Part 47

Satin Sparrow, of the Colonists of Van Diemen’s Land.

The Myiagra nitida arrives in Van Diemen’s Land about the end of September, commences breeding soon after its arrival, rears a somewhat numerous progeny during the months of summer, and departs again in February. In performing these migrations it necessarily passes directly over the colonies of South Australia and New South Wales, yet it seldom occurs in collections from those countries, and I believe is only seen there during the passage. It is a most lively, showy and active bird, darting about from branch to branch and sallying forth in the air in pursuit of its insect prey with a most singular, quick, oscillating or trembling motion of the tail.

I experienced but little difficulty in obtaining several of its nests and eggs among the gullies and forest lands on the north side of Mount Wellington, particularly those immediately in the rear of New Town, near the residence of the Rev. Thomas J. Ewing, who frequently accompanied and aided me in my search. The nest is usually placed at the extreme tip of a dead branch, at a height varying from twenty to forty feet from the ground. Some nests are formed of a minute species of light green moss, others are constructed of fine threads of stringy bark; all are rendered very warm by a dense lining of soft hair, probably that of the opossums or kangaroo rats, and wool, or the soft silk-like threads of the flowering stalks of moss, the down of the tree-fern, and the blossoms of many other kinds of plants; and the outsides of all are very similar, being alike ornamented with small pieces of lichen stuck on without any degree of regularity; these different materials are all felted together with cobwebs, or vegetable fibres. The form of the nest appears to depend upon the nature of the site upon which it is built: if placed on a level part of the branch, the nest is large and high; if in a fork, then it is a more shallow structure; in each case the opening is as perfect a circle as the nature of the materials will admit: the height varies from two inches to three inches and a quarter, the average breadth of the opening is about one inch and three-quarters, and the depth one inch. The eggs are generally three in number, somewhat round in form, and of a greenish white spotted and blotched all over with umber brown, yellowish brown, and obscure markings of purplish grey; their medium length is nine lines and breadth seven lines.

The weight of this bird is nearly three ounces and three-quarters; the stomach is muscular, and those examined contained the remains of dipterous and coleopterous insects.

The note is a loud piping whistle frequently repeated.

The male has the lores deep velvety black; all the upper surface, wings, tail and breast of a rich deep blackish green with a metallic lustre; primaries deep brown; under surface of the shoulder, abdomen and under tail-coverts white; bill lead-colour at the base, passing into black at the tip; irides and feet black.

The female, as will be seen on reference to the accompanying Plate, differs considerably from the male; the upper surface being much less brilliant, and the throat and breast of a rich rusty red, a style of colouring which is also characteristic of the young males during the first autumn of their existence.

The figures represent the two sexes of the natural size.

MYIAGRA LATIROSTRIS: Gould.

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

MYIAGRA LATIROSTRIS, Gould. Broad-billed Flycatcher.

Myïagra latirostris, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VIII. p. 172.

I possess two examples of this species, one of which was procured on the north coast by Mr. Dring, and the other at Port Essington by Mr. Gilbert. It is in every respect a true Myïagra, and is rendered remarkably conspicuous by the great breadth or lateral dilatation of the bill. As no notes accompanied the specimens, I am unable to give any particulars as to its habits and economy; in all probability they are very similar to those of the other members of the genus.

All the upper surface, wings and tail dark bluish gray, with a shining greenish lustre on the head and back of the neck; throat and chest sandy buff; under surface white; bill black; irides blackish brown; feet black.

The figures are of the natural size.

MICRŒCA MACROPTERA.

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

MICRŒCA MACROPTERA. Great-winged Micrœca.

Myiagra macroptera, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 254.

Micrœca macroptera, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VIII. p. 172.

Loxia fascinans, Lath. Ind. Ora. Supp., p. xlvi.?—Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. ix. p. 298?

Fascinating Grosbeak, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 197.—Ib. Gen. Hist., vol. v. p. 266?

Brown Flycatcher, of the Colonists.

This bird is generally dispersed over the colonies of New South Wales and South Australia, where it inhabits nearly every kind of situation, from the open forest lands of the interior to the brushes of thickly grown trees near the sea-coast; shrubs not a yard high, and the branches of the highest gum-trees being alike resorted to. It is certainly the least ornamental of the Australian birds, for it is neither gay-coloured, nor is it characterized by any conspicuous markings; these deficiencies, however, are, as is usually the case, amply compensated for by the little sombre tenant of the forest being endowed with a most cheerful and pleasing song, the notes of which much resemble, but are more clear and powerful than the spring notes of the Chaffinch (Fringilla Cœlebs), and which are poured forth at the dawn of day from the topmost dead branch of a lofty gum-tree, an elevated position which appears to be frequently resorted to for the purpose of serenading its mate, its usual place of abode being much nearer the ground. It is mostly met with in pairs, and may be frequently seen perched on the low bushy twigs of a thistle-like plant, occasionally on the gates and palings and in the gardens of the settlers; Mr. Caley states that “it has all the actions of the British Robin Red-breast, except coming inside houses. When a piece of ground was fresh dug it was always a constant attendant.” It appeared to me that its actions resemble quite as much those of the Flycatchers as of the Robins, and at the same time are sufficiently distinct from either to justify the bird being made the type of a new genus; I may particularly mention a singular lateral movement of the tail, which it is continually moving from side to side.

Its food consists of insects, which it captures both among the foliage of the trees and on the wing, frequently flying forth in pursuit of passing flies and returning again to the branch it had left.

It generally rears two broods in the course of the year.

The nest, which is built in October, is a slight, nearly flat and very small structure, measuring only two inches and a half in diameter by half an inch in depth; it is formed of fine fibrous roots, decorated externally with lichens and small flat pieces of bark, attached by means of fine vegetable fibres and cobwebs; and is most artfully placed in the fork of a dead horizontal branch, whereby it is rendered so nearly invisible from beneath, that it easily escapes detection from all but the scrutinizing eye of the aboriginal native. The eggs are generally two in number, of a pale greenish blue, strongly marked with dashes of chestnut-brown and indistinct blotches of grey; they are eight and a half lines long by five and a half lines broad.

The sexes are alike in colour; the young differs from the adult in being much paler, and in being spotted with white on the head and back and with brown on the breast.