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Title: The Birds of Australia, Vol. 5 of 7
Author: Gould, John
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. RAY S., 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. V.
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 V.
Cacatua galerita Crested Cockatoo 1
—— Leadbeateri Leadbeater’s Cockatoo 2
—— sanguinea, _Gould_ Blood-stained Cockatoo 3
—— Eos Rose-breasted Cockatoo 4
Licmetis nasicus Long-billed Cockatoo 5
Nestor productus, _Gould_ Philip Island Parrot 6
Calyptorhynchus Banksii Banksian Cockatoo 7
—— macrorhynchus, _Gould_ Great-billed Black Cockatoo 8
—— naso, _Gould_ Western Black Cockatoo 9
—— Leachii Leach’s Cockatoo 10
—— funereus Funereal Cockatoo 11
—— xanthonotus, _Gould_ Yellow-eared Black Cockatoo 12
—— Baudinii, _Vig._ Baudin’s Cockatoo 13
Callocephalon galeatum Gang-gang Cockatoo 14
Polytelis Barrabandi Barraband’s Parrakeet 15
—— melanura Black-tailed Parrakeet 16
Aprosmictus scapulatus King Lory 17
—— erythropterus Red-winged Lory 18
Platycercus semitorquatus Yellow-collared Parrakeet 19
—— Baueri Bauer’s Parrakeet 20
—— Barnardi, _Vig. & Horsf._ Barnard’s Parrakeet 21
—— Adelaidiæ, _Gould_ Adelaide Parrakeet 22
—— Pennantii Pennant’s Parrakeet 23
—— flaviventris Yellow-bellied Parrakeet 24
—— flaveolus, _Gould_ Yellow-rumped Parrakeet 25
—— palliceps, _Vig._ Pale-headed Parrakeet 26
—— eximius Rose-hill Parrakeet 27
—— splendidus, _Gould_ Splendid Parrakeet 28
—— icterotis The Earl of Derby’s Parrakeet 29
—— ignitus, _Lead._ Fiery Parrakeet 30
—— Brownii Brown’s Parrakeet 31
—— pileatus, _Vig._ Red-capped Parrakeet 32
Psephotus hæmatogaster, _Gould_ Crimson-bellied Parrakeet 33
—— pulcherrimus, _Gould_ Beautiful Parrakeet 34
—— multicolor Many-coloured Parrakeet 35
—— hæmatonotus, _Gould_ Red-backed Parrakeet 36
Euphema chrysostoma Blue-banded Grass-Parrakeet 37
—— elegans, _Gould_ Elegant Grass-Parrakeet 38
—— aurantia, _Gould_ Orange-bellied Grass-Parrakeet 39
—— petrophila, _Gould_ Rock Grass-Parrakeet 40
—— pulchella Chestnut-shouldered
Grass-Parrakeet 41
—— splendida, _Gould_ Splendid Grass-Parrakeet 42
—— Bourkii Bourke’s Grass-Parrakeet 43
Melopsittacus undulatus Warbling Grass-Parrakeet 44
Nymphicus Novæ-Hollandiæ Cockatoo Parrakeet 45
Pezoporus formosus Ground Parrakeet 46
Lathamus discolor Swift Lorikeet 47
Trichoglossus Swainsonii, _Jard. & Swainson’s Lorikeet
Selby._ 48
—— rubritorquis, _Vig. & Horsf._ Red-collared Lorikeet 49
Trichoglossus chlorolepidotus Scaly-breasted Lorikeet 50
—— versicolor, _Vig._ Varied Lorikeet 51
—— concinnus Musky Lorikeet 52
—— porphyrocephalus, _Diet._ Porphyry-crowned Lorikeet 53
—— pusillus Little Lorikeet 54
Ptilinopus Swainsonii, _Gould_ Swainson’s Fruit Pigeon 55
—— Ewingii, _Gould_ Ewing’s Fruit Pigeon 56
—— superbus Superb Fruit Pigeon 57
Carpophaga magnifica Magnificent Fruit Pigeon 58
—— leucomela White-headed Fruit Pigeon 59
—— luctuosa Torres Strait Fruit Pigeon 60
Lopholaimus Antarcticus Top-Knot Pigeon 61
Chalcophaps chrysochlora Little Green Pigeon 62
Leucosarcia picata Wonga-wonga Pigeon 63
Peristera[1] chalcoptera Bronze-winged Pigeon 64
—— elegans Brush Bronze-winged Pigeon 65
—— histrionica, _Gould_ Harlequin Bronzewing 66
Geophaps scripta Partridge Bronze-wing 67
—— Smithii Smith’s Partridge Bronze-wing 68
—— plumifera, _Gould_ Plumed Partridge Bronze-wing 69
Ocyphaps Lophotes Crested Pigeon 70
Petrophassa albipennis, _Gould_ White-quilled Rock Dove 71
Geopelia humeralis Barred-shouldered Ground Dove 72
—— tranquilla, _Gould_ Peaceful Ground Dove 73
—— cuneata Graceful Ground Dove 74
Macropygia Phasianella Pheasant-tailed Pigeon 75
Gnathodon strigirostris, _Jard._ Gnathodon 76
Talegalla Lathami Wattled Talegalla 77
Leipoa ocellata, _Gould_ Ocellated Leipoa 78
Megapodius Tumulus, _Gould_ Mound-raising Megapode 79
Pedionomus torquatus, _Gould_ Collared Plain Wanderer 80
Hemipodius[2] melanogaster, _Gould_ Black-breasted Hemipode 81
—— varius Varied Hemipode 82
—— scintillans, _Gould_ Sparkling Hemipode 83
—— melanotus, _Gould_ Black-backed Hemipode 84
—— castanotus, _Gould_ Chestnut-backed Hemipode 85
—— pyrrhothorax, _Gould_ Red-chested Hemipode 86
—— velox, _Gould_ Swift-flying Hemipode 87
Coturnix pectoralis, _Gould_ Pectoral Quail 88
Synoïcus Australis Australian Partridge 89
—— Diemenensis, _Gould_ Van Diemen’s Land Partridge 90
—— sordidus, _Gould_ Sombre Partridge 91
——? Chinensis Chinese Quail 92
Footnote 1:
_Phaps_ being the generic appellation generally adopted, _Peristera_,
under which term the birds of this form have been published, must sink
into a synonym.
Footnote 2:
_Turnix_ for the like reason must be substituted for _Hemipodius_, the
term employed.
[Illustration:
CACATUA GALERITA: _Vieill._
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
CACATUA GALERITA, _Vieill._
Crested Cockatoo.
_The Crested Cockatoo_, White’s Journ., pl. in p. 237.
_Psittacus galeritus_, Lath. Ind. Orn., vol. i. p. 109; and Gen. Syn.
Supp., vol. ii. p. 92.—Kuhl, Consp. Psitt. in Nov. Act., vol. x. p.
87.
_Great Sulphur-crested Cockatoo_, Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 479.
_Crested Cockatoo_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. ii. p. 205.
_Cacatua galerita_, Vieill. 2nde Edit, du Nouv. Dict. d’Hist. Nat.,
tom. xvii. p. 11; and Ency. Méth. Orn., Part III. p. 1414.—Wagl.
Mon. Psitt. in Abhand., p. 695.
_Plyctolophus galeritus_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p.
268.—Vig. in Lear’s Ill. Psitt. pl. 3.—Steph. Cont. of Shaw’s Gen.
Zool., vol. xiv. p. 108.
_Cacatua chrysolophus_, Less. Traité d’Orn., p. 182.
_Car’away_ and _Cur’riang_, Aborigines of New South Wales.
_Mangarape_, Papuans of New Guinea.
If we regard the White Cockatoo of Van Diemen’s Land, that of the
continent of Australia, and that of New Guinea as mere varieties of each
other, this species has a more extensive range than most other birds. It
is an inhabitant of all the Australian colonies, both on the southern
and northern coasts, but has not yet been observed on the western.
On a close examination of specimens from the three countries above
mentioned, a decided difference is observable in the structure of the
bill, but of too trivial a character, in my opinion, to warrant their
being considered as distinct; in fact, it would seem to be merely a
modification of the organ for the peculiar kind of food afforded by the
respective countries. The Van Diemen’s Land bird is the largest in every
respect, and has the bill, particularly the upper mandible, less
abruptly curved, exhibiting a tendency to the form of that organ in the
genus _Licmetis_: the bill of the New Guinea bird is much rounder, and
is, in fact, fitted to perform a totally different office from that of
the White Cockatoo of Van Diemen’s Land, which I have ascertained, by
dissection, subsists principally on the small bulbs of the terrestrial
_Orchidaceæ_, for procuring which its lengthened upper mandible is
admirably adapted; while it is more than probable that no food of this
kind is to be obtained by the New Guinea bird, the structure of whose
bill indicates that hard seeds, nuts, &c. constitute the principal part
of its diet. The crops and stomachs of those killed in Van Diemen’s Land
were very muscular, and contained seeds, grain, native bread (a species
of fungus), small tuberous and bulbous roots, and, in most instances,
large stones.
As may be readily imagined, this bird is not upon favourable terms with
the agriculturist, upon whose fields of newly-sown grain and ripening
maize it commits the greatest devastation; it is consequently hunted and
shot down wherever it is found, a circumstance which tends much to
lessen its numbers; it is still, however, very numerous, moving about in
flocks varying from a hundred to a thousand in number, and evinces a
decided preference to the open plains and cleared lands, rather than to
the dense brushes near the coast. Except when feeding, or reposing on
the trees after a repast, the presence of a flock, if not seen, is
certain to be indicated by their horrid screaming notes, the discordance
of which may be slightly conceived by those who have heard the
peculiarly loud, piercing, grating scream of the bird in captivity,
always remembering the immense increase of the din occasioned by the
large number of birds emitting their disagreeable notes at the same
moment; still I ever considered this annoyance amply compensated for by
their sprightly actions and the life their snowy forms imparted to the
dense and never-varying green of the Australian forest; a feeling
participated in by Sir Thomas Mitchell, who says that “amidst the
umbrageous foliage, forming dense masses of shade, the white Cockatoos
sported like spirits of light.”
The situations chosen by this bird for the purpose of nidification vary
with the nature of the locality it inhabits; the eggs are usually
deposited in the holes of trees, but they are also placed in fissures in
the rocks wherever they may present a convenient site: the crevices of
the white cliffs bordering the Murray, in South Australia, are annually
resorted to for this purpose by thousands of this bird, and are said to
be completely honeycombed by them. The eggs are two in number, of a pure
white, rather pointed at the smaller end, one inch and seven lines long
by one inch two and a half lines broad.
All the plumage white, with the exception of the elongated occipital
crest, which is deep sulphur-yellow, and the ear-coverts, centre of the
under surface of the wing, and the basal portion of the inner webs of
the tail-feathers, which are pale sulphur-yellow; irides and bill black;
orbits white; feet greyish brown.
The figures are somewhat smaller than the natural size.
[Illustration:
CACATUA LEADBEATERI: _Wagl._
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
CACATUA LEADBEATERI, _Wagl._
Leadbeater’s Cockatoo.
_Plyctolophus Leadbeateri_, Vig. in Proc. of Comm, of Sci. and Corr.
of Zool. Soc., Part I. p. 61; Lear’s Ill. Psitt. pl. 5; and in Phil.
Mag. 1831, p. 55.—Gould in Syn. of Birds of Australia, Part
IV.—Mitch. Australian Expeditions, vol. ii. p. 47.
_Cacatua Leadbeateri_, Wagl. Mon. Psitt, in Abhand., p. 692.
_Jak-k̏ul-yȁk-kul_, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western
Australia.
_Pink Cockatoo_, Colonists of Swan River.
This beautiful species of Cockatoo enjoys a wide range over the southern
portions of the Australian continent; it never approaches very near the
sea, but evinces a decided preference for the belts of lofty gums and
scrubs clothing the sides of the rivers of the interior of the country;
it annually visits the Toodyay district of Western Australia; and, as I
ascertained, it annually breeds at Gawler in South Australia. On reading
the works of Sturt and Mitchell, I find that both those travellers met
with it in the course of their explorations, particularly on the hanks
of the rivers Darling and Murray; in fact, most of the interior
districts between New South Wales and Adelaide are inhabited by it:
future research alone will determine the extent of its range to the
northward; as yet no specimen has been received either from the north or
north-west coasts.
It must be admitted that this species is at once the most beautiful and
elegant of the genus yet discovered, and it will consequently ever be
most highly prized for the cage and the aviary; two examples, now in the
possession of the Earl of Derby, appear to bear confinement equally as
well as any of their congeners; in their disposition they are not so
sprightly and animated, but at the same time they are much less noisy, a
circumstance which tends to enhance rather than decrease our partiality
for them.
Few birds tend more to enliven the monotonous hues of the Australian
forests than this beautiful species, whose “pink-coloured wings and
glowing crest,” says Sir T. Mitchell, “might have embellished the air of
a more voluptuous region.”
Its note is more plaintive than that of _C. galerita_, and does not
partake of the harsh grating sound peculiar to that species.
General plumage white; forehead, front and sides of the neck, centre of
the under surface of the wing, middle of the abdomen, and the basal
portion of the inner webs of the tail-feathers tinged with rose-colour,
becoming of a rich salmon-colour under the wing; feathers of the
occipital crest crimson at the base, with a yellow spot in the centre
and white at the tip; bill light horn-colour; feet dark brown.
The sexes are nearly equal in size; but the female has the yellow spots
in the centre of the crest more conspicuous and better defined than her
mate, whose crest, although larger, is not so diversified in colour as
that of his mate; on the other hand, the salmon tint of the under
surface is much more intense in the male than in the female.
The Plate represents the two sexes about the natural size.
[Illustration:
CACATUA SANGUINEA: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
CACATUA SANGUINEA, _Gould_.
Blood-stained Cockatoo.
_Cacatua sanguinea_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part X. p. 138.
The circumstance of this species never having been characterized until I
described it in the “Proceedings of the Zoological Society,” above
quoted, may doubtless be attributed to its being solely an inhabitant of
the north and north-west coasts of Australia, portions of the country
where few collections have been formed. With the exception of a specimen
brought home by Captain Chambers, R.N., and another in the collection of
Mr. Bankier, my own specimens are all that I have ever seen; the whole
of these were collected at Port Essington.
The Blood-stained Cockatoo inhabits swamps and wet grassy meadows, and
is often to be seen in company with its near ally the _Cacatua
galerita_, but I am informed it is even more shy and difficult of
approach than that bird. It is doubtless attracted to the swampy
districts by the various species of Orchidaceous plants that grow in
such localities, upon the roots of which at some seasons it mainly
subsists.
But little difference occurs either in the size or the colouring of the
sexes, and I have young birds, which, although a third less in size,
closely assimilate in every respect to the adult, so much so that an
examination of the bill, which during immaturity is soft and yielding to
the touch, is necessary to distinguish them.
I have never yet observed this species in collections from New Guinea;
but I think it more than likely that its range may extend to that
island, the fauna of which is at present so imperfectly known to us.
All the plumage white; base of the feathers of the lores and sides of
the face stained with patches of blood-red; base of the inner webs of
the primaries, secondaries and tail-feathers fine sulphur-yellow; bill
yellowish white; feet mealy brown.
The figures are those of a male and a female about the natural size.
[Illustration:
CACATUA EOS.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
CACATUA EOS.
Rose-breasted Cockatoo.
_Psittacus Eos_, Kuhl, Nova Acta, tom. x. p. 88.—Temm. Pl. Col., 81.
_Cacatua rosea_, Vieill. Gal. des Ois., tom. ii. p. 5. pl. 25.—Ib.
Ency. Méth. Orn., Part iii. p. 1414.—Less. Traité d’Orn., p. 183.
_Plyctolophus Eos_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 269.
_Rose-coloured Cockatoo_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. ii. p. 207.
_Cacatua roseicapilla_, Wagl. Mon. Psitt, in Abhand., pp. 504, 691.
—— _Eos_, Less. Man. d’Orn., tom. ii. p. 143.
_The Rose Cockatoo_, Sturt’s Travels in Australia, vol. ii. pl. in p.
79.
This beautiful Cockatoo is abundantly dispersed over a great part of the
interior of Australia; both Oxley and Sturt speak of it as inhabiting
the country to the north-west of the Blue Mountain range of hills; in
fact, few travellers have visited the interior without having had their
attention attracted by its appearance; and I saw it in great numbers on
the plains bordering the river Namoi, particularly under the Nundewar
range of Sir Thomas Mitchell; I possess specimens also from the north
coast, procured by the Officers of the Beagle. A difference however,
which may hereafter prove to be specific, exists between the birds from
New South Wales and those of the north coast. Those from the latter
locality are the largest in size, and have the bare skin round the eye
more extended; the rosy colour of the breast and the grey colouring of
the back are darker than in the specimens I killed on the Namoi.
The Rose-breasted Cockatoo possesses considerable power of wing, and
like the house-pigeon of this country, frequently passes in flocks over
the plains with a long sweeping flight, the group at one minute
displaying their beautiful silvery grey backs to the gaze of the
spectator, and at the next by a simultaneous change of position bringing
their rich rosy breasts into view, the effect of which is so beautiful
to behold, that it is a source of regret to me that my readers cannot
participate in the pleasure I have derived from the sight. I was
informed by the natives of the Namoi that the bird had so recently
arrived in the district, that until within the last two years it had
never been seen; they supposed it to have migrated from the north or
interior of the country. During the years 1839 and 1840 it bred in
considerable numbers in the boles of the large _Eucalypti_ skirting the
Nundewar range before alluded to, and afforded an abundant supply of
young ones for the draymen and stock-keepers to transport to Sydney,
where they are sold for a considerable sum to be shipped to England; and
as they are very hardy, and bear cold and confinement extremely well,
and are perfectly contented in a cage, we have, perhaps, more of them
living in England at the present time than of any other species of the
genus. I have seen it as tame in Australia as the ordinary denizens of
the farm-yard, enjoying perfect liberty, and coming round the door to
receive food in company with the pigeons and poultry, amongst which it
mingled on terms of intimate friendship.
In a letter received from my friend Captain Sturt, he says, “The
Rose-breasted Cockatoo is a bird of the low country entirely and limited
in the extent of its habitat, never being found in any great number on
the banks of the Darling, or rising higher than 600 feet above the level
of the sea. It feeds on _Salsolæ_, and occupies those vast plains which
lie immediately to the westward of the Blue Mountains. It has a peculiar
flight, and the whole flock turning together show the rose-colour of the
under surface with pretty effect.” I have not yet seen specimens of this
bird from any part of the Swan River colony, neither did I observe it in
any part of South Australia that I visited; the eastern and northern
portions of Australia are evidently those most frequented by it.
The eggs, which are white, are generally three in number, about an inch
and a half long by an inch and an eighth broad.
The young at first are covered with long, fine downy feathers, which at
an early age give place to the colours which characterize the plumage of
the adult.
The sexes do not differ in colouring and scarcely in size, but
individuals differ considerably in the depth of the tint of the under
surface, some being much deeper than others, and in the extent of the
bare space round the eye.
Crown of the head pale rosy white; all the upper surface grey, deepening
into brown at the extremity of the wings and tail, and becoming nearly
white on the rump and upper tail-coverts; sides of the neck, all the
under surface from below the eyes and the under surface of the shoulder
rich deep rosy red; thighs and under tail-coverts grey; irides rich deep
rosy red; orbits brick-red; bill white; feet mealy dark brown.
The figures are of the natural size.
[Illustration:
LICMETIS NASICUS.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
LICMETIS NASICUS.
Long-billed Cockatoo.
_Psittacus nasicus_, Temm, in Linn. Trans., vol. xiii. p. 115.—Ib. Pl.
Col, 331.
_Long-nosed Cockatoo_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. ii. p. 205.
_Licmetis tenuirostris_, Wagl. Mon. Psitt, in Abhand., vol. i. pp. 505
and 695.—G. R. Gray, List of Gen. of Birds, 2nd edit. p. 69.
_Psittacus tenuirostris_, Kuhl in Nov. Acta, tom. x. p. 88.
_Cacatua nasica_, Less. Traité d’Orn., p. 183.
_Plyctolophus tenuirostris_, Steph. Cont. of Shaw’s Gen. Zool., vol.
xiv. p. 108.
_The Red-vented Cockatoo_, Brown’s Ill., p. 10. pl. 5.
As I regard the Long-billed White Cockatoos from Western Australia and
New South Wales as distinct, the habitat of the present species, so far
as is yet known, is confined to the districts of Port Philip and South
Australia, where it inhabits the interior rather than the neighbourhood
of the coast. Like the common _Cacatua galerita_, it assembles in large
flocks and spends much of its time on the ground, where it grubs up the
roots of Orchids and other bulbous plants upon which it mainly subsists,
and hence the necessity for its singularly-formed bill. It not
unfrequently makes inroads to the newly-sown fields of corn, where it is
the most destructive bird imaginable. It passes over the ground in a
succession of hops, much more quickly than the _Cacatua galerita_; its
powers of flight also exceed those of that bird, not perhaps in
duration, but in the rapidity with which it passes through the air. I
noticed this particularly when a flock passed me in the interior of
South Australia. I have seen many individuals of this species in
captivity, both in New South Wales and in this country; and although
they appear to bear confinement equally as well as the other members of
the family, they seemed more dull and morose, and of a very irritable
temper.
The eggs, which are white, two in number, and about the size of those of
the _Cacatua galerita_, are usually deposited on a layer of rotten wood
at the bottom of holes in the larger gum-trees.
The sexes are alike in colour and size.
The general plumage white, washed with pale brimstone-yellow on the
under surface of the wing, and with bright brimstone-yellow on the under
surface of the tail; line across the forehead and lores scarlet; the
feathers of the head, neck and breast are also scarlet at the base,
showing through the white, particularly on the breast; irides light
brown; bill white; naked skin round the eye greenish blue; legs and feet
dull olive-grey.
The two figures in the accompanying Plate are rather less than the
natural size.
[Illustration:
NESTOR PRODUCTUS. (_Gould_)
_Drawn from Nature & on stone by J & E Gould._ _Printed by C.
Hullmandel._
]
NESTOR PRODUCTUS, _Gould_.
Phillip Island Parrot.
_Wilson’s Parrakeet_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. ii. p. 170.?
_Long-billed Parrakeet_, Ib., p. 171.?
_Plyctolophus productus_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part IV. 1836,
p. 19.
_Nestor productus_, Gould, Syn. of the Birds of Australia, Part I.
I have considerable pleasure in being enabled to add a second and so
beautiful a species as the present to the genus _Nestor_ of Wagler. Like
its near ally, the _N. hypopolius_, which, so far as is yet known, is
only found in New Zealand, the _N. productus_ has a very limited
habitat, the entire race, as I am credibly informed, being confined to
Phillip Island, whose whole circumference is not more than five miles in
extent; so strictly in fact is it confined to this isolated spot, that
many persons who have resided in Norfolk Island for years, have assured
me its occurrence there is never known, although the distance from one
island to the other is not more than three or four miles. I regret to
state, that, in consequence of the settlement of Norfolk Island, the
native haunts of this fine bird have been so intruded upon, and such a
war of extermination been carried on against it, that if such be not the
case already, the time is not far distant when the species will be
completely extirpated, and, like the Dodo, its skin and bones become the
only mementos of its existence.
Had I been able to visit Norfolk and Phillip Islands, I should certainly
have made every inquiry into the native habits and economy of this very
singular form among the Parrots, the nature of its food, mode of
procuring it, &c.; and I would now urge the necessity of these
investigations upon those who may be favourably situated for making
them. Like all the other members of the extensive family of
_Psittacidæ_, it bears captivity remarkably well, readily becoming
contented, cheerful, and an amusing companion. During my stay at Sydney,
I had an opportunity of seeing a living example in the possession of
Major Anderson, and was much interested with many of its actions, which
were so different from those of every other member of its family, that I
felt convinced they were equally different and curious in a state of
nature. This bird was not confined to a cage, but permitted to range
over the house, along the floors of which it passed, not with the
awkward waddling gait of a Parrot, but in a succession of leaps,
precisely after the manner of the _Corvidæ_. Mrs. Anderson, to whom I am
indebted for the little I could learn respecting it, informed me that it
is found among the rocks and upon the loftiest trees of the island, that
it is so tame as to be readily taken alive with a noose, and that it
feeds upon the blossoms of the white-wood tree, or white _Hibiscus_,
sucking the honey of the flowers: the mention of this latter
circumstance induced me to examine the tongue of the bird, which
presented a very peculiar structure, not, like that of the true
honey-feeding Parrakeets (the _Trichoglossi_), furnished with a
brush-like termination, but with a narrow horny scoop on the under side,
which, together with the extremity of the tongue, resembled the end of a
finger with the nail beneath instead of above: this peculiarity in the
structure of the organ is doubtless indicative of a corresponding
peculiarity in the nature of the food upon which the bird subsists. I
may mention that Sir J. P. Millbank, Bart., informed me that a living
example of this species in his possession evinced a strong partiality to
the leaves of the common lettuce and other soft vegetables, and that it
was also very fond of the juice of fruits, of cream and butter.
Mrs. Anderson told me that it lays four eggs in the hollow part of a
tree, but beyond this I was unable to ascertain anything respecting its
nidification.
Its voice is a hoarse, quacking, inharmonious noise, sometimes
resembling the barking of a dog.
It would appear from the numerous specimens I have examined that the
sexes scarcely differ from each other in colour; the young, on the
contrary, have but little of the rich yellow and red markings of the
breast, that part being olive-brown like the back.
The general colour of the upper surface brown; head and back of the neck
tinged with grey, the feathers of these parts as well as of the back
margined with a deeper tint; rump, belly, and under tail-coverts deep
red; cheeks, throat, and chest yellow, the former tinged with red;
shoulders on their inner surface yellow tinged with rufous olive;
tail-feathers banded at the base with orange-yellow and brown; the inner
webs of the quill-feathers at the base and beneath, with dusky red and
brown; irides very dark brown; bill brown; nostrils, bare skin round the
eye, and feet dark olive-brown.
Our Plate represents an old and a nearly adult bird, exhibiting traces
of the immature plumage on the chest, of the natural size.
[Illustration:
CALYPTORHYNCHUS BANKSII.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
CALYPTORHYNCHUS BANKSII.
Banksian Cockatoo.
_Psittacus Banksii_, Lath. Ind. Orn., vol. i. p. 107.—Ib. Gen. Syn.,
p. 63, p. 109.—Parkinson’s Voy., p. 144.—Cook’s Voy., vol. ii. p.
18.—Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 476.—Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. ii.
p. 199. pl. 27 (female).
_Psittacus magnificus_, Shaw, Nat Misc., pl. 50.
_Calyptorhynchus Banksii_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv.
p. 271.
—— _stellatus_, Wagl. Mon. Psitt. in Abhand., tom. i. p. 683. pl. 27
(a very young bird).—Selby in Nat. Lib. Orn., vol. vi. Parrots, p.
134.
I have abundant reasons for stating that every portion of Australia yet
visited by Europeans is inhabited by members of the genus
_Calyptorhynchus_, and that at least six species are now known, each of
which has its own peculiar limits, beyond which it seldom or never
passes. The present species, which is one of those with which we first
became acquainted, and to which, as will be seen above, several specific
appellations have been given, is a native of New South Wales, out of
which colony I have never known it to occur, its range appearing to be
limited by Moreton Bay on the east and Port Philip on the south. It is
not unfrequently seen in the immediate neighbourhood of Sydney and other
large towns, and it alike frequents the brushes and the more open wooded
parts of the colony, where it feeds on the seeds of the _Banksiæ_ and
_Casuarinæ_, changing its diet however, as occasion may offer, to
caterpillars, particularly those that infest the wattles and other low
trees. The facility with which it procures these large grubs is no less
remarkable than the structure of the bird’s bill, which is admirably
adapted for scooping out the wood of both the larger and smaller
branches, and by this means obtaining possession of the hidden treasure.
The Banksian Cockatoo is a suspicious and shy bird, and it requires a
considerable degree of caution to approach it within gun-shot; there are
times however, particularly when it is feeding, when this may be more
readily accomplished. It never assembles in large flocks like the White
Cockatoo, but moves about either in pairs or in small companies of from
four to eight in number. Its flight is heavy, and the wings are moved
with a flapping, laboured motion; it seldom mounts high in the air, for
although its flight is somewhat protracted, and journeys of several
miles are performed, it rarely rises higher than is sufficient to
surmount the tops of the lofty _Eucalypti_, a tribe of trees it often
frequents, and in the larger kinds of which it almost invariably breeds,
depositing its two or three white eggs in some inaccessible hole, spout
or dead limb, the only nest being the rotten wood at the bottom, or the
chips made by the bird in forming an excavation.
The female and young birds of both sexes differ very considerably from
the old male in the marking of their plumage, and hence has arisen no
end of confusion and the various names assigned to this bird; the above
list of synonyms has been worked out with considerable care, and will I
believe be found correct.
It is with feelings of great pleasure that I find that the term
_Banksii_, having the priority, the name of the illustrious Banks, will
ever be retained as the distinctive appellation of this noble and
ornamental bird; and I would that it were in my power to write as many
pages respecting its habits and economy as I have lines; but this task
must devolve upon some future historian of the productions of a country
teeming with the highest interest, and who will doubtless find
occupation in investigating the minute details of that respecting which
I am only able to give a general outline.
The male has the entire plumage glossy greenish black, with a broad band
of rich deep vermilion across the middle of all but the two central
tail-feathers, and the external web of the outer feather on each side;
feet mealy brown; bill in young specimens greyish white, in old
specimens black.
The female has the general plumage glossy greenish black, each feather
of the head, sides of the neck and wing-coverts pale yellow; under
surface crossed by narrow irregular bars of pale yellow, becoming
fainter on the abdomen; under tail-coverts crossed by narrow freckled
bars of yellowish red; tail banded with red, passing into sulphur-yellow
on the inner margins of the feathers, and interrupted by numerous narrow
irregular bars and freckles of black.
The Plate represents the male and female about two-thirds of the natural
size.
[Illustration:
CALYPTORHYNCHUS MACRORHYNCHUS: _Gould_.
_Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
CALYPTORHYNCHUS MACRORHYNCHUS, _Gould_.
Great-billed Black Cockatoo.
_Calyptorhynchus macrorhynchus_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part X.
p. 138.
_Lȁr-a-wuk_, Natives of Taratong.
All the examples of this species that have come under my notice have
been collected at Port Essington, where it is usually seen in small
troops of from four to six in number. It has many characters in common
with the Black Cockatoos of the south coast, but no species of the genus
yet discovered has the bill so largely developed, which development is
doubtless requisite to enable it to procure some peculiar kind of food
at present unknown to us; it assimilates to the _C. Cookii_ of New South
Wales in the lengthened form of its crest, but differs in having much
shorter wings, and in the mandibles being fully one-third larger. The
females of the two species also vary considerably in the colouring of
the bands across the tail-feathers, which in the _C. Cookii_ is pure
scarlet, while the same part of the female of the present bird is
mingled yellow and scarlet. It differs from the _C. naso_ of Western
Australia in having a larger bill than that species, and in the much
greater length of the crest; a similar difference is also observable in
the colouring of the tail-feathers of the females that has been already
pointed out with regard to _C. Cookii_.
It is a very powerful species, and its habits and economy are so similar
to the other members of the genus that a description of them would be
superfluous.
The male has the whole of the plumage glossy bluish black; lateral
tail-feathers, except the external web of the outer one, crossed by a
broad band of fine scarlet; bill horn-colour; irides blackish brown;
feet mealy blackish brown.
The female has the general plumage as in the male, but with the
crest-feathers, those on the sides of the face and neck, and the
wing-coverts spotted with light yellow; each feather of the under
surface, but particularly the chest, crossed by several semicircular
fasciæ of yellowish buff; lateral tail-feathers crossed on the under
surface by numerous irregular bands of dull yellow, which are broad and
freckled with black at the base of the tail, and become narrower and
more irregular as they approach the tip; on the upper surface of the
tail these bands are bright yellow at the base of the feathers, and
gradually change into pale scarlet as they approach the tip; irides
blackish brown.
The Plate represents the two sexes about two-thirds of the natural size.
[Illustration:
CALYPTORHYNCHUS NASO: _Gould_
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
CALYPTORHYNCHUS NASO, _Gould_.
Western Black Cockatoo.
_Calyptorhynchus naso_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part IV. p. 106.
_Kar-rak_, Aborigines of the mountain and lowland, and
_Keer-jan-dee_ of the Aborigines of the northern districts of Western
Australia.
_Red-tailed Black Cockatoo_ of the Colonists.
The characters by which this species is distinguished from the
_Calyptorhynchus macrorhynchus_, are a smaller bill and a shorter and
more rounded crest; the same characters, which I know to be constant,
also distinguish it from the _C. Banksii_. The bill is inclined to be
gibbose, like that of _C. Leachii_, to which species it also offers a
further alliance in its shorter contour, rounded crest, and short tail.
The extent of range enjoyed by the _Calyptorhynchus naso_ I have not
been able to ascertain; its great stronghold appears to be the colony of
Swan River, where it inhabits all parts of the country. As might be
expected, its habits and economy closely resemble those of the other
members of the genus. Except in the breeding-season, when it pairs, it
may often be observed in companies of from six to fifteen in number.
It breeds in the holes of trees, making no nest, but merely collecting
the soft dead wood on which to deposit its eggs, which are generally
placed in trees so difficult of access that even the natives dislike to
climb them. The eggs are four or five in number; the four given to Mr.
Gilbert by the son of the colonial chaplain were taken by a native from
a hole in a very high white gum-tree, in the last week of October; they
are white, one inch and eight lines long by one inch and four lines
broad.
It flies slowly and heavily, and while on the wing utters a very harsh
and grating cry, resembling the native name.
The stomach is membranous and capacious, and the food of those examined
contained seeds of the _Eucalypti_, _Banksiæ_, &c.
The sexes, which differ considerably in colour, may be thus described:—
The male has the entire plumage glossy greenish black; lateral
tail-feathers, except the external web of the outer one, crossed by a
broad band of fine scarlet; irides dark blackish brown; bill bluish
lead-colour, becoming much paler on the under side of the lower
mandible; feet brownish black, with a leaden tinge.
The female has the upper surface similar to, but not so rich as, that of
the male, and has an irregularly shaped spot of yellowish white near the
tip of each of the feathers of the head, crest, cheeks and wing-coverts;
the under surface brownish black, crossed by numerous narrow irregular
bars of dull sulphur-yellow; the under tail-coverts crossed by several
irregular bars of mingled yellow and dull scarlet; the lateral
tail-feathers dull scarlet, fading into yellow on the base of the inner
webs, and crossed by numerous irregular bars of black, which are narrow
at the base of the feathers and gradually increase in breadth towards
the tip.
The Plate represents the two sexes about two-thirds of the natural size.
[Illustration:
CALYPTORHYNCHUS LEACHII.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
CALYPTORHYNCHUS LEACHII.
Leach’s Cockatoo.
_Psittacus Banksii_, Lath. Ind. Orn., vol. i. p. 107. variety β.
_Banksian Cockatoo_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 91 A.—White’s
Journ., pl. in p. 139.—Phil. Bot. Bay, pl. in p. 267.—Lath. Gen.
Hist., vol. ii. p. 200 A.
_Psittacus Cookii_, Temm. in Linn. Trans., vol. xiii. p. 111.
———— _Solandri_, Temm. in Linn. Trans., vol. xiii. p. 113.
_Solander’s Cockatoo_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. ii. p. 201.
_Cook’s Cockatoo_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. ii. p. 201.
_Psittacus Leachii_, Kuhl, Consp. Psitt, in Nov. Acta, vol. x. p. 91.
pl. 3.
———— _Temminckii_, Kuhl, Consp. Psitt, in Nov. Acta, vol. x. p. 89.
_Calyptorhynchus Cookii_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p.
272.
———— _Solandri_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 274.
———— _Leachii_, Wagl. Mon. Psitt, in Abhand., vol. i. p. 683.
———— _Temminckii_, Wagl. Mon. Psitt, in Abhand., vol. i. p. 684.
———— _stellatus_, Selb. in Nat. Lib. Orn., vol. vi. Parrots, p. 134.
pl. 15.
_Carat_, Aborigines of New South Wales.
The _Calyptorhynchus Leachii_ is the least species of the genus yet
discovered, and independently of its smaller size, it may be
distinguished from its congeners by the more swollen and gibbose form of
its bill. Its native habitat is New South Wales and South Australia. I
obtained specimens of it on the Lower Namoi, more than three hundred
miles in the interior; and the cedar brushes of the Liverpool range, Mr.
Charles Throsby’s park at Bong-bong, and the sides of the creeks of the
Upper Hunter, were also among the places in which I killed it. So
invariably did I find it among the _Casuarinæ_, that those trees
appeared to be as essential to its existence as the _Banksiæ_ are to
that of some species of Honey-eater. The crops of those I killed were
invariably filled with the seeds of the trees in question. Its
disposition is less shy and distrusting than those of the
_Calyptorhynchi Banksii_ and _funereus_, but little stratagem being
required to get within gun-shot; when one is killed or wounded, the rest
of the flock either fly around or perch on the neighbouring trees, and
every one may be procured. It has the feeble, whining call of the other
members of the genus. Its flight is laboured and heavy; but when it is
necessary for it to pass to a distant part of the country, it mounts
high in the air and sustains a flight of many miles.
It is not unusual to find individuals of this species with yellow
feathers on the cheeks and other parts of the head; this variation I am
unable to account for; it is evidently subject to no law, as it
frequently happens that six or eight may be seen together without one of
them exhibiting this mark, while on the contrary a like number may be
encountered with two or three of them thus distinguished. To this
circumstance, and to the variation in the colouring of the tail-feathers
of the two sexes, may be attributed the voluminous list of synonyms
pertaining to this species.
Why living examples of the members of this genus have not as yet reached
Europe, is not easily to be accounted for. I found no difficulty in
keeping a winged bird alive for a short time, and I doubt not that were
the attempt made, it might be easily introduced to our aviaries; the
real cause probably is the extreme difficulty of procuring young
individuals, the breeding-place selected by the bird being holes in the
highest trees situated in the most remote parts of the forests, where
none but the Aborigines are likely to discover or able to procure them.
There is no doubt that Mr. Caley is right in the opinion expressed in
his notes that this is the _Carat_ of the natives; and he adds that it
lays two eggs in the holes of the trees; “does not cut off the branches
of trees like the _Cal. funereus_, but cuts off _May-rybor-ro_ and
_Mun-mow_ (the fruit of two species of _Persoonia_), without however
eating them, before they are ripe, to the great injury and vexation of
the natives.”
The adult male may at all times be distinguished from the female by the
broad band of scarlet on the tail. The females and males during the
first year have this part banded with black, as shown in the
accompanying Plate.
The old male has the entire plumage glossy greenish black, washed with
brown on the head and neck, with a broad band of deep vermilion across
the middle of all but the two centre tail-feathers, and the external web
of the outer feather on each side; irides very dark brown; orbits mealy
black in some, in others pinky; bill dark horn-colour; feet mealy black.
The females and young males differ in having the head and neck browner
than in the adult male, and in having the scarlet band on the tail
crossed by narrow bands of greenish black.
The figures are nearly the size of life.
[Illustration:
CALYPTORHYNCHUS FUNEREUS.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
CALYPTORHYNCHUS FUNEREUS.
Funereal Cockatoo.
_Psittacus funereus_, Shaw, Nat. Misc., pl. 186.—Kuhl, Consp. Psitt.
in. Nova Acta, etc., vol. x. p. 89.—Lath. Ind. Orn. Suppl., vol. i.
p. xxii.
_Funereal Cockatoo_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. ii. p. 202.
_Banksian Cockatoo_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Suppl., vol. i. p. 91. C.—Shaw,
Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 477.
_Calyptorhynchus funereus_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv.
p. 271.
_Plyctolophus funeralis_, Swains. Class. of Birds, vol. ii. p. 302.
_Wy-la_, Aborigines of the Upper Hunter in New South Wales.
Although not the most powerful in its mandibles, the present bird is the
largest species of the genus to which it belongs, its large wings and
expansive tail being unequalled by those of any other member of the
great family of _Psittacidæ_ yet discovered. The true habitat of the
_Calyptorhynchus funereus_ is New South Wales, or that portion of the
Australian continent forming its south-eastern division. Among other
places, I observed it in the neighbourhood of Sydney, at Bong-bong, on
Mosquito Island near the mouth of the River Hunter, and on the Liverpool
range; and it may be said to be universally distributed over this part
of the continent. The thick brushes clothing the mountain sides and
bordering the coast-line, the trees of the plains and the more open
country are equally frequented by it; at the same time it is nowhere
very numerous, but is usually met with associated in small companies of
from four to eight in number, except during the breeding season, when it
is only to be seen in pairs. Its food is much varied; sometimes the
great belts of Banksias are visited, and the seed-covers torn open for
the sake of their contents; while at others it searches with avidity for
the larvæ of the large caterpillars which are deposited in the wattles
and gums. Its flight, as might be expected, is very heavy, flapping and
laboured, but it sometimes dives about between the trees in a most rapid
and extraordinary manner.
When busily engaged in scooping off the bark in search of its insect
food, it may be approached very closely; and if one be shot, the
remainder of the company will fly round for a short distance and perch
on the neighbouring trees, until the whole are brought down, if you are
desirous of so doing.
Its note is very singular,—a kind of whining call, which it is
impossible to describe, but which somewhat resembles the syllables
_Wy-la_, whence the native name.
The eggs, which are white and two in number, about one inch and
five-eighths long by one inch and three-eighths broad, are deposited on
the rotten wood in the hollow branch of a large gum.
Caley mentions that this bird has a habit of cutting off the smaller
branches of the apple-trees (_Anophoræ_), apparently from no other than
a mischievous motive.
The sexes are very nearly alike, and may be thus described:—
The general plumage brownish black, glossed with green, particularly on
the head; feathers of the body, both above and beneath, narrowly
margined with brown; ear-coverts dull wax-yellow; all but the two
central tail-feathers crossed in the centre by a broad band, equal to
half their length, of brimstone-yellow, thickly freckled with irregular
zigzag markings of brownish black; the external web of the outer primary
on each side, and the margin of the external web of the other banded
feathers, brownish black; bill black in some and white in others, the
latter being probably young birds; eyes blackish brown; feet mealy
blackish brown; orbits in some black, in others pinkish red, and in
others whitish.
The figure is about two-thirds of the natural size.
[Illustration:
CALYTORHYNCHUS XANTHONOTUS: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
CALYPTORHYNCHUS XANTHONOTUS, _Gould_.
Yellow-eared Black Cockatoo.
_Calyptorhynchus xanthonotus_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part V.
p. 151; and in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part IV.
The great stronghold of this species is Van Diemen’s Land, but I have
also seen specimens from Flinders’ Island and South Australia, in all of
which countries it is the representative of the _Calyptorhynchus
funereus_ of New South Wales. It is very plentifully dispersed over all
parts of Van Diemen’s Land, where it evinces a preference for the
thickly wooded and mountainous districts; and is always to be observed
in the gulleys under Mount Wellington, particularly in the neighbourhood
of New Town. In fine weather it takes a higher range, but descends to
the lower part of the country on the approach of rain, when it becomes
excessively noisy, and utters as it flies a very peculiar whining cry.
Its flight, from the enormous size of its wings, appears to be heavy and
laborious, and while performing this action it presents a very
remarkable appearance, its short neck, rounded head, and long wings and
tail giving it a very singular contour. It is generally to be observed
in companies of from four to ten in number, but occasionally in pairs
only. I found it very shy and difficult of approach, which may perhaps
be attributed to its being wantonly shot wherever it may be met with.
Its principal food is a large kind of caterpillar, which it obtains from
the wattle- and gum-trees, and in procuring which it displays the
greatest activity and perseverance, scooping off the bark and cutting
through the thickest branch until it arrives at the object of its
search; it is in fact surprising to see what enormous excavations it
makes in the larger branches, and how expertly it cuts across the
smaller ones: besides these large caterpillars, it also feeds upon the
larvæ of several kinds of coleopterous insects, and occasionally, but
not generally, on the seeds of the Banksias and berries; chrysalides
were also found in the stomachs of some that were dissected.
I found it exceedingly difficult to obtain any particulars respecting
the nidification of this bird, in consequence of its resorting for the
performance of this duty to the most retired and inaccessible parts of
the forests. Lieut. Breton, R.N., having informed me that a pair were
breeding in a tree on the estate of Mr. Wettenhall, I requested him to
use his influence with that gentleman to have their eggs procured for
me, and on the 2nd of February 1839, I received a note from him in which
he says:—
“In compliance with your request, I wrote to Mr. Wettenhall upon the
subject of the Black Cockatoo’s nest, and he forthwith directed his
shepherd to fell the tree in which the bird had established itself. It
was situated in a gulley or bottom, and was about four feet and a half
in diameter. The hole was from ninety to one hundred feet from the
ground, two feet in depth, and made quite smooth, the heart of the tree
being decayed. There was no appearance whatever of a nest. The tree was
broken in pieces by the fall, and the contents of the hole or nest
destroyed; the fragments, however, were sought for with the greatest
care, and all that could be found are sent you. It may perhaps be as
well to state, that both while the tree was being felled and for a short
time afterwards, a Hawk kept attacking the Cockatoo, which flew in
circles round the tree before it fell, uttering its loudest and most
mournful notes, and at times turning upon the Hawk, until at length it
flew off.”
The eggs are white, from two to four in number, and one inch and eight
lines long by one inch and four lines broad.
The bird varies considerably in size and weight, some specimens weighing
as much as one pound and ten ounces, while others weighed no more than
one pound and three ounces.
The sexes, which differ but little from each other, may be thus
described:—
Crown of the head, cheeks, throat, upper and under surface brownish
black; feathers of the breast obscurely tipped with dull olive;
ear-coverts yellow; two centre tail-feathers deep blackish brown, the
remainder black at the base and tips, the central portion being in some
specimens uniform light lemon-yellow, and in others the same colour
blotched with spots and markings of brown; bill in some specimens white,
in others blackish brown; feet greyish brown; orbits in some black, in
others pink; irides nearly black.
I believe the birds with white bills to be immature.
The figures are about two-thirds of the natural size.
[Illustration:
CALYPTORHYNCHUS BAUDINII: _Vig._
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
CALYPTORHYNCHUS BAUDINII, _Vig._
Baudin’s Cockatoo.
_Calyptorhynchus Baudinii_, Vig. in Lear’s Ill. Psitt., pl. 6.
_Oo-l̏aak_ of the Aborigines of the lowland, and
_Ngol-y̏e-nuk_ of the Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western
Australia.
_White-tailed Black Cockatoo_ of the Colonists.
This species, which is a native of Western Australia, is distinguished
from all the other known members of the group by its smaller size and by
the white markings of its tail-feathers. It belongs to that section of
the Black Cockatoos in which a similarity of marking characterizes both
sexes, such as _Calyptorhynchus funereus_ and _C. xanthonotus_. Like the
other members of the genus it frequents the large forests of _Eucalypti_
and the belts of _Banksiæ_, upon the seeds of which it mainly subsists;
occasionally it seeks its food on the ground, when insects, fallen
seeds, &c. are equally partaken of; the larvæ of moths and other insects
are also extracted by it from the trunks and limbs of such trees as are
infested by them.
Its flight is heavy and apparently laboured: when on the wing it
frequently utters a note very similar to its aboriginal name; at other
times when perched on the trees it utters a harsh croaking sound, which
is kept up all the time the bird is feeding.
It breeds in the holes of the highest white gum-trees, often in the most
dense and retired part of the forest. The eggs are generally two in
number, of a pure white; their average length being one inch and
three-quarters by one inch and three-eighths in breadth. The
breeding-season extends over the months of October, November and
December.
Up to the time of writing this account I have never seen specimens from
any other part of Australia than the colony of Swan River, over the
whole of which it seems to be equally distributed.
The entire plumage is blackish brown, glossed with green, especially on
the forehead; all the feathers narrowly tipped with dull white;
ear-coverts creamy white; all but the two central tail-feathers crossed
by a broad band, equal to half their length, of cream-white; the
external web of the outer primary and the margin of the external web of
the other banded feathers blackish brown; the shafts black; irides
blackish brown; bill lead-colour; in some specimens the upper mandible
is blackish brown; legs and feet dull yellowish grey, tinged with olive.
The figure represents a male about three-fourths of the natural size.
[Illustration:
CALLOCEPHALON GALEATUM.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
CALLOCEPHALON GALEATUM.
Gang-gang Cockatoo.
_Psittacus galeatus_, Lath. Ind. Orn., Supp. p. xxiii.—Kuhl, Consp.
Psitt, in Nova Acta, tom. x. p. 88.
_Red-crowned Parrot_, Lath. Gen. Syn., Supp. vol. ii. p. 369. pl.
140.—Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 523.—Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. ii.
p. 218. pl. xxviii.
_Calyptorhynchus galeatus_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv.
p. 274.—Less. Man. d’Orn., tom. ii. p. 144.
_Corydon galeatus_, Wagl. Mon. Psitt. in Abhand., vol. i. pp. 504 and
690.
_Plyctolophus galeatus_, Swains. Class. of Birds, vol. ii. p. 302.
_Banksianus galeatus_, Less. Traité d’Orn., p. 181.
_Callocephalon Australe_, Less.
_Callocephalon galeatum_, G. R. Gray, List of Gen. of Birds, 2nd
edit., p. 68.
_Cacatua galeata_, Vieill. Nouv. Dict. d’Hist. Nat., tom. xvii. p.
12.—Ency. Méth., tom. iii. p. 1414.
_Psittacus phœnicocephalus_, Mus. de Paris.
_Gang-gang Cockatoo_, Colonists of New South Wales.
The only information I can give respecting this fine species is that it
is a native of the forests bordering the south coast of Australia, some
of the larger islands in Bass’s Straits, and the northern parts of Van
Diemen’s Land, and that it frequents the most lofty trees and feeds on
the seeds of the various _Eucalypti_. A few instances have occurred of
its being brought to England alive, where it has borne captivity quite
as well as the other members of the great family to which it belongs;
thus affording sufficient evidence that the Black Cockatoos
(_Calyptorhynchi_) would thrive equally well were the experiment made,
the form and habits of the two birds being very similar.
The paucity of the account here given will I trust be a sufficient hint
to those who may be favourably situated for observing the habits of this
species, that by transmitting their observations either to myself or to
any scientific journal, they would be promoting the cause of science,
and adding to the stock of human knowledge.
The sexes are readily distinguished by the marked difference in their
plumage; both are crested, but the crest of the male is a rich scarlet,
while that of the female is grey.
The male has the forehead, crest and cheeks fine scarlet, the remainder
of the plumage dark slate-grey; all the feathers, with the exception of
the primaries, secondaries and tail, narrowly margined with greyish
white—decided and distinct on the upper, but much fainter on the under
surface; irides blackish brown; bill light horn-colour; feet mealy
black.
The general plumage of the female is dark slate-colour, the feathers of
the back of the neck and back slightly margined with pale grey, the
remainder of the upper surface crossed with irregular bars of greyish
white; the wings have also a sulphurous hue, as if powdered with
sulphur; the feathers of the under surface are margined with
sulphur-yellow and dull red, changing into dull yellow on the under
tail-coverts.
The Plate represents a male and a female of the natural size.
[Illustration:
POLYTELIS BARRABANDI.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
POLYTELIS BARRABANDI, _Wagl._
Barraband’s Parrakeet.
_Psittacus Barrabandi_, Swains. Zool. Ill., 1st Ser., pl. 59.
_Palæornis Barrabandi_, Vig. in Zool. Journ., vol. ii. p. 56.—Vig. and
Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 287.
_Polytelis Barrabandi_, Wagl. Mon. Psitt. in Abhand., pp. 489 and
519.—Gould in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part IV.
_Scarlet-breasted Parrot_, Lath. Gen. Syn., vol. ii. p. 121.—Ib. Gen.
Hist., vol. ii. p. 121.
_Palæornis rosaceus_, Vig. in Lear’s Ill. Psitt., pl. 30, female.
_Psittacus sagittifer Barrabandi_, Bourj. de St. Hil., Supp. to Le
Vaill. Hist. Nat. des Perr., pl. 4.
_Green-leek_ of the Colonists of New South Wales.
In the great family of Parrots, few species are more elegant in form or
more exquisitely coloured than the present, which is a native of New
South Wales, where it is more abundant in the interior than in the
districts near the coast. It is said sometimes to occur in the Illawarra
district, but I did not succeed in finding it there myself. Living
individuals are frequently brought down to Sydney by the draymen of the
Argyle county, where it appears to be a common species. When we know
more of its history I expect it will be found to inhabit similar
localities, and enjoy a similar range to the _P. melanura_, and that the
two species as closely assimilate in their habits and economy as they do
in form. It is somewhat singular, that the female of this bird, as well
as that of the preceding species, should have been described by the late
Mr. Vigors as distinct; fine figures of both form part of Mr. Lear’s
“Illustrations of the Psittacidæ”; the singular curve in the outer
tail-feathers in Mr. Lear’s drawing of the female arises from their
being newly moulted feathers, which in this species have always a
tendency to curve outwards, at least such is the case with individuals
kept in confinement.
From the length of its wings and the general contour of its body, we may
feel assured that, like the _P. melanura_, its power of flight is very
great, and that it is doubtless enabled to pass from one part of the
continent to another whenever nature prompts it to make the passage.
The female, although equally graceful in form as her mate, is
nevertheless much inferior to him in the colouring of her plumage; the
green of the wings and body being less brilliant, and the rich colouring
of the crown and cheeks being entirely wanting; a similar kind of
plumage also characterizes the male during the first year.
The male has the forehead, cheeks and throat rich gamboge-yellow;
immediately beneath the yellow of the throat a crescent of scarlet; back
of the head, all the upper and under surface grass-green; primaries,
secondaries, spurious wing and tail dark blue tinged with green; thighs
in some scarlet, in others grass-green; irides orange-yellow; bill rich
red; feet brown.
The female has the face dull greenish blue; chest dull rose-colour;
thighs scarlet; the remainder of the body grass-green; primaries bluish
green; central tail-feathers uniform green, the remainder bluish green,
with the inner webs for their entire length fine rosy red; irides brown;
bill pale reddish orange; feet dark brown.
The Plate represents the two sexes of the natural size.
[Illustration:
POLYTELIS MELANURA.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
POLYTELIS MELANURA.
Black-tailed Parrakeet.
_Palæornis melanura_, Vig. in Lear’s Ill. Psitt., pl. 28, male.
—— _anthopeplus_, Vig. in Ib., pl. 29, female.
_Polytelis melanura_, Gould in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part IV.
_Woȕk-un-ga_, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western
Australia.
_Jul-̏u-up_, Aborigines of King George’s Sound.
_Mountain Parrot_, Colonists of Western Australia.
So little is known of the habits and economy of this beautiful
Parrakeet, which has hitherto only been found on the southern portion of
the continent of Australia, that the present paper must necessarily be
brief. It is strictly an inhabitant of the interior, over which it
doubtless ranges widely. Captain Sturt found it on the banks of the
Murray, and has given a figure of it in the narrative of his journeys
into the interior; His Excellency Governor Grey procured it in the dense
scrub to the north-west of Adelaide, and Mr. Gilbert encountered it in
the white-gum forests of the Swan River settlement. The extent of its
range northward must be left for future researches to determine. Captain
Sturt at page 188 of his second volume says, “I believe I have already
mentioned that shortly after we first entered the Murray, flocks of a
new Paroquet passed over our heads, apparently emigrating to the N.W.
They always kept too high to be fired at, but on our return, hereabouts,
we succeeded in killing one. It made a good addition to our scanty stock
of subjects of natural history.” I believe I am indebted to the kindness
and liberality of Captain Sturt for the identical specimen alluded to, a
very fine one having been presented to me by him when I visited South
Australia.
While flying it utters a loud harsh scream, which is changed into a
chattering discordant tone upon alighting on the branches.
Mr. Gilbert remarks, that in Western Australia, except during the
breeding-season, it is always to be met with in small families of from
nine to twelve in number, feeding on seeds, buds of flowers and honey
gathered from the white-gum-tree. Its flight, as indicated by its form,
is rapid in the extreme. On reference to the synonyms given above, it
will be seen that the late Mr. Vigors characterized the female as a
distinct species from the male. Both sexes are beautifully figured in
Mr. Lear’s “Illustrations of the Psittacidæ,” on reference to which and
to the accompanying Plate, it will be seen that they differ very
considerably in colour, the rich jonquil-yellow of the male giving place
to dull yellowish green in the opposite sex, whence doubtless arose Mr.
Vigors’s error.
The male has the head, neck, shoulders, rump, and all the under surface
beautiful jonquil-yellow; upper part of the back and scapularies olive;
primaries and tail deep blue; several of the greater wing-coverts dull
scarlet, forming a conspicuous mark on the centre of the wing; irides
bright red; bill scarlet; feet ash-grey.
The female has the head, sides of the face, back of the neck, upper part
of the back and scapulars dull olive-green; throat, all the under
surface, rump and wing-coverts yellowish green, the latter passing into
deep green on the centre of the shoulder; primaries, some of the
secondaries, and the spurious wing deep blue-black, margined externally
with yellowish green; the remainder of the secondaries and a few of the
greater coverts deep red; two centre tail-feathers deep green, the
remainder green at the base, passing into black on the inner webs; the
five lateral feathers on each side margined on their inner webs and
tipped with rosy red, which is broadest and most conspicuous on the two
outer feathers; bill scarlet; feet ash-grey.
The Plate represents the two sexes of the natural size.
[Illustration:
APROSMICTUS SCAPULATUS.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
APROSMICTUS SCAPULATUS.
King Lory.
_Psittacus scapulatus_, Bechst.: Kuhl, Nova Acta, p. 56.—Shaw, Gen.
Zool., vol. viii. p. 407. pl. 55.
_Psittacus Tabuensis_, var. β, Lath. Ind. Orn., p. 88.
_La Grande Perruche à collier et croupion bleu_, Le Vaill. Hist, des
Perr., pls. 55 and 56.
_Tabuan Parrot_, White’s Journ., pl. in p. 168 male, in p. 169
female.—Phill. Bot. Bay, pl. in p. 153.—Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol.
ii. p. 81.
_Platycercus scapulatus_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p.
284.—Wagl. Mon. Psitt. in Abhand., tom. i. pp. 492 and 537.—Steph.
Cont. of Shaw’s Gen. Zool., vol. xiv. p. 122.
_Psittacus cyanopygius_, Vieill., 2nde Edit. du Nouv. Dict. d’Hist.
Nat., tom. xxv. p. 339.—Ibid. Gal. des Ois. Supp., pls. of male and
female.
_Scarlet and Green Parrot_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. ii. p. 116.
_Platycercus scapularis_, Swains. Zool. Ill., 2nd Ser. pl. 26.—Less.
Traité d’Orn., p. 207.
_Aprosmictus scapulatus_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., August 9,
1842.
_Wellat_, Aborigines of New South Wales.
This very showy and noble species appears to be extremely local in its
habitat; if I remember rightly, I have not seen it from any other
portion of Australia than New South Wales, in which country it appears
to be almost exclusively confined to the brushes, particularly such as
are low and humid, and where the large _Casuarinæ_ grow in the greatest
profusion. All the brushes stretching along the southern and eastern
coast appear to be equally favoured with its presence, as it there finds
a plentiful supply of food, consisting of seeds, fruits and berries. At
the period when the Indian corn is becoming ripe it leaves its
umbrageous abode and sallies forth in vast flocks, which commit great
devastation on the ripening grain. It is rather a dull and inactive
species compared with the members of the restricted genus _Platycercus_;
it flies much more heavily, and is very different in its disposition,
for although it soon becomes habituated to confinement, it is less
easily tamed and much less confiding and familiar; the great beauty of
the male, however, somewhat compensates for this unpleasant trait, and
consequently it is highly prized as a cage-bird.
I was never so fortunate as to find the nest of this species, neither
could I gather any information respecting this part of the bird’s
economy; and I am inclined to look with suspicion on the account given
by Mr. Caley, as recorded in the Linnean Transactions, which in my
opinion must have reference to the eggs of some other bird.
When fully adult the sexes differ very considerably in the colouring of
the plumage, as will be seen by the following descriptions.
The male has the head, neck and all the under surface scarlet; back and
wings green, the inner webs of the primaries and secondaries being
black; along the scapularies a broad line of pale verdigris-green; a
line bounding the scarlet at the back of the neck, the rump and upper
tail-coverts rich deep blue; tail black; pupil large and black; irides
narrow and yellow; bill scarlet; legs mealy brown.
The female has the head and all the upper surface green; throat and
chest green tinged with red; abdomen and under tail-coverts scarlet;
rump dull blue; two centre tail-feathers green; the remainder green,
passing into bluish black; and with a rose-coloured spot at the
extremity on the under surface.
The young male for the first two years resembles the female, which is
doubtless the cause why so few birds are seen in the bright red dress,
compared with those having a green head and chest.
The Plate represents the two sexes of the natural size.
[Illustration:
APROSMICTUS ERYTHROPTERUS.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del^t._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
APROSMICTUS ERYTHROPTERUS.
Red-winged Lory.
_Psittacus erythropterus_, Gmel. Syst., vol. i. p. 343.—Kuhl, Nova
Acta, vol. x. p. 53.—Quoy et Gaim. Zool. de la Voy. autour du Monde,
pl. 27.—Lath. Ind. Orn., vol. i. p. 126.
_Psittacus melanotus_, Shaw, Nat. Misc., pl. 653.—Ib. Gen. Zool., vol.
viii. p. 467.
_Crimson-winged Parrot_, Lath. Gen. Syn., vol. i. p. 299; and Supp. p.
60.—Ib. Gen. Hist., vol. ii. p. 253.
_Platycercus erythropterus_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv.
p. 284.—Less. Traité d’Orn., p. 208.—Wagl. Mon. Psitt. in Abhand.,
tom. i. pp. 492 and 536.—Steph. Cont. of Shaw’s Gen. Zool., vol.
xiv. p. 123.
_Aprosmictus erythropterus_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., August 9,
1842.
This beautiful Lory is very widely distributed over the greater portion
of the continent of Australia, and its range also extends to New Guinea
and Timor; I must not, however, fail to remark, that specimens from the
latter countries, as well as those from Port Essington, are smaller in
all their admeasurements than those from the southern and eastern
portions of Australia; no difference whatever exists in the markings or
colouring of the individuals from all these various localities, I am
therefore induced to consider them as so many races of the same bird,
rather than as distinct species.
In Australia, the Red-winged Lory, so far as my observation has enabled
me to judge, is as exclusively an inhabitant of the interior of the
country as its near ally the King Lory is a denizen of the thick brushes
which extend along the coast, both, as is always the case, being
beautifully adapted to the character of country they are respectively
destined to inhabit. The extensive belts of _Acacia pendula_ which
stretch over and diversify the arid plains of the great Australian
basin, are tenanted with thousands of this bird, besides numerous other
species, roaming about either in small companies of six or eight, or in
flocks of a much greater number. It is beyond the power of my pen to
describe or give a just idea of the extreme beauty of the appearance of
the Red-winged Lory when seen among the silvery branches of the Acacia,
particularly when the flocks comprise a large number of adult males, the
gorgeous scarlet of whose shoulders offers so striking a contrast to the
surrounding objects. It is rather thinly dispersed among the trees
skirting the rivers which intersect the Liverpool Plains, but from
thence towards the interior it increases in number, and probably extends
over the whole of the interior, for it is as abundant at Port Essington
on the north coast as it is on the southern: I have also received it
from South Australia and the north-west coast, but not as yet from Swan
River. In its actions and disposition it has much of the character of
the King Lory, being morose and indocile: as it is naturally shy and
wary, it is much more difficult of approach than the generality of the
Parrots; and although the contrary is sometimes the case, it seldom
becomes tame or familiar in captivity.
Its powers of flight are fully adequate and in every way adapted to the
extensive plains it is destined to inhabit, enabling it readily to pass,
frequently at a great height in the air, from one part of the plain to
another. Its flight is, however, performed with a motion of the wings
totally different from that of any other member of the great family of
_Psittacidæ_ I have seen, and has frequently reminded me of the heavy
flapping manner of the Pewit, except that the flapping motion was even
slower and more laboured, like that of the Terns. It has a loud
screeching piercing cry, which it frequently utters during flight.
Its food consists of berries, the fruits of a species of _Loranthus_,
and the pollen of flowers, to which is added a species of scaly bug-like
insect, which infests the branches of its favourite trees; in all
probability small caterpillars also form a part, as I have found them in
the crops of several of the _Platycerci_.
It breeds in the holes of the large Eucalypti growing on the banks of
rivers; the eggs, which are white, being four or five in number, about
an inch and an eighth long by seven-eighths broad.
The sexes, as will be seen in the accompanying Plate, differ very
considerably in the colouring of their plumage; the young males during
the first two years cannot be distinguished from the female, except by
dissection.
The male has the head and back of the neck verditer green; throat, all
the under surface, edge of the shoulder and upper tail-coverts bright
yellowish green; back black; rump lazuline blue; wing-coverts deep rich
crimson-red; scapularies dark green, tipped with black; primaries black
at the base, with the external webs and the apical portion of the inner
webs deep green; secondaries black, edged with deep green, and one or
two with a tinge of red at the tip; tail green above, passing into
yellow at the tip, the extreme end fringed with pink; under surface of
the tail black, tipped with yellow and pink as above; irides reddish
orange in some, scarlet in others; bill rich orange-scarlet; feet
olive-brown.
The female has the head and upper surface dull green; under surface dull
yellowish green; a few of the wing-coverts crimson-red, forming a stripe
down the wing; rump pale verditer blue; tail-feathers more largely
tipped with pink than in the male; irides olive-brown; bill light
horn-colour.
The Plate represents the two sexes of the natural size.
[Illustration:
PLATYCERCUS SEMITORQUATUS.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
PLATYCERCUS SEMITORQUATUS, _Quoy and Gaim._
Yellow-collared Parrakeet.
_Psittacus semitorquatus_, Quoy and Gaim.
_Dȍw-arn_, Aborigines of the lowland districts of Western Australia.
_Dȕm-ul-uk_, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western
Australia.
_Twenty-eight Parrakeet_, Colonists of Swan River.
This very noble species of _Platycercus_ is abundantly dispersed over
the greater portion of Western Australia, where it inhabits almost every
variety of situation, sometimes searching for food upon the ground like
the rest of its congeners, and at others on the trees; its chief food
being either grass-seeds or the hard stoned fruits and seeds peculiar to
the trees of the country in which it lives. It is equally as abundant at
King George’s Sound as it is at Swan River; I have not been so fortunate
as to obtain any precise information as to the extent of its range over
the continent, the only parts of the country from which I have received
specimens being the two localities mentioned above.
This fine bird, like the rest of the true _Platycerci_, is entirely
destitute of the _os furcatum_; hence, like them, its powers of flight
are very limited; on the other hand it runs quickly over the surface of
the ground, as may be seen by all who have observed the bird in a cage,
to which it is often consigned and sent to this country as an ornament
for the aviary, which it graces, both by its large size and the richly
contrasted colouring of its plumage. While on the wing its motion is
tolerably rapid, and it often utters a note, which from its resemblance
to those words has procured for it the appellation of “twenty-eight”
Parrakeet from the colonists; the last word or note being sometimes
repeated five or six times in succession.
It begins breeding in the latter part of September or beginning of
October, making no nest, but depositing its eggs in a hole in either a
gum- or mahogany-tree, on the soft black dust collected at the bottom;
they are from seven to nine in number and of a pure white.
The sexes may be distinguished by the much smaller size of the female,
and by her markings being much less distinct.
Forehead crossed by a narrow band of crimson; head blackish brown,
passing into blue on the cheeks; back of the neck encircled by a band of
bright yellow; back and upper surface generally deep grass-green,
passing into pale green on the shoulders; primaries and spurious wing
blackish brown, the external webs of each feather deep blue; two centre
tail-feathers deep grass-green, the next on each side the same passing
into blue and ending in bluish white at the tip; the lateral feathers
green at the base passing into blue, which gradually fades into bluish
white at the tip; chest green; under surface light green; irides dark
brown; bill light horn-colour, becoming of a lead-colour on the front of
the upper mandible; legs and feet dark brown.
The Plate represents the birds of the natural size.
[Illustration:
PLATYCERCUS BAUERI: _Vig. & Horsf._
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
PLATYCERCUS BAUERI, _Vig. and Horsf._
Bauer’s Parrakeet.
_Psittacus Baueri_, Temm. in Linn. Trans., vol. xiii. p.
118.—Donovan’s Nat. Repos., pl 64.
_Psittacus cyanomelus_, Kuhl. Consp. Psitt, in Nov. Act., vol. x. p.
53.
_Bauer’s Parrot_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. ii. p. 120.
_Platycercus Baueri_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p.
283.—Lear’s Ill. Psitt. pl. 17.—Steph. Cont. of Shaw’s Gen. Zool.,
vol. xiv. p. 121.
_Platycercus zonarius_, Wagl. Mon. Psitt. in Abhand., p. 538.
_Psittacus zonarius_, Shaw’s Nat. Misc., pl. 657.—Kuhl, Consp. Psitt.
in Nov. Act., tom. i.
_Psittacus viridis_, Shaw’s Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 465.
_Nanodes? zonarius_, Steph. Cont. of Shaw’s Gen. Zool., vol. xiv. p.
119.
The Bauer’s Parrakeet, although nearly allied to the _Platycercus
semitorquatus_ possesses several characters by which it may be
distinguished from that species; in the first place it is much less in
size, and in the next it has a brighter and more contrasted style of
plumage, the green of the under surface of which is relieved by a
gorgeous band of bright yellow across the abdomen; the rich band of
scarlet which ornaments the front of the _P. semitorquatus_, is also
wanting in the present bird, or if not entirely, the slightest
indication of it and that only in the finest old males is to be seen.
The only portion of Australia from which I have received specimens of
this bird, is Port Lincoln, a harbour visited by Flinders, and where the
original specimen in the Linnean Society’s Collection was obtained. In
habits and disposition it doubtless closely assimilates to the _P.
semitorquatus_, but on these points no information has yet been
obtained. The sexes present a similar contrast in the lesser size and
less brilliant style of colouring of the female. I need scarcely add
that this species was named by M. Temminck in honour of the late Mr.
Ferdinand Bauer, who formed one of the expedition under the command of
Captain Flinders, and whose researches as a naturalist are too well
known to need any further commendation from me. I am indebted to my
much-valued friend J. B. Harvey, Esq., formerly of Teignmouth, but now
resident at Port Lincoln, for the specimens from which my figures were
taken, as also for examples of many other valuable species.
Head and upper part of the neck black, the cheek-feathers tipped with
deep blue; at the back of the neck a broad crescent of bright yellow;
chest, back and wings dark green, passing into verditer green on the
outer webs of the wing-coverts; rump and upper tail-coverts grass-green;
two centre tail-feathers deep green, the next on each side deep green,
tipped with bluish white, the remainder deep green at the base, passing
into bluish white, the blue on the outer margins of the feathers being
of lazuline hue; centre of the abdomen deep gamboge-yellow; remainder of
the under surface yellowish grass-green; primaries, secondaries and
spurious wing-coverts black, with the base of their external webs rich
deep blue; bill horn-colour; feet dark brown.
The Plate represents the two sexes about the natural size.
[Illustration:
PLATYCERCUS BARNARDI: _Vig. & Horsf._
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
PLATYCERCUS BARNARDI, _Vig. and Horsf._
Barnard’s Parrakeet.
_Barnard’s Parrot_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. ii. p. 121.
_Platycercus Barnardi_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p.
283.—Lear’s Ill. Psitt., pl. 18.—Bourj. de St. Hil. Supp. Le Vaill.
Hist. des Parr., pl. 32.—Wagl. Mon. Psitt. in Abhand., p. 528.
The _Platycercus Barnardi_ is one of the most beautiful of the genus
inhabiting Australia; the accompanying Plate, whereon I have endeavoured
to portray it as faithfully as possible, will give some idea of the
brilliancy of its appearance: but to see it in perfection and to observe
its rich plumage in all its glory, the native country of the bird must
be visited, its forests penetrated, its brooks and streamlets traced;
for it is principally growing on the banks of the latter, either among
the “high-flooded gums,” or the larger shrub-like trees along the edges
of the streams, that this beautiful species is seen, the brilliant hues
of its expanded wings and tail appearing like a meteor as it passes from
tree to tree amidst the dark glades of the forest.
The range of Barnard’s Parrakeet extends throughout the great basin of
the interior from South Australia to New South Wales, but it seldom
appears within the boundary of the latter colony; I never met with it
nearer than the Liverpool Plains, from whence northwards towards the
interior its numbers increased, and it doubtless inhabits the banks of
the Darling and all other rivers of the interior which embogue into Lake
Alexandrina, and in confirmation of this opinion I may state that I
found it to be equally as abundant in the Great Murray scrub of South
Australia as on the banks of the Namoi. It is generally met with in
small companies of from five to ten in number, sometimes on the ground
among the tall grasses, at others among the high trees, particularly the
_Eucalypti_.
The sexes differ so little in colour that it is difficult to distinguish
them, the males are, however, at all times the largest and finest in
plumage.
I did not succeed in obtaining the eggs of this species, although it was
breeding in all the large trees of the different parts of the country I
visited; but I succeeded in procuring some fine living specimens of the
bird, a pair of which I brought to England, and which were I believe the
first that had been introduced. As cage-birds they are equally as
domesticable and familiar as the other _Platycerci_ and are very
ornamental and attractive; my ever-valued friend the Earl of Derby did
me the honour to accept these interesting birds, and one if not both of
them still continue to grace his Lordship’s magnificent aviary at
Knowseley.
Forehead red; crown, cheeks, chest, abdomen, central portion of wing,
and rump verditer green; occiput crossed by a band of brown, succeeded
by a crescent-shaped mark of yellow; back bluish grey; centre of the
abdomen crossed by a broad crescent of orange; primaries and spurious
wing black; the external margin of each feather, and the tip of the
shoulder rich deep blue; two central tail-feathers deep green, passing
into deep blue at the tip; the lateral feathers deep blue at the base,
gradually fading into bluish white at the tip; bill horn-colour; feet
brown.
The Plate represents the two sexes about the natural size.
[Illustration:
PLATYCERCUS ADELAIDIÆ: _Gould_.
_J. & E. Gould del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
PLATYCERCUS ADELAIDIÆ, _Gould_.
Adelaide Parrakeet.
_Platycercus Adelaidiæ_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VIII. p.
163.
_Pheasant Parrot_, Colonists of South Australia.
This beautiful _Platycercus_ is a native of South Australia, and from
the circumstance of my having procured some of my finest specimens in
the very streets of that embryo city, I have been induced to give it the
specific name of _Adelaidiæ_. In all probability the bird may in a few
years be looked for in vain in the suburbs of this rapidly increasing
settlement, as it is too large a species and possesses too many
attractions to remain unmolested; indeed it is even now much persecuted
and destroyed by the newly-arrived emigrants, who kill it either for
mere sport or for the table; for, like the other _Platycerci_, all of
which feed on grass-seeds, it is excellent eating.
The _Platycercus Adelaidiæ_ at first caused me considerable perplexity
from its close similarity in some stages of its plumage to the _P.
Pennantii_; as in that species the plumage of the young for the first
season is wholly green, which colouring gradually gives place to red on
the head, rump, and upper surface, the scapularies and back feathers
being margined with the same hue, a character of plumage which soon
disappears and gives place to dull yellow on the flanks and olive-yellow
on the upper surface, the scapularies and back feathers in the mature
dress being edged with yellowish buff and violet. It was only by killing
at least a hundred examples in all their various stages of plumage, from
the nestling to the adult, that I was enabled to determine the fact of
its being a new and distinct species. In all its dimensions it is less
than the Pennantian.
I found the present species plentiful on the banks of the river Torrens,
throughout its whole course, as well as over all the low grassy hills
between that river and the Murray. It was in winter that I visited this
portion of Australia, when I found the adults associated in small groups
of from six to twenty in number; while near the coast, between Holdfast
Bay and the Port of Adelaide, the young in the green dress were
assembled in flocks of hundreds; they were generally on the ground in
search of grass-seeds, and when so occupied would admit of a near
approach: when flushed they merely flew up to the branches of the
nearest tree: it is impossible to conceive anything more beautiful than
the rising of a flock of adults, spreading out their beautiful broad
blue tails and wings, which glittering in the sun present a really
magnificent spectacle.
The note is a loud, piping whistle.
The fully adult male has the crown of the head, lores, sides of the
neck, breast and centre of the abdomen scarlet, passing into dull yellow
on the flanks; cheeks and wing-coverts light lazuline blue; primaries
deep blue, passing into black at the extremity; back of the neck dull
yellow; back black, each feather margined with yellowish buff, some of
the marginations tinged with blue, others with scarlet; rump and upper
tail-coverts dull greenish yellow, the latter sometimes tinged with
scarlet; two centre tail-feathers greenish blue; the remainder deep blue
at the base, gradually becoming lighter until almost white at the tip;
irides brown; bill horn-colour; feet greyish brown.
The figures are those of an adult and an immature bird, in course of
change from the green plumage to that adult dress of the natural size.
[Illustration:
PLATYCERCUS PENNANTII.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
PLATYCERCUS PENNANTII.
Pennant’s Parrakeet.
_Psittacus Pennantii_, Lath. Ind. Orn., vol. i. p. 90.
———— _gloriosus_, Shaw, Nat. Misc., pl. 53.
———— _splendidus_, Shaw, Mus., Lev. pl. 7. p. 27.
_Perruche à large queue_, Le Vaill. Hist. Nat. des Perr., pls. 78, 79.
_Pennantian Parrot_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. i. p. 61; vol. ii. p.
83.—Phill. Bot. Bay, pl. in p. 154.—White’s Journ., pl. in pp. 174,
175.—Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 410. pl. 56.—Lath. Gen. Hist.,
vol. ii. p. 131.
_Psittacus elegans_, Gmel. Syst. Nat., vol. i. p. 318.—Kuhl, Consp.
Psitt. in Nova Acta, vol. x. p. 55.
_Platycercus Pennantii_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p.
280.—Wagl. Mon. Psitt. in Abhand. p. 535. pl. 17.—Selb. in Nat. Lib.
Orn., vol. vi. Parrots, p. 173. pl. 25.—Less. Traité d’Orn., p.
208.—Less. Man. d’Orn., tom. ii. p. 146.—G. R. Gray, List of Gen. of
Birds, 2nd edit. p. 66.
_Dulang_ and _Julang_, Aborigines of New South Wales.
This beautiful bird is very generally dispersed over New South Wales,
where it inhabits grassy hills and brushes, particularly those of the
Liverpool range and all similar districts. Its food consists of berries
and the seeds of various grasses, to obtain which it descends in small
companies to the bases of the hills and to the open glades; I have often
flushed it from such situations, and when six or eight rose together
with outspread tails of beautiful pale blue, offering a decided contrast
to the rich scarlet livery of the body, I could never fail to pause and
admire the splendour of their appearance, of which no description can
give an adequate idea; the _Platycerci_ must, in fact, be seen in their
native wilds before their beautiful appearance can be appreciated, or
the interesting nature of their habits at all understood. Although I
have stated that New South Wales is the true habitat of this bird, I
must not fail to record that individuals have come under my notice which
had been killed in Norfolk Island; I am led to believe, however, that
the bird must have been taken thither from New South Wales, and that a
sufficient number had either escaped or been let loose to establish a
breed. The habitats of the various _Platycerci_ are generally very
restricted; it is not probable therefore that the range of this species
extends to an island several hundred miles distant from the main land;
how far it may range along the south coast, or to the eastward and
northward of New South Wales, I have never satisfactorily ascertained; I
have seen it from Kangaroo Island, but I never met with it in the belts
of the Murray, or in any of the forests round Adelaide, its place in
that part of the country being supplied by the _Platycercus Adelaidiæ_.
As I have said, the food of this species principally consists of berries
and grass-seeds, but insects appear occasionally to form a part of its
diet, as I found the crop of one specimen filled with small
caterpillars; it was, however, a solitary occurrence.
Like the other members of the genus, the _Platycercus Pennantii_ runs
rapidly over the ground, but its flight is neither rapid nor enduring.
In disposition it is tame and destitute of distrust, and as a pet for
the aviary or a cage, few birds can exceed it in interest or beauty;
consequently it is one of the commonest of the living parrakeets sent
from Australia to this country.
It breeds in the holes of the large gum-trees, generally selecting those
on the hill-sides within the brushes; and of such situations, the cedar
brushes of the Liverpool range appear to be a favourite locality. The
months of September, October and November constitute the breeding
season. It makes no nest, but deposits its eggs, which are white, about
an inch and two lines long, eleven and a half lines broad, and from four
to seven in number, on the rotten wood at the bottom of the hole.
The colouring of the sexes when fully adult is alike, but much variation
exists between youth and maturity; during the first autumn the young
birds are clothed in a plumage of a nearly uniform green; to this
succeeds a parti-coloured livery of scarlet, blue and green, which
colouring is continually changing until the full plumage of maturity is
assumed; and hence has arisen no little confusion respecting this
species in the writings of the older ornithologists, and it is not to be
wondered at that its synonyms are so numerous.
The adult male has the head, neck, all the under surface, the rump and
upper tail-coverts rich deep crimson-red; the feathers of the back and
scapularies black, broadly margined with rich crimson-red; the cheeks
and shoulders cœrulean blue; the greater wing-coverts pale blue; the
primaries and secondaries black, with the basal half of their external
webs margined with deep blue; the two centre tail-feathers green,
passing into blue on their margins and at the tip; the remainder black
on the inner webs for three-fourths of their length; deep blue for
nearly the same length on their outer webs, and largely tipped on both
webs with pale blue, which becomes still paler to the tips of the
feathers; bill horn-colour; irides very dark brown; feet blackish brown.
The young vary so much, that to give an accurate description is almost
impossible; one now before me has the crown of the head, sides of the
neck, centre of the breast, abdomen, rump, upper and under tail-coverts
deep crimson-red; the upper surface and a broad band across the breast
deep grass-green; the cheeks, wings and tail similar to those parts in
the adult, but much less brilliant.
The Plate represents an adult and an immature bird of the natural size.
[Illustration:
PLATYCERCUS FLAVIVENTRIS.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
PLATYCERCUS FLAVIVENTRIS.
Yellow-bellied Parrakeet.
_Psittacus flaviventris_, Temm. in Linn. Trans., vol. xiii. pp.
116–118.
———— _Brownii_, Kuhl, Nova Acta, etc., vol. x. p. 56. no. 90.
_Perruche à large queue_, Le Vaill. Hist. Nat. des Perr., pl. 80.
_Van Diemen’s Parrot?_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. ii. p. 130. no. 33.
_Platycercus flaviventris_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv.
p. 281.—Gould in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part II.
_Sulphur-headed Parrot?_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. ii. p. 133. no. 35.
_New Caledonian Parrot?_, Lath. Ib., vol. ii. p. 173. no. 86.
_Psittacus Caledonicus?_, Lath. Ind. Orn., vol. i. p. 102.—Gmel.
Linn., vol. i. p. 328.
_Caledonian Parrot?_, Lath. Gen. Syn., vol. i. p. 248.
_Green Parrot_, Colonists of Van Diemen’s Land.
There appears to be so much confusion respecting this bird that I have
thought it best to adopt M. Temminck’s name of _flaviventris_, although
I have little doubt that the _Psittacus Caledonicus_ of Latham, as well
as most of the other synonyms given above, refer to the same bird.
It is dispersed over all parts of Van Diemen’s Land and the islands in
Bass’s Straits; but is not confined to particular localities like the
_Platycercus eximius_, with which it sometimes associates. It keeps in
small companies, which appear to be the brood of a single pair, and
frequents every variety of situation, from the low-crowned hills and
gulleys in the depths of the forest to the open cleared lands and
gardens of the settlers. It runs over the ground with great facility,
and when observed in small flocks searching for seeds among the tall
grass of the open parts, few birds are seen to greater advantage.
Independently of grass-seeds, the flowers of the _Eucalypti_, insects
and their larvæ constitute a considerable portion of the food of this
bird, and it may be often seen very busily engaged about the branches
loaded with flowers in the depths of the forest far away from any
cleared lands.
Its powers of flight are very considerable, and it readily passes from
one district to another whenever a scarcity of food or any other cause
prompts it so to do; the passage being performed in a succession of wide
undulating sweeps; hence it not unfrequently happens that large flights
leave the forest with a shrill whistling call, and descend to the newly
ripened corn of the settlers, and there commit such serious havoc as to
call down the vengeance of the farmer on the whole race.
Most of my readers are doubtless aware that Parrots are frequently eaten
by man, but few of them are, perhaps, prepared to hear that many species
of the family constitute at certain seasons a staple portion of the food
of the settlers: soon after the establishment of the colonies of Van
Diemen’s Land, pies made of the bird here represented were commonly
eaten at every table, and even at the present time are not of unfrequent
occurrence. It was not long after my arrival in the country before I
tested the goodness of the flesh of this bird as a viand, and I found it
so excellent that I partook of it whenever an opportunity for my so
doing presented itself. It is delicate, tender, and well-flavoured; but,
like that of all other birds, is not so good at some seasons as at
others, and very old birds are of course not equal to those of one year
old. If we take into consideration the kind of food upon which it
subsists, the extreme delicacy and fineness of its skin, and its
comparatively inactive mode of life, we might naturally conclude that
its flesh would be such as I have described it to be; and although this
observation applies more or less to all the species of the genera
_Platycercus_ and _Euphema_, I consider the present bird to be in this
respect preeminent.
Like other species of the genus, it bears confinement well; and although
it is not so frequently met with in the cage or the aviary as some of
its more gaily attired brethren, it must not be attributed to any
inaptitude for domestication on the part of the bird.
The sexes during the first year are not to be distinguished from each
other, but when fully adult, the female is smaller in size and less
brilliantly coloured than her mate.
Holes in the large gum-trees afford a natural breeding-place. The eggs,
which are laid in September and the three following months, are pure
white, and six or eight in number, one inch and two lines long by eleven
and a half lines broad. When the young are first hatched they are
covered with long, white down, and present an appearance not very
dissimilar to a round ball of white cotton-wool.
I found this species very abundant on the banks of the Tamar, and in one
instance I saw hundreds congregated at a barn-door among the straw of
some recently-thrashed corn, precisely after the manner of the Sparrow
and Pigeon in England.
Forehead crimson; crown of the head and back of the neck pale yellow,
each feather very slightly margined with brown; space under the eye dull
crimson; cheeks blue; back and shoulders dark olive-black, each feather
edged with green; middle of the wings blue; the basal half of the
primaries blue on their external edges, the remainder blackish brown;
rump and two middle tail-feathers green, the remainder of the
tail-feathers dark blue at the base, lighter towards the tip; under
surface of the body yellow; bill flesh-colour; feet greyish brown.
The adults of both sexes are very similar, but a considerable difference
exists in birds of different ages, the young of the year being greenish
olive with a slight tinge of blue on the cheeks, wings, and outer
tail-feathers, and a faint indication of the red mark on the forehead.
As they advance in age they gradually assume the plumage of the adult,
which is not fully accomplished until the second or third year.
The Plate represents fully adult sexes of the natural size.
[Illustration:
PLATYCERCUS FLAVEOLUS: _Gould_.
_J. & E. Gould del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
PLATYCERCUS FLAVEOLUS, _Gould_.
Yellow-rumped Parrakeet.
_Platycercus flaveolus_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part V. p. 26.
I have no other information to communicate respecting this beautiful
_Platycercus_, than that it is an inhabitant of New South Wales, and is
abundant on the banks of the rivers Lachlan and Darling. The bird was
first sent to this country by Captain Sturt some years since, when he
presented a beautiful example with several other rare birds to the
Zoological Society of London. Since that period Major Sir Thomas L.
Mitchell has introduced several other specimens to England, and I am
indebted to this gentleman for the only one in my cabinet. I also saw in
the Museum at Sydney several specimens of this little-known bird, which
had been collected by Sir Thomas during his expeditions to the Darling,
&c. In all the specimens here mentioned little or no variation in their
plumage is observable—a circumstance, which induces me to suspect, that,
like the Rose-hill Parrakeet, the young are clothed in a similar
character of plumage to the adults, or if not, that they gain the full
colouring at a very early age: the sexes offer no external differences.
Forehead crimson; cheeks light blue; crown of the head, back of the
neck, back, rump, upper tail-coverts, and all the under surface pale
yellow, the feathers of the back being black in the centre and pale
yellow on their outer edges; middle of the wing pale blue; spurious wing
and the outer web of the basal portion of the primaries deep
violet-blue, the remainder of the primaries dark brown; two central
tail-feathers tinted with green at the base, passing into blue towards
the tip; the remaining feathers have the basal portion of their outer
webs deep blue, passing into very pale blue towards their tips; the
inner webs brown for a greater or less portion of their length, the
extreme tips of all being white; bill light horn-colour; feet dark
brown.
The Plate represents a male of the natural size.
[Illustration:
PLATYCERCUS PALLICEPS: _Vig._
_J. & E. Gould del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
PLATYCERCUS PALLICEPS, _Vig._
Pale-headed Parrakeet.
_Platycercus palliceps_, Vig. in Lear’s Ill. Psitt., pl. 19.
_Moreton Bay Rose-hill_, Colonists of New South Wales.
This elegant species of _Platycercus_, which, up to the present time,
has been more frequently seen alive in a state of captivity than
preserved in our zoological collections, is a native of the eastern
coast of Australia, and is tolerably numerous at Moreton Bay, where all
the specimens I have seen were procured. It is known in Sydney by the
name of Moreton Bay Rose-hill, an appellation bestowed on it from its
near alliance to the _Platycercus eximius_. The specific name of
_palliceps_ has been applied to this species from the light colouring of
the head, which amounts, in some specimens, to a total absence of
colour: this however, I think, may be attributed to the effects of
exposure to light, since, in recently moulted birds, there is always a
delicate tinge of yellow pervading the crown; the delicate blue on the
cheeks also appears to be affected by the same cause, though not to so
great an extent.
It bears confinement remarkably well, and is very docile and familiar,
which, added to its very elegant plumage, renders it a general
favourite.
Crown of the head and cheeks either wholly white or pale gamboge-yellow;
in some specimens also there is a fine line of scarlet crossing the
forehead, and the lower part of the cheeks is deep blue; feathers of the
nape, back and scapularies black, broadly margined with gamboge-yellow;
rump in some instances greenish blue, in others this part is strongly
tinged with gamboge-yellow; primaries and secondaries blackish brown,
with the base of their external webs deep blue; greater and lesser
wing-coverts, and the shoulders, both above and below, beautiful blue;
that part of the wing nearest the body black; all the under surface
verditer-blue, with the exception of the under tail-coverts, which are
scarlet; two middle tail-feathers greenish blue; the basal half of the
remainder being blackish-brown on their internal webs, rich deep blue on
their outer webs, and the terminal half delicate pale blue, passing into
white at the tip; bill horn-colour; irides blackish brown; feet dark
mealy brown.
The sexes differ in no respect in outward appearance, with the exception
of a slight superiority of size in the male.
The Plate represents a male and a female of the natural size.
[Illustration:
PLATYCERCUS EXIMIUS.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
PLATYCERCUS EXIMIUS, _Vig. and Horsf._
Rose-hill Parrakeet.
_Psittacus eximius_, Shaw, Nat. Misc., pl. 96.—Ib. Zool. of New Holl.,
t. 1.—Kuhl, Consp. Psitt. in Nov. Act. &c., vol. x. p. 54. No.
87.—Lath. Ind. Orn. Suppl., p. xxi.
_Perruche omnicolore_, Le Vaill., Hist. Nat. des Perr., p. 29. pl. 28.
_Nonpareil Parrot_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. ii. p. 138. No. 41.—Id.
Gen. Syn. Suppl., p. 85.—Shaw, Zool., vol. viii. p. 411. pls. 57,
58.
_Platycercus eximius_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p.
281.—Wagl. Mon. Psitt. in Abhand. &c., p. 530.
_Lori-Perruche de la Mer du Sud_, Sonn. Edit. de Buff.
_Psittacus capitatus_, Shaw, Zool., vol. viii. p. 466.
_Rose-hill Parrakeet_, Colonists of New South Wales.
The present beautiful bird ranks among the earliest of the natural
productions of Australia that were sent to Europe, but no information
having hitherto been published respecting its habits and economy, few
persons are aware that it is exclusively confined to New South Wales and
Tasmania, its occurrence even in South Australia being utterly unknown:
in the more distant colonies of Swan River and Port Essington it
certainly does not occur; but in each of those colonies it is
represented by a nearly allied species, whose habits and general economy
are as similar as possible. Although one of the commonest birds of New
South Wales and Van Diemen’s Land, it is very local, a river frequently
constituting the boundary of its habitat, over which it so rarely
passes, that I never, during my stay in the country, saw the bird on the
south side of the Derwent; while in the forests on the opposite shore,
not more than a quarter or half a mile distant, it was very numerous. I
believe it is never seen in the forests clothing the borders of
D’Entrecasteaux’ Channel on the south, or of the River Tamar on the
north of the island, those districts being inhabited by the _Platycercus
flaviventris_, whose greater size and olive-green plumage are in
beautiful accordance with those vast, and as yet unexplored forests of
evergreen _Eucalypti_. More delicate in its structure, and far more
brilliant in its plumage, the _Platycercus eximius_ resorts to the open
parts of the country, such as undulating grassy hills and plains
bordered and studded here and there with large trees or belts of low
acacias or banksias, among the branches of which, particularly those of
the acacias, this beautiful bird may be seen in small companies, the
rich scarlet and yellow of their breasts vieing with the lovely blossoms
of the trees; in a word, districts of a sandy nature, small plains, open
spots among the hills, and thinly timbered country where grass abounds,
constitute the peculiar and natural habitat of this bird: hence it is
not found to the north of the Derwent, where the country is of a
different character; but it is numerous throughout the centre of the
island between Hobart Town and Launceston, where small companies may
constantly be seen resorting to the public roads, like the Sparrow in
England, and upon being disturbed by the passer-by they merely fly off
to the nearest tree, or to the rails of the wayside fences. Scenes like
these fill the mind with sensations of no ordinary description, and
excite the greatest astonishment in those who have recently arrived in
the country; the novelty, however, as I have observed in numerous
instances, soon wears away, and a caged lark, linnet or blackbird from
the land of their birth would be highly cherished and valued, while the
beautiful productions of the island would be passed by unheeded, except
to deal out destruction among them, with no sparing hand, for some
slight injury they may have inflicted upon the rising corn. The above
remarks refer more particularly to Van Diemen’s Land, but apply with
equal force to New South Wales, where the bird inhabits all situations
similar in character to those above referred to. It breeds in great
abundance in Van Diemen’s Land and New South Wales; it is found in great
numbers in the district of the Upper Hunter, and was formerly very
numerous at Paramatta, particularly in the neighbourhood of Rose Hill,
whence its name. It lays from seven to ten beautiful white eggs in the
hollow of a gum-tree during October and the three following months; they
are one inch and an eighth long by seven-eighths of an inch broad.
Its natural food consists of seeds of various kinds, particularly those
of different grasses, and occasionally of insects and caterpillars.
Its flight is short and undulating, and is rarely extended to a greater
distance than a quarter of a mile, as the bird frequently alights on a
leafless branch, always flying a little below it and rising again just
before it settles.
Its note is a somewhat pleasing whistling sound, which is very
frequently uttered.
The sexes are alike in plumage, and the young assume the bright
colouring from the nest; the birds of the year, although they may have
attained their full size, are not so brilliant as the adult, and may
always be distinguished by the bill and nostrils being of a delicate
gamboge-yellow.
Specimens from Van Diemen’s Land are rather larger in size, and have the
markings of the upper surface of a greener yellow, and altogether less
brilliant than those from New South Wales: I possess a specimen killed
on Mosquito Island, at the mouth of the Hunter, which is more brilliant
than any other I have yet seen.
Crown of the head, back of the neck, chest, and under tail-coverts
scarlet; cheeks white; feathers of the back black, margined all round
with rich yellow; rump, upper tail-coverts, and lower part of the belly
pale green; centre of the belly yellow; shoulders and middle of the wing
rich blue; external edges of the primaries blue, the remainder of these
feathers dark brown; two middle tail feathers green, passing into bluish
green at the tip, the remainder of the tail-feathers dark blue at the
base, passing into light blue, and tipped with white; bill horn-colour;
feet brown; irides blackish brown.
The figures are of the natural size.
[Illustration:
PLATYCERCUS SPLENDIDUS: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
PLATYCERCUS SPLENDIDUS, _Gould_.
Splendid Parrakeet.
_Platycercus splendidus_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part XIII. p.
105.
That the gradual investigation of the interior of Australia will lead to
the discovery of many new and interesting objects, is proved by the
recent acquisition of the lovely species here represented, which was
killed by Mr. Gilbert in the newly-located district to the northward of
the Darling Downs in New South Wales. In beauty it even exceeds the
Rose-Hill Parrakeet, and is consequently one of the finest species of
the genus yet discovered. It differs from that bird in having the centre
of the breast only of a rich scarlet, the sides being gamboge-yellow; in
the lower part of the abdomen and the upper tail-coverts being verditer
instead of grass-green, and in the feathers of the back being broadly
margined with rich gamboge instead of greenish yellow. In the youthful
state it very much resembles the _P. palliceps_, from which however it
differs in having the head yellow instead of pale yellowish white, and
the breast yellow instead of pale blue; the breast also has indications
of the rich scarlet of maturity, of which no trace is at any time
perceptible in the _P. palliceps_.
Head, sides of the neck and centre of the breast scarlet; cheeks white,
faintly tinged with blue; feathers of the back and scapularies black,
broadly margined with gamboge-yellow; lower part of the back and upper
tail-coverts pale green; on the shoulder a patch of black; wing-coverts
pale blue; primaries black with the exception of the basal portion of
the external web, which is rich deep blue; two central tail-feathers
dark green at the base, passing into deep blue on the apical half of the
external web and tipped with black; the next on each side is black on
the internal web, green at the base of the external web, blue for the
remainder of its length, and slightly tipped with white; the remainder
of the tail-feathers are deep blue at the base of the external, and
black at the base of the internal web, the remaining portion of both
webs being pale delicate blue, passing into white at the tip; sides of
the breast and the abdomen bright gamboge-yellow; vent pale green in
some, in others pale bluish green; under tail-coverts scarlet; irides
dark brown; bill horn-colour; feet mealy brown.
The figures are of the natural size, one representing the plumage of
youth, the other that of maturity.
[Illustration:
PLATYCERCUS ICTEROTIS.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
PLATYCERCUS ICTEROTIS, _Wagl._
The Earl of Derby’s Parrakeet.
_Psittacus icterotis_, Temm. in Linn. Trans., vol. xiii. p. 120.—Kuhl,
Consp. Psitt. in Nova Acta, etc., p. 54. no. 86.
_Platycercus Stanleyii_, Vig. in Zool. Journ. 1830, p. 274.
—— _icterotis_, Wagl. Mon. Psitt. in Abhand. etc., p. 530.—Gould in
Syn. Birds of Australia.
_Platycercus icterodes_, Bourj. St. Hil. Supp. to Le Vaill. Hist. Nat.
des Perr., pl. 30.
_Gȍotd-un-gȍotd-un_, Aborigines of the lowland, and
_Mȍy-a-duk_, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western
Australia.
_Rose-hill_ of the Colonists.
This beautiful little Parrakeet was first made known to science by M.
Temminck, who described it under the name of _Psittacus icterotis_;
which fact could not have been known to the late Mr. Vigors when he
named it _Platycercus Stanleyii_, as a tribute of respect to the present
Earl of Derby, at that time Lord Stanley; a tribute so merited, that I
cannot but regret the necessity of depriving the bird of this
distinctive appellation, and of restoring to it that of _icterotis_, as
bound by justice to the first describer. But in still associating his
Lordship’s name with this species, in the form of an English
appellation, I feel I shall have the acquiescence of all ornithologists.
From the little that is known of the history of this species it would
appear that its range is very limited, the colony of Swan River in
Western Australia being the only locality in which it has as yet been
seen in a state of nature; there, however, it is one of the most common
birds of the country, and, except in the breeding-season, may always be
seen in large flocks, which approach so near to the houses of the
settlers as frequently to visit their gardens and ploughed lands. It
generally feeds on the ground, on the seeds of various kinds of grasses
and the scattered grain of the farmer; but not unfrequently attacks and
deals destruction among the ripe fruits of his garden, especially if
they be left unprotected.
If my readers wish to form an idea of the scenery of Australia, they
must imagine a country the climate of which is second to no other,
clothed with flowering trees and shrubs of the greatest beauty, and
enlivened with flocks of hundreds of the attractive bird figured on the
accompanying Plate, and numerous other members of the genus of equal
beauty, together with the fire-breasted Robins, the lovely _Maluri_,
with their resplendent metallic plumage, and many more of the feathered
tribes conspicuous for the brilliancy of their hues and the elegance of
their forms: they will then have some slight conception of the
enchanting scene which it presents.
Like most other members of the genus, the _Platycercus icterotis_ offers
no difference in the colouring of the sexes of the same age. They do not
acquire the adult plumage until the second year; during the first year
they are green, which colour gradually gives place to the fine colouring
of maturity.
Its flight is of short duration, and consists of a series of rather
rapid undulating sweeps.
Its note is a feeble, piping kind of whistle, which is occasionally so
much varied and lengthened as almost to assume the character of a song.
The eggs, which are six or seven in number and of a white colour, are
eleven lines long and nine and a half lines broad; they are deposited in
the holes of large trees without any nest.
Crown of the head and back of the neck, chest and all the under surface
scarlet; cheeks and thighs yellow; feathers of the back black, bordered
with green, yellow, and in some instances scarlet; rump and upper
tail-coverts yellowish green; shoulders and outer edges of the primaries
blue, the inner webs and tips of the latter blackish brown; two middle
tail-feathers green; the remaining feathers light blue tipped with
white, with the basal portion of a darker blue tinged with green; bill
light horn-colour; feet and legs dull ashy brown; irides blackish brown.
The young birds of both sexes are nearly of a uniform green, becoming
parti-coloured as they advance in age; the scarlet of the crown and
abdomen, and the yellow of the cheeks gradually taking the place of the
green colouring of youth.
It is questionable whether the female, like the female of _P. eximius_,
ever attains the fine plumage of the male.
The Plate represents the two sexes of the natural size.
[Illustration:
PLATYCERCUS IGNITUS: _Leadb._
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
PLATYCERCUS IGNITUS, _Leadb._
Fiery Parrakeet.
_Platycercus ignitus_, Leadb. in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part V. p. 8.
In the year 1837 Mr. John Leadbeater received from the district of
Moreton Bay a beautiful Parrakeet, of which the accompanying Plate is a
representation. This specimen, the only one I have seen, is the most
singular and anomalous bird that has ever come under my notice; for
while on the one hand it exhibits many features which would lead one to
believe it to be merely a diseased variety of some other species, on the
other there is sufficient decision in some of its markings to warrant
the opinion that it is distinct; I allude particularly to the decided
mark of white at the base of the primaries and secondaries, and to the
white mark on the under-coverts of the wing: it is true that in the
youthful state of most of the other _Platycerci_ the same parts have a
faint mark of white, but it is thrown off as the bird approaches
maturity, and is never so distinct as in the specimen here figured. As I
have mentioned above, only one specimen has yet been seen; future
research will doubtless lead to the discovery of others, until when its
specific value must remain a matter of uncertainty. It is most nearly
allied to the _Platycerci eximius_ and _splendidus_.
The example from which my figures were taken adorns the Museum of the
Zoological Society of London, to which it was presented by Mr. John
Leadbeater.
Crown of the head, ear-coverts, rump, breast and under surface of the
body scarlet; cheeks white; feathers of the back black in the centre,
and margined with intermingled scarlet and yellow; middle of the wing
deep blue; primaries and secondaries white at the base, forming a very
broad and decided band, and brown at the tip; tertiaries green; four
middle tail-feathers washed with scarlet, the remainder white at the
base, and then blue, gradually fading into white at the tip; bill
yellowish horn-colour; feet dark brown.
The figures represent the bird in two positions of the natural size.
[Illustration:
PLATYCERCUS BROWNII: _Vig. & Horsf._
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
PLATYCERCUS BROWNII, _Vig. and Horsf._
Brown’s Parrakeet.
_Psittacus Brownii_, Temm. in Linn. Trans., vol. xiii. p. 119.
_Psittacus venustus_, Kuhl, Nov. Acta, vol. x. p. 52.
_Brown’s Parrot_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. ii. p. 139.
_Platycercus Brownii_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p.
282.—Lear’s Ill. Psitt., pl. 20.
_Mȍon-dark?_ Aborigines of Port Essington.
_Smutty Parrot_, Residents at ditto.
This is a very abundant species on the northern and north-western coast
of Australia, inhabiting grassy meadow-like land and the edges of
swamps, mostly feeding on the ground upon the seeds of grasses and other
plants, sometimes single or in pairs, but more frequently in families of
from ten to twenty in number. It frequently utters a rapid succession of
double notes resembling ‘_trin-se trin-se_.’ Its flight is low, somewhat
rapid and zigzag, seldom farther prolonged than from tree to tree.
Specimens of this bird given me by my friends Captain Grey and Mr. Bynoe
from the north-west coast differ somewhat in plumage from those killed
on the Cobourg Peninsula, the concentric bands on the breast are much
finer, the extreme margins only of the feathers being black; I have one
specimen also with the whole of the crown of the head of a deep
blood-red, and others with more or less of this colour. That this kind
of plumage is unusual is proved by the fact of numerous specimens from
Port Essington not exhibiting it, and had I not seen others from the
north-west with black crowns (with the exception of the band across the
forehead), I should have regarded as specific what I now look upon as a
mere local variety, or possibly a very old bird.
This beautiful species has been named after Dr. Robert Brown, as a just
tribute of respect for the high reputation he has attained as a
scientific botanist.
Crown of the head, lores and ear-coverts deep black; cheeks snow-white,
bounded below with blue; breast and rump pale yellow, each feather
slightly fringed with black; feathers of the back deep black, with a
broad margin of pale yellow; wing-coverts, outer webs of the secondaries
and base of the primaries rich blue, inner webs of the primaries and
secondaries deep black; under tail-coverts scarlet; centre tail-feathers
green at the base, passing into blue on the margins and at the tip;
lateral feathers deep blue at the base of the outer webs, brown at the
base of the inner webs, and then pale blue terminating in white, with
black shafts; irides blackish brown; bill light horn-colour, passing
into blue at the base; legs and feet blackish brown.
Young birds are similar in colour, but have all the markings dull and
indistinct; as the individual approaches to maturity the breast becomes
ornamented with a number of crescent-shaped markings of black and pale
yellow, and as the bird advances in age the yellow increases in extent
and the black nearly disappears.
The three figures in the Plate represent two males and a female; the
crimson-headed bird drawn from a specimen collected on the north-west
coast, and the other male from one procured at Port Essington; they are
all of the natural size.
[Illustration:
PLATYCERCUS PILEATUS: _Vig._
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
PLATYCERCUS PILEATUS, _Vig._
Red-capped Parrakeet.
_Platycercus pileatus_, Vig. in Zool. Journ., vol. v. p. 274.—Lear’s
Ill. Psitt., pls. 21 and 22.—Wagl. Mon. Psitt. in Abhand., pp. 491
and 528.
_Psittacus purpureocephalus_, Quoy et Gaim. Voy. de l’Astrolabe, pl.
22.
_Djȁr-rail-bȕr-tang_, Aborigines of the lowland districts of Western
Australia.
_Blue Parrot_ of the Colonists.
The _Platycercus pileatus_ differs so much in the colouring of its
plumage from every other species of the great family of Parrots, as to
render it one of the most remarkable yet discovered; in the form and
structure of its bill there is also a remarkable deviation from the true
_Platycerci_, and it will probably be hereafter found that this
modification of its form is adapted to some especial purpose, in which
case this bird might with propriety constitute the type of a separate
genus; in the absence, however, of all information respecting its habits
and economy, I prefer retaining it in the genus in which it was placed
by Mr. Vigors, its first describer.
The Red-capped Parrakeet is an inhabitant of Western Australia, where it
is rather numerously dispersed over the country from King George’s Sound
to the northern limits of the colony. It is usually seen in small
families feeding on the ground, but upon what particular kind of food it
subsists has not been ascertained. The breeding-season extends over the
months of October, November and December. The hollow dead branch of a
gum- or mahogany-tree is the place usually chosen by the female for the
reception of her eggs, which are milk-white and from seven to nine in
number, about an inch and an eighth long by seven-eighths of an inch
broad. The young during the first year of their existence are of nearly
uniform green; at the same time, the hues which characterize the adult
are perceptible at almost any age.
The females are never so finely marked as the males, neither are they so
large or so gracefully formed.
The flight of this species, although swift, is not of long duration, nor
is it characterized by those undulating sweeps common to the other
members of the genus _Platycercus_.
Its voice is a sharp clucking note, several times repeated, in which
respect it also offers a marked difference from the other _Platycerci_.
Forehead, crown and nape deep maroon red; cheeks yellowish green,
becoming more yellow on the sides of the neck; back, scapularies and
greater wing-coverts deep green; rump jonquil-yellow; edge of the
shoulder, spurious wing and base of the outer webs of the primaries rich
deep blue; remainder of the primaries and the secondaries deep black;
breast and abdomen blue; vent and under tail-coverts scarlet; two centre
tail-feathers yellowish green, deepening into black at the tip and
crossed by indistinct bars of a darker tint; lateral feathers green at
their base, passing into black on their inner webs, and into pale blue
on the outer, both webs becoming blue towards the extremity of the
feather, and fading into white at the tip; irides dark brown; bill
horn-colour; legs and feet dull brown.
The Plate represents an adult male and female of the natural size.
[Illustration:
PSEPHOTUS HÆMATOGASTER: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
PSEPHOTUS HÆMATOGASTER, _Gould_.
Crimson-bellied Parrakeet.
_Platycercus hæmatogaster_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part V. p.
89.
This species of Parrakeet is an inhabitant of the interior of New South
Wales, where it frequents the borders of the rivers Namoi and Darling;
in all probability its range extends far to the northward; but, so far
as is yet known, it has never been found in Southern or Western
Australia; I met with it in tolerable abundance in the neighbourhood of
the Lower Namoi, where it appeared to give a decided preference to those
parts of the plains which were of a loose mouldy character, and with
which the colour of its back so closely assimilates as to be scarcely
distinguished from it. Like the other members of the family, it is
mostly observed in small flocks, and occasionally in pairs, feeding upon
the seeds of the various grasses abounding on the plains. It is only
when the bird after a short flight alights on the branches, that the
splendid scarlet of the belly, relieved by the yellow of the sides, is
seen to advantage; when thus seen, however, it is a truly beautiful
object, and is scarcely excelled by any other species of the group.
I did not ascertain any particulars respecting its nidification, but we
may easily suppose that it breeds in the districts above mentioned, as I
met with it there in the height of the summer.
The male has the forehead and face ultramarine blue; crown of the head,
upper surface, sides of the neck and the chest greyish olive-brown,
washed with yellow on the rump and upper tail-coverts; lesser
wing-coverts mingled verditer-green and blue; greater coverts rich
reddish chestnut; basal half of the external webs of the primaries and
secondaries, and edge of the wing rich indigo-blue; under surface of the
shoulder light indigo-blue; inner webs and tips of the primaries dark
brown; apical half of the external web of the primaries fringed with
grey; two centre tail-feathers light olive-green, passing into deep blue
at the tip; the remainder deep blue at the base, largely tipped with
white, the blue gradually blending with the white on the external web;
upper part of the abdomen and flanks primrose-yellow; centre of the
abdomen and under tail-coverts crimson-red; irides dark brown; nostrils
and feet mealy brown; bill horn-colour.
The female differs in being smaller, and in being much less brilliant in
all her markings.
The figures represent the two sexes the size of life.
[Illustration:
PSEPHOTUS PULCHERRIMUS: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
PSEPHOTUS PULCHERRIMUS, _Gould_.
Beautiful Parrakeet.
_Platycercus pulcherrimus_, Gould in Ann. and Mag. of Nat. Hist., vol.
xv. p. 114.
The graceful form of this new Parrakeet, combined with the extreme
brilliancy of its plumage, render it one of the most lovely of the
_Psittacidæ_ yet discovered; and in whatever light we regard it, whether
as a beautiful ornament to our cabinets, or a desirable addition to our
aviaries, it is still an object of no ordinary interest.
I regret to say that little is at present known respecting it, further
than that it is one of the novelties that has rewarded Mr. Gilbert’s
researches in New South Wales; the upland grassy plains of the east
coast of Australia being the locality in which it was first discovered,
and which is in fact the only part of the country wherein it has as yet
been found. The specimens procured were shot on the Darling Downs, where
it was observed in small families feeding on the seeds of grasses and
other plants growing on the plains; the stomachs of those examined were
fully distended with grass seeds exclusively.
The sexes, like the generality of the _Psittacidæ_, are much alike; but
the female, although similarly marked, is much less brilliant and
somewhat smaller than her mate.
Band across the forehead half an inch in breadth, scarlet, fading around
the eyes, lores and cheeks into pale lemon-yellow, which again gradually
blends with the green of the under surface; crown of the head and nape
blackish brown; sides of the neck to the shoulders verdigris-green with
yellowish reflexions; back greyish brown; rump and upper tail-coverts
verditer-blue, the longer coverts with a band of black at their extreme
tip; primaries and secondaries black edged with bluish green; shoulders
with a spot of rich vermilion; under wing-coverts and edges of the
pinions verditer-blue; two middle tail-feathers olive-brown at the base,
gradually passing into greenish blue at the tip with olive reflexions;
the three outer feathers on each side with a narrow zigzag band of black
at about half their length from the base, then greenish blue to the tip,
the inner webs fading into white near the extremity; throat and chest
yellowish emerald-green, each feather tipped with verditer-blue; middle
of the breast and the sides verditer-blue; abdomen and under
tail-coverts scarlet; irides dark brown; bill horn-colour, becoming
blackish grey at the base; legs and feet yellowish brown.
The figures are of the natural size.
[Illustration:
PSEPHOTUS MULTICOLOR.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
PSEPHOTUS MULTICOLOR.
Many-coloured Parrakeet.
_Psittacus multicolor_, Temm. in Linn. Trans., vol. xiii. p.
119.—Kuhl, Consp. Psitt. in Nova Acta, vol. x. p. 55.
_Varied Parrot_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. ii. p. 182.
_Platycercus multicolor_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p.
283.—Wagl. Mon. Psitt. in Abhand., vol. i. p. 528.
This species is strictly an inhabitant of the interior of Australia,
being-found on the banks of the Lachlan, Murray and Darling, and
according to the label attached to the specimen in the Sydney Museum,
the neighbourhood of the Pink Hills. It is a true _Psephotus_ and is
closely allied to _P. hæmatonotus_, but differs from that and every
other species of the genus in the patches or bands of colour which
ornament the head, wings and rump; it is a species I did not meet with
myself, and of which no information has been given by those travellers
who have visited its native wilds; consequently nothing whatever is
known of its habits and economy; it is still a rare bird, and to be
found in few collections.
Much variation is found to exist in the colouring of this bird; some
individuals having the band across the wing-coverts bright yellow, while
in others the same part is tinged with red.
The adult male has the forehead and shoulders sulphur-yellow; under
tail-coverts citron-yellow; rump crossed by three distinct bands of
yellowish green, dark green, and reddish chestnut; occiput reddish
chestnut; base of the primaries, secondaries and spurious wing, and the
under wing-coverts rich deep blue; lower part of the abdomen and thighs
scarlet; middle tail-feathers blue; the outer ones bluish green, passing
into very pale blue at their tips; all the tail-feathers, except the
four middle ones, crossed by a band of black near the base; remainder of
the plumage deep grass-green; bill horny brown; legs wood-brown.
The female is attired in a similar style of colours, but is much less
brilliant, has the throat and breast yellowish brown, and only an
indication of the bands on the occiput and wing-coverts.
The Plate represents the two sexes of the natural size.
[Illustration:
PSEPHOTUS HÆMATONOTUS.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
PSEPHOTUS HÆMATONOTUS, _Gould_.
Red-backed Parrakeet.
_Platycercus hæmatonotus_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part V. p.
151; and in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part IV.
This species inhabits the interior of the south-eastern division of the
Australian continent; it is abundantly dispersed over the Liverpool
Plains, and all the open country to the northward as far as it has yet
been explored; it also inhabits similar tracts of country in South
Australia; on the plains around Adelaide it is seldom seen, but as the
traveller advances towards the interior every succeeding mile brings him
in contact with it in greater numbers. It is more frequently seen on the
ground than among the trees; and it evidently gives a decided preference
to open grassy valleys and the naked crowns of hills, than to the wide
and almost boundless plain. During winter it associates in flocks,
varying from twenty to a hundred in number, which trip nimbly over the
ground in search of the seeds of grasses and other plants, with which
the crops of many that were shot were found to be distended. In the
early morning, and not unfrequently in other parts of the day, I have
often seen hundreds perched together on some leafless limb of a
_Eucalyptus_, sitting in close order along the whole length of the
branch, until hunger prompted them to descend to the feeding-ground, or
the approach of a hawk or other enemy caused them to disperse. Their
movements on the ground are characterized by much grace and activity,
and although assembled in one great mass running over the ground like
Plovers, they are generally mated in pairs,—a fact easily ascertained by
the difference in the colouring of the sexes; the rich red mark on the
rump of the male appearing, as the bright sun shines upon it, like a
spot of fire.
In the manner of its flocking and the situations it frequents, this bird
is directly intermediate between the members of the genera _Euphema_ and
_Platycercus_; the same remark holds good also with respect to its form
and structure; this fact, however, I have pointed out in the
observations on the genus, and it is therefore unnecessary to repeat the
details here.
This bird has a pleasing whistling note, almost approaching to a song,
which is poured forth both while perching on the branches of the trees
and while flying over the plains. On the approach of the breeding-season
it retires into the forest and separates into pairs; the eggs, which are
white and five or six in number, eleven lines long by eight and a half
lines broad, are deposited without any nest in the spouts and hollows of
the gum-trees.
Crown of the head, back of the neck, cheeks and chest emerald-green,
which is lightest on the forehead and cheeks; back brownish green; rump
scarlet; tip and under surface of the shoulder, spurious wing, and the
outer edge of the basal half of the primaries rich ultramarine blue; the
blue of the shoulder above passing into sulphur-yellow, and forming a
conspicuous spot of the latter colour in the centre of the shoulder;
greater and lesser wing-coverts and secondaries bluish green; upper
tail-coverts and two centre tail-feathers green, passing into blue
towards the tip, which is blackish brown; the remainder of the
tail-feathers green at the base, gradually passing into delicate greyish
white on the inner webs and the tips; centre of the abdomen yellow;
thighs dull bluish green; under tail-coverts greyish white; bill
horn-colour; feet brown; irides pale brown.
The young male of the year differs from the adult in having those parts
delicate greenish grey which in the latter are emerald-green; in being
destitute of the red colouring of the rump, and of the yellow on the
centre of the abdomen; and in having the bases of the secondaries and
some of the primaries white.
The Plate represents a male and female of the natural size.
[Illustration:
EUPHEMA CHRYSOSTOMA: _Wagl:_
_J. & E. Gould del^t._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
EUPHEMA CHRYSOSTOMA, _Wagl._
Blue-Banded Grass-Parrakeet.
_Psittacus chrysostomus_, Kuhl, Consp. in Psitt. in Nova Acta, vol. x.
p. 58, pl. 1.
_Psittacus venustus_, Temm. in Linn. Trans., vol. xiii. p. 121.
_Blue-banded Parrakeet_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. ii. p. 188.
_Nanodes venustus_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p.
274.—Selby, Nat. Lib. Parrots, p. 172, pl. 27.—Steph. Cont. of
Shaw’s Zool., vol. xiv. p. 118, pl. 15.—Swains. Class. of Birds,
vol. ii. p. 305.—Gould, Syn. Birds of Australia, Part II.
_Euphema chrysostoma_, Wagl. Mon. Psitt. in Abhand., vol. i. pp. 492,
544, and 707.
This bird is a summer resident in Van Diemen’s Land, arriving in
September and departing again in February and March. During its sojourn
it takes up its abode in such open and thinly-timbered localities as are
favourable for the growth of various kinds of grasses, upon the seeds of
which it almost solely subsists. Among the places in which I observed it
to be most abundant were Bruni Island, Sandy Bay immediately adjoining
Hobart Town, New Norfolk, Spring Hill in the interior, the banks of the
Tamar, and on Flinder’s Island in Bass’s Straits. At Spring Hill, in the
month of January, it was more numerous and congregated in larger flocks
than in any other locality I had visited, flights being constantly
passing backwards and forwards from the hills to the margins of some
cultivated lands from which the corn had recently been carried, the
borders of which not having been disturbed were clothed with abundance
of grasses in full seed. A great number of those seen here and at
Flinder’s Island were young birds which were doubtless congregating
previous to their autumnal migration; the direction they take, or the
country they proceed to, is still a matter of uncertainty: in all
probability they pass directly northwards to some part of the Australian
continent, but I was unable to satisfy myself on this point, or to
obtain any decided information respecting them, and I never even saw the
species on the mainland.
The Blue-banded Grass-Parrakeet is one of the most beautiful and
interesting of the _Psittacidæ_; for whether perched on the small dead
branches of a low bush, which it often is, or resting upon the stronger
grasses, as represented in the Plate, there is grace and elegance in all
its actions. It runs over the ground and threads its way among the
grasses with the greatest facility, and is usually so intent upon
gathering the seeds, as to admit of your walking close up to a flock
before it will rise; the whole will then get up simultaneously, uttering
at the same time a feeble cry and settling again at a short distance, or
flying off to some thickly-foliaged tree, where it sits for a time and
then descends again to the ground.
Its flight is remarkably quick, and is performed in a manner somewhat
resembling that of the Snipe; while on the wing the deep blue colouring
of the shoulder forms a conspicuous contrast to the yellow and green of
the body.
The breeding-season is at its height in October and November; the eggs,
as I have been informed, being usually deposited in the holes of the
_Eucalypti_, but occasionally in the hollow trunks of the fallen trees:
they vary from five to seven in number, and are perfectly white.
The sexes present no observable difference; but the young, like those of
the _Platycerci_, have the bill and nostrils of a delicate yellow, the
band on the forehead less conspicuous, and the plumage, although with
the same tints as in the adult, much less brilliant in its colouring.
Like nearly all the other members of the family, it is capable of
perfect domestication, and a more elegant or beautiful pet can scarcely
be conceived; and that it would thrive in this country is certain, as I
had a living example in my possession a few years since which was
remarkably healthy and active.
A conspicuous band of deep indigo-blue across the forehead, bordered
above by a narrow edging of light metallic blue; lores, and a stripe
behind the eye, rich yellow; crown of the head, back, rump, upper
tail-coverts, throat, chest and flanks brownish olive-green; shoulders
and wing-coverts deep blue; primaries black, the outer edges of the
first three or four slightly tinged with bluish green; centre of the
abdomen and under tail-coverts yellow; four middle tail-feathers
greenish blue; the basal portions of the remainder beautiful blue on
their outer edges, and largely tipped with fine yellow; irides, bill and
feet brown.
The figures are of the natural size.
[Illustration:
EUPHEMA ELEGANS: _Gould_
_J. & E. Gould del._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
EUPHEMA ELEGANS, _Gould_.
Elegant Grass-Parrakeet.
_Nanodes elegans_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part V. 1837, p.
25.—Ib. Syn. Birds of Australia, Part II.
_Gool-ye-der-ung_, Aborigines of the lowlands of Western Australia.
_Ground Parrakeet_, of the Colonists.
Although closely resembling in size and form the Blue-banded
Grass-Parrakeet, this species differs in several minor particulars. The
green colouring of its plumage is of a more golden hue; the blue frontal
band extends behind the eye, while in the former it reaches no farther
than the front: the difference in the colouring of the wings of the two
species is also strongly marked, that part in the one being wholly blue,
while in the other all the shoulders and portions near the scapularies
are green.
As far as I could learn, the present species is never seen in Van
Diemen’s Land, while the Blue-banded is a constant summer visitant to
that island; neither is it a common bird in New South Wales, its visits
to that country being quite accidental. I found it abundant in South
Australia, even in the depth of winter, and I have since received its
eggs from the same country, as well as from King George’s Sound and Swan
River; we may therefore reasonably suppose it ranges over all the
intermediate country, and that it is there a permanent resident.
It appears to prefer the barren and sandy belts bordering the coast, but
occasionally resorts to the more distant interior. Flocks were
constantly rising before me while traversing the salt marshes, which
stretch along the coast from Holdfast Bay to the Port of Adelaide; they
were feeding upon the seeds of grasses and various other plants, which
were there abundant: in the middle of the day, or when disturbed, they
retreat to the thick _Banksias_ that grow on the sandy ridges in the
immediate neighbourhood, and in such numbers, that I have seen those
trees literally covered with them, intermingled with the orange-breasted
species (_E. aurantia_), which, however, was far less numerous. When
they rise, they spread out and display their beautiful yellow
tail-feathers to the greatest advantage.
The following account of this species, as observed in Western Australia,
has been sent me by Mr. John Gilbert:
“It inhabits every variety of situation, but particularly where there is
an abundance of grass, the seeds of which are its favourite food: it may
be generally observed in small families until the hottest part of the
year, when the courses being dried up, water only remains in small
pools; these birds then congregate in almost incredible numbers morning
and evening. At Kojenup, where there are several pools, and no other
water for many miles round, I saw these birds in myriads; but although I
shot a great many, they were nearly all young birds. Its flight is rapid
and even, and frequently at considerable altitudes. The breeding season
is in September and October; the eggs being from four to seven in
number,” of a pure white, eleven lines long, by eight and a half lines
broad.
A bar of deep indigo-blue across the forehead, bordered above by a
narrow edging of light metallic blue, which is continued over the eye;
lores rich yellow; head, cheeks, scapularies, back and upper shoulders
greenish blue; secondaries deep blue, edged with lighter; primaries
black, the first three or four edged externally with greenish blue;
tail-coverts golden olive-green; throat and chest greenish yellow,
passing into bright yellow on the abdomen and under tail-coverts; the
centre of the abdomen tinged with orange; two middle tail-feathers
greenish blue, the remainder blue at the base, and largely tipped with
yellow; irides very dark brown; bill dark brown, lighter on the under
side; legs and feet dull brown.
The Plate represents a male and a female of the natural size, on a
branch of the _Pittosporum_.
[Illustration:
EUPHEMA AURANTIA: _Gould_.
_J. & E. Gould del^t._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
EUPHEMA AURANTIA, _Gould_.
Orange-bellied Grass-Parrakeet.
_Euphema aurantia_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Nov. 10, 1840.
Although the present bird is not so elegant in form, nor graced with so
brilliant a frontal band as several others of the group, it has received
an ample compensation in the rich orange mark that adorns the under
surface, a character by which it may be distinguished from every other
known species. Like the _Euphema chrysostoma_, it is a summer visitant
to Van Diemen’s Land, and they may sometimes be found associating
together; still I have obtained specimens in localities where I believe
the other is never seen. I observed it sparingly dispersed in the
neighbourhood of Hobart Town and New Norfolk, but found it in far
greater abundance on the Actæon Islands, at the entrance of
D’Entrecasteaux Channel. These small islands are covered with grasses
and scrub, intermingled with a quantity of a species of Barilla, nearly
allied to _Atriplex halimus_; and almost the only land-bird that
enlivens these solitary spots is the present beautiful Parrakeet: I
frequently flushed small flocks of them from among the grass, when they
almost immediately alighted on the barilla bushes around me, their
sparkling orange bellies forming a striking contrast with the green of
the other parts of their plumage and the silvery foliage of the plant
upon which they rested. I made many attempts to discover their breeding
places, but always unsuccessfully; as however these islands are
destitute of large trees, I am induced to believe that they lay their
eggs in holes on the ground, or among the stones on the shore. When I
thoroughly disturbed them they flew off to the neighbouring islands, or
to the main land, uttering a singular snapping note, very unlike that of
their associates, the _Euphema chrysostoma_. On visiting South Australia
in winter, I there found it equally abundant on the flat, marshy grounds
bordering the coast, especially between the Port of Adelaide and
Holdfast Bay. Specimens collected in winter and summer, and in
localities distant from each other, present no difference whatever in
their plumage.
It may be a casual visitor to New South Wales and Swan River, but I have
not yet seen it in any collections from those parts of Australia.
Frontal band blue, margined before and behind with a very faint line of
greenish blue; crown of the head and all the upper surface deep
grass-green; shoulders, many of the secondaries, and outer edges of the
primaries deep indigo-blue; lores, cheeks and breast yellowish green,
passing into greenish yellow on the abdomen and under tail-coverts, the
centre of the abdomen being ornamented with a large spot of rich orange;
two centre tail-feathers green; the next on each side blackish brown on
the inner, and green on the outer webs; the remainder blackish brown on
their inner, and green on their outer webs, and largely tipped with
bright yellow; irides very dark brown; bill dark brown, becoming lighter
on the under side; legs and feet dull brown.
The female possesses the orange spot in common with the male, although,
in her case, it is neither so extensive nor so brilliant.
The figures represent a male and a female, on a branch of the Barilla
plant, of the natural size.
[Illustration:
EUPHEMA PETROPHILA: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
EUPHEMA PETROPHILA, _Gould_.
Rock Grass-Parrakeet.
_Euphema petrophila_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VIII. p. 148.
_Rock Parrakeet_, Colonists of Swan River.
Independently of the difference in the colouring of the face of this
species, it differs also from all the other members of the genus in its
habits; for although, like them, it obtains its food on the ground,
feeding on the seeds of the various grasses that grow over nearly the
whole surface of Australia, it is far more partial to rocky situations
than to trees. I have received specimens of this bird from Port Lincoln
in South Australia, but its great stronghold appears to be the western
coast, where it occurs in great numbers on Rottnest and other islands
near Swan River: “Here,” says Mr. Gilbert, “it breeds in the holes of
the most precipitous cliffs, choosing in preference those facing the
water and most difficult of access; and hence it required no slight
degree of exertion to procure examples of the eggs, which, according to
the testimony of the natives, are white and seven or eight in number.
“Its flight is extremely rapid, and at times it mounts to a great height
in the air.”
The sexes are nearly alike in colour and may be thus described:—
Frontal band deep indigo-blue, bounded before and behind with a very
narrow line of dull verditer-blue; lores and circle surrounding the eye
dull verditer-blue; all the upper surface yellowish olive-green; under
surface the same, but lighter, and passing into yellow, tinged with
orange on the lower part of the abdomen; under surface of the shoulder
indigo-blue; a few of the wing-coverts greenish blue; primaries brownish
black on their inner webs, and deep indigo-blue on the outer; two centre
tail-feathers bluish green; the remainder of the feathers brown at the
base on the inner webs, green at the base on the outer webs, and largely
tipped with bright yellow; irides very dark brown; upper mandible dark
reddish brown; sides of the under mandible light yellow, the tip bluish
grey; legs and feet dark brownish grey.
The figures are those of a male and a female of the natural size.
[Illustration:
EUPHEMA PULCHELLA: _Wagl._
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
EUPHEMA PULCHELLA, _Wagler_.
Chestnut-shouldered Grass-Parrakeet.
_Psittacus pulchellus_, Shaw, Nat. Misc., pl. 96.—Ib. Gen. Zool., vol.
viii. p. 470.—Linn. Trans., vol. xiii. p. 122.—Swains. Zool. Ill.
Birds, 1st Ser. pl. 73.—Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. 21.—Kuhl, Nova
Acta, vol. x. p. 50.
_Turcosine Parrakeet_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 89.—Ib. Gen.
Hist., vol. ii. p. 185.
_La Perruche Edwards_, Le Vaill. Hist. des Perr., p. 68, female.
_Psittacus chrysogaster_, Lath. Ind. Orn., vol. i. p. 97.
_Orange-bellied Parrot_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., p. 62.—Ib. Gen. Hist.,
vol. ii. p. 186.
_Orange-bellied Parrakeet_, Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 468.
_Psittacus Edwardsii_, Bechst. in Lath. Uebers. der Vog., p. 74.
_Nanodes pulchellus_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p.
277.—Steph. Cont. of Shaw’s Gen. Zool., vol. xiv. p. 118.
_Lathamus azureus_, Less. Traité d’Orn., p. 205.
_Euphema pulchella_, Wagl. Mon. Psitt. in Abhand., pp. 493 and 542.
All those who have traversed the “bush” in New South Wales will
recognize in this lovely species an old favourite; during my own rambles
my attention was constantly attracted by its beautiful outspread tail
and wings as it rose before me. Its sole food being the seeds of grasses
and of the smaller annuals, it spends much of its time on the ground,
and appears to evince a greater partiality for stony ridges than for the
rich alluvial flats, which is probably owing to the former producing a
greater supply of its favourite food. When flushed it flies off to a
short distance between the trees, perches on some dead branch for a
time, and if impelled by hunger, returns to the ground almost
immediately. I have never seen this species congregated in large flocks
like the _Euphema chrysostoma_ and _E. elegans_; but have either met
with it in pairs, or in small companies of six or eight in number.
I did not succeed in finding a nest of this species, although I doubt
not that during my visit to the district of the Upper Hunter it was
breeding everywhere around me; but Mr. Caley states, on the authority of
the natives, that it lays eight white eggs in the hole of a tree without
any nest but the decayed wood.
The sexes differ so little in colour, that dissection must be resorted
to to distinguish them.
Forehead, stripe over the eye, cheeks, shoulders, and lesser
wing-coverts rich metallic greenish blue; crown of the head, back of the
neck, upper surface and flanks bright olive-green; a bright spot of
chestnut-red at the insertion of the wings; primaries and secondaries
deep blue on their outer webs, and blackish brown on the inner; chest,
centre of the abdomen, and under tail-coverts rich yellow; four middle
tail-feathers green, the remainder green at the base and largely tipped
with yellow; bill and feet dark brown.
The Plate represents the two sexes of the natural size, on one of the
grasses of the Upper Hunter.
[Illustration:
EUPHEMA SPLENDIDA: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
EUPHEMA SPLENDIDA, _Gould_.
Splendid Grass Parrakeet.
_Euphema splendida_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VIII. p. 147.
It is a source of much regret to me, that I am unable to give more than
a very slight notice of the beautiful bird that forms the subject of the
present Plate. The single specimen from which my description was taken
came into my possession in 1840, unfortunately without any other
information accompanying it than that it was a native of Swan River;
from that period no other example occurred until 1845, when several fine
specimens were transmitted to me by the late Mr. Johnson Drummond, who
had killed them near Moore’s River in Western Australia, and from whom I
should doubtless have received some particulars respecting the habits of
this lovely species, had he not been treacherously murdered by a native
in his company, while engaged in seeking for materials for this and my
other works on the Fauna of Australia.
The Splendid Grass Parrakeet is in every respect a true _Euphema_, and
has many characters in common with the _E. pulchella_, but differs from
that species in the entire absence of the chestnut mark on the
shoulders, in the more intense blue of the face, and in the gorgeously
rich scarlet colouring of the chest; and is rendered remarkably
conspicuous by the brilliant display of the three primitive
colours—blue, red and yellow—on its face, breast and abdomen.
The male has the face and ear-coverts deep indigo-blue, becoming paler
on the latter; all the upper surface grass-green; upper wing-coverts
beautiful lazuline blue; under wing-coverts deep indigo-blue; primaries
and secondaries black; the first three or four primaries slightly
margined with green; two centre tail-feathers dark green; the remaining
tail-feathers black on the internal webs, green on the external webs and
largely tipped with bright yellow, which increases in extent as the
feathers recede from the centre; chest rich deep scarlet; under surface
yellow, passing into green on the sides of the chest and flanks.
The female differs in having the face and wing-coverts, both above and
beneath, of a pale lazuline blue, and in the chest being green instead
of scarlet.
The Plate represents two males and a female on a branch of _Beaufortia
decussata_, one of the plants of Western Australia.
[Illustration:
EUPHEMA BOURKII.
_J. & E. Gould del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
EUPHEMA BOURKII.
Bourke’s Grass-Parrakeet.
_Nanodes Bourkii_, Mitch. Australian Expeditions, vol. i. p. xviii.
For a knowledge of this new species of Grass-Parrakeet, the scientific
world is indebted to Major Sir T. L. Mitchell, who discovered it on the
banks of the River Bogan, during one of his expeditions into the
interior of New South Wales. It is particularly interesting, as
exhibiting in the crescentic form of the markings on the back, an
approach to the style of colouring observable in the single species of
the genus _Melopsittacus_ (_M. undulatus_); at the same time, in its
structure it so closely assimilates to the form of the genus _Euphema_,
that I have been induced to place it in that group.
It must be regarded as a bird of the greatest rarity, since I did not
meet with it during my own expedition, nor could I gain any information
whatever respecting it; it is therefore another of those Australian
birds to which I would direct the attention of the travellers who may
hereafter visit the interior, of which it will doubtless prove to be a
denizen. The two examples obtained by Sir T. L. Mitchell are deposited
in the Museum at Sydney, and from them the accompanying figures were
taken.
Band across the forehead, shoulders above and beneath, secondaries and
base of the primaries deep blue; flanks and under tail-coverts
turquoise-blue; all the upper surface dark olive-brown, the feathers of
the wings edged with greyish white; centre of the abdomen salmon-red;
cheeks and remainder of the under surface brown, strongly tinged with
salmon-red; six middle tail-feathers deep brown, the external webs
tinged with blue; the three outer ones on each side brown at the base,
with their external webs blue and the tips white; bill dark horn-colour;
legs brown.
The figures are of the natural size.
[Illustration:
MELOPSITTACUS UNDULATUS.
_J. & E. Gould del._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
MELOPSITTACUS UNDULATUS.
Warbling Grass-Parrakeet.
_Psittacus undulatus_, Shaw, Nat. Misc., pl. 673.—Kuhl, Consp. Psitt.
in Nova Acta, &c., vol. x. p. 49.
_Undulated Parrot_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. ii. p. 179, pl. xxvi.
_Undulated Parrakeet_, _Psittacus undulatus_, Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol.
viii. p. 469.
_Nanodes undulatus_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p.
277.—Steph. Cont. of Shaw’s Gen. Zool., vol. xiv. p. 119.—Lear’s
Ill. Psitt., pl. 13.—Selby, Nat. Lib., Parrots, p. 181, pl. 19.
_Euphema undulata_, Wagl. Mon. Psitt. in Abhand., &c., pp. 493, 545,
and 707.
_Canary Parrot_, Colonists.
_Betcherrygah_, Natives of Liverpool Plains.
Among the numerous members of the family of Parrots inhabiting
Australia, this lovely little bird is preeminent both for beauty of
plumage and elegance of form, which, together with its extreme
cheerfulness of disposition and sprightliness of manner, render it an
especial favourite with all who have had an opportunity of seeing it
alive. This animated disposition is as conspicuous in confinement as in
its native wilds; a pair now before me are in exuberant health after
having braved the severities of a passage to this country by way of Cape
Horn in the midst of winter.
The first notice of this species was published by Dr. Shaw in his
“Naturalist’s Miscellany,” and until lately, a single specimen, forming
part of the collection of the Linnean Society, was the only one known;
more recently, however, numbers have been added to our museums, and the
bird is now far from being scarce. In all probability it is generally
dispersed over the central parts of Australia; but is so exclusively an
inhabitant of the vast inland plains, or, if I may so call it, basin of
the interior, that it is rarely seen between the mountain ranges and the
coast. In the whole southern portion of the continent it is strictly
migratory, appearing in large flocks in spring, when the grass-seeds are
plentiful, and retiring again after the breeding-season is over to more
northern latitudes. My friend Captain Sturt, in one of his letters,
dated at Adelaide, South Australia, informs me, that “The Scolloped
Parrakeets,” the name given to these birds in that part of the country,
“are found in vast flocks in the interior, and make their appearance
here about October, following each other in flights like Starlings, in
company with the little Crested Parrot (_Nymphicus Novæ-Hollandiæ_),
holding a due north and south course. The flight of both is very rapid,
and although an interval of half an hour may elapse, they all wend their
way in the same direction. Whence come they?”
On arriving at Brezi, to the north of Liverpool Plains, in the beginning
of December, I found myself surrounded by numbers, breeding in all the
hollow spouts of the large _Eucalypti_ bordering the Mokai; and on
crossing the plains between that river and the Peel, in the direction of
the Turi Mountain, I saw them in flocks of many hundreds feeding upon
the grass-seeds that were there abundant. So numerous were they, that I
determined to encamp on the spot, in order to observe their habits and
procure specimens. The nature of their food and the excessive heat of
these plains compel them frequently to seek the water; hence my camp,
which was pitched near some small pools, was constantly surrounded by
large numbers, arriving in flocks varying from twenty to a hundred or
more. The hours at which they were most numerous were early in the
morning, and some time before dusk in the evening. Before going down to
drink, they alight on the neighbouring trees, settling together in
clusters, sometimes on the dead branches, and at others on the drooping
boughs of the _Eucalypti_. Their flight is remarkably straight and
rapid, and is generally accompanied by a screeching noise. During the
heat of the day, when sitting motionless among the leaves of the
gum-trees, they so closely assimilate in colour, particularly on the
breast, that they are with difficulty detected.
It is known that migratory birds after a time forsake the districts they
have been accustomed to frequent, and resort to others where they had
scarcely ever before been seen: in confirmation of this view, I may
state that the natives had never before observed this species in the
districts where I found it so abundant; while on the lower Namoi, where
formerly they had been very numerous, there was this year scarcely one
to be found.
The breeding-season is at its height in December, and by the end of the
month the young are generally capable of providing for themselves; they
then assemble in vast flights, preparatory to their great migratory
movement. The eggs are three or four in number, pure white, nine lines
long by seven lines in diameter, and are deposited in the holes and
spouts of the gum-trees without any nest.
The beauty and interesting nature of this little bird naturally made me
anxious to bring home living examples; I accordingly captured about
twenty fully fledged birds, and kept them alive for some time; but the
difficulties necessarily attendant upon travelling in a new country
rendering it impracticable to afford them the attention they required, I
regret to say the whole were lost. My brother-in-law, Mr. Charles Coxen,
who resides on the Peel, having succeeded in rearing several, kindly
presented me with four, two of which, as before mentioned, have reached
England in perfect health. As cage-birds they are as interesting as can
possibly be imagined; for, independently of their highly ornamental
appearance, they differ from all the other members of their family that
I am acquainted with, in having a most animated and pleasing song;
besides which, they are constantly billing, cooing, and feeding each
other, and assuming every possible variety of graceful position. Their
inward warbling song, which cannot be described, is unceasingly poured
forth from morn to night, and is even continued throughout the night if
they are placed in a room with lights, and where an animated
conversation is carried on.
In a state of nature they feed exclusively upon grass-seeds, with which
their crops are always found crammed: in confinement they thrive equally
well upon canary-seed.
The sexes are precisely alike in the colouring and marking of their
plumage, and gain their full livery in about eight months, or at the
second moult from the time of leaving the breeding-place.
The young are distinguished from the adults by the crown of the head,
which is yellow in the adult, being crossed by numerous fine bars of
brown, by the absence of the deep blue spots on the throat, and by the
irides being brownish grey.
The adults have the forehead and crown straw yellow; the remainder of
the head, ear-coverts, nape, upper part of the back, scapularies and
wing-coverts pale greenish yellow, each feather having a crescent-shaped
mark of blackish brown near the extremity, these marks being numerous
and minute on the head and neck; wings brown; the outer webs of the
feathers deep green, margined with greenish yellow; face and throat
yellow, ornamented on each cheek with a patch of rich blue, below which
are three circular drops or spots of bluish black; rump, upper
tail-coverts, and all the under surface bright green; two centre
tail-feathers blue; the remaining tail-feathers green, crossed in the
middle by an oblique band of yellow; irides straw white; nostrils bright
blue in some, greenish blue and brown in others; legs pale bluish lead
colour.
The figures represent an old and a young bird of the natural size.
[Illustration:
NYMPHICUS NOVÆ-HOLLANDIÆ; (_Wagl:_)
_Drawn on Stone by J. & E. Gould from a Drawing by Edw.^d Lear._
_Printed by C. Hullmandel._
]
NYMPHICUS NOVÆ-HOLLANDIÆ, _Wagl._
Cockatoo Parrakeet.
_Psittacus Novæ-Hollandiæ_, Lath., Ind. Orn., vol. i. p. 102.—Gmel.
Linn., vol. i. p. 323.
_Crested Parrakeet_, Lath. Gen. Syn., vol. i. p. 250.—Ib. Gen. Hist.,
vol. ii. p. 174, No. 88.—Shaw, Zool., vol. viii. p. 452.
_Palæornis Novæ-Hollandiæ_, Lear, Ill. Psitt. Pl. 27.
_Nymphicus Novæ-Hollandiæ_, Wagl., Mon. Psitt. in Abhand, &c., pp. 490
and 522.—Selb., Nat. Lib., vol. vi. Parrots, p. 186, Pl. 30.—G. R.
Gray, List of Gen. of Birds, 2nd Edit., p. 66.
_Leptolophus auricomis_, Swains. Zool. Ill. 2nd Ser. Pl. 112.—Ib.
Class. of Birds, vol. ii. p. 305.
_Calopsitta Guy_, Less., Ill. Zool. vol. iii. 2nd sp., Pl 112.,
female.
The interior portion of the vast continent of Australia may be said to
possess a Fauna almost peculiar to itself, but of which our present
knowledge is extremely limited. New forms therefore of great interest
may be expected when the difficulties which the explorer has to
encounter in his journey towards the centre shall be overcome. The
beautiful and elegant bird forming the subject of the present Plate is
one of its denizens; I have it is true seen it cross the great mountain
ranges and breed on the flats between them and the sea; still this is an
unusual occurrence, and the few there found compared to the thousands
observed on the plains stretching from the interior side of the
mountains, proves that they have as it were overstepped their natural
boundary. Its range is extended over the whole of the southern portion
of Australia, and being strictly a migratory bird, it makes a
simultaneous movement southward to within one hundred miles of the coast
in September, arriving in the York district near Swan River in Western
Australia precisely at the same time that it appears on the Liverpool
Plains in the eastern portion of the country. After breeding and rearing
a numerous progeny, the whole again retire northwards in February and
March, but to what degree of latitude towards the tropics they wend
their way I have not been able satisfactorily to ascertain. I have never
received it from Port Essington, or any other part in the same latitude,
which, however, is no proof that it does not visit that part of the
continent, since it is merely the country near the coast that has yet
been traversed; in all probability it will be found at a little distance
in the interior, wherever there are situations suitable to its habits,
but doubtless at opposite periods to those in which it occurs in New
South Wales. It would appear to be more numerous in the eastern division
of Australia than in the western. During the summer of 1839 it was
breeding in all the apple-tree (_Angophora_) flats on the Upper Hunter,
as well as on all similar districts on the Peel, and other rivers which
flow northwards. After the breeding-season is over it congregates in
immense flocks before taking its departure. I have seen the ground quite
covered by them while engaged in procuring food, and it was not an
unusual circumstance to see hundreds together on the dead branches of
the gum-trees in the neighbourhood of water, a plentiful supply of which
would appear to be essential to its existence; hence we may reasonably
suppose that the interior of the country is not so sterile and
inhospitable as is ordinarily imagined, and that it yet may be made
available for the uses of man. The Harlequin Bronzewing and the Warbling
Grass Parrakeet are also denizens of that part of the country, and
equally unable to exist without water.
The flight of the Cockatoo Parrakeet is even and easy, and is capable of
being long protracted. When roused from the ground it flies up into the
nearest tree, almost invariably selecting a dead branch, upon which it
frequently perches lengthwise. It is by no means a shy bird, so that any
number may be shot: from the circumstance of its being excellent eating
many are annually killed for the purposes of the table. Its form
admirably adapts it for terrestrial progression, hence it is enabled
readily to procure the seeds of the various grasses, upon which it
almost solely subsists.
As a cage-bird this species is particularly interesting, becoming
readily domesticated, playful and amusing. The accompanying Plate is
from a beautiful drawing made by Mr. Lear, from two living birds in the
possession of the Countess of Mountcharles.
Considerable difference exists in the plumage of the sexes, the
tail-feathers of the male being entirely destitute of the transverse
bars which adorn those of the other sex.
It breeds in the holes of gum and other trees growing on the flats and
in the neighbourhood of water. The eggs are white, five or six in
number, one inch long by three quarters of an inch broad.
The male has the forehead, crest and cheeks lemon yellow; ear-coverts
rich reddish orange; back of the neck, two centre tail-feathers, and the
external margins of the primaries brownish grey; back, shoulders, all
the under surface and outer tail-feathers greyish chocolate brown, the
shoulders and flanks being the darkest; a white mark extends from the
shoulders lengthwise down the centre of the wing; irides dark brown;
bill bluish lead-colour, lighter on the under side of the lower
mandible; legs and feet bluish grey.
The female differs from the male in the colour of the face and crest
being of a dull olive yellow, the latter becoming still darker at its
extremity; in having the throat greyish brown, and the back lighter than
in the male; the lower part of the abdomen, upper tail-coverts, yellow;
four middle tail-feathers grey, the remainder yellow, the whole
transversely and irregularly barred with lines of brown, with the
exception of the outer web of the outer feather on each side, which is
pure yellow.
The Plate represents a male and a female of the natural size.
[Illustration:
PEZOPORUS FORMOSUS: _Ill:_
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
PEZOPORUS FORMOSUS, _Ill._
Ground Parrakeet.
_Psittacus formosus_, Lath. Ind. Orn., vol. i. p. 103.—Kuhl, Consp.
Psitt. in Nova Acta, vol. x. p. 45.
—— _terrestris_, Shaw, Mus. Lev., p. 217. pl. 53.—Ib. Zool. of New
Holl., pl. 3.—Ib. Nat. Misc., pl. 228.
_Perruche ingambé_, Le Vaill. Hist. Nat. des Perr., tom. i. p. 66. pl.
32.
_Black-spotted Parrakeet of Van Diemen’s Land_, D’Entrecast. Voy.,
vol. ii. p. 47. pl. x.
_Ground Parrot_, Lath. Gen. Syn., Supp., vol. ii. p. 26.—Shaw’s Gen.
Zool., vol. viii. p. 454. pl. 66.—Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. ii. p. 137.
_Pezoporus formosus_, Ill. Prod., p. 201.—Vig. and Horsf. in Linn.
Trans., vol. xv. p. 285.—Wagl. Mon. Psitt. in Abhand., pp. 490 and
520.—Swains. Class. of Birds, vol. ii. p. 305.—G. R. Gray, Gen. of
Birds, 2nd Edit., p. 66.
—— _rufifrons_, Bourj. de St. Hil. Supp. to Le Vaill. Hist. Nat. des
Perr., pl. 9.
_Bȍo-run-dȕr-dee_, Aborigines northward of Perth in Western Australia.
_Djȁr-doon-gȕr-ree_, Aborigines around Perth.
_Djul-bat-̏la_, Aborigines southward of Perth.
_Ky-lȍr-ing_, Aborigines of King George’s Sound.
_Goolingnang_, Aborigines near Sydney, New South Wales.
_Swamp Parrakeet_, Colonists of Van Diemen’s Land.
_Ground Parrakeet_, Colonists of New South Wales and Western
Australia.
The Ground Parrakeet is diffused over the whole of the southern portions
of Australia, including Van Diemen’s Land, wherever localities exist
suitable to its habits, and so far as I could learn, it is everywhere a
stationary species. It has never been observed in the northern latitudes
of the continent, but our knowledge of the productions of those parts of
Australia is so very imperfect, that I cannot positively affirm that it
does not exist there. Unlike some of the African members of its family,
which are inelegant in form and slow and ungraceful in their actions,
the _Pezoporus formosus_ is as active and graceful as can well be
imagined; and although in its colouring it cannot vie with some of its
more gaudily attired brethren, it possesses a style of plumage and
diversity of markings far from unpleasing. Having very frequently
encountered it in a state of nature, I am enabled to state that in its
actions it differs from every other known species of its race, as it
also does in its habits and economy, which I shall now attempt to
describe. Whether the power of perching is entirely denied to it or not
I am uncertain, but I never saw it fly into a tree, nor could I ever
force it to take shelter on the branches. It usually frequents either
sandy sterile districts covered with tufts of rank grass and herbage, or
low swampy flats abounding with rushes and the other kinds of vegetation
peculiar to such situations. It is generally observed either singly or
in pairs, but from its very recluse habits and great powers of running
it is seldom or ever seen until it is flushed, and then only for a short
time, as it soon pitches again and runs off to a place of seclusion,
often under the covert of the Grass-tree (_Xanthorrhœa_), which abounds
in the districts it frequents. A striking analogy in the foregoing
habits to those of the Gallinaceæ and some of the Grallatores,—Snipes,
&c., is very apparent; and a still further analogy to those tribes of
birds is exhibited in the manner of its crouching on the approach of
danger and in the strong scent it emits, which has many times caused my
dogs to road it, and point as dead as they would have done had game been
before them; consequently, when shooting over swampy land in Australia,
the sportsman is never certain whether a parrakeet or a snipe will rise
to the point of his dog. It flies near the ground with great rapidity,
frequently making several zigzag turns in the short distance of a
hundred yards, beyond which it seldom passes without again pitching to
the ground. Its flesh is excellent, being much more delicate in flavour
than that of the snipe, and equalling, if not surpassing, that of the
quail. Its white eggs, the number of which I could not ascertain, are
deposited on the bare ground. I possess examples of the young of all
ages, from the egg to maturity, some killed in Van Diemen’s Land, and
others from various parts of Australia; I also procured both adults and
young on Flinders’ Island, where I found them breeding on the grassy
plains which cover the greater portion of that island. The young assume
the colouring of the adult at a very early age, but the sexes offer no
external difference by which they can be distinguished.
Plumage of the whole of the upper surface dark grass-green, each feather
crossed by irregular bands of black and yellow; feathers of the crown
and nape with a broad streak of black down the centre; forehead scarlet;
neck and breast pale yellowish green, passing into bright greenish
yellow on the abdomen and under tail-coverts, crossed by numerous
irregular waved blackish bands; primaries and spurious wings green on
their outer webs and dark brown on the inner, each of the latter with a
triangular spot of pale yellow near the base; four centre tail-feathers
green, crossed by numerous narrow bars of yellow; lateral tail-feathers
yellow, crossed by numerous bars of deep green; irides black with a fine
ring of light grey; feet and legs bluish flesh-colour.
The figures are of the natural size.
[Illustration:
LATHAMUS DISCOLOR.
_J. & E. Gould del^t._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
LATHAMUS DISCOLOR
Swift Lorikeet.
_Red-shouldered Paroquet_, _Psittacus discolor_, Shaw, in White’s
Voy., pl. in p. 263.
_Red-shouldered Parrakeet_, Phill. Bot. Bay, pl. in p. 269.—Lath. Gen.
Syn. Supp., ii. p. 90.
_Psittacus discolor_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xxi.—Swains. Zool.
Ill., 1st Ser., pl. 62.—Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. ii. p. 176.—Shaw’s
Zool., vol. viii. p. 466.
_Psittacus humeralis_, Kuhl, Consp. Psitt. in Nova Acta, vol. x. p.
47.
_Psittacus Australis_, Ibid. p. 48.—Vieill. Nouv. Dict. d’Hist. Nat.,
tom. xxv. p. 342.—Ibid. Ency. Méth., 3ième Part. p. 1384.
_Perruche Banks_, Le Vaill. Hist. des Perr., p. 104, pl. 50.
_Nanodes discolor_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p.
276.—Swains. Class. of Birds, vol. ii. p. 305.—Steph. Cont. of
Shaw’s Zool., vol. xiv. p. 118.
_Euphema discolor_, Wagl. Mon. Psitt. in Abhand., vol. i. pp. 492 and
545.—G. R. Gray, List of Gen. of Birds, p. 52.
_Psittacus Banksianus_, Vieill. Nouv. Dict. d’Hist. Nat., tom. xxv. p.
342.—Ibid. Ency. Méth., 3ième Part. p. 1383.
_Lathamus rubrifrons_, Less. Traité d’Orn., p. 205.
_La Perruche Latham_, Le Vaill. Hist. des Perr., p. 123, pl. 62,
young.
_Psittacus discolor_, Kuhl, Consp. Psitt. in Nova Acta, vol. x. p. 48,
young.
_Swift Parrakeet_, Colonists of Van Diemen’s Land.
No one of the Australian birds will be more deeply imprinted upon my
memory than the Swift Lorikeet, associated as it is with many of the
most pleasing recollections connected with my visit to that part of the
world. The accompanying drawing was one of many made by Mrs. Gould in
Van Diemen’s Land, during a long residence in the house of the Governor,
Sir John Franklin, who, together with his amiable lady, took the
greatest interest in our pursuits, and rendered us every possible
assistance their kind hearts and excellent dispositions could suggest.
Much confusion has hitherto existed both as regards the generic
appellation and the division of the _Psittacidæ_, to which this elegant
Lorikeet should be referred; but as I have endeavoured to clear up these
points in my observations upon the genus, it is needless to repeat them
here. It is a migratory species, passing the summer and breeding-season
only in the more southern parts of the Australian continent and Van
Diemen’s Land, and retiring northward for the remainder of the year.
During September and the four following months, it is not only abundant
in all the gum-forests of Van Diemen’s Land, but is very common in the
shrubberies and gardens at Hobart Town, small flights being constantly
seen passing up and down the streets, and flying in various directions
over the houses. They approach close to the windows, and are even
frequently to be seen on the gum-trees bordering the streets, and within
a few feet of the heads of the passing inhabitants, being so intent upon
gathering the honey from the fresh-blown flowers which daily expand, as
almost entirely to disregard the presence of the spectator. The tree to
which they are so eagerly attracted, and a branch of which is figured in
the accompanying Plate, is the _Eucalyptus gibbosus_, young or
cultivated specimens of which appear to have finer blossoms than those
in their native forests. It is certainly the finest of the genus I have
ever seen, and when its pendent branches are covered with thick clusters
of pale yellow blossoms, presents a most beautiful appearance; these
blossoms are so charged with saccharine matter, that the birds soon fill
themselves with honey, even to their very throats: several of those I
shot, upon being held up by the feet, discharged from their mouths a
stream of this liquid to the amount of a dessert-spoonful or more, as
clear as water. Small flocks of from four to twenty in number are also
frequently to be seen passing over the town, chasing each other with the
quickness of thought, and uttering at the same time a shrill screaming
noise, like the Swift of Europe, whence in all probability has arisen
its colonial name. Sometimes these flights appear to be taken for the
sake of exercise, or in the mere playfulness of disposition, while at
others the birds are passing from one garden to another, or proceeding
from the town to the forests at the foot of Mount Wellington, or _vice
versâ_. Their plumage so closely assimilates in colour to the leaves of
the trees they frequent, and they moreover creep so quietly yet actively
from branch to branch, clinging in every possible position, that were it
not for their movements and the trembling of the leaves, it would be
difficult to perceive them without a minute examination of the tree upon
which they have alighted. I found them breeding about midway between
Hobart Town and Brown’s River, but was not fortunate enough to obtain
their eggs, in consequence of the situations selected for their
reception being holes in the loftiest and most inaccessible trees; they
are said to be two in number, and the circumstance of my having found a
fully-developed hardshelled egg in the ovarium of a female I dissected
on the sixth of October, enables me to state that, like those of the
other members of the family, they are perfectly white.
The only part of New South Wales in which I have observed them was on
the fine estate of Yarrundi, in the district of the Upper Hunter,
belonging to S. Coxen, Esq., who informed me that they periodically pass
through his estate during the months of February and March.
In its actions and manners it is closely allied to the true
_Trichoglossi_ but differs from them in some few particulars, which are
more perceptible in captivity than in a state of nature; it has neither
the musky smell nor the jumping motions of _Trichoglossus concinnus_,
and is much more cleanly in its habits than that species.
Though in its style of colouring and in its more lengthened and slender
tail it is beautifully intermediate between the Grass Parrakeets and the
_Trichoglossi_, still I have never observed it to alight upon the
ground, or elsewhere than among the branches, and it undoubtedly must be
placed with the latter group.
The sexes are very similar in colour, but the female may always be
distinguished from her mate by being much smaller in size and less
brilliant in all her markings. The young at an early age assume the
plumage of the adult, after which they undergo no change.
Face scarlet, with a spot of yellow at the gape; crown of the head deep
blue; all the upper and under surface green, the latter being somewhat
the lightest; shoulders, under wing- and under tail-coverts scarlet;
secondaries and wing-coverts bluish green; primaries deep blackish blue,
finely margined with yellow; tail deep blue, tinged with red, passing
into black at the extremity; irides rich hazel-yellow; feet flesh-brown;
bill horn-colour.
The figures are of the natural size.
[Illustration:
TRICHOGLOSSUS SWAINSONII: _Jard: and Selb:_
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del^t._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
TRICHOGLOSSUS SWAINSONII, _Jard. and Selb._
Swainson’s Lorikeet.
_Perruche de Moluques_, Buff. Pl. Enl. 743.
_Blue-bellied Parrakeet_, Brown, Ill. of Zool., pl. 7.
_Blue-bellied Parrot_, White’s Voy., pl. in p. 140.—Phill. Bot. Bay.,
pl. in p. 152.—Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. viii. p. 413. pl. 59.
_Le Perruche à tête bleue_, male, Le Vaill. Hist. des Perr., tom. i.
pl. 24.
_Trichoglossus hæmatodus_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv.
p. 289.
—— _multicolor_, Wagl. Mon. Psitt. in Abhand., tom. i. p. 553.
—— _Swainsonii_, Jard. and Selb. Ill. Orn., vol. iii. pl. 112.—Selb.
Nat. Lib. Orn., vol. vi. Parrots, p. 153. pl. 20.—Swain. Zool. Ill.
2nd Ser., vol. ii. pl. 92.—Ib. Class. of Birds, vol. ii. p. 304.
_Warrin_, Aborigines of New South Wales.
This beautiful Lorikeet, so familiar to every ornithologist, has been
for many years confounded with two other nearly allied species, and
hence has arisen an almost inexplicable mass of confusion respecting
them; their true synonymies have, however, been most ably worked out by
Mr. Swainson in a paper sent by him to Sir William Jardine and Mr. Selby
for insertion in their “Illustrations of Ornithology,” wherein those
gentlemen, fully satisfied of the justness of Mr. Swainson’s
observations, took an opportunity of naming this species _Swainsonii_, a
tribute to the talents of that naturalist in which I most cordially
participate.
The present bird, so far as is yet known, is almost exclusively an
inhabitant of the south-eastern portion of the Australian continent
lying between South Australia and Moreton Bay, at least I have never
heard of its existence in any part westward of the former or northward
of the latter. It also occurs in Van Diemen’s Land, but its visits to
that island do not appear to be either regular or frequent.
The flowers of the various species of _Eucalypti_ furnish this bird with
an abundant supply of food, and so exclusively is it confined to the
forests composed of those trees, that I do not recollect to have met
with it in any other. It also evinces a preference for those that are
covered with newly expanded blossoms, which afford them the greatest
supply of nectarine juice and pollen, upon which they principally
subsist. However graphically it might be described, I scarcely believe
it possible to convey an idea of the appearance of a forest of flowering
gums tenanted by several species of _Trichoglossi_, _Meliphagi_, &c.;
three or four species being frequently seen on the same tree, and often
simultaneously attacking the pendent blossoms of the same branch. The
incessant din produced by their thousand voices, and the screaming notes
they emit, when a flock of either species simultaneously leave the trees
for some other part of the forest, baffles all description, and must be
seen and heard to be fully comprehended. So intent are the
_Trichoglossi_ for some time after sunrise upon extracting their
honey-food, that they are not easily alarmed or made to quit the trees
upon which they are feeding. The report of a gun discharged immediately
beneath them has no other effect than to elicit an extra scream, or
cause them to move to a neighbouring branch, where they again recommence
feeding with all the avidity possible, creeping among the leaves and
clinging beneath the branches in every variety of position. During one
of my morning rambles in the brushes of the Hunter I came suddenly upon
an immense _Eucalyptus_, which was at least two hundred feet high. The
blossoms of this noble tree had attracted hundreds of birds, both
Parrots and Honey-suckers; and from a single branch I killed the four
species of _Trichoglossi_ inhabiting the district, viz. _T. Swainsonii_,
_chlorolepidotus_, _concinnus_ and _pusillus_. I mention this fact in
proof of the perfect harmony existing between these species while
feeding; a night’s rest, however, and the taming effect of hunger,
doubtless contributed much to this harmonious feeling, as I observed
that at other periods of the day they were not so friendly.
Although the _T. Swainsonii_ is so numerous in New South Wales, I did
not succeed in procuring its eggs; the natives informed me that they are
two in number, and that they are deposited in the holes of the largest
_Eucalypti_, the period of incubation being from September to January.
Head, sides of the face and throat blue, with a lighter stripe down the
centre of each feather; across the occiput a narrow band of greenish
yellow; all the upper surface green, blotched at the base of the neck
with scarlet and yellow; wings dark green on their outer webs; their
inner webs black, crossed by a broad oblique band of bright yellow; tail
green above, passing into blue on the tips of the two central feathers;
under surface of the tail greenish yellow; chest crossed by a broad
band, the centre of which is rich scarlet, with a few of the feathers
fringed with deep blue, and the sides being rich orange-yellow margined
with scarlet; under surface of the shoulder and sides of the chest deep
blood-red; abdomen rich deep blue, blotched on each side with scarlet
and yellow; under tail-coverts rich yellow, with an oblong patch of
green at the extremity of each feather; bill blood-red, with the extreme
tip yellow; nostrils and bare space round the eye brownish black; irides
reddish orange, with a narrow ring of dark brown next the pupil; feet
olive.
The sexes resemble each other so closely both in size and colouring that
they cannot be distinguished with certainty.
The figures are those of a male and a female of the natural size.
[Illustration:
TRICHOGLOSSUS RUBRITORQUIS, _Vig. and Horsf._
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del^t._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
TRICHOGLOSSUS RUBRITORQUIS, _Vig. and Horsf._
Red-collared Lorikeet.
_Trichoglossus rubritorquis_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol.
xv. p. 291.—Lear’s Ill. Psitt., pl. 34.—Wagl. Mon. Psitt. in
Abhand., tom. i. p. 552.
This lovely _Trichoglossus_ inhabits the northern coasts of Australia,
and is as beautiful a representative of its near ally, the _T.
Swainsonii_ of the south coast, as can well be imagined. In their habits
and economy also the two birds so closely approximate that a description
of one will serve for both. Independently of the richer blue of the
head, the red nuchal collar and dull blackish olive mark on the abdomen
are marks by which it may readily be distinguished. The Red-collared
Lorikeet is by far the most beautiful bird of the two, and indeed in the
splendour of its colouring is second to no member of its group.
The specimens from which my figures were taken were procured at Port
Essington. Mr. Gilbert remarks, that “this species is abundant in all
parts of the Cobourg Peninsula and the adjacent islands; and is an
especial favourite with the natives, who carefully preserve the heads of
all they kill for the purpose of ornamenting their persons, by slinging
them to the arm a little above the elbow. It is generally seen in large
flocks, feeding on the summits of the loftiest trees. Its flight is
rapid in the extreme. Like the other _Trichoglossi_, its food consists
of honey and the buds of flowers.”
Of its nidification nothing is yet known.
The sexes present little difference in appearance, and may be thus
described:—
Head and cheeks resplendent blue; throat and abdomen deep olive-green;
chest crossed by a broad band of orange-red; a narrow band of the same
colour across the occiput, below which band is a broader one of deep
blue, the basal portion of the feathers being red; back, wings, tail and
under tail-coverts grass-green; basal half of the inner webs of the
primaries yellow; irides red, with a narrow ring of yellowish round the
pupil; bill vermilion; tarsi silken green in front; inside of the feet
and back of the tarsi ash-grey.
The Plate represents a male and a female of the natural size.
[Illustration:
TRICHOGLOSSUS CHLOROLEPIDOTUS: _Jard. & Selb._
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
TRICHOGLOSSUS CHLOROLEPIDOTUS, _Jard. and Selb._
Scaly-breasted Lorikeet.
_Psittacus chlorolepidotus_, Kuhl, Consp. Psitt. in Nov. Act., vol. x.
p. 48.
_Trichoglossus Matoni, Vig. and Horsf_. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p.
292.
_Trichoglossus chlorolepidotus_, Jard. and Selb. Ill. Orn., vol. iii.
pl. 110.—Wagl. Mon. Psitt. in Abhand., p. 550.
The present Lorikeet is one of the four species of this genus inhabiting
New South Wales, which portion of Australia may be regarded as its
stronghold, for I have never even seen a skin from any of the other
colonies; hence, like many other species, it is very local, confined as
it were to certain limits, and those of small extent. To give any
detailed account of its habits and mode of life would be merely
repeating what I have said respecting the _Trichoglossus Swainsonii_,
with which it frequently associates and even feeds on the same branch;
it is, however, not so numerous as that species, nor so generally
distributed over the face of the country. The brushes near the coast,
studded here and there with enormous gums, towering high above every
other tree by which they are surrounded, are the localities especially
resorted to by it: in the interior of the country, on the contrary,
where the _Trichoglossus Swainsonii_ is equally as numerous as in the
neighbourhood of the coast, I never observed it.
Its sole food is honey, gathered from the cups of the newly expanded
blossoms of the _Eucalypti_, upon which it feeds to such an excess, that
on suspending a fresh-shot specimen by the toes a large teaspoonful, at
least, of liquid honey will flow from the mouth; hence, when we know
this to be the natural food of the principal members of the group, how
can it be expected that they can exist in captivity upon the hard seeds
or farinaceous food so generally given as a substitute? A proper
attention to the diet of these birds, by supplying them with food of a
saccharine character, would doubtless be attended with the best results,
and enable us to keep them as denizens of our cages and aviaries, as
well as the other members of the family; and when it is considered that
they are among the most elegant and beautiful of their tribe, I trust
those who may have an opportunity will be induced to make a trial.
The Scaly-breasted Lorikeet breeds in all the large _Eucalypti_ near
Maitland on the Hunter, but I regret to say I did not procure its eggs,
or any information respecting its nidification.
The sexes are so closely alike as not to be outwardly distinguished.
All the upper surface, wings and tail rich grass-green; a few feathers
at the back of the neck and all the feathers of the under surface bright
yellow, margined at the tip with a crescent of grass-green, giving the
whole a fasciated appearance; under surface of the shoulder and base of
the primaries and secondaries rich scarlet; bill beautiful blood-red,
inclining to orange at the tip; cere and orbits olive; irides in some
specimens scarlet with a circle of buff round the pupil, in others buffy
yellow.
The figures are of the natural size.
[Illustration:
TRICHOGLOSSUS VERSICOLOR: _Vig._
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del^t._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
TRICHOGLOSSUS VERSICOLOR, _Vig._
Varied Lorikeet.
_Trichoglossus versicolor_, Vig. in Lear’s Ill. Psitt., pl. 36.—Selb.
in Nat. Lib. Orn., vol. vi. Parrots, p. 157, pl. 21.
_W̏e-ro-ole_, Aborigines of Port Essington.
There is no other species of the genus _Trichoglossus_ yet discovered
with which the present could be confounded; it is at once rendered
conspicuously distinct from all its allies by the narrow stripe of
yellow down the centre of the feathers of the upper and under surface;
it will not therefore be necessary to enter into a minute description of
its size and colour, particularly as the figures in the accompanying
Plate are of the size of life, and as near the appearance of nature as
it is possible to pourtray them.
The northern coast is the only part of Australia in which this elegant
little Lorikeet has yet been discovered: it is particularly abundant at
Port Essington, where its suctorial mode of feeding leads it, like the
other members of the genus, to frequent the flowery _Eucalypti_. Mr.
Gilbert says, “This bird congregates at times in immense flocks; when a
flock is on the wing their movements are so regular and simultaneous
that they might easily be mistaken for a cloud passing rapidly along,
were it not for the utterance of their usual piercing scream, which is
frequently so loud as to be almost deafening. They feed on the topmost
branches of the _Eucalypti_ and _Melaleucæ_. I observed them to be
extremely abundant during the month of August on all the small islands
in Van Diemen’s Gulf.
“The stomach is membranous and extremely diminutive in size. The food
consists of honey and minute portions of the blossoms of their favourite
trees.”
Could this species be transmitted to Europe, and a kind of food suitable
to it be discovered, it would form one of the most delightful cage-pets
that has ever been introduced.
The male has the lores and crown of the head rich deep red; round the
neck a collar of deep cærulean blue; back brownish green; wings green;
rump and upper tail-coverts light yellowish green; across the chest a
broad band of purplish red; under surface of the shoulder, abdomen,
flanks and under tail-coverts light yellowish green; all the feathers of
the upper surface with a narrow stripe of yellowish green; the stripes
being more yellow at the occiput, almost form a band; ear-coverts
yellow; all the feathers of the under surface with a narrow line of
bright yellow down the centre; on each side of the abdomen and down the
inside of the thighs stained with patches of purplish red; primaries
black, margined externally with deep green, with a fine line of
yellowish green on the extreme edge of the feathers; tail deep green,
all but the two middle feathers greenish yellow on their internal webs;
irides bright reddish yellow, with a very narrow ring of dark red next
the pupil; bill scarlet; cere and naked space round the eyes greenish
white; tarsi and feet light ash-grey.
The female resembles her mate, but is much less brilliant in all her
markings.
The figures are those of a male and a female of the natural size.
[Illustration:
TRICHOGLOSSUS CONCINNUS: _Vig. & Horsf._
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
TRICHOGLOSSUS CONCINNUS, _Vig. and Horsf._
Musky Parrakeet.
_Psittacus Australis_, Lath. Ind. Orn., vol. i. p. 104.
_Psittacus concinnus_, Shaw, Nat. Misc., pl. 87.—Kuhl, Nova Acta, tom.
x. p. 46.
_Perruche à bandeau rouge_, Le Vaill. Perr., tom. i. p. 99. pl. 48.
_Pacific Paroquet_, Phill. Bot. Bay, pl. in p. 155.
_Pacific Parrot_, Lath. Gen. Syn., vol. ii. p. 87.
_Pacific Parrakeet_, _Psittacus pacificus_, Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol.
viii. p. 419.
_Crimson-fronted Parrakeet_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. ii. p. 181.
_Psittacus rubrifrons_, Bechst. Uebers der Vog., Lath. s. 84. no. 99.
_Trichoglossus concinnus_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv.
p. 292.—Jard. and Selb. Ill. Orn., vol. i. pl. 34.
_Lathamus concinnus_, Less. Traité d’Orn., p. 206.
_Trichoglossus Australis_, Wagl. Mon. Psitt. in Abhand., tom. i. pp.
493 and 549.
_Psittacus velatus_, Vieill. Nouv. Dict. d’Hist. Nat., tom. xxv. p.
373.—Ib. Ency. Méth. Orn., Part III. p. 1405.
_Coolich_, Aborigines of New South Wales.
_Musk Parrakeet_, Colonists.
This species of _Trichoglossus_ inhabits Van Diemen’s Land, New South
Wales and South Australia, and is very generally distributed over all
parts of those countries. I have never heard of its inhabiting either
the western or northern portions of Australia, whence I infer that its
habitat is restricted to the south and south-eastern divisions of the
continent. Like every other species of the genus, the present bird is
always to be found upon the _Eucalypti_, whose blossoms afford it a
never-failing supply of honey, one or other of the numerous species of
that tribe of trees being in flower at all seasons of the year. It is
stationary in New South Wales, but I am not certain that it is so in the
more southern country of Van Diemen’s Land, where it is known by the
name of the Musk Parrakeet, from the peculiar odour of the bird.
It is a noisy species, and with its screeching note keeps up a perpetual
din around the trees in which it is located. During its search for honey
it creeps among the leaves and smaller branches in the most
extraordinary manner, hanging and clinging about them in every possible
variety of position. It generally associates in flocks, and is so
excessively tame that it is very difficult to drive it from the trees,
or even from any particular branch. Although usually associated in
flocks it appears to be mated in pairs, which at all times keep together
during flight, and settle side by side when the heat of the sun prompts
them to shelter themselves under the shade of the more redundantly
leaved branches.
The eggs, which are dirty white and two in number, are of a rounded
form, one inch in length and seven-eighths of an inch in breadth. Those
I obtained were taken from a hole in a large _Eucalyptus_ growing on the
Liverpool range.
The sexes present no difference in colour, and the young assume the
plumage of the adult at a very early age.
Forehead and ear-coverts deep crimson-red; at the upper part of the back
a broad patch of light chestnut-brown; the remainder of the plumage
grass-green; on the flanks a spot of orange; primaries and secondaries
black, broadly margined on the external webs with grass-green; base of
all but the inner webs of the lateral tail-feathers deep red at the
base, passing into yellow and tipped with grass-green; bill blackish
brown, passing into reddish orange at the tip; cere and orbits
olive-brown; irides buff, surrounded by a narrow circle of yellow.
I was not aware, until after the impressions of the present plate had
been printed, that Dr. Latham had applied the specific term of
_Australis_ to this bird long before that of _concinnus_ was conferred
upon it by Shaw; a fact, however, with which the accurate Wagler was
acquainted, and which he has recorded in his valuable Monograph of the
_Psittacidæ_ above quoted; the correct appellation of the species is
therefore _Trichoglossus Australis_, Wagler.
The figures are of the natural size.
[Illustration:
TRICHOGLOSSUS PORPHYROCEPHALUS: _Diet:_
_J. & E. Gould del._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
TRICHOGLOSSUS PORPHYROCEPHALUS, _Diet._
Porphyry-crowned Lorikeet.
_Psittacus purpurea_, Diet., Phil. Mag. 1832, vol. xi. p. 387.
_Psittacus purpureus_, Wagl. Mon. Psitt. in Abhand., vol. x. p. 747.
_Trichoglossus porphyrocephalus_, Diet., Trans. Linn. Soc., vol. xvii.
p. 553.
_Psittacula Florentis_, Bourj. de St. Hil., Supp. Le Vaill. Hist. des
Perr., pl. 84.
_Kȍw-ar_, Aborigines of Western Australia.
This handsome little Lorikeet was first brought before the notice of the
scientific world by Mr. Dietrichsen at the Meeting of the Linnean
Society, held on the 20th of March, 1832; some confusion, however,
exists as to the name then proposed for it. In a report of the Meeting
published in the “Philosophical Magazine” for the same year it is called
_Psittacus purpurea_; but in the seventeenth volume of the “Linnean
Transactions” it is correctly placed in the genus _Trichoglossus_, with
the far more appropriate specific appellation of _porphyrocephalus_,
which I therefore retain.
Although the Porphyry-crowned Lorikeet has been thus long described, it
is still very rarely to be seen in collections, a fact which may be
accounted for by the circumstance of its being an inhabitant of those
parts of Australia with which we have hitherto had little intercourse.
It is not found in New South Wales, and I do not recollect ever having
seen it in collections from any of the eastern parts. It is abundant in
South Australia, is equally numerous in the white-gum forests of Swan
River, and in all probability is dispersed over the whole of the
intermediate country. It is the only species of the genus I have seen
from Western Australia, a circumstance which cannot be accounted for,
since the face of the country is covered with trees of a similar
character.
Most of the specimens I collected were shot during the months of June
and July in the neighbourhood of Adelaide, and some of them in the town
itself. It appears to arrive in this district at the flowering season of
the _Eucalypti_, in company with _Trichoglossus Swainsonii_, _concinnus_
and _pusillus_, all of which may frequently be seen on the same tree at
one time: the incessant clamour kept up by multitudes of these birds
baffles description; the notes of the larger species are, however,
distinguishable by their superiority in harshness and loudness; they
feed together in perfect amity, and it is not unusual to see two or
three species on the same branch. They are all so remarkably tame, that
any number of shots may be fired amongst them without causing the
slightest alarm to any but those that are actually wounded. Although
strictly gregarious, they appear to be always mated in pairs, which
accompany each other in their various movements among the branches. The
whole of one species frequently leave the tree simultaneously, rushing
off with amazing quickness in search of other trees laden with
newly-expanded flowers, among which they dash and commence feeding with
the utmost eagerness, clinging and creeping among the branches in every
possible attitude. As this tribe of birds depends solely for its
subsistence upon the flowers of the gum-trees, their presence in any
locality would be vainly sought for at any season when those trees are
not in blossom.
The sexes are precisely alike in size and in the colour of their
plumage.
Forehead, lores and ear-coverts yellow, intermingled with scarlet; crown
of the head deep purple; back of the head and neck yellowish green;
wing-coverts and rump grass-green; shoulder light blue; under surface of
the wing crimson; primaries blackish brown, margined externally with
deep green, the extreme edge being greenish yellow; tail green above,
golden beneath; throat and under surface greenish grey, passing into
golden green on the flanks and under tail-coverts; bill black; irides in
some dark brown, in others light reddish brown, with a narrow ring of
orange round the pupil; feet bluish flesh-colour.
The figures are of the natural size.
[Illustration:
TRICHOGLOSSUS PUSILLUS: _Vig. & Horsf._
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
TRICHOGLOSSUS PUSILLUS, _Vig. and Horsf._
Little Parrakeet.
_Psittacus pusillus_, Lath. Ind. Orn., vol. i. p. 106.—Shaw, Gen.
Zool., vol. viii. p. 471.—Kuhl, Nova Acta, tom. x. p. 47.
_Perruche à face rouge_, Le Vaill. Perr., tom. i. p. 124. pl. 62.
_Small Parrakeet_, Lath. Gen. Syn., vol. ii. p. 88.
_Small Paroquet_, _Psittacus pusillus_, Shaw in White’s Journ., pl. in
p. 262.
_Small Parrot_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. ii. p. 194.
_Trichoglossus pusillus_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p.
293.—Wagl. Mon. Psitt. in Abhand., tom. i. pp. 493 and 548.
_Lathamus pusillus_, Less. Traité d’Orn., p. 206.
_Jerryang_, Aborigines of New South Wales.
This familiar species, the least of the Australian _Psittacidæ_ yet
discovered, enjoys a range of habitat precisely similar to that of the
_Trichoglossus concinnus_, being dispersed over the whole of New South
Wales, South Australia and Van Diemen’s Land; it is, however, more
sparingly diffused over the latter country. I found it tolerably
abundant and killed several specimens on Maria Island, near the entrance
of Storm Bay. On the continent of Australia it is not only to be found
in the same districts and at the same seasons of the year as _T.
concinnus_, but it is more frequently observed in company with that
species than alone; flocks of each often occupying the same tree, and
even the same branch, all busily engaged in extracting their nectarine
food. Like its near ally, the present bird creeps about under and among
the leaves with the greatest facility, and like the other members of the
group, appears to be always associated in pairs. As might be expected
from the structure of its wing, which is admirably adapted for rapid
progression, it flies through the air with arrow-like swiftness.
I succeeded in finding the breeding-places of this species, and on the
11th of October 1839, procured four eggs from a hole in a small branch
of a lofty _Eucalyptus_, growing on the flats at Yarrundi on the Upper
Hunter. The eggs were white and of an oval form, nine lines and a half
long by seven lines and a half broad.
In Western Australia this species is represented by the _Trichoglossus
porphyrocephalus_, and on the north coast by the _T. versicolor_. It
would appear to inosculate with its western ally in South Australia,
both being equally numerous there, around, and even upon the trees
within the city of Adelaide.
The sexes are similar in plumage and differ but little in size; the
female is, however, rather more diminutive than her mate.
Face deep red; back of the neck brown; all the remainder of the plumage
grass-green; primaries, secondaries and greater coverts black, margined
externally with grass-green; two centre tail-feathers and outer webs of
the remainder grass-green; the inner webs of the lateral feathers fine
red at the base, passing into greenish yellow towards the tip; bill
black; cere and orbits dark olive-brown; irides orange, surrounded by a
narrow line of yellow.
The figures are of the natural size.
[Illustration:
PTILINOPUS SWAINSONII: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del^t._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
PTILINOPUS SWAINSONII, _Gould_.
Swainson’s Fruit Pigeon.
_Ptilinopus purpuratus_, var. Regina, Swains. Zool. Journ., vol. i. p.
474?
_Columba purpurata_, Jard. and Selb. Ill. Orn., vol. ii. pl. 70.
_Ptilinopus Swainsonii_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., February 8,
1842.
Considerable confusion has existed respecting the very beautiful birds
constituting the genus _Ptilinopus_, as to whether they are so many
species or merely varieties, and I quite agree with Messrs. Jardine and
Selby when they say in their ‘Illustrations’ above quoted, “We strongly
suspect that more than one species is involved among these different
varieties, which some one in possession of them may hereafter be enabled
to determine; and their varied geographical distribution tends
considerably to strengthen this opinion.” There are in fact several
species of this beautiful form so closely allied that at a casual glance
they would be considered as identical, but on a careful comparison their
specific differences will be clearly perceived. At least two of them are
natives of Australia, the remainder being distributed over the Indian
and Polynesian Islands. The present bird has by many authors been
considered either as identical with or as a mere variety of the _Columba
purpurata_, Auct., but if compared with that species it will be found to
possess characters sufficiently different to warrant its being
characterized as distinct; I have therefore named it after Mr. Swainson,
the author of the genus to which it belongs, as a slight testimony of
the respect I entertain for the talents of one who has done so much
towards the advancement of ornithology, at once the most interesting and
popular branch of the science of natural history.
The specimens from which my figures were taken are from the brushes of
the River Clarence, situated between the Hunter and Moreton Bay; in the
last-mentioned district it is tolerably abundant, the dense and
luxuriant brushes affording it a congenial habitat and breeding-place. I
have received both the young and the adults from this locality, but as I
have never myself seen them in a state of nature, I am unable to give
any account of their habits or economy. The sexes are so nearly alike in
colouring that dissection alone can distinguish them with certainty.
Forehead and crown deep crimson-red, surrounded except in front with a
narrow ring of light yellow; back of the neck greyish green; all the
upper surface bright green tinged with yellow, the green becoming deep
blue towards the extremities of the tertiaries, which are broadly
margined with yellow; primaries slaty grey on their inner webs and green
on the outer, very slightly margined with yellow; tail-feathers deep
green, largely tipped with rich yellow; throat greenish grey, stained
with yellow on the chin in some specimens and greyish white in others;
breast dull green, each feather forked at the end and with a triangular
silvery-grey spot at each extremity; flanks and abdomen green, with a
large patch of orange-red in the centre of the latter; under
tail-coverts orange-yellow; thighs green; irides reddish orange; bill
greenish black and horn-colour at tip; feet olive brown.
The figures are of the natural size.
[Illustration:
PTILINOPUS EWINGII: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
PTILINOPUS EWINGII, _Gould_.
Ewing’s Fruit Pigeon.
_Ptilinopus Ewingii_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., February 8, 1842.
This lovely species, which is a native of the Cobourg Peninsula, and
doubtless ranges over the northern coast of Australia generally, differs
from the preceding, _Ptilinopus Swainsonii_, in being much smaller in
all its admeasurements, in the colour of the crown being rose-pink
instead of crimson-red; in the breast being pale greenish grey instead
of dull green; in having the centre of the abdomen rich orange instead
of lilac; and also in having the tail-feathers tipped with greenish
yellow instead of clear rich yellow. The specimens from which my figures
are taken were fully adult, and were submitted to dissection in order to
ascertain the sexes; consequently I am fully convinced, that, although
the present and preceding species are very nearly allied, they are
specifically distinct.
In naming the second Australian species of this beautiful form after the
Rev. Thomas J. Ewing, at present residing in Van Diemen’s Land, I am
actuated by a desire to pay a just compliment to one who is perhaps more
thoroughly versed in the productions of writers on the interesting
science of ornithology than most other persons, and, although so far
removed from the seats of knowledge, continues to prosecute his studies
with the utmost ardour; I feel assured therefore, that, however
objectionable the naming of species after individuals may be under
ordinary circumstances, it will not in this instance be deemed an
inappropriate mode of evincing my sense of the many admirable qualities
of a highly esteemed friend.
Forehead and crown of the head rose-pink, bordered with a narrow line of
yellow, except in front; back of the head and neck greenish grey; all
the upper surface bright green, passing into deep blue on the
tertiaries; primaries, secondaries and tertiaries slightly margined with
yellow; tail largely tipped with yellow, tinged with green, particularly
on the two centre feathers; chin pale yellow; sides of the neck greenish
grey; chest pale greenish grey, each feather forked at the end and
tipped with grey; below the chest an indistinct band of sulphur-yellow;
flanks and lower part of the abdomen green; centre of the abdomen rich
orange, in the middle of which is a lunar-shaped mark of lilac; under
tail-coverts orange; thighs and tarsi green; irides orange; feet olive.
The figures are of the natural size.
[Illustration:
PTILINOPUS SUPERBUS.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
PTILINOPUS SUPERBUS.
Superb Fruit-Pigeon.
_Colombe poukiobou_, _Columba superba_, Temm. Les. Pig., fol. 2nd
fam., p. 75. pl. 33.—Ibid. Pig. et Gall., 8vo. tom. i. pp. 277, 474.
This lovely species was originally figured and described in the splendid
work on the Pigeons by Madame Knip and my friend M. Temminck as an
inhabitant of one of the islands of the Pacific Ocean; and it affords me
much pleasure to be enabled to include a representation of it among my
illustrations of the Fauna of Australia, specimens having been procured
by Mr. Bynoe on Booby Island, which lies off the north coast. In all
probability it enjoys an extensive range over the islands of New Guinea
as well as over all parts of Northern Australia, wherever suitable
situations occur. The specimens procured by Mr. Bynoe were fortunately
male and female: the latter sex exhibits in its plumage traces of
immaturity; but whether the rich colouring of the crown of the head is
at all times absent is a point yet to be ascertained, a knowledge of
which would greatly tend to clear up the confusion which reigns
throughout this gorgeously-coloured group of Pigeons.
The male has the crown of the head of a very deep rich purple; sides of
the head and occiput olive-green; sides and back of the neck bright
rufous; shoulders very dark bluish black; all the upper surface and
wings deep yellowish green, tinged with rufous; the scapularies and
tertiaries with a spot of deep green near the extremity; primaries and
secondaries black, slightly margined externally near the tip with pale
yellow; tail grey at the base, to which succeeds a broad band of black,
glossed particularly on the central feathers with green; beyond this the
tips are white, all but the outer ones washed with green; chin white;
breast grey, below which a band of black; abdomen and under tail-coverts
white, the latter with a stripe of olive down the centre; band crossing
the flanks and another crossing the thighs olive-green; feet orange;
bill dark horn-colour.
The female has the crown of the head and all the upper surface yellowish
green, with a small spot of deep blue near the tips of the scapularies;
primaries and secondaries black, slightly edged with yellow; at the
occiput a large patch of deep green; chin grey; centre of breast
greenish grey; flanks green; centre of abdomen straw-yellow.
The figures are those of the two sexes on a plant of the north coast.
[Illustration:
CARPOPHAGA MAGNIFICA.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
CARPOPHAGA MAGNIFICA.
Magnificent Fruit Pigeon.
_Columba magnifica_, Temm. in Linn. Trans., vol. xiii. p. 125.—Ib. Pl.
Col. 163.—Wagl. Syst. Av. Columba, sp. 26.—Less. Traité d’Orn., p.
469.
_Carpophaga magnifica_, Selby in Nat. Lib. Orn., vol. v. Pigeons, p.
115.—List of Birds in Brit. Mus. Coll., Part III. p. 5.
This splendid bird, the finest of the Pigeons yet discovered in
Australia, is abundant in all the brushes on the south-east portion of
that country, but is less numerous in the Illawarra district than in the
neighbourhood of the rivers Namoi, Macquarrie, Clarence and MacLeay; how
far its range may extend from thence to the northward has yet to be
ascertained; I did not observe it in any of the brushes clothing the
ranges of the interior. Its chief food is the wild fig and the nut-like
fruit of the large palms. It is rather a shy bird, and from its quiet
habits is not easily discovered, unless it betrays its presence by the
hoarse, loud and monotonous note, which is frequently uttered by the
male during the season of love. This note is so extraordinary, and so
unlike that of any other bird, that it causes the utmost surprise and
wonderment as to what it can proceed from, in the minds of those persons
who hear it for the first time.
I regret that the few opportunities I had for studying this fine bird in
a state of nature were insufficient for me to obtain any particulars
respecting its habits and economy; it appears never to descend to the
ground, but to be constantly engaged among the branches in procuring its
food; its broad hand-like feet enabling it to cling to the outermost and
even the smaller boughs with ease; and hence the utility of these
singularly constructed feet, which are common to all the Fruit Pigeons,
is readily perceptible.
The sexes present no external difference by which the male can be
distinguished from the female; dissection must, in fact, be resorted to,
to discriminate the one from the other with certainty, although the
smaller-sized individuals may generally be regarded as females.
Head and neck pale grey; all the upper surface and wings rich golden
green; the greater coverts and the tertiaries with a patch of light
yellow near the base of the outer webs, forming an irregular oblique
band across the wing; primaries green; under surface of the wing brown,
passing into cinnamon-brown at the base of the feathers; tail rich deep
bronzy green; line down the centre of the throat, and the whole of the
breast and abdomen rich deep purple; under surface of the shoulder, the
thighs and vent deep gamboge-yellow; under tail-coverts greenish grey,
washed with gamboge-yellow.
The Plate represents an adult male somewhat less than the natural size.
[Illustration:
CARPOPHAGA LEUCOMELA.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
CARPOPHAGA LEUCOMELA.
White-headed Fruit Pigeon.
_Columba leucomela_, Temm. in Trans. Linn. Soc., vol. xiii. p.
126.—Ib. Pl. Col., 186.
_Columba leucomelana_, Wagl. Syst. Av., pars i. Columba, sp. 56.
_Columba Norfolciensis_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. lx.?
_Norfolk Pigeon_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. Add. p. 374?—Ib.
Gen. Hist., vol. viii. p. 30?
This fine species of Pigeon is an inhabitant of those vast primæval
forests of New South Wales to which the colonists have applied the name
of Brushes. I found it very numerous on Mosquito and the other low
islands near the mouth of the river Hunter, as well as in the cedar
brushes of the Liverpool range; I believe that it breeds in both those
districts; and that it never quits these luxuriant forests is the more
probable, as a plentiful supply of fruits and berries is furnished by
the various species of trees at every season of the year; the wild fig,
the palm-nut and the grape, constitute a considerable portion of its
food. I have frequently observed it sweeping over the forests in flocks
of from ten to fifty in number, and often seen it also in pairs. It
feeds on the wild fig, whose slender branches are borne down by its
weight, particularly when it clings to the extreme end of the spray to
obtain the best and ripest fruit; in this mode of clinging and in many
of its actions it far more resembles the larger Honey-eaters and Parrots
than the Pigeons; an examination moreover of the structure of the foot
of a typical _Carpophaga_ will show that it deviates from that of the
true Pigeons, and that it is beautifully adapted for the duties it is
intended to perform. I have never seen this bird on the ground, not even
to procure water, and the form of its foot is as little adapted for
terrestrial progression, as it is admirably constructed for use among
the smaller branches of the trees.
The powers of flight of this species are very great, its voluminous wing
enabling it to pass from one part of the forest to another, or to a new
district in a comparatively short space of time; hence flocks may
frequently be observed passing over the tops of the trees, forsaking a
locality they have exhausted of its supplies and in search of another
where food is more abundant.
The nest of this species, like that of the other Columbidæ, is a slight
flat structure formed of small sticks and twigs; the eggs are frequently
only one, and never more than two in number, of a pure white.
The sexes may be distinguished by the smaller size of the female, and by
her colours being less strongly contrasted than those of her mate, the
yellowish white of the head and breast blending into the darker
colouring of the other parts.
The male has the head, neck and breast white, washed with buff,
particularly on the crown; all the upper surface, wings and tail greyish
black; all the feathers of the back, rump and lesser wing-coverts
bordered with bronzy-purple in some, and greenish purple in others;
flanks slate-colour; abdomen dingy-buff; bill for two-thirds from the
base beautiful pink-red, covered with a mealy substance; tip of the bill
yellowish white tinged with lilac; irides large and of a rich yellowish
hazel in some specimens, reddish orange in others; naked skin of the
orbits mealy pink-red; feet buff, with the scales pink-red and the nails
white.
The figures are of the natural size, and represent the bird feeding on
one of the fruits of the brushes called wild cherry by the colonists.
[Illustration:
CARPOPHAGA LUCTUOSA.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
CARPOPHAGA LUCTUOSA.
Torres Strait Fruit Pigeon.
_Columba luctuosa_, Temm. Pl. Col., 247.—Wagl. Syst. Av. Columba, sp.
23.
_M̏o-koit_, Aborigines of Port Essington.
This bird is commonly known by the name of the Torres Strait Pigeon,
from its being so abundant there that few voyagers pass the straits
during its breeding-season without encountering it. It arrives in the
Cobourg Peninsula at the beginning of November and departs again in
April or May. Like every other true _Carpophaga_ it is strictly
arboreal, living among the branches of the highest trees and feeding
upon various fruits and berries. Mr. Gilbert’s notes respecting it are
as follows:—“This bird may generally be seen in great numbers wherever
the wild nutmeg is to be found, and so exclusively does it confine
itself to the trees in search of food, that during the whole time I was
in the country I never saw one rise from the ground, nor did I meet with
any person in the settlement who had. It flies very rapidly, and
generally mounts up to so great a height as to be beyond the range of a
gun. The only time at which I could succeed in procuring specimens was
the evening, when it resorts to the mangroves on the small islands lying
off the shore, or to the dense thickets a short distance inland; at this
time it may be seen arriving in small flocks of from ten to fifteen to
roost for the night. Its note, like that of the other pigeons, is a
_coo_, but at times, particularly when it has paired, it is much louder
and deeper than that of any other species I ever heard.
“It pairs and commences breeding immediately after its arrival in
November, and I have obtained eggs as late as the middle of January. The
nest is formed of a few sticks laid across one another in opposite
directions, and is so slight a structure that the eggs may usually be
seen through the interstices from beneath, and it is so flat that it
appears wonderful how the eggs are retained upon it when the branch is
waving about in the wind; it is usually built on the horizontal branch
of a mangrove, and it would seem that it prefers for this purpose a
branch overhanging water. That it never lays more than one egg appears
to me without a doubt, for upon visiting Table Head River on the eastern
side of the harbour of Port Essington I found no less than twenty nests,
all of which contained either a single egg or a single young bird.”
The whole of the plumage buffy white, with the exception of the
primaries, secondaries and greater wing-coverts, which are greyish
black, and the tips of the tail-feathers, which are black, the black
becoming of less extent as the feathers recede from the centre of the
tail, until the outer feather is only slightly tipped; this feather is
also broadly margined with black on the outer web for three-fourths of
its length from the base; the under tail-coverts also have an irregular
band of black near the tip of each feather; irides dark brown; bill dark
greenish grey, except the tip, which is light yellow.
The figure is of the natural size.
[Illustration:
LOPHOLAIMUS ANTARCTICUS: _G. R. Gray_.
_J. & E. Gould del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
LOPHOLAIMUS ANTARCTICUS, _G. R. Gray_.
Top-knot Pigeon.
_Columba antarctica_, Shaw, Zool. of New Holl., pl. 5.
_Columba dilopha_, Temm. in Linn. Trans., vol. xiii. p. 124, and Pl.
Col. 162.—Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. xiv. p. 279.—Wagl. Syst. Av., sp.
11.
_Lophorhynchus dilophus_, Swains. Class. of Birds, vol. ii. p. 348.
———— _antarcticus_, G. R. Gray, List of Gen. of Birds, 1st Edit., p.
58.
_Lopholaimus antarcticus_, G. R. Gray, Ibid. Appendix to 2nd Edit., p.
12.
Top-knot Pigeon of the Colonists of New South Wales.
Although the specific term of _antarcticus_ is not an appropriate
appellation for this noble Pigeon, still it cannot, I think, with strict
propriety be sunk into a synonym, since it was first applied to it in a
work intended exclusively to illustrate the zoology of New Holland, as
will be seen on reference to the synonyms above quoted. I feel assured
that my excellent and scientific friend M. Temminck was either
unacquainted with the publication alluded to, or that the circumstance
of its having been previously described and figured had escaped his
memory, when he characterized this bird in the thirteenth volume of the
“Linnean Transactions,” and subsequently figured it in his “Planches
Coloriées,” under the name of _Columba dilopha_.
I have not yet seen specimens of this Pigeon from the northern or
western coast, and it appears to be exclusively confined to the rich and
luxuriant districts of the southern and eastern portions of Australia;
being particularly abundant in the brushes of Illawarra, the Hunter, the
Clarence, &c., where the trees furnish it at all seasons with a
plentiful supply of food. So entirely arboreal are its habits, that I
never once saw it descend to the ground, or even to the low shrub-like
trees. It is strictly gregarious, often traversing the forests in flocks
of many hundreds in search of those trees most laden with its favourite
fruit; upon discovering which the entire flock alight simultaneously
with a rushing noise, clinging to and bearing down the smaller twigs and
branches with their weight, for grasping which their broad, hand-like
feet seem peculiarly fitted. It is a bird of very powerful flight, and
usually flies at a considerable elevation in flocks closely packed
together.
Among other substances found in the stomachs of those specimens I
dissected, were the wild-fig and the large round berries of the
cabbage-palm; and in all probability it also feeds upon other fruits of
a still larger size, as its bill and throat are capable of being dilated
to such an extent as to admit of a substance as large as a walnut being
swallowed entire.
Its flesh is not so good as that of the other members of its family
inhabiting Australia, being coarse and dry-eating.
I had no opportunity of observing its nidification, neither could I
obtain any information on the subject.
The sexes are alike in plumage, and may be thus described:—
Crest over the nostrils, sides of the head, neck, breast, and under
surface silvery grey, the feathers of the neck and breast being hackled,
and admitting the darker colouring of their bases to be perceived
through the interstices; elongated crest at the occiput rust-red; from
the eye to the occiput beneath the crest a line of black, which, meeting
behind, is continued for a short distance down the back of the neck; all
the upper surface dark slate-grey; primaries, secondaries, and edge of
the wing black; tail light grey at the base, black for the remainder of
its length, crossed by an irregular band of buffy grey about an inch
from the extremity; irides fiery orange, surrounded by a lash of
pink-red, and seated in a bare mealy space of the same colour, but
hardly so bright; bill bright rose-red, inclining to lilac at the tip;
fleshy part covering the nostrils and at the base of the lower mandible,
greenish lead-colour in the male, and lead-colour in the female; feet
purplish red; back of the tarsi and sole of the feet greyish brown.
The figure is of the natural size.
[Illustration:
CHALCOPHAPS CHRYSOCHLORA.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
CHALCOPHAPS CHRYSOCHLORA.
Little Green Pigeon.
_Tourterelle de Java_, Buff. Pl Enl. 177?
_Columba Javanica_, Auctorum?
_Colombe Turvert_, Temm. Pig., fol. 2nd fam. pl. 26. p. 62.—Ib. Pig.
et Gall., tom. ii. pp. 252 and 468.
_Columba chrysochlora_, Wagl. Syst. Av. Columba, sp. 79.
There are, in my opinion, several closely allied species of this form,
distributed over Australia and the islands of Java, Sumatra, &c., whose
specific characters have never been accurately defined; I am inclined to
consider the Javanese bird as distinct from that here figured, and the
bird inhabiting the northern coast of Australia, of which I have only
seen one or two examples, as distinct from both. The principal
difference that I have yet observed in the two species inhabiting
Australia, is that the one from the north coast has the bill of much
greater length than that from New South Wales; a more minute comparison,
however, is necessary to ascertain if they be identical or not.
The Little Green Pigeon is sparingly dispersed in all the brushes of New
South Wales, both those clothing the mountain ranges as well as those
near the coast; how far it may proceed northwards has not yet been
ascertained. The brushy districts are the localities peculiarly adapted
to it, and these I believe it never leaves for the more open parts of
the country; hence it is but little known to, and seldom seen by, the
colonists, a circumstance the more to be regretted, as the beauty and
brilliancy of its plumage and the neatness of its form render it one of
the most pleasing objects to behold that occur in the Australian
forests. When flushed, it flies very quickly through the scrub, but to
no great distance, and readily eludes pursuit by pitching suddenly to
the ground, and remaining so quiet that it can rarely be discovered.
I never met with its nest, nor could I obtain, either from the natives
or settlers, any particulars respecting its nidification.
Its chief food during one season of the year is the seeds of the stiff
wiry grass figured in the Plate, which was gathered at Illawarra.
The sexes differ considerably in colour, and the female is somewhat
smaller than her mate.
The male has the crown of the head, face and all the under surface deep
vinaceous; nape and back of the neck dark grey; edge of the shoulder
snow-white; centre of the back, wing-coverts and outer webs of the
tertiaries shining greenish copper-colour; rump and upper tail-coverts
slaty-black, crossed by three indistinct bands of grey; primaries and
secondaries brown, largely margined with ferruginous on the base of
their inner webs; tail black, except the two outer feathers on each
side, which are light grey, crossed by a broad band of black near the
tip; under tail-coverts black; apical half of the bill blood-red, basal
half plum-colour; feet dull reddish plum-colour; orbits dark grey;
eyelash lilac-red; irides lilaceous lead-colour.
The female has the head and neck dark cinnamon-brown, approaching to
chocolate; the wing-coverts much more green than in the male; face and
all the under surface cinnamon-brown, with merely a wash on the breast
of the vinaceous tint; upper tail-coverts brown; four centre
tail-feathers brown; the two next on each side chestnut-brown, and the
outer one on each side grey; all but the four middle ones crossed near
the tip with a broad band of black; and the soft parts similar, but less
brilliant than in the male.
The figures in the accompanying Plate were taken from specimens killed
in New South Wales, and are of the natural size.
[Illustration:
LEUCOSARCIA PICATA.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
LEUCOSARCIA PICATA.
Wonga-wonga.
_Columba picata_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. lix.—Wagl. Syst. Av.
Columba, sp. 42.
_Columba armillaris_, Colombe grivelée, Temm. Pig. et Gall., fol. 2nd
fam. pl. 6. p. 13.—Ib. Pig. et Gall., tom. i. pp. 97 and 447.—Shaw,
Gen. Zool., vol. xi. p. 15.
_Pied Pigeon_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 268.—Ib. Gen. Hist.,
vol. viii. p. 47.
_Columba Jamiesonii_, Quoy et Gaim. Voy. Partie Zoolog., p. 123.
_Columba melanoleuca_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. lix.—Wagl. Syst. Av.
Columbæ non visæ, sp. 8.
_Colombe Goadgang_, Temm. Pig., fol. p. 118.—Ib. Pig. et Gall., tom.
i. pp. 369 and 447.
_White-faced Pigeon_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 268.—Ib. Gen.
Hist., vol. viii. p. 46.
_Wonga-wonga_, Aborigines of New South Wales.
_White-fleshed_ and _Wonga-wonga Pigeon_, Colonists of New South
Wales.
The Pigeon forming the subject of the present memoir must always be an
object of more than ordinary interest, since, independently of its
attractive plumage, it is a great delicacy for the table; its large size
and the whiteness of its flesh rendering it in this respect second to no
other member of its family, the only one that at all approximates to it
being the _Geophaps scripta_. It is to be regretted that a bird
possessing so many qualifications as the present species should not be
generally dispersed over the country, but such is not the case. To look
for it on the plains or in any of the open hilly parts would be useless;
no other districts than the brushes which stretch along the line of
coast of New South Wales, or those clothing the sides of the hills of
the interior being favoured with its presence. The same kind of
situations that are suited to the Brush Turkey (_Talegalla Lathami_),
the Menura and the Satin Bower-bird are equally adapted to those of the
Wonga-wonga; its distribution, therefore, over Australia mainly depends
upon whether the surface of the country be or be not clothed with that
rich character of vegetation common to the south-eastern portion of the
continent. As the length of its tarsi would lead one to expect, the
Wonga-wonga spends most of its time on the ground, where it feeds upon
the seeds and stones of the fallen fruits of the towering trees under
whose shade it dwells, seldom exposing itself to the rays of the sun, or
seeking the open parts of the forest. While traversing these arborean
solitudes, one is frequently startled by the sudden rising of the
Wonga-wonga, the noise of whose wings is quite equal to, and not very
different from, that made by a Pheasant. Its flight is not of long
duration, this power being merely employed to remove it to a sufficient
distance to avoid detection by again descending to the ground, or
mounting to the branch of a neighbouring tree. I had frequent
opportunities of personally observing it at Illawarra, on the low
islands at the mouth of the river Hunter, and in the cedar brushes of
the Liverpool range. During my encampment in each of these parts, it was
always secured whenever an opportunity occurred, for the purpose of
eating, the addition of bread-sauce rendering it no ordinary fare.
Of the nidification of this valuable bird I could gain no precise
information. It is a species that bears confinement well, and with an
ordinary degree of attention, may doubtless be rendered domesticated and
useful.
The sexes present no external difference in the markings of their
plumage, but the female is somewhat inferior to her mate in size.
Lores black; forehead and chin white; all the upper surface, wings and
tail deep slate-grey; primaries brown; the three lateral tail-feathers
on each side tipped with white; sides of the head light grey, gradually
passing into the greyish black of the breast, which latter colour is
interrupted on each side by a broad line of white which passes obliquely
down, and meets on the centre of the breast near the lower margin of the
greyish black; feathers of the abdomen and flanks white, the latter with
a triangular black spot near the extremity of each feather; under
tail-coverts dark brown, largely tipped with buff, particularly on the
inner webs; irides very dark brown, surrounded by a narrow pink-red
lash; tip of the bill purplish black; base of the bill and the fleshy
operculum covering the nostrils pink-red; legs and feet bright pink-red.
The Plate represents the male and female of the natural size.
[Illustration:
PERISTERA CHALCOPTERA.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
PERISTERA CHALCOPTERA, _Swains._
Bronze-winged Pigeon.
_Columba chalcoptera_, Lath. Ind. Orn., vol. ii. p. 604.—Wagl. Syst.
Av. Columba, sp. 57.
_Colombe lumachelle_, Temm. Pig., fol. 2nde fam. pl. 8. p. 17.—Ib.
Pig. et Gall., tom. ii. pp. 103 and 448.
_La Tourterelle aux ailes dorées_, Sonn. edit. de Buff., tom. vii. p.
309.
_Bronze-winged Pigeon_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 266.—Phill.
Bot. Bay, pl. in p. 162.—White’s Journ., pl. in p. 146.—Shaw, Lev.
Mus., p. 227. pl. 55.—Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. viii. p. 31.—Steph.
Cont. of Shaw’s Gen. Zool., vol. xi. p. 17, and vol. xiv. p. 280.
_Peristera chalcoptera_, Swains. Class. of Birds, vol. ii. p. 349.
_Phaps chalcoptera_, Selby, Nat. Lib. Orn., vol. v. Pigeons, p. 195.
pl. 21.—G. R. Gray, List of Gen. of Birds, 2nd edit. p. 75.
_Ȍo-da_, Aborigines of Western Australia.
_Ar-a-wȁr-ra-wa_, Aborigines of Port Essington.
_Bronze Pigeon_, Colonists of Swan River.
The Bronze-winged Pigeon is so generally distributed over all parts of
Australia, that, without a single exception, the colonists of every
settlement have found the surrounding country inhabited by this fine
bird. Specimens from Port Essington, Swan River, Van Diemen’s Land and
New South Wales differ so little from each other, either in their size
or markings, that they must all be regarded as one and the same species,
the slight differences that do occur being too trivial to be considered
as other than mere local variations.
It is a plump, heavy bird, weighing when in good condition fully a
pound; and its pectoral muscles being deep and fleshy, it constitutes a
most excellent viand and is constantly eaten by every class of persons,
being equally acceptable at the table of the Governor and at that of the
inmate of a log-hut in the interior of the country. Its amazing powers
of flight enable it to pass in an incredibly short space of time over a
great expanse of country, and just before sunset it may be observed
swiftly winging its way over the plains or down the gullies to its
drinking-place. During the long drought of 1839–40, when I was encamped
at the northern extremity of the Brezi range, I had daily opportunities
of observing the arrival of this bird to drink; the only water for
miles, as I was assured by the natives, being that in the immediate
vicinity of my tent, and that was merely the scanty supply left in a few
small natural basins in the rocks, which had been filled by the rains of
many months before. This peculiar situation afforded me an excellent
opportunity for observing not only the Bronze-wing, but every other bird
inhabiting the neighbourhood: few if any of the true insectivorous or
fissirostral birds came to the water-holes; but, on the other hand,
those species that live upon grain and seeds, particularly the Parrots
and Honey-eaters (_Trichoglossi_ and _Meliphagi_), were continually
rushing down to the edges of the pools, utterly regardless of my
presence, their thirst for water quite overcoming their sense of danger;
seldom, if ever, however, did the Bronze-wing make its appearance during
the heat of the day, but at sundown, on the contrary, it arrived with
arrow-like swiftness, either singly or in pairs. It did not descend at
once to the edge of the pool, but dashed down to the ground at about ten
yards’ distance, remained quiet for a short time, then walked leisurely
to the water, and after taking libations deep and frequent, winged its
way to its roosting-place for the night: with a knowledge, therefore, of
the habits of this bird, the weary traveller may always perceive when he
is in the vicinity of water; and however arid the appearance of the
country may be, if he observes the Bronze-wing wending its way from all
quarters to a given point, he may be certain to procure a supply of food
and water. When rain has fallen in abundance, and the rivers and lagoons
are filled not only to the brim, but the water has spread over the
surface of the surrounding country, the case is materially altered; then
the Bronze-wing and many other birds are not so easily procured, the
abundant supply of the element so requisite to their existence rendering
it no longer necessary that they should brave every danger in procuring
it.
It has been supposed that a partial migration of this species takes
place from time to time, a circumstance which I think is very probable,
as its numbers are sometimes suddenly increased. After the breeding
season is over, both the adults and young resort to the stubble fields
of the settlers in such abundance, that although more than one can
rarely be procured at a shot, from twenty to thirty brace may be killed
in a day; and at this season it is in better condition than at any
other. Although, as I have before stated, the Bronze-wing is an
excellent article of food, it must yield the palm in this respect to the
Wonga-wonga Pigeon (_Leucosarcia picata_) and the Partridge Bronze-wing
(_Geophaps scripta_), whose flesh is white and more delicate in flavour,
while the internal pectoral muscle only of the present bird is of that
colour.
The Bronze-wing feeds entirely upon the ground, where it finds the
various kinds of leguminous seeds that constitute its food. It breeds
during August and the four following months, and often rears two or more
broods; the eggs are white and two in number, one inch and three-eighths
long and one inch broad.
Its nest, which is very similar to that of the other members of the
family, is a frail structure of small twigs, rather hollow in form, and
is usually placed on the horizontal branch of an apple- or gum-tree near
the ground, those trees growing on flat meadow land near water being
evidently preferred. This species is very frequently seen in
confinement, both in its native country and in England, but I have not
heard whether it will or will not breed in captivity. At Swan River it
is said to be migratory, and to be met with in the interior of that part
of the country in large flocks. At Port Essington, on the contrary, it
would seem to be stationary, as Mr. Gilbert mentions that it is found
equally abundant in all parts of the country; its nest is there placed
upon the branches of the Banksias.
Forehead in some deep buff, in others buffy white; line under the eye
and the chin yellowish white; crown of the head and occiput dark brown,
bounded on the sides with plum-colour; sides of the neck grey; back of
the neck and all the upper surface brown, each feather margined with
tawny brown; wings brown with paler edges; each of the coverts with an
oblong spot of rich lustrous coppery bronze on the outer web near the
base, the outline of which towards the extremity of the feather is
sharply defined; tip of each of the coverts grey fading into white on
the extreme tip; two or three of the tertiaries with an oblong spot of
lustrous green on their outer webs at the base, bounded by a narrow line
of buff; two centre tail-feathers brown; the remainder deep grey,
crossed by a band of black near the tip; under surface of the wing and
inner edges of the primaries and secondaries ferruginous; breast deep
vinaceous, passing into greyish on the centre of the abdomen and under
tail-coverts; irides dark reddish brown; bill blackish grey; legs and
feet carmine-red.
The figures represent the male and female of the natural size, the
latter in the agonies of death from a shot-wound.
[Illustration:
PERISTERA ELEGANS.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
PERISTERA ELEGANS.
Brush Bronze-winged Pigeon.
_Columba elegans_, Colombe Labrador, Temm. Pig., fol. 2d. fam. pl. 22.
p. 56.—Temm. Pig. et Gall., tom. ii. pp. 240 and 466.—Wagl. Syst.
Av. Columba, sp. 58.—Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. xi. p. 43.
_Opaline Pigeon_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. viii. p. 33.
_Columba Lawsonii_, Sieber, Isis No. 67.
_Ȍo-da_, Aborigines of Western Australia.
_Little Bronze Pigeon_, Colonists of Swan River.
This species is neither so plentiful nor so widely distributed as the
Common Bronze-wing (_Peristera chalcoptera_); it is, however, tolerably
abundant in Van Diemen’s Land, the islands in Bass’s Straits, and the
whole of the southern portion of the Australian continent, from Swan
River on the west to Moreton Bay on the east. In Van Diemen’s Land it is
very numerous, all along the north coast from Circular Head to the
north-eastern corner of the island. Its habits and economy are somewhat
peculiar: I have never seen it perch on the branches of a tree, nor have
I heard of any one who has; neither is it an inhabitant of the open
plains, but affects the most scrubby localities, giving preference to
such as are low and swampy. When flushed it rises very quickly with a
loud burring noise similar to that made by the rising of a partridge,
which bird it also much resembles in its carriage and contour when on
the ground. The shortness of its wings and tail, and the extreme depth
of its pectoral muscle, render its appearance more plump and round than
that of the generality of Pigeons. It is a very difficult bird to shoot,
from its inhabiting the most dense parts of the scrub, from which it is
not easily driven. It flies but little, rarely for a greater distance
than to cross a gully or top a ridge before it again abruptly descends
into the scrub.
Its food consists of seeds and berries of various kinds, particularly in
Van Diemen’s Land of a plant there called Boobyaller.
I believe it never migrates, but merely removes from one locality to
another, as food may be more or less abundant.
Its note is more lengthened than that of the Common Bronze-wing, and is
also a more low and mournful strain, and is more often repeated towards
the close of the evening than at any other time. As an article of food
it is by no means to be despised, being, I should say, even preferable
to the Common Bronze-wing, to which species it offers a nearer alliance
in colour than in form. On a comparison of the structure of the two
birds they will be found to differ materially, the wings of the present
species being shorter, and the tail comprising a smaller number of
feathers than that of the other.
The sexes differ so little in the colouring of their plumage that
dissection is requisite to distinguish them.
In Western Australia it has been observed to breed sometimes on the
ground and at others among the grass, or in a fork of the _Xanthorrhœa_
or grass-tree; the nest being formed of a few small sticks, and the eggs
as usual being white and two in number, fifteen lines long by eleven
lines broad.
Forehead light chestnut; lores black; crown of the head and nape dark
grey; a broad line of rich deep chestnut commences at the posterior part
of the eye and unites at the occiput; on the throat a small
gorget-shaped mark of reddish chestnut; all the upper surface rich deep
lustrous chestnut, becoming gradually paler on the rump and upper
tail-coverts; primaries dark brown with pale edges, and broadly margined
on the base of their external webs with ferruginous; a few of the
wing-coverts with an oblong spot of rich lustrous coppery bronze on the
outer web near the base, the outline of which towards the extremity of
the feather is sharply defined and bounded by a line of whitish grey;
others of the coverts are similarly ornamented with a spot of
golden-green, and others with deep bluish green, bounded by a more
conspicuous line of white; four central tail-feathers brown; the
remainder grey at the base and tipped with brown, the two colours
separated by a broad band of dull black, which band is continued, but is
much less apparent upon the central feathers; sides of the neck and all
the under surface grey, which becomes paler on the abdomen and under
tail-coverts; irides very dark brown; feet bright pink-red.
The figures represent the two sexes of the natural size.
[Illustration:
PERISTERA HISTRIONICA: _Gould_.
_J. & E. Gould del^t._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
PERISTERA HISTRIONICA, _Gould_.
Harlequin Bronzewing.
_Peristera histrionica_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., September 8,
1840.
I first met with this new and beautiful pigeon on the 2nd of December,
1839, while encamped on the banks of the Mokai, a river which rises in
the Liverpool range, and falls into the Namoi.
I was strolling beside the stream at sunrise, when one of these birds
rose from the water’s edge, flew to the distance of forty yards, and
again alighted on the ground, where it assumed much of the air and
actions of a Sand Grouse (_Pterocles_). A fortnight after this I
descended the Namoi, about one hundred and fifty miles, and while
traversing the extensive plains, studded here and there with patches of
trees that skirt the Nundawar range, I was suddenly, but agreeably
startled by an immense flock of these birds rising before me, and again
alighting on the ground at a short distance; finding they would not
admit of near approach, I secreted myself, and desired my aboriginal
companion Natty to go round and turn the flock towards me: the whole
simultaneously rose as before with a loud burring noise, so closely
packed, that had they not passed me at a considerable angle, many must
have fallen to my shot; as it was I succeeded in obtaining four, two of
which were males. Alarmed at so unusual a sound in these solitudes as
the discharge of a gun, the remainder winged their way rapidly out of
sight. About a week afterwards, while returning from hunting the
kangaroo on a distant part of the same plain, we approached a small
group of Myalls (_Acacia pendula_), and Natty suddenly called out,
“Look, massa;” in an instant the air before us seemed literally filled
with a dense mass of these birds, which had suddenly rose from under the
trees at his exclamation; we had scarcely time to raise our guns before
they were seventy or eighty yards off; our united discharge, however,
brought down eight additional specimens, all of which being merely
winged and fluttering about, attracted the attention of our kangaroo
dogs, and it was with the greatest difficulty they could be prevented
from tearing them to pieces; in the midst of the scramble, a kite, with
the utmost audacity, came to the attack, and would doubtless, in spite
of our presence, have carried off his share, had not the contents of my
second barrel stopped his career. This was the last time I met with the
Harlequin Bronzewing. I took every opportunity of making inquiries
respecting it of the natives of the interior, and of the stockmen at the
out stations, both of whom assured me they had never observed it before
the present season. If this assertion be correct, and there seems to be
no reason for doubting it, whence has this fine bird made its
appearance? Had it always been common in those parts of the country, its
size and its beauty must have attracted the attention of the various
travellers who have, from time to time, traversed the interior. May we
not reasonably suppose that it had migrated from the central regions of
this vast continent, which has yet much in store for future discovery?
The great length of wing which this bird possesses, admirably adapts it
for inhabiting such a country as the far interior is generally imagined
to be, since by this means it may readily pass with great ease, and in a
short time, over a vast extent of country; this great power of flight is
also a highly necessary qualification to enable it to traverse the great
distances it is probably often necessitated to do in search of water.
On dissecting the specimens obtained, I found their crops half filled
with small hard seeds, which they procured from the open plains, but of
what kinds I was unable to determine.
Forehead, stripe from behind the eye, forming a circle round the
ear-coverts, and a crescent-shaped mark across the throat snow-white;
the remainder of the head, throat and ear-coverts jet-black; all the
upper surface, wing-coverts, flanks and two centre tail-feathers deep
cinnamon-brown; edge of the shoulder dull white; spurious wing bluish
gray, slightly margined with white; primaries brownish gray, margined on
their outer web with rufous at the base, largely marked with the same on
the inner web, forming a conspicuous patch on the under surface of the
wing, and with an oval spot of white at the tip of each feather;
secondaries crossed by a beautiful deep crimson bronze on the outer webs
near the tip; lateral tail-feathers bluish gray at the base, passing
into black toward the extremity, which is white; breast and centre of
the abdomen bluish gray; under tail-coverts light buff; nostrils and
bill black; bare skin surrounding the eye purplish black; irides dark
brown; frontal scales of the legs and feet lilac-red; hind part
flesh-red.
The female has only a faint indication of the markings which adorn the
male, and is altogether much less brilliant in her appearance.
The figures are those of a male and female of the natural size.
[Illustration:
GEOPHAPS SCRIPTA.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter lithog._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
GEOPHAPS SCRIPTA.
Partridge Bronze-wing.
_Columba scripta_, Temm. Pl. Col. 187; and in Linn. Trans., vol. xiii.
p. 127.—Steph. Cont. of Shaw’s Gen. Zool., vol. xiv. p. 284.
_Geophaps scripta_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., February 8, 1842.—G.
R. Gray, Appendix to Gen. of Birds, p. 12.
This Pigeon has more than ordinary claims to the attention both of the
ornithologist and the epicure, since to the first it is of interest as
being a typical example of a minor group of the _Columbidæ_, whose
habits and economy are very peculiar, and to the second as a most
delicate viand for the table. It is, unquestionably, the best bird I ate
while in Australia; and, in my opinion, it is second to none in any
other part of the world: the quality of its flesh is so superior to that
of the Common Bronze-wing, that the latter cannot for a moment be put in
comparison with it; for, as in the Wonga-wonga Pigeon, another most
excellent bird for the table, both the upper and under pectoral muscles
are white, juicy and delicately flavoured, while in the Common
Bronze-wing the upper muscle is brown. It is to be regretted that a bird
possessing such high qualifications as an article of food should be so
exclusively a denizen of the plains of the interior that it is available
to few except inland travellers. It is equally interesting to the
sportsman, no other bird not strictly gallinaceous offering so close a
resemblance to the members of the genus _Perdix_ (Partridges) in many of
its habits and manners as does the Partridge Bronze-wing; and I conceive
that in no instance is the theory of the analogical relationship of one
group to another more strikingly borne out than in the close resemblance
of the members of this group to those of the genus _Perdix_.
When on the ground it has so much the carriage and actions of a
Partridge that it might readily be mistaken for one. I sometimes
observed it in pairs, but more frequently in small coveys of from four
to six in number, which, when approached, instead of seeking safety by
flight, ran off with exceeding rapidity in an opposite direction, and
crouched down either on the bare plain or among any scanty herbage that
appeared to offer the least shelter. It is withal so excessively tame,
that it is not unfrequently killed by the bullock-drivers with their
whips, while passing along the roads with their teams. The colouring of
the bird assimilates so closely to that of the ground or the herbage,
that when crouched down for shelter it is not easily to be seen, and
they will often lie until it is all but trodden upon. It rises with
extreme rapidity, making a loud burring noise with the wings and
generally spinning off, not, as might be supposed, to another part of
the plain, but to the horizontal branch of a large tree, on which it
immediately squats down quite flat, in the same line with the branch,
from which it is not easily distinguished or driven off. The shortness
of its wings gives it much the appearance of a Partridge during flight,
and it also assimilates in the arrow-like direction of its course to the
nearest tree, terminating with a skimming motion of the wings before
alighting.
The nearest point to the colony of New South Wales in which I met with
this bird was the Liverpool Plains, from whence to as far as I proceeded
on the Lower Namoi its numbers appeared to increase. I have also heard
from other travellers that it is equally abundant on all the plains and
banks of the rivers between New South Wales and the Murray in South
Australia; but I have never yet observed it in collections either from
the northern or western portions of the continent.
The eggs are two in number, and are deposited on the bare ground without
any nest. The young both run and fly strongly when they are only as
large as a quail, as I satisfactorily ascertained by killing one which
rose before me; but at what bird I had fired I had not the slightest
conception until I picked it up.
In speaking of this bird as an inhabitant of the plains, I must not fail
to mention that it was far more abundant on such as were intersected by
rivers and water-holes; in fact, a good supply of water seemed to be
essential to its existence. Its chief food is the seeds of various
grasses and other small plants, to which are added at some seasons
insects and berries.
Head, all the upper surface and chest light brown, the extremities of
the wing-coverts and the edges of the primaries being much paler; the
outer webs of several of the greater coverts with a speculum of greenish
purple obscured, barred with a darker tint; chin and throat, a broad
stripe from the lower mandible to beneath the eye, another stripe from
the posterior angle of the eye down the side of the neck, and a spot on
the side of the neck snow-white, the interspaces being jet-black, the
latter colour surrounding the eye, and also forming a crescent across
the lower part of the throat; abdomen grey; flanks white; all but the
two centre tail-feathers greyish brown at the base and largely tipped
with black; bill black; irides black; naked skin surrounding the eye
bluish lead-colour; the corners immediately before and behind the eye
mealy vinous red; feet and frontal scales dark purplish vinous red.
The figures are of the natural size.
[Illustration:
GEOPHAPS SMITHII.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del^t._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
GEOPHAPS SMITHII.
Smith’s Partridge Bronze-wing.
_Columba Smithii_, Jard. and Selb. Ill. Orn., vol. iii. pl. 104.
_M̏an-ga_, Aborigines of the Cobourg Peninsula.
_Partridge Pigeon_, Residents of Port Essington.
In structure this species is in every respect a true _Geophaps_, and the
accompanying notes by Mr. Gilbert show that it as closely assimilates in
its habits and economy to the type of the genus as it well can. It
appears to be abundant on the north coast of Australia, which is the
only part of the country from which I have yet received it.
“This bird,” says Mr. Gilbert, “which at Port Essington is termed
the Partridge, from its habits much resembling those of that bird,
exhibits a departure in several of its essential characters from the
typical Pigeons. In its general habits, flight, voice, mode of
incubation, and the character of its newly hatched young, it differs
considerably from all its congeners. It is rather abundant in all
parts of the Peninsula, is mostly seen in small families and always
on the ground, unless when disturbed or alarmed; it then usually
flies into the nearest tree, generally choosing the largest part of
a horizontal branch to perch upon. When it rises from the ground its
flight is accompanied with a louder flapping or burring noise than I
have observed in any other Pigeon.
“Its note is a coo, so rolled out that it greatly resembles the note
of the Quail, and which, like that bird, it scarcely ever utters but
when on the ground, where it frequently remains stationary, allowing
itself to be almost trod upon before rising. Its favourite haunts
are meadows covered with short grass near water, or the edges of
newly burnt brush. It would seem that this species migrates
occasionally from one part of the country to another; for during the
months of September and October not a single individual was to be
seen, while at the time of my arrival and for a month after they
were so abundant that it was a common and daily occurrence for
persons to leave the settlement for an hour or two and return with
several brace; in the latter part of November they again appeared,
but were not so numerous as before; and in the January and February
following they were rarely to be met with, and then mostly in pairs
inhabiting the long grasses clothing the moister parts of the
meadows.
“This bird incubates from August to October, making no nest, but
merely smoothing down a small part of a clump of grass and forming a
slight hollow, in which it deposits two eggs, which are greenish
white, one inch and a quarter long by seven-eighths of an inch in
breadth. The young bird on emerging from the egg is clothed with
down like the young of the Quail.”
Eyes surrounded with a large naked space of a bright reddish orange
colour; head and all the upper surface olive-brown; throat white, the
tips of the last feathers grey, forming a surrounding margin of that
colour; on the cheeks a large brownish grey spot, nearly insulated by
the large space of the eyes being surrounded by a narrow band of white,
the feathers of which are tipped with black; chest reddish brown; on the
centre of the breast a few of the feathers are clear grey, margined at
the tip with black; breast and abdomen purplish olive-brown; flanks
white; lower part of the abdomen and vent buff; primaries and
secondaries dark brown, margined with pale brown; the outer webs of the
three or four last secondaries, and one or two greater coverts for
two-thirds of their length from the base rich purple with greenish wavy
reflexions; two centre tail-feathers olive-brown, the remainder deep
slate-grey at base and black at the extremity; under tail-coverts dark
brown margined with light brown; irides of three colours, first a narrow
ring of red next the pupil, then a broader ring of pure white, and
lastly a narrow one of grey; bill blackish grey; legs and feet bluish
grey; back of the tarsi and inner side of the feet yellowish grey.
The figures are those of a male and female of the natural size.
[Illustration:
GEOPHAPS PLUMIFERA: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter lithog._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
GEOPHAPS PLUMIFERA, _Gould_.
Plumed Partridge Bronze-wing.
_Geophaps plumifera_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., February 8, 1842.
This rare and highly interesting species of Pigeon was sent me by my
friend B. Bynoe, Esq., who procured it on the north-west coast of
Australia. The notes accompanying the bird informed me that “it inhabits
the country between Cape Hotham and the island of Depuch; the specimen
sent is from the isolated water reaches about 150 miles up the Victoria
River. It congregates on the ground and rises like a Quail, plunging
immediately afterwards in the thick long grass.”
In its structure and markings it closely assimilates to the other
members of the genus _Geophaps_; but widely differs from them in its
diminutive size, and in the possession of a long and graceful crest
springing from the occiput, a character which exists in several of the
_Gallinacea_, and is familiar to every one in the pretty Pewit or
Lapwing (_Vanellus cristatus_) of the British Islands.
Lores and orbits naked, and of a yellowish red; head furnished with a
lengthened occipital crest, which with the crown, sides of the neck and
chest, and under part of the wing, are light ferruginous; chin black;
throat banded alternately with white and black, the latter colour
extending to the ear-coverts; on the chest two semilunar marks of white,
which meeting form a point in the centre; middle of the abdomen light
buff; under tail-coverts brown, with lighter edges; back of the neck,
back, rump and upper tail-coverts rufous brown; wings light ferruginous,
with the basal half of the feathers silvery grey, the two colours
separated by a transverse band of black; primaries rufous brown;
secondaries brown, with a large patch of bronze-purple towards their
tips; tail black; bill black; feet reddish brown.
The figures are of the natural size.
[Illustration:
OCYPHAPS LOPHOTES.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
OCYPHAPS LOPHOTES.
Crested Pigeon.
_Columba Lophotes_, Temm. Pl. Col. 142.—Wagl. Syst. Av. Columba, sp.
103.—Steph. Cont. of Shaw’s Gen. Zool., vol. xiv. p. 289. pl. 34.
_The Crested Pigeon of the Marshes_, Sturt’s two Exp. to the interior
of Southern Australia, vol. i. pl. in p. 24.
_Turtur? Lophotes_, Selby, Nat. Lib. Orn., vol. v. Pigeons, p. 174.
pl. 18.
The chasteness of its colouring, the extreme elegance of its form, and
the graceful crest which flows backwards from its occiput, all tend to
render this Pigeon one of the most lovely of its tribe inhabiting
Australia, and in fact I consider it is not surpassed in beauty by any
other from any part of the world. It is to be regretted, that owing to
its being exclusively an inhabitant of the plains of the interior, it
can never become an object of general observation; but, like the
_Peristera histrionica_ and _Geophaps scripta_ it can only be seen by
those of our enterprising countrymen whose love of exploring new
countries prompts them to leave for a time the haunts of civilized man
to wander among the wilds of the distant interior, a portion of the
country never to be regarded as solitary or uninteresting by those who
look with admiration upon the wonderful works of their Creator: the
fauna of the interior of Australia has in fact, as I have frequently had
occasion to remark in the course of the present work, features
peculiarly its own, and its members are eminently interesting both for
their novelty and for the beauty and elegance of their form.
As might be supposed, this bird has attracted the notice of all our
travellers who have journeyed across the colonial line of demarcation;
Captain Sturt mentions it as being numerous on the plains of Wellington
valley, and in the neighbourhood of the Morumbidgee. It would seem to
affect marshy situations in preference to others, for Captain Sturt
observes that he took its appearance to be a sure sign of his approach
to a country more than ordinarily subject to overflow; since, on the
Macquarie and the Darling, those birds were only found to inhabit the
regions of marshes, or spaces covered by the _Acacia pendula_ or the
_Polygonum junceum_. The locality nearest the coast line that I know it
to inhabit, is the country near the great bend of the river Murray in
South Australia, where it is tolerably abundant; it abounds on the
plains at the back of Moreton Bay on the banks of the river Namoi, and
is occasionally, but very rarely, seen on the Liverpool Plains. It
frequently assembles in very large flocks, and when it visits the
lagoons or river-sides for water, during the dry seasons, generally
selects a single tree, or even a particular branch, on which to
congregate; very great numbers perching side by side, and all descending
simultaneously to drink: so closely are they packed while thus engaged,
that I have heard of dozens of them being killed by the single discharge
of a gun.
Its powers of flight are so rapid as to be unequalled by those of any
member of the group to which it belongs; an impetus being acquired by a
few quick flaps of the wings, it goes skimming off apparently without
any further movement of the pinions. Upon alighting on a branch it
elevates its tail and throws back its head, so as to bring them nearly
together, at the same time erecting its crest and showing itself off to
the utmost advantage.
I met with the nest of this species in a low tree, on the great plain
near Gundermein on the Lower Namoi, on the twenty-third of December
1839; like that of the other species of Pigeon, it was a slight
structure of small twigs, and contained two white eggs, which were one
inch and a quarter long and nearly an inch broad, upon which the female
was then sitting.
The sexes are alike in plumage.
Head, face, throat, breast and abdomen grey; lengthened occipital plumes
black; back of the neck, back, rump, flanks, upper and under
tail-coverts light olive-brown; the upper tail-coverts tipped with
white; sides of the neck washed with pinky salmon-colour; feathers
covering the insertion of the wing deep buff, each crossed near the tip
with a line of deep black, giving this part of the plumage a barred
appearance; greater wing-coverts shining bronzy green, margined with
white; primaries brown, becoming of a deeper tint as they approach the
body; the third, fourth and fifth finely margined on the apical half of
their external web with brownish white, the remainder with a narrow line
of white bounding the extremities of both webs; secondaries brown on
their inner webs, bronzy purple on their outer webs at the base, and
brown at the extremity, broadly margined with white; two centre
tail-feathers brown, the remainder blackish brown, glossed with green on
their outer webs, and tipped with white; irides buffy orange; orbits
naked, wrinkled, and of a pink-red; nostrils and base of the bill
olive-black; tip black; legs and feet pink-red.
The figures are of the natural size.
[Illustration:
PETROPHASSA ALBIPENNIS: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
PETROPHASSA ALBIPENNIS, _Gould_.
White-quilled Rock Dove.
_Petrophassa albipennis_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VIII. p.
173.
This highly singular species of Pigeon is an inhabitant of the most
rugged, rocky and sterile districts of the north-west coast of
Australia. The specimens in my possession were sent me by the Officers
of the Beagle, but, I regret to say, were unaccompanied by any
particulars respecting their history. The form of the wing would lead us
to imagine that in many parts of its economy this species much resembles
those of the members of the genus _Geophaps_; but on these points
nothing can be ascertained with certainty, until the productions of
those remote parts of Australia have been carefully investigated, a
period which, from the inhospitable character of the country, I fear is
far distant.
Crown of the head and neck greyish brown, margined with sandy brown; all
the upper surface, chest and tail rufous brown, the centre of each
feather inclining to grey; lores black; abdomen and under tail-coverts
chocolate brown; throat clothed with small feathers white at the tip,
black at the base; primaries dark brown at their tips, the basal half
pure white; bill and irides blackish brown; feet reddish brown.
The Plate represents a male and a female of the natural size.
[Illustration:
GEOPELIA HUMERALIS.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
GEOPELIA HUMERALIS.
Barred-shouldered Ground-Dove.
_Columba humeralis_, Temm. Pl. Col. 191.
_Mangrove Pigeon_, resident at Port Essington.
There are reasons for believing that the _Geopelia humeralis_ inhabits
the whole of the vast interior of Australia as well as the neighbourhood
of the coasts of its northern and eastern portions. In New South Wales
it is sparingly dispersed over the Liverpool Plains, where some of the
specimens I possess were obtained, while others were procured at Port
Essington. As the structure of its legs would indicate, it passes much
of its time on the ground, feeding on the seeds of various kinds of
grasses and leguminous plants. Not only is it one of the most elegant of
the Dove tribe inhabiting Australia, but it is also one of the most tame
and docile, if I may judge from the few I observed on the heated plains
of New South Wales: their confidence was such that they sometimes
perched within two yards of the spot where I was sitting; extreme thirst
and a scanty supply of water may, however, have rendered them more tame
and bold than they otherwise would have been.
Mr. Gilbert states that at Port Essington “this Pigeon is extremely
abundant, inhabiting thickets, swampy grounds, and the banks of running
streams. It mostly feeds on the seeds of various kinds of grasses, but
when the country becomes burnt it finds an abundant supply of berries in
the thickets. It may often be seen among the mangroves in flocks of
several hundreds, and hence its colonial name of Mangrove Pigeon. It was
equally numerous during the whole period of my stay in that part of the
country. Any number of specimens may be readily procured, for when
disturbed the bird merely flits from branch to branch, or if in an open
part of the country to the nearest tree. I did not on any occasion
observe it take anything approaching a sustained flight. Its most common
note is a rather loud _coo-coo_, occasionally uttered at long intervals;
during the pairing-season the note becomes of a softer tone, and is more
rapidly repeated, and its actions very much resemble those of the
Domestic Pigeon of Europe. It breeds in August, and makes a very slight
nest of slender twigs, loosely and carelessly laid across each other on
two or three of the lower leaves of the _Pandanus_, the upper leaves of
which afford it a shelter from the rays of the sun, and from the rain;
the eggs are two in number of a delicate fleshy-white.”
The sexes are alike in colouring.
Forehead, cheeks, sides of the neck and breast delicate grey; occiput,
back, wing-coverts, rump and upper tail-coverts silky brown; back of the
neck rufous, every feather of the upper surface bounded at the extremity
with a narrow band of black, giving the whole a squamated or scaled
appearance; under surface of the shoulder and the inner webs, except
their tips, of the primaries and secondaries fine rust-red; outer webs
and tips of the inner webs of the primaries and secondaries brown; two
centre tail-feathers dark grey, the remainder reddish brown at the base,
gradually increasing in intensity towards their tips, those next the
centre ones washed with grey on their outer webs, and all but the centre
ones largely tipped with white; centre of the abdomen white; the
remainder of the under surface washed with vinous; irides ochre-yellow;
bill and nostrils delicate mealy light blue; naked skin round the eye
mealy purple; legs and feet pink red.
The Plate represents a male and female of the natural size.
[Illustration:
GEOPELIA TRANQUILLA: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
GEOPELIA TRANQUILLA, _Gould_.
Peaceful Dove.
_Geopelia placida_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part XII. p. 56.
The interior of the country northward from New South Wales is inhabited
by considerable numbers of this pretty little Dove, but it has not yet
been met with either in Southern or Western Australia. It was very
abundant on the Namoi, particularly on the lower part of that river; and
that its range will extend over a large part of the interior, is more
than probable.
A bird precisely similar in markings, but of a smaller size, is very
abundant at Port Essington, and the two birds may prove to be mere
varieties of each other; at the same time, as so great a variation in
size rarely if ever occurs in a state of nature, I have for the present
considered it to be a distinct species, and assigned to it the name of
_Geopelia placida_; it is nearly one-third less than the bird here
represented, but as there is not the slightest difference in the
markings, it will not be necessary for me to give a figure of it.
The bird found in the neighbourhood of the Lower Namoi was chiefly
observed on the ground, feeding on the seeds of the various kinds of
plants that grow under the shelter of the thinly-timbered forests
bordering the plains. It was frequently seen in flocks, and was equally
as tame as the _Geopelia cuneata_.
The Port Essington bird is abundantly and equally distributed over all
parts of the peninsula and the neighbouring islands; its favourite
haunts being moist meadows or the grassy banks of small streams, and
grass-seeds its principal food. It is usually met with in flocks of from
twenty to fifty in number, which when disturbed generally fly off to the
nearest tree; on alighting they jerk the tail very erect, and utter
their slowly-repeated and monotonous double note; at other times they
coo very faintly, after the manner of the other members of the family.
It is said to make a slight nest in a hollow among the grass near the
ground, and to lay two eggs.
The only observable difference between the sexes is the smaller size of
the female.
Face and throat grey; occiput, back and wings ashy brown, each feather
with a band of deep velvety black at the extremity; spurious wings and
primaries dark brown; under surface of the shoulders chestnut; chest,
sides and back of the neck grey, crossed by numerous narrow bands of
black; abdomen and flanks vinous; four central tail-feathers ashy brown,
the remainder black largely tipped with white; irides light ash-grey;
bill and orbits bright greyish blue, becoming much paler before and
behind the eye; frontal scales of the tarsi and feet dark greenish grey;
remainder of the legs and feet reddish flesh-colour.
The Plate represents the two sexes of the natural size.
[Illustration:
GEOPELIA CUNEATA.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
GEOPELIA CUNEATA.
Graceful Ground-Dove.
_Columba cuneata_, Lath. Ind. Orn., Supp., p. 61.—Wagl. Syst. Av., sp.
107.
—— _Macquarie_, Quoy et Gaim. Voy. de l’Uranie, Ois., t. 31.—Ib. Knip
et Prevost, Hist. Nat. des Pig., t. 41
—— _spiloptera_, Vig. in Zool. Journ., vol. v. p. 275.
_Geopelia cuneata_, List of Brit. Mus. Coll., Part III. p. 11.
_Men-na-brun-ka_, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western
Australia.
_Turtle Dove_, Colonists of Swan River.
The beautiful little Dove here represented is at once remarkable for the
elegance of its contour, the chaste and quiet colouring of its plumage,
and for its tame and gentle disposition, all of which combine to render
it a general favourite with the Australians; and it is a matter of
surprise to me that it has not long ere this been a denizen of their
aviaries and sent alive to England, few birds being likely to bear
confinement more contentedly.
I have specimens collected in every one of the Australian colonies, even
that of Port Essington; I encountered it myself on the flat and fertile
districts of the Upper Hunter in New South Wales, and James Macarthur,
Esq., informed me that it is sometimes seen on his estate at Camden; at
the same time, as it is rarely met with on the seaside of the mountain
ranges, but occurs in considerable numbers on the plains of the
interior, so far as they have yet been explored, it must be regarded as
an inhabitant of the central portion of the country, over the whole of
which vast space it is doubtless numerously dispersed.
Its natural food being the seeds of grasses and leguminous plants, it is
observed more frequently on the ground than among the trees; I sometimes
met with it in small flocks, but more often in pairs or singly. It runs
over the ground with a short bobbing motion of the tail, and while
feeding is so remarkably tame as almost to admit of its being taken by
the hand, and if forced to take wing it merely flies to the nearest
trees, and there remains motionless among the branches until it again
descends to the ground. I not unfrequently observed it close to the open
doors of the huts of the stock-keepers of the interior, who, from its
being so constantly before them, regard it with little interest.
The nest is a frail but beautiful structure, formed of the stalks of a
few flowering grasses, crossed and interwoven after the manner of the
other pigeons. One sent me from Western Australia is “composed,” says
Mr. Gilbert, “of a small species of knotted everlasting-like plant
(_Composita_), and was placed on the overhanging grasses of the
_Xanthorrhœa_; but the bird usually constructs a very loosely formed
nest in the fork of a tree. During my first visit to this part of the
country only two situations were known as places of resort for this
species, and I did not meet with more than five or six examples; since
that period it has become extremely abundant, and now a pair or two may
occasionally be seen about most of the settlers’ houses on the Avon,
becoming apparently very tame and familiarized to man. It utters a
rather singular note, which at times very much resembles the distant
crowing of a cock. The term is _Men-na-brun-ka_ is applied to it by the
natives from a traditionary idea that the bird originally introduced the
_Men-na_, a kind of gum which exudes from a species of _Acacia_, and
which is one of the favourite articles of food of the natives.”
The eggs are white and two in number, eleven-sixteenths of an inch long
by seven-sixteenths broad.
The sexes, although bearing a general resemblance to each other, may be
readily distinguished by the smaller size of the female, by the browner
hue of her wing-feathers, and by the spotting of her upper surface not
being so numerous or so regular as in the male.
The male has the head, neck and breast delicate grey, passing into white
on the abdomen and under tail-coverts; back and scapularies
cinnamon-brown; wing-coverts dark grey; each feather of the wing-coverts
and scapularies with two spots, one on the edge of either web near the
tip, of white encircled with black; spurious wing and primaries brown,
the latter rufous on their inner webs for two-thirds of their length;
four centre tail-feathers grey, deepening into black at the extremity
and with black shafts; the remainder greyish black at the base, and pure
white for the remainder of their length; irides in some instances bright
red, and the naked skin round the eyes light scarlet; in others the
irides and naked skin round the eyes are pale greenish yellow; bill dark
olive-brown; feet reddish flesh-colour in some instances, in others
yellowish.
The female differs in having the back of the head, neck and upper
surface browner, and the spots on the wings larger than the male.
The Plate represents the two sexes of the natural size.
[Illustration:
MACROPYGIA PHASIANELLA.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
MACROPYGIA PHASIANELLA.
Pheasant-tailed Pigeon.
_Columba Phasianella_, Temm, Pl. Col. 100.
From what I could personally observe during my residence in New South
Wales, the Pheasant-tailed Pigeon resorts entirely to the brushes, as in
no instance did I ever meet with it in the open parts of the country.
From Illawarra to Moreton Bay it is a common and stationary species. It
is a fine showy bird in a state of nature, and exhibits itself to great
advantage when it rises from the ground to the trees, with its large and
long tail spread to its greatest extent. While traversing the brushes I
have frequently come upon this bird quite unawares, when busily engaged
searching on the ground for fallen seeds and berries. Rarely were more
than four or five collected together at one time, and most frequently it
occurred singly or in pairs. Up to the present time, our knowledge of
the extent of habitat enjoyed by this bird is very limited; I have never
myself seen it in any collections but those made in New South Wales;
other nearly allied species are found in Java and Amboina, and doubtless
there are many others yet to be discovered, since from the recluse
habits of the birds forming the present genus, they may be very easily
overlooked. As its lengthened tarsi would lead us to imagine, it spends
much of its time on the ground, while its broad and voluminous tail
equally indicates that this organ is displayed to the greatest advantage
amongst the branches, and in both instances such is really the case;
when flushed from the ground in the depths of the forest it merely flies
to the branch of some low shrub-like tree, and there remains with little
appearance of fear.
The sexes are precisely similar in colour and nearly so in size;
dissection, in fact, is necessary to distinguish them.
Its note is loud, mournful and monotonous.
General plumage rich rusty brown, becoming of a dark brown on the wings;
wing-coverts margined with rusty brown; ear-coverts crossed by narrow
bars of black; sides and back of the neck glossed with bronzy purple;
lateral tail-feathers crossed near the tip by a broad band of black,
beyond which the brown colour is paler than at the base; bill dark
olive-brown, mealy at the base; irides blue, with an outer circle of
scarlet; orbits mealy bluish lilac; feet pink-red.
The figure is of the natural size.
[Illustration:
GNATHODON STRIGIROSTRIS: _Jard._
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
GNATHODON STRIGIROSTRIS, _Jard._
Gnathodon.
_Gnathodon strigirostris_, Jard. in Ann. and Mag. of Nat. Hist., vol.
xvi. p. 175. pl. ix.
The researches of modern zoologists have not perhaps brought to light a
more curious object than the bird here represented, a single specimen of
which is in the collection of Sir William Jardine, Bart., to whose
kindness and liberality I am indebted for permission to include a
drawing of it in the present work. I regret to say that no intelligence
whatever could be obtained as to its habits, or the precise locality of
which it is a native; it was purchased by Lady Harvey at a sale in
Edinburgh, where the other objects sold at the same time were all
Australian, and mostly peculiar to the south-eastern coast of that
country; hence I have been induced to include a figure of it in the
present work for which I feel that no apology is required, as the Plate
cannot fail to be viewed with interest by all ornithologists, and will
probably induce residents in the country to investigate the history of
so remarkable a species. While we know so little as we do respecting it,
every ornithologist must form his own opinion as to the place it should
occupy in the natural system; and these opinions will doubtless be very
various; the contour of the bill, the form and position of the nostrils
are different from those of any other species with which we are
acquainted, and although pertaining to so much smaller a bird strongly
remind one of the celebrated Dodo; the form of the body and wings and
the structure of the feathers differ but slightly from those of the
_Columbidæ_, to which family it is, in my opinion, most nearly allied;
for although at a first glance its strongly hooked upper and deeply
notched under mandible would seem to indicate a sanguinary disposition,
and that its food consists of animal substances, I am inclined to
believe that it is frugivorous or granivorous, and that the remarkably
formed bill is expressly adapted to denude palm-nuts or other strongly
coated seeds of their hard outer covering; the maxillæ are very wide,
and the nakedness of the throat would indicate that the gullet is
capable of sufficient dilatation to admit of the passage of articles of
food of considerable size.
The probably unique specimen from which my figure is taken is very
perfect, with the exception of the scales of the front of the tarsi,
which are unfortunately wanting; I am consequently left in doubt as to
whether the legs as far as the knees, if not the upper part of the
tarsi, have or have not been clothed with feathers.
The first description of this species was published by Sir William
Jardine in the ‘Annals and Magazine of Natural History,’ above referred
to, wherein he states that “we are indebted to Lady Harvey, whose
extensive collection of natural history in Edinburgh is always open when
science can be promoted, for a specimen of this remarkable bird;” and
adds, “we are aware of no existing description, though there is one
allusion made to a bird which may eventually turn out to be this. In Mr.
Strickland’s Report on the Recent Progress and Present State of
Ornithology, read before the British Association at York, it is stated,
‘The recent American voyage of discovery will extend our knowledge of
Polynesian zoology, and its researches will be made known by Mr. Titian
Peale, who is said to have discovered among other rarities a new bird
allied to the Dodo, which he proposes to name _Didunculus_;’ and we
believe ‘_strigirostris_’ has been applied specifically.”
The structure of the wing indicates that its powers of flight are
considerable.
Lores and a small patch on each side of the throat bare and apparently
red; head, neck, breast and belly glossy greenish black; feathers of the
upper part of the back black, with a crescent-shaped mark of glossy
green at the tip of each feather; back, wings, tail and under
tail-coverts rich deep chestnut-red; primaries and secondaries greyish
black; bill orange; tarsi and feet apparently reddish flesh-colour.
The figures represent the bird in two positions of the natural size.
[Illustration:
TALEGALLA LATHAMI.
_C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
TALEGALLA LATHAMI.
Wattled Talegalla.
_New Holland Vulture_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. i. p. 32.
_Genus Alectura_, Ibid., vol. x. p. 455.
_Alectura Lathami_, Gray, Zool. Misc., No. I. p. 3.—Jard. and Selby,
Ill. Orn., vol. iii. pl. cxl.
_New Holland Vulture_, Swains. Class. of Birds, vol. i. p. 383.
_Catheturus Australis_, Ibid., vol. ii. p. 206.
_Meleagris Lindesayii_, Jameson, Mem. Wern. Nat. Hist. Soc., vol. vii.
p. 473.
_Brush Turkey_ of the Colonists; _Wee-lah_, Aborigines of the Namoi.
It has often been asserted that Australia abounds in anomalies, and in
no instance is the truth of this proposition more fully exemplified than
in the history of the very singular bird here represented, respecting
the situation of which, in the natural system, much diversity of opinion
has hitherto prevailed. It was consequently one of the birds which
demanded my utmost attention during my late expedition, and I trust that
the following details will assist in clearing up this long-disputed
point.
The bird in question was originally described and figured by the late
Dr. Latham in the first volume of his “General History of Birds,” under
the name of _New Holland Vulture_; but subsequently he conceived himself
in error in classing it with the _Vidturidæ_, and at the end of the
tenth volume of the same work placed it among the _Gallinaceæ_, with the
generic appellation of _Alectura_: the species was afterwards dedicated
to this venerable ornithologist by Mr. John Edward Gray, in his
“Zoological Miscellany.”
The generic and specific terms, _Catheturus Australis_, were
subsequently applied to it by Mr. Swainson, who in both volumes of his
“Classification of Birds” replaces it among the _Vidturidæ_, in order,
apparently, to establish his own views respecting this family, of which
he considers it the rasorial type, and details at some length why he
entertains this opinion.
“The New Holland Vulture,” says Mr. Swainson, “is so like a rasorial
bird, that some authors have hesitated (not having seen a specimen)
as to what order it really belonged. So completely, indeed, has
nature disguised this rare and extraordinary vulture in the
semblance of that type which it is to represent in its own family,
that it has even been classed by one writer with the _Menura_; and
it must be confessed, that if clear conceptions of the difference
between analogy and affinity are not entertained, such a
classification has some plausible reasons to recommend it. The feet,
in fact, of the two birds are formed nearly on the same principle,
but then so are those of _Orthonyx_, a little scansorial bird not
much bigger than a Robin. All three genera, in short, are remarkable
for their large disproportionate feet, long and slightly curved
claws, and the equality of length, or nearly so, of the outer and
the middle toe. Nor is this the only peculiarity of the New Holland
Vulture; for, unlike all others of its family, it possesses eighteen
feathers in its tail. An examination of the bill, which is decidedly
raptorial, joined with many other considerations, shows that all
these are but analogical relations to the _Rasores_, while the real
affinities of the bird are in the circle of the _Vulturidæ_, of
which it forms the rasorial type. A perfect specimen of this very
rare vulture, now before us,” continues this author, “enables us to
speak of its structure from personal examination.”
The term _Alectura_ having been previously employed for a group of
Flycatchers, and the present bird possessing all the characters of M.
Lesson’s genus _Talegalla_, which was published prior to Mr. Swainson’s
_Catheturus_, I feel that I ought to adopt that appellation.
How far its range may extend over Australia is not yet satisfactorily
ascertained; it is known to inhabit various parts of New South Wales,
from Cape Howe on the south to Moreton Bay on the north; but the
assaults of the cedar-cutters and others who so frequently hunt through
the brushes of Illawarra and Maitland, having nearly extirpated it from
those localities, it is now most plentiful in the dense and
little-trodden brushes of the Manning and Clarence. I was at first led
to believe that the country between the mountain-ranges and the coast
constituted its sole habitat; but I was agreeably surprised to find it
also an inhabitant of the scrubby gullies and sides of the lower hills
that branch off from the great range into the interior. I procured
specimens on the Brezi range to the north of Liverpool Plains, and
ascertained that it was abundant in all the hills on either side of the
Namoi.
It is a gregarious bird, generally moving about in small companies, much
after the manner of the _Gallinaceæ_, and, like some species of that
tribe, is very shy and distrustful. When disturbed it readily eludes
pursuit by the facility with which it runs through the tangled brush. If
hard pressed, or when rushed upon by its great enemy the native dog, the
whole company spring upon the lowermost bough of some neighbouring tree,
and by a succession of leaps from branch to branch ascend to the top,
and either perch there or fly off to another part of the brush. They are
also in the habit of resorting to the branches of trees as a shelter
from the mid-day sun, a peculiarity that greatly tends to their
destruction, as the sportsman is not only enabled to take a certain aim,
but, like the Ruffed Grouse of America, they will even allow a
succession of shots to be fired until they are all brought down. Unless
some measures be adopted for their preservation, this circumstance must
lead to an early extinction of the race; an event much to be regretted,
since, independently of its being an interesting bird for the aviary,
its flesh is extremely delicate, tender, and juicy.
The most remarkable circumstances connected with the economy of this
bird, are the facts of its not hatching its eggs by incubation: the
means resorted to for effecting this object, although in some degree
assimilating to the practice of the Ostrich, is yet upon a totally
different principle. The Wattled Talegalla collects together an immense
heap of decaying vegetable matter as a depositary for the eggs, and
trusts to the heat engendered by the process of decomposition for the
development of the young. The heap employed for this purpose is
collected by the birds during several weeks previous to the period of
laying; it varies in size from two to four cart-loads, and is of a
perfectly pyramidal form. The construction of the mound is not the work
of one pair of birds, but is effected by the united labours of several;
the same site appears to me, from the great size and the entire
decomposition of the lower part, to be resorted to for several years in
succession, the birds adding a fresh supply of materials on each
occasion previous to laying.
The mode in which the materials composing these mounds are accumulated
is equally singular,—the bird never using its bill, but always grasping
a quantity in its foot, throwing it backwards to one common centre, and
thus clearing the surface of the ground for a considerable distance so
completely, that scarcely a leaf or a blade of grass is left. The heap
being accumulated, and time allowed for a sufficient heat to be
engendered, the eggs are deposited, not side by side, as is ordinarily
the case, but planted at the distance of nine or twelve inches from each
other, and buried at nearly an arm’s depth, perfectly upright, with the
large end upwards; they are covered up as they are laid, and allowed to
remain until hatched. I have been credibly informed both by natives and
settlers living near their haunts, that it is not an unusual event to
obtain nearly a bushel of eggs at one time from a single heap; and as
they are delicious eating, they are eagerly sought after. Some of the
natives state that the females are constantly in the neighbourhood of
the heap about the time the young are likely to be hatched, and
frequently uncover and cover them up again, apparently for the purpose
of assisting those that may have appeared; while others have informed me
that the eggs are merely deposited, and the young allowed to force their
way unassisted. In all probability, as Nature has adopted this mode of
reproduction, she has also furnished the tender birds with the power of
sustaining themselves from the earliest period; and the great size of
the egg would equally lead to this conclusion, since in so large a space
it is reasonable to suppose that the bird would be much more developed
than is usually found in eggs of smaller dimensions. In further
confirmation of this point, I may add, that in searching for eggs in one
of the mounds I discovered the remains of a young bird, apparently just
excluded from the shell, and which was clothed with feathers, not with
down, as is usually the case: it is to be hoped that those who are
resident in Australia, in situations favourable for investigating the
subject, will direct their attention to the further elucidation of these
interesting points. The upright position of the eggs tends to strengthen
the opinion that they are never disturbed after being deposited, as it
is well known that the eggs of birds which are placed horizontally, are
frequently turned during incubation. Although, unfortunately, I was
almost too late for the breeding-season, I nevertheless saw several of
the heaps, both in the interior and at Illawarra; in every instance they
were placed in the most retired and shady glens, and on the slope of a
hill, the part above the nest being scratched clean, while all below
remained untouched, as if the birds had found it more easy to convey the
materials down than to throw them up. In one instance only was I
fortunate enough to find a perfect egg, although the shells of many from
which the young had been excluded were placed in the manner I have
described. At Illawarra they were rather deposited in the light
vegetable mould than among the leaves which formed a considerable heap
above them. The eggs are perfectly white, of a long oval form, three
inches and three-quarters long by two inches and a half in diameter: a
fine egg of this bird was subsequently presented to me by J. H.
Plunkett, Esq., Attorney-General, New South Wales.
While stalking about the wood they frequently utter a rather loud
clucking noise; and in various parts of the brush I observed depressions
in the earth, which the natives informed me were made by the birds in
dusting themselves.
The stomach is extremely muscular, and the crop of one dissected was
filled with seeds, berries, and a few insects.
I have already alluded to its capability for domestication; and I have
the gratification of adding, that a living specimen was in the
possession of Mr. Alexander MacLeay for several years, during which it
was mostly at large, and usually associated with the fowls in the
poultry-yard. On my arrival at Sydney this venerable gentleman took me
into his garden and showed me the bird, which, as if in its native
woods, had for two successive years collected an immense mass of
materials similar to those above described. The borders, lawn and
shrubbery over which it was allowed to range presented an appearance as
if regularly swept, from the bird having scratched to one common centre
everything that lay upon the surface; the mound in this case was about
three feet and a half high, and ten feet over. On placing my arm in it I
found the heat to be about 90° or 95° Fahr. The bird itself was
strutting about with a proud and majestic air, sometimes parading round
the heap, at others perching on the top, and displaying its brilliantly
coloured neck and wattle to the greatest advantage; this wattle it has
the power of expanding and contracting at will; at one moment it is
scarcely visible, while at another it is extremely prominent.
Before I left New South Wales Mr. MacLeay’s bird had met with an
untimely end by falling into a tank or water-butt, occasioned, it was
conjectured, by seeing the reflection of its own image in the water, and
rushing forward to meet a supposed antagonist. On dissection this
individual was found to be a male, thereby proving that the sexes are
equally employed in forming the mound for the reception of the eggs.
After all the facts that have been stated, I trust it will be evident
that its natural situation is among the _Rasores_, and that it forms one
of a great family of birds peculiar to Australia and the Indian islands,
of which _Megapodius_ forms a part; and in confirmation of this view I
may add, that the sternum has the two deep emarginations so truly
characteristic of the _Gallinaceæ_; at all events, it is in no way
allied to the _Vulturidæ_, and is nearly as far removed from _Menura_.
The adults have the whole of the upper surface, wings and tail blackish
brown; the feathers of the under surface blackish brown at the base,
becoming silvery grey at the tip; skin of the head and neck deep pink
red, thinly sprinkled with short hair-like blackish brown feathers;
wattle bright yellow, tinged with red where it unites with the red of
the neck; bill black; irides and feet brown.
The female, which is about a fourth less than the male in size, is so
closely the same in colour as to render a separate description
unnecessary. She also possesses the wattle, but not to so great an
extent.
The figure is about two-thirds the size of life.
[Illustration:
LEIPOA OCELLATA: _Gould_.
]
LEIPOA OCELLATA, _Gould_.
Ocellated Leipoa.
_Leipoa ocellata_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., October 13, 1840.
_Ngow_, Aborigines of the lowland; _Ng̏ow-oo_, of the mountain
districts of Western Australia.
_Native Pheasant_, Colonists of Western Australia.
This beautiful bird is among the most interesting of the novelties which
the little-explored regions of Australia have lately unfolded to us;
since, by its discovery, and a knowledge of its habits, we are enabled
to assign to its proper family (the _Megapodinæ_) the singular species
figured under the name of _Talegalla Lathami_.
The Ocellated Leipoa appears to be more peculiarly suited for a plain
and open country than for the tangled brush; and it is most curious to
observe how beautifully the means employed by Nature for the
reproduction of the species is adapted to the situations it is destined
to inhabit. A sketch of its economy, as far as it has yet been
ascertained, has been sent me by Mr. John Gilbert, and is here given in
his own words:
“The following account of the habits, manners, and nidification of this
bird have been detailed to me by G. Moore, Esq., Advocate-General, Mr.
Armstrong, the aboriginal interpreter, and some of the more intelligent
natives of Western Australia. Mr. Moore saw a great many of them about
sixty miles north of Perth; but its most favourite country appears to be
the barren sandy plains of the interior, 100 miles north and east of
York. It is a ground bird, never taking to a tree except when closely
hunted; when pursued it will frequently run its head into a bush, and is
then easily taken. In its actions and manners it is very like the
domestic fowl. Its food generally consists of seeds and berries. It has
a mournful note, very like that of a pigeon, but with a more inward
tone. The eggs are deposited in a mound of sand, the formation of which
is the work of both sexes: the natives say they scratch up the sand for
many yards around, forming a mound of about three feet in height; the
inside being constructed of alternate layers of dried leaves, grasses,
&c., among which the eggs are deposited to the number of twelve and
upwards, and covered up by the birds as laid; or, as the natives express
it, ‘the countenances of the eggs are never visible.’ The bird never
sits upon the eggs; but when she has laid her number the whole are
covered up, after which the mound of sand resembles an ant’s nest. The
eggs are hatched by the heat of the sun’s rays, the vegetable lining of
the hillock retaining sufficient warmth during the night: the eggs are
deposited in layers, no two eggs being suffered to lie without a
division. They are about the size of a fowl’s egg, and are white, very
slightly tinged with red. The natives are exceedingly fond of them, and
rob the mounds two or three times in a season; they judge of the
probable number of eggs in the heap by the quantity of feathers lying
around. If these are abundant, they know the hillock is full, when they
immediately open it and take the whole; upon which the bird will again
commence laying, to be robbed a second time, and will frequently lay a
third time. Upon questioning one of the men attached to Mr. Moore’s
expedition, he gave me a similar account of its habits and mode of
incubating; adding that in all the mounds they opened they found ants
almost as numerous as in an ant-hill, and that in many instances that
part of the mound surrounding the lower portion of the eggs had become
so hard, they were obliged to chip round them with a chisel to get them
out: the insides of the mounds were always hot.”
Captain Grey, of the 83rd Regiment, who has just returned from his
expedition to the north-west coast, has also furnished me with the
following information respecting its range, &c.: “The farthest point
north,” says this gentleman, “at which I have seen the breeding-places
of this bird, is Gantheaume Bay. The natives of King George’s Sound say
the same, or a nearly allied species, exists in that neighbourhood. I
have never fallen in with its nests but in one description of country,
viz. where the soil was dry and sandy, and so thickly wooded with a
species of dwarf _Leptospermum_, that if you stray from the native
paths, it is almost impossible to force your way through. In these close
scrubby woods small open glades occasionally occur, and here the
Ng̏ow-oo constructs its nest, a large heap of sand, dead grass and
boughs, at least nine feet in diameter, and three feet in height: I have
seen them even larger than this. Upon one occasion only I saw eggs in
these nests; they were placed some distance from each other, and buried
in the earth. I am not sure of the number, but the account given by the
natives led me to believe that at times large numbers are found.”
The Ocellated Leipoa is altogether a more slender and elegantly formed
bird than the Wattled Talegalla, and moreover differs from that bird in
having the head and neck thickly clothed with feathers, and in being
adorned with a beautifully variegated style of colouring.
Head and crest blackish brown; neck and shoulders dark ash grey; the
fore part of the former, from the chin to the breast, marked by a series
of lanceolate feathers, which are black with a white stripe down the
centre; back and wings conspicuously marked with three distinct bands of
greyish white, brown and black near the tip of each feather, the marks
assuming an ocellate form, particularly on the tips of the secondaries;
primaries brown, their outer webs marked with zigzag lines of darker
brown; rump and upper tail-coverts brownish grey, the feathers of the
latter transversely marked with two or three zigzag lines near their
tip; all the under surface light buff, the tips of the flank feathers
barred with black; tail blackish brown, broadly tipped with buff; bill
black; feet blackish brown.
The figures are about two-thirds of the natural size.
[Illustration:
MEGAPODIUS TUMULUS: _Gould_.
_C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
MEGAPODIUS TUMULUS, _Gould_.
Mound-raising Megapode.
_Megapodius tumulus_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., February 8, 1842.
_Oooregoorgā_, Aborigines of the Cobourg Peninsula.
_Jungle-fowl_, Colonists of Port Essington.
The discovery of a species of _Megapodius_ in Australia, as soon as the
northern portions of the country should be subjected to a careful
investigation, is no more than might have been expected, considering
that New Guinea and the adjacent islands are the great nursery of this
extraordinary tribe of birds.
When the _Megapodius Tumulus_ first came under my observation I
conceived it to be the _M. rubripes_ of M. Temminck, and it was not
until I had examined specimens of that species in the Museums of Paris
and Leyden that I was satisfied of its being distinct. Its much greater
size and more than proportionately powerful legs are among the specific
differences which will be observable by those who may feel disposed to
institute a comparison. Interesting as this bird must be to every
naturalist, to myself it is peculiarly so, since the valuable notes on
its habits and economy which happily I am enabled to give fully confirm
all that I had previously asserted respecting the extraordinary mode of
incubation of the _Talegalla_, verifying the opinion I have before
expressed, that _Megapodius_, _Talegalla_ and _Leipoa_ are most nearly
allied genera forming part of a great family of birds, whose range will
be found to extend from the Philippines through the islands of the
Indian Archipelago to Australia.
The _Megapodius Tumulus_ is rather numerously spread over the whole of
the Cobourg Peninsula on the north coast of the Australian continent,
where the British settlement of Port Essington is now established;
future research will doubtless require us to assign to it a much wider
range, probably over the whole extent of the north coast.
The following account of its habits is taken from Mr. Gilbert’s notes;
and, novel and extraordinary as my description of those of _Talegalla_
and _Leipoa_ may have been considered, this will be read with even
greater interest.
“On my arrival at Port Essington my attention was attracted to
numerous immense mounds of earth, which were pointed out to me by
some of the residents as the tumuli of the aborigines; on the other
hand I was assured by the natives that they were formed by the
Jungle-fowl for the purpose of incubating its eggs: their statement
appeared so extraordinary, and so much at variance with the general
habits of birds, that no one in the settlement believed them, or
took sufficient interest in the matter to examine the mounds, and
thus to verify or refute their accounts; another circumstance which
induced a doubt of their veracity, was the great size of the eggs
brought in by the natives as those of this bird. Aware that the eggs
of _Leipoa_ were hatched in a similar manner, my attention was
immediately arrested by these accounts, and I at once determined to
ascertain all I possibly could respecting so singular a feature in
the bird’s economy; and having procured the assistance of a very
intelligent native, who undertook to guide me to the different
places resorted to by the bird, I proceeded on the sixteenth of
November to Knocker’s Bay, a part of Port Essington Harbour
comparatively but little known, and where I had been informed a
number of these birds were always to be seen. I landed beside a
thicket, and had not proceeded far from the shore ere I came to a
mound of sand and shells, with a slight mixture of black soil, the
base resting on a sandy beach, only a few feet above high water
mark; it was enveloped in the large yellow-blossomed _Hibiscus_, was
of a conical form, twenty feet in circumference at the base, and
about five feet in height. On pointing it out to the native and
asking him what it was, he replied, ‘Oooregoorgā Rambal,’
Jungle-fowls’ house or nest. I then scrambled up the sides of it,
and to my extreme delight found a young bird in a hole about two
feet deep; it was lying on a few dry withered leaves, and appeared
to be only a few days old. So far I was satisfied that these mounds
had some connexion with the bird’s mode of incubation; but I was
still sceptical as to the probability of these young birds ascending
from so great a depth as the natives represented, and my suspicions
were confirmed by my being unable to induce the native, in this
instance, to search for the eggs, his excuse being that ‘he knew it
would be of no use, as he saw no traces of the old birds having
recently been there.’ I took the utmost care of the young bird,
intending to rear it if possible; I therefore obtained a moderately
sized box, and placed in it a large portion of sand. As it fed
rather freely on bruised Indian corn I was in full hopes of
succeeding, but it proved of so wild and intractable a disposition
that it would not reconcile itself to such close confinement, and
effected its escape on the third day. During the period it remained
in captivity it was incessantly occupied in scratching up the sand
into heaps, and the rapidity with which it threw the sand from one
end of the box to the other was quite surprising for so young and
small a bird, its size not being larger than that of a small quail.
At night it was so restless that I was constantly kept awake by the
noise it made in its endeavours to escape. In scratching up the sand
it only used one foot, and having grasped a handful as it were, the
sand was thrown behind it, with but little apparent exertion, and
without shifting its standing position on the other leg; this habit
seemed to be the result of an innate restless disposition and a
desire to use its powerful feet, and to have but little connexion
with its feeding; for although Indian corn was mixed with the sand,
I never detected the bird in picking any of it up while thus
employed.
“I continued to receive the eggs without having an opportunity of
seeing them taken from the mound until the sixth of February, when
on again visiting Knocker’s Bay I had the gratification of seeing
two taken from a depth of six feet, in one of the largest mounds I
had then seen. In this instance the holes ran down in an oblique
direction from the centre towards the outer slope of the hillock, so
that although the eggs were six feet deep from the summit, they were
only two or three feet from the side. The birds are said to lay but
a single egg in each hole, and after the egg is deposited the earth
is immediately thrown down lightly until the hole is filled up; the
upper part of the mound is then smoothed and rounded over. It is
easily known when a Jungle-fowl has been recently excavating, from
the distinct impressions of its feet on the top and sides of the
mound, and the earth being so lightly thrown over, that with a
slender stick the direction of the hole is readily detected, the
ease or difficulty of thrusting the stick down indicating the length
of time that may have elapsed since the bird’s operations. Thus far
it is easy enough; but to reach the eggs requires no little exertion
and perseverance. The natives dig them up with their hands alone,
and only make sufficient room to admit their bodies, and to throw
out the earth between their legs; by grubbing with their fingers
alone they are enabled to follow the direction of the hole with
greater certainty, which will sometimes, at a depth of several feet,
turn off abruptly at right angles, its direct course being
obstructed by a clump of wood or some other impediment. Their
patience is, however, often put to severe trials. In the present
instance the native dug down six times in succession to a depth of
at least six or seven feet without finding an egg, and at the last
attempt came up in such a state of exhaustion that he refused to try
again; but my interest was now too much excited to relinquish the
opportunity of verifying the native’s statements, and by the offer
of an additional reward I induced him to try again: this seventh
trial proved successful, and my gratification was complete, when the
native with equal pride and satisfaction held up an egg, and after
two or three more attempts produced a second; thus proving how
cautious Europeans should be of disregarding the narratives of these
poor children of nature, because they happen to sound extraordinary
or different from anything with which they were previously
acquainted.
“I revisited Knocker’s Bay on the tenth of February, and having with
some difficulty penetrated into a dense thicket of canelike creeping
plants, I suddenly found myself beside a mound of gigantic
proportions. It was fifteen feet in height and sixty in
circumference at the base, the upper part being about a third less,
and was entirely composed of the richest description of light
vegetable mould; on the top were very recent marks of the bird’s
feet. The native and myself immediately set to work, and after an
hour’s extreme labour, rendered the more fatiguing from the
excessive heat, and the tormenting attacks of myriads of mosquitoes
and sand-flies, I succeeded in obtaining an egg from a depth of
about five feet; it was in a perpendicular position, with the earth
surrounding and very lightly touching it on all sides, and without
any other material to impart warmth, which in fact did not appear
necessary, the mound being quite warm to the hands. The holes in
this mound commenced at the outer edge of the summit, and ran down
obliquely towards the centre; their direction therefore is not
uniform. Like the majority of the mounds I have seen, this was so
enveloped in thickly foliaged trees as to preclude the possibility
of the sun’s rays reaching any part of it.
“The mounds differ very much in their composition, form and
situation: most of those that are placed near the water’s edge were
formed of sand and shells without a vestige of any other material,
but in some of them I met with a portion of soil and decaying wood;
when constructed of this loose material they are very irregular in
outline, and often resemble a bank thrown up by a constant heavy
surf. One remarkable specimen of this description, situated on the
southern side of Knocker’s Bay, has the appearance of a bank, from
twenty-five to thirty feet in length, with an average height of five
feet; another even more singular is situated at the head of the
harbour, and is composed entirely of pebbly iron-stone, resembling a
confused heap of sifted gravel; into this I dug to the depth of two
or three feet without finding any change of character; it may have
been conical originally, but is now without any regularity, and is
very extensive, covering a space of at least a hundred and fifty
feet in circumference. These remarkable specimens would, however,
seem to be exceptions, as by far the greater number are entirely
formed of light black vegetable soil, are of a conical form, and are
situated in the densest thickets. Occasionally the mounds are met
with in barren, rocky and sandy situations, where not a particle of
soil similar to that of which they are composed occurs for miles
around: how the soil is produced in such situations appears
unaccountable; it has been said that the parent birds bring it from
a great distance; but as we have seen that they readily adapt
themselves to the difference of situation, this is scarcely
probable: I conceive that they collect the dead leaves and other
vegetable matter that may be at hand, and which decomposing forms
this particular description of soil. The mounds are doubtless the
work of many years, and of many birds in succession; some of them
are evidently very ancient, trees being often seen growing from
their sides; in one instance I found a tree growing from the middle
of a mound which was a foot in diameter. I endeavoured to glean from
the natives how the young effect their escape; but on this point
they do not agree; some asserting that they find their way unaided;
others on the contrary affirmed that the old birds, knowing when the
young are ready to emerge from their confinement, scratch down and
release them.
“The natives say that only a single pair of birds are ever found at
one mound at a time, and such, judging from my own observation, I
believe to be the case; they also affirm that the eggs are deposited
at night, at intervals of several days, and this I also believe to
be correct, as four eggs taken on the same day, and from the same
mound, contained young in different stages of development; and the
fact that they are always placed perpendicularly is established by
the concurring testimony of all the different tribes of natives I
have questioned on the subject.
“The Jungle-fowl is almost exclusively confined to the dense
thickets immediately adjacent to the sea-beach; it appears never to
go far inland, except along the banks of creeks. It is always met
with in pairs or quite solitary, and feeds on the ground, its food
consisting of roots, which its powerful claws enable it to scratch
up with the utmost facility, and also of seeds, berries and insects,
particularly the larger species of coleoptera.
“It is at all times a very difficult bird to procure; for although
the rustling noise produced by its stiff pinions when flying may be
frequently heard, the bird itself is seldom to be seen. Its flight
is heavy and unsustained in the extreme; when first disturbed it
invariably flies to a tree, and on alighting stretches out its head
and neck in a straight line with its body, remaining in this
position as stationary and motionless as the branch upon which it is
perched; if, however, it becomes fairly alarmed, it takes a
horizontal but laborious flight for about a hundred yards, with its
legs hanging down as if broken. I did not myself detect any note or
cry; but from the natives’ description and imitation of it, it much
resembles the clucking of the domestic fowl, ending with a scream
like that of the peacock.
“I observed that the birds continued to lay from the latter part of
August to March, when I left that part of the country; and,
according to the testimony of the natives, there is only an interval
of about four or five months, the driest and hottest part of the
year, between their seasons of incubation. The composition of the
mound appears to influence the colouring of a thin epidermis with
which the eggs are covered, and which readily chips off, showing the
true shell to be white; those deposited in the black soil are always
of a dark reddish brown, while those from the sandy hillocks near
the beach are of a dirty yellowish white; they differ a good deal in
size, but in form they all assimilate, both ends being equal; they
are three inches and five lines long by two inches and three lines
broad.”
Head and crest very deep cinnamon-brown; back of the neck and all the
under surface very dark gray; back and wings cinnamon-brown; upper and
under tail-coverts dark chestnut-brown; tail blackish brown; irides
generally dark brown, but in some specimens light reddish brown; bill
reddish brown, with yellow edges; tarsi and feet bright orange, the
scales on the front of the tarsi from the fourth downwards, and the
scales of the toes dark reddish brown.
The figure is about one-fifth less than the natural size.
[Illustration:
PEDIONOMUS TORQUATUS: _Gould_.
_J. & E. Gould del._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
PEDIONOMUS TORQUATUS, _Gould_.
Collared Plain Wanderer.
_Pedionomus torquatus_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., September 8,
1840.
The structure of this singular little bird is admirably adapted for
inhabiting those extensive and arid plains which characterize many of
the central portions of Australia; and we may reasonably suppose, that
whenever its vast interior shall be explored, other species of this new
form will be discovered. The bird forming the subject of the present
Plate was received from Mr. Strange, who merely stated that he killed it
on the plains, near Adelaide. I also learn from Captain Grey, that Mr.
Hack, of Adelaide, had a dog which was constantly in the habit of
catching a small quail-like bird while hunting over those plains, and
which is doubtless identical with the present, as a second species I
obtained on Gawler Plains was caught in a similar way by one of my dogs.
Its lengthened and bustard-like legs are admirably suited for running,
while its short round and concave wings are as little adapted for
extensive flight; the general contour of this little Wanderer in fact
suggests the idea of a diminutive Bustard; and were its legs not
furnished with a hind toe, it would range very near to that group. It
has also several characters in common with _Hemipodius_, and a bird from
Africa, figured by Mr. Swainson in his “Zoological Illustrations” under
the name of _Hemipodius nivosus_, but which in his more recently
published “Classification of Birds” he has placed in the genus _Ortygis_
of Illiger.
I regret to say I am unable to give any account of its habits and
economy; but I trust that my friend Captain Sturt, who is resident near
the locality it inhabits, and whose ardent love of Natural History will
induce him to pay every attention to the subject, may be able to collect
the requisite information on these interesting points, in which case his
observations will be included in the present work.
Crown of the head reddish brown, speckled with black; sides of the head
and the neck light buff, speckled with black; neck surrounded by a broad
band of white, thickly spotted with black; all the upper surface reddish
brown, each feather having several transverse crescent-shaped marks in
the centre, and margined with buff; tail buff, crossed by numerous
narrow brown bars; centre of the breast rufous, the remainder of the
under surface buff; the feathers on the breast marked in a similar
manner to those on the upper surface, and the flanks with large
irregular spots of black; irides straw-yellow; bill yellow, passing into
black at the point; feet greenish yellow.
The figures are of the natural size.
[Illustration:
HEMIPODIUS MELANOGASTER: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
HEMIPODIUS MELANOGASTER, _Gould_.
Black-breasted Hemipode.
_Hemipodius melanogaster_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part V. p. 7.
Australia may be said to constitute the great nursery of the Hemipodes;
for no other country is inhabited by so many species, and certainly
there is not a finer one in existence than the subject of the present
Plate. Future research will doubtless furnish others, and in all
probability the interior, at present a terra incognita, will not be
wanting in species of a form peculiarly adapted to inhabit the sterile
kind of country of which it is supposed to consist.
I regret that, never having seen this species in a state of nature, I am
unable to render any account of its habits and economy. It is a native
of the eastern portion of Australia; specimens in my own collection, and
in those of the Zoological Society and King’s College, London, were all
procured at Moreton Bay. Judging from analogy, I presume that the sexes
present little or no difference in their markings; until we are enabled
to resort to dissection, we cannot with certainty ascertain whether the
same disparity in the size of the sexes occurs in this species as in the
other members of the genus; in all probability the female will be found
to exceed the male.
Crown of the head, ear-coverts, throat and centre of the abdomen black;
over each eye extends a line of feathers having each a small white spot
at the tip; this line extends to the nape, which part is also thickly
spotted with white on a black and chestnut-coloured ground; feathers on
the sides of the chest and flanks black, having a large crescent-shaped
marking of white near the tip; mantle and upper part of the back rich
chestnut brown, each feather having a spot of white and a stripe of
black on each side, and barred with black at or near the tip; shoulders,
greater and lesser wing-coverts rufous brown, each feather having a
white spot surrounded with a black line; primaries dark brown; thighs
and upper and under tail-coverts brown, freckled and crossed with black;
bill light brown; feet flesh-colour.
The Plate represents the bird of the natural size.
[Illustration:
HEMIPODIUS VARIUS.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
HEMIPODIUS VARIUS.
Varied Hemipode.
_Perdix varia_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. lxiii.
_New Holland Partridge_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 283.
_Varied Quail_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. viii. p. 344. no. 88.
_Hemipodius varius_, Temm. Pl. Col., 454. f. 1.—Gould in Syn. Birds of
Australia, Part II.
_Turnix varius_, Vieill. 2nd Edit. du Nouv. Dict. d’Hist. Nat., tom.
xxxiv.—Ib. Ency. Méth., part i. p. 331.—List of Birds in Brit. Mus.
Coll., part iii. p. 41.
_Mȍo-ro-lum_, Aborigines of the lowland districts of Western
Australia.
_Painted Quail_, Colonists of Van Diemen’s Land and Swan River.
Among the game birds of Australia the Varied Hemipode plays a rather
prominent part, for although its flesh is not so good for the table as
that of the little partridge and quail, _Synoïcus Australis_ and
_Coturnix pectoralis_, it is a bird which is not to be despised when the
game-bag is emptied at the end of a day’s sport, as it forms a not
unacceptable variety to its contents. Although it does not actually
associate with either of the birds mentioned above, it is often found in
the same districts, and all three species may be procured in the course
of a morning’s walk in any part of the colonies of New South Wales and
Van Diemen’s Land. The natural habits of the _Hemipodius varius_ lead it
to frequent sterile stony ridges, interspersed with scrubby trees and
moderately thick grass; the quail, on the other hand, tenants the open
plains and fields of corn; the little partridge loves to dwell in swampy
lands, where the herbage is rank and green; and these particulars
relative to the habits of the three birds in question being known to the
colonists who have paid any attention to sporting, it is easy for them,
by varying their ground, to procure either of the species they desire to
obtain.
The Varied Hemipode is very common in all parts of Van Diemen’s Land
suitable to its habits, hills of moderate elevation and of a dry stony
character being the localities preferred; it is also numerous on the
sandy and sterile islands in Bass’s Straits; on the continent of
Australia, it is abundant in New South Wales and South Australia:
specimens from Western Australia, which at first sight appear to be
identical with the bird here figured, are found to be smaller in size
and to differ in their markings, and they will probably prove to be a
distinct species. Van Diemen’s Land specimens, having an average weight
of five ounces each, are rather larger than those of New South Wales; no
difference however occurs in their markings; I therefore consider them
to be mere local varieties and not distinct species: no specimen has yet
come under my notice from the north coast, and the range of the species
doubtless does not extend to within several degrees of that latitude.
It runs remarkably quick, and when flushed flies low, its pointed wings
giving it much the appearance of a snipe or sandpiper. When running or
walking over the ground the neck is stretched out and the head carried
very high, which together with the rounded contour of the back give it a
very grotesque appearance. The breeding-season commences in August or
September and terminates in January, during which period at least two
broods are reared. The eggs are invariably four in number, and are
either deposited on the bare ground or in a slightly constructed nest of
grasses, placed in some slight hollow, not unfrequently under the lee of
a stone or at the foot of a tuft of grass; they are very similar in form
to those of the Sandpipers, being more pointed than those of other
gallinaceous birds; they are of a very pale buff, very minutely and
thickly spotted and freckled with reddish brown, chestnut and purplish
grey, one inch and a quarter long by one inch broad.
It has rather a loud plaintive note, which is often repeated.
One very remarkable feature connected with this bird, and indeed with
all the species of the genus, is the large size of the female when
compared with that of her mate; so great, in fact, is the difference,
that the figures in the accompanying Plate scarcely make it sufficiently
apparent; no difference however exists in their colour and markings.
The young run as soon as they are hatched, and their appearance then
assimilates so closely to that of the young partridges and quails that
they can scarcely be distinguished. The pretty downy coat with which
they are then covered soon gives place to feathers, whose markings and
colours resemble, but are less brilliant than those of the adult.
The food of this species consists of insects, grain and berries; of the
former many kinds are eaten, but locusts and grasshoppers form the
principal part; a considerable quantity of sand is also found in the
gizzard, which is very thick and muscular.
I frequently found the nest and eggs of this species while traversing
the bush both in Van Diemen’s Land and New South Wales, and the
following are the notes made at the time, which are probably worth
transcribing:—
“Van Diemen’s Land, 28th of Dec. 1838. Found two bevys between Hobart
Town and New Town; one clutch was much smaller than the other, being in
fact only just hatched, while the others appeared to be two or three
weeks old. The legs of the younger birds were dull flesh-yellow; their
bills black at the tip and nearly white at the base; their eyes very
dark brown: the legs of the older birds were orange, their bills still
lighter at the base and their eyes grey.
“Yarrundi, New South Wales, Oct. 16, 1839. Found a nest and shot a
female which was sitting on four eggs. While in the act of incubation
the female appears to cover her eggs in a peculiar manner, placing two
on each side of the breast where it is bare of feathers.”
The flight of the Varied Hemipode is heavy, tolerably rapid but of short
duration, and it never flies higher than just above the scrub or grass.
The adults have the crown of the head, nape and forehead rich brown,
spotted with white, and transversely rayed with large markings of brown;
feathers of the cheeks and a stripe over each eye white, slightly
fringed with black at their tips; throat greyish white; back and sides
of the neck and mantle rich rufous brown; feathers of the back, rump and
upper tail-coverts transversely rayed with chestnut-red and black, the
former and the scapularies striped laterally with black and white; wings
rufous, each feather spotted with white, which is bounded posteriorly
with an irregular spot of black; primaries brown; chest and flanks
olive, each feather having a triangular yellowish white spot at the tip;
centre of the abdomen and under tail-coverts yellowish white; bill
brown, with a bluish tinge; irides bright reddish orange; legs and feet
orange; claws white.
The Plate represents a male and a female of the natural size.
[Illustration:
HEMIPODIUS SCINTILLANS: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
HEMIPODIUS SCINTILLANS, _Gould_.
Sparkling Hemipode.
Hemipodius scintillans, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part XIII. p.
62.
This very beautiful species of Hemipode is an inhabitant of the
Houtman’s Abrolhos, a group of islands so called lying off the western
coast of Australia, and is tolerably abundant on two of them named East
and West Wallaby Islands, where it is principally met with among the
limestone crags.
In its general appearance and the style of its markings it much
resembles the _Hemipodius varius_, but on comparison will be found to be
but little more than half the size of that species; independently of
which, the colouring is much lighter, more varied and sparkling, the
white margins of the back-feathers more numerous and conspicuous, and
the markings of the throat and breast of a crescentic instead of an
elongated form.
Nothing whatever is known of its habits and economy, but they doubtless
closely resemble those of the other species of the genus.
The whole of the upper surface is light chestnut-red, each feather
crossed by broad bars of brownish black and margined with grey, within
which are two narrow lines of black and white; wing-coverts and
tertiaries light chestnut-red, crossed by irregular zigzag bars of
black, the interspaces of the outer margins greyish white; chin and
sides of the face white, with a narrow crescent-shaped mark of brown at
the tip of each feather; sides of the chest chestnut, each feather
tipped with white, within which is an indistinct mark of deep black;
chest and under surface pale buffy white, the feathers of the chest with
a row of dark grey spots on each margin, giving that part a speckled
appearance; primaries brown, narrowly edged with white; irides reddish
yellow; bill greenish grey, darkest on the culmen and becoming ashy grey
beneath; legs and feet orange-yellow.
The figures are of the natural size.
[Illustration:
HEMIPODIUS MELANOTUS: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
HEMIPODIUS MELANOTUS, _Gould_.
Black-backed Hemipode.
_Hemipodius melanotus_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part V. p. 8 and
in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part II.
_Turnix melanotus_, Gould in Gray’s Trav. App., vol. ii. p. 419, note.
Several years have now elapsed since I described this species from a
specimen received from Moreton Bay; since then I have obtained other
examples from the eastern and northern parts of Australia. It was
procured in the latter locality by Mr. Bynoe, and to that gentleman I am
indebted for the two fine specimens figured in the accompanying Plate.
In structure, and particularly in the feeble form of its bill, the
_Hemipodius melanotus_ bears a close alliance to the _Hemipodius
varius_; and these slender-billed species form a small section which
might with propriety be separated from the stout-billed birds, such as
_H. velox_ and _H. castaneothorax_.
The female of this species is a larger bird than the male, in which
respect only do the sexes differ in outward appearance.
The total want of information respecting the habits and economy of this
bird compels me to conclude my account of it with the following
description of its colouring only:—
Crown of the head black, each feather fringed with brown at the tip;
space between the bill and the eye, stripe over the eye and cheeks,
light yellowish brown, the feathers of the latter slightly tipped with
black; back of the neck rich chestnut-red; scapularies deep
chestnut-red, with a large transverse black mark in the centre of each
feather, and a longitudinal stripe of fawn-yellow on their outer edges;
rump and upper tail-coverts black, each feather freckled with fine
markings of brown, with indistinct spots of buff on the external edges
of the upper tail-coverts; greater and lesser wing-coverts buff-yellow,
each feather having a spot of black in the centre; primaries brown;
throat whitish; front of the neck and chest deep buff; sides of the neck
and flanks light buff, with an oblong spot of black transversely
disposed in the centre of each feather; centre of the abdomen and under
tail-coverts buffy white; bill and feet brown.
The figures are of the natural size.
[Illustration:
HEMIPODIUS CASTANOTUS: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
HEMIPODIUS CASTANOTUS, _Gould_.
Chestnut-backed Hemipode.
_Hemipodius castanotus_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VII. p.
145.
_Wȉn-do-loom_, Aborigines of Port Essington.
_Thick-billed Quail_, Colonists.
The Chestnut-backed Hemipode inhabits the northern and north-western
portions of Australia; specimens from the latter have been forwarded to
me by Mr. Bynoe and by Mr. Dring of H.M.S. Beagle; Mr. Gilbert also
found it at Port Essington, and his notes respecting it I here
transcribe:—
“This is a tolerably abundant species, and inhabits the sides of stony
hills in coveys of from fifteen to thirty in number; which, when
disturbed, seldom rise together, but run along the ground, and it is
only upon being very closely pursued that they will take wing, and then
they merely fly to a short distance: while running on the ground their
heads are thrown up as high as their necks will permit, and their bodies
being carried very erect, a waddling motion is given to their gait,
which is very ludicrous. The stomachs of those dissected were very
muscular, and contained seeds and a large proportion of pebbles.”
Head, neck and chest olive-grey, the feathers of the head and neck
spotted with fawn-white at the tip, and those of the chest having a
spatulate mark of the same colour down the centre; centre of the abdomen
and the under tail-coverts pale buff; a narrow stripe over each eye,
back, shoulders and tail rich chestnut; the feathers on the back and
shoulders spotted with white, the white spots bounded anteriorly with
black; primaries brown, edged with buff; irides gamboge-yellow; bill
light ash-grey; naked skin round the eye smoke-grey; tarsi and feet
king’s-yellow.
The Plate represents the two sexes of the natural size.
[Illustration:
HEMIPODIUS PYRRHOTHORAX: _Gould_.
_J. & E. Gould del._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
HEMIPODIUS PYRRHOTHORAX, _Gould_.
Red-chested Hemipode.
_Hemipodius pyrrhothorax_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., November 10,
1840.
Little as is known of the Swift-flying Hemipode, even less information
has been obtained respecting the history of the present species, which,
although assimilating in some of its characters to the former, differs
from it in the marking of the face and neck, and the rufous colouring of
the fore part of the throat and chest: it is also somewhat more slender
and elegant in its proportions. It first came under my notice while
traversing the flats near Aberdeen, on the Upper Hunter, when my dog
pointing at what I conceived to be a specimen of the preceding species,
a female of the present bird arose before me, and I at once saw, from
the rufous colouring of the breast, that it differed from any I had
previously seen: my shot was a successful one, and it was with no small
delight that I picked up the beautiful bird, from which the accompanying
drawing of the female was taken. I diligently sought for others, but was
not fortunate enough to meet with a second living specimen. For the
little male which enables me to complete my Plate, I am indebted to Mr.
Charles Coxen, who had killed it some years before in the neighbourhood
of the Liverpool Plains, but who could give me no further information
respecting it: he had never seen the female. Of its habits and
nidification of course nothing is therefore known: when the distant
interior is explored, its true habitat will doubtless be discovered, but
until then its history must remain buried in obscurity.
Crown of the head dark brown, with a line of buff down the centre;
feathers surrounding the eye, ear-coverts and sides of the neck
extremely small, white edged with black; back and rump dark brown,
transversely rayed with bars and freckles of black and buff; wings
paler, edged with buff, within which is a line of black running in the
same direction; primaries brown, margined with buff; throat, chest,
flanks and under tail-coverts sandy red, passing into white on the
centre of the abdomen; bill horn-colour; irides straw-yellow; feet
yellowish white.
The male has a similar character of markings on the upper surface, but
the colouring of the throat and flanks is much paler.
The Plate represents a male and a female of the natural size.
[Illustration:
HEMIPODIUS VELOX: _Gould_.
_J. & E. Gould del^t._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
HEMIPODIUS VELOX, _Gould_.
Swift-flying Hemipode.
_Hemipodius velox_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Nov. 10, 1840.
_Kar-a-dong_, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western
Australia.
_Little Quail_, of the Colonists.
I found this new and interesting species of _Hemipodius_ abundant in
various parts of New South Wales, but whether it has always visited
those localities, or has only recently made its appearance there, I
cannot say. Mr. Stephen Coxen, on whose estate it was plentiful, and
who, it is well known, has for some years paid considerable attention to
the Ornithology of Australia, could give me no information respecting
it, and it would appear to have escaped the notice of collectors
generally, for I have never seen a specimen in any collection either
public or private. I clearly ascertained that it is strictly migratory,
by finding it abundant in those places in summer which I had previously
visited in winter, when no appearance of one was to be seen.
The season of more than usual luxuriance that followed the long and
distressing drought of 1838–39, bringing in its train a number of rare
and interesting species, was highly advantageous to the objects of my
expedition. It was to this season of plenty, when the whole face of the
country was covered with the richest vegetation, that I am inclined to
attribute the appearance of vast numbers of this species over the
district of the whole Upper Hunter, particularly in the flats of
Segenho, Invermein, and Yarrundi. It appeared to give preference to the
low stony ridges which border and intersect these flats, and which are
thinly covered with grasses of various kinds, for it was in such
situations I generally found it, though on some occasions I started it
from among the rank herbage clothing the alluvial soil of the bottoms.
It lies so close as to be nearly trodden upon before it will rise, and
when flushed it flies off with such extreme rapidity, as, combined with
its small size and the intervention of trees, to render it a most
difficult shot to the sportsman. On rising it flies to the distance of
one or two hundred yards within two or three feet of the surface, and
then suddenly pitches to the ground. As might be expected, it lies well
to a pointer, and it was by this means that I found many which I could
not otherwise have started.
One of the most singular circumstances connected with the history of
this and the following species, is the great difference in the size of
the sexes, the males being but little more than half the size of their
mates. Pleased as I was at making acquaintance with this little bird, I
was still more gratified at finding its nest and eggs. Natty and Jemmy,
two intelligent and faithful natives, of the Yarrundi tribe, and who
always accompanied me, also caught several of the young which had not
left the nest many days.
In addition to the districts above named, I observed it, although
rarely, in the interior of the country north of the Liverpool Plains.
Before I left Sydney a single specimen was sent me from South Australia,
and in my recently arrived collection from Swan River I found both the
bird and its eggs; these circumstances proving that it possesses a range
of longitude extending from one side of the continent to the other, and
in all probability it inhabits a great portion of the northern interior.
In Western Australia it is stated to inhabit clear open spots of grass,
and may occasionally be met with in the thick scrub, but its most
favourite retreat is the grassy valleys of the interior adjacent to
water.
It breeds in September and October. The nest is slightly constructed of
grasses placed in a shallow depression of the ground under the shelter
of a small tuft of grass: the eggs are four in number, of a dirty white,
very thickly blotched all over with markings of chestnut, eleven lines
and a half long by nine lines broad: the eggs from Western Australia are
much lighter in colour, and have the chestnut blotchings much more
minute.
The stomach is extremely muscular, and the food consists of grasshoppers
and other insects, seeds, etc.
Head, ear-coverts, and all the upper surface chestnut-red; the crown of
the head in some specimens has a longitudinal mark of buff down the
centre; the feathers of the back, rump, scapularies, and sides of the
chest margined with buff, within which is a narrow line of black running
in the same direction; the feathers of the lower part of the back are
also crossed by several narrow irregular bands of black; primaries light
brown, margined with buff on their internal edges; throat, chest, and
flanks sandy buff, passing into white on the abdomen; bill horn-colour;
irides straw-white; legs and feet yellowish white.
The above is the description of a female: the male has the feathers on
the sides of the chest conspicuously margined with buff.
The Plate represents a male and female of the natural size.
[Illustration:
COTURNIX PECTORALIS: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
COTURNIX PECTORALIS, _Gould_.
Pectoral Quail.
_Coturnix pectoralis_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part V. p. 8; and
in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part II.—List of Birds in Brit. Mus.
Coll., Part III. p. 40.
_Stubble Quail_ of the Colonists of Van Diemen’s Land.
In Van Diemen’s Land, South Australia and New South Wales, the present
species is very abundant; I have also received specimens from Western
Australia and a single example from the north coast, from both of which
localities the specimens are smaller, and have a more buffy tint
pervading the under surface; I am not, however, prepared to affirm that
they are specifically distinct from the bird here figured, although I am
disposed to regard them as such. Open grassy plains, extensive grass
flats, and those parts of the country under cultivation, are situations
favourable to the habits of the bird; in its economy and mode of life,
in fact, it so closely resembles the Quail of Europe (_Coturnix
communis_), that a description of one is equally descriptive of the
other. In South Australia it may be found on all the extensive plains to
the north of Adelaide; I sometimes flushed a single bird without finding
another in the neighbourhood, while at others I met with it in pairs or
in small parties of from four to six in number. Although occasionally
found in the immediate neighbourhood, it affects totally different
situations from those frequented by the _Synoïcus Australis_, which goes
in coveys, and which differs but little in its habits from the Common
Partridge (_Perdix cinerea_). Its powers of flight are considerable, and
when flushed, it wings its way with arrow-like swiftness to a distant
part of the plain; it lies well to a pointer, and has from the first
settlement of the colony always afforded considerable amusement to the
sportsman. I need scarcely say that it is an excellent bird for the
table, equalling as it does in this respect its European representative.
During my rambles in the districts frequented by this Quail, I
frequently found its nest and eggs, which bear a strong resemblance to
those of our own Quail; much variation, however, exists in their
colouring, some being largely blotched all over with brown on a
straw-white ground, while from this to a finely peppered marking every
variety occurred; the number of eggs in each nest varied from eleven to
fourteen. The situations chosen for the nest are also very various; I
sometimes found it placed among the thick grass of the luxuriant flats,
while at others it was artfully concealed by a tuft of overhanging grass
on the open plains, where the temperature was of a much warmer
character, and where, from the exposed situation, the sun’s rays caused
a degree of heat never felt in the humid situations just alluded to. The
chief food of this species is grain, seeds and insects, the grain as a
matter of course being only procured in cultivated districts; and hence
the name of Stubble Quail has been given to it by the colonists of Van
Diemen’s Land, from the great numbers that visit the fields after the
harvest is over.
September and the three following months constitute the breeding-season;
but it is somewhat later in Van Diemen’s Land than in South Australia
and New South Wales.
The average weight of the male is four ounces and a half; the female,
which rarely equals her mate in size, may at all times be distinguished
by the total absence of the black markings on the chest, and by the
throat being white instead of buff.
The male has the lores, ear-coverts and throat buff; crown of the head
and back of the neck deep brown; over each eye two parallel lines of
yellowish white; a similar line down the centre of the head from the
forehead to the nape; back of the neck brown, each feather marked down
its centre with a lanceolate mark of yellowish white, blotched on each
side with black; mantle, back and upper tail-coverts brown, transversely
rayed with zigzag markings of black, and striped down the centre with
lanceolate markings of yellowish white; wings brown, transversely rayed
with zigzag lines of grey and black; primaries and centre of the chest
black; sides of the chest brown; abdomen white, each feather marked down
its centre with black; flanks rich brown, the centre of each feather
white, bounded on either side by a fine line of black; bill black;
irides hazel; feet pearly vinous white.
The female differs in being destitute of the black marks on the chest,
in the throat being white instead of buff, and in the bill being olive
instead of black.
The Plate represents both sexes of the natural size.
[Illustration:
SYNOÏCUS AUSTRALIS.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
SYNOÏCUS AUSTRALIS.
Australian Partridge.
_Perdix Australis_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. lxii.
_Coturnix Australis_, Temm. Pig. et Gall. 8vo, tom. iii. pp. 474 and
740.—Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. xi. p. 373.—Vieill. Gal. des Ois., pl.
215.—Less. Traité d’Orn., p. 508.
_New Holland Quail_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 283.—Ib. Gen.
Hist., vol. viii. p. 306.
_Moo-ȑeete_, Aborigines of the lowland districts of Western Australia.
_Brown Quail_, Colonists of Swan River and Van Diemen’s Land.
The present species will at all times claim more than ordinary attention
from the colonists of Australia, from the circumstance of its being the
representative in that country of the Common Partridge of the British
Islands, so renowned for the goodness of its flesh, and for the healthy
pastime it annually affords during the shooting season to all who are
attached to and follow the sports of the field. Although much more
diminutive in size, the present species offers in many points of its
economy a great similarity to its antipodean ally. I believe that
several species of this intermediate form exist in Australia; if,
however, my surmise should prove to be incorrect, and it should be found
that the Partridges over all parts of the country are merely varieties
of each other, then it may be stated that the present species is an
inhabitant of every known part of Australia, the north coast even not
being without its presence; but if, on the other hand, it should be
discovered that they are several distinct species, then the habitat of
the present bird will be restricted to New South Wales, South Australia
and Van Diemen’s Land, over the whole of which countries it is
plentifully dispersed; the localities most suited to its habits being
thick grassy flats and humid spots overgrown with herbage, by the sides
of rivers and water-holes. Its call is very similar to that of the
Common Partridge, and like that bird it is found in coveys of from ten
to eighteen in number, which simultaneously rise from the ground and
pitch again within a hundred yards of the spot whence they rose. It sits
so close, that it will often admit of being nearly trodden upon before
it will rise. Pointers stand readily to it, and it offers perhaps better
sport to the sportsman than any other bird inhabiting Australia. Its
weight is about four ounces and three quarters, and its flesh is
delicious.
The Australian Partridge breeds on the ground, where it constructs a
slight nest of grass and leaves; the eggs, which are of large size, and
from ten to eighteen in number, are sometimes uniform bluish white, at
others minutely freckled all over with buff.
The sexes differ but little in their colouring, neither do the young
birds from the adult, except that the markings are somewhat broader and
more distinct.
Forehead, space between the bill and the eye, and the throat greyish
white, with a tinge of buff; all the upper surface irregularly marked
with beautiful transverse bars of grey, black and chestnut, each feather
on the back having a fine stripe down the centre; shoulders greyish
brown, the remainder of the wing marked with obscure transverse lines of
grey, brown and black; primaries brown, mottled on the external edges
with greyish brown; all the under surface buffy grey, each feather
having numerous zigzag markings of black, and many of them having a very
fine line of white down the centre; bill blue, deepening into black at
the tip; irides orange; feet dull yellow.
The figures are of the natural size.
[Illustration:
SYNOÏCUS DIEMENENSIS: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
SYNOÏCUS DIEMENENSIS, _Gould_.
Van Diemen’s Land Partridge.
_Synoïcus Diemenensis_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., March, 1847.
_Greater Brown Quail_ of the Colonists.
During my visit to Van Diemen’s Land I was frequently informed that
there were two kinds of Quail besides the stubble and painted Quails,
the former of which is a true _Coturnix_ and the latter a _Hemipodius_,
while the two birds referred to belong to neither of those genera, but
to that of _Synoïcus_. They are distinguished as the greater and lesser
Brown Quail, and sometimes the name of Partridge was given to the bird
here figured, doubtless from its going in coveys and resembling the
Common Partridge of Europe in many of its actions: I failed in my
endeavours to obtain examples, but I was fortunate enough to procure its
nest and eggs, which differed so much from those of the common species
as to convince me that they had been laid by a different bird: on a late
visit to Paris, I found at the house of M. Verreaux several specimens of
the bird itself, which had been sent to him by his brother direct from
Van Diemen’s Land, and which being placed at my disposal enable me to
give figures of both species. It is fully a third larger in size than
the _S. Australis_, and has the markings of the upper surface more
numerous and varied; the situations it affects appear to be low marshy
grounds covered with dense masses of herbage. The eggs I procured were
found in the swamps immediately below New Norfolk; they are more green
than those of _S. Australis_, are sprinkled all over with minute spots
of brown, and are from twelve to eighteen in number, one inch and
seven-sixteenths long by one inch and an eighth broad. I feel more than
ever convinced, that the birds of the form to which the generic term
_Synoïcus_ has been applied, constitute many more species than has
hitherto been supposed.
Forehead, lores and chin greyish white tinged with buff; crown of the
head dark brown, with a line of buff down the centre; all the upper
surface irregularly marked with beautiful transverse bars of grey, black
and chestnut, each feather with a fine stripe of greyish white down the
centre; primaries brown, mottled on their external edges with greyish
brown; all the under surface greyish buff, each feather with numerous
regular somewhat arrow-shaped marks of black, and many of them with a
very fine line of white down the centre; bill blue, deepening into black
at the tip; irides orange; feet dull yellow.
The Plate represents the two sexes rather less than the size of life.
[Illustration:
SYNOÏCUS SORDIDUS.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
SYNOÏCUS SORDIDUS, _Gould_.
Sombre Partridge.
_Synoïcus sordidus_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part XV. p. 33.
With the exception of _S. Sinensis_, this species is the least of the
genus yet discovered; it moreover differs from them all in the absence
of any varied markings, in lieu of which all the feathers of the upper
surface have a broad bluish grey stripe down the middle; in this blue
colouring it evinces an affinity to the _S. Sinensis_, and in all
probability other species intermediate between the two will yet be
discovered.
Two specimens are all that have come under my notice; both of which were
received from South Australia.
Its habits doubtless resemble those of the other members of the genus,
but nothing is at present known respecting them.
General plumage dark brown, minutely freckled with black, each feather
of the upper and under surface with a broad stripe of bluish grey down
the centre; feathers of the head and back of the neck with a spot of
blackish brown at the tip, those down the centre of the head and a few
of the back-feathers with white shafts; chin buff; flank-feathers with
an arrow-head-shaped mark of black near the tip.
The figures are of the natural size.
[Illustration:
SYNOÏCUS CHINENSIS.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
SYNOÏCUS? CHINENSIS.
Chinese Quail.
_Perdix Chinensis_, Lath. Ind. Orn., vol. ii. p. 652.
_Coturnix excalfatoria_, Temm. Pig. et Gall., 8vo, tom. iii. pp. 516
and 743.—Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. xi. p. 371.
_Tetrao Chinensis_, Linn. Syst. Nat., vol. i. p. 277.—Ib. Gmel. Edit.,
vol. i. p. 765.—Linn. Trans., vol. xiii. p. 324.
_Coturnix Philippensis_, Briss. Orn., vol. i. p. 454. sp. 17. tab. 25.
fig. 1.—Ib. 8vo, vol. i. p. 71.
_Fraise, ou Caille de la Chine_, Buff. Hist. Nat. des Ois., tom. ii.
p. 478.—Ib. Sonn. Edit., tom. vii. p. 104.—Bonnat. Tab. Ency. Orn.,
223. pl. 96. fig. 3.
_Chinese Quail_, Lath. Gen. Syn., vol. iv. p. 783.—Edw. Glean., pl.
247.—Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. viii. p. 318.
_Coturnix Chinensis_, Less. Traité d’Orn., p. 509.
_Caille des Philippines_, Buff. Pl. Enl., 126. fig. 2. female.
_Perdix Manillensis_, Lath. Ind. Orn., vol. ii. p. 655. female.
_Tetrao Manillensis_, Gmel. Ed. Linn. Syst. Nat., vol. i. p. 764.
female.
_La petite Caille de l’Ile de Luçon_, Sonn. Voy., p. 54. pl. 24.
female.
_Petite Caille de Manille_, Sonn. Edit. Buff. Ois., tom. vii. p.
142.—Bonnat. Tab. Ency. Orn., p. 221. pl. 97. fig. 4.
_Manilla Quail_, Lath. Gen. Syn., vol. iv. p. 790.—Ib. Gen. Hist.,
vol. viii. p. 321. female.
_Chaun-chun_ of the Chinese.
_Piker_ or _Pikan_ of the Sumatrans and Javanese.
The rounder form of the wing of this bird prevents me from retaining it
with any degree of propriety in the genus _Coturnix_; I have therefore
placed it provisionally in that of _Synoïcus_, with the members of which
section its contour will be found to assimilate.
This is one of the few species of Australian birds that I have not
personally seen in a state of nature, which is the more singular as I
have received skins from nearly every locality. I have ascertained,
however, that at some seasons it is very numerous in such low and humid
districts as are clothed with dense and luxuriant grasses and other
vegetable productions, but beyond this nothing more is known of its
history.
The sexes are so different in colour, that, as will be seen by the
synonyms given above, they have been regarded and described by some of
the older writers as distinct species, the male being adorned with a
much gayer attire than almost any other of the smaller _Gallinaceæ_,
while the garb of the female resembles that of the Common Quail in its
tints and markings.
Latham states that in China it is often seen in flocks of a hundred
together, and that as well as the Common Quail it is used to warm the
hands in winter, as may be seen in various drawings and paper-hangings
from China.
The male has the crown of the head and upper surface brown, irregularly
spotted with black, some of the feathers with a narrow stripe of buff
down the centre; wings brown, the coverts broadly margined with
chestnut-brown; sides of the head, breast and flanks fine grey; throat
black; within the black on each side an oblong patch, and on its lower
part a crescent-shaped mark of white; abdomen and under tail-coverts
deep rich chestnut-red; irides hazel; bill black; feet flesh-brown.
The female has a broad stripe over each eye sandy buff; crown of the
head and all the upper surface dark brown, crossed by fine bars of
lighter brown, and each feather, particularly those of the back and
rump, with a line of buff down the centre; throat and centre of the
abdomen buff; breast, sides of the neck, flanks and under tail-coverts
sandy buff, crossed by numerous crescentic marks of blackish brown;
irides dark brown; bill black; feet flesh-brown.
The figures are of the natural size.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES
1. Silently corrected typographical errors and variations in spelling.
2. Archaic, non-standard, and uncertain spellings retained as printed.
3. Enclosed italics font in _underscores_.
4. Superscripts are denoted by a caret before a single superscript
character, e.g. M^r.
*** End of this LibraryBlog Digital Book "The Birds of Australia, Vol. 5 of 7" ***
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