Part 31

Epthianura tricolor, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VIII. p. 159.

While traversing, soon after sunrise on the 11th of December 1839, the forest lands near Peel’s River to the eastward of Liverpool Plains, a fine male specimen of this bird attracted my notice by the beauty of its colouring and the sprightliness and activity of its actions, while busily engaged in capturing the small insects that were hovering in the air near the ground. As maybe supposed, the sight of a bird of such beauty, and which, moreover, was entirely new to me, excited so strong a desire to possess it that scarcely a moment elapsed before it was dead and in my hand; I regret to add, however, that neither my travelling companion Natty nor any other person could give me any account of it, since, like myself, they had never seen it before; nor could I during my residence in the colony either see another example or obtain any information on the subject. In a small collection procured for me in South Australia by an intelligent and enthusiastic collector, Mr. Strange, two other specimens occurred which I supposed to be male and female; unfortunately in this instance also they were unaccompanied by any notes of their habits or economy; which are yet to be ascertained, the species being doubtless migratory, and the specimens sent rare visitors from the interior to the part of the country where they were killed; any information respecting this rara avis would therefore be very acceptable.

The male has the crown of the head, upper tail-coverts, breast and abdomen bright scarlet; lores, line above and beneath the eye, ear-coverts, occiput and back dark brown; wings brown, each feather margined with brownish white; tail dark brown, each feather having a large spot of white on the inner web at the tip; chin, throat and under tail-coverts white; irides straw white; bill and feet blackish brown.

The female is similar in colour, but has only a slight wash of the scarlet colouring, except on the upper tail-coverts, where it is as brilliant as in the male.

The figures are of the natural size.

XEROPHILA LEUCOPSIS: Gould.

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

XEROPHILA LEUCOPSIS, Gould. White-faced Xerophila.

Xerophila leucopsis, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VIII. p. 175.

As an instance how objects which are rare or from remote localities receive a greater share of attention than those with which we are familiar, I may state that while collections of birds have been transmitted to Europe from the most distant parts of the new colony of South Australia, the present little bird, which inhabits the very streets and gardens of Adelaide, like the sparrow in the towns of Europe, had been up to the period of my visit utterly disregarded; it was too common to be considered worthy of notice. Immediately on my arrival, however, in fact on my way to pay my respects to the Governor, Colonel Gawler, I observed it hopping about the street in numbers, and almost on the very door-step of his Excellency’s residence. Upon my calling his attention to the subject and informing him that it was a bird entirely new to science, he at once gave orders that some specimens should be captured alive, so that when I paid my second visit in the evening this undescribed species was a captive in a cage, by which means I was enabled to examine it more closely than I had before been able to do. I afterwards found it to be tolerably abundant in all parts of the colony I visited, both in the interior and in the neighbourhood of the coast. It was generally met with in small flocks of from six to sixteen in number, and more frequently on the ground than among the trees. It hops over the ground very quickly and appears a busy little bird, prying among the herbage for its food, which principally consists of the seeds of the grasses and small annuals which abound on the plains and low hills of South Australia. In disposition it is so remarkably tame that it will allow of a very near approach before it will rise, and then it merely flies to the nearest bush or low tree.

The male offers no external difference by which it can be distinguished from the female, neither do the young exhibit any contrast to the adults in their plumage; it has in fact little to recommend it to the notice of the general observer either in its colouring or in the quality of its song.

The nest which was kindly forwarded to me by Mr. Strange is of rather a large size, of a domed form, with a hole for an entrance very near the top, and is composed of dried grasses, moss, spiders’ webs, wool, the soft blossoms of plants and dead leaves matted together and warmly lined with feathers; it is about seven inches in height and four inches in diameter. The eggs received with the nest were three in number, of a fleshy white, eight and a half lines long and six lines broad.

Forehead and lores white; upper surface olive-brown; wings and tail brown, the latter passing into black near the extremity, and tipped with white; all the under surface pale buff; bill and feet black; irides light straw-colour.

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

PYRRHOLÆMUS BRUNNEUS: Gould.

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

PYRRHOLÆMUS BRUNNEUS, Gould. Brown Red-Throat.

Pyrrholæmus brunneus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VIII. p. 173.

Beȑ-rit-beȑ-rit, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western Australia.

I found this new bird tolerably abundant in the Belts of the Murray, about forty miles to the northward of Lake Alexandrina, where it gave a decided preference to low stunted bushes and fallen trunks of trees overgrown with herbage, under which it secreted itself; it sometimes rose to the top of a bush to sing, pouring forth a melody equal to any of the smaller birds of Australia, which must render it a general favourite when that portion of the country becomes colonized. It passes much of its time on the ground, hopping about with great celerity, and with its tail elevated considerably above the level of its back.

Since I killed my specimens it has been obtained by Mr. Gilbert in Western Australia, from whose notes I learn that it is there an inhabitant of the underwood and the thickest scrub; and that “it possesses a very sweet and melodious song, which it generally utters while perched on the extreme topmost branch of a small scrubby tree, and having repeated it two or three times, dives down into the impenetrable bush. While feeding it utters a weak, piping, call-like note. I never saw it fairly on the wing, for it seems averse to flying, but generally prefers creeping from bush to bush, and even if closely hunted merely flits a few yards. It makes its nest on the ground, precisely like the members of the genus Calamanthus. I found a pair building in the month of September; upon visiting the spot again after an interval of a week, the nest appeared finished, being lined with feathers, but there were no eggs; unfortunately from this time the birds deserted the nest; but Mr. Drummond tells me that he once saw the eggs, that they were three in number and of a green colour.”

Lores greyish white; all the upper surface and wings brown; tail brownish black, the three lateral feathers on each side largely tipped with white; centre of the throat rufous; the remainder of the under surface brownish grey, passing into sandy buff on the flanks and under tail-coverts; irides reddish brown, with an outer ring of yellowish white; upper mandible reddish brown; lower mandible greenish white; legs and feet dark greenish grey.

The figures represent the two sexes of the natural size.

ORIGMA RUBRICATA.

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

ORIGMA RUBRICATA. Rock-Warbler.

Sylvia rubricata, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. li.—Bonn. et Vieill. Ency. Méth. Orn., part ii. p. 461.

Ruddy Warbler, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 249.—Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. x. p. 697.—Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. vii. p. 138.