The Birds of Australia, Vol. 3 of 7

Part 1

THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

JOHN GOULD, F.R.S.,

F.L.S, F.Z.S., M.E.S., F.ETHN.S., F.R.GEOG.S., M. RAY S., HON. MEMB. OF THE ROYAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF TURIN, OF THE ROY. ZOOL. SOC. OF IRELAND, OF THE PENZANCE NAT. HIST. SOC., OF THE WORCESTER NAT. HIST. SOC., OF THE NORTHUMBERLAND, DURHAM AND NEWCASTLE NAT. HIST. SOC., OF THE NAT. HIST. SOC. OF DARMSTADT AND OF THE TASMANIAN SOCIETY OF VAN DIEMEN’S LAND, ETC.

IN SEVEN VOLUMES.

VOL. III.

LONDON:

PRINTED BY RICHARD AND JOHN E. TAYLOR, RED LION COURT, FLEET STREET.

PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR, 20, BROAD STREET, GOLDEN SQUARE.

1848.

LIST OF PLATES. VOLUME III.

Erythrodryas rhodinogaster Pink-breasted Wood-robin 1

—— rosea, Gould Rose-breasted Wood-robin 2

Petroica multicolor Scarlet-breasted Robin 3

—— erythrogastra Norfolk Island Robin 4

—— Goodenovii Red-capped Robin 5

—— phœnicea, Gould Flame-breasted Robin 6

—— bicolor, Swains Pied Robin 7

—— fusca, Gould Dusky Robin 8

—— superciliosa, Gould White-eyebrowed Robin 9

Drymodes brunneopygia, Gould Scrub Robin 10

Eöpsaltria Australis Yellow-breasted Robin 11

—— griseogularis, Gould Grey-breasted Robin 12

—— leucogaster, Gould White-bellied Robin 13

Menura superba, Dav. Lyre-Bird 14

Psophodes crepitans Coach-whip Bird 15

—— nigrogularis, Gould Black-throated Psophodes 16

Sphenostoma cristata, Gould Crested Wedge-bill 17

Malurus cyaneus Blue Wren 18

Part 2

—— longicaudus, Gould Long-tailed Wren 19

—— melanotus, Gould Black-backed Wren 20

—— splendens Banded Wren 21

—— elegans, Gould Graceful Wren 22

—— pulcherrimus, Gould Beautiful Wren 23

—— Lamberti, Vig. & Horsf. Lambert’s Wren 24

—— leucopterus, Quoy & Gaim. White-winged Wren 25

—— melanocephalus, Vig. & Horsf. Black-headed Wren 26

—— Brownii, Vig. & Horsf. Brown’s Wren 27

Amytis textilis Textile Wren 28

—— striatus, Gould Striated Wren 29

—— macrourus, Gould Large-tailed Wren 30

Stipiturus malachurus Emu Wren 31

Dasyornis Australis, Vig. & Horsf. Bristle-Bird 32

—— longirostris, Gould Long-billed Bristle-Bird 33

Atrichia clamosa, Gould Noisy Brush-bird 34

Sphenœacus galactotes Tawny Sphenœacus 35

—— gramineus, Gould Grass-loving Sphenœacus 36

Acrocephalus Australis, Gould Reed Warbler 37

—— longirostris, Gould Long-billed Reed Warbler 38

Hylacola pyrrhopygia Red-rumped Wren 39

—— cauta, Gould Cautious Wren 40

Cysticola magna, Gould Great Warbler 41

—— exilis Exile Warbler 42

—— lineocapilla, Gould Lineated Warbler 43

—— isura, Gould Square-tailed Warbler 44

—— ruficeps, Gould Rufous-headed Warbler 45

Sericornis citreogularis, Gould Yellow-throated Sericornis 46

Part 3

—— humilis, Gould Sombre-coloured Sericornis 47

—— osculans, Gould Allied Sericornis 48

—— frontalis White-fronted Sericornis 49

—— lævigaster, Gould Buff-breasted Sericornis 50

—— maculatus, Gould Spotted Sericornis 51

Sericornis magnirostris, Gould Large-billed Sericornis 52

Acanthiza pusilla Little Brown Acanthiza 53

—— Diemenensis, Gould Tasmanian Acanthiza 54

—— Ewingii, Gould Ewing’s Acanthiza 55

—— uropygialis, Gould Chestnut-rumped Acanthiza 56

—— apicalis, Gould Western Acanthiza 57

—— pyrrhopygia, Gould Red-rumped Acanthiza 58

—— inornata, Gould Plain-coloured Acanthiza 59

—— nana, Vig. & Horsf. Little Acanthiza 60

—— lineata, Gould Striated Acanthiza 61

—— Reguloïdes, Vig. & Horsf. Regulus-like Acanthiza 62

—— chrysorrhœa Yellow-rumped Acanthiza 63

Ephthianura albifrons White-fronted Ephthianura 64

—— aurifrons, Gould Orange-fronted Ephthianura 65

—— tricolor, Gould Tri-coloured Ephthianura 66

Xerophila leucopsis, Gould White-faced Xerophila 67

Pyrrholæmus brunneus, Gould Brown Red-throat 68

Origma rubricata Rock-Warbler 69

Calamanthus fuliginosus Striated Reed-Lark 70

—— campestris, Gould Field Reed-Lark 71

Chthonicola minima Little Chthonicola 72

Anthus Australis, Vig. & Horsf. Australian Pipit 73

Cincloramphus cruralis Brown Cincloramphus 74

Part 4

—— cantillans, Gould Black-breasted Cincloramphus 75

—— rufescens Rufous-tinted Cincloramphus 76

Mirafra Horsfieldii, Gould Horsfield’s Mirafra 77

Estrelda bella Fire-tailed Finch 78

—— oculea Red-eared Finch 79

—— Bichenovii Bicheno’s Finch 80

—— annulosa, Gould Black-rumped Finch 81

—— temporalis Red-eyebrowed Finch 82

—— Phaëton Crimson Finch 83

—— ruficauda, Gould Red-tailed Finch 84

Amadina modesta, Gould Plain-coloured Finch 85

—— Lathamii Spotted-sided Finch 86

—— castanotis, Gould Chestnut-eared Finch 87

—— Gouldiæ, Gould Gouldian Finch 88

Poëphila mirabilis, Homb. & Jacq. Beautiful Grass Finch 89

—— acuticauda, Gould Long-tailed Grass Finch 90

—— personata, Gould Masked Grass Finch 91

—— leucotis, Gould White-eared Grass Finch 92

—— cincta, Gould Banded Grass Finch 93

Donacola castaneothorax, Gould Chestnut-breasted Finch 94

—— pectoralis, Gould White-breasted Finch 95

—— flaviprymna, Gould Yellow-rumped Finch 96

Emblema picta, Gould Painted Finch 97

Footnote 1:

For Amadina modesta read Estrelda modesta.

Footnote 2:

For Amadina Gouldiæ read Poëphila Gouldiæ.

ERYTHRODRYAS RHODINOGASTER.

Part 5

J. Gould and H. C. Richter del^t. C. Hullmandel Imp. ]

ERYTHRODRYAS RHODINOGASTER. Pink-breasted Wood-Robin.

Saxicola rhodinogaster, Drap. Ann. Gén. des Sci. Phys. de Bruxelles.

Muscicapa Lathami, Vig. in Zool. Journ., vol. i. p. 410. pl. 13.—Jard. and Selb. Ill. Orn., vol. i. pl. 8.

Petroica rhodinogaster, Jard. and Selb. Ill. Orn. Add., vol. ii.

Erythrodryas rhodinogaster, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., August 9, 1842.

Pink-breasted Robin, Colonists of New South Wales.

The great stronghold of this species is Van Diemen’s Land, particularly the western parts of the island. I feel assured that it is rarely seen on the main land of Australia, from the circumstance of the total absence of skins in collections from those parts. In one instance only did I meet with it on the continent, and that was in a deep ravine under Mount Lofty in South Australia; I shot the specimen, which on dissection proved to be a young male.

In habits and disposition this and the following species are very dissimilar to the Red-breasted Robins (Petroica), being much less spirited in all their actions. They prefer the most secluded and remote parts of the forest, particularly the bottoms of deep gullies, the seclusion of which is seldom broken by the voice or presence of any living being, and where animal life is almost confined to aphides and other minute insects, upon which they exist. There are times, however, especially in winter, when they leave these quiet retreats and even enter the gardens of the settlers; but this is of so rare occurrence, that few persons can have had opportunities of observing this bird in a state of nature, except those who have visited the localities above described. I shot several specimens in the gullies under Mount Wellington in Van Diemen’s Land; and on visiting, in company with the Rev. T. J. Ewing, the enchanting spot selected by my ever-esteemed friend Lady Franklin as a site for a Botanic Garden, I observed it to be tolerably numerous there. Through the kindness of Ronald C. Gunn, Esq., who liberally placed the whole of his collection at my disposal, I was enabled to obtain examples of many species, in every stage from youth to maturity; among others, of the present bird, which Mr. Gunn informed me had been collected on the Hampshire Hills, a locality where it is very abundant.

The food of the Pink-breasted Wood-Robin consists solely of insects, which it procures by darting out in pursuit of them while passing by in the air, and also on the ground.

It exhibits the peculiar actions and manners of the Robins by sitting about on stumps and stones at the bottom of the gullies, presenting its full breast like the Robin of Europe.

Its nest is formed of narrow strips of soft bark, soft fibres of decaying wood, and fine fibrous roots matted and woven together with vegetable fibres, and old black nests of spiders. The eggs are three in number, smaller but very similar to those of Petroica multicolor; of a greenish white thickly sprinkled with light chestnut and purplish brown; eight lines and a half long, by six lines and a half broad.

Like the true Petroicas, the sexes present considerable differences in their colouring.

The male has the head, neck, throat and back sooty black; a small spot of white in the centre of the forehead; wings brownish black; a few of the primaries and secondaries with an oblong spot of reddish brown on the outer web near the base and another near the tip, forming two small oblique bands when the wing is spread; breast and abdomen rose-pink, passing into white on the vent and under tail-coverts; irides and bill black; feet black, with the soles orange.

The female has an indication of the white spot on the forehead; all the upper surface brown; wings and tail brown, with the markings on the primaries and secondaries larger and of a more buffy colour than in the male; throat brownish buff; chest and abdomen brownish grey; vent and under tail-coverts buff.

The young male during the first autumn closely resembles the female; for the first two months after they have left the nest, they have the centre of each feather striated with buff.

The Plate represents the male and female of the natural size.

ERYTHRODRYAS ROSEA: Gould.

J. Gould and H. C. Richter del^t. C. Hullmandel Imp. ]

ERYTHRODRYAS ROSEA. Rose-breasted Wood-Robin.

Petroica rosea, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VII. p. 142.

Erythrodryas rosea, Gould in Ibid., August 9, 1842.

This pretty little Robin inhabits all the brushes which skirt along the south-eastern coast of New South Wales. I also observed it to be numerous in the cedar brushes of the Liverpool range, and it doubtless frequents similar situations in all other parts of the country. It penetrates to the very depths of the forest, and chooses as its favourite abode the most secluded spots. It is a solitary species, more than a single pair being rarely seen at one time, is excessively quiet in its movements, and so tame, that in the course of my wanderings through the woods of Illawarra and in the neighbourhood of the Hunter, it frequently perched within two or three yards of me while resting my wearied limbs under a dense canopy of foliage, and listening to the songs of the various species surrounding me. What has been said respecting the habits and manners of the Pink-breasted Robin is equally descriptive of those of the present bird; its food is also precisely of the same kind, and is captured in a similar manner.

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