Part 22

Pardalotus rubricatus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part V. p. 149; and in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part IV.

All the information I have to communicate respecting this new and beautiful Pardalote, which I have named rubricatus, from the red spot before the eye, is, that I procured a single specimen at Liverpool from among some other birds, all of which had been brought from the east coast of Australia: no other example has come under my notice, and it may probably be the only one in Europe. It belongs to the same section of the Pardaloti as the P. punctatus and P. quadragintus, and like them is distinguished from the other members of the group by the absence of the sealing-wax-like tips of the spurious wing-feathers,—a character which is constant in the P. uropygialis, P. affinis, P. striatus and P. melanocephalus. It is the largest species of the genus yet discovered, all the members of which are confined to Australia; and is readily distinguished from its near allies the P. punctatus and P. quadragintus by the larger size of the spots on the crown, and by its having less yellow on the throat than the former, and more than the latter.

As nothing whatever is at present known respecting it, it is one of those species I would especially recommend to the notice of those favourably situated for observing it.

Forehead crossed by a narrow band of dirty white; crown and back of the head deep black, each feather having a spot of white near its extremity; back of the neck, back, wing-coverts and rump brownish grey; wings dark brown, margined with pale brown, the spurious wing, a small portion of the base of the primaries, and the outer margins of the secondaries fine golden orange; immediately before the eye a spot of bright, fiery orange; above and behind the eye a stripe of buff; upper tail-coverts bright olive-green; tail deep blackish brown, the extreme tips of the feathers being white; throat and abdomen greyish white; chest bright yellow; upper mandible and legs brown, under mandible greyish white.

The bird is represented in two positions, of the natural size, on a plant gathered in New South Wales.

PARDALOTUS QUADRAGINTUS: Gould.

J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith. C. Hullmandel Imp. ]

PARDALOTUS QUADRAGINTUS, Gould. Forty-spotted Pardalote.

Pardalotus quadragintus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part V. p. 148; and in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part IV.

Forty-spot, Colonists of Van Diemen’s Land.

This species is peculiar to Van Diemen’s Land, where it inhabits the almost impenetrable forests which cover that island, particularly those of its southern portion. It is I think less numerous than its congener, the Pardalotus affinis, and appears to confine itself more exclusively to the highest gum-trees than that species. I found it very abundant in the gulleys under Mount Wellington, and observed it breeding in a hole in one of the loftiest trees, at about forty feet from the ground; I afterwards took a perfectly developed white egg from the body of a female killed on the 5th of October. The weight of this little bird was rather more than a quarter of an ounce; the stomach was muscular, and contained the remains of the larvæ of lepidoptera, which with coleoptera and other insects constitute its food.

It has a simple piping kind of note of two syllables.

In its actions it much resembles the Tits of Europe, creeping and clinging among the branches in every direction.

The eggs are white and nearly round in form, being seven lines and a half long and six broad.

The sexes are so much alike in colour, that a separate description is unnecessary.

Crown of the head and all the upper surface bright olive-green, each feather obscurely margined with brown; wings brownish black, all the feathers except the first and second primaries having a conspicuous spot of pure white near their extremities; tail blackish grey, the extreme tips of the feathers being white; cheeks and under tail-coverts yellowish olive; throat and under surface greyish white, passing into olive on the flanks; irides dark brown; bill brownish black; feet brown.

The figures are of the natural size.

PARDALOTUS STRIATUS: Vig. & Horsf.

J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith. C. Hullmandel Imp. ]

PARDALOTUS STRIATUS, Temm. Striated Pardalote.

Pardalotus striatus, Temm. Man., Part I. p. lxv.—Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 237. note.—Gould, Syn. Birds of Australia, Part II.

Pipra striata, Lath. Ind. Orn., p. 558. No. 13.—Gmel. Syst., vol. i. p. 1003.

Striped-headed Manakin, Lath. Gen. Syn., vol. iv. p. 526. pl. 54.—Id., Supp., p. 188.—Shaw, Zool., vol. x. p. 29. pl. 4.—Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. vii. p. 237. pl. 109.?

Pardalotus ornatus, Temm. Pl. Col. 394. fig. 1.

Wë-dup-weë-dup, Aborigines of the lowland, and

Wë-dee-wë-due, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western Australia.

This beautiful species, like the P. punctatus, enjoys an extensive range of habitat, being found in all parts of the southern portion of the Australian continent; it has not as yet been discovered in Van Diemen’s Land, its place in that island being apparently occupied by the P. affinis. I have carefully examined specimens killed at Swan River with others from New South Wales, and I cannot find the slightest difference either in their size or markings. It will be interesting to know how far this species and the P. punctatus extend their range northwards, a point which can only be ascertained when the country has been fully explored. The P. uropygialis is the only species that has yet been discovered on the north coast. This active little bird is generally seen seeking insects among the leaves, for which purpose it frequents trees of every description, but gives a decided preference to the Eucalypti. Its flight is rapid and darting, hence it passes from tree to tree, or from one part of the forest to another with the greatest ease. Its voice is a double note several times repeated.

The nest, which is a very neat structure of dried soft grasses and the bark of the tea-tree, lined with feathers, is usually placed in a hole of a dead branch, but sometimes in the boll of the tree. It breeds in September, October and November, and lays three or four fleshy-white eggs, which are nine lines long by seven lines broad.