The Birds of Australia, Vol. 4 of 7

Volume Iv.

Pitta strepitans, Temm. Noisy Pitta 1

—— Vigorsii, Gould Vigors’ Pitta 2

—— Iris, Gould Rainbow Pitta 3

Cinclosoma punctatum, Vig. & Horsf. Spotted Ground-Thrush 4

—— castanotus, Gould Chestnut-backed Ground-Thrush 5

—— cinnamomeus, Gould Cinnamon-coloured Cinclosoma 6

Oreocincla lunulata Mountain Thrush 7

Chlamydera maculata, Gould Spotted Bower-Bird 8

—— nuchalis Great Bower-Bird 9

Ptilonorhynchus holosericeus, Kuhl Satin Bower-Bird 10

—— Smithii, Vig. & Horsf. Cat Bird 11

Sericulus chrysocephalus Regent Bird 12

Oriolus viridis New South Wales Oriole 13

—— flavo-cinctus Crescent-marked Oriole 14

Sphecotheres Australis, Swains. Australian Sphecotheres 15

Corcorax leucopterus White-winged Chough 16

Struthidea cinerea, Gould Grey Struthidea 17

Corvus Coronoïdes, Vig. & Horsf. White-eyed Crow 18

Neomorpha Gouldii, G. R. Gray Gould’s Neomorpha 19

Pomatorhinus temporalis Temporal Pomatorhinus 20

—— rubeculus, Gould Red-breasted Pomatorhinus 21

—— superciliosus, Vig. & Horsf. White-eyebrowed Pomatorhinus 22

Meliphaga Novæ-Hollandiæ New Holland Honey-eater 23

—— longirostris, Gould Long-billed Honey-eater 24

—— sericea, Gould White-cheeked Honey-eater 25

—— mystacalis, Gould Moustached Honey-eater 26

—— Australasiana Tasmanian Honey-eater 27

Glyciphila fulvifrons Fulvous-fronted Honey-eater 28

—— albifrons, Gould White-fronted Honey-eater 29

—— fasciata, Gould Fasciated Honey-eater 30

—— ocularis, Gould Brown Honey-eater 31

Ptilotis chrysotis Yellow-eared Honey-eater 32

—— sonorus, Gould Singing Honey-eater 33

—— versicolor, Gould Varied Honey-eater 34

—— flavigula, Gould Yellow-throated Honey-eater 35

—— leucotis White-eared Honey-eater 36

—— auricomis Yellow-tufted Honey-eater 37

—— cratitius, Gould Wattle-cheeked Honey-eater 38

—— ornatus, Gould Graceful Honey-eater 39

—— plumulus, Gould Plumed Honey-eater 40

—— flavescens, Gould Yellow-tinted Honey-eater 41

—— flava, Gould Yellow Honey-eater 42

—— penicillatus, Gould White-plumed Honey-eater 43

—— fusca, Gould Fuscous Honey-eater 44

—— chrysops Yellow-faced Honey-eater 45

—— unicolor, Gould Uniform Honey-eater 46

Plectorhyncha lanceolata, Gould Lanceolate Honey-eater 47

Zanthomyza Phrygia Warty-faced Honey-eater 48

Melicophila picata, Gould Pied Honey-eater 49

Entomophila picta, Gould Painted Honey-eater 50

—— albogularis, Gould White-throated Honey-eater 51

—— rufogularis, Gould Red-throated Honey-eater 52

Acanthogenys rufogularis, Gould Spiny-cheeked Honey-eater 53

Anthochæra inauris, Gould Great Wattled Honey-eater 54

—— carunculata Wattled Honey-eater 55

—— mellivora Brush Wattle-Bird 56

—— lunulata, Gould Lunulated Wattle-Bird 57

Tropidorhynchus corniculatus Friar-Bird 58

—— argenticeps, Gould Silvery-crowned Friar-Bird 59

—— citreogularis, Gould Yellow-throated Friar-Bird 60

Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris Slender-billed Spine-bill 61

—— superciliosus White-eyebrowed Spine-bill 62

Myzomela sanguineolenta Sanguineous Honey-eater 63

—— erythrocephala, Gould Red-headed Honey-eater 64

—— pectoralis, Gould Banded Honey-eater 65

—— nigra, Gould Black Honey-eater 66

—— obscura, Gould Obscure Honey-eater 67

Entomyza cyanotis Blue-faced Entomyza 68

—— albipennis, Gould White-pinioned Honey-eater 69

Melithreptus validirostris, Gould Strong-billed Honey-eater 70

—— gularis, Gould Black-throated Honey-eater 71

—— lunulatus Lunulated Honey-eater 72

—— chloropsis, Gould Swan River Honey-eater 73

—— albogularis, Gould White-throated Honey-eater 74

—— melanocephalus, Gould Black-headed Honey-eater 75

Myzantha garrula Garrulous Honey-eater 76

—— obscura, Gould Sombre Honey-eater 77

—— lutea, Gould Luteous Honey-eater 78

—— flavigula, Gould Yellow-throated Miner 79

—— melanophrys Australian Bell-Bird 80

Zosterops dorsalis, Vig. & Horsf. Grey-backed Zosterops 81

—— chloronotus, Gould Green-backed Zosterops 82

—— luteus, Gould Yellow Zosterops 83

Cuculus optatus, Gould Australian Cuckoo 84

—— inornatus, Vig. & Horsf. Unadorned Cuckoo 85

—— cineraceus, Vig. & Horsf. Ash-coloured Cuckoo 86

—— insperatus, Gould Brush Cuckoo 87

Chalcites osculans, Gould Black-eared Cuckoo 88

Chrysococcyx lucidus Shining Cuckoo 89

Scythrops Novæ-Hollandiæ, Lath. Channel-Bill 90

Eudynamys Flindersii Flinders’s Cuckoo 91

Centropus Phasianus Pheasant Cuckoo 92

Climacteris scandens, Temm. Brown Tree-Creeper 93

—— rufa, Gould Rufous Tree-Creeper 94

—— erythrops, Gould Red-eyebrowed Tree-Creeper 95

—— melanotus, Gould Black-backed Tree-Creeper 96

—— melanura, Gould Black-tailed Tree-Creeper 97

—— picumnus, Temm. White-throated Tree-Creeper 98

Orthonyx spinicaudus, Temm. Spine-tailed Orthonyx 99

Ptiloris paradiseus, Swains. Rifle Bird 100

Sittella chrysoptera Orange-winged Sittella 101

—— leucocephala, Gould White-headed Sittella 102

—— leucoptera, Gould White-winged Sittella 103

—— pileata, Gould Black-capped Sittella 104

PITTA STREPITANS: Temm.

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

PITTA STREPITANS, Temm. Noisy Pitta.

Pitta strepitans, Temm. Pl. Col. 333.—Jard. and Selb. Ill. Orn., vol. ii. pl. 77.

Pitta versicolor, Swains. in Zool. Journ., vol. i. p. 468.

The description of Pitta versicolor given by Mr. Swainson in the “Zoological Journal” agrees so accurately with the description and figure of Pitta strepitans in the “Planches Coloriées,” that not the slightest doubt exists in my mind as to their identity; but which of these names has the priority is a point I have been unable satisfactorily to determine, in consequence of the latter work having been published in parts at irregular periods. Mr. Swainson, it is true, refers to the “Planches Coloriées,” and institutes a comparison between his bird and the Pitta cyanoptera, beautifully figured in Pl. 218; the Pitta strepitans, on the other hand, forms the subject of Pl. 333, which we may reasonably suppose must have appeared at a much later period, although it may still have been prior to the publication of P. versicolor; the numbers of foreign works being frequently much in arrear in this country. In support of the priority of M. Temminck’s name, I may quote a passage from the “Illustrations of Ornithology” of Messrs. Jardine and Selby:—“This species seems to have been unnoticed until the figure of M. Temminck, who received his specimen from Mr. Leadbeater. It then appeared to be the only individual of this form known to belong to New Holland; and it is only lately that Mr. Swainson has added a second species, in his P. versicolor, to the interesting ornithology of that country.”

Never having seen this bird alive, I am unable to give any account of its habits and manners from my own observation. It is said to dwell in those almost impenetrable brushes of the eastern coast of Australia, and is tolerably abundant in all such localities between the river Macquarrie and Moreton Bay; it is also said to be very thrush-like in its disposition, and, as its long legs would lead us to suppose, resorts much to the ground, although it readily takes to the branches of trees when its haunts are intruded upon. Its food consists of insects, and probably berries and fruits.

The two young figured in the accompanying Plate with an adult were collected in the brushes bordering the river Clarence on the east coast, which must consequently be enumerated among its breeding-places. The circumstance of the young, like those of the Kingfishers, assuming the characteristic plumage of the adult from the time they leave the nest is very singular, and the knowledge of this fact is very important, inasmuch as it may lead to some valuable results in classification.

The sexes appear to present but little differences either in colour or size; some specimens, which I take to be males, however, differ in having the tail-feathers more largely tipped with green than others.

Crown deep ferruginous with a narrow stripe of black down the centre; on the chin a large spot of black terminating in a point on the front of the neck, and uniting to a broad band on each side of the head, encircles the crown and terminates in a point at the back of the neck; back and wings pure olive-green; shoulders and lesser wing-coverts bright metallic cærulean blue; across the rump a band of the same colour; upper tail-coverts and tail black, the latter tipped with olive-green; primaries black, becoming paler at the tips; at the base of the fourth, fifth and sixth a small white spot; sides of the neck, throat, breast and flanks buff; in the centre of the abdomen a patch of black; vent and under tail-coverts scarlet; irides dark brown; bill brown; feet flesh-colour.

The figures are of the natural size.

PITTA VIGORSII; (Gould).

Drawn from Nature & on Stone by J. & E. Gould. Printed by C. Hullmandel. ]

PITTA VIGORSII, Gould. Vigors’ Pitta.

Pitta brachyura, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 218.

A single specimen of this beautiful species of Pitta forms part of the collection of the Linnean Society of London, where it has always been considered as identical with the Pitta brachyura, but from which it differs in many important characters, among the most conspicuous of which may be noticed its larger size, and the narrow streak of light greenish grey which passes from the nostrils over each eye, and nearly surrounds the occiput.

I have not been able to obtain any decided information respecting the portion of Australia from which this bird was obtained, but the eastern and northern coasts may be regarded as its most likely habitat; and I am unable to render any account of its habits, or the situations it frequents: several of the members of the group, however, particularly the other Australian species (Pitta strepitans), are known to prefer the thick brushes near the coast, where it hops about and scratches up the leaves, etc., in search of food. The Pitta brachyura is also said to perch on the topmost branches of decayed trees, and to resort to the sides of inland streams and waters, where it sports among the shallows, frequently wading up to its knees, which aquatic habits are indicated by the general character of its plumage; and as the present bird is very nearly allied to that species, it has doubtless similar habits.

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