Part 9

The sexes differ from all the other members of the genus in being alike in colour, and cannot possibly be distinguished without the aid of dissection.

Head, and all the upper surface reddish brown tinged with olive; wings and tail brown; primaries and secondaries crossed by a narrow line of white at the base; the outer tail-feather on each side margined externally, and at the tip with white; under surface pale brown, passing into buffy white on the vent and under tail-coverts; irides, bill and feet blackish brown.

The young is very dark brown above, striated with deep buff; beneath mottled brown and buffy white; the latter colour occupying the centre of the feathers.

The Plate represents a male and two young birds of the natural size.

PETROICA SUPERCILIOSA: Gould.

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

PETROICA SUPERCILIOSA, Gould. White-eyebrowed Robin.

Petroica superciliosa, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part XIV. p. 106.

For our knowledge of this new species of Petroica we are indebted to the researches of Mr. Gilbert, who while in company with Dr. Leichardt, during his adventurous expedition from Moreton Bay to Port Essington, discovered it in the neighbourhood of the Burdekin Lakes towards the Gulf of Carpentaria. The following remarks in Mr. Gilbert’s Journal comprise all that is at present known respecting it:—“May 14th. In a ramble with my gun I shot a new bird, the actions of which assimilate to those of the Petroicæ and the Eöpsaltriæ; like the former it carries its tail very erect, but is more retiring in its habits than those birds; on the other hand, its notes resemble those of the latter. It inhabits the dense jungle-like vegetation growing beneath the shade of the fig-trees on the banks of the Burdekin. I succeeded in procuring two specimens.”

Superciliary stripe, throat, abdomen, under surface of the shoulder, and the bases of the primaries and secondaries white; lores, ear-coverts, wing-coverts, and the primaries and secondaries for some distance beyond the white deep black; all the upper surface, wings and tail sooty brown; all but the two central tail-feathers largely tipped with white; bill and feet black; irides reddish brown.

The Plate represents the two sexes of the natural size.

DRYMODES BRUNNEOPYGIA: Gould

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

DRYMODES BRUNNEOPYGIA, Gould. Scrub Robin.

Drymodes brunneopygia, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VIII. p. 170.

I discovered this singular bird in the great Murray Scrub in South Australia, where it was tolerably abundant; I have never seen it from any other part of the country, and it is doubtless confined to such portions of Australia as are clothed with a similar character of vegetation. It is a quiet and inactive species, resorting much to the ground, over which and among the underwood and low stunted bushes it passes with great ease; it appeared rarely to take wing, but to depend for security upon its dexterity in hopping away under the dense underwood of the most scrubby parts; I have, however, occasionally observed it to mount to the most elevated part of a low bush, and there pour forth a sharp monotonous whistling note, not very unlike that of some of the Pachycephalinæ; indeed it was its note that first attracted my attention and led to its discovery. When on the ground, and sometimes when perched on a twig, it elevates its tail considerably, but not to the extent of the Maluri.

This new form evidently belongs to the Saxicolinæ, and has many habits in common with the members of the genus Petroica.

The sexes are alike in colouring, but the female is much smaller than her mate; the young, as will be seen in the accompanying Plate, resembles the immature Petroicas in the character of its plumage.

Head and all the upper surface brown, passing into rufous brown on the upper tail-coverts; wings dark brown, the coverts and primaries edged with dull white; primaries and secondaries crossed near the base on their inner webs with pure white; tail rich brown, all but the two middle feathers tipped with white; under surface greyish brown, passing into buff on the under tail-coverts; irides, bill and feet blackish brown.

The Plate represents an adult male and a young bird of the natural size.

EÖPSALTRIA AUSTRALIS: Swains.

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

EÖPSALTRIA AUSTRALIS. Yellow-breasted Robin.

Muscicapa Australis, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. li.

Southern Motacilla, Motacilla Australis, White’s Journ., pl. in p. 239.

Southern Flycatcher, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 219.—Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. x. p. 369.—Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. vi. p. 216.

Pachycephala Australis, Vig. & Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 242.

Muscipeta, sp. 15, Muscicapa Australis, Less. Traité d’Orn., p. 385.