Part 10

Eöpsaltria flavicollis, Swains. Class, of Birds, vol. ii. p. 250.

—— Australis, G. R. Gray, List of Gen. of Birds, 2nd edit. p. 45.

Yellow-breasted Thrush, Lewin, Birds of New Holl., pl. 23.

Eöpsaltria parvula, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part V. p. 144. female?

Yellow Robin, Colonists of New South Wales.

This is a very common species in all the brushes of New South Wales; I also observed it in most of the gardens in the neighbourhood of Sydney, as well as in those of the settlers in the interior. It is very Robin-like in its actions, particularly in the habit of raising its tail at the moment of perching, and in the sprightly air with which it moves about. It is by no means shy, and may often be seen crossing the garden walks, perching on some stump or railing, regardless of one’s presence, at which time the fine yellow mark on its rump is very conspicuous. Its powers of flight are but feeble, and are seldom employed to do more than enable it to flit from bush to bush or from tree to tree, in a peculiarly quiet Robin-like manner; never displaying the restless activity of the Pardalotes, Acanthizas, and many other tribes of birds. Its food consists entirely of insects, which are more frequently taken on the ground than on the trees.

It breeds in September and October. The nest is a beautiful, compact, round, cup-shaped structure, about three inches in diameter and an inch and a half deep, composed of narrow strips of bark, wiry fibrous roots, and in some instances grasses; the outside held together with cobwebs, and sparingly speckled over with mouse-eared lichen and small pieces of bark, hanging loosely about it; the inside of the nest is generally lined with leaves, but occasionally with portions of the broad blades of grasses. It is generally placed in the fork of some low tree in an open or exposed part of the brush, is a neat structure, and sometimes so nearly resembles the bark of the tree upon which it is constructed, that it is almost impossible to detect it, so extraordinary is the instinctive power of imitation with which the bird has been endowed. The eggs are usually two in number, of a bright apple-green, speckled and spotted all over with chestnut-brown and blackish brown, the latter tint being much less conspicuous than the former; they are nine lines long by seven and a half lines broad.

It is not migratory, and so far as is known, is confined to the southern and eastern portion of the country.

The sexes are alike in colour, but the female is somewhat smaller in size: the young on leaving the nest has the plumage streaked and spotted very similar to that of young Robins, but obtains the plumage of the adult at an early period.

Head and all the upper surface, wings and tail, with the exception of the rump, very dark grey; chin white; all the under surface and rump wax-yellow; irides, bill and feet black.

The figures are of the natural size.

EÖPSALTRIA GRISEOGULARIS, Gould.

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

EÖPSALTRIA GRISEOGULARIS, Gould. Grey-breasted Robin.

Eöpsaltria griseogularis, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part V. p. 144; and in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part IV.

Bȁm-boore, Aborigines of the lowland districts of Western Australia.

The fact of one species representing another, as they are frequently found to do, on opposite sides of large continents, is in no instance more clearly exemplified than in the two species of the genus Eöpsaltria inhabiting Australia, which, although closely allied in size, structure and colouring, as well as in habits and economy, inhabit very different countries, one being confined to the eastern, and the other to the western portion of the continent.

The Eöpsaltria griseogularis is abundant in every part of the colony of Swan River, inhabiting thickets and all spots clothed with vegetation of a brush-like character. “In its actions,” says Mr. Gilbert, “this bird is very like the Robins, being much on the ground, and when feeding constantly flying up and perching on a small upright twig. It does not appear to be capable of great or continued exertion on the wing, as it is rarely seen to do more than flit from bush to bush. Its most common note much resembles the very lengthened and plaintive song of the Estrelda bella, but differs from it in being a double note often repeated; it also utters a great variety of single notes, and during the breeding-season pours forth a short but agreeable song.

“The nest is very difficult to detect, the situations chosen for it being the thickly wooded gum-forests of the mountain districts and the mahogany forests of the lowlands; from the forks of the younger of these trees a great portion of the bark generally hangs down in strips; and in the fork the bird generally makes its nest of narrow strips of the bark bound together with cobwebs, while around the outside a quantity of dangling pieces are suspended, giving it the exact appearance of other forks of the tree; the inside of the nest has no other lining than a few pieces of bark laid across each other, or a single dried leaf, large enough to cover the bottom. It breeds in September and October, and lays two eggs, which are more lengthened in form than those of Eöpsaltria Australis, and are of a wood-brown obscurely freckled with yellowish red, ten lines long by seven lines and a half broad.

“Its stomach is muscular, and its food consists of insects of various kinds.”

The sexes are precisely similar in outward appearance.

It is stationary in Western Australia, but the extent of its range over the continent is not yet known.

Crown of the head, ear-coverts, sides and back of the neck, and back grey; throat and chest greyish white; abdomen, rump, upper and under tail-coverts rich yellow; wings and tail greyish brown, the extreme tips of the latter edged with white; bill dark horn-colour; irides very dark reddish brown; legs and feet dark olive-brown.

The figures are male and female, of the natural size.

EÖPSALTRIA LEUCOGASTER: Gould.

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

EÖPSALTRIA LEUCOGASTER, Gould. White-bellied Robin.

Eöpsaltria leucogaster, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., February 24, 1846.