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Title: The Birds of Australia, Vol. 4 of 7
Author: Gould, John Mead
Language: English
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THE
BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.
BY
JOHN GOULD, F.R.S.,
F.L.S., F.Z.S., M.E.S., F.ETHN.S., F.R.GEOG.S., M. RAYS., 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. IV.
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 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
[Illustration:
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.
[Illustration:
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.
Messrs. Vigors and Horsfield having omitted to notice the distinctive
characters of this species, while engaged upon their elaborate Catalogue
of the Australian Birds in the Linnean Society’s collection, I have much
pleasure in dedicating it to the memory of the late Mr. Vigors, whose
high scientific attainments, especially in Ornithology, are so well
known that my testimony is unnecessary.
Crown of the head, ear-coverts, and back of the neck jet-black; a narrow
stripe of greenish grey commences at the nostrils, passes over each eye,
surrounds the crown, and nearly unites at the occiput; back,
scapularies, outer edges of the secondaries, and the greater
wing-coverts bronzy green; shoulders, rump, and upper tail-coverts fine
lazuline blue; throat white; chest, flanks, and thighs tawny buff;
centre of the abdomen dark blood-red, passing into scarlet on the under
tail-coverts; primaries black, with a white bar across the centre of the
third, fourth, fifth and sixth; tail black, tipped with green; bill dark
brown; legs flesh-colour.
The figure is of the natural size.
[Illustration:
PITTA IRIS: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
PITTA IRIS, _Gould_.
Rainbow Pitta.
_Pitta Iris_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., February 8, 1842.
Two specimens of this new and beautiful _Pitta_, both killed on the
north coast of Australia, have already come under my notice. One of
these is in the collection of Dr. Bankier, Acting Surgeon of H.M.S.
Pelorus, and the other, apparently a female, is in the British Museum,
having been lately presented to the national collection with many other
fine birds, by Captain Chambers, R.N., of the same vessel.
The Rainbow Pitta differs so much from all other known species of this
lovely tribe of birds, as to render a comparison quite unnecessary. By
its discovery we can now enumerate three species from Australia. How
rapidly is this fine country unfolding her rich treasures, of which,
indeed, sufficient have been seen to rank her second to none in the
interest of her productions!
Both the specimens above-mentioned are from the Cobourg Peninsula, where
the species is not uncommon, and it will doubtless, hereafter, be found
to range over a great portion of the north coast. No further account of
the habits of this fine bird have been received than that it inhabits
the thick “cane-beds” near the coast, through which it runs with great
facility; the boldness and richness of its markings render it a most
attractive object in the bush.
Head, neck, breast, abdomen, flanks and thighs deep velvety black; over
the eye, extending to the occiput, a band of ferruginous brown; upper
surface and wings golden green; shoulders bright metallic cærulean blue,
bordered below with lazuline blue; primaries black, passing into
olive-brown at their tips, the third, fourth, fifth and sixth having a
spot about the centre of the feather; tail black at the base, green at
the tip, the former colour running on the inner web nearly to the tip;
rump-feathers tinged with cærulean blue; lower part of the abdomen and
under tail-coverts bright scarlet, separated from the black of the
abdomen by yellowish brown; irides dark brown; bill black; feet
flesh-colour.
The figures are of the natural size.
[Illustration:
CINCLOSOMA PUNCTATUM: _Vig. & Horsf._
_J. & E. Gould del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
CINCLOSOMA PUNCTATUM, _Vig. & Horsf._
Spotted Ground-Thrush.
_Turdus Punctatus_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xliv.
_Punctated Thrush_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 187.—Ib. Gen.
Hist., vol. v. p. 130.—Shaw, Zool. New Holl., p. 25.—Ib.
Gen. Zool., vol. x. p. 202.
_Cinclosoma Punctatum_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p.
220.—Griff. An. King., vol. vi. p. 529. pl. 29.
This species has been long known to ornithologists, being one of the
birds earliest described from Australia; still little or no information
has hitherto been acquired respecting its habits and economy, which,
however, are extremely interesting.
It is everywhere a stationary species, and enjoys an extensive range of
habitat, being distributed over the whole of Van Diemen’s Land and the
eastern portion of Australia, from Moreton Bay to Spencer’s Gulf, to the
westward of which I have never been able to trace it, and I have
therefore reason to believe that this is the limit of its range in that
direction; its place appearing to be supplied in Western Australia by
the species represented in the succeeding Plate. During my researches in
South Australia, I found both species sparingly dispersed over the
country, in such localities as are suitable to their habits, between the
great bend of the Murray and Lake Alexandrina; this, therefore, would
seem to be the border-line of their range on either hand; how far these
species are spread to the northward, is yet to be determined.
The Spotted Ground-Thrush gives a decided preference to the summits of
low stony hills and rocky gullies, particularly those covered with
scrubs and grasses. Its flight is very limited, and this power is rarely
employed, except for the purpose of crossing a gully or passing to a
neighbouring scrub; it readily eludes pursuit by the facility with which
it runs over the stony surface and conceals itself among the underwood.
When suddenly flushed it rises with a loud burring noise, like the Quail
or Partridge. Its short flight is performed by a succession of
undulations, and is terminated by the bird pitching abruptly to the
ground almost at right angles.
It seldom perches on the smaller branches of trees, but may be
frequently seen to run along the fallen trunks so common in the
Australian forests.
Unlike many others of the Thrush family which are celebrated for their
song, the note of this species merely consists of a low piping whistle,
frequently repeated while among the underwood, and by which its presence
is often indicated.
In Hobart Town it is frequently exposed for sale in the markets with
Bronzewing Pigeons and Wattle-birds, where it is known by the name of
Ground-Dove, an appellation which has doubtless been given both from its
habit of running and feeding upon the ground like the Pigeons, and the
circumstance of its flesh being very delicate eating; to its excellence
in this respect I can bear testimony. The pectoral muscles are very
largely developed, and the body, when plucked, has much the contour of a
Quail.
The duty of incubation is performed in October and the three following
months, during which period two and often three broods are produced. The
nest is a slight and rather careless structure, composed of leaves and
the inner bark of trees, and is of a round open form; it is always
placed on the ground, under the shelter of a large stone, stump of a
tree, or a tuft of grass. The eggs are two, and sometimes three, in
number, one inch and three lines long, and are white, blotched with
large marks of olive-brown, particularly at the larger end, some of the
spots appearing as if on the inner surface of the shell. The young,
which at two days old are thickly clothed with long black down, like the
young of the genus _Rallus_, soon acquire the power of running, and at
an early age assume the plumage of the adult, after which they are
subject to no periodical change in their appearance. The stomach is very
muscular, and in those dissected were found the remains of seeds and
caterpillars mingled with sand.
Adult males have the forehead and chest ash-grey; crown of the head,
back, rump, and the middle tail-feathers rufous brown, each feather of
the back having a broad longitudinal stripe of black down the centre;
shoulders and wing-coverts steel-black, each feather having a spot of
white at the extreme tip; primaries blackish brown, margined on their
outer edges with lighter brown; throat and a narrow band across the
chest steel-black; stripe over the eye, a nearly circular spot on the
side of the neck, and the centre of the abdomen white; flanks and under
tail-coverts reddish buff, with a large oblong stripe of black down the
centre of each feather; lateral tail-feathers black, broadly margined
with grey on their inner webs, and largely tipped with white; bill
black; legs fleshy-white; feet darker; eyes very dark lead-colour, with
a naked blackish brown eyelash. The female differs from the male in
having all the upper surface of a lighter hue; the throat greyish white
instead of black; the spot on the neck rufous instead of white, and in
being destitute of the black pectoral band.
The figures are of the natural size.
[Illustration:
CINCLOSOMA CASTANOTUS: _Gould_.
_J. & E. Gould del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
CINCLOSOMA CASTANOTUS, _Gould_.
Chestnut-backed Ground-Thrush.
_Cinclosoma castanotus_, Gould, Proc. of Zool. Soc., September 8,
1840.
_Boȍne-Yung_, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western
Australia.
This new species of _Cinclosoma_ appears to be as much confined to the
southern and western portions of Australia as the preceding species is
to the eastern. It inhabits various parts of the great scrub bordering
the Murray above Lake Alexandrina, and I have ascertained that it is
also found in the neighbourhood of Swan River.
The economy of the present bird closely resembles that of the Spotted
Ground-Thrush, as the similarity of their form would naturally lead us
to expect; but the more level plains, particularly those that are
studded with clumps of dwarf trees and scrubs, would appear to be the
situations for which it is more peculiarly adapted, at least such was
the character of the country in the Belts of the Murray where I
discovered it. On the other hand, it is stated in the notes accompanying
specimens received from Swan River, that “it is rarely seen in any but
the most barren and rocky places. The white-gum forests, here and there
studded with small patches of scrub, are its favourite haunts. It is
only found in the interior; the part nearest to the coast, where it has
been observed, being Bank’s Hutts on the York Road about fifty-three
miles from Fremantle.”
Its disposition is naturally shy and wary, a circumstance which cannot
be attributed to any dread of man as an enemy, since it inhabits parts
scarcely ever visited either by the natives or Europeans. Few persons, I
may safely say, had ever discharged a gun in that rich arboretum, the
Belts of the Murray, before the period of my being there; still the bird
was so difficult of approach, that it required the utmost exertion to
procure any number of specimens. They were generally observed in small
troops of four or six in number, running through the scrub one after
another in a line, and resorting to a short low flight, when crossing
the small intervening plains. The facility with which it runs over the
surface of the ground is even greater than in its near ally, and on
examination the toes will be found shorter than in that species, and
admirably suited to its terrestrial habits: although it doubtless
possesses the power of perching, I do not recollect having ever seen it
on a tree.
In its mode of flight and nidification it assimilates so closely to the
Spotted Ground-Thrush, as to render a separate description superfluous.
The stomach is extremely muscular, and the food consists of seeds and
the smaller kind of _Coleoptera_.
The male has the crown of the head, ear-coverts, back of the neck, upper
part of the back, upper tail-coverts and two central tail-feathers
brown; stripe over the eye, and another from the base of the lower
mandible down the side of the neck white; scapularies and lower part of
the back rich chestnut; shoulders and wing-coverts black, each feather
having a spot of white at the tip; primaries and secondaries dark brown,
margined with lighter brown; lateral tail-feathers black, largely tipped
with white; chin, throat and centre of the breast steel-black; sides of
the chest and flanks brownish grey, the latter blotched with black;
centre of the abdomen and under tail-coverts white; bill black; base of
the under mandible lead-colour; irides reddish hazel; legs blackish
brown. The female differs in having the whole of the plumage much
lighter, and with only a slight tinge of chestnut on the rump; the
stripes of white over the eye and down the sides of the neck less
distinctly marked; the chin, throat and breast grey instead of black;
the irides hazel, and the feet leaden brown.
The figures are of the natural size.
[Illustration:
CINCLOSOMA CINNAMOMEUS: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
CINCLOSOMA CINNAMOMEUS, _Gould_.
Cinnamon-coloured Cinclosoma.
_Cinclosoma cinnamomeus_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part XIV. p.
68.
We are indebted to the researches of that enterprising traveller Captain
Sturt for our knowledge of this new _Cinclosoma_, which is the more
interesting as forming an additional species of a singular group of
Ground-Thrushes peculiar to Australia, of which only two were previously
known. The specimen from which my figure is taken now forms part of the
collection at the British Museum, and we learn from Captain Sturt that
it was the only one procured during his lengthened sojourn at the Depôt
in that sterile and inhospitable country, the interior of Australia.
It is considerably smaller than either of its congeners, the _C.
castanotus_ and _C. punctatum_, and, moreover, differs from them in the
cinnamon colouring of the greater portion of its plumage.
The whole of the upper surface, scapularies, two central tail-feathers,
sides of the breast and flanks cinnamon-brown; wing-coverts jet-black,
each feather largely tipped with white; above the eye a faint stripe of
white; lores and throat glossy black, with a large oval patch of white
seated within the black, beneath the eye; under surface white, with a
large arrow-shaped patch of glossy black on the breast; feathers on the
sides of the abdomen with a broad stripe of black down the centre;
lateral tail-feathers jet-black, largely tipped with pure white; under
tail-coverts black for four-fifths of their length on the outer web,
their inner webs and tips white; eyes brown; tarsi olive; toes black.
The accompanying Plate represents the bird in two positions of the
natural size.
[Illustration:
OREOCINCLA LUNULATA.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
OREOCINCLA LUNULATA.
Mountain Thrush.
_Turdus lunulatus_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xlii.
_Philedon_, Temm. Man. d’Orn., 2nd Edit. tom. i. p. lxxxvii.
_Lunulated Thrush_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 184.
—— _Honey-eater_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 180.
_Turdus varius_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 218.
_Oreocincla Novæ-Hollandiæ_ et _O. macrorhyncha_, Gould in Proc. of
Zool. Soc., Part V. p. 145; and in Syn. Birds of Australia,
Part IV.
_Mountain Thrush_, Colonists of Van Diemen’s Land.
In all localities suitable to its habits and mode of life this species
is tolerably abundant, both in Van Diemen’s Land and in New South Wales;
it has also been observed in South Australia, where however it is rare.
From what I saw of it personally, I am led to infer that it gives a
decided preference to thick mountain forests, where large boulder stones
frequently occur covered with green moss and lichens, particularly if
there be much humidity; rocky gulleys and the sides of water-courses are
also among its favourite places of resort. In Van Diemen’s Land, the
slopes of Mount Wellington and other similar bold elevations are
situations in which it may always be seen if closely looked for. During
the summer it ascends high up the mountain sides, but in winter it
descends to the lower districts, the outskirts of the forests, and
occasionally visits the gardens of the settlers. In New South Wales, the
Cedar Brushes of the Liverpool range and all similar situations are
frequented by it; I also observed it on the islands at the mouth of the
Hunter; and I possess specimens from the north shore near Sydney and the
banks of the Clarence. Its chief food is Helices and other mollusks, to
which insects of many kinds are added; most likely fruits and berries
occasionally form a part of its diet. It is a solitary species, more
than two being rarely observed together, and frequently a single
individual only is to be seen, noiselessly hopping over the rugged
ground in search of food. Its powers of flight are seldom exercised, and
so far as I am aware it has no song. Considerable variation exists in
the size and in the colouring of individuals from different districts.
The Van Diemen’s Land specimens are larger, and have the bill more
robust, than those from New South Wales; considerable difference also
exists in the lunations at the tip of the feathers, some being much
darker and more distinctly defined than others. The young assume the
plumage of the adults from the nest, but have the lunations paler and
the centre of the feathers of the back bright tawny instead of
olive-brown.
The Mountain Thrush breeds in all the localities above-mentioned during
the months of August, September and October, the nest being placed on
the low branches of the trees, often within reach of the hand; those I
saw were outwardly formed of green moss and lined with fine crooked
black fibrous roots, and were about seven inches in diameter by three
inches in depth; the eggs, which are two in number, are of a buffy white
or stone-colour, minutely freckled all over with reddish brown, about
one inch and three-eighths long by seven-eighths broad.
The sexes are alike in plumage, and may be thus described:—
The whole of the upper surface olive-brown, each feather with a
lunar-shaped mark of black at the tip; wings and tail olive-brown, the
former fringed with yellowish olive and the outer feather of the latter
tipped with white; under surface white, stained with buff on the breast
and flanks, each feather, with the exception of those of the centre of
the abdomen and the under tail-coverts, with a lunar-shaped mark of
black at the tip, narrow on the breast and abdomen and broad on the
sides and flanks; irides very dark brown; bill horn-colour, becoming
yellow on the base of the lower mandible; feet horn-colour.
The figures are of the natural size.
[Illustration:
CHLAMYDERA MACULATA: _Gould_.
_J. & E. Gould del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
CHLAMYDERA MACULATA, _Gould_.
Spotted Bower-bird.
_Calodera maculata_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part IV. p. 106,
and Syn. Birds of Australia, Part I.
_Chlamydera maculata_, Gould, Birds of Australia, 1837, Part I.
cancelled.
This species, which is nearly allied to the Satin Bower-bird, is
especially interesting, as being the constructor of a bower even more
extraordinary than that of the latter, and in which the decorative
propensity is carried to a far greater extent. It is as exclusively an
inhabitant of the interior of the country as the Satin Bower-bird is of
the brushes between the mountain ranges and the coast; and though in all
probability it has a wide range over the central portions of the
Australian continent, the only parts in which I have observed it, or
from which I have ever seen specimens, are the districts immediately to
the north of the colony of New South Wales. During my journey into the
interior I observed it to be tolerably abundant at Brezi on the river
Mokai to the northward of the Liverpool Plains: it is also equally
numerous in all the low scrubby ranges in the neighbourhood of the
Namoi, as well as in the open brushes which intersect the plains on its
borders; still, from the extreme shyness of its disposition, the bird is
seldom seen by ordinary travellers, and it must be under very peculiar
circumstances that it can be approached sufficiently close to observe
its colours. It has a harsh, grating, scolding note, which is generally
uttered when its haunts are intruded on, and by which means its presence
is detected when it would otherwise escape observation: when disturbed
it takes to the topmost branches of the loftiest trees, and frequently
flies off to another neighbourhood. I found the readiest way of
obtaining specimens was by watching at the water-holes where they come
to drink; and on one occasion, near the termination of a long drought, I
was guided by a native to a deep basin in a rock, which still held water
from the rains of many months before, and where numbers of these birds,
as well as Honey-suckers and Parrots, were constantly assembling
throughout the day. This natural reservoir had probably been but seldom,
if ever, visited by the white man, being situated in a remote mountain,
and presenting no attraction to any person but a naturalist. My presence
was evidently regarded with suspicion by the visitants to the spot; but
while I remained lying on the ground perfectly motionless, though close
to the water, their thirst overpowering their fear, they would dash down
past me and eagerly take their fill, although an enormous black snake
was lying coiled upon a piece of wood near the edge of the pool. Of the
numerous assemblage here congregated the Spotted Bower-birds were by far
the shyest of the whole, yet six or eight of these, displaying their
beautiful necks, were often perched within a few feet of me. The scanty
supply of water remaining in the cavity must soon have been exhausted by
the thousands of birds that daily resorted to it, had not the rains, so
long withheld, soon afterwards descended in torrents, filling every
water-course and overflowing the banks of the largest rivers: I remained
at this, to me, interesting spot for three days.
In many of its actions and in the greater part of its economy much
similarity exists between this species and the Satin Bower-bird,
particularly in the curious habit of constructing an artificial bower or
playing-ground. I was so far fortunate as to discover several of these
bowers during my journey to the interior, the finest of which I
succeeded in bringing to England, and it is now in the British Museum.
The situations of these runs or bowers are much varied: I found them
both on the plains studded with Myalls (_Acacia pendula_) and other
small trees, and in the brushes clothing the lower hills. They are
considerably longer and more avenue-like than those of the Satin
Bower-bird, being in many instances three feet in length, They are
outwardly built of twigs, and beautifully lined with tall grasses, so
disposed that their heads nearly meet; the decorations are very profuse,
and consist of bivalve shells, crania of small mammalia and other bones.
Evident and beautiful indications of design are manifest throughout the
whole of the bower and decorations formed by this species, particularly
in the manner in which the stones are placed within the bower,
apparently to keep the grasses with which it is lined fixed firmly in
their places: these stones diverge from the mouth of the run on each
side so as to form little paths, while the immense collection of
decorative materials, bones, shells, &c., are placed in a heap before
the entrance of the avenue, this arrangement being the same at both
ends. In some of the larger bowers, which had evidently been resorted to
for many years, I have seen nearly half a bushel of bones, shells, &c.,
at each of the entrances. In some instances small bowers, composed
almost entirely of grasses, apparently the commencement of a new place
of rendezvous, were observable. I frequently found these structures at a
considerable distance from the rivers, from the borders of which they
could alone have procured the shells and small round pebbly stones;
their collection and transportation must therefore be a task of great
labour and difficulty. As these birds feed almost entirely upon seeds
and fruits, the shells and bones cannot have been collected for any
other purpose than ornament; besides, it is only those that have been
bleached perfectly white in the sun, or such as have been roasted by the
natives, and by this means whitened, that attract their attention. I
fully ascertained that these runs, like those of the Satin Bower-bird,
formed the rendezvous of many individuals; for, after secreting myself
for a short space of time near one of them, I killed two males which I
had previously seen running through the avenue.
Crown of the head, ear-coverts and throat rich brown, each feather
surrounded with a narrow line of black; feathers on the crown small, and
tipped with silvery grey; a beautiful band of elongated feathers of
light rose-pink crosses the back of the neck, forming a broad, fan-like,
occipital crest; all the upper surface, wings and tail of a deep brown;
every feather of the back, rump, scapularies and secondaries tipped with
a large round spot of rich buff; primaries slightly tipped with white;
all the tail-feathers terminated with buffy white; under surface greyish
white; feathers of the flanks marked with faint, transverse, zigzag
lines of light brown; bill and feet dusky brown; irides dark brown; bare
skin at the corner of the mouth thick, fleshy, prominent, and of a pinky
flesh-colour.
Both sexes, when fully adult, are adorned with the rose-coloured frill;
but the young birds of the year, both male and female, are without it.
The Plate represents the bower, with two birds, a male and a female, all
of the natural size.
[Illustration:
CHLAMYDERA NUCHALIS.
_J. & E. Gould del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
CHLAMYDERA NUCHALIS.
Great Bower-bird.
_Ptilonorhynchus nuchalis_, Jard. and Selb. Ill. Orn., vol. ii. pl.
103.
_Calodera nuchalis_, Gould, Syn. Birds of Australia, Part I.
_Chlamydera nuchalis_, Gould, Birds of Australia, 1837, Part I.
cancelled.—G. R. Gray, List of Gen. of Birds, p. 40.
This fine species was first described and figured in the “Illustrations
of Ornithology,” by Sir William Jardine and Mr. Selby, from the then
unique specimens in the collection of the Linnean Society; but neither
the part of Australia of which it is a native or any particulars
relative to its habits were known to those gentlemen, nor have I myself
had an opportunity of observing it in a state of nature, the bird being
an inhabitant of the north-west coast, a portion of the Australian
continent that has, as yet, been but little visited. I am indebted for
individuals of both sexes of this bird to two of the officers of the
“Beagle,” Messrs. Bynoe and Dring; but neither of these gentlemen
furnished me with any account of its economy. Captain Grey, however, on
his return from his expedition to those regions, informed me that he
frequently found during his rambles a most singular bower, made in every
way like that of the _Chlamydera maculata_, and which was always an
object of great interest to him, being unable to satisfy himself as to
what animal had constructed it, or even whether it was the work of a
bird or of a quadruped: he was inclined to suppose the latter, but I
think there need not be the slightest hesitation in ascribing its
formation to the _Chlamydera nuchalis_; for we may reasonably expect
that a species so very closely allied to that of the southern and
eastern portions of the continent would partake of its peculiar habits
and economy. The following notes were written on the spot, and were
kindly given to me by Captain Grey:—
“These bowers were formed of dead grass and parts of bushes, sunk a
slight depth into two parallel furrows, in sandy soil, and were nicely
arched above; but the most remarkable fact connected with them was, that
they were always full of broken sea-shells, large heaps of which also
protruded from each extremity of the bower. In one of these bowers, the
most remote from the sea that we discovered, were found a heap of the
stones of some fruit which had evidently been rolled in the sea. I never
saw any animal in or near to these bowers, but the dung of a small
species of Kangaroo was always abundant close to them, which induced me
to suppose them to be the work of some kind of quadruped.”
The circumstance of Captain Grey, never having perceived the birds near
the runs, serves to show that it exhibits the same shyness of
disposition as the other species.
Head and all the upper surface greyish brown, the feathers of the former
with a shining or satiny lustre; the feathers of the back, wing-coverts,
scapulars, quills and tail tipped with greyish white; on the nape of the
neck a beautiful rose-pink fascia, consisting of narrow feathers, partly
encircled by a ruff of satin-like plumes, the tips distinct, rounded,
and turning inwards; under surface yellowish grey, the flanks tinged
with brown; irides, bill and legs brownish black.
In one of the specimens I possess, and which formed the subject of the
upper figure in the Plate, no trace of the nuchal ornament is
observable, a circumstance I conceive to be indicative of youth rather
than a distinguishing characteristic of the sexes, since in the other
species I find the mark common to both, but the young bird of the year
without any trace of it.
The Plate represents a male and a young bird, of the natural size.
[Illustration:
PTILONORHYNCHUS HOLOSERICEUS: _Kuhl_
_J. & E. Gould del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
PTILONORHYNCHUS HOLOSERICEUS, _Kuhl_.
Satin Bower-bird.
_Ptilonorhynchus holosericeus_, Kuhl, Beytr. zur Zool. S. 150.—Wagl.
Syst. Av. sp. 1.—G. R. Gray, Gen. of Birds, p. 40.—Swains.
Class. of Birds, vol. ii. p. 271.
_Pyrrhocorax violaceus_, Vieill. Nouv. Diet. d’Hist. Nat., tom. vi. p.
569.—Ib. Ency. Méth. 1823, p. 896.
_Kitta holosericea_, Temm. Pl. Col. 395 and 422.—Less. Traité d’Orn.,
p. 350, pl. 46. fig. 1.
_Satin Grakle_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iii. p. 171.
_Ptilonorhynchus MacLeayii_, Lath. MSS., Vig. and Horsf. in Linn.
Trans., vol. xv. p. 263.
_Corvus squamulosus_, Ill., female or young?
Ptilonorhynchus squamulosus, Wagl. Syst. Av. sp. 2, female or young?
_Satin Bird_, of the Colonists of New South Wales.
_Cowry_, of the Aborigines of the coast of New South Wales.
Although this species has been long known to ornithologists, and is
familiar to the colonists of New South Wales, its habits, which in many
respects are most extraordinary, have hitherto escaped attention; or if
not entirely so, have never been brought before the scientific world. It
is, therefore, a source of high gratification to myself to be the first
to place them on record.
One point to which I more particularly allude,—a point of no ordinary
interest, both to the naturalist and the general admirer of nature,—is
the formation of a bower-like structure by this bird for the purpose of
a playing-ground or hall of assembly, a circumstance in its economy
which adds another to the many anomalies connected with the Fauna of
Australia.
The localities favourable to the habits of the Satin Bower-bird are the
luxuriant and thickly-foliaged brushes stretching along the coast from
Port Philip to Moreton Bay, the cedar brushes of the Liverpool range,
and most of the gullies of the great mountain-chain separating the
colony from the interior. So far as is at present known, it is
restricted to New South Wales; certainly it is not found so far to the
westward as South Australia, and I am not aware of its having been seen
on the north coast; but its range in that direction can only be
determined by future research.
It is a stationary species, but appears to range from one part of a
district to another, either for the purpose of varying the nature, or of
obtaining a more abundant supply of food. Judging from the contents of
the stomachs of the many specimens I dissected, it would seem that it is
altogether granivorous and frugivorous, or if not exclusively so, that
insects form but a small portion of its diet. Independently of numerous
berry-bearing plants and shrubs, the brushes it inhabits are studded
with enormous fig-trees, some of them towering to the height of two
hundred feet; among the lofty branches of these giants of the forest,
the Satin Bower-bird and several species of Pigeons find in the small
wild fig, with which the branches are loaded, an abundant supply of a
favourite food: this species also commits considerable depredation on
any ripening corn near the localities it frequents. It appears to have
particular times in the day for feeding, and when thus engaged among the
low shrub-like trees, I have approached within a few feet without
creating alarm; but at other times I have found this bird extremely shy
and watchful, especially the old males, which not unfrequently perch on
the topmost branch or dead limb of the loftiest tree in the forest,
whence they can survey all round, and watch the movements of the females
and young in the brush below.
In the autumn they associate in small flocks, and may often be seen on
the ground near the sides of rivers, particularly where the brush
descends in a steep bank to the water’s edge.
Besides the loud liquid call peculiar to the male, both sexes frequently
utter a harsh, unpleasant, guttural note indicative of surprise or
displeasure. The old black males are exceedingly few in number, as
compared with the females and young male birds in the green dress, from
which and other circumstances I am led to believe that at least two, if
not three years, elapse before they attain the rich satin-like plumage,
which, when once perfectly assumed, is, I believe, never again thrown
off.
I regret to state, that although I used my utmost endeavours, I could
never discover the nest and eggs of this species, neither could I obtain
any authentic information respecting them, either from the natives or
the colonists, of whom I made frequent inquiries.
The extraordinary bower-like structure, alluded to above, first came
under my notice at Sydney, to the Museum of which place an example had
been presented by Mr. Charles Coxen, as the work of the Satin
Bower-bird. I at once determined to leave no means untried for
ascertaining every particular relating to this peculiar feature in the
bird’s economy, and on visiting the cedar brushes of the Liverpool range
I discovered several of these bowers or playing-places; and a glance at
the accompanying illustration will, I presume, give a more correct idea
of the nature of these erections than the most minute description. They
are usually placed under the shelter of the branches of some overhanging
tree in the most retired part of the forest: they differ considerably in
size, some being a third larger than the one here represented, while
others are much smaller. The base consists of an extensive and rather
convex platform of sticks firmly interwoven, on the centre of which the
bower itself is built: this, like the platform on which it is placed and
with which it is interwoven, is formed of sticks and twigs, but of a
more slender and flexible description, the tips of the twigs being so
arranged as to curve inwards and nearly meet at the top: in the interior
of the bower the materials are so placed that the forks of the twigs are
always presented outwards, by which arrangement not the slightest
obstruction is offered to the passage of the birds. The interest of this
curious bower is much enhanced by the manner in which it is decorated at
and near the entrance with the most gaily-coloured articles that can be
collected, such as the blue tail-feathers of the Rose-hill and
Pennantian Parrots, bleached bones, the shells of snails, &c.; some of
the feathers are stuck in among the twigs, while others with the bones
and shells are strewed about near the entrances. The propensity of these
birds to pick up and fly off with any attractive object, is so well
known to the natives, that they always search the runs for any small
missing article, as the bowl of a pipe, &c., that may have been
accidentally dropped in the brush. I myself found at the entrance of one
of them a small neatly-worked stone tomahawk, of an inch and a half in
length, together with some slips of blue cotton rags, which the birds
had doubtless picked up at a deserted encampment of the natives.
For what purpose these curious bowers are made, is not yet, perhaps,
fully understood; they are certainly not used as a nest, but as a place
of resort for many individuals of both sexes, which, when there
assembled, run through and around the bower in a sportive and playful
manner, and that so frequently that it is seldom entirely deserted.
The proceedings of these birds have not been sufficiently watched, to
render it certain whether the runs are frequented throughout the whole
year or not; but it is highly probable that they are merely resorted to
as a rendezvous, or playing-ground, at the pairing time and during the
period of incubation. It was at this season, as I judged from the state
of the plumage and from the internal indications of those I dissected,
that I visited these localities; the bowers I found had been recently
renewed; it was however evident, from the appearance of a portion of the
accumulated mass of sticks, &c., that the same spot had been used as a
place of resort for many years. Mr. Charles Coxen informed me, that,
after having destroyed one of these bowers and secreted himself, he had
the satisfaction of seeing it partially reconstructed; the birds engaged
in this task, be added, were females. With much care and trouble I
succeeded in bringing to England two fine specimens of these bowers, one
of which I presented to the British Museum, and the other to the
collection at Leyden, where they may be seen by all those who take an
interest in the subject.
It will be observed, that the two following nearly allied species,
_Chlamydera maculata_ and _Chlam. nuchalis_, also build similar
erections, and that in them the decorative propensity is carried to a
much greater extent than in the Satin Bower-bird.
The adult male has the whole of the plumage of a deep shining
blue-black, closely resembling satin, with the exception of the primary
wing-feathers, which are of a deep velvety black, and the wing-coverts,
secondaries and tail-feathers, which are also of a velvety black, tipped
with the shining blue-black lustre; irides beautiful light blue with a
circle of red round the pupil; bill bluish horn, passing into yellow at
the tip; legs and feet yellowish white.
The female has the head and all the upper surface greyish green; wings
and tail dark sulphur-brown, the inner webs of the primaries being the
darkest; under surface containing the same tints as the upper, but very
much lighter, and with a wash of yellow; each feather of the under
surface also has a crescent-shaped mark of dark brown near the
extremity, giving the whole a scaly appearance; irides of a deeper blue
than in the male, and with only an indication of the red ring; bill dark
horn-colour; feet yellowish white tinged with olive.
Young males closely resemble the females, but differ in having the under
surface of a more greenish yellow hue, and the crescent-shaped markings
more numerous; irides dark blue; feet olive-brown; bill blackish olive.
The Plate represents the bower, an old male, female, and two young
males; one in the green dress and the other in a state of change, all
about a fifth less than the natural size.
[Illustration:
PTILONORHYNCHUS SMITHII: _Vig. & Horsf._
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
PTILONORHYNCHUS SMITHII, _Vig. & Horsf._
Cat Bird.
_Varied Roller_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iii. p. 86.
_Ptilonorhynchus Smithii_, Lath. MSS. Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans.,
vol. xv. p. 264.
—— _viridis_, Wagl. Syst. Av., sp. 3.
_Kitta virescens_, Temm. Pl. Col., 396.
_Cat Bird_ of the Colonists of New South Wales.
So far as our knowledge extends, this fine species is only found in New
South Wales, where it inhabits all those luxuriant forests that extend
along the eastern coast between the mountain ranges and the sea; those
of Illawarra, the Hunter, the MacLeay, and the Clarence and the cedar
brushes of the Liverpool range being, among many others, localities in
which it may always be found: situations suitable to the Regent and
Satin Birds are equally adapted to the habits of the Cat Bird, and I
have not unfrequently seen them all three feeding together on the same
tree, when the branches bore a thick crop of berries and fruits. The
wild fig, and the native cherry, when in season, afford it an abundant
supply. So rarely do they take insects, that I do not recollect ever
finding any remains in the stomachs of those specimens I dissected. In
its disposition it is neither a shy nor a wary bird, little caution
being required to approach it, either when feeding or while quietly
perched upon the lofty branches of the trees. It is at such times that
its loud, harsh and extraordinary note is heard; a note which differs so
much from that of all other birds, that having been once heard it can
never be mistaken. In comparing it to the nightly concerts of the
domestic cat, I conceive that I am conveying to my readers a more
perfect idea of the note of this species than could be given by pages of
description. This concert, like that of the animal whose name it bears,
is performed either by a pair or several individuals, and nothing more
is required than for the hearer to shut his eyes from the neighbouring
foliage to fancy himself surrounded by London grimalkins of house-top
celebrity.
While in the district in which this bird is found, my almost undivided
attention was directed to the acquisition of all the information I could
obtain respecting its habits, as I considered it very probable that it
might construct a bower similar to that of the Satin Bird; but I could
not satisfy myself that it does, nor could I discover its nest, or the
situation in which it breeds; it is doubtless, however, among the
branches of the trees of the forest in which it lives. It certainly is
not a migratory bird, although it may range from one portion of the
brushes to another, according as the supply of food may be more or less
abundant.
The sexes do not offer the slightest difference in plumage, or any
external character by which the male may be distinguished from the
female; she is, however, rather less brilliant in her markings, and
somewhat smaller in size.
Head and back of the neck olive-green, with a narrow line of white down
each of the feathers of the latter; back, wings and tail grass-green,
with a tinge of blue on the margins of the back-feathers; the
wing-coverts and secondaries with a spot of white at the extremity of
their outer web; primaries black, their external webs grass-green at the
base and bluish green for the remainder of their length; all but the two
central tail-feathers tipped with white; all the under surface yellowish
green, with a spatulate mark of yellowish white down the centre of each
feather; bill light horn-colour; irides brownish red; feet whitish.
The Plate represents the two sexes of the natural size.
[Illustration:
SERICULUS CHRYSOCEPHALUS.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hallmandel & Walton Imp._
]
SERICULUS CHRYSOCEPHALUS.
Regent Bird.
_Meliphaga chrysocephala_, Lewin, Birds of New Holl., pl. 1.
_Golden-crowned Honey-eater_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 184.
_Oriolus regens_, Temm. Pl. Col., 320.—Quoy et Gaim. Zool. de
l’Uranie, pl. 22.—Less. Zool. de Coquille, pl. 20 (female).
_Sericulus chrysocephalus_, Swains. in Zool. Journ., vol. i. p.
478.—Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 326.—Jard.
and Selb. Ill. Orn., vol. i. pls. 18, 19, 20.—G. R. Gray,
List of Gen. of Birds, 2nd edit., p. 38.—Swains. Class. of
Birds, vol. ii. p. 237.—Less. Traité d’Orn., p. 340.—Steph.
Cont. of Shaw’s Gen. Zool., vol. xiv. p. 266.
_Sericulus regens_, Less. Man. d’Orn., tom. i. p. 256.
This beautiful species, one of the finest birds of the Australian Fauna,
is, I believe, exclusively confined to the eastern portion of the
country; it is occasionally seen in the neighbourhood of Sydney, which
appears to be the extent of its range to the southward and westward. I
met with it in the brushes at Maitland in company and feeding on the
same trees with the Satin and Cat Birds and the _Oriolus viridis_; it is
still more abundant on the Manning, at Port Macquarrie, and at Moreton
Bay; I sought for and made every inquiry respecting it at Illawarra, but
did not encounter it, and was informed that it is never seen there, yet
the district is precisely similar in character to those in which it is
abundant about two degrees to the eastward: while encamped on Mosquito
Island, near the mouth of the river Hunter, I shot several, and observed
it to be numerous on the neighbouring islands, particularly Baker’s
Island, where there is a fine garden, and where it is one of the
greatest pests the proprietor has to contend with; for during the summer
months, when the peaches and other fruits are ripening, it commits
serious injury to the crops and their owner.
Although I have spoken of this bird as abundant in the various
localities referred to, I must mention that at least fifty out of colour
may be observed to one fully-plumaged male, which when adorned in its
gorgeous livery of golden yellow and deep velvety black exhibits an
extreme shyness of disposition, as if conscious that its beauty,
rendering it a conspicuous object, might lead to its destruction; it is
usually therefore very quiet in its actions, and mostly resorts to the
topmost branches of the trees; but when two gay-coloured males encounter
each other, frequent conflicts take place. To obtain specimens in their
full dress, considerable caution is necessary; on the other hand,
females and immature males are very tame, and when feeding among the
foliage, appear to be so intent upon their occupation as not to heed the
approach of an intruder; and I have occasionally stood beneath a low
tree, not more than fifteen feet high, with at least ten feeding
voraciously above me. The stomachs of those dissected contained the
remains of wild figs, berries and seeds, but no trace of insects.
I did not succeed in discovering the nest, or in obtaining any
information respecting it.
I believe that the fine plumage represented in the Plate is not assumed
until the second or third year, and when once acquired is not afterwards
thrown off; it may be thus described:—
Head and back of the neck, running in a rounded point towards the
breast, rich bright gamboge-yellow tinged with orange, particularly on
the centre of the forehead; the remainder of the plumage, with the
exception of the secondaries and inner webs of all but the first
primary, deep velvety black; the secondaries bright gamboge-yellow, with
a narrow edging of black along the inner webs; the first primary is
entirely black, the next have the tips and outer webs black—the half of
the inner web and that part of the shaft not running through the black
tip are yellow; as the primaries approach the secondaries the yellow of
the inner web extends across the shaft, leaving only a black edge on the
outer web, which gradually narrows until the tips only of both webs
remain black; bill yellow; irides pale yellow; legs and feet black.
The female has the head and throat dull brownish white, with a large
patch of deep black on the crown; all the upper surface, wings and tail
pale olive-brown, the feathers of the back with a triangular-shaped mark
of brownish white near the tip; the under surface is similar, but here,
except on the breast, the white markings increase so much in size as to
become the predominant hue; irides brown; bill and feet black.
The young males at first resemble the females, but their hues are
continually changing until they gain the livery of the adult.
The Plate represents a male and a female on a branch of one of the wild
figs of the brushes of New South Wales, all the size of life.
[Illustration:
ORIOLUS VIRIDIS.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
ORIOLUS VIRIDIS.
New South Wales Oriole.
_Gracula viridis_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xxviii.—Shaw, Gen. Zool.,
vol. vii. p. 473.
_Loriot_, Temm. Man. d’Orn., 2nd Edit. p. liv.
_Green Grakle_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 129.—Ib. Gen.
Hist., vol. iii. p. 168.
_Coracias sagittata_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xxvi.—Shaw, Gen.
Zool., vol. viii. p. 400.
_Striated Roller_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 122.—Ib. Gen.
Hist., vol. iii. p. 83.
_Streaked Roller_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iii. p. 84, young.
_Mimetes viridis_, King, Survey of Intertropical Coast of Australia,
vol. ii. p. 419.
_Mimeta viridis_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p.
326.—Jard. and Selb. Ill. Orn., vol. ii. pl. 61.—G. R. Gray,
List of Gen. of Birds, 2nd Edit. p. 38.
—— _Merulöides_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 327,
young.
_Oriolus viridis_, Vieill., 2nd Edit. du Nouv. Dict. d’Hist. Nat.,
tom. xviii. p. 197.—Ib. Ency. Méth. Orn., part ii. p. 697.
—— _variegatus_, Vieill., 2nd Edit. du Nouv. Dict. d’Hist. Nat., tom.
xviii. p. 196.—Ib. Ency. Méth. Orn., part ii. p. 696.
This bird was first described by Latham, by whom it was placed in the
genus _Gracula_, but it agrees in no respect with the members of that
genus, and “in fact,” says Captain King, “the genus _Oriolus_ is that to
which it bears the closest resemblance in its general appearance. I
would at once refer it to that genus, but that I have some reason to
think that it belongs to the meliphagous birds.... Of the tongue or mode
of feeding I can myself say nothing decisively; but general opinion
places this bird among the groups that feed by suction, and as I have a
second species hitherto undescribed which is closely allied to it, I
prefer forming both provisionally into a new genus” (_Mimetes_) “to
referring them to one, from which, although they agree with it in
external appearance, they may be totally remote in consequence of their
internal anatomy and habits of life. If the tongue be found to accord
with that of the _Orioles_ and not of the _Honey-suckers_, my group of
course must fall.” Messrs. Jardine and Selby took the same view of the
subject when describing and figuring the bird in their “Illustrations of
Ornithology,” and have given a description of the structure of the
tongue, which certainly offers a slight resemblance to that of the true
meliphagous birds; but my own observations of the bird in a state of
nature enable me to affirm that in appearance, habits, economy, and in
the nature of its food it is truly an Oriole, to which group of birds it
was correctly assigned by M. Vieillot in the second edition of the
“Dictionnaire d’Histoire Naturelle,” and that consequently Captain
King’s generic term _Mimetes_ must sink into a synonym of _Oriolus_.
The true and probably the restricted habitat of this species is New
South Wales, where in the months of summer it is tolerably plentiful in
every part of the colony. I frequently observed it in the Botanic Garden
at Sydney, and in all the gardens of the settlers where there were trees
of sufficient size to afford it shelter; the brushes of the country, the
sides of brooks and all similar situations are equally inhabited by it.
I did not find it in South Australia, neither has it been observed to
the westward of that part of the country. That its range extends pretty
far to the northward I have no doubt, as its numbers rather increased
than diminished in the neighbourhood of the rivers Peel and Namoi; and
many persons would, I feel assured, assign to it a much more extended
range by considering it identical with the bird of the same form found
at Port Essington,—an opinion in which I cannot myself coincide,
believing as I do that the latter bird is a distinct species, although
at a hasty glance it would appear to be one and the same; the general
colouring of the two birds is, it is true, very similar, but the
following differences exist and are found to be constant:—The Port
Essington bird (for which the specific term _affinis_ would be an
appropriate appellation) is smaller in the body, has a shorter wing, a
much larger bill, and the white spots at the tip of the lateral
tail-feathers considerably smaller than the bird inhabiting New South
Wales; in other respects they are so precisely alike that it will not be
necessary to figure both.
The following notes descriptive of their habits and economy are equally
applicable to the one and the other.
The bird observed by me in New South Wales was bold and active, and was
often seen in company with the Regent, Satin and Cat Birds, feeding in
the same trees and on similar berries and fruits, particularly the small
wild fig. It possesses a loud pleasing whistling note, which is poured
forth while the bird is perched on a lofty branch. I often observed it
capturing insects on the wing and flying very high, frequently above the
tops of the loftiest trees.
Mr. Gilbert states that the Port Essington bird is “abundant in every
part of the peninsula and the adjacent islands in every possible variety
of situation.” Its native name is _Mur-re-a-̏rwoo_. It possesses a very
loud and distinct note, unlike that of every other bird I have yet
heard; the sound most commonly uttered is a loud clear whistle
terminating in a singular guttural harsh catch, but in the cool of the
evening, when perched on and sheltered in the thick foliage of one of
the topmost branches of a _Eucalyptus_, it pours forth a regular
succession of very pleasing notes.
A nest taken on the 4th of December contained two nearly hatched eggs;
it was attached by the rim to a drooping branch of the swamp
_Melaleuca_, about five feet from the ground; was very deep and large,
and formed of very narrow strips of the paper bark mixed with a few
small twigs, the bottom of the interior lined with very fine wiry twigs.
The eggs, which are large for the size of the bird, are of a beautiful
bluish white, sparingly spotted all over with deep umber-brown and
bluish grey, the latter appearing as if beneath the surface of the
shell; their medium length is one inch and three lines long by eleven
lines broad.
The sexes when fully adult differ so little in colour that they can
scarcely be distinguished; the male is however of a more uniform tint
about the head, neck and throat, and has the yellowish olive of the
upper surface of a deeper tint than the female.
Head and all the upper surface yellowish olive; wings and tail-feathers
dark brown; the outer webs of the coverts and secondaries grey, margined
and broadly tipped with white; all but the two centre tail-feathers with
a large oval-shaped spot of white on the inner, and the extremity of the
outer web white, the white mark gradually increasing in size as the
feathers recede from the centre until it becomes an inch long on the
external one; under surface white, washed with olive-yellow on the sides
of the chest, each feather with an elongated pear-shaped mark of black
down the centre; bill dull flesh-red; irides scarlet; feet lead-colour.
The young bird during the first year has the bill blackish brown instead
of dull flesh-red; the upper surface olive-brown, each feather strongly
streaked down the centre with dark brown; wings brown; under surface of
the shoulder and all the wing-feathers except the primaries margined
with sandy red; the black streaks on the breast more decided, and the
white spot at the tip of the lateral tail-feathers much smaller than in
the adult.
The figures represent the two sexes of the natural size on a plant
gathered in the brushes of New South Wales, the name of which I have not
been able to ascertain.
[Illustration:
ORIOLUS FLAVOCINCTUS.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
ORIOLUS FLAVOCINCTUS.
Crescent-marked Oriole.
_Mimetes flavo-cinctus_, King, Survey of Intertropical Coasts of
Australia, vol. ii. p. 419.—Steph. Cont. of Shaw’s Gen.
Zool., vol. xiv. p. 351.
_Mimeta flavo-cincta_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p.
327.
This species was discovered on the north coast of Australia by Captain
Philip Parker King, R.N., who described it in his “Survey of the
Intertropical Coasts of Australia,” referred to above; Mr. Gilbert
procured two specimens at Port Essington, and Lieut. Ince, R.N.,
subsequently obtained an additional example in the same locality. All
the information that has reached me respecting its habits and economy is
contained in a short note sent to me by Mr. Gilbert, which merely states
that his specimens were obtained in the forests of mangroves bordering
the coast.
Like the _O. viridis_ it is in every respect a true Oriole, although
neither of them are so gaily attired as the other members of the genus.
The male has the head, neck and all the upper surface dull greenish
yellow, with a stripe of black, broad at the base and tapering to a
point, down the centre of each feather; under surface greenish yellow,
passing into pure yellow on the under tail-coverts; wings black, all the
feathers margined externally with greenish yellow and broadly tipped
with pale yellow; tail black, washed on the margins with greenish yellow
and largely tipped, except the two middle feathers, with bright yellow,
which increases in extent as the feathers recede from the centre; irides
reddish orange; bill dull red; feet lead-colour.
The female differs in being of smaller size, in having the under surface
striated with black, and the markings of the wings straw-white instead
of yellow.
The Plate represents the two sexes of the size of life.
[Illustration:
SPHECOTHERES AUSTRALIS _Swains._
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
SPHECOTHERES AUSTRALIS, _Swains._
Australian Sphecotheres.
_Sphecotheres viridis_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p.
215.
—— _virescens_, Jard. and Selb. Ill. Orn., vol. ii. pl. 79.
—— _Australis_, Swains.
—— _canicollis_, Swains. Anim. in Menag., p. 320.
I killed a fine specimen of this bird on Mosquito Island, at the mouth
of the river Hunter, in September 1839; it was perched on a dead branch
which towered above the green foliage of one of the high trees of the
forest, and my attention was drawn to it by its loud and singular note:
this was the only example that came under my observation: I am informed
that it is more plentiful in the neighbourhood of the river Clarence,
and abundant at Moreton Bay, and that it enjoys a wide range is proved
by Mr. Bynoe having procured an adult male on the north coast. It
appears to be a bird peculiar to the brushes, and its food doubtless
consists of the berries and fruits which abound in those districts.
The sexes differ very widely from each other in the colouring of their
plumage; that of the male being in masses, while that of the female is
of a striated character.
The male has the crown of the head and the cheeks glossy black; orbits
and a narrow space leading to the nostrils naked and of a light buffy
yellow; throat, chest and collar at the back of the neck dark
slate-grey; all the upper surface, greater wing-coverts, outer webs of
the secondaries, abdomen and flanks yellowish green; lesser
wing-coverts, primaries, and inner webs of the secondaries slaty black,
fringed with grey; vent and under tail-coverts white; tail black, the
apical half and the outer web of the external feather pure white; the
apical half of the second feather on each side white, the next on each
side with a large spot of white at the extremity, and the six central
feathers slightly fringed with white at the tip; bill black; irides very
dark brown in some, red in others; feet flesh-colour.
The female has the upper surface brown washed with olive, each feather
with a darker centre, assuming on the head the form of striæ, the brown
hue passing into yellowish green on the rump and upper tail-coverts;
wings dark brown, the coverts and secondaries conspicuously, and the
primaries narrowly, edged with greenish grey; under surface buffy white,
each feather with a broad and conspicuous stripe of brown down the
centre; flanks washed with yellowish green; under tail-coverts white,
with a narrow stripe of brown down the centre; tail brown, each feather
narrowly edged on the inner web with white, and all but the two lateral
ones on each side washed with yellowish green; bill and feet lighter
than in the male.
The figures represent a male and a female of the natural size.
[Illustration:
CORCORAX LEUCOPTERUS.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
CORCORAX LEUCOPTERUS
White-winged Chough.
_Pyrrhocorax leucopterus_, Temm. Man. d’Orn., tom. i. p. 121.—Less.
Man. d’Orn., tom. i. p. 384.
_Fregilus leucopterus_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p.
265.—Less. Man. d’Orn., tom. i. p. 384.
_Corcorax Australis_, Less. Traité d’Orn., p. 325.
—— _leucopterus_, G. R. Gray, List of Gen. of Birds, 2nd Edit., p. 52.
_Waybung_, Aborigines of New South Wales.
This bird is a stationary species, and appears to be distributed over
all parts of New South Wales and South Australia; it is very abundant in
the whole of the Upper Hunter district, and I have also killed it in the
interior of South Australia; it is usually met with in small troops of
from six to ten in number, feeding upon the ground, over which it runs
with considerable rapidity; the entire troop keeping together, but one
bird running before the other and searching for food with the most
scrutinizing care. In disposition it is one of the tamest of the larger
birds I ever encountered, readily admitting of a very close approach,
and then merely flying off to the low branch of some neighbouring tree.
During flight the white marking of the wing shows very conspicuously,
and on alighting the bird displays many curious actions, leaping from
branch to branch with surprising quickness, at the same time spreading
the tail and moving it up and down in a very singular manner; on being
disturbed it peeps and pries down upon the intruder below, and generally
utters a harsh, grating, disagreeable and tart note; at other times,
while perched among the branches of the trees, it makes the woods ring
with its peculiar hollow mournful pipe.
During the pairing-season the male becomes very animated, and his
manners so remarkable, that it would be necessary for my readers to
witness the bird in its native wilds to form a just conception of them:
while sitting on the same branch close to the female, he spreads out his
wings and tail to the fullest extent, lowers his head, puffs out his
feathers and displays himself to the utmost advantage, and when two or
more are engaged in these evolutions, the exhibition cannot fail to
amuse and delight the spectator. A winged specimen gave me more trouble
to catch than any other bird I ever chased; its power of passing over
the ground being so great, that it bounded on before me and cleared
every obstacle, hillocks and fallen trees, with the utmost facility.
The White-winged Chough is a very early breeder, and generally rears
more than one brood in a year, the breeding-season extending over the
months of August, September, October and November. The nest is a most
conspicuous fabric, composed of mud and straw, resembling a bason, and
is usually placed on the horizontal branch of a tree near to or
overhanging a brook. The eggs vary from four to seven in number, and are
of a yellowish white, boldly blotched all over with olive and purplish
brown, the latter tint appearing as if beneath the surface of the shell;
they are one inch and a half long by one inch and one line broad.
It has often struck me that more than one female deposited her eggs in
the same nest, as four or five females may be frequently seen either on
the same or the neighbouring trees, while only one nest is to be found.
The bird generally evinces a preference for open forest land, but during
the breeding-season affects the neighbourhood of brooks and lagoons,
which may be accounted for by the fact of such situations being
necessary to enable it to procure the mud wherewith to build its nest,
besides which they also afford it an abundance of insect food.
The whole of the plumage black, with glossy green reflections, with the
exception of the inner webs of the primaries, which are white for three
parts of their length from the base; irides scarlet; bill and feet
black.
The figure is that of a male somewhat less than the natural size.
[Illustration:
STRUTHIDEA CINEREA: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
STRUTHIDEA CINEREA, _Gould_.
Grey Struthidea.
_Struthidea cinerea_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part IV. p. 143;
and in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part I.—G. R. Gray, List of
Gen. of Birds, 2nd Edit., p. 51.
_Brachystoma cinerea_, Swains. An. in Menag., and Two Cent. and a
Quarter of New Birds, No. 51.—Class. of Birds, vol. ii. p.
266.
So little information has been obtained respecting this highly curious
bird, that my account of it must necessarily be very meagre. From what I
have personally observed, it would seem to be a species peculiar to the
interior, and so far as is yet known, confined to the south-eastern
portion of the Australian continent. I found it inhabiting the pine
ridges, as they are termed by the colonists, bordering the extensive
plains of the Upper and Lower Namoi, and giving a decided preference to
the _Callitris pyramidalis_, a fine fir-like tree peculiar to the
district. Those I observed were always in small companies of three or
four together, on the topmost branches of the trees, and were extremely
quick and restless, the whole company leaping from branch to branch in
rapid succession, at the same time throwing up and expanding their tails
and wings; these actions were generally accompanied with a harsh
unpleasant note; their manners, in fact, closely resembled those of the
White-winged Chough and the _Pomatorhini_: a knowledge of its
nidification and the number and colour of its eggs would throw
considerable light upon the affinities of this curious form. I would,
therefore, particularly impress upon those who may reside in, or visit
the localities it inhabits, to pay especial attention to, and to make
known their observations upon, these points.
The food, as ascertained by dissection, was insects; the stomachs of
those examined were tolerably hard and muscular, and contained the
remains of coleoptera.
The sexes assimilate so closely in size and in the colouring of their
plumage, that they are to be distinguished only by dissection.
Head, neck, back, and under surface grey, each feather tipped with
lighter grey; wings brown; tail black, the middle feathers glossed with
deep rich metallic green; irides pearly white; bill and legs black.
The figures are of the natural size.
[Illustration:
CORVUS CORONOÏDES: _Vig. & Horsf._
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
CORVUS CORONOÏDES, _Vig. & Horsf._
White-eyed Crow.
_Corvus Australis_, Lath. Ind. Orn., vol. i. p. 151.?—Gmel. Syst.
Nat., vol. i. p. 365.?—Daud. Orn., tom. ii. p. 226.?
_South Sea Raven_, Lath. Gen. Syn., vol. i. p. 363.?—Cook’s Last Voy.,
vol. i. p. 109.?—Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iii. p. 7.?
_Corvus Coronoïdes_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 261.
_W̏ur-dang_, Aborigines of Western Australia.
_Ȍm-bo-lak_, Aborigines of Port Essington.
_Crow_ of the Colonists.
This species is so intermediate in size, in the development of the
feathers of the throat, in its voice, and in many parts of its economy,
between the Carrion Crow and Raven of our own island, that it is
difficult to say to which of those species it is most nearly allied; I
prefer however placing it among the true Crows to assigning it to a
companionship with the larger members of the family. Every part of
Australia yet explored has been found to be inhabited by it; some slight
difference however is observable between individuals from Port
Essington, Swan River, Van Diemen’s Land, and New South Wales, but these
differences appear to me to be too trivial to be regarded as specific;
specimens from Western Australia are somewhat less in size than those
procured in the other localities mentioned. When the birds are fully
adult, the colour of the eye is white and is the same in the whole of
them,—a circumstance which tends to strengthen the opinion I entertain
of their being one and the same species.
In Western Australia for the greater part of the year this bird is met
with in pairs or singly; but in May and June it congregates in families
of from twenty to fifty, and is then very destructive to the farmer’s
seed crops, which appears to be its only inducement for assembling
together, as it is not known to congregate at any other period. In New
South Wales and Van Diemen’s Land it is also usually seen in pairs, but
occasionally congregated in small flocks. At Port Essington, where it is
mostly seen in pairs, in quiet secluded places, it is not so abundant as
in other parts of Australia.
The stomach is tolerably muscular, and the food consists of insects,
carrion of all kinds, berries, seeds, grain, and other vegetable
substances.
Its croak very much resembles that of the Carrion Crow, but differs in
the last note being lengthened to a great extent.
Its nest, which is formed of sticks and of a large size, is usually
placed near the top of the largest gum-trees. The eggs, which are three
or four in number, are very long in form, and of a pale dull green
colour, blotched, spotted and freckled all over with umber-brown, the
blotches being of a much greater size at the larger end; they are about
one inch and three-quarters long by one inch and an eighth broad.
The whole of the plumage rich shining purplish black, with the exception
of the elongated feathers on the throat, which are slightly glossed with
green; bill and feet black; irides in some white, in others brown.
The Plate represents a male, killed in Van Diemen’s Land, of the natural
size.
[Illustration:
NEOMORPHA GOULDII: _G. R. Gray_.
_J. & E. Gould del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
NEOMORPHA GOULDII, _G. R. Gray_.
Gould’s Neomorpha.
_Neomorpha acutirostris_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part IV. p.
144.—Ib. Syn. Birds of Australia, Part I.
—— _crassirostris_, Gould in Ib., p. 145.—Ib. in Syn. Birds of
Australia, Part I.
—— _Gouldii_, G. R. Gray, List of Gen. of Birds, p. 12.
_E llia_, Aborigines of New Zealand.
Two specimens of this highly curious and anomalous bird, male and
female, wanting the legs and wings, which form part of the collection of
the Zoological Society of London, were described by me in 1836, when,
from the great difference in the form and length of their bills, I very
naturally concluded that they constituted two distinct species, many
genera even having been founded upon more trivial differences of
character. Mr. George Robert Gray, however, entertained a different
opinion from myself, and, while engaged upon his valuable little work
entitled “A List of the Genera of Birds,” conceiving they were sexes of
the same species, and that consequently both my names were
inappropriate, inasmuch as, if either were retained, it might lead to
some misconception, has been pleased to dedicate it to myself, a
compliment which I duly appreciate; and I have only to hope that this
change of the specific name may not be productive of any confusion on
the subject.
Through the kindness of a friend, who presented me with a specimen, I
brought to England the entire bird, and still more recently I have been
much gratified by the receipt of an additional pair, male and female,
direct from New Zealand. These, with some other very interesting birds,
were consigned to me by Dr. Dieffenbach, with a request that they should
be forwarded to the New Zealand Company, and it is to this body that I
am indebted for permission to describe and figure the female of this and
several other novelties sent home by Dr. Dieffenbach. In a letter
written from Port Jackson, this gentleman confirms the opinion of Mr. G.
R. Gray as to my _N. acutirostris_ and _crassirostris_ being the same
species; and further states, that “these birds, which the natives call
_E llia_, are confined to the hills in the neighbourhood of Port
Nicholson, whence the feathers of the tail, which are in great request
among the natives, are sent as presents to all parts of the island. The
natives regard the bird with the straight and stout beak as the male,
and the other as the female. In three specimens I shot this was the
case, and both birds are always together. These fine birds can only be
obtained with the help of a native, who calls them with a shrill and
long-continued whistle, resembling the sound of the native name of the
species. After an extensive journey in the hilly forest in search of
them, I had at last the pleasure of seeing four alight on the lower
branches of the trees near which the native accompanying me stood. They
came quick as lightning, descending from branch to branch, spreading out
the tail, and throwing up the wings. Anxious to obtain them I fired, but
they generally come so near that the natives kill them with sticks.
Their food consists of seeds and insects: of their mode of nidification
the natives could give me no information. The species is apparently
becoming scarce, and will probably soon be exterminated.”
The whole of the plumage black, glossed with green; the tail largely
tipped with white; bill horn-colour, much darker at the base; wattles
rich orange; legs and toes blackish horn-colour; claws light
horn-colour.
The figures represent a male and a female of the natural size, on the
_Corynocarpus lævigata_.
[Illustration:
POMATORHINUS TEMPORALIS: _Vig. & Horsf._
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
POMATORHINUS TEMPORALIS.
Temporal Pomatorhinus.
_Dusky Bee-eater_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 146.
_Pomatorhinus temporalis_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv.
p. 330.—Sturt, Travels in Australia, vol. ii. pl. in p. 190.
—— _trivirgatus_, Temm. Pl. Col., 443.
As I have never seen an example of this species from any other portion
of Australia than New South Wales, its habitat would appear to be
restricted to that part of the country, where it is to be met in all
those districts in which the _Angophoræ_ and _Eucalypti_ abound; it is
gregarious in its habits, six or eight being generally seen in company,
and is an exceedingly noisy and garrulous species; it ascends the trees
with great rapidity in a succession of leaps from branch to branch, or
along the slanting boles of those that are not perfectly erect:
commencing with the branches nearest the ground it gradually ascends to
the very top, whence with elevated tail it peeps down and continually
utters its peculiar chattering cry; it is frequently to be seen on the
ground, but on the slightest alarm it resorts to the trees and ascends
them in the manner described. Its powers of flight are not very great,
and appear to be only employed to convey it from the top of one tree to
another, the whole troop following one after the other.
The situation of the nest is somewhat varied; when placed on the
_Casuarinæ_ it is usually constructed close to the stem of the tree, but
on the _Eucalypti_ it is mostly built at the extremity of the branch,
and often within reach of the hand: it is of a large size, and very much
resembles that of the Magpie of Europe, being of a completely domed
form, outwardly composed of small long twigs about the size of a thorn,
crossing each other, but very slightly interwoven: the entrance is in
the form of a spout about half the length of an arm, and the twigs are
placed in such a manner that the points incline towards each other,
rendering it apparently impossible for the bird to enter without
breaking them, while egress, on the other hand, is very easy; the nest
has a thick inner lining, weighing several pounds, of the fine inner
bark of trees and fine grasses. In traversing the pasture-lands at
Camden, the whole of the Upper Hunter district and some parts of the
Liverpool Plains, the attention of the traveller is often attracted by
the large nest of this bird; and it frequently happens that four, six or
even eight are to be seen on the same, or two or three closely planted
trees.
The ground colour of their singular and beautifully marked eggs, which
are four in number, is a buffy brown, clouded with dark brown and
purple, and strongly marked with hair-like lines of black, which
generally have a tendency to run round the egg; in some instances,
however, they take a diagonal direction and give the egg a marble-like
appearance; the markings of these eggs may be more easily imagined, by
supposing a hair or hairs to have been carelessly drawn over them after
having been dipped in ink; the eggs are one inch in length by nine lines
in breadth.
The food consists of insects of various kinds.
The sexes do not differ in outward appearance, and may be thus
described:—
Throat, centre of the breast and a broad stripe over each eye white;
lores and ear-coverts dark brown; centre of the crown, back and sides of
the neck greyish brown, gradually deepening into very dark brown on the
wing-coverts, back and scapularies; wings very dark brown, with the
exception of the inner webs of the primaries, which are rufous for
three-fourths of their length from the base; tail-coverts and tail
black, the latter largely tipped with pure white; abdomen and flanks
dark brown, stained with rusty red; bill blackish olive-brown, except
the basal portion of the lower mandible, which is greyish white; irides
in the adult straw-yellow, in the young brown; feet blackish brown.
The figures are of the natural size.
[Illustration:
POMATORHINUS RUBECULUS: _Gould_
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
POMATORHINUS RUBECULUS, _Gould_.
Red-breasted Pomatorhinus.
_Pomatorhinus rubeculus_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VII. p.
144.
This bird is rather numerously dispersed over the northern parts of
Australia, where it takes the place of the _Pomatorhinus temporalis_ of
New South Wales, from which it differs but little either in size or
colouring; its slightly smaller dimensions and the red hue of the breast
are, however, characteristics by which it may at all times be
distinguished from its prototype. Mr. Gilbert states that on the Cobourg
Peninsula, it inhabits the open parts of the country, and when disturbed
takes to the higher branches of the gums, first mounting upon one of the
lower boughs, and then by a succession of hops and leaps ascending to
the top. In its actions and economy it very closely assimilates to the
other species of the genus, being like them a noisy and restless bird;
and feeding on insects, which are frequently sought for on the ground
under the canopy of the larger trees.
Throat and stripe over each eye white; chest and upper part of the
abdomen dull brownish red; stripe from the nostrils through each eye to
the occiput blackish brown; centre of the crown, back and lower part of
the abdomen dark brown, slightly tinged with olive; upper and under
tail-coverts and tail black, all the feathers of the latter tipped with
white; irides straw-yellow; bill blackish grey, becoming paler at the
base; legs and feet greenish grey.
The sexes are alike in plumage, as will be seen by the accompanying
Plate, which represents a male and a female of the natural size.
[Illustration:
POMATORHINUS SUPERCILIOSUS: _Vig. & Horsf._
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
POMATORHINUS SUPERCILIOSUS, _Vig. & Horsf._
White-eyebrowed Pomatorhinus.
_Pomatorhinus superciliosus_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol.
xv. p. 330.—Capt. Sturt’s Expeditions to South Australia,
vol. ii. p. 219.
_Gnow-un_, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western Australia.
This species ranges over the whole of the southern portion of the
continent of Australia, where it must be regarded as a bird peculiar to
the interior, rather than as an inhabitant of the districts near the
coast. It is common on the Liverpool Plains in New South Wales, and it
was particularly noticed by my friend Captain Sturt during his
expedition to the Darling. I myself encountered it near the bend of the
river Murray, and it has also been found in the York district of Western
Australia, but I have never heard of its having been seen either in the
north or north-western parts of the country. It usually moves about in
small troops of from six to ten in number, and is without exception the
most restless, noisy, querulous bird I ever encountered. Its mode of
progression among the branches of the trees is no less singular than is
its voice different from that of other birds; it runs up and down the
branches of the smaller trees with great rapidity and with the tail very
much spread and raised above the level of the back. It usually feeds
upon the ground under the Banksias and other low trees, but upon the
least intrusion flits on to the lowest branch, and by a running or
leaping motion quickly ascends to the highest, when it flies off to the
next tree, uttering at the same time a jarring, chattering and
discordant jumble of notes, which are sometimes preceded by a rapidly
repeated, shrill, piping whistle.
When a troop are engaged in ascending the branches, which they usually
do in line, they have a singular habit of suddenly assembling in a
cluster, spreading their tails and wings, and puffing out their plumage
until they resemble a complete ball of feathers.
The breeding-season commences in September and continues during the
three following months. The nest is a large domed structure of dried
sticks, with an entrance in the side, which is hidden from view by the
sticks of the upper part of the nest being made to project over it for
four or five inches like the thatch of a shed; the inside is generally
lined with the soft parts of flowers and the dust of rotten wood, but
occasionally with feathers. In Western Australia the nest is usually
constructed in a dead jam-tree, the branches of which are drawn together
at the top like a broom. It often happens that three or four pairs of
birds build their nests in the same small clump of trees. The eggs are
very like those of _P. temporalis_, the ground colour being olive-grey
clouded with purplish brown, and streaked with similar hair-like lines
of black; they are usually four in number, eleven and a half lines long
by eight lines broad.
The sexes as well as the young so closely resemble each other, that they
can only be distinguished by the aid of dissection.
Lores, space surrounding the eye and the ear-coverts dark silky brown; a
broad line of white, bounded above and beneath with a narrow one of dark
brown, commences at the base of the upper mandible, passes over the eye
and continues to the occiput; crown of the head and all the upper
surface, flanks and under tail-coverts olive-brown, passing into a purer
and deeper brown on the primaries; tail dark brown, crossed by very
indistinct bars of a darker colour, the five lateral feathers on each
side tipped with white; chin, throat and chest white; bill blackish
brown, the lower part of the under mandible greyish white; irides in the
adult straw-yellow, in the young brown; feet blackish brown.
The figures are of the natural size.
[Illustration:
MELIPHAGA NOVÆ-HOLLANDIÆ: _Vig. & Horsf._
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
MELIPHAGA NOVÆ-HOLLANDIÆ, _Vig. & Horsf._
New Holland Honey-eater.
_Certhia Novæ-Hollandiæ_, Lath. Ind. Orn., p. 296.—Turton’s Edit. of
Linn. Syst. Nat., vol. i. p. 292.
_New Holland Creeper_, White’s Journ., pl. in p. 186.—Lath. Gen.
Hist., vol. iv. p. 171.—Shaw’s Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p.
225.
_L’Héorotaire tacheté_, Vieill. Ois. dor., tom. ii. p. 91. pl. 57.
_Meliphaga Novæ-Hollandiæ_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv.
p. 311.
_Melitreptus Novæ-Hollandiæ_, Vieill. 2nde Edit. du Nouv. Dict.
d’Hist. Nat., tom. xiv. p. 328; and Ency. Méth. Orn., Part
II. p. 606.
_Meliphaga Balgonera_, Steph. Cont. of Shaw’s Gen. Zool., vol. xiv. p.
261.
_Meliphaga barbata_, Swains. Class. of Birds, vol. ii. p. 326.
_Meliornis Novæ-Hollandiæ_, G. R. Gray, List of Gen. of Birds, 2nd
Edit., p. 19.
I quite agree with Messrs. Vigors and Horsfield in making the bird
forming the subject of the present Plate the type of the restricted
genus _Meliphaga_. Independently of its claim to this distinction from
the circumstance of its being the oldest known, it is the species to
which the generic term is especially applicable, since, I conceive, it
feeds less upon insects and more upon nectarine juices than any other of
the family.
The _Meliphaga Novæ-Hollandiæ_ is one of the most abundant and familiar
birds inhabiting the colonies of New South Wales, Van Diemen’s Land, and
South Australia: all the gardens of the settlers are visited by it, and
among their shrubs and flowering plants it annually breeds. It is not a
migratory species, but occasionally deserts some districts for others
whose flowering plants offer it a more tempting _locale_, and furnish it
with a more abundant supply of food: the belts of Banksias, growing on
sterile, sandy soils, afford it so congenial an asylum, that I am
certainly not wrong in stating that they are never deserted by it, or
that the one is a certain accompaniment of the other. The range enjoyed
by this species appears to be confined to the south-eastern portions of
Australia: it is abundant on the sandy districts of South Australia
wherever the Banksias abound; but to the westward of this part of the
country I have not traced it. At the Swan, and the other parts of the
western coast, it certainly is never found. In Van Diemen’s Land it is
much more numerous on the northern than on the southern portion of the
island; it is also most abundantly dispersed over all the islands in
Bass’s Straits, whose sandy, sterile soil favours the growth of the
Banksias; it is equally common over every part of the colony of New
South Wales, which may, in fact, be regarded as the great stronghold of
the species; at the same time I must not fail to observe, that the
districts bordering the sea-coast are most favourable to the growth of
its favourite tree; hence while it is there most numerous, in the
interior of the country it is seldom to be seen. It evinces a more
decided preference for shrubs and low trees than for those of a larger
growth; consequently it is a species particularly subject to the notice
of man while it flits from bush to bush. Nor is it the least attractive
of the Australian Fauna; the strikingly-contrasted markings of its
plumage, and the beautiful appearance of its golden-edged wings, when
passing with its quick, devious and jumping flight from shrub to shrub,
rendering it a conspicuous and pleasing object.
It has a loud, shrill, liquid, although monotonous note. Its food, which
consists of the pollen and juices of flowers, is procured while clinging
and creeping among them in every variety of position: it also feeds on
fruits and insects.
It usually rears two or three broods during the course of the season,
which lasts from August to January: the nest is very easily found, being
placed, in the forest, in any low open bush, and in the gardens among
the shrubs and flowers: one of the nests in my collection was taken from
a row of peas in the kitchen-garden of the Government House at Sydney.
It is usually placed at about eighteen inches or two feet from the
ground, and is a somewhat compact structure, composed of small wiry
sticks, coarse grasses, and broad and narrow strips of bark; the inside
is lined with the soft woolly portion of the blossoms of small ground
plants: it usually lays two, but occasionally three eggs, which are of a
pale buff, thinly spotted and freckled with deep chestnut-brown,
particularly at the larger end, where they not unfrequently assume the
form of a zone; their medium length is nine lines and a half, and
breadth nearly seven lines.
The sexes are alike in colour and may be thus described:—
Top of the head and cheeks black, with minute white feathers on the
forehead round the base of the upper mandible; a superciliary stripe, a
moustache at the base of the upper mandible, and a small tuft of
feathers immediately behind the ear-coverts white; feathers on the
throat white and bristle-like; upper surface brownish black, becoming
browner on the rump; wings brownish black, the outer edges of the quills
margined at the base with beautiful wax-yellow, and faintly margined
with white towards the extremities; tail brownish black, margined
externally at the base with wax-yellow, and all but the two centre
feathers with a large oval spot of white on the inner web at the tip;
under surface white, broadly striped longitudinally with black, the
black predominating on the breast and the white on the abdomen; irides
white; bill and feet black.
The figures are those of a male and female of the natural size, on a
Banksia of Van Diemen’s Land.
[Illustration:
MELIPHAGA LONGIROSTRIS: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
MELIPHAGA LONGIROSTRIS, _Gould_.
Long-billed Honey-eater.
_Meliphaga longirostris_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Sept. 22,
1846.
_Bȁn-dene_, Aborigines of the lowland districts of Western Australia.
_Yellow-winged Honey-eater_ of the Colonists.
Although the _Meliphaga longirostris_ and _Meliphaga Novæ-Hollandiæ_ are
very similar, they will on comparison prove to be specifically distinct;
they are, in fact, beautiful representatives of each other on the
opposite sides of the great Australian continent, the _M. longirostris_
inhabiting the western, and the _M. Novæ-Hollandiæ_ being spread over
the eastern portion of the country, and it would be a matter of some
interest to know at what degree of longitude the two species inosculate:
I have traced the latter as far to the westward as Port Lincoln, while,
so far as is known, the range of the former does not extend beyond the
Swan River settlement. Several points of difference are found to exist
in the two species, the most material of which are in the shape and
length of the bill, and in the size of the white mark on the fore-part
of the cheeks; the _M. longirostris_, as its name implies, has the bill
much more lengthened and comparatively stouter than that of its near
ally, and it moreover has the white patch on the face much less defined,
and blended to a greater extent with the neighbouring black colouring;
in the size of the body the two species are very much alike.
The _M. longirostris_ inhabits all those districts of the Swan River
settlement in which there are Banksias, a group of trees which it is
evidently formed to inhabit, and the flowers of which yield it a
constant supply of food, both of insects and honey. Like the other
species of the group, it is very pugnacious, and when fighting utters a
rapidly repeated chirrup, very much resembling that of the European
Sparrow.
Its flight, which is varied, is sometimes extremely rapid.
It is a very early breeder, commencing in the first days of July and
continuing as late as the last week in November. The nest consists of
small sticks and fibrous roots, lined with Zamia wool or the buds of
flowers; and is built in a variety of situations, sometimes in small
thinly-branched trees, at about twelve feet from the ground; at others
in small clumps of grass, only a few inches above the ground: in the
York district it is frequently constructed among the bulrushes; but the
most usual situation is in a scrubby bush surrounded with grass, at an
altitude of about two or three feet; the eggs are ordinarily two in
number, but towards the latter end of the breeding-season three are
often found; their ground colour is a delicate buff, with the larger end
clouded with reddish buff, and thickly spotted and blotched with
chestnut-brown and chestnut-red arranged in the form of a zone; their
medium length is nine lines, and breadth seven lines.
The sexes are alike in colouring, but the female is about one-fifth
smaller than her mate in all their admeasurements.
Top of the head and cheeks black, with minute white feathers on the
forehead round the base of the upper mandible; a superciliary stripe, a
moustache at the base of the lower mandible, and a small tuft of
feathers immediately behind the ear-coverts white; feathers on the
throat white and bristle-like; upper surface brownish black, becoming
browner on the rump; wings brownish black, the outer edges of the quills
margined at the base with beautiful wax-yellow, and faintly margined
with white towards the extremities; tail brownish black, margined
externally at the base with wax-yellow, and all but the two centre
feathers with a large oval spot of white on the inner web at the tip;
surface white, broadly striped with black, the black predominating on
the breast and the white on the abdomen; irides white; bill and feet
black.
The figures are of the natural size.
[Illustration:
MELIPHAGA SERICEA: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
MELIPHAGA SERICEA, _Gould_.
White-cheeked Honey-eater.
_New Holland Creeper_, female, White’s Voy., pl. in p. 297.
_L’Heorotaire noir_, Vieill. Ois. dor., tom. ii. p. 106. pl. 71.
_Meliphaga sericea_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part IV. p. 144;
and in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part I.
_Meliphaga sericeola_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part V. p. 152,
female.
The White-cheeked Honey-eater is an inhabitant of New South Wales, and
certainly proceeds as far to the eastward as Moreton Bay; but the birds
inhabiting the country to the northward of this are so entirely unknown,
that it is impossible to say how far its range may extend in that
direction. It has not yet been discovered in Van Diemen’s Land or South
Australia. It differs materially in its habits and disposition from the
_Meliphaga Novæ-Hollandiæ_, being less exclusively confined to the
brushes, and affecting localities of a more open character. I observed
it to be tolerably abundant in the Illawarra district, particularly
among the shrubs surrounding the open glades of the luxuriant brushes;
it is also common at Botany Bay, and on most parts of the sea-coast
between that place and the river Clarence; but I never met with it
during any of my excursions into the interior of the country.
I found it, unlike its near ally, a remarkably shy species; so much so,
that I frequently had much difficulty in getting within gun-shot of it.
When perched on the trees it is a most showy bird, its white
cheek-feathers and contrasted tints of colouring rendering it very
conspicuous.
I did not succeed in finding its nest, a circumstance I much regret; for
although it is probable that in the colour of its eggs and its mode of
nidification it generally resembles the _M. Novæ-Hollandiæ_, there will
doubtless be found as great a specific difference in these respects as
is to be observed in the markings of their plumage.
The sexes are alike in colour, but the female is somewhat the smaller.
The white cheeks and the absence of white tips to the tail-feathers will
at all times distinguish it from the _M. Novæ-Hollandiæ_.
Crown of the head, throat, and space round the eye black; an obscure
band of white crosses the forehead and passes over each eye; a beautiful
plume of hair-like white feathers spreads over the cheeks and
ear-coverts; back dusky brown, striped longitudinally with black; under
surface white, each feather having a central longitudinal mark of black;
wings dark brown, the outer edge of all the primaries and secondaries
wax-yellow; tail dark brown, the external edges margined with yellow;
irides dark brown; feet and bill black.
The figures represent two males of the natural size, on a plant growing
in the district of Illawarra, called Christmas by the settlers.
[Illustration:
MELIPHAGA MYSTACALIS: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
MELIPHAGA MYSTACALIS, _Gould_.
Moustached Honey-eater.
_Meliphaga mystacalis_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VIII. p.
161.
_Bȁn-dene_, Aborigines of Swan River.
At the time I described this new species of _Meliphaga_ in the
“Proceedings of the Zoological Society,” I was not aware that M.
Temminck had applied the term _mystacalis_ to another species of
Honey-eater, or I should have selected a different appellation; as
however M. Temminck’s bird belongs to a distinct section of this great
family, any alteration would rather tend to produce confusion than
otherwise.
The _Meliphaga mystacalis_ is a native of Western Australia, in which
country it beautifully represents the _Meliphaga sericea_ of New South
Wales. It is abundant in the vicinity of Perth and Fremantle, and is
sparingly dispersed over many other districts of the Swan River colony;
according to Mr. Gilbert it is remarkably shy, and only found in the
most secluded places in the bush, or on the summits of the limestone
hills running parallel with the beach; it generally feeds on the topmost
branches of the _Banksiæ_, and is very pugnacious, defending its young
from intruders with the most determined courage.
Its note is a loud chirp, which is often rapidly repeated six or seven
times in succession; but while rising on the wing, it emits a song very
much resembling that of the Tree Lark of Europe.
Its flight, which is very varied, is occasionally characterized by a
great degree of rapidity: during the season of incubation it frequently
rises above its nest in a perpendicular direction, and having attained a
considerable height, suddenly closes its wings, and descends abruptly
until it reaches the top of the scrub, when the wings are again
expanded, and it flies horizontally for a few yards, perches, and then
utters its peculiar sharp, chirping note; it also often hovers over
small trees, and captures insects after the manner of the Flycatchers.
It is a very early breeder, young birds ready to leave the nest having
been found on the 8th of August; it has also been met with breeding as
late as November; it doubtless therefore produces more than one brood in
the course of the season. The nest is generally built near the top of a
small, weak, thinly-branched bush, of about two or three feet in height,
situated in a plantation of seedling mahogany or other _Eucalypti_; it
is formed of small dried sticks, grass, and narrow strips of soft bark,
and is usually lined with _Zamia_ wool; but in those parts of the
country where that plant is not found, the soft buds of flowers, or the
hairy, flowering part of grasses, form the lining material, and in the
neighbourhood of sheep-walks, wool collected from the scrub. The eggs
are usually two in number, but frequently only a single one is laid and
hatched. They are nine lines long by seven lines broad, and are usually
of a dull reddish buff, spotted very distinctly with chestnut and
reddish brown, interspersed with obscure dashes of purplish grey; but
they appear to differ considerably in colour and form; I have seen one
variety in which the ground colour was nearly white and destitute of
markings, except at the larger end, where it was clouded with dull
reddish brown.
The stomach is small and muscular, and the food consists of small
coleoptera and other insects.
The sexes are only distinguishable by the smaller size of the female.
Head, chin and throat black; over the eye a narrow line of white; ears
covered by a conspicuous tuft of white feathers, which are closely set
and terminate in a point towards the back; upper surface brownish black,
the feathers edged with white; under surface white, with a broad stripe
of black down the centre of each feather; wings and tail blackish brown,
conspicuously margined with bright yellow; irides brown; bill black;
feet blackish brown.
The figures are of the natural size, and represent the bird on a species
of _Banksia_, one of a tribe of trees on which it is most frequently
found.
[Illustration:
MELIPHAGA AUSTRALASIANA: _Vig. & Horsf._
_J. & E. Gould del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
MELIPHAGA AUSTRALASIANA, _Vig. & Horsf._
Tasmanian Honey-eater.
_L’Heorotaire noir et blanc_, Vieill. Ois. Dor., t. ii. pl. 55, p. 89.
_Certhia Australasiana_, Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 226.
_Meliphaga Australasiana_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv.
p. 313.—Swains. Class. of Birds, vol. ii. p. 326.
_White-browed Honey-eater?_ Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 172.
_Meliphaga inornata_, Gould, in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part. V. 1837, p.
152.—Ibid., Syn. of Birds of Australia, Part IV. female.
This little Honey-eater is abundantly dispersed over every part of Van
Diemen’s Land, to which country, in all probability, the species is
restricted, though there is another in South Australia and New South
Wales so nearly resembling it, as to render this supposition doubtful,
and a further acquaintance with the continental bird is necessary to
determine whether it is a mere variety or a distinct species. The chief
difference consists in its being smaller in size, and less brilliantly
marked on the wing.
The _Meliphaga Australasiana_ is one of the few species that enlivens
with their presence the almost impenetrable forests that cover a great
portion of Van Diemen’s Land, giving preference to such parts as are
clothed with a thick brush of dwarf shrubby trees growing beneath the
more lofty gums. The extreme silence of these solitudes is agreeably
broken by the loud shrill and liquid notes which are poured forth in
quick succession by numbers of this bird in various parts of the wood.
It also resorts to the thick beds of the _Epacris impressa_, whose red
and white heath-like flowers bespangle the sides of the more open hills:
the blossoms of this beautiful plant afford it an abundant supply of
food, which it seeks so intently as to admit of a sufficiently close
approach to enable one to observe its actions without disturbing it;
while thus occupied it may be seen clinging to the stems in every
possible attitude, inserting its slender brush-like tongue up the tube
of every floret with amazing rapidity. Independently of honey it feeds
on insects of various kinds, particularly those of the orders _Diptera_
and _Hymenoptera_. When disturbed it flits off with a quick darting
flight, settling again at the distance of a few yards among the thickest
tufts of the _Epacris_, or shrouds itself from observation among the
foliage of the sapling gums.
It is extremely abundant on the hills at the foot of Mount Wellington,
and it may also be observed at most seasons among the thick beds of
_Epacris_ growing on the north side of the Derwent, between Kangaroo
Point and Clarence Plains. I also observed it in every similar situation
on the banks of the Tamar, at the other extremity of the island. The
breeding-season is September and the four following months, during which
period each pair of birds rear two or three broods; and it is a curious
fact, that at the first laying only two eggs are found in each nest,
while in the height of the summer, when insect food is far more
abundant, they almost invariably lay three: the cause of which is either
that the birds are more vigorous as the season advances, or that Nature
has wisely ordained that the number of young should bear a relative
proportion to the amount of food to be procured for their support.
The nest is always placed on a low shrub within a foot or two of the
ground; it is of a round, open form, and is outwardly constructed of the
inner rind of the stringy bark gum-tree, generally lined with fine
grasses.
Unlike every other member of the restricted genus _Meliphaga_ that I
have had opportunities of observing, the sexes are distinguished by a
different style of colouring, a circumstance which led me to
characterize the female as a distinct species under the name of
_Meliphaga inornata_, an error which my visit to the country enables me
now to rectify.
The male has a black stripe passing from the base of the bill through
the eye, and a lunar-shaped mark down each side the breast, nearly
meeting in the centre, black; a narrow stripe above the eye and one
behind the lunar marks on the breast white; all the upper surface dusky
black; wings blackish brown, the primaries and secondaries margined
externally, particularly at their base, with golden yellow;
tail-feathers brownish black, fringed with golden yellow at the base,
the two lateral feathers having a long oval spot of white on their inner
webs at the tip; throat and chest white, with a streak of brown down the
middle of each feather; centre of the abdomen white; flanks and under
tail-coverts sooty grey; irides red; bill and feet black.
The female is of a nearly uniform dusky brown above and beneath; is
destitute of the white stripe over the eye and the white spots on the
lateral tail-feathers; has only a faint tinge of the golden yellow on
the wings and tail; the black and white marks on the throat not very
apparent; the throat pale brownish grey instead of white, and the irides
brown.
The Plate represents a male and female of the natural size on the
_Epacris impressa_.
[Illustration:
GLYCIPHILA FULVIFRONS: _Swains._
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
GLYCIPHILA FULVIFRONS, _Swains._
Fulvous-fronted Honey-eater.
_Meliphaga fulvifrons_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p.
317.—Lewin, Birds of New Holl., pl. 22.
_Glyciphila fulvifrons_, Swains. Class. of Birds, vol. ii. p. 326.—G.
R. Gray, List of Gen. of Birds, 2nd Edit., p. 319.
_Philedon rubrifrons_, Less. Voy. de la Coq.
_Wy-ro-̏dju-dong_, Aborigines of the lowland districts of Western
Australia.
_White-throated Honey-sucker_, Colonists of Swan River.
This species would appear to be distributed over the whole of the
southern portion of the Australian continent, since it is to be found in
New South Wales, South Australia and at Swan River, where it is
particularly abundant on the limestone hills near the beach around
Fremantle; it is also an inhabitant of Van Diemen’s Land, and all the
islands in Bass’s Straits. I have never observed it in collections from
the northern coast of Australia, whence I infer that it is confined to
those portions of the country mentioned above. In Van Diemen’s Land it
is by far the most abundant on the north side of the island, while in
the neighbourhood of Hobart Town it is rarely, if ever, seen.
Independently of a slight difference in structure, the habits of this
bird differ sufficiently from those of the true _Meliphagi_ to fully
justify its separation into a distinct genus. In the first place it
affects very different localities, preferring to dwell among the trees
that crown the low stony ridges, rather than those growing on the lower
lands or the brushes; its flight is also very rapid, and, which is
rather remarkable for the smaller Honey-eaters, it mounts high in the
air, and flies off to a distance with an extremely rapid horizontal and
even motion. It is an exceedingly active bird among the branches,
clinging about and around the flowers of the _Eucalypti_ in search of
food in every variety of graceful position.
The site generally chosen for its nest, as observed at Swan River, is
some low bush or scrubby plant, in which it is often placed so near the
ground as almost to touch; it is of a deep cup-shaped and compact form,
constructed of dried grasses, and frequently lined with Zamia wool, or
buds of the Banksia cones; sometimes, however, sheep’s wool is employed
to impart warmth and softness; the materials in fact depend entirely
upon the nature of those that the locality may furnish, while in the
form of the nest little or no variation occurs. The eggs are large for
the size of the bird, and are often much lengthened in figure; sometimes
they are quite white without the least trace of spots, but they are
generally blotched with large marks of chestnut-red; occasionally this
colour is very faint, and spread over the surface of the shell as if
stained with it; in other instances the marks are very bold and decided,
forming a strong contrast to the whiteness of the other part of the
surface: the medium length of the eggs is ten lines and a half, and
breadth seven lines; they are usually two in number, but the bird very
frequently lays and hatches only one. The breeding-season lasts from
August to February.
The song is rather remarkable, being commenced with a single note slowly
drawn out, and followed by a quick repetition of a double note, repeated
six or eight times in succession; it is mostly uttered when the bird is
perched on the topmost branch of a tree.
Its food consists of the pollen of flowers and insects.
The sexes present the usual difference in size, the female being
somewhat less than her mate; but in the colour and disposition of the
markings they are alike. The young, of which an accurate figure is given
in the accompanying Plate, has all the upper surface dark brown streaked
with buffy white, and is entirely destitute of the fulvous colouring of
the forehead and the lunulate markings on the sides of the chest; the
throat, moreover, is of a dull wax-yellow, the chest mottled dark brown
and buffy white, and the primaries edged with a dull wax-yellow.
Forehead and under surface of the wing fulvous or tawny; over each eye a
narrow line of white; a line of brownish black commences at the base of
the bill, surrounds the eye, passes down the sides of the neck and
chest, and nearly meets on the breast; behind the ear-coverts a narrow
stripe of buffy white, separated from the line over the eye by a small
patch of black; centre of the back dark brown, with a stripe of ashy
brown down the centre of each feather; the remainder of the upper
surface and flanks ashy brown; throat and abdomen white; wings and tail
dark brown, the wing-coverts and primaries margined with olive; irides
brown; hill blackish brown; legs and feet greenish grey.
The figures are those of a male, a female, and a young bird of the
natural size, on one of the Banksias of Van Diemen’s Land.
[Illustration:
GLYCIPHILA ALBIFRONS: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
GLYCIPHILA ALBIFRONS, _Gould_.
White-fronted Honey-eater.
_Glyciphila albifrons_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VIII. p.
160.
_Goȍl-be-g̏ool-burn_, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western
Australia.
_Black-throated Honey-sucker_, Colonists of Swan River.
I first observed this fine new species of _Glyciphila_ in the great
Murray scrub of South Australia, where I succeeded in killing several
specimens of both sexes; it is also an inhabitant of the York and other
inland districts of Western Australia, and Captain Sturt obtained an
example during one of his overland journeys from Sydney to Adelaide: we
may consequently infer that, like many others, it is a species peculiar
to the interior, where it probably supplies the place of the
Fulvous-fronted Honey-eater, so abundantly dispersed along the line of
coast.
In its disposition the present bird is remarkably shy, a trait common,
it would seem, to all the members of the genus. All those I observed
were busily engaged in collecting their insect and saccharine food from
the flowers of a species of dwarf _Eucalyptus_, during which their
actions much resembled those of the restricted genus _Meliphaga_; but
they appeared if possible to hang and cling beneath the branches with
even greater facility.
Its flight much resembles that of its near ally, being short, performed
in sudden starts, and all times unsteady.
Its note is a double one, rapidly repeated, and much resembles the
double call of the _Pardalotus striatus_, but is much louder and more
distinct.
The breeding-season lasts from August to February. The nests observed
were constructed in the fork of a small dead branch in an exposed
situation, and without the slightest shelter; they were very similar to
that of _Meliphaga longirostris_, but more shallow and less neatly
formed. The eggs also closely resembled those of that bird; the ground
colour being delicate buff, clouded with reddish buff at the larger end,
and distinctly spotted with chestnut-red and purplish grey, thickly
disposed at the larger end, but very sparingly over the rest of the
surface; the eggs are nine and a half lines long by seven lines broad.
The sexes present no difference in colour or markings, but as usual the
female is much less in size.
Forehead, lores, a narrow ring round the eye, and a narrow line running
from the angle of the lower mandible white; crown of the head black,
each feather slightly margined with white; ear-coverts silvery blackish
grey, behind which an irregular line of white; all the upper surface
brown, irregularly margined with white, producing a mottled appearance;
wings and tail brown, the primaries margined externally with yellowish
green; chin and throat brownish black, the former minutely speckled with
white; under surface of the wing buff; chest and abdomen white, striped
with blackish brown on the flanks; irides dark brown; naked skin round
the eyes dark brownish black in front, arterial blood-red behind; bill
black; legs and feet greenish grey.
The figures are of the natural size.
[Illustration:
GLYCIPHILA FASCIATA: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
GLYCIPHILA FASCIATA, _Gould_.
Fasciated Honey-eater.
_Glyciphila fasciata_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., October 11, 1842.
All the specimens hitherto collected of this new species have been
obtained from the Cobourg Peninsula, in the neighbourhood of Port
Essington, where, according to Mr. Gilbert, it is far from being common,
for in his notes he says, “I only once observed it near the settlement,
and once again met with it on the neck of the peninsula near the main
land. Its favourite haunts appeared to be the upper branches of the
_Melaleucæ_, from the blossoms of which it collects its food. In both
instances I observed small families of about twelve in number. Its note
is a sharp shrill piping call, very rapidly repeated.”
The fasciated markings of the under surface, by which this species is at
once distinguished from every other member of the genus to which it is
at present assigned, and the circumstance of its moving about in small
parties, would seem to indicate the propriety of its separation; as,
however, it is precisely of the same structure, and agrees with them in
the colouring of the upper surface, I have preferred retaining it in the
present genus.
Its food consists of insects generally, the pollen, and occasionally the
buds of flowers.
Crown of the head brownish black, with a small crescent of white at the
extremity of each feather; feathers of the back very dark brown,
margined with buffy brown; rump tinged with rufous; wings and tail dark
brown, fringed with light brown; sides of the face, throat and under
surface white; from the angle of the mouth down the side of the neck a
narrow stripe of brownish black; chest crossed by a number of
semicircular brownish black fasciæ; flanks and under tail-coverts buff,
the former with a stripe of brownish black down the centre; irides
reddish brown; bill greenish grey; feet aurora-red.
The figures are those of a male and a female of the natural size.
[Illustration:
GLYCIPHILA OCULARIS: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
GLYCIPHILA OCULARIS, _Gould_.
Brown Honey-eater.
_Glyciphila? ocularis_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part V. p. 154;
and in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part IV.
——? _subocularis_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part V. p. 154; and
in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part IV., female or young male.
_Jȉn-jo-gour_, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western
Australia.
_Brown Honey-sucker_ of the Colonists.
Not one of the numerous species of Honey-eaters inhabiting Australia
appears to enjoy a more universal range than the _Glyciphila ocularis_;
I have received specimens from every portion of the country yet visited;
and if it does not also inhabit New Guinea and Timor, its place is there
supplied by species so very nearly allied to it, that they are not
readily distinguishable from each other.
It inhabits every variety of situation: I met with it in abundance on
Baker’s Island at the mouth of the Hunter, and on the banks of the Namoi
in the interior of New South Wales; and Mr. Gilbert records that he
found it to be equally numerous at Swan River and at Port Essington: in
each and all of these various localities it was observed feeding alike
on the topmost branches of the tallest gums, as well as in the low
trees.
In its actions and manners it displays the usual activity of the
Honey-eaters generally, creeping and clinging among the branches with
the greatest ease, and particularly affecting those most laden with
blossoms, into which it inserts its brush-like tongue to procure the
sweet pollen: like the other species of the group, it also feeds with
avidity upon all kinds of small insects.
Its powers of song are very great, the most frequently repeated note
being remarkably shrill, rich, clear and distinct in tone, and the
others forming an agreeable melody. While the female is sitting upon her
eggs, the male sings all day long with scarcely any intermission.
Its flight merely consists of short flits from tree to tree.
The situations chosen for the site of the nest are various, but in
nearly every instance contiguous to water and frequently overhanging it;
the most favourite position appears to be the side of a tea-tree, the
bark of which is hanging down in tatters; it is also often seen
suspended in the most conspicuous manner from the drooping branches of
the stink-wood; and in one instance Mr. Gilbert found it attached to two
slender fibrous roots, hanging from beneath a bank over a pool of water.
The nest is generally formed of soft strips of paper bark or dried
grasses, matted together with small spiders’ cocoons or vegetable
fibres, and so closely resembles the branch upon which it is placed, as
to render it very difficult of detection; it is usually lined with fine
grasses, zamia wool, the soft part of the cones of the _Banksiæ_,
delicate white buds of flowers, or sheep’s wool collected from the
bushes of the sheep-runs.
September, October and November constitute the breeding-season. The
eggs, which are two in number, vary considerably in their colouring,
some being pure white without a trace of spots or markings, others
having a zone round the larger end formed of freckled markings of light
reddish brown; others again are thinly sprinkled with this colour over
the whole of their surface, and one or two procured at Swan River were
bespeckled with numerous fine freckles of bluish grey; the average
length of a number of eggs was eight lines by six lines in breadth.
Crown of the head, all the upper surface, wings and tail dark
olive-brown, passing into yellowish brown on the rump and bases of the
tail-feathers; primaries and secondaries margined with wax-yellow;
immediately behind the eye a very small patch of glossy brownish yellow
feathers, the anterior portion of which is silvery; throat and chest
greyish brown; abdomen and under tail-coverts olive-grey; irides light
red; bill dark brown; legs and feet bluish grey; tarsi tinged with
green.
The Plate represents a male and a female of the natural size.
[Illustration:
PTILOTIS CHRYSOTIS.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
PTILOTIS CHRYSOTIS.
Yellow-eared Honey-eater.
_Certhia chrysotis_, Lath. Ind. Orn., Supp., p. xxxviii. No. 16.
_Yellow-eared Honey-eater_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 195. No. 54.
_Meliphaga chrysotis_, Lewin, Birds of New Holl., pi. v.—Vig. and
Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 314.—Gould in Syn. Birds
of Australia, Part I.
_Spot-eared Creeper_, Shaw, Zool., vol. viii. p. 244.
The Yellow-eared Honey-eater is very common in New South Wales, where it
inhabits the thick brushes near the sea, breeding and dwelling therein
all the year round. I found it especially abundant in all parts of the
river Hunter, as well as in the cedar brushes of the Liverpool and other
ranges of hills. No examples of this bird came under my notice in South
Australia, and I do not believe that it extends so far to the westward;
neither does it occur at Port Essington, in which district a different
character of country and of vegetation prevails. Mr. Bynoe procured a
single specimen on the north coast, but did not note the precise
locality. In its habits and disposition it assimilates very closely to
the _Ptilotis flavigula_ of Van Diemen’s Land. It prefers low shrubby
trees to those of a larger growth, frequently descending to the ground
among the underwood in search of insects. No one species of the genus is
more bold and fearless of man; I have often been permitted to approach
within a few yards of it while threading the dense brushes without
causing it the least alarm. Like the rest of its genus, this species
feeds on insects, the pollen of flowers, and occasionally fruits and
berries. The flowering creeper upon which the bird is figured (together
with many similar plants), growing in the utmost luxuriance on the sides
of rivers, and attracting a corresponding amount of insect life, is
often visited by the _Ptilotis chrysotis_, which may be observed busily
engaged in search of its prey, heedless of the proximity of a human
intruder in its sequestered haunts. It is not celebrated for the
richness or liquidity of its notes or for the volubility of its song,
but its presence, when not visible among the foliage, is always to be
detected by its loud ringing whistling note, which is continually poured
forth during the months of spring and summer.
The sexes are alike in colour, but the female presents the same
disparity of size that is observable between the sexes of the other
species of the genus; the young at an early age assume the plumage of
the adults, but the colour is not so rich or decided.
I found a nest of this species in a gully under the Liverpool range; it
was placed in the thickest part of one of the creeping plants which
overhung a small pool of water; like that of the rest of the genus, it
was cup-shaped in form, suspended by the brim, and very neatly made of
sticks and lined with very fine twigs; the eggs are two in number, of a
pearly white spotted with purplish brown, the spots forming a zone at
the large end; they are eleven and a half lines long by eight lines
broad.
Upper surface olive-green; under surface the same colour but paler;
behind the ears an oval spot of fine yellow; region of the eyes
blackish; below the eye a narrow stripe of yellow; bill black at the
tip, yellow at the base; legs purplish flesh-colour; irides dark
lead-colour; gape white.
The Plate represents a male and a female of the natural size.
[Illustration:
PTILOTIS SONORUS: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
PTILOTIS SONORUS, _Gould_.
Singing Honey-eater.
_Ptilotis sonorus_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VIII. p. 160.
_Dȍo-rum-dȍo-rum_, Aborigines of the lowland, and
_Gool-b̏o-ort_, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western
Australia.
_Larger Honey-sucker_, Colonists of Swan River.
I have abundant evidence that the range of this species extends across
the entire continent of Australia from east to west; I found it very
numerous on the Namoi and other portions of the interior of New South
Wales, and equally plentiful in a part of the country of a similar
character to the northward of Adelaide, and it is also one of the
commonest birds of the colony of Swan River. It does not, I believe,
extend very far north, at least no examples have as yet been sent from
the northern parts of the country. Moderately-sized trees, particularly
_Casuarinæ_ and _Banksiæ_, thinly scattered over grassy plains and the
crowns and sides of low hills, are its usual coverts, and I have never
found it in the brushes which form so peculiar a feature in New South
Wales, and which are the ordinary abode of several other species of the
genus. In Western Australia it enters the gardens and commits
considerable havoc among the fruit-trees, particularly figs, the seeds
of which appear to be its most favourite food. It also feeds upon
insects, which are principally sought for among the branches; but it
frequently descends and seeks for them and small seeds on the ground,
when it hops around the boles and beneath the branches of the trees in a
most lively manner.
As its name implies, it possesses the power of singing, and for an
Australian bird, and particularly a Honey-eater, in no ordinary degree;
its notes being so full, clear and loud as to be heard at a considerable
distance, and very much resembling those of the Missel Thrush (_Turdus
viscivorus_). In South Australia I heard it in full song in the midst of
winter, when it was one of the shiest birds of the country, and I find
that in the memoranda made at the time I have described its notes as
full, loud and ringing.
It is exceedingly pugnacious in disposition, often fighting severe
battles with the Wattle-Birds (_Anthochæræ_), and other species even
larger than those.
Its flight is undulating and tolerably rapid.
The breeding-season commences in August and terminates in December. The
nest is a frail, round, cup-shaped structure, the materials of which
vary in different situations; those observed by me in New South Wales
being composed of fine dried stalks of annuals thinly lined with fibrous
roots woven together with spiders’ webs, and suspended by the rim to two
or three fine twigs near the centre of the tree; on the other hand,
those observed by Mr. Gilbert in Western Australia were formed of green
grasses, which become white and wiry when dry, matted together with the
hair of kangaroos or opossums, lined with fine grasses and the down of
flowers, and placed in a thick scrubby bush at about three feet from the
ground.
The eggs are usually two, but occasionally three in number, of a light
yellowish buff, thickly freckled with small indistinct reddish brown
marks; or of a nearly uniform fleshy buff without spots or markings, but
of a deeper tint at the larger end; their medium length is eleven lines,
and breadth eight lines.
Crown of the head and all the upper surface greyish olive; wings and
tail brown, margined on their external webs with greenish yellow; lores,
space around the eye and broad line down the sides of the neck black;
ear-coverts pale yellow, behind which is an obscure spot of greyish
white; throat and under surface pale yellowish grey striated with light
brown; irides dark brown; bill black; legs and feet greenish grey.
The female is like the male in colour, but smaller in all her
dimensions.
The Plate represents the two sexes and a nest of the natural size on a
branch of a _Casuarina_.
[Illustration:
PTILOTIS VERSICOLOR: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
PTILOTIS VERSICOLOR, _Gould_.
Varied Honey-eater.
_Ptilotis versicolor_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part X. p. 136.
This fine species, which is a native of the northern portion of
Australia, is only known to me from a specimen contained in a collection
from that part of the country. That its whole habits and economy will
hereafter be found to assimilate most closely to those of the _Ptilotis
sonorus_ is certain, as it is most intimately allied to that species,
but may be readily distinguished from it by its larger size, its much
longer and stouter bill, by the more contrasted character of its
markings, and the sulphur or wax-yellow colour which pervades the breast
and upper surface. It is one of the finest species yet discovered of the
genus to which it belongs, and is at present so rare, that my own
specimen is probably the only one that has been brought to Europe.
All the upper surface brownish olive, tinged with yellowish olive on the
margins of the feathers; outer webs of the primaries and tail
wax-yellow; inner webs brown; under surface of the wing and tail
yellowish buff; stripe over the eye to the back of the neck black;
ear-coverts dark grey; below the ear-coverts a stripe of bright yellow;
throat and under surface yellow, becoming paler as it approaches the
vent, each feather with a stripe of brown down the centre.
The Plate represents the bird in two positions of the natural size.
[Illustration:
PTILOTIS FLAVIGULA: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
PTILOTIS FLAVIGULA, _Gould_.
Yellow-throated Honey-eater.
_Ptilotis flavigula_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VI. p. 24;
and in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part IV.
This fine and conspicuous species of _Ptilotis_ is abundant in all the
ravines round Hobart Town, and is very generally dispersed over the
whole of Van Diemen’s Land, to which island I believe it to be
exclusively confined, for I neither observed it myself nor have I met
with any example in the numerous collections I have received from South
Australia and New South Wales. It is very animated and sprightly in its
disposition, extremely quick in its actions, elegant in its form, and
graceful in all its movements; but as its colouring assimilates in a
remarkable degree with that of the leaves of the trees it frequents, it
is somewhat difficult of detection. When engaged in searching for food
it frequently expands its wings and tail, creeps and clings among the
branches in a variety of beautiful attitudes, and often suspends itself
to the extreme ends of the outermost twigs; it occasionally perches on
the dead branches of the highest trees, but is mostly to be met with in
the dense thickets. It flies in an undulating manner like a Woodpecker,
but this power is rarely exercised.
Its note is a full, loud, powerful and melodious call.
The stomach is muscular, but of a very small size, and the food consists
of bees, wasps and other Hymenoptera, to which are added Coleoptera of
various kinds, and the pollen of flowers.
It is a very early breeder, as proved by my finding a nest containing
two young birds covered with black down and about two days old, on the
28th of September.
The nest of this species, which is generally placed in a low bush,
differs very considerably from those of all the other Honey-eaters with
which I am acquainted, particularly in the character of the material
forming the lining; it is the largest and warmest of the whole, and is
usually formed of ribbons of stringy bark, mixed with grass and the
cocoons of spiders; towards the cavity it is more neatly built, and is
lined internally with opossum or kangaroo fur; in some instances the
hair-like material at the base of the large leafstalks of the tree-fern
is employed for the lining, and in others there is merely a flooring of
wiry grasses and fine twigs. The eggs, which are either two or three in
number, are of the most delicate fleshy buff, rather strongly but thinly
spotted with small, roundish, prominent dots of chestnut-red,
intermingled with which are a few indistinct dots of purplish grey;
their average length is eleven lines, and breadth eight lines.
The only external difference in the sexes is the smaller size of the
female, which is nearly a third less than that of the male.
Lores and cheeks black; crown of the head, ear-coverts, breast and under
surface dark grey, with silvery reflexions; a few of the ear-coverts
tipped with yellow; chin and upper part of the throat rich
gamboge-yellow; all the upper surface, wings and tail rich yellowish
olive, brightest on the margins of the quill- and tail-feathers; inner
webs of the primaries and secondaries dark brown; under surface of the
shoulder and wing gamboge-yellow; abdomen and flanks washed with olive;
bill black; interior of the bill, throat and tongue rich orange; irides
wood-brown; legs and feet brownish lead-colour.
The young birds assume the adult colouring from the time they leave the
nest.
The Plate represents a male and a female of the natural size.
[Illustration:
PTILOTIS LEUCOTIS.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
PTILOTIS LEUCOTIS.
White-eared Honey-eater.
_Turdus leucotis_, Lath. Ind. Orn., p. xliv. No. 26.
_White-eared Honey-eater_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 186. No. 41.
_White-eared Thrush_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Suppl., vol. ii. p. 373.
_Meliphaga leucotis_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p.
314.—Jard. and Selb. Ill. Orn., vol. i. pl. xxxv. fig.
2.—Temm. Man., part i. p. lxxxvii.—Temm. Pl. Col. 435.—Gould
in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part I.
The White-eared Honey-eater enjoys a very wide range of habitat; I found
it in abundance in the belts of the Murray and other parts of South
Australia, and in the brushes near the coast as well as in the open
forests of _Eucalypti_ in New South Wales; it is very common in the
Bargo brush on the road to Argyle, and Mr. Gilbert mentions that he shot
a specimen near York in the interior of Western Australia, but it is
there so rare that he believed the individual he procured was the only
one that had been seen. It is as much an inhabitant of the mountainous
as of the lowland parts of the country, and is always engaged in
creeping and clinging about among the leafy branches of the _Eucalypti_,
particularly those of a low or stunted growth, such as the thick forests
of sapling and dwarf gum-trees growing on Kangaroo Island, one among the
other localities in which it abounds.
Its note is loud, and very much resembles that of the _Ptilotis
penicillata_. The stomach is small and membranous, and the food consists
of insects of various kinds.
I did not succeed in discovering the nest.
The plumage of the upper surface harmonizes beautifully with the tint of
the green leaves, among which it is always disporting.
The sexes are alike in their markings, but they differ considerably in
size, the male being much less than her mate.
Upper surface and abdomen yellowish olive; crown of the head grey,
streaked longitudinally with black; throat and chest black; ear-feathers
pure silvery white; tips of the tail-feathers yellowish white; bill
black; irides greenish grey, with a narrow ring of pale wood-brown; legs
and feet leaden greenish grey.
The figures represent the two sexes of the natural size.
[Illustration:
PTILOTIS AURICOMIS: _Swains._
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
PTILOTIS AURICOMIS.
Yellow-tufted Honey-eater.
_Yellow-tufted Flycatcher_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p.
215.—Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 172.
_Certhia auriculata_, Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 236.
_Muscicapa mystacea_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. li.?
_Mustachoe Honey-eater_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 221?—Ib.
Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 177?
_Muscicapa auricomis_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xlix.—Steph. Cont. of
Shaw’s Gen. Zool., vol. x. p. 354.
_L’Heorotaire à oreilles jaunes_, Vieill. Ois. dor., tom. ii. p. 123.
pl. 85.
_Tufted-eared Honey-eater_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 197.
_Meliphaga auricomis_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p.
313.—Swains. Zool. Ill., vol. i. pl. 43.
By the list of synonyms given above, it will be seen that much doubt
existed in the minds of the earlier writers on ornithology as to the
place this bird should occupy in the natural system; the question was
finally decided by Messrs. Vigors and Horsfield assigning it to its true
station among the _Meliphagidæ_.
It is certainly one of the most beautiful as well as one of the oldest
known species of the genus _Ptilotis_,—a genus, so far as is yet known,
peculiar to Australia and New Guinea, the natural habitat of whose
members is the evergreen _Eucalypti_, _Acaciæ_, &c.; and it is extremely
interesting to observe how closely the plumage of the various groups of
birds assimilates in colour to that of the flowers and leaves of the
trees which they inhabit. I have often watched various species of this
group among the leavey and flowering branches, busily engaged in
gathering honey and insects, when the assimilation of the general tint
of their plumage to the leaves, and their beautiful ornamental
ear-coverts to the flowers, was very remarkable.
The Yellow-tufted Honey-eater is abundant in New South Wales, inhabiting
at one season or other every portion of the country; the brushes near
the coast, the flowering trees of the plains, and those of the sides and
crowns of the highest hills towards the interior being alike tenanted by
it. It is an active, animated species, flitting with a darting flight
from tree to tree; threading the most thickly-leaved branches with a
variety of sprightly actions; clinging beneath as well as traversing the
upper side of the branch, for performing which its structure is
beautifully adapted.
I never succeeded in finding the nest of this species, although, from
its being very abundant on the Liverpool range at the period of the
breeding-season, I can venture to state this to be one of the parts of
the country in which it breeds, and that it evinces a decided partiality
to mountain districts, and hence during great droughts suffers
considerably from want of water; a fact I witnessed many times during my
visit to the mountains during the great drought of 1839: all the gulleys
and water-courses were then exhausted, and the natural beds of the
rivers were as dry as the most arid plains; and the deep clefts and
fissures in the rocks were the only resource for those animals of the
forest to whom water was essential to their existence. To these natural
basins this bird resorted in flocks of countless numbers, arriving in a
famishing state, not only in the morning and evening but at all hours of
the day, dashing down to drink quite regardless of my presence, although
seated within two yards of them.
The female of this species, as is the case with others of the genus, is
smaller than her mate, but exhibits no difference whatever in the
colouring of her plumage.
Crown of the head olive-yellow; throat bright yellow; a black line
commences at the base of the bill, surrounds the eye, and extends over
the ear-coverts; behind the ear springs a lengthened tuft of rich yellow
feathers; upper surface, wings and tail dark brown, with a tinge of
olive; primaries and tail-feathers margined with olive-yellow; chest and
under surface brownish yellow; bill black; irides reddish brown; feet
blackish brown.
The Plate represents a male and a female on a branch of the _Tecoma
Australis_, of the natural size.
[Illustration:
PTILOTIS CRATITIUS: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
PTILOTIS CRATITIUS, _Gould_.
Wattle-cheeked Honey-eater.
_Ptilotis cratitius_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VIII. p. 160.
I first met with this new species of Honey-eater on the 26th of June,
1839, on the ranges near the Upper Torrens in South Australia: it
appeared to be a most pugnacious bird, driving every other species from
the tree upon which it was feeding. I afterwards met with it on Kangaroo
Island and in the Belts of the Murray. In all these situations it
evinced a decided preference for the _Eucalypti_, among the smaller
branches and flowers of which it was busily engaged in extracting pollen
and honey from the flower-cups. The trees in the Belts of the Murray and
on Kangaroo Island are of a dwarf character, while those of the Upper
Torrens are very lofty; yet each appeared to be equally resorted to.
I have never seen this bird from any other parts of Australia than those
I have mentioned; further research may, however, enable us to assign to
it a much greater range of habitat. It is very closely allied to the
_Ptilotis auricomis_, but may at all times be distinguished from that,
as well as from every other known species of the group, by the
lengthened wattle, of a beautiful lilac-colour, which stretches from the
corner of the mouth and extends down the sides of the cheeks; after
death, this wattle, which is but slightly pendulous, becomes dry and
discoloured, so as to be scarcely distinguishable.
Of its nidification no information could be obtained.
The sexes are nearly alike in plumage, and both have the fleshy
appendage on the cheeks, but the female is somewhat smaller than her
mate.
Crown of the head grey; all the upper surface olive-green; wings and
tail brown, margined with greenish yellow; lores, a large space
surrounding the eye and the ear-coverts black, below which is a narrow
line of bright yellow; from the gape, down each side of the throat for
five-eighths of an inch, a naked fleshy appendage, free at the lower
end, of a beautiful lilac-colour and very conspicuous in the living
bird; anterior to this is a tuft of bright yellow feathers; throat and
under surface olive-yellow; irides and eyelash black; bill black; feet
blackish brown tinged with olive.
The Plate represents a male and a female on a branch of the beautiful
_Prostanthera lasianthos_, of the natural size.
[Illustration:
PTILOTIS ORNATUS: _Gould_.
_J. & E. Gould del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
PTILOTIS ORNATUS, _Gould_.
Graceful Ptilotis.
_Ptilotis ornatus_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VI., 1838, p.
24.—Ibid., Syn. Birds of Australia, Part IV.
The first notice of this species of Honey-eater may be found in the
“Proceedings of the Zoological Society for 1838,” as quoted above. The
specimen there characterized was the only one I had then seen, and
formed part of the fine collection of Fort Pitt at Chatham. It was
received from Western Australia, where the species appears to be
plentiful, being common at Swan River, and in all probability over the
whole of the present unknown country between that place and the River
Murray in South Australia, as I found it inhabiting the extensive belts
of dwarf _Eucalypti_ and other singular shrub-like trees which border
the lower part of that river, and this may possibly be the extreme limit
of its range in that direction. It was a source of much gratification to
myself to have unexpectedly found this elegant little bird in the rich
arboretum, which had already supplied me with so many novelties, both
animal and vegetable: among the latter I found the plant figured in the
accompanying Plate (_Pittosporum salicifolium_, R. Brown), not as one to
which the bird gives preference, but upon which it was occasionally
seen; the _Eucalypti_ being the trees to which the birds of this genus
more especially resort, among whose thick leafy branches and blossoms
they may at all times be observed actively engaged in searching for
insects, upon which, and the pollen and saccharine juices of the
flowers, they almost solely subsist. In the Belts of the Murray it was
confined to trees of a dwarf growth, while in the country in the
neighbourhood of Swan River I am informed it is seen on the topmost
branches of the gum- and mahogany-trees, clinging and flitting about the
blossoms, not unfrequently descending to the ground, and hopping about
beneath the branches and near the boles of the larger trees, doubtless
in search of insects.
It has rather a loud ringing and not unpleasing song, which is
constantly poured forth.
The nest is generally suspended from a horizontal forked branch,
frequently in an exposed situation, and is of a neat, small, open,
cup-shaped form, composed of fine vegetable fibres and grasses matted
together with spiders’ webs, and sometimes wool. The eggs are either two
or three in number, of a deep salmon colour, becoming paler at the
smaller end and minutely freckled with reddish brown, particularly at
the larger end; they are nine lines long by seven broad.
The female differs from the male in being somewhat less in size, and
those I collected had the nostrils, eyelash and basal portion of the
bill orange instead of black, as in the male; still I am not fully
satisfied that this orange colouring may not indicate immaturity, and
that the fully adult female may not have these, as in her mate.
Crown of the head, external edge of the wings, rump and tail-feathers
olive; back olive-brown; all the under surface greyish white, each
feather having a longitudinal mark of brown down the centre; under
tail-coverts lighter; on each side of the neck a lengthened tuft of rich
yellow feathers; eye black, surrounded in the male by a narrow black
eyelash except for a third of the space, behind which is yellow; feet
purplish brown; bill black.
The figures are of the natural size.
[Illustration:
PTILOTIS PLUMULUS: _Gould_.
_J. & E. Gould del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
PTILOTIS PLUMULUS, _Gould_.
Plumed Ptilotis.
_Ptilotis plumulus_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., November 10, 1840.
The double tuft of black and yellow feathers situated on the sides of
the neck suggested the name of _plumulus_ for this species, whose range
of habitat appears to be confined to the western portions of Australia,
specimens never having been seen in any of the numerous collections from
the southern or from the north-west coast: had it advanced so far to the
eastward as the Belts of the Murray, in all probability I should have
discovered it, while investigating that region. In size it is rather
less than _Ptilotis ornatus_, and, independently of the accessory black
tuft on the sides of the neck, the breast is of a more delicate and
paler colour, with the feathers much more faintly marked with brown down
the centre. All the specimens I have were collected in the district of
York, about 60 miles eastward of Swan River, where it inhabits the
white-gum forests, resorting to the tops of the highest trees, and is
seldom to be seen on the ground. Its note is much varied, consisting of
a loud shrill shake, somewhat resembling the sportman’s pea-whistle,
continued without intermission for a great length of time. When
disturbed it flits among the branches with a quick darting flight; while
at other times, like the Miners (genus _Myzantha_), it soars from tree
to tree with the most graceful and easy movement.
Its small, elegant, cup-shaped nest is suspended from a slender
horizontal branch, frequently so close to the ground as to be reached by
the hand; it is formed of dried grasses lined with soft cotton-like buds
of flowers. The breeding-season continues from October to January; the
eggs being two in number, ten lines long by seven lines broad, of a pale
salmon colour, with a zone of a deeper tint at the larger end, and the
whole freckled with minute spots of a still darker hue. The stomach is
diminutive and slightly muscular, the food consisting of insects and
honey.
The sexes appear to present no difference in the colour of their
plumage; but the female, as is the case with the other members of the
genus, is considerably smaller than her mate.
Crown of the head and all the upper surface bright olive-yellow,
approaching to grey on the back; lores black; ear-coverts, throat and
under surface pale yellowish grey, faintly striated with a darker tint;
behind the ear two tufts, the upper of which is narrow and black; the
lower, which is more spread over the sides of the neck, of a beautiful
yellow; primaries and tail-feathers brown, margined with bright
olive-yellow; irides very dark reddish brown; bill black; legs and feet
apple-green.
The figures are male and female of the natural size, on one of the
Acacias of Western Australia.
[Illustration:
PTILOTIS FLAVESCENS: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
PTILOTIS FLAVESCENS, _Gould_.
Yellow-tinted Honey-eater.
_Ptilotis flavescens_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VII. p. 144.
The only example of this new species that I have seen is from the north
coast of Australia, where it was procured and subsequently presented to
me by my friend Benjamin Bynoe, Esq., late of Her Majesty’s Surveying
Ship the Beagle. It differs from all the other members of its genus in
the uniform yellow colouring of its plumage, for which reason I have
assigned to it the specific appellation of _flavescens_,—a term
indicative of the colouring by which it may be readily distinguished
from its congeners.
I regret to say that nothing whatever is at present known of its habits
or economy.
Head and all the under surface delicate citron-yellow, the yellow
prevailing over the head; immediately under the ear-coverts a spot of
blackish brown, posterior to which is a spot of bright yellow; the
remainder of the plumage olive-grey.
The figures are of the natural size.
[Illustration:
PTILOTIS FLAVA: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
PTILOTIS FLAVA, _Gould_.
Yellow Honey-eater.
_Ptilotis flava_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part X. p. 136.
This new species may be distinguished from all its congeners by the
uniform colouring of its plumage; it is in fact a most remarkable bird,
inasmuch as I scarcely recollect one similarly coloured in any genus
that has come under my notice. I regret that, as regards the history of
this Honey-eater, its range over the Australian continent, its habits
and economy, all is a perfect blank; a single specimen is all I have at
present seen; this was procured by one of the officers of Her Majesty’s
Ship the Beagle, while employed on the north coast. The names of Captain
Stokes, Lieutenant Emery and Mr. Bynoe have been repeatedly mentioned in
this work, with feelings of personal gratification that their labours
have been useful to science. It now only remains for me to describe the
colours of this bird; having I trust thrown out a sufficient hint to
those who may visit its native country, and may have opportunities of
observing it, that any contributions to its history will be very
desirable.
Head and all the under surface delicate citron-yellow, the yellow
prevailing over the head; immediately under the ear-coverts is a spot of
blackish brown, posterior to which is a patch of bright yellow, the
remainder of the plumage olive-grey.
The Plate represents the bird in two positions of the natural size.
[Illustration:
PTILOTIS PENICILLATUS: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
PTILOTIS PENICILLATUS, _Gould_.
White-plumed Honey-eater.
_Meliphaga penicillata_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part IV. p.
143; and in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part I.
This species, which is rarely met with in New South Wales, is very
abundant in South Australia; I met with it even in the streets and
gardens of Adelaide, where it strongly reminded me of the Sparrow of our
own island; and it doubtless enjoys a wide range over the interior of
the country. From what I observed of its habits, it appears to differ
from the generality of Honey-eaters in the partiality it evinces for the
ground; for although most of its time is spent among the leafy branches
of the gums and wattles, where its movements are characterized by ease
and grace, it is often to be seen hopping about under the trees in
search of insects and seeds, which with the pollen of the flowers of the
_Eucalypti_ and _Acaciæ_ constitute its food.
Its silvery white neck-plumes present a character by which it is at once
distinguished from all other known species. The smaller size of the
female is the only external difference between the sexes, for when fully
adult their markings are precisely alike. Some of the specimens killed
had the bill entirely black, while others had the base of that organ of
a yellowish white, which is doubtless indicative of immaturity.
Its slightly-constructed nest, formed of grasses and wool, is
cup-shaped, and is suspended by the rim, like those of the other
Honey-eaters; I ascertained that the eggs are two in number, but
unfortunately did not succeed in procuring specimens of them.
The figures in the accompanying Plate represent the birds coloured so
closely after nature as to render the following description almost
unnecessary. The beautiful tree upon which they are placed is one of the
numerous Acacias that abound in the interior of the country.
Sides of the face and ear-coverts pale yellow; behind the ear-coverts a
small tuft of white silky feathers; upper surface rich yellowish grey,
the outer edges of the quill- and tail-feathers tinged with a richer
colour; under surface light yellowish brown; bill black; legs purplish
flesh-colour; irides very dark brown.
The figures are of the natural size.
[Illustration:
PTILOTIS FUSCUS: _Gould_.
_J. & E. Gould del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
PTILOTIS FUSCUS, _Gould_.
Fuscous Honey-eater.
_Meliphaga fusca_, Gould in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part II.
_Ptilotis fusca_, Ib., Part IV.
This species of Honey-eater, which is not distinguished by any
brilliancy in its plumage, is abundantly dispersed over the thick
brushes of New South Wales; and in the months of August and September,
when the beautiful _Tecoma_ upon which it is figured is in blossom, it
may be seen flitting about among the thick clusters of the pendent
flowers in search of insects, which are sometimes captured while on the
wing, but more generally extracted from the tubular florets.
I observed nothing remarkable in its economy, or in which it differed
from the other members of the group. Like them it is generally found
among the flowers and the most leafy branches of the trees. I have never
seen it on the plains, nor have I received specimens from any other part
of Australia than New South Wales, where it is to be met with both in
winter and summer.
The sexes are very nearly alike in colouring; in fact, with the
exception of the female being a trifle smaller than her mate, no outward
distinction is visible.
The whole of the upper surface greyish brown with a tinge of olive; a
ring of black feathers surrounds the eye; ear-coverts blackish brown;
behind the ear a small patch of yellow; throat, chest, and under surface
light greyish brown; irides light yellow; eyelash bright yellow; gape
and corners of the mouth yellow; bill dull yellow at the base and black
at the tip; feet fleshy brown.
The Plate represents a male and female of the natural size on the
_Tecoma Australis_.
[Illustration:
PTILOTIS CHRYSOPS.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
PTILOTIS CHRYSOPS.
Yellow-faced Honey-eater.
_Sylvia chrysops_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. liv.—Bonn. et Vieill.
Ency. Méth. Orn., part ii. p. 455.
_Black-cheeked Honey-eater_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p.
248.—Id. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 196.
_Meliphaga chrysops_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p.
315.—Jard. and Selb. Ill. Orn., vol. i. pl. xxxv. fig.
1.—Less. Man. d’Orn., tom. ii. p. 73.
_Yellow-eared Flycatcher_, White’s Voy., pl. in p. 161?
The _Ptilotis chrysops_ may be regarded as one of the commonest species
of Honey-eaters inhabiting the colonies of New South Wales and South
Australia; its distribution over those countries, particularly the
former, being almost universal. On reference to my journal I find that
it was equally abundant in the gardens of Sydney, in the brushes near
the coast, in the district of the Upper Hunter and on the Liverpool
range; and that in South Australia it was quite as numerous in the
mangrove thickets on the coast, as in the interior of the country. No
instance is on record of its occurrence in Van Diemen’s Land, nor can
the colonies of Swan River on the western, or Port Essington on the
northern coast of Australia, claim a place for it in their faunas; its
range, in fact, appearing to be confined to the south-eastern part of
the country. It is very animated and sprightly in its actions, and
during the months of spring and summer is constantly engaged in singing;
its melodious song, which much resembles, but is not so loud as that of
the Song Thrush of Europe, being poured forth while the bird is perched
on the topmost branches of the trees.
A nest found near the Liverpool range in October was very neatly
constructed, rather small in size, round, and open in form, and so thin
that I could see through it; it was suspended to the fine twigs of a
_Casuarina_ at some height from the ground, while another suspended to
the lower branches of a sapling gum was within reach of the hand. They
were outwardly composed of the inner bark of trees, moss, etc., lined
with fine vegetable fibres and grasses. The eggs, which are two and
sometimes three in number, are of a lengthened form, and of a deep
reddish buff, strongly marked at the larger end with deep chestnut-red
and purplish grey; the remainder of the surface ornamented with large
spots and blotches of the same colour, somewhat thinly dispersed; their
medium length is ten lines and a half by seven lines in breadth.
The sexes are so much alike that no visible difference is perceptible,
except in the smaller size of the female.
Crown of the head, back of the neck, all the upper surface, wings and
tail dark brown with a slight tinge of olive; throat and under surface
dark greyish brown, the latter colour predominating on the chest; a fine
line of black runs from the nostrils through the eye; this black line is
bounded below by a stripe of yellow which runs under the eye and over
the ear-coverts, and below this runs another parallel line of black,
which commences at the base of the lower mandible and extends beyond the
line of the ear-coverts; immediately above the eye behind is a small
spot of yellow, and behind the ear-coverts a like spot of white; bill
blackish brown; irides and eyelash dark brown; legs leaden brown.
The Plate represents the two sexes of the natural size.
[Illustration:
PTILOTIS UNICOLOR: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
PTILOTIS UNICOLOR, _Gould_.
Uniform Honey-eater.
_Ptilotis unicolor_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part X. p. 136.
Although I have placed this species in the genus _Ptilotis_, it is more
than probable that it will hereafter be found necessary to constitute it
the type of a distinct form, as on a careful comparison it will be seen
that it differs from the true _Ptiloti_ in some parts of its structure
and in the uniform colouring of its plumage; besides which, its habits
and manners are also somewhat different. It is one of the many species
that rewarded Mr. Gilbert’s researches at Port Essington; where he
states it was seldom met with in the immediate vicinity of the harbour,
but that it gradually increased in number as he approached the narrow
neck of the peninsula and the mainland about Mountnorris Bay. The
situations in which it was usually observed were those adjacent to
swampy thickets, and here it was generally seen in pairs: it appears to
be of a most lively disposition, being always in motion; its actions
much resemble those of the _Tropidorhynchus argenticeps_, with which
bird it often fights severe battles. When among the trees its movements
are very amusing, and its agility in running upon and creeping round the
branches in search of insects is fully equal to that of the _Sittellæ_.
Its flight is very short, feeble and peculiar, rarely extending to a
greater distance than from branch to branch or from tree to tree, and is
performed with a very rapid motion of the wings; the tail being at the
same time much retroverted over the back, gives the bird a most
ludicrous appearance. It emits a great variety of notes and calls;
frequently giving utterance to a loud chattering cry much resembling
that of the _Myzanthæ_, but more often a note so similar to the
well-known chirrup of the common English Sparrow, that it might be
easily mistaken for the note of that bird.
The stomach is diminutive but muscular, and the food consists of honey,
insects of various kinds, seeds and berries.
Lores and orbits deep brown; all the plumage brownish olive; the under
surface paler than the upper; primaries margined with brighter olive
than the other parts of the body; under surface of the shoulder pale
buff; irides obscure red; bill dark olive-brown; naked gape fleshy
white, passing into yellow at the corner of the mouth; legs and feet
light ash-grey.
The Plate represents the bird of the natural size.
[Illustration:
PLECTORHYNCHA LANCEOLATA: _Gould_.
_J. & E. Gould del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
PLECTORHYNCHA LANCEOLATA, _Gould_.
Lanceolate Honey-eater.
_Plectorhyncha lanceolata_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part V. p.
153; and in Syn. of Birds of Australia, Part IV.
The Liverpool Plains and the country immediately to the northward
thereof are, I believe, the only portions of the Australian continent in
which this bird has been seen. I found it rather sparingly dispersed
over the forests bordering the rivers Mokai and Namoi, and it appeared
to increase in number as I descended the latter stream towards the
interior. It was generally observed alone, or in pairs, keeping almost
exclusively to the _Acaciæ_ and _Eucalypti_. Its chief food is the
pollen of flowers and insects, for the procuring of which among the
blossoms, and for constructing its beautiful nest, its pointed
spine-like bill is admirably adapted. I find it stated in my notes taken
on the spot, that this bird possesses the peculiar habit of sitting
motionless among the thickest foliage of the topmost branches of the
highest trees, where it cannot be seen without the closest observation,
although its immediate locality is indicated by its powerful whistling
note; I have also heard these notes uttered by the bird while on the
wing. Upon one occasion only did I discover its nest, which was
suspended from the extreme tip of a branch of a _Casuarina_ overhanging
the stream, and in which the female was sitting, as represented in the
Plate. The nest is outwardly composed of grasses, interwoven with wool
and the cotton-like texture of flowers. The eggs are two in number,
rather lengthened in shape, being eleven and a half lines long by eight
lines broad; they are of a flesh-white, very minutely sprinkled with
reddish buff, forming an indistinct zone at the larger end. So closely
do the sexes resemble each other in colour, that dissection alone will
enable us to distinguish them; the male, however, rather exceeds the
female in size.
The young, of which I killed several specimens in the month of January,
had even at that early age assumed the general markings of the adult;
and from the circumstance of there being fully-fledged young and eggs at
the same time, proves that these birds rear at least two broods in the
season.
Crown of the head, ear-coverts, and back of the neck mottled with black
and white, a longitudinal mark of black running down the centre of each
feather; throat and under surface greyish white, the stem of each
feather, which ends lanceolate, pure white; back, wings and tail light
brown; irides brown; bill dark bluish horn-colour; legs and feet light
blue.
The figures are those of a male and a female, and a nest, of the natural
size.
[Illustration:
ZANTHOMYZA PHRYGIA: _Swains._
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
ZANTHOMYZA PHRYGIA, _Swains._
Warty-faced Honey-eater.
_Merops Phrygius_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xxxiv.—Shaw, Zool. of New
Holl., p. 13. pl. 4,—Vieill. 2nde édit. du Nouv. d’Hist.
Nat., tom. xxvii. p. 428.
_Philedon_, Temm. Men., 2nde édit., tom. i. p. lxxxvii.
_Warty-faced Honey-eater_, Lewin, Birds of New Holl., pl. 14.
_Black and Yellow Bee-eater_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 154.
_Black and Yellow Honey-eater_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 165.
_Embroidered Bee-eater_, Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 167. pl. 20.
_Philemon Phrygius_, Vieill. Ency. Méth., Part II. p. 617.
_Le Merle écaillé_, Le Vaill. Ois. d’Afr., tom. iii. pl. 116.
_Meliphaga Phrygia_, Lewin, Birds of New Holl., p. 13. pl. 4.—G. R.
Gray, Gen. of Birds, 2nd Edit., p. 20.
_Anthochæra Phrygia_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p.
322.
_Zanthomiza Phrygia_, Swains. Class. of Birds, vol. ii. p. 326.
_Mock Regent Bird_, Colonists of New South Wales.
This is not only one of the handsomest of the Honey-eaters, but is also
one of the most beautiful birds inhabiting Australia, the strongly
contrasted tints of its black and yellow plumage rendering it a most
conspicuous and pleasing object, particularly during flight. It is a
stationary species, and enjoys a range extending from South Australia to
New South Wales; I also met with it in the interior nearly as far north
as the latitude of Moreton Bay. Although it is very generally
distributed, its presence appears to be dependent upon the state of the
_Eucalypti_, upon whose blossoms it mainly depends for subsistence; it
is consequently only to be found in any particular locality during the
season that those trees are in full bloom. It generally resorts to the
loftiest and most fully-flowered tree, where it frequently reigns
supreme, buffeting and driving every other bird away from its immediate
neighbourhood; it is, in fact, the most pugnacious bird I ever saw,
evincing particular hostility to the smaller _Meliphagidæ_, and even to
others of its own species that may venture to approach the trees upon
which two or three have taken their station. While at Adelaide in South
Australia I observed two pairs that had possessed themselves of one of
the high trees that had been left standing in the middle of the city,
which tree during the whole period of my stay they kept sole possession
of, sallying forth and beating off every bird that came near. I met with
it in great abundance among the brushes of New South Wales, and also
found it breeding in the low apple-tree flats of the Upper Hunter. I
have occasionally seen flocks of from fifty to a hundred in number,
passing from tree to tree as if engaged in a partial migration from one
part of the country to another, probably in search of a more abundant
supply of food.
Its note is a peculiar loud whistle, not entirely devoid of harmony.
The nest, which is usually constructed on the overhanging branch of a
_Eucalyptus_, is round, cup-shaped, about five inches in diameter,
composed of fine grasses, and lined with a little wool and hair. The
eggs are two in number, of a deep yellowish buff, marked all over with
indistinct spots and irregular blotches of chestnut-red and dull
purplish grey, particularly at the larger end, where they frequently
form a zone; they are eleven lines long by eight lines and a half broad.
The stomachs and intestines of those specimens that I killed and
dissected among the brushes of the Hunter were entirely filled with
liquid honey only; insects, however, doubtless form a considerable
portion of their diet.
The sexes are nearly alike in colouring, but the female is much smaller
than the male, and the young are destitute of the warty excrescences on
the face, that part being partially clothed with feathers.
Head, neck, upper part of the back, chin and chest black; scapularies
black, broadly margined with pale yellow; lower part of the back black,
margined with yellowish white; upper tail-coverts like the scapularies;
wings black, the coverts margined with yellow; spurious wing yellow;
primaries black, with an oblong stripe of yellow occupying the margin of
the outer and a portion of the inner web next the quill, which is black;
secondaries black, broadly margined on the outer web with yellow; under
surface black, with an arrow-shaped mark of yellowish white near the
extremity of each feather; two centre tail-feathers black, slightly
tipped with yellow; the remainder black at the base, and yellow for the
remainder of their length, the black decreasing and the yellow
increasing as the feathers recede from the two central ones; irides
reddish brown; bill black; feet blackish brown; warty excrescences
covering the face dirty yellowish white.
The figures represent two males, a female, and the nest of the natural
size.
[Illustration:
MELICOPHILA PICATA: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
MELICOPHILA PICATA, _Gould_.
Pied Honey-eater.
_Melicophila picata_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., April 9, 1844.
The accompanying illustration represents an entirely new species of
Honey-eater, differing both in form and in colouring from every other at
present known; in the pied style of its plumage it so strongly resembles
the _Petroica bicolor_, that it might be easily mistaken for that bird;
its structural difference is, however, so apparent on comparison that no
doubt can for a moment be entertained as to its proper situation in the
‘Systema Avium.’ Its flight is also very different from that of the
_Petroica bicolor_. Like many other of the Honey-eaters, its actions
when on the wing are extremely varied, and some of them exceedingly
graceful; it frequently ascends in a perpendicular direction to a
considerable height above the trees with its tail very much spread, when
the contrast presented by its black and white plumage renders it a
conspicuous and pleasing object. It is at all times exceedingly shy, and
invariably perches on the top of an isolated bush or dead branch. It
usually utters a peculiar plaintive note, slowly repeated several times
in succession; it also emits a single note, which so closely resembles
that of the _Myzomela nigra_, as to be easily mistaken for it. It is at
all times extremely difficult of approach, particularly the female,
which, if possible, is even more shy and wary than her mate. Mr. Gilbert
mentions, that unlike the other members of the family, this species
assembles in vast flocks, which continue soaring about during the
greater portion of the day. It is a periodical visitant to Western
Australia, where it arrives simultaneously with the _Artamus personatus_
and _Melopsittacus undulatus_ in the latter part of October.
Specimens of this bird have been forwarded to me from South Australia by
my excellent friend George Grey, Esq., Governor of that province, and
from Swan River by Mr. Gilbert; they reached me simultaneously, the
latter fortunately in good order, the former sadly mutilated “by a cat,”
writes His Excellency, “which got into the room and ate the heads off
the male and female of this entirely new bird, of which I have no other,
and which I had ridden fifty miles to procure.” One of Mr. Gilbert’s
specimens had been given to him by Mr. Lock Burgess, to which gentleman
I am also indebted for several other rare species kindly presented by
him to Mr. Gilbert for me, whereby the interest and value of this work
is much enhanced.
I regret to say that nothing more than is stated above is present at
known respecting it.
The male has the head, throat, sides of the chest, back, wings, inner
webs of the upper tail-coverts, two centre and the tips of the remaining
tail-feathers black; the wing-coverts, the base and the margins of both
webs of the secondaries, the rump, outer webs of the upper tail-coverts,
the under surface and the lateral tail-feathers for three-fourths of
their length pure white; irides reddish brown; bill bluish grey,
becoming black on the culmen near the tip; naked skin beneath the eye
ash-grey; legs and feet greenish grey.
The female is light brown, each feather being darkest in the centre;
wings and tail dark brown, the former margined with huffy white; under
surface buffy white, with a small streak of black near the tip of each
feather.
The figures represent a male and a female of the natural size.
[Illustration:
ENTOMOPHILA PICTA: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
ENTOMOPHILA PICTA, _Gould_.
Painted Honey-eater.
_Entomophila picta_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part V. p. 154.
This beautiful little Honey-eater is strictly peculiar to the interior
of New South Wales, where it inhabits the myalls (_Acacia pendula_), and
other trees bordering the extensive plains of that part of Australia. On
a comparison of skins of this species with those of the other
_Meliphagidæ_ prior to my visit to the country, I had been led to
suspect that the actions and economy of the Painted Honey-eater would be
found to differ materially from those of the other members of its
family, and such proved to be the case, for it is much more active among
the branches, captures insects on the wing, and darts forth and returns
to the same spot much after the manner of the Flycatchers. Its song is a
loud but not very harmonious strain, which is frequently uttered when on
the wing. I have generally met with it in pairs, flying and chasing each
other from top to top of the most lofty trees. During flight they
repeatedly spread their tails, when the white portion of the feathers
shows very conspicuously; the yellow colouring of the wing also
contributes to the beauty of their appearance, which somewhat resembles
that of the Goldfinch. I found the nest of this bird with two nearly
fledged young on the fifth of September; the nest was the frailest
structure possible, round, of small size, most ingeniously suspended by
the rim to the thick drooping leaves of the _Acacia pendula_, and
entirely composed of very fine fibrous roots. The female is much less
brilliant than the male, but does not differ in the distribution of the
markings.
I have never seen this bird from any other part of Australia than that
above-mentioned, nor in any other collection than my own.
Head, cheeks, and all the upper surface black, the posterior edges of
the ear-coverts tipped with white; wings black, the outer edges of the
primaries and secondaries rich yellow at their base, forming a
conspicuous broad mark on the wing; tail black, margined externally with
rich yellow, each feather except the two centre ones more or less
largely tipped on the internal web with white; throat and all the under
surface white, the flanks having a few longitudinal faint spots of
brown; bill soft and pulpy, and of a deep pink red; irides hazel;
eyelash darker hazel; feet purplish lead-colour.
The figures represent the two sexes and the nest of the natural size.
[Illustration:
ENTOMOPHILA ALBOGULARIS: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
ENTOMOPHILA ALBOGULARIS, _Gould_.
White-throated Honey-eater.
_Entomophila? albogularis_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part X. p.
137.
_Me-lȕd-be-re_, Aborigines of Port Essington.
This new species is a native of the northern portion of Australia. “I
first met with it,” says Mr. Gilbert, “on Mayday Island in Van Diemen’s
Gulf, where it appeared to be tolerably abundant; I afterwards found it
to be equally numerous in a large inland mangrove swamp near Point
Smith. It is an extremely active little bird, constantly flitting from
branch to branch and taking irregular flights, during which it utters
its pretty Goldfinch-like song; it also pours forth its agreeable melody
for a length of time without intermission while sitting on the topmost
branches of the trees. I never observed it in any other than swampy
situations, or among the mangroves bordering the deep bays and creeks of
the harbours; small breaks in the mangroves formed by little coves or
bays having a narrow entrance, and thus secluded from the effects of
every wind, are the situations it chooses for the purpose of rearing its
young. Its small pensile nest is suspended from the extremity of a weak
projecting branch in such a manner that it hangs over and at about two
feet from the water, the bird always selecting a branch bearing a
sufficient number of leaves to protect the entrance, which is invariably
at the top; in form the nest is deep and cup-like, and is composed of
narrow strips of the soft paper-like bark of the _Melaleucæ_, matted
together with small vegetable fibres, with which also the nest is firmly
bound to the branch; the inside is slightly lined with soft grass. The
eggs appear to vary from two to three in number, as I found a nest in
the latter part of November and another in the early part of December
which contained three in each, while a third procured towards the end of
January had only two; they are rather lengthened in form, and not very
unlike those of _Malurus cyaneus_ in the colour and disposition of their
markings; their ground colour being white, thinly freckled all over with
bright chestnut-red, particularly at the larger end; they are nine lines
long and six lines broad. During the breeding-season it exhibits
considerable pugnacity of disposition, and instead of its usual pretty
note, utters a chattering and vociferous squeaking; at other times it is
rather familiar and may be easily approached.
“The stomach was very small, but tolerably muscular, and its food
consisted of insects generally.”
Head dark grey; all the upper surface brown; wings and tail darker
brown; primaries, secondaries and basal half of the tail-feathers
margined with wax-yellow; throat pure white; chest and flanks reddish
buff; centre of the abdomen and under tail-coverts white; irides bright
reddish brown; bill blackish grey; feet bluish grey.
The figures are those of the two sexes, and the nest of the natural
size.
[Illustration:
ENTOMOPHILA? RUFOGULARIS: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
ENTOMOPHILA RUFOGULARIS, _Gould_.
Red-throated Honey-eater.
_Entomophila rufogularis_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part X. p.
137.
This is another of the novelties that has rewarded the researches of the
Officers of H.M.S. Beagle on the northern coast of Australia; the
specimens from which my figures were taken were transmitted to me by my
friend Benjamin Bynoe, Esq., of that vessel.
The _Entomophila rufogularis_ is the least of the genus yet discovered,
and is more nearly allied to _E. albogularis_ than to _E. picta_, from
both of which it may at once be distinguished by the red colouring of
its throat. The sexes, judging from the specimens sent me by Mr. Bynoe,
are very similar in their markings.
Nothing whatever is known of its habits and economy.
Head and all the upper surface brown; wings and tail darker brown;
primaries, secondaries and tail-feathers margined externally with
wax-yellow; throat rust-red; sides of the head and all the under surface
very pale brown; bill and feet dark purplish brown.
The figures are those of the natural size.
[Illustration:
ACANTHOGENYS RUFOGULARIS: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
ACANTHOGENYS RUFOGULARIS, _Gould_.
Spiny-cheeked Honey-eater.
_Acanthogenys rufogularis_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part V. p.
153; and in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part IV.
Numerous and diversified as are the forms of the great family of the
_Meliphagidæ_, the present species has always appeared to me more than
usually interesting, because in the first place few are more elegantly
formed, and in the second it differs widely from all others in plumage,
and in the singular spiny processes which adorn its cheeks and
ear-coverts. In its habits and general economy it bears a close alliance
to the Wattle-birds (_Anthochæræ_), but still presents in these respects
sufficient differences to warrant its separation into a distinct genus
or subgenus, as naturalists may think fit to designate the division.
The Spiny-cheeked Honey-eater ranges very widely over the interior of
Australia. I observed it to be very numerous on the Lower Namoi to the
northward of the Liverpool Plains in New South Wales. It was the
commonest species of Honey-eater I encountered in the interior of South
Australia; and I have also received a pair of this or a closely allied
species from the interior of Western Australia; as, however, some
difference exists between these latter and the birds from New South
Wales, I refrain, until I have seen other examples, from stating that it
goes so far to the westward as the Swan River Settlement. It is not at
all improbable that there may be two or more species of this singular
form. Like the Brush Wattle-bird it is rather a shy species, but its
presence may at all times be detected by the loud hollow whistling note
which it frequently utters while on the wing, or while passing with a
darting diving flight from tree to tree. It appears to give a decided
preference to the Banksia and other trees growing upon sandy soil; its
presence therefore is a certain indication of the poverty of the land in
the immediate neighbourhood. It is very active among the trees, clinging
and creeping about with the greatest ease and elegance of position,
passing its brush-like tongue over the flowers of the Banksias as well
as inserting it into the interstices for lurking insects, upon which,
like all the other Honey-eaters, it partially subsists.
The nest, which is a round, rather deep, cup-shaped structure, is
suspended from a fine branch of a low tree, and is composed of long wiry
grasses, and now that the sheep is a denizen of the country, matted
together both internally and externally with wool. The eggs are three in
number, of a dull olive-buff, strongly dotted with deep chestnut-brown
and bluish grey, the markings being most numerous at the larger end.
Their average length is one inch, and breadth nine lines.
The sexes are so much alike, that, with the exception of the female
being slightly inferior to her mate in size, no difference is
perceptible.
Crown of the head, back and wings dusky brown, each feather margined
with pale brown; upper tail-coverts with each feather dusky brown in the
centre; stripe behind the eye and on the sides of the neck black, above
which on the side of the neck another line of whitish mingled with
dusky; hairs on the cheeks white; below the lower mandible a line of
feathers, which are white crossed by black lines; throat and fore-part
of the chest pale rufous; under surface dirty white, each feather
striated with dusky brown; tail blackish brown, tipped with white; bare
part of the face and base of the bill soft, pulpy, and of a pinky
flesh-colour; irides bluish lead-colour; feet olive.
The Plate represents a male and female on a branch of one of the
Banksias, all of the natural size.
[Illustration:
ANTHOCHÆRA INAURIS.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
ANTHOCHÆRA INAURIS.
Wattled Honey-eater.
_Anthochæra carunculata_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p.
321.—Gould, Syn. Birds of Australia, Part I.
_Creadion carunculatus_, Vieill. Gal. des Ois., tom. i. pl. 94.
_Wattle Bird_ of the Colonists of Van Diemen’s Land.
By nearly every author who has had occasion to mention or refer to this
species, it has been confounded with the bird originally described by
Latham under the name of _Merops carunculatus_, which bird is strictly
confined to New South Wales and South Australia, while that here figured
is I believe exclusively an inhabitant of Van Diemen’s Land; hence it
becomes necessary to give the latter a new specific appellation, and I
have selected that of _inauris_ as indicative of the peculiar feature by
which it is distinguished, namely the great length of the pendulous
ear-drops. The vast primæval forests of _Eucalypti_ clothing the greater
portion of Van Diemen’s Land, whose recesses in many parts have never
yet been trodden, afford it an asylum not only where food is abundant,
but where it is safe from the attack of man; from these retreats however
it frequently emerges, and visits the flowering _Eucalypti_ of the more
open forest in the Upper Derwent districts, where forty or fifty
individuals may be frequently seen on a single tree. Even in the
vicinity of Hobart Town and the islands of South Arm and Bruni it may be
observed, but in far less numbers, at all seasons of the year. The
neighbourhood of the Macquarrie Plains is a locality particularly
favourable to this bird, where hundreds are annually shot and sent to
the markets of Hobart Town for the purposes of the table. It exhibits
but little shyness of disposition, and almost any number may be obtained
without much trouble. It is highly prized as an article of food, and in
winter becomes so excessively fat as to exceed in this respect any bird
I ever saw, the entire body and neck, both internally and externally,
being completely enveloped. I have been informed that a large tea-cupful
of oil may be procured from two of these birds, and that as it gives a
better light, it is sometimes used in lieu of candles; after the
breeding-season it becomes thin and spare, the male then weighing on an
average only six ounces. This bird feeds almost exclusively on honey and
the pollen of the _Eucalypti_; the only other food detected in its very
diminutive stomach being the remains of coleopterous insects. Its whole
structure is admirably adapted for procuring this kind of food; its long
tongue, with its brush-like tip, being protruded at will into the
honey-cups of the newly opened flowers, a succession of which appears
with every rising sun throughout the year, upon one or other of the
numerous species of _Eucalypti_.
The same restless disposition appears to be common to all the tribe of
Honey-eaters, and this bird is as active and quick in its movements as
the smallest of the genus, hanging and clinging to the branches in every
possible variety of position; and when thirty or forty are seen on a
single tree, they present a very animated appearance. Its flight, which
seldom extends farther than from tree to tree, is very similar to that
of the Magpie of Europe. Its note is a harsh and disagreeable scream,
resembling in loudness and somewhat in tone the call of the Pheasant; by
some persons it has been compared to the sound produced by the retching
or vomiting of man. Both sexes have the wattled appendages beneath the
ear, but they are less developed in the female, whose size is also
smaller than that of her mate.
Although I found several of the nests of this species in various parts
of the colony, I failed in procuring the eggs, which are still
desiderata to my cabinet. The nests were moderately large cup-shaped
structures, formed of fine twigs and grasses intermingled with wool, and
were usually built on some low tree, such as the _Casuarina_ or
_Acacia_.
Crown of the head and back of the neck striped with black and grey, the
centre of each feather being black, and its external edges grey; back
and shoulders dusky brown, the shaft of each feather buffy white; wings
deep blackish brown, the external margins of the primaries slightly, and
the secondaries broadly fringed with grey; tips of all the primaries
white; tail much graduated; the upper tail-coverts and two middle
tail-feathers grey, the remainder blackish brown, and the whole tipped
with white; chin and under tail-coverts white; throat, breast and flanks
grey, each feather having a central mark of blackish brown, which is
much enlarged on the lower part of the breast; centre of the abdomen
rich yellow; bill black; corner of the mouth yellow; irides very dark
brownish black; feet light flesh-colour; claws black; bare skin round
the ear, and the upper part of the long pendulous wattle which hangs
from below the ear white, gradually deepening into rich orange at its
extremity.
The Plate represents the two sexes of the natural size.
[Illustration:
ANTHOCHÆRA CARUNCULATA.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
ANTHOCHÆRA CARUNCULATA.
Wattled Honey-eater.
_Merops carunculatus_, Lath. Ind. Orn., vol. i. p. 276.
_Corvus paradoxus_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. 26.
—— _carunculatus_, Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. vii. p. 378.
_Pie à pendeloques_, Daud. Orn., tom. ii. p. 246. pl. 16.
_Wattled Crow_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 119.
_Wattled Bee-eater_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 150.—Phil.
Bot. Bay, pl. in p. 164.—White’s Journ., pl. in p.
144.—Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 173.—Lath. Gen. Hist.,
vol. iv. p. 158.
_Anthochæra Lewinii_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p.
322, note.—Gould in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part I.—Swains.
Class. of Birds, vol. ii. p. 326.—G. R. Gray, List of Gen.
of Birds, 2nd edit., p. 20.
_Djung-gung_, Aborigines of Western Australia.
_Wattle Bird_ of the Colonists.
This, the true _Merops carunculatus_ of the older writers, enjoys an
unusually wide range of habitat, extending as it does over the whole of
the southern portion of the continent, being equally as abundant in
Southern and Western Australia as in New South Wales; how far it may
extend to the northward has not yet been ascertained; it does not
inhabit Van Diemen’s Land. I observed it to be very numerous in all the
high gum-trees around Adelaide, in most parts of the interior, and in
all the apple-tree flats and forests of _Eucalypti_ of New South Wales.
Mr. Gilbert’s notes inform me that he met with it in all parts of
Western Australia, but that it was most abundant among the Banksias in
the York district. It is a showy active bird, constantly engaged in
flying from tree to tree and searching among the flowers for its food,
which consists of honey, insects, and occasionally berries. In
disposition it is generally shy and wary, but at times is confident and
bold: it is usually seen in pairs, and the males are very pugnacious.
Its habits and manners, in fact, closely resemble those of the _A.
inauris_, and like that bird, it utters with distended throat a harsh
disagreeable note.
Its flight is slow and uneven, and rarely extends to any great distance.
It breeds in September and October. The nests observed by myself in the
Upper Hunter district were placed on the horizontal branches of the
_Angophoræ_, and were of a large rounded form, composed of small sticks
and lined with fine grasses; those found by Mr. Gilbert in Western
Australia were formed of dried sticks, without any kind of lining, and
were placed in the open bushes. The eggs are two or three in number, one
inch and three lines long by ten lines and a half broad; their ground
colour is reddish buff, very thickly dotted with distinct markings of
deep chestnut and umber and reddish brown, interspersed with a number of
indistinct marks of blackish grey, which appear as if beneath the
surface of the shell: eggs taken in New South Wales are somewhat larger
than those from Western Australia, and have markings of a blotched
rather than of a dotted form, and principally at the larger end.
The sexes are only distinguishable by the smaller size of the female.
Crown of the head, a line running from the base of the bill beneath the
eye and the ear-coverts blackish brown; space under the eye silvery
white, bounded behind by an oblong naked flesh-coloured spot, below
which is a short pendulous wattle of a pinky blood-red colour; back of
the neck and all the upper surface greyish brown, each feather having a
stripe of white down the centre; upper tail-coverts greyish brown,
broadly margined with grey; primaries and secondaries deep blackish
brown, the former slightly and the latter broadly edged with grey; all
the primaries tipped with white; two middle tail-feathers greyish brown,
the remainder deep blackish brown, the whole largely tipped with white;
throat, breast and flanks grey, the centre of each feather being
lighter; middle of the abdomen yellow; irides bright hazel-red; legs
brownish flesh-colour; inside of the mouth yellow.
The figure is of the natural size.
[Illustration:
ANTHOCHÆRA MELLIVORA: _Vig. & Horsf._
_J. & E. Gould del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
ANTHOCHÆRA MELLIVORA, _Vig. & Horsf._
Brush Wattle-Bird.
_Certhia mellivora_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xxxvii.
_Le Goruck_, Vieill. Ois. Dor., tom. ii. p. 126. pl. 88.
_Goruck Creeper_, Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 243.
_Mellivorous Creeper_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 166.
_Wattled Honey-eater_, var. C. Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 159.
_Merops chrysopterus_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xxxiii.
_Golden-winged Bee-eater_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p.
153.—Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 180.
_Golden-winged Honey-eater_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 160.
_Mellivorous Honey-eater_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 161.
_Anthochæra mellivora_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p.
321.—Gould, Syn. Birds of Australia, Part I.
_Goo-gwar-ruck_, Aborigines of the coast of New South Wales.
The student of nature cannot fail to observe that particular forms, both
of birds and insects, are peculiarly and especially destined to inhabit
certain districts, trees, and plants, and in no instance is this law
more strikingly apparent than in the case of the Brush Wattle-bird,
which so constantly resorts to the Banksias, that its presence may
always be with certainty looked for wherever these trees may be found;
indeed I do not remember ever having seen a group of them without having
also seen or heard their sure accompaniment, the Wattle-bird; but I must
remark, that I have occasionally observed the latter among the
Leptospermums and other low shrubs of the swampy grounds. Neither of
these trees, it is well known, are to be found on good land; the
garrulous note of this species might, therefore, be taken by the settler
as a sure indication of the sterile and unprofitable nature of the soil.
It is indigenous to Van Diemen’s Land, New South Wales, and South
Australia; and in all these countries may be found in such situations as
are favourable to the growth of its favourite trees. In the former
country it is especially abundant on the banks of the Tamar, and in the
belts of Banksias that stretch along the northern shores of that island.
Among the places in which it is most numerous on the continent, are near
the Port of Adelaide in South Australia; and Illawarra, Newcastle, and
Sydney, in New South Wales. The Botanic Garden at the latter place,
although in the midst of a populous city, is visited by great numbers of
this bird, and I may mention that two of their nests with eggs, forming
part of my collection, were taken from the shrubs growing on the borders
of this place of public resort. It is but sparingly dispersed in the
interior of New South Wales and South Australia: how far its range may
extend to the westward of Spencer’s Gulf I have had no means of
ascertaining: I have never yet received it from Swan River or any part
of the western coast, its place being there supplied by an intimately
allied species, the _Anthochæra lunulata_.
The Brush Wattle-bird is a bold and spirited species, evincing a
considerable degree of pugnacity, fearlessly attacking and driving away
all other birds from the part of the tree on which it is feeding; and
there are few of the Honey-eaters whose actions are more sprightly and
animated. During the months of spring and summer the male perches on
some elevated branch and screams forth its harsh and peculiar notes,
which have not unaptly been said to resemble a person in the act of
vomiting, whence the native name of _Goo-gwar-ruck_, in which the
natives have endeavoured to imitate this very singular note. While thus
employed it frequently jerks up its tail, throws back its head, and
distends its throat, as if great exertion was required to force out
these harsh and guttural sounds.
The Banksias are in blossom during a great portion of the year, and each
flower as it expands is diligently examined by the Wattle-bird, which
inserts its long feathery tongue into the interstices of every part of
the flower, extracting the pollen and insects, in searching for which it
clings and hangs about the flowers in every variety of position.
The breeding-season commences in September and continues during the
three following months. The nest is round, open, and rather small in
size, generally placed in the fork of a small branch often within a few
feet of the ground, and formed of fine twigs lined with fibrous roots.
The eggs are two and sometimes three in number, of a beautiful salmon
colour, strongly blotched at the larger end, and here and there over the
remainder of the surface with deep chestnut-brown; thirteen lines long
by nine lines broad.
The sexes are only to be distinguished from each other by the smaller
size of the female; and the young from the nest has all the marks of the
adult, but much less apparent.
All the upper surface dark brown, each feather marked down the centre
with a minute line of white; primaries chestnut-brown on the inner webs
for three parts of their length from the base; outer webs and remainder
of the inner brown tipped with white; secondaries, wings, and
tail-coverts greyish brown tipped with white; tail brown, tinged with
olive, and all the feathers tipped with white; feathers of the throat
and chest blackish brown at the base and white at the tip; feathers of
the under surface the same as the upper, but with the white mark broader
and more conspicuous; bill black; irides grey; feet vinous brown.
The Plate represents a male and a female on a branch of the _Banksia
serrata_, all of the natural size.
[Illustration:
ANTHOCHÆRA LUNULATA: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
ANTHOCHÆRA LUNULATA, _Gould_.
Lunulated Wattle-Bird.
_Anthochæra lunulata_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., part v. p. 153;
and in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part IV.
_Dj̏ung-gung_, Aborigines of the lowland, and
_Tur-dal-l_, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western
Australia.
_Little Wattle-Bird_, Colonists of Swan River.
This species is very nearly allied to the _Anthochæra mellivora_, but
differs from that bird in the greater length of its bill, in the entire
absence of the striæ down the head and the back of the neck, and in the
possession of a lunulate mark of white on either side of the neck. Its
natural habitat is Western Australia, where it generally frequents the
Banksias bordering rivers and lakes, and in fact all situations similar
to those resorted to by its near ally: it is to be found in every part
of the colony, but appears to be more abundant in the neighbourhood of
Swan River and the lakes in its vicinity than elsewhere. In its habits
it is very solitary and shy, and is moreover very pugnacious, attacking
every bird, both large and small, that approaches its domicile.
Its flight is rapid and uneven, and its general note is a discordant
cackling sound, resembling an attempt to sing, of the most disagreeable
description.
A remarkable circumstance connected with the incubation of this bird is,
that it appears to lay but a single egg, and it moreover appears to have
no regular time of breeding, its nest being found in abundance from
August to November. It is rather small in size, and is deposited in the
fork of a perpendicular growing branch: the tree most generally chosen
is that called by the colonists of Swan River the stink-wood, but it has
been found in the parasitic clump of a Banksia, and also in a small
scrubby bush two or three feet from the ground; but it is more
frequently constructed at a height of at least eight or twelve. It is
formed of dried sticks, and lined with Zamia wool, soft grasses or
flowers, and sometimes with sheep’s wool. The egg is rather lengthened
in form, being one inch and two lines long by nine and a half lines
broad; its ground colour is a full reddish buff, thinly spotted and
marked with deep chestnut-brown and chestnut-red, some of the spots and
markings appearing as if beneath the surface of the shell, and being
most thickly disposed near the larger end.
The stomach, which is slightly muscular, is diminutive in size, and the
food consists of honey and insects of various kinds, with which the
young when hatched are also fed by the parent birds.
The female is considerably smaller than her mate, but does not differ in
the colouring of her plumage.
Crown of the head, back of the neck, and upper part of the back
olive-brown, the feathers being darkest in the middle; lower part of the
back and rump olive-brown, each feather having a line of white down the
stem, dilated into a spot at the extremity; upper tail-coverts
olive-brown, with a crescent-shaped mark of white at the tip; primaries
brown, the inner webs for nearly their whole length deep chestnut;
secondaries and tertiaries brown margined with grey; two middle
tail-feathers greyish brown, very slightly tipped with white, the
remainder dark brown largely tipped with white; feathers of the sides of
the neck long, narrow, pointed, and of a silvery grey; throat and
fore-part of the neck greyish brown, with a round silvery grey spot at
the extremity of each feather; feathers of the chest and under surface
greyish brown, with a fine line of white down the centre, dilated into
an oblong spot at the extremity, the white predominating on the hinder
part of the abdomen and under tail-coverts; on each side of the chest,
an oblique mark of pure white; irides bright hazel; bill blackish brown;
feet and legs yellowish grey, the former the darkest and with a tinge of
olive.
The figures are of the natural size.
[Illustration:
TROPIDORHYNCHUS CORNICULATUS: _Vig. & Horsf._
_J. & E. Gould del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
TROPIDORHYNCHUS CORNICULATUS, _Vig. & Horsf._
Friar-Bird.
_Merops corniculatus_, Lath. Ind. Orn., vol. i. p. 276.
_Corbi calao_, Le Vaill. Ois. d’Am. et des Indes, tom. i. p. 69. pl.
24.
_Knob-fronted Honey-eater_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 161.
_Knob-fronted Bee-eater_, Ib. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 151.—Shaw,
Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 183.
_Tropidorhynchus corniculatus_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol.
xv. p. 324.—Jard. and Selb. Ill. Orn., vol. iii. pl.
133.—Gould, Syn. Birds of Australia, Part I.
_Merops monachus_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xxxiv, young.
_Cowled Bee-eater_, Ib. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 155.—Shaw, Gen.
Zool., vol. viii. p. 166, young.
_Cowled Honey-eater_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 162, young.
_Knob-fronted Bee-eater_, White’s Voy., pl. in p. 190, young.
_Tropidorhynchus monachus_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv.
p. 324, young.
_Coldong_, Aborigines of New South Wales.
_Friar, Poor Soldier, &c._, of the Colonists.
There are few birds more familiarly known in the colony of New South
Wales than this remarkable species of Honey-eater: it is generally
dispersed over the face of the country, both in the thick brushes near
the coast and in the more open forests of the interior. I also observed
it tolerably abundant on the banks of the Peel, but could not fail to
observe that its numbers diminished as I descended the Namoi, on the
lower parts of which river it is, I believe, rarely if ever seen, its
place there being supplied by the yellow-throated species,
_Tropidorhynchus citreogularis_. My own observations induce me to
consider it as a summer visitant only to New South Wales; but as a
lengthened residence in the country would be necessary to determine this
point, my limited stay may have led me into error. It has never yet been
known to visit Van Diemen’s Land, neither have I traced it so far to the
westward as South Australia.
The Friar-Bird, selecting the topmost dead branch of the most lofty
trees whereon to perch and pour forth its garrulous and singular notes,
attracts attention more by its loud and extraordinary call than by its
appearance. From the fancied resemblance of its notes to those words, it
has obtained from the Colonists the various names of “Poor Soldier,”
“Pimlico,” “Four o’clock,” etc. Its bare head and neck have also
suggested the names of “Friar-Bird,” “Monk,” “Leather Head,” etc.
Its flight is undulating and powerful, and it may frequently be seen
passing over the tops of the trees from one part of the forest to
another. While among the branches it displays a more than ordinary
number of singular positions; its curved and powerful claws enabling it
to cling in every variety of attitude, frequently hanging by one foot
with its head downwards, etc. If seized when only wounded, it inflicts
with its sharp claws severe and deep wounds on the hands of its captor.
Its food consists of the pollen of the _Eucalypti_, and insects, to
which are added wild figs and berries.
It commences breeding in November, when it becomes animated and fierce,
losing all fear of man, and readily attacking hawks, crows, magpies
(_Gymnorhina_) or other large birds that may venture within the
precincts of its nest, never desisting from the attack until they are
driven to a considerable distance. The nest, which is rather rudely
constructed, and of a large size for a Honey-eater, is cup-shaped, and
outwardly composed of the inner rind of the stringy bark and wool, to
which succeeds a layer of fine twigs lined with grasses and fibrous
roots, the whole being suspended to the horizontal branch of an apple-
(_Angophora_) or gum-tree without the least regard to secresy,
frequently within a few feet of the ground. So numerous were they
breeding in the Apple-tree Flats near Aberdeen and Yarrundi, that they
might almost be termed gregarious. The eggs are generally three in
number, of a pale salmon colour with minute spots of a darker tint, one
inch and five lines long by eleven lines broad.
There is no observable difference in the plumage of the sexes, but the
female is somewhat smaller in size.
The adults have the bill and head dull ink-black; all the upper surface,
wings and tail greyish brown, the feathers of the latter tipped with
white; chin and lanceolate feathers on the chest silvery white, with a
fine line of brown down the centre; remainder of the under surface
brownish grey; eye red, fading immediately after death to brown and
sometimes to greyish hazel; feet lead-colour.
The young, although having the same general colouring as the adult, have
the head less denuded of feathers, and a mere rudiment of the knob on
the bill; the feathers on the breast are also less lanceolate in form,
and those on the sides of the chest are margined with yellow; eye dark
brown, surrounded with short brown feathers lengthening into a tuft at
the back of the head; feet much more blue than in adults.
The Plate represents an old bird and a young one of the first autumn, on
the wild fig of the Upper Hunter; the birds and plant being of the
natural size.
[Illustration:
TROPIDORHYNCHUS ARGENTICEPS: _Gould_.
_J. & E. Gould del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
TROPIDORHYNCHUS ARGENTICEPS, _Gould_.
Silvery-crowned Friar-bird.
_Tropidorhynchus argenticeps_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VII.
1839, p. 144.
For the first knowledge of this new species of _Tropidorhynchus_,
science is indebted to Benjamin Bynoe, Esq., Surgeon of Her Majesty’s
Surveying ship the Beagle, who, on my visiting Sydney, placed his
specimens at my disposal; since my return, other examples have been sent
for my use, in this work, by His Excellency Captain Grey, now Governor
of South Australia.
Mr. Bynoe’s specimens were all obtained during the survey of the
north-west coast, a portion of Australia the natural productions of
which are but little known, and Captain Grey’s during his expedition
into the interior, from the same coast.
In size the Silvery-crowned Friar-bird is somewhat inferior to the
common species (_Tropidorhynchus corniculatus_), from which it may also
he readily distinguished by the crown of the head being clothed with
well-defined, small, lanceolate feathers. Of its habits and economy
nothing is known; but as it is very nearly allied to the last-mentioned
species, we may reasonably conclude that they are very similar.
Crown of the head silvery grey; the remainder of the head naked, and of
a blackish brown; throat and all the under surface white; back, wings
and tail brown; bill and feet blackish brown.
The figure is of the natural size.
[Illustration:
TROPIDORHYNCHUS CITREOGULARIS: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
TROPIDORHYNCHUS CITREOGULARIS, _Gould_.
Yellow-throated Friar-Bird.
_Tropidorhynchus citreogularis_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part
IV. p. 143; and in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part I.
_Ȁr-dulk_ and _Wȕl-loo-rat?_ Aborigines of Port Essington.
_Leather-neck_ of the Colonists of Port Essington.
_Yellow-throated Friar_, Colonists of New South Wales.
This is strictly a bird of the interior of the south-eastern portion of
Australia, and is never, so far as I am aware, found on the sea-side of
the mountain ranges. I observed it in tolerable abundance during my tour
to the Namoi; first meeting with it in the neighbourhood of Brezi,
whence as I descended the river to the northward it gradually became
more numerous. I killed both adult and young birds in December, the
latter of which had just left the nest, consequently the breeding-season
must have been about a month previous. The yellow colouring of the
throat represented in my ‘Synopsis of the Birds of Australia,’ is
peculiar to the period of immaturity; in the adult this colouring is
entirely wanting, and the bird is one of the plainest-coloured species
of the Australian Fauna.
Its habits and manners are very similar to those of the _Tropidorhynchus
corniculatus_; like that bird it feeds on insects, berries, fruits, and
the flowers of the _Eucalypti_, among the smaller branches of which it
may constantly be seen hanging and clinging in every possible variety of
attitude.
In the neighbourhood of Port Essington on the north coast, a species of
this form is found which precisely resembles the present bird in every
respect, except that it is about one-fifth smaller and has a rather
larger bill; if these birds should ultimately prove to be merely
varieties of each other, then the range of the species will be very
extensive indeed; in my own opinion they are distinct, but whether I am
right in thus believing or not, can only be ascertained by an increased
knowledge of the productions of this vast continent.
Mr. Gilbert states that the Port Essington bird is less abundant, less
active, and has not so deep a voice as the _T. argenticeps_, but that
the habits and manners of the two birds are precisely similar.
The adult has the whole of the upper surface, wings and tail light
brown; all the under surface pale greyish brown; bill and legs leaden
olive; irides and eyelash nearly black; naked part of the face mealy
bluish lead-colour.
The young are similar to the adult, but have the feathers of the upper
surface fringed with grey, and those of the wings slightly margined with
greenish yellow; the throat and sides of the chest lemon-yellow; face
blackish, and not so mealy as in the adult.
The young of the Port Essington bird has the yellow colouring of the
throat still more extensive than in the bird from New South Wales.
The figures represent an adult and a young bird from specimens killed on
the Namoi.
[Illustration:
ACANTHORHYNCHUS TENUIROSTRIS.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
ACANTHORHYNCHUS TENUIROSTRIS.
Slender-billed Spine-bill.
_Certhia tenuirostris_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Suppl., p. xxxvi.
_Le Cap noir_, Vieill. Ois. Dor., tom. ii. p. 94. pl. 60.
_Slender-billed Honey-eater_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 194. pl.
lxii.
_Flapping Honey-eater_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 195.
_Hooded Creeper_, Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 109.
_Slender-billed Creeper_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Suppl., vol. ii. p. 165. pl.
129.
_Meliphaga tenuirostris_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p.
317.
_Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris_, Gould, Syn. Birds of Australia, Part
II.
—— _dubius?_ Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part V. p. 25; and in Syn.
Birds of Australia, Part II.
_Cobbler’s Awl_, Colonists of Van Diemen’s Land.
_Spine-bill_, Colonists of New South Wales.
On referring to the above list of synonyms, it will be seen that I
formerly entertained an opinion that there were two species of this
genus very nearly allied to each other, the one a native of Van Diemen’s
Land, and the other of the continent of Australia; the former being
distinguished from the latter by its smaller size in all its
admeasurements, by the crescent-shaped markings of the neck, and by the
brown of the abdomen being much deeper in colour; I am now, however,
inclined to believe that they are identical; but as no conclusive
evidence that such is the case has yet been obtained, I must leave the
matter still doubtful until further research shall enable us to decide
the question. In habits, disposition and nidification the two birds
closely assimilate, as I had abundant opportunities of observing during
my residence in the colonies.
There is no member of the large family of Honey-eaters to which it
belongs that enjoys a structure more especially adapted for the purposes
of its existence than the present species, whose fine and extremely
delicate bill is peculiarly suited for the extraction of insects and
honey from the inmost recesses of the tubular flowers which abound in
many parts of Australia, particularly of the various species of
_Epacris_, a tribe of plants closely allied to the Heaths (_Erica_) of
Africa and Europe, which when in bloom are always frequented by numbers
of these birds, so much so indeed that it would seem as if the one was
expressly designed for the other, the flowers for the birds and _vice
versâ_; those who have traversed the immense beds of _Epacris impressa_,
so abundant in Van Diemen’s Land, must have often observed the bird
darting out from beneath his feet and flitting off to a very short
distance, descending again to the thickest parts of the beds. It also
frequents the wattles and gums during their flowering-season, and
appears to be attracted to their blossoms quite as much for the insects
as for the nectar, the stomachs of all those dissected containing the
remains of coleoptera and other insects. It is rather shy in disposition
except when closely engaged in procuring food, when it may be approached
within a yard or two.
Its flight is extremely quick and darting and performed with a zigzag
motion; and its note, which is a monotonous shriek, is somewhat loud for
so small a bird. Should the bird to which I have given the name of
_dubius_ prove to be merely a local variety, this species will be found
to range over a wide extent of country, including Van Diemen’s Land, all
the islands in Bass’s Straits, and the continent of Australia from South
Australia to Moreton Bay; to the eastward of the former, or to the
eastward and northward of the latter country, I have never been able to
trace it.
The nest of this species is a small cup-shaped and rather beautiful
structure, although not so compact or neatly formed as that of many
other birds; those I found, both in Van Diemen’s Land and New South
Wales, were built on some low shrubs a few feet from the ground, mostly
in a species of _Leptospermum_; it is outwardly constructed of moss and
grasses, and lined with feathers; the eggs are two in number, of a
delicate huffy white, increasing in depth of colour towards the larger
end; in some instances I have found them marked with a zone of reddish
chestnut spots shaded with indistinct markings of grey, intermingled
with very minute ink-like dots; in form the eggs are much lengthened and
pointed; their medium length is nine lines and breadth six lines.
Crown of the head shining greenish black; space between the bill and the
eye, ear-coverts, lunated band on the sides of the chest, primaries, and
six middle tail-feathers black; the remainder of the tail-feathers black
largely tipped with white, and slightly margined on the external web
with brown; back of the neck rufous chestnut, passing into
chestnut-brown on the upper part of the back; secondaries, greater
wing-coverts, rump and upper tail-coverts grey; throat, cheeks and chest
white, the first with a patch of chestnut-brown in the centre, deepening
into black on its lower edge; abdomen, flanks and under tail-coverts
light chestnut-brown; irides scarlet; bill black; feet reddish brown.
Specimens from Van Diemen’s Land have the patch in the centre of the
throat and the lunated marks on the sides of the neck much deeper and
the whole of the under surface richer chestnut.
The figures are those of a male and female, on a branch of what is
considered a white variety of _Epacris impressa_.
[Illustration:
ACANTHORHYNCHUS SUPERCILIOSUS: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
ACANTHORHYNCHUS SUPERCILIOSUS, _Gould_.
White-eyebrowed Spine-bill.
_Acanthorhynchus superciliosus_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part V.
p. 24.
_Bool-jeet_, Aborigines of the lowland districts of Western Australia.
Hitherto I have only received this fine and well-marked species of
Spine-billed Honey-eater from Western Australia, but hereafter it will
doubtless be found to range over a much greater extent of country;
although a very local bird, it is tolerably abundant both at Swan River
and King George’s Sound, and is found to give a decided preference to
the forests of Banksias, upon the blossoms of which trees it almost
solely subsists. Its food, like that of the other members of its family,
consists of insects and honey, for obtaining which its delicately
organized bill and the filamentous form of its tongue are peculiarly
adapted; the latter member being capable of considerable protrusion
beyond the apex of the bill, thus enabling the bird to dive into the
deepest interstices of the flowers, which its bill alone would not
permit. Like its congeners, this species occasionally frequents the low
shrub-like trees, and sometimes is even to be observed upon the ground
in search of food. In its actions it displays great activity, darting
about from branch to branch with a rapid zigzag motion; its flight is
irregular and uneven, but it often rises perpendicularly in the air,
uttering at the same time a rather pretty song; at others it emits a
loud and strong note.
The nest, which is constructed among the large-leaved Banksias, is of a
round compact form, and is composed of dried fine grasses, tendrils of
flowers, narrow threads of bark and fine wiry fibrous roots matted
together with zamia wool, forming a thick body, which is warmly lined
with feathers and zamia wool mingled together; the external diameter of
the nest is three inches, and that of the cavity about one inch and a
quarter. The eggs are two in number, nine lines long by six and a half
broad; their ground colour in some instances is a delicate buff, in
others a very delicate bluish white with a few specks of reddish brown
distributed over the surface, these specks being most numerous at the
larger end, where they frequently assume the form of a zone. The
breeding-season is in October.
The sexes present little or no difference in external appearance, but
the female may generally be distinguished from her mate by her more
diminutive size and the more slender contour of her body.
Crown of the head, all the upper surface, wings, and six middle
tail-feathers greyish brown, the remainder of the tail-feathers black,
largely tipped with white and narrowly margined on their external edges
with brown; space between the bill and eye, and the ear-coverts blackish
brown; stripe over the eye, chin, and a broader stripe beneath the eye
white; back part of the neck light chestnut-brown; centre of the throat
rich chestnut, bounded below by a crescent of white, which is succeeded
by another of black; abdomen and under tail-coverts light greyish brown,
in some specimens deepening into buff; irides reddish brown; bill black;
legs dark brown.
The figures are those of a male and a female of the natural size.
[Illustration:
MYZOMELA SANGUINOLENTA.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
MYZOMELA SANGUINOLENTA.
Sanguineous Honey-eater.
_Certhia sanguinolenta_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xxxvii.
_L’Heorotaire sanguin_, Vieill. Ois. Dor., tom. ii. p. 127.
_Sanguineous Creeper_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 167. pl.
130.—Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 235.
_Sanguineous Honey-eater_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol iv. p. 201. pl. 73.
_Certhia dibapha_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xxxvii.
_L’Heorotaire rouge tacheté_, Vieill. Ois. Dor., tom. ii. p. 127.
_Small-crested Creeper_, Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 253. pl. 35?
_Cochineal Creeper_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 167.
_Cochineal Honey-eater_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 201.
_Certhia erythropygia_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. 38.
_Red-rumped Creeper_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 169.—Shaw,
Gen. Zool. vol. viii. p. 249.
_Le Kuyameta_, Vieill. Ois. Dor., tom. ii. p. 92. pl. 58.
_Certhia Australasiæ_, Leach, Zool. Misc., vol. i. pl. 11.
_Meliphaga Cardinalis_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p.
316.
_Blood-bird_ of the Colonists of New South Wales.
This beautiful little bird is an inhabitant of the thick brushes of New
South Wales, particularly those near the coast and those clothing the
hilly portions of the interior, and I have reason to believe that it is
rarely, if ever, found among the trees of the open parts of the country.
I have not yet seen specimens from the western, and only a single
example from the northern coasts, whence I infer that the south-eastern
part of the continent is its natural and restricted habitat. It gives a
decided preference to those parts of the forest that abound with
flowering plants, whose fragrant blossoms attract large numbers of
insects of various kinds, upon which and the pollen of the flower-cups
it chiefly subsists.
I regret to say that I was unable to obtain any information respecting
the nidification of this pretty species; but in this respect it
doubtless closely resembles the other members of the group.
The sexes are very dissimilar in colour, the female being of a uniform
pale brown above and lighter beneath, while the male is dressed in a
gorgeous livery of scarlet and black; the young, as is usually the case
where the sexes differ considerably in colour, resembles the female
until after the first moult, when it gradually assumes the colouring of
the male.
Much confusion exists in the writings of the older authors respecting
this bird, which has arisen from the circumstance of their having
considered it to be identical with two other species, one inhabiting the
Isle of Tanna, and the other the province of Bengal: after a careful
examination of the subject, I am of opinion that the synonyms given
above are all that have reference to the Australian bird.
The male has the head, neck, breast, back and upper tail-coverts rich
shining scarlet; lores, wings and tail black, the wing-coverts margined
with huffy white, and the primaries with greyish olive; under surface of
the wing white; abdomen and under tail-coverts buff; bill and feet
black; irides dark brown.
The female is uniform light brown above, becoming much lighter beneath.
The figures are those of the two sexes and of the natural size.
[Illustration:
MYZOMELA ERYTHROCEPHALA: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
MYZOMELA ERYTHROCEPHALA, _Gould_.
Red-headed Honey-eater.
_Myzomela erythrocephala_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VII. p.
144.
The Red-headed Honey-eater is so distinctly marked as almost to preclude
the possibility of its being confounded with any known species of the
genus. In size it rather exceeds the common Sanguineous Honey-eater, but
is far more diminutive than the species described by Latham as
inhabiting the Isle of Tanna, under the name of _Certhia Cardinalis_.
The northern portion of Australia would appear to be the true habitat of
the bird here represented, all the specimens that have come under my
notice having been procured at Port Essington, where it is exclusively
confined to the extensive beds of mangroves bordering the inlets of the
sea. From the flowers of these trees it collects its favourite food,
which, like that of the other species of the group, consists of insects
and honey. It is a most active little creature, flitting from one
cluster of flowers to another, and from branch to branch with the
greatest rapidity, uttering at the same time its rather sharp and harsh
chirrup. Mr. Gilbert states that it is far from being abundant, and is
so seldom seen near the settlement that no examples had been procured
prior to his visit.
The sexes present the usual difference in the smaller size and sombre
colouring of the female.
No information whatever was acquired respecting its nidification, nor
whether it be migratory or not.
The male has the head and rump scarlet, the remainder of the plumage
deep chocolate-brown; irides reddish brown; bill olive-brown, becoming
much lighter on the lower mandible; legs and feet olive-grey.
The female is uniform brown above, lighter beneath.
The Plate represents two males and a female of the natural size.
[Illustration:
MYZOMELA PECTORALIS: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
MYZOMELA PECTORALIS, _Gould_.
Banded Honey-eater.
_Myzomela pectoralis_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VIII. p.
170.
It will be seen from the number of novelties received from that
territory, that the northern coast of Australia possesses a fauna almost
peculiar to itself, few species, of the smaller birds at least, being
similar to those of the southern coast.
The present interesting bird was forwarded to me by Mr. Bynoe as having
been shot by him on the north coast, but I regret to say it was
unaccompanied by any information whatever respecting its habits. In its
structure it offers so close an alliance to the typical Myzomelæ that I
have provisionally placed it in that group.
Some of the specimens sent me had the centre of the back of a
ferruginous hue, while in others the same part was jet-black; I am
inclined to regard the former to be the plumage of the young birds of
the year, and it is just possible it may also be characteristic of the
adult female.
Forehead, crown of the head, upper surface, wings, tail and a narrow
band across the chest black; throat, upper tail-coverts and all the
under surface white; bill and feet black.
The birds are all figured of the natural size on one of the interesting
plants from the same locality.
[Illustration:
MYZOMELA NIGRA; (_Gould_).
_Drawn from Nature & on Stone by J. & E. Gould._ _Printed by C.
Hullmandel._
]
MYZOMELA NIGRA, _Gould_.
Black Honey-eater.
_Myzomela nigra_, Gould in Birds of Australia, Part II. cancelled.
_Dwer-da-ngok-ngun-nin_, Aborigines of the mountain districts of
Western Australia.
This most active little bird is peculiar to the interior of Australia,
over which it has an extensive range. Mr. Gilbert found it in Western
Australia, and I myself met with it on the plains near the Namoi; with
me it was always on the Myalls (_Acacia pendula_),while in Western
Australia, where it is very local, it generally evinced a preference for
the sapling gums. Although it has the feathered tongue and sometimes
partakes of the sweets of the flowers, it feeds almost exclusively on
insects, which it procures both on the blossoms and among the
thickly-foliaged branches. The male possesses a feeble plaintive note,
which he frequently pours forth while perched upon some elevated dead
branch, where he sits with his neck stretching out and without any
apparent motion, except the swelling out of the throat and the movement
of the bill. Its flight is remarkably quick, and performed with sudden
zigzag starts.
The female differs remarkably from the male in the colouring of the
plumage, and, as is the case with many other birds, is much more
difficult of access than her mate, who is always more animated, and
frequently betrays his presence by his voice or song.
Mr. Gilbert was more fortunate than myself in finding the nest of this
little bird, and has furnished the following notes respecting its
incubation:—
“This species constructs a neat cup-shaped nest, formed of dried
grasses. I found two, both of which were built in the most conspicuous
situations; one in a fork at the top of a small scrubby bush,
unsheltered by even a bough or a leaf; the other was on the dead branch
of a fallen tree, in a similar exposed situation, and quite unprotected
from wet or heat. It breeds during the months of October and November,
and lays two eggs,” which are of a light brownish buff, encircled at the
centre with a band of brown, produced by numerous small blotches of that
colour, which appear as if beneath the surface of the shell; they are
seven lines long by five and a half lines broad.
The male has the head, throat, stripe down the centre of the abdomen,
all the upper surface, wings and tail sooty black; the remainder of the
plumage pure white; irides blackish brown; bill and feet black.
The female differs in having the head, all the upper surface, wings and
tail brown; throat and all the under surface brownish white, the centre
of each feather being the darkest; bill brown; legs brownish black.
The Plate represents the two sexes of the natural size.
[Illustration:
MYZOMELA OBSCURA: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
MYZOMELA OBSCURA, _Gould_.
Obscure Honey-eater.
_Myzomela obscura_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part X. p. 136.
This species is a native of the northern parts of Australia. At Port
Essington, where my specimens were procured, it is only to be met with
in quiet, secluded and thickly-wooded districts adjacent to small
streams of water; its favourite tree appears to be the _Grevillia_, from
the blossoms of which it obtains great quantities of honey and insects.
The shy and retiring disposition of this species renders the acquisition
of specimens very difficult: “at no time during my stay,” remarks Mr.
Gilbert, “did I succeed in getting sight of more than a solitary
individual, and I believe it to be a rare bird in all parts of the
Cobourg Peninsula.”
This bird differs so much in colour from all the other species yet
discovered, that it is readily distinguished from all of them.
The sexes present no external marks of distinction, except that the
female is somewhat smaller than her mate.
The whole of the plumage is dull brown, with a vinous tinge on the head;
under surface paler than the upper; irides bright red; bill dark
greenish black; feet dark bluish grey; tarsi tinged with yellow.
The figures are of the natural size.
[Illustration:
ENTOMYZA CYANOTIS: _Swains._
_J. & E. Gould del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
ENTOMYZA CYANOTIS, _Swains._
Blue-faced Entomyza.
_Cracula cyanotis_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xxix.—Shaw, Gen. Zool.,
vol. vii. p. 474.
_Blue-cheeked Honey-sucker_, _Meliphaga cyanops_, Lewin, Birds of New
Holl., pl. 4.
_Graculine Honey-eater_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 166.
_Blue-eared Grakle_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 130.
_Turdus cyaneus_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xlii.
_Blue-cheeked Thrush_, Ib. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 184.—Gen.
Hist., vol. v. p. 124.
_Tropidorhynchus cyanotis_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv.
p. 325.
_Entomyza cyanotis_, Swains. Class. of Birds, vol. ii. p. 328.—G. R.
Gray, List of Gen. of Birds, p. 16.
_L’Heorotaire graculé_, Vieill. Ois. Dor., tom. ii. p. 125. pl. 87,
young.
_Graculine Creeper_, Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 242, young.
_Graculine Honey-eater_, var. A., Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 166,
young.
_Pale-cheeked Honey-eater_, Ib., p. 167, young.
_Merops cyanops_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xxxiv, young.
_Blue-cheeked Bee-eater_, Ib. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 154,
young.—Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 171, young.
_Blue-cheeked Honey-eater_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 167, young.
——, var. A. and B., Ib., p. 168, young.
_White-crowned Honey-eater_, Ib., p. 169, young.
_Batikin_, Aborigines of the coast of New South Wales.
_Blue-eye_ of the Colonists.
This attractive and beautiful Honey-eater, one of the finest of the
_Meliphagidæ_, is strictly indigenous to New South Wales, where it is
abundant and very generally dispersed: I observed it in nearly every
part of the colony I visited, both in winter and summer. I also shot a
single specimen on the Namoi, but as this was almost the only one I saw
beyond the mountain ranges, I believe its most natural habitat to be
between the great dividing chain of mountains and the sea. In all
probability it may be found far to the northward on the eastern coast,
but it has not yet been observed in South Australia, neither is it an
inhabitant of Van Diemen’s Land.
In habits and actions the Blue-faced Honey-eater bears a striking
resemblance to the members of the genera _Ptilotis_ and _Hæmatops_; like
them, it is found almost exclusively on the _Eucalypti_, searching among
the blossoms and smaller leafy branches for its food, which is of a
mixed character, consisting partly of insects and partly of honey, and
probably, judging from others of its family, berries and fruits, but
this latter supposition I was not able to verify. Mr. Caley states, that
he once saw “several of them frequenting a tree, where they were very
busy in obtaining something that appeared to have exuded from a wounded
part. I do not know what the substance could be, otherwise than a kind
of gum of a bitter and astringent taste.” As I have never detected them
in feeding on this or any similar substance, I should rather suppose
they were in search of the insects that might have been attracted by
this exudation.
I have frequently seen eight or ten of these bold and spirited birds,
with numerous other small Honey-eaters and Parrakeets, on a single tree,
displaying the most elegant and easy movements, clinging and hanging in
every variety of position, frequently at the extreme ends of the small,
thickly-flowered branches, bending them down with their weight; they
may, however, be easily distinguished from the other birds with which
they are in company by their superior size, the brilliancy of their blue
face, and the contrasted colours of their plumage; they are rendered
equally conspicuous by the pugnacity with which they chase and drive
about the other species resorting to the same tree.
It frequently utters a rather loud and monotonous cry, not worthy the
name of a song.
I observed a most curious fact respecting the nidification of this bird:
in every instance that I found its eggs, they were deposited on the
deserted, dome-shaped, large nest of the _Pomatorhinus_, so numerous in
the Apple-tree Flats in the district of the Upper Hunter; never within
the dome, but in a neat round depression on the top. I had many
opportunities of driving the female off the nest, and I can therefore
speak with confidence as to this fact. Whether this bird resorts only to
places where it may avail itself of the nest of the _Pomatorhinus_, or
whether, under other circumstances, it constructs a nest for itself, are
points to which I would call the attention of those who are favourably
situated for investigating them; and who, by so doing, would render the
history of this species so much the more complete. It is probable that,
in places where no suitable substitute is to be found, it makes a rather
small nest, like all the other species of its tribe. It commences
breeding early, and rears at least two broods in the year: on reference
to my note-book, I find I saw fully-fledged young on the 19th of
November, and that I took many of their eggs in December: they were
generally two in number, of a rich salmon colour irregularly spotted
with rust-brown, one inch and a quarter long by ten and a half lines
broad.
The sexes differ in no respect from each other either in the colouring
of the plumage or in the blended richness and delicacy of the blue
surrounding the eye, to which it is almost impossible for the artist to
do justice.
The young assume the plumage of the adult from the nest, but differ from
them in having the naked face and the base of the bill of a pale
yellowish olive, which gradually changes to blue after the first season;
this has doubtless occasioned the great number of synonyms quoted above.
The adults have the crown of the head and back of the neck black; lower
part of the face, chin and centre of the chest slaty black; a
crescent-shaped mark at the occiput, a line from the lower mandible
passing down each side of the neck, and all the under surface pure
white; the upper surface, wings, and tail golden olive; the inner webs
of the primaries and all but the two centre tail-feathers brown; the
tail-feathers tipped with white; basal portion of the bill pale bluish
grey, passing into blackish horn-colour at the tip; bare space
surrounding the eye rich deep blue, becoming of a lighter and greenish
hue above the eye; irides yellowish white; eyelash jet-black; feet
bluish grey.
The young of the first autumn have the eye dark olive with a black lash,
and the denuded parts surrounding it, the base of the under mandible and
the gape greenish brimstone-yellow; nostrils and culmen near the head
yellowish horn-colour, passing into blackish brown at the tip; feet very
similar to those of the adult.
The Plate represents a male and female of the natural size, on a branch
of one of the lofty _Eucalypti_ of the river Hunter.
[Illustration:
ENTOMYZA ALBIPENNIS: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
ENTOMYZA ALBIPENNIS, _Gould_.
White-pinioned Honey-eater.
_Entomyza albipennis_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VIII. p.
169.
_Wȕr-ra-luh_, Aborigines of Port Essington.
The _Entomyza albipennis_ exhibits so many specific differences from the
_E. cyanotis_, that it is almost impossible for one to be mistaken for
the other: in the first place it is somewhat smaller in size, and in the
next the tints of the plumage are more strongly contrasted; besides
which, the white at the basal portion of the pinions is a character
which will at all times distinguish it from its near ally. So far as is
yet known, its habitat is confined to the northern coast of Australia,
where it is said to be rather abundant, particularly in the
neighbourhood of the settlement at Port Essington on the Cobourg
Peninsula. Mr. Gilbert states that it “is very shy, and from its being
always on the alert, somewhat difficult to get near; it is one of the
first birds heard in the morning, and often utters its plaintive _peet_
half-an-hour before daylight; as soon as the sun is fairly above the
horizon, its note is immediately changed to a harsh squeaking tone,
which is frequently uttered while the bird is on the wing, and repeated
at intervals throughout the day; it often takes tolerably long flights,
mounting in the air to a considerable height above the trees, and then
progressing steadily and horizontally. It is mostly met with in small
families of from six to ten in number, inhabiting the topmost branches
of the loftiest trees, and is seldom seen on or near the ground.”
The food consists of insects and the pollen of flowers, which are
procured from the almost perpetually flowering _Eucalypti_.
The sexes present little or no difference in the colouring of the
plumage, or, when fully adult, in the colouring of the soft parts, such
as the naked skin round the eyes, Sec.; immature birds, on the contrary,
vary very much in the colouring of the face and bill; in the youthful
those parts are saffron-yellow, which chances to rich ultramarine blue
in the adult.
The adults have the crown of the head and back of the neck black; lower
part of the face, chin and centre of the chest slaty black; a
crescent-shaped mark at the occiput, a line from the lower mandible
passing down each side of the neck, and all the under surface pure
white; upper surface and wings greenish golden olive; primaries brown,
the basal half of their inner webs snow-white; tail-feathers brown,
tinged with golden olive, all but the two centre ones tipped with white;
point and cutting edges of the upper mandible blackish grey; basal half
of the culmen horn-colour; remainder of the bill sulphur-yellow; orbits
brilliant blue; legs and feet leek-green.
The Plate represents an adult and an immature bird of the natural size.
[Illustration:
MELITHREPTUS VALIDIROSTRUS: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
MELITHREPTUS VALIDIROSTRIS, _Gould_.
Strong-billed Honey-eater.
_Hæmatops validirostris_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part IV. p.
144; and in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part I.
_Eidopsaris bicinctus_, Swains. An. in Menag., p. 344. No. 188.—Ib.
Class. of Birds, vol. ii. p. 327.
_Cherry-picker_, Colonists of Van Diemen’s Land.
This bird, the largest species of the genus yet discovered, is a native
of Van Diemen’s Land, and so universally is it distributed over that
island, that scarcely any part is without its presence. The crowns of
the highest mountains as well as the lowlands, if clothed with
_Eucalypti_, are equally enlivened by it. Like all the other members of
the genus, it frequents the small leafy and flowering branches; it
differs, however, from its congeners in one remarkable character, that
of alighting upon and clinging to the surface of the boles of the trees
in search of insects, after the manner of the Woodpecker and
Nuthatch,—not that it can traverse this part of the tree with the same
facility; I never in fact saw it run up and down the trunk as those
birds do, but merely fly to such parts as instinct led it to select as
the probable abode of insects; and it always perches across the stem,—a
position seldom, if ever, assumed by the Nuthatch or Woodpecker; I do
not, however, consider this habit of sufficient importance to warrant
its separation from those with which it is here associated.
The chief food of this species is insects of various kinds, after which
it searches with the most scrutinizing care among the flowering gums.
I am indebted to my friend the Rev. Thomas J. Ewing of Hobart Town, Van
Diemen’s Land, for the nest and eggs of this bird, which I failed in
procuring during my stay in that island. Like those of the other members
of the genus the nest is round and cup-shaped, suspended by the rim and
formed of coarse wiry grasses, with a few blossoms of grasses for a
lining; the eggs are three in number, eleven lines long by eight lines
broad, and of a dull olive-buff, thickly spotted and blotched with
markings of purplish brown and bluish grey, the latter appearing as if
beneath the surface of the shell.
The sexes assimilate so closely in size and plumage, that by dissection
alone can they be distinguished; the young, on the contrary, during the
first autumn differ so considerably from the adult, as almost to induce
the belief that they are the young of some other species; having,
however, killed them myself at the breeding-place in company with the
adults, I can vouch that they are really the young of this bird and of
none other. The specimens from which the upper figures in the
accompanying Plate were taken, were shot by myself near the summit of
Mount Wellington. I may mention that in the vast forests of gums on the
banks of the Tamar, this species was equally or even more abundant than
in the southern part of the island. I have never seen it on the
continent of Australia, neither have specimens been sent from New South
Wales or South Australia.
Its song consists of a couple of notes and is not remarkable for its
melody.
Crown of the head jet-black, with an occipital band of white terminating
at each eve; ear-coverts, chin and back of the neck black; all the upper
surface greyish olive, becoming brighter on the rump and external edges
of the tail-feathers; wings brown, with a slight tinge of olive; throat
pure white; under surface brownish grey; bill black; feet brownish
horn-colour; eyes reddish brown; bare skin over the eye white, tinged
with bright green.
The young have the bill and feet yellow, but the latter paler than the
former, and a circle of the same colour round the eye; the band at the
occiput is also pale yellow instead of white.
The Plate represents an adult male and two young birds in the plumage of
the first autumn, of the natural size.
[Illustration:
MELITHREPTUS GELARIS: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
MELITHREPTUS GULARIS, _Gould_.
Black-throated Honey-eater.
_Hæmatops gularis_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part IV. p. 144; and
in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part I.
This species is very abundant in all parts of South Australia, where it
inhabits the large _Eucalypti_. During my stay in Adelaide I frequently
saw it on some of the high trees that had been allowed to remain by the
sides of the streets in the middle of the city. From this locality it
extends its range eastward to New South Wales, where it is much more
rare, and where it can only be sought for with the certainty of finding
it along the extreme limits of the colony towards the interior. I killed
several specimens in the Upper Hunter district, and observed it to be
tolerably numerous on the plains in the neighbourhood of the river
Namoi, and that it breeds in all these countries is proved by my having
killed the young in different stages of growth in all of them. In its
habits and economy it differs considerably from the _Melithreptus
validirostris_; for instance, I never saw it perch on the boles of the
trees, as is usual with that species, neither is it so exclusively
confined to the large trees. It is a very noisy bird, constantly
uttering a loud harsh grating call while perched on the topmost dead or
bare branch of a high tree; the call being as frequently uttered by the
female as by the male. Like the _Melithreptus lunulatus_, it frequents
the leafy branches, which it threads and creeps among with the greatest
ease and dexterity, assuming in its progress a variety of graceful
attitudes. Insects and the pollen of flowers being almost its sole food,
those trees abounding with blossoms are visited by it in preference to
others.
There is no variation in the colouring of the sexes, but there is a very
considerable difference between the young and old birds, particularly in
the colouring of the soft parts; the young are much less brilliant than
the young of _M. validirostris_, in which the colouring of the soft
parts far excels those of the adults.
With the nest and eggs of this species I am unacquainted; they are
therefore desiderata to my cabinet, and would be thankfully received
from any person resident in the colony where the bird is so common. That
the nest will be cup-shaped in form, constructed of grasses, &c., and
suspended by the rim to the smaller branches of the _Eucalypti_, and
that the eggs will be two or three in number, there can be little doubt.
Crown of the head black, an occipital band of white terminating at each
eye; ear-coverts and back of the neck black; back and rump golden olive;
wings and tail brown; throat greyish white, with a central stripe of
black; under surface greyish brown; bill black; feet and tarsi brownish
orange; irides hazel; bare skin above the eye beautiful bluish green.
The young have the gape, lower mandible, and feet yellowish orange.
The Plate represents the two sexes of the natural size.
[Illustration:
MELITHREPTUS LUNULATUS.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
MELITHREPTUS LUNULATUS.
Lunulated Honey-eater.
_Certhia lunulata_, Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 224.
_Le Fuscalbin_, Vieill. Ois. dor., tom. ii. p. 95. pl. 61.
_Red-eyed Honey-eater_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 203. no. 65.
_Meliphaga lunulata_, Vig. & Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p.
315.—Jard. & Selb. Ill. Orn., vol. iii. pl. 134. fig. 2.
_Black-crowned Honey-sucker_, Lewin, Birds of New Holl., pl. 24.
_Meliphaga atricapilla_, Temm. Pl. Col. 335. fig. 1.
—— _torquata_, Swains. Zool. Ill., 1st Ser., pl. 116.
_Hæmatops lunulatus_, Gould in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part I.
_Gymnophrys torquatus_, Swains. Class. of Birds, vol. ii. p. 327.
_Melithreptus lunulatus_, G. R. Gray, List of Gen. of Birds, 2nd
edit., p. 21.
The Lunulated Honey-eater is very abundantly dispersed over the colonies
of New South Wales and South Australia, where it inhabits almost every
variety of situation, but gives a decided preference to the _Eucalypti_
and _Angophoræ_ trees, among the smaller branches of which it may be
constantly seen actively engaged in searching for insects, which with
the pollen of the flowers constitute its sole food. It is a stationary
species, and breeds during the months of August and September; its
beautiful, round, cup-shaped open nest is composed of the inner rind of
the stringy hark or other allied gum-trees intermingled with wool and
hair, warmly lined with opossums’ fur, and is suspended by the rim to
the small leafy twigs of the topmost branches of the _Eucalypti_. The
eggs are two or three in number, of a pale buff, dotted all over, but
particularly at the larger end, with distinct markings of rich reddish
brown and chestnut-red, among which are a few clouded markings of bluish
grey; their medium length is nine lines, and breadth six and a half
lines.
Like the young of _M. chloropsis_, the young birds of this species breed
some time before arriving at maturity; at all events I have found
examples breeding with that brown colouring of the head and neck, which
I believe to be characteristic of youth.
The sexes are alike in plumage, but the female is somewhat smaller than
the male.
Upper surface greenish olive; head and chin black; crescent-shaped mark
at the occiput and all the under surface white; wings and tail brown,
the apical half of the external webs of the primaries narrowly edged
with grey; basal half of the external webs of the primaries, the outer
webs of the secondaries and the tail-feathers washed with greenish
olive; naked space above the eye scarlet; feet olive; irides very dark
brown; bill blackish brown.
The Plate represents a male and a female of the natural size.
[Illustration:
MELITHREPTUS CHLOROPSIS: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
MELITHREPTUS CHLOROPSIS, _Gould_.
Swan River Honey-eater.
_Melithreptus chloropsis_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., November,
1847.
_Jȉn-gee_, Aborigines of the lowland, and
_Bun-g̏een_, of the mountain districts of Western Australia.
_Bȅr-ril-bȅr-ril_, Aborigines of Swan River.
This species differs from the _Melithreptus lunulatus_ in being of a
larger size, and in having the bare space above the eyes of a pale green
instead of red; in other respects the two birds so closely assimilate,
that they are scarcely distinguishable from each other. Individuals in a
browner and more dull style of plumage, presenting in fact all the
appearances of young birds of the first year, have occasionally been
found breeding, a circumstance which has induced many persons to believe
them to be distinct; as, however, I found in New South Wales individuals
in a similar style of plumage in company and breeding with adult
_Melithrepti lunulati_, I am induced to regard these dull-coloured birds
as merely precocious examples of the respective species, affording
additional evidence of the extreme fecundity of the Australian animals.
The _Melithreptus chloropsis_ is a native of Western Australia, where
Mr. Gilbert states it is almost always found on the upper branches of
the different species of _Eucalypti_, feeding upon the honey of the
flowers and insects. Its usual note is a rapidly uttered _twit_, but it
occasionally emits a harsh, grating and lengthened cry.
Its flight is of short duration, merely extending from tree to tree in
undulating starts.
The nest is usually suspended from the small branches near the top of
the gum-trees, where the foliage is thickest, which renders it extremely
difficult to detect. A nest found by Mr. Gilbert in October was formed
of sheep’s wool and small twigs; another found by him in November was
attached to a small myrtle-like tree, in a thick gum forest, not more
than three feet from the ground; both these nests contained three eggs,
nine and a half lines long by six and a half lines broad, of a deep
reddish buff, thinly spotted all over, but particularly at the larger
end, with dark reddish brown, some of the spots being indistinct, while
others were very conspicuous.
The stomach is somewhat muscular, but very diminutive in size, and the
food consists of honey, the buds of flowers and small coleoptera.
Upper surface greenish olive; head and chin black; crescent-shaped mark
at the occiput and under surface white; wings and tail brown, margined
with greenish olive; apical half of the external webs of the primaries
narrowly edged with white; irides dull red; bill blackish brown; naked
space above the eye greenish white in some, in others pale wine-yellow;
tarsi and outer part of the feet light greenish olive; inside of the
feet bright yellow.
The Plate represents the two sexes of the natural size.
[Illustration:
MELITHREPTUS ALBOGULARIS: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
MELITHREPTUS ALBOGULARIS, _Gould_.
White-throated Honey-eater.
_Melithreptus albogularis_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., November
1847.
This species, which inhabits the northern and eastern parts of
Australia, is very abundant on the Cobourg Peninsula, and I have
received specimens from the neighbourhood of Moreton Bay. The total
absence of any black mark beneath the lower mandible and the pure
whiteness of the throat serve to distinguish it from every other known
species; the colouring of the back, which inclines to rich wax-yellow,
is also a character peculiar to it. It is very numerous around the
settlement at Port Essington, where it occurs in families of from ten to
fifteen in number; it is of a very pugnacious disposition, often
fighting with other birds much larger than itself; while among the leafy
branches of the _Eucalypti_, which are its favourite trees, it
frequently pours forth a loud ringing whistling note, a correct idea of
which is not easily conveyed. Like its near ally the sexes present no
other external difference than the smaller size of the female; and the
young at the same age present a similar style of colouring to that
observable in the _M. lunulatus_ and _M. chloropsis_, the head and sides
of the neck being brown instead of black, and the naked skin above the
eye scarcely perceptible.
The food consists entirely of insects and the pollen of flowers, in
searching for which it displays a great variety of positions, sometimes
threading the leaves on the smaller branches, and at others clinging to
the very extremities of the bunches of flowers.
The nest, which is always suspended to a drooping branch, and which
swings about with every breath of wind, is formed of dried narrow strips
of the soft bark of the _Melaleuca_. The eggs, which are generally two
in number, are. of a light salmon colour, blotched and freckled with
reddish brown, and are about nine lines long by six lines broad.
Upper surface greenish wax-yellow; head black; crescent-shaped mark at
the occiput, chin and all the under surface white; wings and tail brown
margined with greenish wax-yellow; irides dull red; bill brownish black;
legs and feet greenish grey, with a tinge of blue on the front of the
tarsi.
The Plate represents the two sexes of the natural size.
[Illustration:
MELITHREPTUS MELANOCEPHALUS: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
MELITHREPTUS MELANOCEPHALUS, _Gould_.
Black-headed Honey-eater.
_Melithreptus melanocephalus_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., May 27,
1845.
This bird I believe to be peculiar to Van Diemen’s Land, over the whole
of which island it is very abundant. The _Eucalypti_ appear to be the
trees to which it gives preference, for although it is seen on every
tree in the forest, the gums are those most frequented by it; and among
the foliage and flowers of those trees it is constantly searching for
its food, which is of a mixed character, and which, like that of the
other members of the _Meliphagidæ_, consists principally of insects,
particularly small coleoptera, and the pollen of flowers; like the other
members of the family also, it creeps and clings about the branches
after the manner of the Tits of Europe. It is a lively, animated bird,
and generally goes in companies of from ten to twenty in number,
according as the supply of food may be more or less plentiful. During
the fruit-season it frequents the gardens of the settlers and commits
considerable havoc among the fruit, of which it is exceedingly fond.
The sexes are precisely alike in external appearance, but the young
differ considerably from the adults, having the throat yellowish white
instead of black, and the basal portion of the bill flesh-colour or
yellow; their feet also are much lighter than the adults.
This bird is one of the numerous foster-parents of _Cuculus cinereus_
and _C. cineraceus_, which species I have seen it feeding soon after
leaving the nest.
The whole of the head and throat, and a semilunar mark on either side of
the chest deep glossy black; all the upper surface yellowish olive,
becoming brighter on the rump; wings and tail brownish grey with lighter
margins; breast white; remainder of the upper surface greyish white;
bill black; irides reddish brown; feet brown; bare skin over the eye
pearly white, slightly tinged with green.
The Plate represents a male and a female of the natural size.
[Illustration:
MYZANTHA GARRULA: _Vig. & Horsf._
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
MYZANTHA GARRULA, _Vig. & Horsf._
Garrulous Honey-eater.
_Merops garrulus_, Lath. Ind. Orn., Supp. p. xxiv.
_Chattering Bee-eater_, Lath. Gen. Syn., Supp., vol. ii. p. 154.—Shaw,
Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 171.
_Chattering Honey-eater_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 164.
_Philemon garrulus_, Vieill. 2nd edit. du Nouv. Dict. d’Hist. Nat.,
tom. xxvii. p. 427.—Ib. Ency. Méth. Orn., Part ii. p. 616.
_Myzantha garrula_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 319.
_Cobaýgin_, Aborigines of New South Wales.
_Miner_, Colonists of Van Diemen’s Land.
Van Diemen’s Land, and all parts of the colonies of New South Wales and
South Australia, are alike inhabited by this well-known bird. It has
never yet been observed in northern or western Australia, its place
being supplied in those parts of the country by other nearly allied
species. On comparing examples from Van Diemen’s Land with others killed
on the continent of Australia, a difference is found to exist in their
relative admeasurements, the Van Diemen’s Land birds being more robust
and larger in every respect; still as not the slightest difference is
observable in the markings of their plumage, I consider them to be
merely local varieties and not distinct species.
The natural habits of this bird lead it to frequent the thinly timbered
forests of _Eucalypti_ clothing the plains and low hills, rather than
the dense brushes, and so local is it and so exclusively does it confine
itself to such situations that the edge of a river frequently forms the
boundary of its habitat: for instance, it is very abundant on the
northern side of the Derwent near Hobart Town, yet never did I meet with
it on the opposite shore during the whole of my stay in Van Diemen’s
Land excepting many miles up the river, where the trees and land on both
sides appear equally suitable to its habits.
The Garrulous Honey-eater is not truly gregarious, but moves about in
small flocks of from four to ten in number. In disposition it is unlike
any other bird I ever met with, for if its haunts be in the least
intruded upon it becomes the most restless and inquisitive creature
possible, and withal so bold and noisy that it is regarded as a
troublesome nuisance rather than an object of interest; no sooner does
the hunter come within the precincts of its abode than the whole troop
assemble round him and perform the most grotesque actions, spreading out
their wings and tail, hanging from the branches in every possible
variety of position, and sometimes suspended by one leg, keeping up all
the time one incessant babbling note: were this only momentary or for a
short time, their droll attitudes and singular note would be rather
amusing than otherwise; but when they follow you through the entire
forest, leaping and flying from branch to branch, and almost buffeting
the dogs, they become very troublesome and annoying, awakening as they
do the suspicions of the other animals of which you are in pursuit.
The food of this bird is of a mixed character, for although it loves to
dwell among the branches of the flowering _Eucalypti_, from the pollen
of the flowers of which it obtains much genial food, it preys with
avidity upon insects, both those resorting to the flowers of the
gum-trees and those—coleoptera, &c.—peculiar to the ground; it is
consequently often to be seen descending in pursuit of insects,
particularly under the large trees on the grassy open plains. The
stomach is of the same diminutive size as the rest of the Honey-eaters,
but, as might be supposed from the varied character of the food, is much
more muscular.
The nest is cup-shaped and about the size of that of the European
Thrush, very neatly built of fine twigs and coarse grass, and lined
either with wool and hair, or fine soft hair-like strips of bark,
frequently mixed with feathers: it is usually placed among the small
upright branches of a moderately-sized tree. The eggs, which are
thirteen lines long by nine and a half lines broad, are of a bluish
white, marked all over with reddish brown, without any indication of the
zone at the larger end so frequently observable in the eggs of other
species.
The sexes offer no other external difference than that the female is a
trifle smaller than her mate.
Face grey; crown of the head dull black; ear-coverts and a
crescent-shaped mark inclining upwards to the angle of the bill glossy
black; all the upper surface light greyish brown; the feathers at the
back of the neck tipped with silvery grey; primaries dark brown margined
externally with grey; secondaries dark brown on their inner webs, the
outer webs grey at the tip, and wax-yellow at the base; tail greyish
brown, with dark brown shafts, and all but the two centre feathers
largely tipped with brownish white; chin grey, a patch of dark brown
down the centre; under surface grey; the feathers of the breast with a
narrow crescent-shaped mark of brown near the tip of each; irides dark
hazel; naked space beneath the eye, bill and feet yellow.
The Plate represents the two sexes of the natural size, drawn from
specimens killed in Van Diemen’s Land.
[Illustration:
MYZANTHA OBSCURA: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
MYZANTHA OBSCURA, _Gould_.
Sombre Honey-eater.
_Myzantha obscura_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VIII. p. 159.
_Bil-y̏a-goo-rong_, Aborigines of the lowland, and
_Bil-yoȕr-ga_, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western
Australia.
This species inhabits Swan River and the south-western portion of
Australia generally, where it beautifully represents the _Myzantha
garrula_ of New South Wales. In habits, actions and disposition the two
birds nearly assimilate, minor differences being easily discernible.
Mr. Gilbert’s notes supply me with the following information, which I
give in his own words:—
“It inhabits every variety of wooded situation, in all parts of the
colony, and is generally met with in small families. In flying the wings
are moved very rapidly, but the bird does make progress in proportion to
the apparent exertion; at times, when passing from tree to tree, its
flight is graceful in the extreme.
“Its note is a loud _pee-pee_, which is often very much varied.
“The stomach is small but tolerably muscular; and the food, which
consists of coleopterous and other insects, seeds and berries, is
procured both on the ground and among the branches.
“The nest is built on an upright fork of the topmost branches of the
smaller gum-trees, and is formed of small dried sticks lined with soft
grasses and feathers. The eggs are eleven and a half lines long by nine
lines broad, of a rich orange-buff, obscurely spotted and blotched with
a deeper tint, particularly at the larger end.”
The sexes offer but little difference in colour, but the female is
somewhat smaller in all her admeasurements.
Forehead yellowish olive; lores, line beneath the eye and ear-coverts
black; head and all the upper surface dull grey, with an indistinct line
of brown down the centre of each feather, giving the whole a mottled
appearance; wings and tail brown, margined at the base of the external
webs with wax-yellow, the tail terminating in white; throat and under
surface dull grey, becoming lighter on the lower part of the abdomen and
under tail-coverts; the feathers of the breast with a crescent-shaped
mark of light brown near the extremity, and tipped with light grey;
irides dark brown; bare skin round the eye, bill, and bare patch on each
side of the throat, bright yellow; legs and feet dull reddish yellow;
claws dark brown.
The Plate represents the two sexes of the natural size.
[Illustration:
MYZANTHA LUTEA: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
MYZANTHA LUTEA, _Gould_.
Luteous Honey-eater.
_Myzantha lutea_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VII. p. 134.
I consider this to be by far the finest species of the genus yet
discovered, exceeding as it does every other both in size and in the
brilliancy of its colouring. I am indebted to Messrs. Bynoe and Dring
for fine specimens of this beautiful bird, which were obtained by those
gentlemen on the north-west coast of Australia, in which part of the
country it supplies the place of the _Myzantha garrula_ of New South
Wales. The law of representation is rarely carried out in a more
beautiful manner, even in the ornithology of Australia, than in the
members of the present genus; the _Myzantha garrula_ being, so far as is
yet known, confined to the south-eastern portion of the country, the _M.
lutea_ to the neighbourhood of the north coast, the _Myzantha obscura_
to Swan River on the western coast, and the _M. flavigula_ to the
north-eastern portion of the country.
Naked space behind the eye, forehead and the tips of several feathers on
the sides of the neck, fine citron-yellow; lores blackish brown with
silvery reflexions; upper surface grey, the feathers of the back of the
neck and back crossed near the tip with white; rump, upper tail-coverts
and under surface white; throat and chest tinged with grey, each feather
crossed by an arrow-shaped mark of brown; wings and tail brown, the
external margins of the feathers dull citron-yellow; tail tipped with
white; bill fine citron-yellow; feet yellowish brown.
The Plate represents the two sexes of the natural size.
[Illustration:
MYZANTHA FLAVICULA: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
MYZANTHA FLAVIGULA, _Gould_.
Yellow-throated Miner.
_Myzantha flavigula_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VII. p. 143.
This species inhabits the interior of New South Wales, where it is
tolerably abundant in most of the belts of _Eucalypti_ bordering the
river Namoi and all similar situations: although it has many of the
habits and actions of its near ally the _Myzantha garrula_, it is much
more shy in disposition, less noisy, and more disposed to frequent the
tops of the trees; and so exclusively does it replace the common species
in the districts alluded to that the latter does not occur therein.
I did not succeed in finding the nest, but the fact of my having shot
very young individuals affords indubitable evidence that the bird breeds
in the localities above-mentioned.
The sexes are alike in plumage.
Naked space behind the eye, forehead, upper part of the throat, and the
tips of several feathers on each side of the neck citron-yellow; rump
and upper tail-coverts white; back of the neck and back grey, each
feather obscurely barred with white near the tip; lores and ear-coverts
black, the latter crossed with silvery grey; throat, cheeks, and all the
under surface white, the feathers of the chest crossed by an
arrow-shaped mark of brown; wings and tail dark brown, the outer webs of
the primaries, many of the secondaries, and the basal portion of the
tail-feathers dull citron-yellow; all the tail-feathers tipped with
white; bill bright orange-yellow; feet yellow; irides leaden brown.
The figures represent the two sexes of the natural size.
[Illustration:
MYZANTHA VIRIDIS.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
MYZANTHA MELANOPHRYS.
Australian Bell-bird.
_Turdus melanophrys_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xlii.
_Black-browed Thrush_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 185.—Shaw,
Gen. Zool., vol. x. p. 206.—Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. v. p.
125.
_Manorhina viridis_, Vieill. Gal. des Ois., pi. 149.—Jard. and Selb.
Ill. Orn., vol. ii. pl. 78.
_Myzantha flavirostris_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p.
319.—Less. Man. d’Orn., tom. ii. p. 67.
_Manorina viridis_, Bonn, et Vieill. Ency. Méth. Orn., part ii. p.
692.—G. R. Gray, List of Gen. of Birds, 2nd Edit., p. 21.
_Dilbong_ and _Dilring_, Aborigines of New South Wales (Latham).
_Bell-bird_ of the Colonists.
In its habits, actions and general economy the Bell-bird so closely
resembles the Garrulous Honey-eater (_Myzantha garrula_), as not to
justify its separation from the members of the group of which that is
the acknowledged type. In strict justice, perhaps, Vieillot’s name of
_Manorhina_, which has the advantage of priority, should have been
applied to all the members of this group, in which case the new species
named by me as _Myzanthæ_ must be termed _Manorhinæ_, and the former
generic appellation sink into a synonym. The _Myzanthæ_, as I have
before remarked, frequent the trees of the plains and the more open
parts of the forest; the present bird, on the other hand, evinces a
decided preference for, and appears to be strictly confined to dense and
thick brushes, particularly such as are of a humid and swampy nature,
and with the foliage of which the peculiar tint of its plumage closely
assimilates. I frequently encountered it in companies of from ten to
forty, and occasionally still greater numbers were seen disporting among
the leafy branches in search of insects and displaying many varied
actions, at one time clinging to and hanging down from the branches by
one leg, and at another prying beneath the leaves, or flying with
outspread wings and tail from tree to tree, and giving utterance to a
peculiar garrulous note totally different in sound from the faint
monotonous tinkle usually uttered, which has been justly compared to the
sound of distant sheep-bells, and which, when poured forth by a hundred
throats from various parts of the forest, has a most singular effect.
The same appellation of Bell-bird having been given by the colonists of
Swan River to a species inhabiting that part of Australia, I must here
warn my readers against considering them identical, by informing them
that the two birds are not only specifically but generically distinct.
The bird forming the subject of the present Plate has not as yet been
observed out of New South Wales, where its peculiar province is the
brushes; and if it departs from those which stretch along the coast from
Port Philip to Moreton Bay, I believe it will only be found in those
which clothe the sides of the higher hills, such as the Liverpool range
and others of a similar character. Although it is stationary in New
South Wales, and very abundant at Illawarra and in the brushes of the
Hunter, I did not succeed in obtaining its nest or eggs.
The sexes are precisely alike in plumage, and the young soon attain the
colouring of the adult.
Like the _Myzantha garrula_ it is of a prying and inquisitive
disposition, and the whole troop may be easily brought within the range
of observation by uttering any kind of harsh squeaking note, when they
will descend to ascertain the cause, and look around with the utmost
curiosity. Its flight is of the same skimming motionless kind as that of
the Garrulous Honey-eater; and upon some given signal the whole flock,
or the greater portion of it, fly off simultaneously and descend to some
neighbouring branch in a cluster.
The whole of the plumage, with the exception of the primaries and
secondaries, yellowish olive, but the under surface much paler than the
upper; forehead, stripe from the angle of the lower mandible, ring
encircling and dilated into a spot above the eye, black; ear-coverts
olive-brown; primaries and secondaries dark brown, the former margined
with grey and the latter with yellowish olive; bill fine yellow; tarsi
and toes fine orange-yellow; eye dark leaden brown; eyelash leaden grey;
bare space below and behind the eye orange-red.
The Plate represents a male and a female of the natural size on a plant
gathered in the brushes of Illawarra.
[Illustration:
ZOSTEROPS DORSALIS: _Vig. & Horsf._
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
ZOSTEROPS DORSALIS, _Vig. & Horsf._
Grey-backed Zosterops.
_Certhia cœralescens_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xxxviii.
_L’Heorotaire bleu_, Vieill. Ois. dor., tom. ii. p. 121. pl. 83?
_Bluish-breasted Creeper_, Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 244.
_Cœrulean Creeper_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 188.
_Cœrulean Honey-eater_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 204.
_Sylvia lateralis_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. lv.
_Rusty-side Warbler_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 250.—Shaw
Gen. Zool., vol. x. p. 659.—Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. vii. p.
140.
_Certhia diluta_, Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 244.
_Philedon cœruleus_, Cuv.
_Meliphaga cœrulea_, Steph. Cont. of Shaw’s Gen. Zool., vol. xiv. p.
264.
_Sylvia annulosa_, var. Β, Swains. Zool. Ill. 1st Ser., pl. 16.
_Zosterops dorsalis_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p.
235.
_White-eye_, Colonists of New South Wales.
This bird is stationary in all parts of Van Diemen’s Land, New South
Wales and South Australia, and is more numerous than any other bird
inhabiting those countries; where it is not only to be met with in the
forests and thickets, but also in nearly every garden, by the
proprietors of which it is regarded more as a pest than, as one would
suppose, a welcome visitor; no one of the birds of the country effecting
greater damage to the buds and fruits of every kind. It even builds its
nest and rears its young in the shrubs and rose-trees bordering the
walks. I observed several nests in such situations in the garden of the
Government House at New Norfolk, Van Diemen’s Land. Among the trees of
the forest the beautiful tea-tree (leptospermum ?) is the one to which
at all times this species evinces a great partiality. Were it not for
its destructive propensities, the Grey-backed Zosterops must from its
familiar disposition and pretty lively song be a very general favourite.
Its flight is quick and darting, and when among the branches of the
trees it is as active as most birds, prying and searching with the most
scrutinizing care into the leaves and flowers for the insects, upon
which it feeds. It is sometimes seen singly or in pairs, while at others
it is to be observed in great numbers, on the same or neighbouring
trees. The southern and eastern portions of Australia, and the islands
adjacent, are its true habitat; and the two succeeding plates will show
how beautifully it is represented by allied species in other parts of
the country.
The breeding-season commences in September and continues to January. The
nest is one of the neatest structures possible; it is of a round deep
cup-shaped form, composed of fine grasses, moss and wool, and most
carefully lined with fibrous roots and grasses. The eggs are usually
three in number, of a beautiful uniform pale blue, eight and a half
lines long by six lines broad.
The sexes present no difference of plumage.
On examining the “Collection of Australian Drawings,” formerly belonging
to the late A. B. Lambert, Esq., and now in the possession of the Earl
of Derby, who kindly forwarded them to me for the purposes of the
present work, I find that this species was long since described by
Latham, under the names above quoted; in neither of his descriptions,
however, does he mention the white ring around the eye, which forms so
conspicuous a feature in the appearance of the bird, the want of which
would have precluded the possibility of my believing them to be
identical, had not the drawings named by Latham’s own hand proved such
to be the case: the species should therefore stand as _Zosterops
cœrulescens_, although _Z. lateralis_ would certainly be more
appropriate; unfortunately this fact did not come to my knowledge until
after the Plate had been named, and the requisite number of impressions
struck off. Latham refers to the 83rd Plate of the “Oiseaux Dorées,” as
identical with his _cœrulescens_, but of this as I have indicated above
I am doubtful.
Crown of the head, wings and tail olive; back dark grey, eyes surrounded
by a zone of white feathers, bounded in front and below with black;
throat, centre of the abdomen, and under tail-coverts greyish white with
a slight tinge of olive; flanks light chestnut-brown; upper mandible
dark brown, under mandible lighter; irides and feet greyish brown.
In some specimens the throat and sides of the head are wax-yellow, and
the flanks are only stained with chestnut-brown.
The Plate represents the male, female and nest of the natural size, on a
branch of the tea-tree of Van Diemen’s Land.
[Illustration:
ZOSTEROPS CHLORONOTUS: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
ZOSTEROPS CHLORONOTUS, _Gould_.
Green-backed Zosterops.
_Zosterops chloronotus_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VIII. p.
165.
_Jule-w̏e-de-lung_, Aborigines of the lowland districts of Western
Australia.
_Grape-_ and _Fig-eater_, Colonists of Swan River.
The _Zosterops chloronotus_ is an inhabitant of the western coast of
Australia, where it constitutes a beautiful representative of the
_Zosterops dorsalis_ of the southern and eastern coasts. As might be
supposed, the habits, manners, actions and economy of two species so
nearly allied are very similar; hence the settlers of Swan River were
not long in discovering that in this species they had found no friend to
their gardens during the season when the fruits are ripening, whatever
good it may effect by the destruction of insects at other periods.
Mr. Gilbert states that “This bird is particularly fond of figs and
grapes, it consequently abounds in all the gardens where those plants
are cultivated; and it is often to be seen as numerous as sparrows in
England; besides feeding upon fruits, I have also observed it taking
flies while on the wing after the manner of the true Flycatchers.
“Its note is a single plaintive one, several times repeated; and its
flight is irregular, and of short duration.
“The breeding-season commences in August and ends in November; those
nests that came under my observation during the earlier part of the
season, invariably contained two eggs; but in October and November I
usually found the number to be increased to three, and upon one occasion
to four. The nest is small, compact, and formed of dried wiry grasses,
bound together with the hairy tendrils of small plants and wool, the
inside being lined with very minute fibrous roots; its breadth is about
two inches, and depth one inch; the eggs are greenish blue without spots
or markings, eight lines long by six lines broad.”
Lores black; crown of the head and all the upper surface olive-green;
primaries and tail-feathers brown, margined with olive-green; throat and
under tail-coverts light greenish yellow; breast and under surface grey,
tinged with brown on the abdomen and flanks; irides wood-brown; bill
brown, lighter on the under mandible; legs and feet dark grey.
The figures are of the natural size.
[Illustration:
ZOSTEROPS LUTEUS: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
ZOSTEROPS LUTEUS, _Gould_.
Yellow Zosterops.
_Zosterops luteus_, Gould, in Proc. of Zool. Soc.
This new species is an inhabitant of the northern portion of Australia.
“I first met with it,” says Mr. Gilbert, “in August, on Greenhill
Island, Van Diemen’s Gulf, dwelling among the mangroves or the densest
thickets. It is much more wild and solitary than _Zosterops dorsalis_,
and does not resort like that bird to the gardens and the neighbourhood
of the houses of the settlers; its note is also very different, being a
pretty canary-like song, instead of the long drawn-out note of _Z.
dorsalis_. When disturbed it usually left the thicket for the higher
branches of the gum-trees, where it was effectually hidden from view by
the thick foliage. It was generally met with in small families of from
three to seven or eight in number.”
All the upper surface olive-yellow; primaries and tail-feathers brown,
margined with olive-yellow; forehead and throat pure yellow; lores and
line beneath the eye black; eye encircled with a zone of white feathers;
abdomen and under tail-coverts dull yellow; irides light reddish brown;
upper mandible blackish grey, the basal half rather lighter; apical
third of the lower mandible blackish grey; basal two-thirds light
ash-grey; legs and feet bluish grey.
The figures are of the natural size.
[Illustration:
CUCULUS OPTATUS: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
CUCULUS OPTATUS, _Gould_.
Australian Cuckoo.
_Cuculus optatus_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part XIII. p. 18.
It is no less remarkable than true, that when we are in countries far
distant from that which gave us birth, our minds are strongly disposed
to seize upon any objects presenting associations connected with our
native land; whatever reminds us of our own country becomes immediately
interesting, and its productions acquire a triple value. By the
colonists of New South Wales and Van Diemen’s Land, a stripling oak or
an elm, a violet or a primrose are regarded as treasures; and a caged
blackbird or lark is more prized than a bird of paradise would be here;
how welcome then to the settlers will be this Cuckoo, when the part of
Australia in which it is found becomes inhabited by Englishmen! Here, as
in Europe, it is the harbinger of spring, and an index of the
revivifying of nature, and its voice will be heard with even greater
sensations of pleasure than was that of its representative in Europe.
I think I hear my readers remark, “Surely this is the true Cuckoo of
Europe; and if so, why give it a new name?” To this I may answer, that I
can trace distinctions, which in my opinion warrant me in stating the
Australian bird to be a distinct species; specific characters, which,
although appearing very trivial to the general observer, are so apparent
to the ornithologist, that he can always distinguish an Australian
specimen from one killed in Europe. In the Australian bird the black
bands on the breast are broader and more defined than in the European,
and in the former a light fawn tint pervades the abdomen, which part is
white in the latter; the claws of the Australian bird are also smaller
and more delicate than those of its northern ally; the breast, neck and
head of the immature Australian bird are more broadly and distinctly
barred with black and white, while the rufous tint which pervades the
body of the immature European Cuckoo is almost, if not wholly, wanting.
The northern part of Australia is the only locality in which this bird
has been found; the specimens in my collection, as I learn from the
labels attached, were killed in the month of January: whether it utters
the word ‘Cuckoo’ or not I am unable to say, but it is most likely that
in this respect it also closely assimilates to its European relative.
All the upper surface slaty grey; inner webs of the primaries broadly
barred with white; tail-feathers dark violet-brown, with a row of oblong
spots of white, placed alternately on either side of the stem, and
slightly tipped with white; the lateral feathers have also a row of
white spots on the margin of their inner webs; chin and breast light
grey; all the under surface buffy white, crossed by bands of black;
irides, bill and feet orange.
The Plate represents a male of the natural size.
[Illustration:
CUCULUS INORNATUS: _Vig. & Horsf._
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
CUCULUS INORNATUS, _Vig. & Horsf._
Unadorned Cuckoo.
_Cuculus inornatus_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 297.
—— _albostrigatus_, Ib., p. 298. young.
_Dju-dȕr-run_, Aborigines of Western Australia.
_Greater Cuckoo_ of the Colonists.
The southern portion of Australia generally, and the island of Van
Diemen’s Land, are inhabited by this species of Cuckoo; to the latter
country, however, it is only a summer visitant, and a partial migration
also takes place in the adjacent portion of the continent, as is shown
by its numbers being much fewer during winter. Its migratory movement
seems to be regulated, as in most other instances, by the more or less
abundant supply of food necessary for its sustenance. It arrives in Van
Diemen’s Land in the month of September, and departs northward in
February. During the vernal season it is an animated and querulous bird,
and it may then be seen either singly, or two or more males engaged in
chasing each other from tree to tree. Its ringing whistling call, which
consists of a succession of running notes, the last and highest of which
are several times rapidly repeated, is often uttered while the bird is
at rest among the branches, and also occasionally while on the wing. Its
food consists of caterpillars, _Phasmidæ_ and coleopterous insects,
which are generally procured among the leafy branches of the trees, and
in searching for which the bird displays considerable activity, and
great power of traversing the smaller limbs. When desirous of repose
after feeding, it perches on the topmost dead branches of the trees, on
the posts and rails of the fences, or any other prominent site whence it
can survey all around. It is however by no means a shy bird, and but
little caution is required to approach within gun-shot. Its flight is
straight and rapid, and not unlike that of the _Cuculus canorus_, to
which it bears a close resemblance in everything except its note;
occasionally it mounts considerably above the tops of the trees, and it
is capable of sustaining a long-continued flight.
In respect to its reproduction it is strictly parasitic, devolving the
task of incubation on the smaller birds, many species of which are known
to be the foster-parents; among them may be enumerated the various
_Melithrepti_, _Ptiloti_, _Maluri_, _Acanthizæ_, &c. After the young has
left the nest and attained a considerable size, it is not unusual to see
it fed by two or more species at the same time; this I have witnessed
with my own eyes; the young Cuckoo, in fact, selects some low dead
branch in an open glade of the forest, from which it seldom moves during
the day, as a convenient situation for its various foster-parents to
supply it with food, for the procuring and supplying of which all the
smaller birds appear to have entered into a mutual compact.
The specimens of this bird from Western Australia are somewhat smaller,
and have the white marks of the tail less distinct than specimens from
Van Diemen’s Land, but these differences are too trivial to be regarded
as other than mere local variations. When fully adult the plumage is
nearly of a uniform brown, with the inner webs of the wing and
tail-feathers relieved by bars and markings of white; the immature
colouring on the contrary presents a variegated and very diversified
character, which, owing to the constant change taking place, cannot be
described so as to render it clear to my readers. When the young leaves
the nest, the throat, face and shoulders are black, the feathers of the
remainder of the body crossed and spotted with buff; the black colouring
gradually gives place to the grey of the under surface, while the buffy
marks of the upper surface are retained even after the second or third
moult; it breeds in this state, and it is doubtful whether in the female
it is ever entirely cast off.
The stomachs of those dissected were found to be capacious, membranous,
and thickly lined with hair.
The egg is about seven-eighths of an inch long by five-eighths broad,
and is of a cream-colour speckled all over with markings of brown.
The adult male has the head, neck and all the under surface brownish
grey, with a streak of dark brown down the sides of the neck; all the
upper surface olive-brown, becoming much darker on the wings and tail;
basal portion of the inner webs of the primaries broadly barred with
white; tail-feathers barred on the margins of both webs with white,
slightly on the outer and deeply on the inner; all the feathers tipped
with white, and with a mark of white on the stem near the tip, this mark
being very small on the central tail-feather, and gradually increasing
on the lateral feathers until on the outer it forms a band; under-irides
very dark brown; eyelash yellow; gape and inside of the mouth rich deep
orange; feet olive.
The female differs in having the upper surface mottled with buff and
rufous, in having a triangular spot of reddish buff at the extremity of
each of the wing-coverts, and the markings of the tail buff instead of
white; all which markings may in very old birds give place to a style of
colouring similar to the male.
The young, independently of the differences pointed out above, has the
feet yellowish olive, the soles of the feet yellow; the bill yellowish
olive, the corner of the mouth and the tip of the bill being more yellow
than the rest of that organ; irides greyish brown.
The figures represent the two sexes of the natural size.
[Illustration:
CUCULUS CINERACEUS: _Vig. & Horsf._
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
CUCULUS CINERACEUS, _Vig. & Horsf._
Ash-coloured Cuckoo.
_Cuculus cineraceus_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p.
298.
—— _incertus_, Ib. p. 299, young.
—— _variolosus_, Ib. p. 300, very young.
_Barred-tailed Cuckoo_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iii. p. 310?
_Cuculus flabelliformis_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xxx.?—Shaw, Gen.
Zool., vol. ix. p. 96?
_Fan-tailed Cuckoo_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 138. pl.
126?—Ib. Gen. Hist., vol. iii. p. 305. pl. lvii.?
_Du-laar_, Aborigines of the lowland districts of Western Australia.
_Lesser Cuckoo_ of the Colonists.
This is a migratory species, arriving in Van Diemen’s Land in September,
and after spending the summer months therein, departing to the northward
in January. In the southern parts of the continent of Australia solitary
individuals remain throughout the entire winter, as evidenced by my
having observed it in South Australia in July: I have never seen
individuals from the north coast; I therefore infer that its migratory
movements are somewhat restricted; in all probability the 26th degree of
latitude may be the extent of its range to the northward. During the
summer months, its distribution over the southern portion of the
continent may be said to be universal, but withal it is rather a
solitary bird and loves to dwell in secluded situations, where but for
its loud ringing call, which much resembles its aboriginal name, it
would easily escape detection.
It flies rather heavily, and on alighting moves the tail up and down for
some time; a similar movement of the tail also invariably precedes its
taking flight.
Like the other species of Cuckoo, it deposits its single egg in the nest
of some one or other of the smaller kinds of birds: it is of a perfectly
oval form, of a flesh-white sprinkled all over with fine spots of
purplish brown, nine or ten lines long by seven and a half lines broad.
The stomach is capacious, membranous, and lined with hairs; and the food
consists of the larvæ of insects of various kinds.
The sexes are alike in plumage, but the female is a trifle smaller than
her mate.
Head and all the upper surface dark slate-grey; wings brown, glossed
with green; tail dark glossy greenish brown, each feather toothed on the
edge with white, the extent of which gradually increases until on the
lateral feathers they assume the form of irregular interrupted bars; on
the edge of the shoulder a short narrow stripe of white; on the under
surface of the wing an oblique band of white; chin grey; under surface
ferruginous; bill black, except at the base of the lower mandible, where
it is fleshy orange; irides dark brown; eyelash beautiful citron-yellow;
feet yellowish olive.
The figures are of the size of life.
[Illustration:
CUCULUS INSPERATUS: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
CUCULUS INSPERATUS, _Gould_.
Brush Cuckoo.
_Cuculus insperatus_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part XIII. p. 19.
While traversing the cedar brushes of the Liverpool range on the 26th of
October, 1839, my attention was attracted by the appearance of a Cuckoo,
which I at first mistook for the _Cuculus cineraceus_, but which on
examination proved to be the new species here represented; this example
was the only one I ever saw living, and a single skin is all that has
since been sent to me from New South Wales; it must therefore be very
rare in the south-eastern portion of the continent, but it is doubtless
equally as common a few degrees to the northward. At Port Essington
there is a nearly allied species differing from the present in being
much smaller, and in having a browner tint on the under surface; to this
bird I have given the specific appellation of _dumetorum_; but as it
closely resembles the species here represented, it will not be necessary
to give a figure of it.
On comparison, this species will be found to differ from _C.
cineraceus_, for which it might be readily mistaken, in its smaller
size, in the more square form of the tail, and in that organ being
destitute of white markings on the outer webs of the feathers. In its
structure and colouring it will be found to depart from the true
_Cuculi_ and to approximate to the members of the genus _Chalcites_, and
in fact to form one of the links which unite the two groups.
Head, throat and all the upper surface dark slate-grey; back and wings
glossed with green; tail glossy brownish green, each feather tipped with
white, and with a row of triangular-shaped white markings on the margins
of the inner webs; primaries and secondaries with a patch of white on
their inner webs near the base; edge of the shoulder white; under
surface of the shoulder, vent and under tail-coverts rufous; remainder
of the under surface grey, washed with rufous; bill black; feet olive.
The figures are of the natural size.
[Illustration:
CHALCITES OSCULANS: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
CHALCITES OSCULANS, _Gould_.
Black-eared Cuckoo.
_Chalcites osculans_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part XV. p. 32.
_Black-eared Cuckoo_, Colonists of Swan River.
Four examples of this species are all that have come under my notice—one
from Swan River, two killed by myself in New South Wales, and one in the
collection of H. E. Strickland, Esq. Judging from the little that I saw
of this species in a state of nature, its habits were those common to
the members of the genus in which I have placed it; thick shrubby trees
of moderate height appeared to be its favourite resort, and its food to
consist of insects obtained among the branches and from off the leaves,
and in search of which it hops about with stealthiness and quietude;
further than this, little is known respecting it. One of my specimens
was killed near Gundermein on the Lower Namoi, on the 24th of December
1839; but the true habitat of the species has not yet been discovered.
That it is confined to Australia is almost certain, but this can only be
verified by future research.
Although the structure of this bird evinces a slight departure from the
true _Chalcites_, and an affinity to that of the typical _Cuculi_, I
have retained it in the former genus because it possesses the stiff
rigid wings, short and square tail, and the luminous colouring of the
upper surface common to the other members of that group.
Mr. Gilbert, who once observed this bird in Western Australia, states
that it is very shy, and that he only met with it in the interior of the
country. It utters a feeble, lengthened and plaintive note at long
intervals. It flies slowly and heavily, and but short distances at a
time. The stomach is thin and capacious, and slightly lined with hairs.
Head, all the upper surface and wings glossy olive-brown, becoming
darker on the shoulders and primaries, and fading into white on the
upper tail-coverts; tail dark olive-brown, each feather tipped with
white, and the lateral one on each side crossed on the inner web with
five bars of white; ear-coverts black, encircled with white; under
surface of the wing, throat, breast and abdomen pale cinnamon-brown,
fading into white on the under tail-coverts; bill very dark brown;
irides dark blackish brown; tarsi and upper surface of the feet greenish
grey; under surface of the feet and the back of the tarsi mealy fleshy
grey.
The figures are of the natural size.
[Illustration:
CHRYSOCOCCYX LUCIDUS.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
CHRYSOCOCCYX LUCIDUS.
Shining Cuckoo.
_Cuculus lucidus_, Gmel. Edit. of Linn. Syst. Nat., tom. i. p.
421.—Lath. Ind. Orn., vol. i. p. 215.—Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol.
ix. p. 126. pl. 26.—Temm. Pl. Col. 102. fig. 1.—Vig. &
Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 301.—Vieill. 2nde Edit.
du Nouv. Dict. d’Hist. Nat., tom. viii. p. 233.—Ib. Ency.
Méth., tom. iii. p. 1335. pl. 219. fig. 1.
_Shining Cuckoo_, Lath. Gen. Syn., vol. ii. p. 528. pl. 23.—Ib. Gen.
Hist., vol. iii. p. 299. pl. lvi.
_Chalcites lucidus_, Less. Traité d’Orn., p. 153.
_Dj̏u-reet_, Aborigines of the lowland districts of Western Australia.
_Golden or Bronze Cuckoo_ of the Colonists.
This species is very widely dispersed, being an inhabitant of every part
of the Australian continent and Van Diemen’s Land. In the latter country
it is strictly migratory, arriving in September and departing again in
January. If it be not so truly migratory in New South Wales, the great
mass certainly retire in winter to the northward, where insect food is
more abundant. I have, however, seen it in the Botanic Garden at Sydney
in the month of March. Its food consists of insects of various orders,
the stomachs of those examined containing the remains of _Hymenoptera_,
_Coleoptera_, and caterpillars. While searching for food, its motions,
although very active, are characterized by a remarkable degree of
quietude, the bird leaping about from branch to branch in the gentlest
manner possible, picking an insect here and there, and prying for others
among the leaves and the crevices of the bark with the most scrutinizing
care. Its flight is rather quick and undulating, and when passing from
one tree to another on a sunny day, the brilliant green colouring of the
male shows very beautifully. Like the true Cuckoos, it always deposits
its single egg in the nest of another bird: in Van Diemen’s Land those
of the _Malurus longicaudus_ and _Acanthiza Diemenensis_ are generally
selected; in New South Wales the _Malurus cyaneus_ and the _Acanthiza
chysorrhæa_ are among others the foster-parents; in Western Australia
the nests of the various kinds of Honey-eaters, and the _Malurus
splendens_, are resorted to; and it is a remarkable fact, that the egg
is mostly deposited in a domed nest, with a very small hole for an
entrance.
The stomach is capacious, membranous, and slightly lined with hair.
Its note is a mournful whistle, very like that usually employed to call
a dog.
The egg is of a clear olive-brown, somewhat paler at the smaller end,
about eleven-sixteenths of an inch long by half an inch in breadth.
The adult male has the head, all the upper surface and wings, of a rich
coppery bronze; primaries brown with a bronzy lustre; tail bronzy brown,
crossed near the tip with a dull black band; the two lateral feathers on
each side with a series of large oval spots of white across the inner
web, and a series of smaller ones opposite the interspaces on the outer
web; third and fourth feathers on each side with a small oval spot of
white at the tip of the inner web; all the under surface white, crossed
by numerous broad conspicuous bars of rich deep bronze; irides brownish
yellow; feet dark brown, the interspaces of the scales mealy.
The female is similarly marked, but has only a wash of the bronzy
colouring on the upper surface, and the bars of the under surface much
less distinct, and of a brown hue.
The young, which are brown, with a still fainter wash of bronze, have
the throat and under surface grey, without any trace of the bars, except
on the under surface of the shoulder; the base of the tail-feathers deep
rusty red, the irides bright grey, and the corners of the mouth yellow.
The Plate represents the male, female, and young, of the natural size.
[Illustration:
SCYTHROPS NOVÆ-HOLLANDIÆ: _Lath._
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
SCYTHROPS NOVÆ-HOLLANDIÆ, _Lath._
Channel-Bill.
_Scythrops Novæ-Hollandiæ_, Lath. Ind. Orn., vol. i. p. 141.—Temm.
Man. d’Orn., tom. i. p. lxxv.—Vig. and Horsf. in Linn.
Trans., vol. xv. p. 306.—Temm. Pl. Col., 290.—Vieill. Gal.
des Ois., tom. i. pl. 39.—Less. Traité d’Orn., p. 128. pl.
23. fig. 1.—Ib. Man. d’Orn., tom. ii. p. 128.—G. R. Gray,
List of Gen. of Birds, 2nd Edit., p. 73.—Vieill. Nouv. Dict.
d’Hist. Nat., tom. xxx. p. 456.—Ib. Ency. Méth., tom. iii.
p. 1427.
_Psittaceous Hornbill_, Phil. Bot. Bay, pl. in p. 165.
_Anomalous Hornbill_, White’s Journ., pl. in p. 142.
_Channel-Bill_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 96. pl. 124.
_Australasian Channel-Bill_, Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 378. pl.
50.—Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. ii. p. 300. pl. xxxii.
_Scythrops Australasiæ_, Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 378.—Ib.
Steph. Cont., vol. xiv. p. 95.
—— _Australis_, Swains. Class. of Birds, vol. ii. p. 299.
_Curriay-gun_, Aborigines of New South Wales.
This remarkable bird, which has been considered a Hornbill by some
naturalists, and as nearly allied to the Toucans by others, is in
reality a member of the family _Cuculidæ_ or Cuckoos; an examination of
its structure and a comparison of it with that of the other species of
the family will render this very apparent, and I may add, that the
little I saw of it in a state of nature fully confirms the opinion here
given; its habits, actions, and mode of flight are precisely the same,
as is also the kind of food upon which it subsists, except that it
devours the larger kinds of _Phasmiæ_ and _Coleoptera_ instead of the
smaller kinds of insects eaten by the other members of the family, and
that it occasionally feeds upon fruits; the changes too which it
undergoes from youth to maturity are exactly similar.
It is a migratory bird in New South Wales, arriving in October and
departing again in January; whither it proceeds is not known, but as it
has not been found out of Australia nor even on the north coast of that
country, it cannot retire very far. As I had but few opportunities of
observing it myself, I cannot do better than transcribe the particulars
recorded by Latham, who in the second volume of his ‘General History of
Birds,’ says, “It is chiefly seen in the morning and evening, sometimes
in small parties of seven or eight, but more often in pairs; both on the
wing and when perched it makes a loud screaming noise when a hawk or
other bird of prey is in sight. In the crop and gizzard the seeds of the
red gum and peppermint trees have been found; it is supposed that they
are swallowed whole, as the pericarp or capsule has been found in the
stomach; exuviæ of beetles have also been seen, but not in any quantity.
The tail, which is nearly the length of the body, is occasionally
displayed like a fan, and gives the bird a majestic appearance. The
natives appear to know but little of its habits or haunts; they consider
its appearance as an indication of blowing weather, and that its
frightful scream is through fear, as it is not a bird of very active or
quick flight. It is not easily tamed, for Mr. White observes, that he
kept a wounded one alive for two days, during which it would eat
nothing, but bit everything that approached it very severely.”
New South Wales is the only one of the Australian colonies whence I have
seen examples of this bird. Most naturalists will be anxious to know if,
like the other Cuckoos, this species is parasitic; unfortunately however
I am not able to clear up this point: but I possess an egg which has
been recently sent me by Mr. Strange of Sydney; it is fully developed,
and he informs me was taken by himself from the ovarium of a female
after he had shot the bird. It is of a light stone-colour, marked all
over, but particularly at the larger end, with irregular blotches of
reddish brown, many of which are of a darker hue and appear as if
beneath the surface of the shell; it is one inch eleven-sixteenths long
by one inch and a quarter broad.
The sexes are alike in plumage, but the female is somewhat smaller than
the male.
Head, neck and breast grey; all the upper surface, wings and tail
greenish olive-grey, each feather largely tipped with blackish brown;
tail crossed near the extremity by a broad band of black and tipped with
white, which gradually increases in extent as the feathers recede from
the centre; the inner webs are also largely toothed with white, which is
bounded posteriorly with a broad streak of black; under surface of the
wing and body buffy white crossed with indistinct bars of greyish brown,
which gradually deepen in colour on the flanks and thighs; orbits and
lores scarlet; bill light yellowish horn-colour; feet olive-brown.
The Plate represents a male rather less than the natural size.
[Illustration:
EUDYNAMYS FLINDERSII.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
EUDYNAMYS FLINDERSII.
Flinders’s Cuckoo.
_Eudynamys Orientalis_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p.
304.
—— _Flindersii_, Lath. MSS. Ibid., p. 305, young.
_Flinders’s Cuckoo_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iii. p. 308.
_Cuculus cyanocephalus_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xxx.—Shaw, Gen.
Zool., vol. ix. p. 110.
_Blue-headed Cuckoo_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 137.—Ib. Gen.
Hist., vol. iii. p. 310.
_Eudynamis Australis_, Swains. Anim. in Menag., p. 344.
This species differs from the _Eudynamys_ inhabiting Java, which may be
the true _Orientalis_ in having a more slender bill, and in being a less
robust and powerful bird; the young of the first year also exhibits
changes not quite in accordance with those of the young of the species
from the Indian islands. It will be seen by the list of synonyms quoted
above, that the young and the adult have been considered as distinct
species, and that the name of _Flindersii_, which I have retained from
its priority, has been applied to the bird in one of the earliest stages
of its existence after leaving the nest, when the prevailing tints of
its plumage are rufous brown, with transverse markings of dark brown;
from this state until the bird attains maturity, many parti-coloured
changes of plumage occur; but whether the sexes when fully adult are
alike in colouring, I have not been able to ascertain; I am inclined to
think they are not, and that the specimens having the upper surface
regularly spotted with white on a bronzed olive ground, and with zigzag
marks or bars on the buffy white of the under surface, are adult
females; of this state I have given a figure on the annexed Plate, as
well as a representation of the old male.
The portions of Australia inhabited by this bird are the eastern,
northern, and north-western; it is very abundant in all the brushes of
the east coast, from the river Hunter to Moreton Bay, and thence round
to Torres Straits; it was also found in considerable abundance by His
Excellency Governor Grey on the north-west coast. I did not meet with it
myself, and I regret to say that no information has yet been obtained
respecting its habits and manners. If it be parasitic or not, is a point
I would gladly know; it is consequently one of those objects to which I
would especially direct the attention of persons residing in the
localities frequented by it.
The adult male has the entire plumage deep glossy greenish blue-black,
the green tint predominating on the back and wings; irides red; bill
yellowish olive; feet purplish black.
The adult female has the head and neck glossy greenish black; back,
wings and tail bronzy brown, with numerous oblong spots of white on the
back and wing-coverts, the remainder of the wing crossed by irregular
bars of white stained with rufous; tail regularly barred with white
stained with rufous, and slightly tipped with white; line from the angle
of the mouth and all the under surface white stained with buff, spotted
with black on the sides of the throat, and crossed on the abdomen and
under tail-coverts with narrow irregular lines of blackish brown.
The young has the head and upper surface mingled bronze and buff,
disposed in large patches; wing-coverts reddish buff, crossed by narrow
bands of brown; remainder of wings and tail bronzy brown, crossed by
bands of rufous; under surface rufous, crossed by narrow bars of
blackish brown; tail-feathers longer and more pointed than in the adult.
The Plate represents an adult male and female of the natural size.
[Illustration:
CENTROPUS PHASIANUS.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
CENTROPUS PHASIANUS.
Pheasant Cuckoo.
_Cuculus Phasianus_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xxx.
_Centropus Phasianus_, Temm. Man. d’Orn., tom. i. p. lxxiv.—Vig. and
Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 306.
_Polophilus Phasianus_, Leach, Zool. Misc., pl. 46.—Shaw, Gen. Zool.,
vol. ix. p. 48. pl. 11.
_Pheasant Cuckoo_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 137.—Ib. Gen.
Hist., vol. iii. p. 240.
_Polophilus leucogaster_, Leach, Zool. Misc., vol. i. p. 177. pl.
52.—Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. ix. p. 49. pl. 12.
_New Holland Coucal_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iii. p. 250.
_Polophilus variegatus_, Leach, Zool. Misc., vol. i. pp. 116, 117. pl.
51.—Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. ix. p. 47. pl. 10.
_Variegated Coucal_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iii. p. 250.
_Centropus variegatus_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p.
306.
_Mun-j̏e-ree-woo_, Aborigines of Port Essington.
Perhaps there is no one group of the Australian Birds less understood
than the members of the genus _Centropus_. The numerous examples in my
collection I consider to be referable to two, if not to three distinct
species, presenting, however, but slight differences from each other.
The _Centropus_ inhabiting New South Wales differs from that found at
Port Essington in having a much shorter and more arched bill, and in
being somewhat smaller in size; specimens from the western coast again
differ in being smaller than the bird of New South Wales, in having a
more attenuated bill and a more uniform colouring of the tail: having
thus pointed out the particulars in which the birds differ from each
other, it will only be necessary to figure one of them. The old term of
_Phasianus_ should be retained for the New South Wales bird, while that
of _macrourus_ might be applied to the one from Port Essington, and
_melanurus_ to that from North-Western Australia, should they ultimately
prove to be distinct. The greater part then of the coast-line of New
South Wales, the eastern, northern and north-western portions of
Australia generally are tenanted by _Centropi_, but only in such
situations as are favourable to their habits, namely swampy places among
the brushes abounding with tall grasses and dense herbage, among which
they run with facility, and when necessity prompts, fly to the lower
branches of the trees, from which they ascend in a succession of leaps
from branch to branch until they nearly reach the top, and then they fly
off to a neighbouring tree. The most westerly part of New South Wales in
which I have heard of their existence is Illawarra, where they are
rather rare, and from whence to Moreton Bay they gradually increase in
numbers.
The nest, which is placed in the midst of a tuft of grass, is of a large
size, composed of dried grasses, and is of a domed form with two
openings, through one of which the head of the female protrudes while
sitting, and her tail through the other. At Port Essington the nest is
sometimes placed among the lower leaves of the _Pandanus_, but this
occurrence seems to be rare; a large tuft of long grass being most
frequently selected, as affording a better shelter. The eggs are from
three to five in number, nearly round, and of a dirty white, in some
instances stained with brown, and with a rather rough surface, somewhat
like that of the eggs of the Cormorant; they are about one inch and four
lines long by one inch and two lines broad.
By dissection I learn that the males are always smaller than the
females; it also appears that when fully adult both sexes are alike in
plumage, and have the bill, head, neck and abdomen black, whereas the
young has the bill horn-colour, and the same parts which are black in
the adult, of a deep brown with a tawny stripe down the centre of each
feather.
The adults have all the feathers of the upper and under surface dull
black with glossy black shafts; wing-coverts mottled tawny brown and
black, each feather with a conspicuous tawny shaft; remainder of the
wing rich reddish chestnut crossed with irregular double bars of black,
the interstices between which fade into tawny on the outer webs of the
primaries; lower part of the back and upper tail-coverts deep green
freckled with black; tail dark brown glossed with green, and minutely
freckled with rufous and pale tawny, the latter hue assuming the form of
irregular and interrupted bars, all but the two centre feathers tipped
with white; bill black; feet leaden black, the scales lighter.
The young have all the upper surface reddish brown with glossy
conspicuous tawny shafts; the throat and breast tawny with
lighter-coloured shafts; in other respects the colouring is similar to
the adult, except that the markings of the tail are more distinct.
The eyes of the birds in New South Wales are said to be black, while
those of Port Essington are red.
The Plate represents an adult and an immature bird about two-thirds of
the natural size.
[Illustration:
CLIMACTERIS SCANDENS: _Temm._
_J. & E. Gould del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
CLIMACTERIS SCANDENS, _Temm._
Brown Tree-Creeper.
_Buff-winged Honey-eater_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 178.
_Climacteris scandens_, Temm. Pl. Col. 281. fig. 2.—Vig. and Horsf. in
Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 296.
The Brown Tree-Creeper inhabits the whole of the south-eastern portion
of the Australian continent, from South Australia to New South Wales. It
gives a decided preference to the open thinly-timbered forests of
_Eucalypti_, as well as the flats studded with the apple-trees
(_Angophoræ_), the bark of which, being rough and uneven, affords
numerous retreats for various tribes of insects; its food, however, is
not only sought for upon the boles and branches of the trees, but is
obtained by penetrating the decayed and hollow parts; and it even dives
into the small hollow spouts of the branches in search of spiders, ants,
and other insects: although its form would lead to a contrary
supposition, it spends much of its time on the ground, under the canopy
and near the boles of the larger trees, in a similar pursuit, and also
traverses the fallen trunks with a keen and scrutinizing eye. While on
the ground it has a pert lively action, passing over the surface in a
succession of quick shuffling hops, carrying its head erect with the
feathers puffed out, almost in the form of a crest. Among the trees it
assumes all the actions of the true Creeper, ascending the upright
boles, and traversing with the greatest facility both the upper and
under sides of the branches. It never descends with the head downwards,
like the members of the genera _Sitta_ and _Sittella_; still I have seen
it descend an upright hole for a short distance, by hopping or shuffling
backwards, as it were, generally making a spiral course.
It flies with a skimming motion of the wings, during which the brown
marking of the primaries is very conspicuous.
Like many other insectivorous birds in Australia, it seldom, if ever,
resorts to the water for the purpose of drinking. It has a sharp
piercing cry, which is frequently uttered, especially if the tree upon
which it is climbing be approached.
The breeding-season commences in August and continues until January. The
nest is generally placed deep down in a hollow branch, and those I found
were entirely composed of the hair of the Opossum, and, judging from its
brightness and freshness, had doubtless been plucked from the living
animal while reposing in the hollow trees. The eggs in all the nests I
took were two in number, of a reddish flesh-colour, thickly blotched all
over with reddish brown; they are ten and a half lines long by eight
lines broad.
The male has the crown of the head blackish brown; lores black; line
over the eye and the throat dull buff; at the base of the throat a few
indistinct blackish brown spots; all the upper surface rufous brown;
primaries blackish brown at the base and light brown at the tip, all but
the first crossed in the centre by a broad band of buff, to which
succeeds another broad band of blackish brown; tail brown, all but the
two centre feathers crossed by a broad band of blackish brown; all the
under surface greyish brown, each feather of the chest and abdomen
having a stripe of dull white, bounded on either side with black,
running down the centre; under tail-coverts reddish buff, crossed by
irregular bars of black; irides, bill and feet blackish brown.
Little difference is observable either in the colour or size of the
sexes; the female may, nevertheless, be at once distinguished from her
mate by the spots at the base of the throat being rufous instead of
blackish brown as in the male.
The figures are those of a male and a female of the natural size.
[Illustration:
CLIMACTERIS RUFA: _Gould_.
_J. & E. Gould del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
CLIMACTERIS RUFA, _Gould_.
Rufous Tree-Creeper.
_Climacteris rufa_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VIII. p. 149.
_Jin-nee_, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western Australia.
In its robust form and general contour this new species closely
resembles the _Climacteris scandens_, but from which it is readily
distinguished by the rufous colouring of its plumage.
It is an inhabitant of Western Australia, and is a beautiful analogue of
the _C. scandens_ of the eastern coast. It is a common bird at Swan
River, where Mr. Gilbert states it is generally most abundant in the
white-gum forests abounding with the white ant: it ascends the smooth
bark of the _Eucalypti_, and traverses round the larger branches with
the greatest facility, feeding, like the other members of the genus,
upon insects of various kinds. Mr. Gilbert also states that it is
frequently to be seen on the ground, searching for ants and their larvæ,
and in this situation presents a most grotesque appearance, from its
waddling gait, which, to use his own words, is “between a hop and a
shuffle, at the same time erecting and puffing out its head-feathers;
when disturbed it ascends rather rapidly to the extremity of some lofty
dead branch.
“Its note is a single piercing cry, uttered more rapidly and loudly when
the bird is disturbed, and having a very singular and striking effect
amidst the silence and solitude of the forest.
“At times it flies rather swiftly, but appears to be very soon tired,
for after flying two or three hundred yards it begins to droop, as if
from fatigue; it consequently never takes long flights, merely resorting
to this mode of progression to move from tree to tree: during flight the
motion of the wings is equal until the bird begins to descend.
“It makes a very warm nest of soft grasses, the down of flowers and
feathers, in the hollow part of a dead branch, generally so far down
that it is almost impossible to get at it, and it is, therefore, very
difficult to find. I discovered one by seeing the old birds beating away
a Wattle-bird that tried to perch near their hole; the nest, in this
instance, was fortunately within arm’s length; it contained three eggs
of a pale salmon colour, thickly blotched all over with reddish brown,
eleven lines long by eight and a half lines broad: this occurred during
the first week in October.
“The stomach is large and tolerably muscular.”
The male has the crown of the head, all the upper surface and wings dark
brown; rump and upper tail-coverts tinged with rufous; primaries brown,
all but the first crossed by a broad band of rufous, to which succeeds a
second broad band of dark brown; two centre tail-feathers brown,
indistinctly barred with a darker hue; the remainder pale rufous,
crossed by a broad band of blackish brown, and tipped with pale brown;
line over the eye, lores, ear-coverts, throat, and under surface of the
shoulder rust-brown; chest crossed by an indistinct band of rufous
brown, each feather with a stripe of buffy white, bounded on each side
with a line of black down the centre; the remainder of the under surface
deep rust-red, with a faint line of buffy white down the centre of each
feather, the white line being lost on the flanks and vent; under
tail-coverts light rufous, with a double spot of blackish brown at
intervals along the stem; irides dark reddish brown; bill and feet
blackish brown.
The female is rather less in size; is of the same colour as the male,
but much lighter, without the bounding line of black on each side of the
buff stripes on the breast, and having only an indication of the double
spots on the under tail-coverts.
The figures are those of a male and a female of the natural size.
[Illustration:
CLIMACTERIS ERYTHROPS: _Gould_.
_J. & E. Gould del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
CLIMACTERIS ERYTHROPS, _Gould_.
Red-eyebrowed Tree-Creeper.
_Climacteris erythrops_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VIII. p.
148.
I obtained this new and highly interesting species while encamped on the
low grassy hills under the Liverpool range; from the manner of its
ascending the trees and keeping almost entirely to the small upright
stems of the _Casuarinæ_, I believed it to be the White-throated
Tree-Creeper (_Climacteris picumnus_); but having made it a rule to
shoot an example of every species I observed in each newly-visited
locality, I was in this instance rewarded with the acquisition of a new
bird, which I afterwards found was numerous in this part of the country.
But whether it is generally distributed over the colony, or merely
confined to such districts as have a similar character to those in which
I found it, I had no opportunity of ascertaining. So far as I could
observe, its habits and manners bore a striking resemblance to those of
the _Climacteris picumnus_.
One singular feature connected with this species, is the circumstance of
the female alone being adorned with the beautiful radiated rufous
markings on the throat, the male having this part quite plain; this I
ascertained beyond a doubt by the dissection of numerous specimens of
both sexes; it is true that a faint trace of this character is
observable both in _Climacteris scandens_ and _C. rufa_, but the present
is the only species of the genus in which this reversion of a general
law of nature is so strikingly apparent.
The male has the crown of the head blackish brown, each feather margined
with greyish brown; lores and a circle surrounding the eye reddish
chestnut; back brown; sides of the neck, lower part of the back, and
upper tail-coverts grey; primaries blackish brown at the base and light
brown at the tip, all but the first crossed in the centre by a broad
band of buff, to which succeeds another broad band of blackish brown;
two centre tail-feathers grey, the remainder blackish brown, largely
tipped with light grey; chin dull white, passing into greyish brown on
the chest; the remainder of the under surface greyish brown, each
feather having a broad stripe of dull white, bounded on either side with
black running down the centre, the lines becoming blended, indistinct,
and tinged with buff on the centre of the abdomen; under tail-coverts
buffy white, crossed by irregular bars of black; irides brown; bill and
feet black.
The female differs in having the chestnut marking round the eye much
richer, and in having, in place of the greyish brown on the breast, a
series of feathers of a rusty red colour, with a broad stripe of dull
white down their middles, the stripes appearing to radiate from a common
centre: in all other particulars her plumage resembles that of the male.
The figures are those of a male and a female of the natural size.
[Illustration:
CLIMACTERIS MELANOTUS: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
CLIMACTERIS MELANOTUS, _Gould_.
Black-backed Tree-creeper.
_Climacteris melanotus_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part XIV. p.
106.
For this additional species of the limited genus _Climacteris_, a form
confined to Australia, we are indebted to Dr. Leichardt’s Expedition
from Moreton Bay to Port Essington. It was killed in latitude 15° 57′
south, on the eastern side of the Gulf of Carpentaria, and is rendered
particularly interesting to me as being one of the birds procured by
poor Gilbert on the day of his lamented death, the 28th of June 1845,
which untoward event prevented him from recording any particulars
respecting it: all therefore that I can do, is to point out the
differences by which it may be distinguished from the other members of
the genus, and recommend to future observers the investigation of its
habits.
In the dark colouring and thick velvety plumage of the upper surface it
is most nearly allied to the _Climacteris melanura_, but differs from
that species in being destitute of the lanceolate marks on the throat,
and from all others in the dark colouring of the back.
The usual distinction of the sexes—the finer colouring of the
female—exists in this as in the other species of the genus; they may be
thus described:—
Superciliary line and throat buffy white; line before and behind the
eye, all the upper surface, wings and tail dark brownish black; the base
of the primaries, secondaries and tertiaries, and the under surface of
the shoulder buff; under surface pale vinous brown; the feathers of the
abdomen with two stripes of black running parallel to and near the stem,
the space between dull white; at the base of the throat several
irregular spots of black; under tail-coverts buffy white, crossed by
broad bars of black; irides brown.
The female differs in having the markings of the abdomen larger and more
conspicuous, and in having the spots at the base of the throat chestnut
instead of black.
The Plate represents the two sexes of the natural size.
[Illustration:
CLIMACTERIS MELANURA: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
CLIMACTERIS MELANURA, _Gould_.
Black-tailed Tree-Creeper.
_Climacteris melanura_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part X. p. 138.
Hitherto I had believed that all the members of this genus were confined
to the southern portions of Australia, but that such is not the case is
proved by the circumstance of Mr. Bynoe having killed the bird here
represented on the northern coast. It exceeds all the other species in
size and also differs from them in its colouring, particularly in the
lanceolate feathers on the throat and in the black colour of the tail.
Nothing whatever is known of its habits or general economy, but judging
from its structure, it doubtless closely assimilates to its congeners in
all these particulars. The specimen I possess, and from which my figure
is taken, is, I believe, the only one that has yet been sent to Europe.
Forehead, all the upper surface and the tail-feathers velvety brownish
black; the occiput and back of the neck stained with ferruginous brown;
primaries and secondaries dark brown at the base and at the tip, the
intermediate space buff, forming a conspicuous band across the wing when
expanded; feathers of the throat white, edged all round with black,
giving the throat a striated appearance; abdomen and flanks ferruginous
brown; under tail-coverts black, irregularly crossed with bars of buff;
bill and feet blackish brown.
The figures represent the bird in different positions of the natural
size.
[Illustration:
CLIMACTERIS PICUMNUS: _Temm._
_J. & E. Gould del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
CLIMACTERIS PICUMNUS, _Temm._
White-throated Tree-Creeper.
_Certhia picumnus_, Ill.
_Climacteris picumnus_, Temm. Pl. Col. 281. fig. 1.—Vig. and Horsf. in
Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 295.
_New Holland Nuthatch_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 78.
_Barred-tailed Honey-eater_, Ib. p. 179.?
_Certhia leucoptera_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xxxvi.?
_Le Dirigang_, Vieill. Ois. Dor., tom. ii. p. 127.?
_Dirigang Creeper_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 106.?—Shaw,
Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 260.?
_Dirigang Honey-eater_ and var. A., Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p.
182—183.?
_The Common Creeper_, Lewin, Birds of New Holl., pl. 25.
The range of this species is as widely extended as that of the
_Climacteris scandens_, being a common bird in New South Wales and the
intervening country, as far as South Australia: the precise limits of
its habitat northward have not been ascertained; but it does not form
part of the Fauna of Western Australia.
The whole structure of this species is much more slender and
_Certhia_-like than any other member of its genus, and I observed that
this difference of form has a corresponding influence over its habits,
which are more strictly arboreal than those of its congeners; indeed so
much so, that it is questionable whether the bird ever descends to the
ground. It also differs from the _C. scandens_ in the character of
country and kind of trees it inhabits, being rarely seen on the large
_Eucalypti_ in the open forest lands, but resorting to trees bordering
creeks, as well as those on the mountains and the brushes. I have
frequently seen it in the brushes of Illawarra and Maitland, in which
localities the _C. scandens_ is seldom if ever found. While traversing
the trunks of trees in search of insects, which it does with great
facility, it utters a shrill piping cry: in this cry, and indeed in the
whole of its actions, it strikingly reminded me of the Common Creeper of
Europe (_Certhia familiaris_), particularly in its manner of ascending
the upright trunks of the trees, commencing at the bottom and gradually
creeping up the bole to the top, and generally in a spiral direction. It
is so partial to the _Casuarinæ_, that I have seldom seen a group of
these trees without at the same time observing the White-throated
Tree-Creeper, the rough bark affording numerous receptacles for various
kinds of insects, which constitute its sole diet. I have never seen this
species near the water-holes, and I feel assured it has the power of
subsisting without drinking.
The breeding-season is in September and the three following months. The
nest is built of grasses, is warmly lined with feathers, and is placed
in the hollow branch or hole of a tree. The eggs are three in number, of
a dull white thinly speckled with fine spots of rich brown, and a few
larger blotches of the same colour; they are ten lines long by eight
lines broad.
Crown of the head and back of the neck sooty black; back olive-brown;
wings dark brown, all the primaries and secondaries crossed in the
centre by a dull buff-coloured band; throat and centre of the abdomen
white, the latter tinged with buff; feathers of the flanks brownish
black, with a broad stripe of dull white down the centre; rump and upper
tail-coverts dark grey; under tail-coverts white, crossed by several
bands of black, each of which being separated on the stem appear like a
double spot; tail greyish brown, crossed by a broad band of black near
the tip; bill black; the under mandible horn-colour at the base; feet
blackish brown.
The female is precisely the same in colour, with the exception of having
a small orange-coloured spot just below the ear-coverts, and by which
she is at once distinguished from her mate.
The figures are those of a male and female of the natural size.
[Illustration:
ORTHONYX SPINICAUDUS: _Temm._
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
ORTHONYX SPINICAUDUS, _Temm._
Spine-tailed Orthonyx.
_Orthonyx spinicaudus_, Temm. Pl. Col., 428 male, 429 female.—Less.
Traité d’Orn., p. 315.—Swains. Class, of Birds, p. 321.
—— _Temminckii_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 294.
—— _maculatus_, Steph. Cont. of Shaw’s Gen. Zool., vol. xiv. p. 186.
The Spine-tailed Orthonyx is very local in its habitat, being entirely
confined, so far as I have been enabled to ascertain, to the brushes
which skirt the southern and eastern coasts of Australia, such as occur
at Illawarra, and in the neighbourhood of the rivers Manning, Clarence
and MacLeay. It is usually found in the most retired situations running
over the prostrate logs of trees, large moss-covered stones, &c.;
further than this, nothing is known of its habits and economy. I
ascertained by an examination of the stomach that the food consists of
insects, principally of the order Coleoptera, and that the white throat
distinguishes the male and the rufous throat the female. A knowledge of
the situation and form of its nest and the number and colour of its eggs
would probably afford some clue to its real affinities; at present I do
not know to which group it truly pertains, and I very much regret that
circumstances did not admit of my settling this point by a further
observation of the bird in a state of nature: as it is very solitary in
its habits it is seldom seen, and it would consequently require many
months’ residence to become tolerably acquainted with it, and to acquire
a knowledge of these desirable facts.
The male has the crown of the head and upper part of the back reddish
brown, with a large mark of black on each feather; lower part of the
back and upper tail-coverts rich rufous brown; wings black; coverts
largely tipped with grey; primaries crossed with grey at the base;
apical half of the primaries and the tips of the secondaries dark
brownish grey; tail dark brown; sides of the head and neck dark grey;
throat and chest white, separated from the grey of the sides of the neck
by a lunar-shaped mark of deep black; flanks and under tail-coverts
grey, stained with reddish brown; bill and feet black; irides very dark
hazel.
The female only differs in colour in having the throat rich rust-red.
The Plate represents the male and female of the size of life.
[Illustration:
PTILORUS PARADISEA: _Swains._
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
PTILORIS PARADISEUS, _Swains._
Rifle Bird.
_Ptiloris paradiseus_, Swains. Zool. Journ., vol. i. p. 481.—Ib.
Class. of Birds, vol. ii. p. 331.—Jard. and Selb. Ill. Orn.,
vol. i. pls. 43 male, 44 female.—Steph. Cont. of Shaw’s Gen.
Zool., vol. xiv. p. 267.
_Epimachus regius_, Less. Zool. de la Coq., pl. 28, male.—Ib. Cent. de
Zool., pl. 3, female.—Ib. Traité d’Orn., p. 320.
—— _Brisbanii_, Wils. Ill. of Zool., pl. xi.
_Ptiloris paradisea_, G. R. Gray, List of Gen. of Birds, 2nd edit., p.
15.
Hitherto this magnificent bird has only been discovered in the brushes
of the south-eastern portion of Australia; so limited in fact does its
range of habitat seem to be, that the river Hunter to the southward, and
Moreton Bay to the eastward, may be considered its natural boundaries in
either direction. I have been informed by several persons who have seen
it in its native wilds that it possesses many habits in common with the
_Climacteri_, and that it ascends the upright boles of trees precisely
after the manner of those birds. It was a source of regret to me that I
had no opportunity of verifying these assertions, but an examination of
the structure of the bird induces me to believe that it is more nearly
allied to the members of that genus than to any other: that its powers
of flight are very limited, is certain from the shortness and peculiarly
truncate form of the wing, and this mode of progression is doubtless
seldom resorted to further than to transport the bird from tree to tree,
or from one part of the forest to another. That it is stationary in the
brushes of the Clarence, MacLeay, and all similar districts between the
river Hunter and the settlement at Moreton Bay, is evident from the
numerous specimens of all ages that have been sent from thence to
Europe.
The _Ptiloris paradiseus_ is without exception the most gorgeously
plumaged bird yet discovered in Australia: the sexes offer the greatest
possible difference in the colouring of their plumage; for while the
male is adorned with hues only equalled by some species of the
_Trochilidæ_ or Humming-Birds, the dress of the female is as sombre as
can well be imagined. The law which exists wherever there is a great
difference in the colouring of the sexes causes many parti-coloured
changes of plumage in the immature males during the period of moulting,
which however during the first year, and probably for a longer period,
cannot be distinguished from the females.
The adult male has the general plumage rich velvety black, glossed on
the upper surface with brownish lilac; under surface similar to the
upper, but all the feathers of the abdomen and flanks broadly margined
with rich olive-green; feathers of the head and throat small,
scale-like, and of a shining metallic blue-green; two centre
tail-feathers rich shining metallic green, the remainder deep black;
bill and feet black.
The female has the whole of the upper surface greyish brown; the wings
and tail edged with ferruginous; the feathers of the head with a narrow
line of white down the centre; line passing down the side of the head
from behind the eye, chin and throat, huffy white; all the under surface
deep buff, each feather with a black arrow-headed-shaped mark near the
tip.
The Plate represents two males and a female of the size of life.
[Illustration:
SITTELLA CHRYSOPTERA: _Swains._
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
SITTELLA CHRYSOPTERA, _Swains._
Orange-winged Sittella.
_Sitta chrysoptera_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., p. xxxii.—Vig. and Horsf.
in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 296.—Less. Traité d’Orn., p.
316.
_Orange-winged Nuthatch_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 146. pl.
227.—Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 120.—Lath. Gen. Hist.,
vol. iv. p. 77. pl. lxiii.
_Sitta? chrysoptera_, Steph. Cont. Shaw’s Gen. Zool., vol. xiv. p.
189.
_Neops chrysoptera_, Vieill. 2nde édit, du Dict. d’Hist. Nat., tom.
xxxi.—Ency. Méth. Orn., Part III. p. 915.
_Sittella chrysoptera_, Swains. Class. of Birds, vol. ii. p. 317.
_Mur-ri-gang_, Aborigines of New South Wales.
This species appears to be as much confined to the south-eastern part of
Australia as the _Sittella pileata_ and _S. leucoptera_ are to their
respective portions of the country; the former inhabiting the western,
and the latter the northern parts of the continent. New South Wales then
is the true habitat of this species, over nearly every part of which it
is rather plentifully distributed; more abundantly so, I should say,
than is the Nuthatch in Europe, to which it offers considerable
similarity in its habits, actions, and economy. I have generally
observed it in small companies of from four to eight in number, running
over the branches of the trees with the greatest facility, and assuming
every possible variety of position; often in that which distinguishes
the actions of the Nuthatch from those of all other European birds,
namely, that of traversing the boles of the trees downwards, not, like
the _Climacteris_, with a backward shuffle, but with the head pointing
to the ground. The whole tribe of _Sittellæ_ live exclusively oil
insects and spiders, for the capture of which they possess an admirably
constructed bill.
During its flight, which is quick and darting, the red mark on the wing
shows very conspicuously; its powers of wing are, however, seldom
brought into action, further than to enable it to pass from one tree to
another.
Although I possess a nest and eggs, which I have reason to believe are
those of the present species, I could not ascertain with certainty that
this was the case, or the situation of its breeding-place.
The colouring of this species is more sombre, and has the markings of
the head less decided than any other species of the genus. The darker
colouring of the head of the female, however, which is spread over the
ear-coverts, at once points out to the ornithologist the sex of any
specimen he may possess of this genus.
The male has the head dark brown; all the upper surface grey, with a
broad streak of dark brown down the centre of each feather; wings dark
brown, with a broad patch of rich rufous crossing the primaries and
secondaries; upper tail-coverts white; tail black, the outer feathers
tipped with white; all the under surface grey, with a faint streak of
brown down each feather; under tail-coverts white, crossed near the tip
with a spot of brown; bill horn-colour at the base; irides cream-colour;
eyelash light buff; feet yellow.
The female differs only in having the head of a darker tint of brown.
The figures are of the natural size.
[Illustration:
SITTELLA LEUCOCEPHALA: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
SITTELLA LEUCOCEPHALA, _Gould_.
White-headed Sittella.
_Sittella leucocephala_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part V. p. 152;
and in Syn. of Birds of Australia, Part IV.
My collection contains three specimens of this new species of
_Sittella_, two of which were received from the neighbourhood of Moreton
Bay and the other was procured during Dr. Leichardt’s overland
expedition to Port Essington, Mr. Gilbert having killed it near
Peak-Range Camp on the 27th of January 1845; the latter, which is
figured on the right-hand side of the plate, differs from the former in
the greater purity of the white colouring of the head, and in the darker
tint of the striæ which run down the centre of each of the feathers on
the breast; and it is possible that it may hereafter prove to be
distinct.
Head and neck pure white; upper surface greyish brown with darker
centres; under surface greyish white, with a stripe of brownish black
down the centre of each feather; wings dark brown, crossed by a band of
pale rusty red; tail brownish black, the middle feathers slightly, and
the outer ones largely tipped with white; upper tail-coverts white, the
lateral feathers with a patch of dark brown in the centre; under
tail-coverts brown, tipped with white; irides greenish yellow; base of
the bill, nostrils and eyelash orange-yellow.
The figures are of the natural size; the one with the white head being a
female, as ascertained by dissection.
[Illustration:
SITTELLA LEUCOPTERA: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
SITTELLA LEUCOPTERA, _Gould_.
White-winged Sittella.
_Sittella leucoptera_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VII. p. 144.
The present bird, which is a native of the northern parts of Australia,
is a perfect representative of the _Sittella chrysoptera_ of the south
coast, to which species it is most nearly allied. The contrasted style
of its plumage, together with the white spot in the wings, sufficiently
distinguish it from every other species of the genus yet discovered. It
is found in the Cobourg Peninsula, but is nowhere very abundant: it is
mostly met with in small families of from four to twelve in number. Its
note, actions and general habits are precisely similar to those of the
other members of the genus.
The sexes differ from each other in the markings of the head; the male
has the summit only black, while the female has the whole of the head
and ear-coverts of that colour.
The male has the forehead, crown of the head and occiput deep black;
wings black, with a broad band of white crossing the primaries near the
base; tail black, the lateral feathers tipped with white; throat, under
surface and upper tail-coverts white; under tail-coverts white, with a
spot of black near the tip of each feather; back greyish brown, the
centre of each feather streaked with blackish brown; irides
ochre-yellow; eyelash straw-yellow; bill straw-yellow, tipped with
black; legs and feet lemon-yellow.
The Plate represents the two sexes and an immature bird of the natural
size.
[Illustration:
SITTELLA PILEATA: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
SITTELLA PILEATA, _Gould_.
Black-capped Sittella.
_Sittella pileata_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part V. p. 151,
male.
—— _melanocephala_, Gould in Ibid., p. 152, female.
_Goo-mȁl-be-dite_, Aborigines of Western Australia.
This species of _Sittella_ inhabits the south-western portion of
Australia, and enjoys a range extending over several degrees of
longitude. It is, however, more strictly speaking, one of the species
pertaining to the Fauna of Western Australia. I killed several examples
during my excursion into the interior of South Australia, and I
transcribe from my journal the following notes on the subject:—“I met
with a flock of these birds on the hills near the source of the River
Torrens, about forty miles northward of Adelaide: they were about thirty
in number and were extremely shy, keeping on the topmost branches of the
trees, and the whole company flying from tree to tree so quickly, that I
and my companion were kept at a full run to get shots at them.”
The following is from Mr. Gilbert’s notes made in Western Australia:—
“An extremely active bird, running up and down the trunks and branches
of the trees with the utmost rapidity, always in families of from ten to
twenty in number. It utters a weak piping note while on the wing, and
occasionally while running up and down the trees. Its flight, which is
generally performed in rather rapid undulating starts, is of short
duration.”
In a letter lately received from Mr. Gilbert he informs me, on the
authority of Mr. Johnson Drummond, that this species “makes a nest of
short strips of bark attached together and fastened to the branch with
cobwebs, and so covered over with them as to be very nearly smooth; the
cobweb is laid or felted on, not wound round the pieces; portions of
lichen are frequently attached. The nest is generally placed in the
highest and most slender fork of an Acacia, and is most difficult to
detect, from its very diminutive size and from its resembling a slight
excrescence of the wood; the eggs are three in number, of a whitish
colour, with circular green spots regularly distributed over the whole
surface. The bird breeds in September, and Mr. Johnson Drummond states
that the margin of the nest is brought to a sharp edge like that of
_Piezorhynchus nitidus_. Would you not have supposed that this bird
breeds in the holes of trees like the Nuthatch of Europe?”
On reference to the synonyms given above, it will be seen, that prior to
my visit to Australia, I regarded, described and named the two sexes of
this bird as distinct species, an error which the opportunity I
subsequently had of observing the bird in a state of nature and of
dissecting recent specimens has enabled me to correct; the black-headed
specimens proving to be females, and those with a black cap only males.
The male has the forehead, stripe over the eye, throat, breast, and
centre of the abdomen white; crown of the head black; ear-coverts, back
of the neck and back greyish brown, with a small stripe of dark brown
down the centre of each feather of the latter; rump white; upper and
under tail-coverts greyish brown, crossed with an arrow-shaped mark of
dark brown, and tipped with white; tail black, the centre feathers
slightly and the outer ones largely tipped with white; wings blackish
brown, with a large patch of rufous in the centre, interrupted by the
blackish brown margins of some of the secondaries; all the feathers
slightly tipped with greyish brown; flanks and vent greyish brown; bill
yellow at the base, black at the tip; feet beautiful king’s-yellow;
irides buffy hazel; eyelash buff.
The female differs in being somewhat darker on the upper surface, and in
having the whole of the upper part of the head including the orbits deep
black.
The figures represent both sexes of the natural size.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES
1. Silently corrected typographical errors and variations in spelling.
2. Anachronistic, non-standard, and uncertain spellings retained as
printed.
3. Enclosed italics font in _underscores_.
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