that of _inauris_ as indicative of the peculiar feature by -which it is distinguished, namely the great length of the pendulous -ear-drops. The vast primæval forests of _Eucalypti_ clothing the greater -portion of Van Diemen’s Land, whose recesses in many parts have never -yet been trodden, afford it an asylum not only where food is abundant, -but where it is safe from the attack of man; from these retreats however -it frequently emerges, and visits the flowering _Eucalypti_ of the more -open forest in the Upper Derwent districts, 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 it may be -observed, but in far less numbers, at all seasons of the year. The -neighbourhood of the Macquarrie Plains is a locality particularly -favourable to this bird, where hundreds are annually shot and sent to -the markets of Hobart Town for the purposes of the table. It exhibits -but little shyness of disposition, and almost any number may be obtained -without much trouble. It is highly prized as an article of food, and in -winter becomes so excessively fat as to exceed in this respect any bird -I ever saw, the entire body and neck, both internally and externally, -being completely enveloped. I have been informed that a large tea-cupful -of oil may be procured from two of these birds, and that as it gives a -better light, it is sometimes used in lieu of candles; after the -breeding-season it becomes thin and spare, the male then weighing on an -average only six ounces. 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 procuring this kind of food; its long -tongue, with its brush-like tip, being protruded at will 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 -numerous species of _Eucalypti_. - -The same restless disposition appears 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 present 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 disagreeable scream, -resembling in loudness and somewhat in tone the call of the Pheasant; by -some persons it has been compared to the sound produced by the retching -or vomiting of man. Both sexes have the wattled appendages beneath the -ear, but they are less developed in the female, whose size is also -smaller than that of her mate. - -Although I found several of the nests of this species in various parts -of the colony, I failed in procuring the eggs, which are still -desiderata to my cabinet. The nests were moderately large cup-shaped -structures, formed of fine twigs and grasses intermingled with wool, and -were usually built on some low tree, such as the _Casuarina_ or -_Acacia_. - -Crown of the head and back of the neck striped with black and grey, the -centre of each feather being black, and its external 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. - -The Plate represents the two sexes of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - ANTHOCHÆRA CARUNCULATA. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._ -] - - - - - ANTHOCHÆRA CARUNCULATA. - Wattled Honey-eater. - - _Merops carunculatus_, Lath. Ind. Orn., vol. i. p. 276. - - _Corvus paradoxus_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. 26. - - —— _carunculatus_, Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. vii. p. 378. - - _Pie à pendeloques_, Daud. Orn., tom. ii. p. 246. pl. 16. - - _Wattled Crow_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 119. - - _Wattled Bee-eater_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 150.—Phil. - Bot. Bay, pl. in p. 164.—White’s Journ., pl. in p. - 144.—Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 173.—Lath. Gen. Hist., - vol. iv. p. 158. - - _Anthochæra Lewinii_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. - 322, note.—Gould in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part I.—Swains. - Class. of Birds, vol. ii. p. 326.—G. R. Gray, List of Gen. - of Birds, 2nd edit., p. 20. - - _Djung-gung_, Aborigines of Western Australia. - - _Wattle Bird_ of the Colonists. - - -This, the true _Merops carunculatus_ of the older writers, enjoys an -unusually wide range of habitat, extending as it does over the whole of -the southern portion of the continent, being equally as abundant in -Southern and Western Australia as in New South Wales; how far it may -extend to the northward has not yet been ascertained; it does not -inhabit Van Diemen’s Land. 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 apple-tree flats and forests of _Eucalypti_ of New South Wales. -Mr. Gilbert’s notes inform me that he met with it in all parts of -Western Australia, but that it was most abundant among the Banksias in -the York district. 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. - -Its flight is slow and uneven, and rarely extends to any great distance. - -It breeds in September and October. The nests observed by myself in the -Upper Hunter district were placed on the horizontal branches of the -_Angophoræ_, and were of a large rounded form, composed of small sticks -and lined with fine grasses; those found by Mr. 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 and 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. - -The sexes are only distinguishable by the smaller size of the female. - -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. - -The figure is of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - ANTHOCHÆRA MELLIVORA: _Vig. & Horsf._ - - _J. & E. Gould del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ -] - - - - - ANTHOCHÆRA MELLIVORA, _Vig. & Horsf._ - Brush Wattle-Bird. - - _Certhia mellivora_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xxxvii. - - _Le Goruck_, Vieill. Ois. Dor., tom. ii. p. 126. pl. 88. - - _Goruck Creeper_, Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 243. - - _Mellivorous Creeper_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 166. - - _Wattled Honey-eater_, var. C. Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 159. - - _Merops chrysopterus_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xxxiii. - - _Golden-winged Bee-eater_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. - 153.—Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 180. - - _Golden-winged Honey-eater_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 160. - - _Mellivorous Honey-eater_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 161. - - _Anthochæra mellivora_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. - 321.—Gould, Syn. Birds of Australia, Part I. - - _Goo-gwar-ruck_, Aborigines of the coast of New South Wales. - - -The student of nature cannot fail to observe that particular forms, both -of birds and insects, are peculiarly and especially destined to inhabit -certain districts, trees, and plants, and in no instance is this law -more strikingly apparent than in the case of the Brush Wattle-bird, -which so constantly resorts to the Banksias, that its presence may -always be with certainty looked for wherever these trees may be found; -indeed I do not remember ever having seen a group of them without having -also seen or heard their sure accompaniment, the Wattle-bird; but I must -remark, that I have occasionally observed the latter among the -Leptospermums and other low shrubs of the swampy grounds. Neither of -these trees, it is well known, are to be found on good land; the -garrulous note of this species might, therefore, be taken by the settler -as a sure indication of the sterile and unprofitable nature of the soil. -It is indigenous to Van Diemen’s Land, New South Wales, and South -Australia; and in all these countries may be found in such situations as -are favourable to the growth of its favourite trees. 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 intimately -allied species, the _Anthochæra lunulata_. - -The Brush Wattle-bird is a bold and spirited species, 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; and -there are few of the Honey-eaters whose actions are more sprightly and -animated. 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-ruck_, in which the -natives have endeavoured to imitate this very singular note. 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 Banksias are in blossom during a great portion of the year, and each -flower as it expands is diligently examined by the Wattle-bird, which -inserts its long feathery tongue into the interstices of every part of -the flower, extracting the pollen and insects, in searching for which it -clings and hangs about the flowers in every variety of position. - -The breeding-season commences in September and continues during the -three following months. The nest is round, open, and rather small in -size, generally placed in the fork of a small branch often within a few -feet of the ground, and formed of fine twigs 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. - -The sexes are only to be distinguished from each other by the smaller -size of the female; and the young from the nest has 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. - -The Plate represents a male and a female on a branch of the _Banksia -serrata_, all of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - ANTHOCHÆRA LUNULATA: _Gould_. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._ -] - - - - - ANTHOCHÆRA LUNULATA, _Gould_. - Lunulated Wattle-Bird. - - _Anthochæra lunulata_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., part v. p. 153; - and in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part IV. - - _Dj̏ung-gung_, Aborigines of the lowland, and - - _Tur-dal-l_, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western - Australia. - - _Little Wattle-Bird_, Colonists of Swan River. - - -This species is very nearly allied to the _Anthochæra mellivora_, but -differs from that bird in the greater length of its bill, in the entire -absence of the striæ 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 and the lakes in its vicinity 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 discordant -cackling sound, resembling an attempt to sing, of the most disagreeable -description. - -A remarkable circumstance connected with the incubation of this bird is, -that it appears to lay but a single egg, and it moreover appears 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 perpendicular 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 bush two or three feet from the ground; but it is more -frequently constructed at a height of at least eight or twelve. It is -formed of dried sticks, 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 of various kinds, with which the -young when hatched are also fed by the parent birds. - -The female is considerably smaller than her mate, 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 white; irides bright hazel; bill blackish brown; -feet and legs yellowish grey, the former the darkest and with a tinge of -olive. - -The figures are of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - TROPIDORHYNCHUS CORNICULATUS: _Vig. & Horsf._ - - _J. & E. Gould del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ -] - - - - - TROPIDORHYNCHUS CORNICULATUS, _Vig. & Horsf._ - Friar-Bird. - - _Merops corniculatus_, Lath. Ind. Orn., vol. i. p. 276. - - _Corbi calao_, Le Vaill. Ois. d’Am. et des Indes, tom. i. p. 69. pl. - 24. - - _Knob-fronted Honey-eater_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 161. - - _Knob-fronted Bee-eater_, Ib. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 151.—Shaw, - Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 183. - - _Tropidorhynchus corniculatus_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. - xv. p. 324.—Jard. and Selb. Ill. Orn., vol. iii. pl. - 133.—Gould, Syn. Birds of Australia, Part I. - - _Merops monachus_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xxxiv, young. - - _Cowled Bee-eater_, Ib. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 155.—Shaw, Gen. - Zool., vol. viii. p. 166, young. - - _Cowled Honey-eater_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 162, young. - - _Knob-fronted Bee-eater_, White’s Voy., pl. in p. 190, young. - - _Tropidorhynchus monachus_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. - p. 324, young. - - _Coldong_, Aborigines of New South Wales. - - _Friar, Poor Soldier, &c._, of the Colonists. - - -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 forests of the interior. I also observed -it tolerably abundant on the banks of the Peel, but could not fail to -observe that its numbers diminished as I descended the Namoi, on the -lower parts of which river it is, I believe, rarely if ever seen, its -place there being supplied by the yellow-throated species, -_Tropidorhynchus citreogularis_. 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 necessary to determine this -point, my limited stay may have led me into error. It has never yet been -known to visit Van Diemen’s Land, 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,” etc. Its bare head and neck have also -suggested the names of “Friar-Bird,” “Monk,” “Leather Head,” etc. - -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 downwards, etc. 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, -losing all fear of man, and readily attacking hawks, crows, magpies -(_Gymnorhina_) 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 succeeds a layer of fine twigs lined with grasses and fibrous -roots, the whole being suspended to the horizontal branch of an apple- -(_Angophora_) 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, 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. - -The Plate represents an old bird and a young one of the first autumn, on -the wild fig of the Upper Hunter; the birds and plant being of the -natural size. - -[Illustration: - - TROPIDORHYNCHUS ARGENTICEPS: _Gould_. - - _J. & E. Gould del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ -] - - - - - TROPIDORHYNCHUS ARGENTICEPS, _Gould_. - Silvery-crowned Friar-bird. - - _Tropidorhynchus argenticeps_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VII. - 1839, p. 144. - - -For the first knowledge of this new species of _Tropidorhynchus_, -science is indebted to Benjamin Bynoe, Esq., Surgeon of Her Majesty’s -Surveying ship the Beagle, who, on my visiting Sydney, placed his -specimens at my disposal; since my return, other examples have been sent -for my use, in this work, by His Excellency Captain Grey, now Governor -of South Australia. - -Mr. Bynoe’s specimens were all obtained during the survey of the -north-west coast, a portion of Australia the natural productions of -which are but little known, and Captain Grey’s during his expedition -into the interior, from the same coast. - -In size the Silvery-crowned Friar-bird is somewhat inferior to the -common species (_Tropidorhynchus corniculatus_), from which it may also -he 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. - -The figure is of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - TROPIDORHYNCHUS CITREOGULARIS: _Gould_. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._ -] - - - - - TROPIDORHYNCHUS CITREOGULARIS, _Gould_. - Yellow-throated Friar-Bird. - - _Tropidorhynchus citreogularis_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part - IV. p. 143; and in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part I. - - _Ȁr-dulk_ and _Wȕl-loo-rat?_ Aborigines of Port Essington. - - _Leather-neck_ of the Colonists of Port Essington. - - _Yellow-throated Friar_, Colonists of New South Wales. - - -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 December, 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 represented in my ‘Synopsis of the Birds of Australia,’ is -peculiar to the period of immaturity; in the adult this colouring is -entirely wanting, and the bird is one of the plainest-coloured species -of the Australian Fauna. - -Its habits and manners are very similar to those of the _Tropidorhynchus -corniculatus_; like that bird it feeds on insects, berries, fruits, and -the flowers of the _Eucalypti_, among the smaller branches of which it -may constantly be seen hanging and clinging in every possible variety of -attitude. - -In the neighbourhood of Port Essington on the north coast, a species of -this form is found which precisely resembles the present bird in every -respect, except that it is about one-fifth smaller and has a rather -larger bill; if these birds should ultimately prove to be merely -varieties of each other, then the range of the species will be very -extensive indeed; in my own opinion they are distinct, but whether I am -right in thus believing or not, can only be ascertained by an increased -knowledge of the productions of this vast continent. - -Mr. Gilbert states that the Port Essington bird is less abundant, less -active, and has not so deep a voice as the _T. argenticeps_, but that -the habits and manners of the two birds are precisely similar. - -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 -olive; irides and eyelash nearly black; naked part of the face mealy -bluish lead-colour. - -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. - -The young of the Port Essington bird has the yellow colouring of the -throat still more extensive than in the bird from New South Wales. - -The figures represent an adult and a young bird from specimens killed on -the Namoi. - -[Illustration: - - ACANTHORHYNCHUS TENUIROSTRIS. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ -] - - - - - ACANTHORHYNCHUS TENUIROSTRIS. - Slender-billed Spine-bill. - - _Certhia tenuirostris_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Suppl., p. xxxvi. - - _Le Cap noir_, Vieill. Ois. Dor., tom. ii. p. 94. pl. 60. - - _Slender-billed Honey-eater_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 194. pl. - lxii. - - _Flapping Honey-eater_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 195. - - _Hooded Creeper_, Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 109. - - _Slender-billed Creeper_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Suppl., vol. ii. p. 165. pl. - 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; and in Syn. - Birds of Australia, Part II. - - _Cobbler’s Awl_, Colonists of Van Diemen’s Land. - - _Spine-bill_, Colonists of New South Wales. - - -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 Van Diemen’s -Land, 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 that they are identical; but as no conclusive -evidence that such is the case has yet been obtained, I must leave the -matter still doubtful until further research shall enable us to decide -the question. In habits, disposition and nidification the two birds -closely assimilate, as I had abundant opportunities of observing during -my residence in the colonies. - -There is no member of the large family of Honey-eaters to which it -belongs that enjoys a structure more especially 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, the flowers for the birds and _vice -versâ_; those who have traversed the immense beds of _Epacris impressa_, -so abundant in Van Diemen’s Land, must have often observed the bird -darting out from beneath his feet and flitting off to a very short -distance, descending 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 yard or two. - -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. Should the 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 a wide extent of country, including Van Diemen’s Land, all -the islands in Bass’s Straits, and the continent of Australia from South -Australia to Moreton Bay; to the eastward of the former, or to the -eastward and northward of the latter country, I have never been able to -trace it. - -The nest of this species is a small cup-shaped and rather beautiful -structure, although not so compact or neatly formed as that of many -other birds; those I found, both in Van Diemen’s Land and New South -Wales, were built on some low shrubs a few feet from the ground, mostly -in a species of _Leptospermum_; it is outwardly constructed of moss and -grasses, and lined with feathers; the eggs are two in number, of a -delicate huffy 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 the eggs are much lengthened and -pointed; their 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 Van Diemen’s Land 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. - -The figures are those of a male and female, on a branch of what is -considered a white variety of _Epacris impressa_. - -[Illustration: - - ACANTHORHYNCHUS SUPERCILIOSUS: _Gould_. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ -] - - - - - ACANTHORHYNCHUS SUPERCILIOSUS, _Gould_. - White-eyebrowed Spine-bill. - - _Acanthorhynchus superciliosus_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part V. - p. 24. - - _Bool-jeet_, Aborigines of the lowland districts of Western Australia. - - -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 Banksias, upon the blossoms of which trees it almost -solely subsists. Its food, like that of the other members of its family, -consists of insects and honey, for obtaining which its delicately -organized bill and the filamentous form of its tongue are peculiarly -adapted; the latter member being capable of considerable protrusion -beyond the apex of the bill, thus enabling the bird to dive into the -deepest interstices of the flowers, which its bill alone would not -permit. Like its congeners, this species occasionally frequents the low -shrub-like 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; at others it emits a -loud and strong note. - -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 appearance, but -the female may generally be distinguished from her mate 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 margined 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-coverts light greyish brown, -in some specimens deepening into buff; irides reddish brown; bill black; -legs dark brown. - -The figures are those of a male and a female of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - MYZOMELA SANGUINOLENTA. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ -] - - - - - MYZOMELA SANGUINOLENTA. - Sanguineous Honey-eater. - - _Certhia sanguinolenta_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xxxvii. - - _L’Heorotaire sanguin_, Vieill. Ois. Dor., tom. ii. p. 127. - - _Sanguineous Creeper_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 167. pl. - 130.—Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 235. - - _Sanguineous Honey-eater_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol iv. p. 201. pl. 73. - - _Certhia dibapha_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xxxvii. - - _L’Heorotaire rouge tacheté_, Vieill. Ois. Dor., tom. ii. p. 127. - - _Small-crested Creeper_, Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 253. pl. 35? - - _Cochineal Creeper_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 167. - - _Cochineal Honey-eater_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 201. - - _Certhia erythropygia_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. 38. - - _Red-rumped Creeper_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 169.—Shaw, - Gen. Zool. vol. viii. p. 249. - - _Le Kuyameta_, Vieill. Ois. Dor., tom. ii. p. 92. pl. 58. - - _Certhia Australasiæ_, Leach, Zool. Misc., vol. i. pl. 11. - - _Meliphaga Cardinalis_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. - 316. - - _Blood-bird_ of the Colonists of New South Wales. - - -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 I infer that the south-eastern -part of the continent is its natural and restricted 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 of various kinds, upon which and the pollen of the flower-cups -it chiefly subsists. - -I regret to say that I was unable to obtain any information respecting -the nidification of this pretty species; but in this respect it -doubtless closely resembles the other members of the group. - -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 considerably in colour, resembles the female -until after the first moult, when it gradually assumes the colouring of -the male. - -Much confusion exists in the writings of the older authors respecting -this bird, which has arisen from the circumstance of their having -considered it to be identical with two other species, one inhabiting the -Isle of Tanna, and the other the province of Bengal: after a careful -examination of the subject, I am of opinion that the synonyms given -above are all that have reference to the Australian bird. - -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 huffy white, and the primaries with greyish olive; under surface of -the wing white; abdomen and under tail-coverts buff; bill and feet -black; irides dark brown. - -The female is uniform light brown above, becoming much lighter beneath. - -The figures are those of the two sexes and of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - MYZOMELA ERYTHROCEPHALA: _Gould_. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ -] - - - - - MYZOMELA ERYTHROCEPHALA, _Gould_. - Red-headed Honey-eater. - - _Myzomela erythrocephala_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VII. p. - 144. - - -The Red-headed Honey-eater is so distinctly marked as almost to preclude -the possibility of its being confounded with any known species of the -genus. In size it rather exceeds the common Sanguineous Honey-eater, but -is far more diminutive than the species described by Latham as -inhabiting the Isle of Tanna, under the name of _Certhia Cardinalis_. - -The northern portion of Australia would appear to be the true habitat of -the bird here represented, all the specimens that have come under my -notice having been procured at Port Essington, where it is exclusively -confined to the extensive beds of mangroves bordering the inlets of the -sea. From 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. Mr. Gilbert states that it is far from being abundant, and is -so 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. - -No information whatever was acquired respecting its nidification, nor -whether it be migratory or not. - -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 mandible; legs and feet olive-grey. - -The female is uniform brown above, lighter beneath. - -The Plate represents two males and a female of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - MYZOMELA PECTORALIS: _Gould_. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ -] - - - - - MYZOMELA PECTORALIS, _Gould_. - Banded Honey-eater. - - _Myzomela pectoralis_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VIII. p. - 170. - - -It will be seen from the number of novelties received from that -territory, that the northern coast of Australia possesses a fauna almost -peculiar to itself, few species, of the smaller birds at least, being -similar to those of the southern coast. - -The present interesting bird was forwarded to me by Mr. Bynoe as having -been shot by him on the north coast, but I regret to say it was -unaccompanied by any information whatever respecting its habits. In its -structure it offers so close an alliance to the typical Myzomelæ that I -have provisionally placed it in that group. - -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 of -the year, and it is just possible it may also be characteristic 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. - -The birds are all figured of the natural size on one of the interesting -plants from the same locality. - -[Illustration: - - MYZOMELA NIGRA; (_Gould_). - - _Drawn from Nature & on Stone by J. & E. Gould._ _Printed by C. - Hullmandel._ -] - - - - - 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. - - -This most active little bird is peculiar to the interior of Australia, -over which it has an extensive range. Mr. Gilbert found it in Western -Australia, and I myself met with it on the plains near the Namoi; with -me it was always on the Myalls (_Acacia pendula_),while in Western -Australia, where it is very local, it generally evinced a preference 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 possesses a feeble plaintive note, -which he frequently pours forth while perched upon some elevated dead -branch, where he sits with his neck stretching out and without any -apparent motion, except the swelling out of the throat and the movement -of the bill. Its flight 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 of access than her mate, who is always more animated, and -frequently betrays his presence by his voice or song. - -Mr. Gilbert was more fortunate than myself in finding the nest of this -little 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. It breeds during the months of October and November, -and lays two eggs,” which are of a light brownish buff, encircled at the -centre with a band of brown, produced by numerous small blotches of that -colour, which appear as if beneath the surface of the shell; they are -seven lines long by five and a half 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. - -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. - -The Plate represents the two sexes of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - MYZOMELA OBSCURA: _Gould_. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._ -] - - - - - MYZOMELA OBSCURA, _Gould_. - Obscure Honey-eater. - - _Myzomela obscura_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part X. p. 136. - - -This species is a native of the northern parts of Australia. At Port -Essington, 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 _Grevillia_, from -the blossoms of which it obtains great quantities of honey and insects. -The shy and retiring disposition of this species renders the acquisition -of specimens very difficult: “at no time during my stay,” remarks Mr. -Gilbert, “did I succeed in getting sight of more than a solitary -individual, 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. - -The sexes present no external marks of distinction, except that the -female is somewhat smaller than her mate. - -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. - -The figures are of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - ENTOMYZA CYANOTIS: _Swains._ - - _J. & E. Gould del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ -] - - - - - ENTOMYZA CYANOTIS, _Swains._ - Blue-faced Entomyza. - - _Cracula cyanotis_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xxix.—Shaw, Gen. Zool., - vol. vii. p. 474. - - _Blue-cheeked Honey-sucker_, _Meliphaga cyanops_, Lewin, Birds of New - Holl., pl. 4. - - _Graculine Honey-eater_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 166. - - _Blue-eared Grakle_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 130. - - _Turdus cyaneus_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xlii. - - _Blue-cheeked Thrush_, Ib. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 184.—Gen. - Hist., vol. v. p. 124. - - _Tropidorhynchus cyanotis_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. - p. 325. - - _Entomyza cyanotis_, Swains. Class. of Birds, vol. ii. p. 328.—G. R. - Gray, List of Gen. of Birds, p. 16. - - _L’Heorotaire graculé_, Vieill. Ois. Dor., tom. ii. p. 125. pl. 87, - young. - - _Graculine Creeper_, Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 242, young. - - _Graculine Honey-eater_, var. A., Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 166, - young. - - _Pale-cheeked Honey-eater_, Ib., p. 167, young. - - _Merops cyanops_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xxxiv, young. - - _Blue-cheeked Bee-eater_, Ib. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 154, - young.—Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 171, young. - - _Blue-cheeked Honey-eater_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 167, young. - - ——, var. A. and B., Ib., p. 168, young. - - _White-crowned Honey-eater_, Ib., p. 169, young. - - _Batikin_, Aborigines of the coast of New South Wales. - - _Blue-eye_ of the Colonists. - - -This attractive and beautiful Honey-eater, one of the finest of the -_Meliphagidæ_, 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 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 Van Diemen’s Land. - -In habits and actions the Blue-faced Honey-eater bears a striking -resemblance to the members of the genera _Ptilotis_ and _Hæmatops_; like -them, it is found almost exclusively on the _Eucalypti_, 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, judging from others of its family, berries and fruits, but -this latter supposition I was not able to verify. Mr. Caley states, that -he once saw “several of them frequenting a tree, where they were very -busy in obtaining 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 that might have been attracted by -this exudation. - -I have frequently seen eight or ten of these bold and spirited birds, -with numerous other small Honey-eaters and Parrakeets, 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, however, be easily distinguished from the other birds with which -they are 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 pugnacity 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. - -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 _Pomatorhinus_, 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 this bird resorts only to -places where it may avail itself of the nest of the _Pomatorhinus_, or -whether, 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; and who, by so doing, would render the -history of this species so much the more complete. It is probable that, -in places where no suitable substitute is to be found, it makes a rather -small nest, like all the 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 rust-brown, 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 delicacy 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 surface, wings, and tail golden olive; the inner webs -of the primaries 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. - -The Plate represents a male and female of the natural size, on a branch -of one of the lofty _Eucalypti_ of the river Hunter. - -[Illustration: - - ENTOMYZA ALBIPENNIS: _Gould_. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ -] - - - - - ENTOMYZA ALBIPENNIS, _Gould_. - White-pinioned Honey-eater. - - _Entomyza albipennis_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VIII. p. - 169. - - _Wȕr-ra-luh_, Aborigines of Port Essington. - - -The _Entomyza albipennis_ exhibits so many specific differences from the -_E. cyanotis_, that it is almost impossible for one to be mistaken for -the other: in the first place it is somewhat 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 pinions 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 on the Cobourg -Peninsula. Mr. Gilbert states that it “is very shy, and from its being -always on the alert, somewhat difficult to get near; it is one of the -first birds heard in the morning, and often utters its plaintive _peet_ -half-an-hour before daylight; as soon as the sun is fairly above the -horizon, its note is immediately changed to a harsh squeaking tone, -which is frequently uttered while the bird is on the wing, and repeated -at intervals throughout the day; it often takes tolerably long flights, -mounting in the air to a considerable height above the trees, and then -progressing steadily and horizontally. It is mostly met with in small -families of from six to ten in number, inhabiting the topmost branches -of the loftiest trees, and is seldom seen on or near the ground.” - -The food consists of insects and the pollen of flowers, which are -procured from the almost perpetually flowering _Eucalypti_. - -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, Sec.; immature birds, on the contrary, -vary very much in the colouring of the face and bill; in the youthful -those parts are saffron-yellow, which chances 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; remainder of the bill sulphur-yellow; orbits -brilliant blue; legs and feet leek-green. - -The Plate represents an adult and an immature bird of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - MELITHREPTUS VALIDIROSTRUS: _Gould_. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._ -] - - - - - MELITHREPTUS VALIDIROSTRIS, _Gould_. - Strong-billed Honey-eater. - - _Hæmatops validirostris_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part IV. p. - 144; and in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part I. - - _Eidopsaris bicinctus_, Swains. An. in Menag., p. 344. No. 188.—Ib. - Class. of Birds, vol. ii. p. 327. - - _Cherry-picker_, Colonists of Van Diemen’s Land. - - -This bird, the largest species of the genus yet discovered, is a native -of Van Diemen’s Land, 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, after the manner of the Woodpecker and -Nuthatch,—not that it can traverse this part of the tree with the same -facility; I never in fact saw it run up and down the trunk as those -birds do, but merely fly to such parts as instinct led it to select as -the probable abode of insects; and it always perches across the stem,—a -position seldom, if ever, assumed by the Nuthatch or Woodpecker; I do -not, however, consider this habit of sufficient importance to warrant -its separation from those with which it is here associated. - -The chief food of this species is insects of various kinds, after which -it searches with the most scrutinizing care among the flowering gums. - -I am indebted to my friend the Rev. Thomas J. Ewing of Hobart Town, Van -Diemen’s Land, for the nest and eggs of this bird, which I failed in -procuring during my stay in that island. Like those of the other members -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 -lining; the eggs are three in number, 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 appearing as if -beneath the surface of the shell. - -The sexes assimilate so closely in size and plumage, that by dissection -alone can they be distinguished; the young, on the contrary, during the -first autumn differ so considerably from the adult, as almost to induce -the belief that they are the young of some other species; having, -however, killed them myself at the breeding-place in company with the -adults, I can vouch that they are really the young of this bird and of -none other. The specimens from which the upper figures in the -accompanying Plate were taken, were shot by myself near the summit of -Mount Wellington. I may mention that in the vast forests of gums on the -banks of the Tamar, this species was equally or even more abundant than -in the southern part of the island. I have never seen it on the -continent of Australia, neither have specimens been sent from New South -Wales or South Australia. - -Its song consists of a couple of notes and is not remarkable for its -melody. - -Crown of the head jet-black, with an occipital band of white terminating -at each eve; 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. - -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. - -The Plate represents an adult male and two young birds in the plumage of -the first autumn, of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - MELITHREPTUS GELARIS: _Gould_. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._ -] - - - - - MELITHREPTUS GULARIS, _Gould_. - Black-throated Honey-eater. - - _Hæmatops gularis_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part IV. p. 144; and - in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part I. - - -This species is very abundant in all parts of South Australia, where it -inhabits the large _Eucalypti_. 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 New South Wales, where it is much more -rare, and where it can only be sought for with the certainty of finding -it along the extreme limits of the colony towards the interior. I killed -several specimens in the Upper Hunter district, and observed it to be -tolerably numerous on the plains in the neighbourhood of the river -Namoi, and that it breeds in all these countries is proved by my having -killed the young in different stages of growth in all of them. In its -habits and economy it differs considerably from the _Melithreptus -validirostris_; for instance, I never saw it perch on the boles of the -trees, as is usual with that species, neither is it so exclusively -confined to the large trees. It is a very noisy bird, constantly -uttering a loud harsh grating call while perched on the topmost dead or -bare branch of a high tree; the call being as frequently uttered by the -female as by the male. Like the _Melithreptus lunulatus_, 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 -attitudes. Insects and the pollen of flowers being almost its sole food, -those trees abounding with blossoms are visited by it in preference to -others. - -There is no variation in the colouring of the sexes, but there is a very -considerable difference between the young and old birds, particularly in -the colouring of the soft parts; the young are much less brilliant than -the young of _M. validirostris_, in which the colouring of the soft -parts far excels those of the adults. - -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 colony where the bird is so common. That -the nest will be cup-shaped in form, constructed of grasses, &c., 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 surface greyish brown; bill black; feet and tarsi brownish -orange; irides hazel; bare skin above the eye beautiful bluish green. - -The young have the gape, lower mandible, and feet yellowish orange. - -The Plate represents the two sexes of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - MELITHREPTUS LUNULATUS. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._ -] - - - - - MELITHREPTUS LUNULATUS. - Lunulated Honey-eater. - - _Certhia lunulata_, Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 224. - - _Le Fuscalbin_, Vieill. Ois. dor., tom. ii. p. 95. pl. 61. - - _Red-eyed Honey-eater_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 203. no. 65. - - _Meliphaga lunulata_, Vig. & Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. - 315.—Jard. & Selb. Ill. Orn., vol. iii. pl. 134. fig. 2. - - _Black-crowned Honey-sucker_, Lewin, Birds of New Holl., pl. 24. - - _Meliphaga atricapilla_, Temm. Pl. Col. 335. fig. 1. - - —— _torquata_, Swains. Zool. Ill., 1st Ser., pl. 116. - - _Hæmatops lunulatus_, Gould in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part I. - - _Gymnophrys torquatus_, Swains. Class. of Birds, vol. ii. p. 327. - - _Melithreptus lunulatus_, G. R. Gray, List of Gen. of Birds, 2nd - edit., p. 21. - - -The Lunulated Honey-eater is very abundantly dispersed over the colonies -of New South Wales and South Australia, where it inhabits almost every -variety of situation, but gives a decided preference to the _Eucalypti_ -and _Angophoræ_ trees, among the smaller branches of which it may be -constantly seen actively engaged in searching for insects, which with -the pollen of the flowers constitute its sole food. It is a stationary -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 hark or other allied gum-trees intermingled with wool and -hair, warmly lined with opossums’ 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. chloropsis_, the young birds of this species breed -some time before arriving at maturity; at all events I have found -examples breeding with that brown colouring of the head and neck, 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; crescent-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. - -The Plate represents a male and a female of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - MELITHREPTUS CHLOROPSIS: _Gould_. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._ -] - - - - - MELITHREPTUS CHLOROPSIS, _Gould_. - Swan River Honey-eater. - - _Melithreptus chloropsis_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., November, - 1847. - - _Jȉn-gee_, Aborigines of the lowland, and - - _Bun-g̏een_, of the mountain districts of Western Australia. - - _Bȅr-ril-bȅr-ril_, Aborigines of Swan River. - - -This species differs from the _Melithreptus lunulatus_ in being of a -larger size, and in having the bare space above the eyes 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, I found in New South Wales individuals -in a similar style of plumage in company and breeding with adult -_Melithrepti lunulati_, I am induced to regard these dull-coloured birds -as merely precocious examples of the respective species, affording -additional evidence of the extreme fecundity of the Australian animals. - -The _Melithreptus chloropsis_ is a native of Western Australia, where -Mr. Gilbert states 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. - -Its flight is of short duration, merely extending from tree to tree in -undulating starts. - -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 Mr. 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. - -The stomach is somewhat muscular, but very diminutive in size, and the -food consists of honey, the buds of flowers and small coleoptera. - -Upper surface greenish olive; head and chin black; crescent-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 wine-yellow; -tarsi and outer part of the feet light greenish olive; inside of the -feet bright yellow. - -The Plate represents the two sexes of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - MELITHREPTUS ALBOGULARIS: _Gould_. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._ -] - - - - - MELITHREPTUS ALBOGULARIS, _Gould_. - White-throated Honey-eater. - - _Melithreptus albogularis_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., November - 1847. - - -This species, which inhabits the northern and eastern parts of -Australia, is very abundant on the Cobourg Peninsula, and I have -received specimens from the neighbourhood of Moreton Bay. 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 ally 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. lunulatus_ and _M. chloropsis_, 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 breath 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. - -The Plate represents the two sexes of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - MELITHREPTUS MELANOCEPHALUS: _Gould_. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._ -] - - - - - MELITHREPTUS MELANOCEPHALUS, _Gould_. - Black-headed Honey-eater. - - _Melithreptus melanocephalus_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., May 27, - 1845. - - -This bird I believe to be peculiar to Van Diemen’s Land, over the whole -of which island it is very abundant. The _Eucalypti_ appear to be the -trees to which it gives preference, for although it is seen on every -tree in the forest, the gums are those most frequented by it; and among -the foliage and flowers of those trees it is constantly searching for -its food, which is of a mixed character, and which, like that of the -other members of the _Meliphagidæ_, consists principally of insects, -particularly small coleoptera, and the pollen of flowers; like the other -members of the family also, it creeps and clings about the branches -after the manner of the Tits of Europe. It is a lively, 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 plentiful. During -the fruit-season it frequents the gardens of the settlers and commits -considerable havoc among the fruit, of which it is exceedingly 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 lighter than the adults. - -This bird is one of the numerous foster-parents of _Cuculus cinereus_ -and _C. cineraceus_, which species I have seen it feeding soon after -leaving the nest. - -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; remainder of the upper surface greyish white; -bill black; irides reddish brown; feet brown; bare skin over the eye -pearly white, slightly tinged with green. - -The Plate represents a male and a female of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - MYZANTHA GARRULA: _Vig. & Horsf._ - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ -] - - - - - MYZANTHA GARRULA, _Vig. & Horsf._ - Garrulous Honey-eater. - - _Merops garrulus_, Lath. Ind. Orn., Supp. p. xxiv. - - _Chattering Bee-eater_, Lath. Gen. Syn., Supp., vol. ii. p. 154.—Shaw, - Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 171. - - _Chattering Honey-eater_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 164. - - _Philemon garrulus_, Vieill. 2nd edit. du Nouv. Dict. d’Hist. Nat., - tom. xxvii. p. 427.—Ib. Ency. Méth. Orn., Part ii. p. 616. - - _Myzantha garrula_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 319. - - _Cobaýgin_, Aborigines of New South Wales. - - _Miner_, Colonists of Van Diemen’s Land. - - -Van Diemen’s Land, and all parts of the colonies of New South Wales and -South Australia, are alike inhabited by this well-known bird. It has -never yet been observed in northern or western Australia, its place -being supplied in those parts of the country by other nearly allied -species. On comparing examples from Van Diemen’s Land with others killed -on the continent of Australia, a difference is found to exist in their -relative admeasurements, the Van Diemen’s Land 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, and so local is it and so exclusively does it confine -itself to such situations that the edge of a river frequently forms the -boundary of its habitat: for instance, it is very abundant on the -northern side of the Derwent near Hobart Town, yet never did I meet with -it on the opposite shore during the whole of my stay in Van Diemen’s -Land excepting many miles up the river, where the trees and land on both -sides appear equally suitable to its habits. - -The Garrulous Honey-eater is not truly gregarious, but moves about in -small flocks of from four to ten in number. In disposition it is unlike -any other bird I ever met with, for if its haunts be in the least -intruded upon it becomes the most restless and inquisitive creature -possible, and withal so bold and noisy that it is regarded as a -troublesome nuisance rather than an object of interest; no sooner does -the hunter come within the precincts of its abode than the whole troop -assemble round him and perform the most grotesque actions, spreading out -their wings and tail, hanging from the branches in every possible -variety of position, and sometimes suspended by one leg, keeping up all -the time one incessant babbling note: 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, and almost buffeting -the dogs, they become very troublesome and annoying, awakening as they -do the suspicions of the other animals of which you are in pursuit. - -The food of this bird is of a mixed character, for although it loves to -dwell among the branches of the flowering _Eucalypti_, from the pollen -of the flowers of which it obtains much genial food, it preys with -avidity upon insects, both those resorting to the flowers of the -gum-trees and those—coleoptera, &c.—peculiar to the ground; it is -consequently often to be seen descending in pursuit of insects, -particularly under the large trees on the grassy open plains. The -stomach is of the same diminutive size as the rest of the Honey-eaters, -but, as might be supposed from the varied character of the food, is much -more muscular. - -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 hair-like strips of bark, -frequently mixed with feathers: it is usually placed among the small -upright branches of a moderately-sized tree. The eggs, which 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 her mate. - -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; the feathers at the -back of the neck tipped with silvery grey; primaries dark brown margined -externally with grey; secondaries dark brown on their inner webs, the -outer webs grey at the tip, and wax-yellow at the base; tail greyish -brown, with dark brown 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-shaped mark of brown near the tip of each; irides dark -hazel; naked space beneath the eye, bill and feet yellow. - -The Plate represents the two sexes of the natural size, drawn from -specimens killed in Van Diemen’s Land. - -[Illustration: - - MYZANTHA OBSCURA: _Gould_. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ -] - - - - - MYZANTHA OBSCURA, _Gould_. - Sombre Honey-eater. - - _Myzantha obscura_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VIII. p. 159. - - _Bil-y̏a-goo-rong_, Aborigines of the lowland, and - - _Bil-yoȕr-ga_, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western - Australia. - - -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 nearly assimilate, minor differences being easily discernible. - -Mr. 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 make progress in proportion to -the apparent exertion; at times, when passing from tree to tree, its -flight is graceful in the extreme. - -“Its note is a loud _pee-pee_, which is often very much varied. - -“The stomach is small but tolerably muscular; and the food, which -consists of coleopterous and other insects, seeds 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. - -The Plate represents the two sexes of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - MYZANTHA LUTEA: _Gould_. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ -] - - - - - MYZANTHA LUTEA, _Gould_. - Luteous Honey-eater. - - _Myzantha lutea_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VII. p. 134. - - -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 on the north-west coast of Australia, in which part of the -country it supplies the place of the _Myzantha garrula_ of New South -Wales. The law of representation is rarely carried out in a more -beautiful manner, even in the ornithology of Australia, 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 on the western coast, 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. - -The Plate represents the two sexes of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - MYZANTHA FLAVICULA: _Gould_. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._ -] - - - - - MYZANTHA FLAVIGULA, _Gould_. - Yellow-throated Miner. - - _Myzantha flavigula_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VII. p. 143. - - -This species inhabits the interior of New South Wales, where it is -tolerably abundant in most of the belts of _Eucalypti_ bordering the -river Namoi and all similar situations: 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. - -I did not succeed in finding the nest, but the fact of my having shot -very young individuals affords indubitable evidence 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 white; 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 surface 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. - -The figures represent the two sexes of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - MYZANTHA VIRIDIS. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._ -] - - - - - MYZANTHA MELANOPHRYS. - Australian Bell-bird. - - _Turdus melanophrys_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xlii. - - _Black-browed Thrush_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 185.—Shaw, - Gen. Zool., vol. x. p. 206.—Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. v. p. - 125. - - _Manorhina viridis_, Vieill. Gal. des Ois., pi. 149.—Jard. and Selb. - Ill. Orn., vol. ii. pl. 78. - - _Myzantha flavirostris_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. - 319.—Less. Man. d’Orn., tom. ii. p. 67. - - _Manorina viridis_, Bonn, et Vieill. Ency. Méth. Orn., part ii. p. - 692.—G. R. Gray, List of Gen. of Birds, 2nd Edit., p. 21. - - _Dilbong_ and _Dilring_, Aborigines of New South Wales (Latham). - - _Bell-bird_ of the Colonists. - - -In its habits, actions and general economy the Bell-bird so closely -resembles the Garrulous Honey-eater (_Myzantha garrula_), as not to -justify its separation from the members of the group of which that is -the acknowledged type. In strict justice, perhaps, Vieillot’s name of -_Manorhina_, which has the advantage of priority, should have been -applied to all the members of this group, in which case the new species -named by me as _Myzanthæ_ must be termed _Manorhinæ_, and the former -generic appellation sink into a synonym. The _Myzanthæ_, as I have -before remarked, frequent the trees of the plains and the more open -parts of the forest; the present bird, on the other hand, evinces a -decided preference for, and 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 encountered 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. - -The bird forming the subject of the present Plate 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. Although it is stationary in New -South Wales, and very abundant at Illawarra and in the brushes of the -Hunter, I did not succeed in obtaining its nest or eggs. - -The sexes are precisely alike in plumage, and the young soon attain the -colouring of the adult. - -Like the _Myzantha garrula_ 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 look around with the utmost -curiosity. Its flight is of the same skimming motionless kind 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 descend to some -neighbouring branch in a cluster. - -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 margined -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. - -The Plate represents a male and a female of the natural size on a plant -gathered in the brushes of Illawarra. - -[Illustration: - - ZOSTEROPS DORSALIS: _Vig. & Horsf._ - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ -] - - - - - ZOSTEROPS DORSALIS, _Vig. & Horsf._ - Grey-backed Zosterops. - - _Certhia cœralescens_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xxxviii. - - _L’Heorotaire bleu_, Vieill. Ois. dor., tom. ii. p. 121. pl. 83? - - _Bluish-breasted Creeper_, Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 244. - - _Cœrulean Creeper_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 188. - - _Cœrulean Honey-eater_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 204. - - _Sylvia lateralis_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. lv. - - _Rusty-side Warbler_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 250.—Shaw - Gen. Zool., vol. x. p. 659.—Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. vii. p. - 140. - - _Certhia diluta_, Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 244. - - _Philedon cœruleus_, Cuv. - - _Meliphaga cœrulea_, Steph. Cont. of Shaw’s Gen. Zool., vol. xiv. p. - 264. - - _Sylvia annulosa_, var. Β, Swains. Zool. Ill. 1st Ser., pl. 16. - - _Zosterops dorsalis_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. - 235. - - _White-eye_, Colonists of New South Wales. - - -This bird is stationary in all parts of Van Diemen’s Land, New South -Wales and South Australia, and is more numerous than any other bird -inhabiting those countries; where it is not only to be met with in the -forests and thickets, but also in nearly every garden, by the -proprietors of which it is regarded more as a pest than, as one would -suppose, a welcome visitor; no one of the birds of the country effecting -greater damage to the buds and fruits of every kind. It even builds its -nest and rears its young in the shrubs and rose-trees bordering the -walks. I observed several nests in such situations in the garden of the -Government House at New Norfolk, Van Diemen’s Land. Among the trees of -the forest the beautiful tea-tree (leptospermum ?) is the one to which -at all times this species evinces a great partiality. Were it not for -its destructive propensities, the Grey-backed Zosterops must from its -familiar disposition and pretty lively song be a very general favourite. - -Its flight is quick and darting, and when among the branches of the -trees it is as active as most birds, prying and searching with the most -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. The southern and eastern portions of Australia, and the islands -adjacent, are its true habitat; and the two succeeding plates will show -how beautifully it is represented by allied species in other parts of -the country. - -The breeding-season commences in September and continues 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 lines broad. - -The sexes present no difference of plumage. - -On examining the “Collection of Australian Drawings,” formerly belonging -to the late A. B. Lambert, Esq., and now in the possession of the Earl -of Derby, who kindly forwarded them to me for the purposes of the -present work, I find that this species was long since described by -Latham, under the names above quoted; in neither of his descriptions, -however, does he mention the white ring around the eye, which forms so -conspicuous a feature in the appearance of the bird, the want of which -would have precluded the possibility of my believing them to be -identical, had not the drawings named by Latham’s own hand proved such -to be the case: the species should therefore stand as _Zosterops -cœrulescens_, although _Z. lateralis_ would certainly be more -appropriate; unfortunately this fact did not come to my knowledge until -after the Plate had been named, and the requisite number of impressions -struck off. Latham refers to the 83rd Plate of the “Oiseaux Dorées,” as -identical with his _cœrulescens_, but of this as I have indicated above -I am doubtful. - -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. - -The Plate represents the male, female and nest of the natural size, on a -branch of the tea-tree of Van Diemen’s Land. - -[Illustration: - - ZOSTEROPS CHLORONOTUS: _Gould_. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ -] - - - - - ZOSTEROPS CHLORONOTUS, _Gould_. - Green-backed Zosterops. - - _Zosterops chloronotus_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VIII. p. - 165. - - _Jule-w̏e-de-lung_, Aborigines of the lowland districts of Western - Australia. - - _Grape-_ and _Fig-eater_, Colonists of Swan River. - - -The _Zosterops chloronotus_ is an inhabitant of the western coast of -Australia, where it constitutes a beautiful representative of the -_Zosterops dorsalis_ 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. - -Mr. Gilbert states 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. - -The figures are of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - ZOSTEROPS LUTEUS: _Gould_. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ -] - - - - - ZOSTEROPS LUTEUS, _Gould_. - Yellow Zosterops. - - _Zosterops luteus_, Gould, in Proc. of Zool. Soc. - - -This new species is an inhabitant of the northern portion of Australia. -“I first met with it,” says Mr. 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 dorsalis_, -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, instead of the long drawn-out note of _Z. -dorsalis_. 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 foliage. 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-feathers brown, -margined with olive-yellow; forehead and throat pure yellow; lores and -line beneath the eye black; eye encircled 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. - -The figures are of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - CUCULUS OPTATUS: _Gould_. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._ -] - - - - - CUCULUS OPTATUS, _Gould_. - Australian Cuckoo. - - _Cuculus optatus_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part XIII. p. 18. - - -It is no less remarkable than true, that when we are in countries far -distant from that which gave us birth, our minds are strongly disposed -to seize upon any objects presenting associations connected with our -native land; whatever reminds us of our own country becomes immediately -interesting, and its productions acquire a triple value. By the -colonists of New South Wales and Van Diemen’s Land, a stripling oak or -an elm, a violet or a primrose are regarded as treasures; and a caged -blackbird or lark is more prized than a bird of paradise would be here; -how welcome then to the settlers will be this Cuckoo, when the part of -Australia in which it is found becomes inhabited by Englishmen! Here, as -in Europe, it is the harbinger of spring, and an index of the -revivifying of nature, and its voice will be heard with even greater -sensations of pleasure than was that of its representative in Europe. - -I think I hear my readers remark, “Surely this is the true Cuckoo of -Europe; and if so, why give it a new name?” To this I may answer, that I -can trace distinctions, which in my opinion warrant me in stating the -Australian bird to be a distinct species; specific characters, which, -although appearing very trivial to the general observer, are so apparent -to the ornithologist, that he can always distinguish an Australian -specimen from one killed in Europe. In the Australian bird the black -bands on the breast are broader and more defined than in the European, -and in the former a light fawn tint pervades the abdomen, which part is -white in the latter; the claws of the Australian bird are also smaller -and more delicate than those of its northern ally; the breast, neck and -head of the immature Australian bird are more broadly and distinctly -barred with black and white, while the rufous tint which pervades the -body of the immature European Cuckoo is almost, if not wholly, wanting. - -The northern part of Australia is the only locality in which this bird -has been found; the specimens in my collection, as I learn from the -labels attached, 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 this respect it also closely assimilates to its European relative. - -All the upper surface slaty grey; inner webs of the primaries 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 margin 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. - -The Plate represents a male of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - CUCULUS INORNATUS: _Vig. & Horsf._ - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._ -] - - - - - CUCULUS INORNATUS, _Vig. & Horsf._ - Unadorned Cuckoo. - - _Cuculus inornatus_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 297. - - —— _albostrigatus_, Ib., p. 298. young. - - _Dju-dȕr-run_, Aborigines of Western Australia. - - _Greater Cuckoo_ of the Colonists. - - -The southern portion of Australia generally, and the island of Van -Diemen’s Land, are inhabited by this species of Cuckoo; to the latter -country, however, it is only a summer visitant, and a partial migration -also takes place in the adjacent portion of the continent, as is shown -by its numbers being much fewer during winter. Its migratory movement -seems to be regulated, as in most other instances, by the more or less -abundant supply of food necessary for its sustenance. It arrives in Van -Diemen’s Land in the month of September, and departs northward in -February. During the vernal season it is an animated and querulous bird, -and it 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 occasionally while on the wing. Its -food consists of caterpillars, _Phasmidæ_ and coleopterous insects, -which are generally procured among the leafy branches of the trees, and -in searching for which the bird 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. It is however by no means a shy bird, and but -little caution is required to approach within gun-shot. Its flight is -straight and rapid, and not unlike that of the _Cuculus canorus_, to -which it bears a close resemblance in everything except its note; -occasionally it mounts considerably above the tops of the trees, and it -is capable of sustaining a long-continued flight. - -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 -_Melithrepti_, _Ptiloti_, _Maluri_, _Acanthizæ_, &c. After the young has -left the nest and attained a considerable size, it is not unusual to see -it fed by two or more species at the same time; this I have witnessed -with my own eyes; the young Cuckoo, in fact, selects some low dead -branch in an open glade of the forest, from which it seldom moves during -the day, as a convenient situation for its various foster-parents to -supply it with food, for the procuring and supplying of which all the -smaller birds appear to have entered into a mutual compact. - -The specimens of this bird from Western Australia are somewhat smaller, -and have the white marks of the tail less distinct than specimens from -Van Diemen’s Land, but these differences are too trivial to be regarded -as other than mere local variations. When fully adult the plumage is -nearly of a uniform brown, with the inner webs of the wing and -tail-feathers relieved 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-eighths 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. - -The young, independently of the differences pointed out above, has the -feet yellowish olive, the soles of the feet yellow; 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. - -The figures represent the two sexes of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - CUCULUS CINERACEUS: _Vig. & Horsf._ - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._ -] - - - - - CUCULUS CINERACEUS, _Vig. & Horsf._ - Ash-coloured Cuckoo. - - _Cuculus cineraceus_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. - 298. - - —— _incertus_, Ib. p. 299, young. - - —— _variolosus_, Ib. p. 300, very young. - - _Barred-tailed Cuckoo_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iii. p. 310? - - _Cuculus flabelliformis_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xxx.?—Shaw, Gen. - Zool., vol. ix. p. 96? - - _Fan-tailed Cuckoo_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 138. pl. - 126?—Ib. Gen. Hist., vol. iii. p. 305. pl. lvii.? - - _Du-laar_, Aborigines of the lowland districts of Western Australia. - - _Lesser Cuckoo_ of the Colonists. - - -This is a migratory species, arriving in Van Diemen’s Land in September, -and after spending the summer months therein, departing to the northward -in January. In the southern parts of the continent of Australia solitary -individuals remain throughout the entire winter, as evidenced by my -having observed it in South Australia 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 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 larvæ of insects of various kinds. - -The sexes are alike in plumage, but the female is a trifle smaller than -her mate. - -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. - -The figures are of the size of life. - -[Illustration: - - CUCULUS INSPERATUS: _Gould_. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._ -] - - - - - CUCULUS INSPERATUS, _Gould_. - Brush Cuckoo. - - _Cuculus insperatus_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part XIII. p. 19. - - -While traversing the cedar brushes of the Liverpool range on the 26th of -October, 1839, my attention was attracted by the appearance of a Cuckoo, -which I at first mistook for the _Cuculus cineraceus_, but which on -examination proved to be the new species here represented; this example -was the only one I ever saw living, 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, but it is doubtless -equally as common a few degrees to the northward. At Port Essington -there is a nearly allied species differing from the present in being -much smaller, and in having a browner tint on the under surface; to this -bird I have given the specific appellation of _dumetorum_; but as it -closely resembles the species here represented, it will not be necessary -to give a figure of it. - -On comparison, this species will be found to differ from _C. -cineraceus_, 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 depart from the true -_Cuculi_ and to approximate to the members of the genus _Chalcites_, 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. - -The figures are of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - CHALCITES OSCULANS: _Gould_. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._ -] - - - - - CHALCITES OSCULANS, _Gould_. - Black-eared Cuckoo. - - _Chalcites osculans_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part XV. p. 32. - - _Black-eared Cuckoo_, Colonists of Swan River. - - -Four examples of this species are all that have come under my notice—one -from Swan River, two killed by myself in New South Wales, and one in the -collection of H. E. Strickland, Esq. Judging from the little that I saw -of this species in a state of nature, its habits were those common to -the members of the genus in which I have placed it; thick shrubby trees -of moderate height appeared to be its favourite resort, and its food to -consist of insects obtained among the branches and from off the leaves, -and 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 Australia is almost certain, but this can only be -verified by future research. - -Although the structure of this bird evinces a slight departure from the -true _Chalcites_, and an affinity to that of the typical _Cuculi_, I -have retained it in the former genus because it possesses the stiff -rigid wings, short and square tail, and the luminous colouring of the -upper surface common to the other members of that group. - -Mr. Gilbert, who once observed this bird in Western Australia, states -that it is very shy, and that he only met with it in the 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. - -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. - -The figures are of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - CHRYSOCOCCYX LUCIDUS. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._ -] - - - - - CHRYSOCOCCYX LUCIDUS. - Shining Cuckoo. - - _Cuculus lucidus_, Gmel. Edit. of Linn. Syst. Nat., tom. i. p. - 421.—Lath. Ind. Orn., vol. i. p. 215.—Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. - ix. p. 126. pl. 26.—Temm. Pl. Col. 102. fig. 1.—Vig. & - Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 301.—Vieill. 2nde Edit. - du Nouv. Dict. d’Hist. Nat., tom. viii. p. 233.—Ib. Ency. - Méth., tom. iii. p. 1335. pl. 219. fig. 1. - - _Shining Cuckoo_, Lath. Gen. Syn., vol. ii. p. 528. pl. 23.—Ib. Gen. - Hist., vol. iii. p. 299. pl. lvi. - - _Chalcites lucidus_, Less. Traité d’Orn., p. 153. - - _Dj̏u-reet_, Aborigines of the lowland districts of Western Australia. - - _Golden or Bronze Cuckoo_ of the Colonists. - - -This species is very widely dispersed, being an inhabitant of every part -of the Australian continent and Van Diemen’s Land. In the latter country -it is strictly migratory, arriving in September and departing again in -January. If it be not so truly migratory in New South Wales, the great -mass 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 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 about 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 scrutinizing -care. Its flight is rather 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: in Van Diemen’s Land those -of the _Malurus longicaudus_ and _Acanthiza Diemenensis_ are generally -selected; in New South Wales the _Malurus cyaneus_ and the _Acanthiza -chysorrhæa_ are among others the foster-parents; in Western Australia -the nests of the various kinds of Honey-eaters, and the _Malurus -splendens_, are resorted to; and it is a remarkable fact, that the egg -is mostly deposited in a domed nest, 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 employed 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; the 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 surface white, crossed -by numerous broad conspicuous bars of rich deep bronze; irides brownish -yellow; feet dark brown, the interspaces of the scales mealy. - -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, and of a brown hue. - -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. - -The Plate represents the male, female, and young, of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - SCYTHROPS NOVÆ-HOLLANDIÆ: _Lath._ - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._ -] - - - - - SCYTHROPS NOVÆ-HOLLANDIÆ, _Lath._ - Channel-Bill. - - _Scythrops Novæ-Hollandiæ_, Lath. Ind. Orn., vol. i. p. 141.—Temm. - Man. d’Orn., tom. i. p. lxxv.—Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. - Trans., vol. xv. p. 306.—Temm. Pl. Col., 290.—Vieill. Gal. - des Ois., tom. i. pl. 39.—Less. Traité d’Orn., p. 128. pl. - 23. fig. 1.—Ib. Man. d’Orn., tom. ii. p. 128.—G. R. Gray, - List of Gen. of Birds, 2nd Edit., p. 73.—Vieill. Nouv. Dict. - d’Hist. Nat., tom. xxx. p. 456.—Ib. Ency. Méth., tom. iii. - p. 1427. - - _Psittaceous Hornbill_, Phil. Bot. Bay, pl. in p. 165. - - _Anomalous Hornbill_, White’s Journ., pl. in p. 142. - - _Channel-Bill_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 96. pl. 124. - - _Australasian Channel-Bill_, Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 378. pl. - 50.—Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. ii. p. 300. pl. xxxii. - - _Scythrops Australasiæ_, Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 378.—Ib. - Steph. Cont., vol. xiv. p. 95. - - —— _Australis_, Swains. Class. of Birds, vol. ii. p. 299. - - _Curriay-gun_, Aborigines of New South Wales. - - -This remarkable bird, which has been considered a Hornbill by some -naturalists, and as nearly allied to the Toucans by others, is in -reality a member of the family _Cuculidæ_ or Cuckoos; 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 _Phasmiæ_ and _Coleoptera_ instead 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 exactly similar. - -It is a migratory bird in New South Wales, arriving in October and -departing again in January; whither it proceeds is not known, but as it -has not been found out of Australia nor even on the north coast of that -country, it cannot retire very far. As I had but few opportunities of -observing it myself, I cannot do better than transcribe the particulars -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; exuviæ 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 consider -its appearance as an indication of blowing weather, and that its -frightful scream is through fear, as it is not a bird of very active or -quick flight. 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.” - -New South Wales is the only one of the Australian colonies whence I have -seen examples of this bird. Most naturalists will be anxious to know if, -like the other Cuckoos, this species is parasitic; unfortunately however -I am not able to clear up this point: but I possess an egg which has -been recently sent me by Mr. Strange of Sydney; it is fully developed, -and he informs me was taken by himself from the ovarium of a female -after he had shot the bird. It is of a light stone-colour, marked all -over, but particularly at the larger end, with irregular blotches of -reddish brown, many of which are of a darker hue and appear as if -beneath the surface of the shell; it is one inch eleven-sixteenths long -by one inch and a quarter broad. - -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, which gradually increases 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 indistinct bars of greyish brown, -which gradually deepen in colour on the flanks and thighs; orbits and -lores scarlet; bill light yellowish horn-colour; feet olive-brown. - -The Plate represents a male rather less than the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - EUDYNAMYS FLINDERSII. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._ -] - - - - - EUDYNAMYS FLINDERSII. - Flinders’s Cuckoo. - - _Eudynamys Orientalis_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. - 304. - - —— _Flindersii_, Lath. MSS. Ibid., p. 305, young. - - _Flinders’s Cuckoo_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iii. p. 308. - - _Cuculus cyanocephalus_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xxx.—Shaw, Gen. - Zool., vol. ix. p. 110. - - _Blue-headed Cuckoo_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 137.—Ib. Gen. - Hist., vol. iii. p. 310. - - _Eudynamis Australis_, Swains. Anim. in Menag., p. 344. - - -This species differs from the _Eudynamys_ inhabiting Java, which may be -the true _Orientalis_ in having a more slender bill, and in being a less -robust and powerful bird; the young of the first year also exhibits -changes not quite in accordance with those of the young of the species -from the Indian islands. 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 name of _Flindersii_, which I have retained from -its priority, has been applied to the bird in one of the earliest stages -of its existence after leaving the nest, when the prevailing tints of -its plumage are rufous brown, with transverse 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; of this state I have given a figure on the annexed Plate, as -well as a representation of the old male. - -The portions of Australia inhabited by this bird are the eastern, -northern, and north-western; it 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 His -Excellency Governor 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. If it be parasitic or not, is a point -I would gladly know; it is consequently one of those objects to which I -would especially direct the attention of persons residing in the -localities frequented by it. - -The adult male has the entire plumage deep glossy greenish 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; line 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. - -The Plate represents an adult male and female of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - CENTROPUS PHASIANUS. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._ -] - - - - - CENTROPUS PHASIANUS. - Pheasant Cuckoo. - - _Cuculus Phasianus_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xxx. - - _Centropus Phasianus_, Temm. Man. d’Orn., tom. i. p. lxxiv.—Vig. and - Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 306. - - _Polophilus Phasianus_, Leach, Zool. Misc., pl. 46.—Shaw, Gen. Zool., - vol. ix. p. 48. pl. 11. - - _Pheasant Cuckoo_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 137.—Ib. Gen. - Hist., vol. iii. p. 240. - - _Polophilus leucogaster_, Leach, Zool. Misc., vol. i. p. 177. pl. - 52.—Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. ix. p. 49. pl. 12. - - _New Holland Coucal_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iii. p. 250. - - _Polophilus variegatus_, Leach, Zool. Misc., vol. i. pp. 116, 117. pl. - 51.—Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. ix. p. 47. pl. 10. - - _Variegated Coucal_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iii. p. 250. - - _Centropus variegatus_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. - 306. - - _Mun-j̏e-ree-woo_, Aborigines of Port Essington. - - -Perhaps there is no one group of the Australian Birds less understood -than the members of the genus _Centropus_. The numerous examples in my -collection I consider to be referable to two, if not to three distinct -species, presenting, however, but slight differences from each other. -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: having -thus pointed out the particulars in which the birds differ from each -other, it will only be necessary to figure one of them. The old term of -_Phasianus_ should be retained for the New South Wales bird, while that -of _macrourus_ might be applied to the one from Port Essington, and -_melanurus_ to that from North-Western Australia, should they ultimately -prove to be distinct. The greater part then 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 succession 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 their existence is Illawarra, where they are -rather 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 Cormorant; 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 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 interstices 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 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 in New South Wales are said to be black, while -those of Port Essington are red. - -The Plate represents an adult and an immature bird about two-thirds of -the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - CLIMACTERIS SCANDENS: _Temm._ - - _J. & E. Gould del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ -] - - - - - CLIMACTERIS SCANDENS, _Temm._ - Brown Tree-Creeper. - - _Buff-winged Honey-eater_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 178. - - _Climacteris scandens_, Temm. Pl. Col. 281. fig. 2.—Vig. and Horsf. in - Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 296. - - -The Brown Tree-Creeper inhabits the whole of the south-eastern portion -of the Australian continent, from South Australia 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 -(_Angophoræ_), 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 lead to a contrary -supposition, it spends much 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 hole 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, especially 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, and those I found -were entirely composed of the hair of the Opossum, and, 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 buff; 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 broad band of blackish brown; tail brown, all but the -two centre feathers crossed by a broad band of blackish brown; all the -under 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 distinguished from her -mate by the spots at the base of the throat being rufous instead of -blackish brown as in the male. - -The figures are those of a male and a female of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - CLIMACTERIS RUFA: _Gould_. - - _J. & E. Gould del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ -] - - - - - CLIMACTERIS RUFA, _Gould_. - Rufous Tree-Creeper. - - _Climacteris rufa_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VIII. p. 149. - - _Jin-nee_, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western Australia. - - -In its robust form and general contour this new species closely -resembles the _Climacteris scandens_, but from which it is readily -distinguished by the rufous colouring of its plumage. - -It is an inhabitant of Western Australia, and is a beautiful analogue of -the _C. scandens_ of the eastern coast. It is a common bird at Swan -River, where Mr. Gilbert states it is generally most abundant in the -white-gum forests abounding with the white ant: it ascends the smooth -bark of the _Eucalypti_, and traverses round the larger branches with -the greatest facility, feeding, like the other members of the genus, -upon insects of various kinds. Mr. Gilbert also states that it is -frequently to be seen on the ground, searching for ants and their larvæ, -and in this situation presents a most grotesque appearance, from its -waddling gait, which, to use his own words, is “between a hop and a -shuffle, at the same time erecting and puffing out its head-feathers; -when disturbed it ascends rather rapidly to the extremity of some lofty -dead branch. - -“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. - -“At times it flies rather swiftly, but appears to be very soon tired, -for after flying two or three hundred yards it begins to droop, as if -from fatigue; it consequently never takes long flights, merely resorting -to this mode of progression to move from tree to tree: during flight the -motion of the wings is equal until the bird begins to descend. - -“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 get at 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 buffy 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. - -The figures are those of a male and a female of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - CLIMACTERIS ERYTHROPS: _Gould_. - - _J. & E. Gould del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ -] - - - - - CLIMACTERIS ERYTHROPS, _Gould_. - Red-eyebrowed Tree-Creeper. - - _Climacteris erythrops_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VIII. p. - 148. - - -I obtained this new and highly interesting species while encamped on the -low grassy hills under the Liverpool range; from the manner of its -ascending the trees and keeping almost entirely to the small upright -stems of the _Casuarinæ_, I believed it to be the White-throated -Tree-Creeper (_Climacteris picumnus_); but having made it a rule to -shoot an example of every species I observed in each newly-visited -locality, I was in this instance rewarded with the acquisition of a new -bird, which I afterwards found was numerous in this part of the country. -But whether it is generally distributed over the colony, or merely -confined to such districts as have 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 picumnus_. - -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; this 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 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. - -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. - -The figures are those of a male and a female of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - CLIMACTERIS MELANOTUS: _Gould_. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._ -] - - - - - CLIMACTERIS MELANOTUS, _Gould_. - Black-backed Tree-creeper. - - _Climacteris melanotus_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part XIV. p. - 106. - - -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 1845, -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 colouring 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 the -female—exists in this as in the other species of the genus; they may be -thus described:— - -Superciliary line 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. - -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. - -The Plate represents the two sexes of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - CLIMACTERIS MELANURA: _Gould_. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ -] - - - - - CLIMACTERIS MELANURA, _Gould_. - Black-tailed Tree-Creeper. - - _Climacteris melanura_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part X. p. 138. - - -Hitherto I had 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 the bird here -represented 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. The specimen I possess, and from which my figure -is taken, is, I believe, the only one that has yet been sent to Europe. - -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, 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 ferruginous -brown; under tail-coverts black, irregularly crossed with bars of buff; -bill and feet blackish brown. - -The figures represent the bird in different positions of the natural -size. - -[Illustration: - - CLIMACTERIS PICUMNUS: _Temm._ - - _J. & E. Gould del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ -] - - - - - CLIMACTERIS PICUMNUS, _Temm._ - White-throated Tree-Creeper. - - _Certhia picumnus_, Ill. - - _Climacteris picumnus_, Temm. Pl. Col. 281. fig. 1.—Vig. and Horsf. in - Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 295. - - _New Holland Nuthatch_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 78. - - _Barred-tailed Honey-eater_, Ib. p. 179.? - - _Certhia leucoptera_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xxxvi.? - - _Le Dirigang_, Vieill. Ois. Dor., tom. ii. p. 127.? - - _Dirigang Creeper_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 106.?—Shaw, - Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 260.? - - _Dirigang Honey-eater_ and var. A., Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. - 182—183.? - - _The Common Creeper_, Lewin, Birds of New Holl., pl. 25. - - -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 -_Certhia_-like than any other member of its genus, and I observed that -this difference of form has a corresponding influence over its habits, -which are more strictly arboreal than those of its congeners; indeed so -much so, that it is questionable 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 -_Eucalypti_ in the open forest lands, but resorting to trees bordering -creeks, as well as those on the mountains and the brushes. I have -frequently seen it in the brushes of Illawarra and Maitland, in which -localities the _C. scandens_ 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, and generally in a spiral direction. It -is so partial to the _Casuarinæ_, that I have seldom seen a group of -these trees without at the same time observing the White-throated -Tree-Creeper, the rough bark affording numerous receptacles for various -kinds of insects, which constitute its sole diet. I have never seen this -species near the water-holes, and I feel assured it has the power of -subsisting without drinking. - -The breeding-season is in 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 hole 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 secondaries 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 colour, with the exception of having -a small orange-coloured spot just below the ear-coverts, and by which -she is at once distinguished from her mate. - -The figures are those of a male and female of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - ORTHONYX SPINICAUDUS: _Temm._ - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._ -] - - - - - ORTHONYX SPINICAUDUS, _Temm._ - Spine-tailed Orthonyx. - - _Orthonyx spinicaudus_, Temm. Pl. Col., 428 male, 429 female.—Less. - Traité d’Orn., p. 315.—Swains. Class, of Birds, p. 321. - - —— _Temminckii_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 294. - - —— _maculatus_, Steph. Cont. of Shaw’s Gen. Zool., vol. xiv. p. 186. - - -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 occur -at Illawarra, and in the neighbourhood 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.; -further than this, nothing is known of its habits and economy. 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. A knowledge of -the situation and form of its nest and the number and colour of its eggs -would probably afford some clue to its real affinities; at present I do -not know to which group it truly pertains, and I very much regret that -circumstances did not admit of my settling this point by a further -observation of the bird in a state of nature: as it is very solitary in -its habits it is seldom seen, and it would consequently require many -months’ residence to become tolerably acquainted with it, and to acquire -a knowledge of these desirable facts. - -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 primaries 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. - -The Plate represents the male and female of the size of life. - -[Illustration: - - PTILORUS PARADISEA: _Swains._ - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._ -] - - - - - PTILORIS PARADISEUS, _Swains._ - Rifle Bird. - - _Ptiloris paradiseus_, Swains. Zool. Journ., vol. i. p. 481.—Ib. - Class. of Birds, vol. ii. p. 331.—Jard. and Selb. Ill. Orn., - vol. i. pls. 43 male, 44 female.—Steph. Cont. of Shaw’s Gen. - Zool., vol. xiv. p. 267. - - _Epimachus regius_, Less. Zool. de la Coq., pl. 28, male.—Ib. Cent. de - Zool., pl. 3, female.—Ib. Traité d’Orn., p. 320. - - —— _Brisbanii_, Wils. Ill. of Zool., pl. xi. - - _Ptiloris paradisea_, G. R. Gray, List of Gen. of Birds, 2nd edit., p. - 15. - - -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 eastward, 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 common with the -_Climacteri_, 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 it is more nearly -allied to the members of that genus than to any other: that its powers -of flight are very limited, is certain from the shortness and peculiarly -truncate form of the wing, and this mode of progression is doubtless -seldom resorted to further than to transport the bird from tree to tree, -or from one part of the forest to another. That it is stationary in the -brushes of the Clarence, MacLeay, and all similar districts between the -river Hunter and the settlement at Moreton Bay, is evident from the -numerous specimens of all ages that have been sent from thence to -Europe. - -The _Ptiloris paradiseus_ is without exception the most gorgeously -plumaged bird yet discovered in Australia: the sexes offer the greatest -possible difference in the colouring of their plumage; for while the -male is adorned with hues only equalled by some species of the -_Trochilidæ_ or Humming-Birds, the dress of the female is as sombre as -can well be imagined. The law which exists wherever there is a great -difference in the colouring of the sexes causes many parti-coloured -changes of plumage in the immature males during the period of moulting, -which however during the first year, and probably for a longer period, -cannot be distinguished from the females. - -The adult male has the general plumage rich velvety black, glossed on -the upper surface with brownish lilac; under surface 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 metallic 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, huffy white; all the under surface -deep buff, each feather with a black arrow-headed-shaped mark near the -tip. - -The Plate represents two males and a female of the size of life. - -[Illustration: - - SITTELLA CHRYSOPTERA: _Swains._ - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ -] - - - - - SITTELLA CHRYSOPTERA, _Swains._ - Orange-winged Sittella. - - _Sitta chrysoptera_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., p. xxxii.—Vig. and Horsf. - in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 296.—Less. Traité d’Orn., p. - 316. - - _Orange-winged Nuthatch_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 146. pl. - 227.—Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 120.—Lath. Gen. Hist., - vol. iv. p. 77. pl. lxiii. - - _Sitta? chrysoptera_, Steph. Cont. Shaw’s Gen. Zool., vol. xiv. p. - 189. - - _Neops chrysoptera_, Vieill. 2nde édit, du Dict. d’Hist. Nat., tom. - xxxi.—Ency. Méth. Orn., Part III. p. 915. - - _Sittella chrysoptera_, Swains. Class. of Birds, vol. ii. p. 317. - - _Mur-ri-gang_, Aborigines of New South Wales. - - -This species appears to be as much confined to the south-eastern part of -Australia as the _Sittella pileata_ and _S. leucoptera_ are to their -respective portions of the country; the former inhabiting the western, -and the latter the northern parts of the continent. New South Wales then -is the true habitat of this species, over nearly every part of which it -is rather plentifully distributed; more abundantly so, I should say, -than is the Nuthatch in Europe, to which it offers considerable -similarity in its habits, actions, and economy. I have 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 in that which distinguishes -the actions of the Nuthatch from those of all other European birds, -namely, that of traversing the boles of the trees downwards, not, like -the _Climacteris_, with a backward shuffle, but with the head pointing -to the ground. The whole tribe of _Sittellæ_ live exclusively oil -insects and spiders, for the capture of which they possess an admirably -constructed bill. - -During its flight, which is quick and darting, the red mark on the wing -shows very conspicuously; its powers of wing are, however, seldom -brought into action, further than to enable it to pass from one tree to -another. - -Although I possess a nest and eggs, which I have reason to believe are -those of the present species, I could not ascertain with certainty that -this was the case, or the situation of its breeding-place. - -The colouring of this species 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 of the female, however, which is spread over the -ear-coverts, 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 -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. - -The figures are of the natural size. - -[Illustration: - - SITTELLA LEUCOCEPHALA: _Gould_. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._ -] - - - - - SITTELLA LEUCOCEPHALA, _Gould_. - White-headed Sittella. - - _Sittella leucocephala_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part V. p. 152; - and in Syn. of Birds of Australia, Part IV. - - -My collection contains three specimens of this new species of -_Sittella_, two of which were received from the neighbourhood of Moreton -Bay and the other was procured during Dr. Leichardt’s overland -expedition to Port Essington, Mr. Gilbert having killed it near -Peak-Range Camp on the 27th of January 1845; the latter, which is -figured on the right-hand side of the plate, differs from the former in -the greater purity of the white colouring of the head, and in the darker -tint of the striæ 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 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. - -The figures are of the natural size; the one with the white head being a -female, as ascertained by dissection. - -[Illustration: - - SITTELLA LEUCOPTERA: _Gould_. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ -] - - - - - SITTELLA LEUCOPTERA, _Gould_. - White-winged Sittella. - - _Sittella leucoptera_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VII. p. 144. - - -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 is -mostly met with 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 crossing the primaries near the -base; tail black, the lateral feathers tipped with white; throat, under -surface 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. - -The Plate represents the two sexes and an immature bird of the natural -size. - -[Illustration: - - SITTELLA PILEATA: _Gould_. - - _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ -] - - - - - SITTELLA PILEATA, _Gould_. - Black-capped Sittella. - - _Sittella pileata_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part V. p. 151, - male. - - —— _melanocephala_, Gould in Ibid., p. 152, female. - - _Goo-mȁl-be-dite_, Aborigines of Western Australia. - - -This species of _Sittella_ inhabits the south-western portion of -Australia, and enjoys a range extending over several degrees of -longitude. It is, however, more strictly speaking, one of the species -pertaining to the Fauna of Western Australia. I killed several examples -during my excursion into the interior of South Australia, and I -transcribe 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 Mr. 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.” - -In a letter lately received from Mr. Gilbert he informs 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; 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 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, and Mr. Johnson Drummond states -that the margin of the nest is brought to a sharp edge like that of -_Piezorhynchus nitidus_. Would you not have supposed that this bird -breeds in the holes of trees like the Nuthatch of Europe?” - -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 nature 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. - -The figures represent both sexes of the natural size. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES - - - 1. Silently corrected typographical errors and variations in spelling. - 2. Anachronistic, non-standard, and uncertain spellings retained as - printed. - 3. 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