Order INSESSORES, Vig. (continued 2)

Genus Acanthogenys, Gould.

Generic characters.

Bill as long as the head, compressed, slightly arched, acute at the tip; the edges of the upper mandible notched near the tip, and delicately serrated; nostrils sub-basal; from the base of the mandibles a naked stripe runs below lviiithe eyes, and below this the cheeks are covered with stiff spines; wings moderate, the first quill-feather very short, third, fourth and fifth equal and the longest; tail moderate, nearly equal; feet robust, hind-toe strong and longer than the middle one, outer toe united at its base to the middle toe; claws hooked.

The genus Acanthogenys, of which only one species is known, is a form intermediate in size and in structure between the smaller Honey-eaters (Meliphagæ, Ptiloti, &c.) on the one hand, and the larger kinds (Anthochæræ) on the other.

304. Acanthogenys rufogularis, Gould Vol. IV. Pl. 53.

This species is widely distributed over the interior of the southern portion of Australia, from east to west; the sexes are alike in plumage, and the young are very similar, but are destitute of the spines on the cheek, which are scarcely assumed during the first year. The Banksiæ are the trees mostly frequented by this bird, the presence of which is indicative of sterile sandy districts.

Genus Anthochæra, Vig. & Horsf.

A genus peculiarly Australian, three species of which are exclusively confined to the southern or extra-tropical parts of the country, and one to Van Diemen’s Land.

305. Anthochæra inauris, Gould Vol. IV. Pl. 54.

306. Anthochæra carunculata Vol. IV. Pl. 55.

307. Anthochæra mellivora Vol. IV. Pl. 56.

308. Anthochæra lunulata, Gould Vol. IV. Pl. 57.

These four birds might with propriety be separated into two genera, those with auricular appendages, A. inauris and A. carunculata, having many characters differing from those of A. mellivora and A. lunulata.

Genus Tropidorhynchus, Vig. & Horsf.

The law of representation in Australia is chiefly confined to the species inhabiting the eastern and western coasts, but with the members of this genus it takes the opposite direction, or north and south, for more singular and perfect representatives of each other cannot be found than are the T. corniculatus and T. citreogularis of the south-eastern parts of the country, the T. argenticeps and T. sordidus of the north-western. Extra Australian species inhabit New Guinea and the neighbouring countries.

309. Tropidorhynchus corniculatus Vol. IV. Pl. 58.

310. Tropidorhynchus argenticeps, Gould Vol. IV. Pl. 59.

311. Tropidorhynchus citreogularis, Gould Vol. IV. Pl. 60.

312. Tropidorhynchus sordidus.

Inhabits the Cobourg Peninsula, and is precisely similar to T. citreogularis, but is smaller in all its admeasurements except in the bill, which is more developed.

Genus Acanthorhynchus, Gould.

Bill elongated, slender and acute, compressed on the sides; tomia incurved; culmen acute and elevated; nostrils basal, elongated, and covered with an operculum; wings moderate in size and semi-rotund; first and fifth primaries equal; the third and fourth nearly equal in length, and the longest; tail moderate in size and slightly forked; tarsi lengthened and strong; middle toe long and robust, external toe exceeding the inner one in length.

This genus, like many others of the family, may be regarded as strictly Australian: it comprises two, if not three, well-marked species, each of which is confined to a particular part of the country; the A. tenuirostris dwelling in the eastern, and the A. superciliosus in the western districts: both inhabit countries precisely in the same degree of latitude, and form beautiful representatives of each other. Van Diemen’s Land is the native habitat of lixthe species I have named A. dubius, which, as will be seen, I had made synonymous with A. tenuirostris, but which I am now inclined to consider distinct, an opinion in which Mr. Blyth coincides.

313. Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris Vol. IV. Pl. 61.

314. Acanthorhynchus dubius, Gould.

315. Acanthorhynchus superciliosus, Gould Vol. IV. Pl. 62.

Genus Myzomela, Vig. & Horsf.

Five well-marked species of this genus are distributed over Australia; numerous others are found in New Guinea and the neighbouring islands; the form also occurs in the Polynesian Islands, but is not found in Van Diemen’s Land.

316. Myzomela sanguineolenta Vol. IV. Pl. 63.

317. Myzomela erythrocephala, Gould Vol. IV. Pl. 64.

318. Myzomela pectoralis, Gould Vol. IV. Pl. 65.

319. Myzomela nigra, Gould Vol. IV. Pl. 66.

320. Myzomela obscura, Gould Vol. IV. Pl. 67.

Genus Entomyza, Swains.

Two species of this well-defined genus are comprised in the Australian fauna, one of which inhabits the south-eastern parts of the country, or New South Wales; the other, which so far as we yet know is strictly confined to the north-eastern coast, is very plentiful at Port Essington and in the neighbouring districts.

The form appears to be confined to Australia, for I have never seen it from any other country.

321. Entomyza cyanotis Vol. IV. Pl. 68.

This bird has the habit—a somewhat remarkable one among the Honey-eaters—of selecting the nest of Pomatorhinus temporalis for the reception of its eggs.

322. Entomyza albipennis, Gould Vol. IV. Pl. 69.

Genus Melithreptus, Vieill.

No one group of birds is more universally distributed over Australia than the Melithrepti, for their range extends from Van Diemen’s Land on the south to the most northern part of the continent; and they are equally numerous from east to west, each part of country being inhabited by a species peculiarly its own. The Eucalypti are the trees upon which they are almost exclusively found. I believe the form is unknown out of Australia.

323. Melithreptus validirostris, Gould Vol. IV. Pl. 70.

324. Melithreptus gularis, Gould Vol. IV. Pl. 71.

325. Melithreptus lunulatus Vol. IV. Pl. 72.

326. Melithreptus chloropsis, Gould Vol. IV. Pl. 73.

327. Melithreptus albogularis, Gould Vol. IV. Pl. 74.

328. Melithreptus melanocephalus, Gould Vol. IV. Pl. 75.

Certhia agilis, Lath. Gen. Hist. vol. iv. p. 204.

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Genus Myzantha, Vig. & Horsf.

During the progress of this work three additional species of this genus have been discovered, one in the interior of New South Wales, the second at Swan River, and the third on the north-west coast; consequently it is a genus the members of which are widely distributed over nearly every part of Australia.

329. Myzantha garrula Vol. IV. Pl. 76.

330. Myzantha obscura, Gould Vol. IV. Pl. 77.

331. Myzantha lutea, Gould Vol. IV. Pl. 78.

332. Myzantha flavigula, Gould Vol. IV. Pl. 79.

333. Myzantha melanophrys Vol. IV. Pl. 80.

Family ——?

Genus Zosterops, Vig. & Horsf.

Three well-defined species of this genus inhabit the continent of Australia and Van Diemen’s Land; two are found on Norfolk Island, and numerous others inhabit the Indian Islands and the continent of India even to the Himalaya Mountains.

In placing this group next to the Honey-eaters, I have been influenced by their approximation to those birds in some of their habits: they also exhibit a further degree of affinity in the form and structure of their nest, but not in the colouring of their eggs, which are always blue in colour.

334. Zosterops dorsalis, Vig. & Horsf. Vol. IV. Pl. 81.

335. Zosterops chloronotus, Gould Vol. IV. Pl. 82.

336. Zosterops luteus, Gould Vol. IV. Pl. 83.

Family CUCULIDÆ, Leach.

The family Cuculidæ is very fairly represented in Australia, since we there find species belonging to the greater number of the Old World genera, and one, Scythrops, which has not hitherto, I believe, been found elsewhere. With the exception of Centropus and Eudynamys, they, like their prototypes, are parasitic in their nidification, and depend upon other birds for the hatching of their eggs and the feeding of their offspring.

Genus Cuculus, Linn.

337. Cuculus optatus, Gould Vol. IV. Pl. 84.

Since my description of this species was printed I have seen specimens from India, with the name of Cuculus micropterus attached to them: should this name have been published prior to the one I have assigned to it, my name must sink into a synonym.

338. Cuculus inornatus, Vig. & Horsf. Vol. IV. Pl. 85.

Columba pallida, Lath. Gen. Hist. vol. viii. p. 30.

339. Cuculus cineraceus, Vig. & Horsf. Vol. IV. Pl. 86.

340. Cuculus insperatus, Gould Vol. IV. Pl. 87.

341. Cuculus dumetorum, Gould

This species, which inhabits the north-western coast, differs from C. insperatus in being of a much smaller size and in the whole of the plumage being of a browner hue.

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Genus Chrysococcyx, Boie.

The members of this genus are distributed over most parts of the Old World; two species occur in Australia.

342. Chrysococcyx osculans.

Chalcites osculans, Gould Vol. IV. Pl. 88.

343. Chrysococcyx lucidus Vol. IV. Pl. 89.

Sylvia versicolor, Lath. in Lambert’s Drawings.

Genus Scythrops, Lath.

The only known species of this remarkable form inhabits the eastern parts of Australia, and according to information derived from the notes made by Mr. Gilbert during Dr. Leichardt’s Expedition, extends its range northward from thence to within the tropics.

I have recently had a young specimen presented to me by Lady Dowling, one of two taken from a branch of a tree while being fed by birds not of its own species, an important fact as showing the parasitic habits of the bird.

344. Scythrops Novæ-Hollandiæ, Lath. Vol. IV. Pl. 90.

Genus Eudynamys, Vig. & Horsf.

One species only of this form inhabits Australia; others are found in the Indian Islands and on the continent of India.

345. Eudynamys Flindersii Vol. IV. Pl. 91.

Genus Centropus, Ill.

On reference to my account of the Centropus Phasianus, it will be seen I have stated that some variation exists in the form of the bill in specimens from different localities, intimated a belief of there being more than one species, and remarked that should such prove to be the case, the term macrourus might be applied to the Port Essington birds, and melanurus to those from the north-west coast; and these names are provisionally given until future research has proved whether they be or be not distinct.

346. Centropus Phasianus Vol. IV. Pl. 92.

347. Centropus macrourus, Gould.

348. Centropus melanurus, Gould.

Family CERTHIADÆ, Vig.

Genus Climacteris, Temm.

Several species of this well-defined and singular group of Australian birds have lately been discovered; two out of the six now known are all that had been described prior to the publication of the present work. With the exception of Van Diemen’s Land and the Cobourg Peninsula, every colony is inhabited by one or other of the following species:—

349. Climacteris scandens, Temm. Vol. IV. Pl. 93.

350. Climacteris rufa, Gould Vol. IV. Pl. 94.

351. Climacteris erythrops, Gould Vol. IV. Pl. 95.

352. Climacteris melanotus, Gould Vol. IV. Pl. 96.

353. Climacteris melanura, Gould Vol. IV. Pl. 97.

lxii354. Climacteris picumnus, Temm. Vol. IV. Pl. 98.

Certhia leucophæa, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 182.

Genus Orthonyx, Temm.

Much difference of opinion has arisen among ornithologists respecting the situation of this bird in the natural system, and as to what genus it is most nearly allied; I regret to say that not having seen much of it in its native wilds, I am unable to clear up these disputed points. The form is strictly Australian, and the single species known is confined to the south-eastern part of the country.

355. Orthonyx spinicaudus, Temm. Vol. IV. Pl. 99.

M. Jules Verreaux, who has written a highly interesting account of this bird, states that it is strictly terrestrial, and scratches among the detritus and fallen leaves for its food, throwing back the earth like the Gallinaceæ. It never climbs, as was formerly supposed, but runs over fallen trunks of trees;—is rather solitary in its habits, seldom more than two being seen together. Its often-repeated cry of cri-cri-cri-crite betrays its presence, when its native haunts, the most retired parts of the forest, are visited. Its chief food consists of insects, their larvæ, and woodbugs. It builds a large domed nest, of slender mosses; the entrance being by a lateral hole near the bottom. The eggs are white and disproportionately large. The situation of the nest is the side of a slanting rock or large stone, the entrance-hole being level with the surface.—Revue Zoologique, July 1847.

Genus Ptiloris, Swains.

In placing this beautiful bird near the Climacteres, I am influenced in the first place by the great similarity of its structure, and in the next by the account I have received of its actions in a state of nature; I allude more particularly to its mode of ascending the trees, which precisely resembles that of the Certhiæ. One species only of this form is found in Australia, but many allied genera, Promerops, &c., inhabit New Guinea and the neighbouring islands.

356. Ptiloris paradiseus, Swains. Vol. IV. Pl. 100.

That the range of this species extends from the eastern parts of Australia to within the tropics, is proved by Mr. Gilbert’s having once seen it near the Gulf of Carpentaria during his last Expedition.

Genus Sittella, Swains.

The Sittella chrysoptera was the only species of this Australian form known to previous writers; to this has been added one from Southern and Western Australia, another from Moreton Bay, and a third from the north coast.

The form does not exist in Van Diemen’s Land.

357. Sittella chrysoptera Vol. IV. Pl. 101.

358. Sittella leucocephala, Gould Vol. IV. Pl. 102.

359. Sittella leucoptera, Gould Vol. IV. Pl. 103.

360. Sittella pileata, Gould Vol. IV. Pl. 104.

Family PSITTACIDÆ, Leach.

No one group of birds gives to Australia so tropical and foreign an air as the numerous species of this great family, by which it is tenanted, each and all of which are individually very abundant. Immense flocks of white Cockatoos may be seen perched among the green foliage of the Eucalypti; the brilliant scarlet breasts of the Rose-hills blaze forth from the yellow-flowering Acaciæ; the Trichoglossi or Honey-eating Parrakeets enliven the lxiiiflowering branches of the larger Eucalypti with their beauty and their lively actions; the little Grass Parrakeets frequent the plains of the interior and render these solitary spots a world of animation; nay, the very towns, particularly Hobart Town and Adelaide, are constantly visited by flights of this beautiful tribe of birds, which traverse the streets with arrow-like swiftness, and chase each other precisely after the manner the Swifts are seen to do in our own islands. In the public roads of Van Diemen’s Land the beautiful Platycerci may be constantly seen in small companies, performing precisely the same offices as the Sparrow in England. I have also seen flocks of from fifty to a hundred, like tame pigeons, at the barn-doors in the farm-yards of the settlers, to which they descend for the refuse grain thrown out with the straw by the threshers. As might naturally be expected, the agriculturist is often sadly annoyed by the destruction certain species effect among his newly-sown and ripening corn, particularly where the land has been recently cleared and is adjacent to the brushes. Fifty-five well-defined species of this great family are described and figured in the present work. They appear to constitute four great groups, each comprising several genera, nearly the whole of which are strictly and peculiarly Australian; for instance, neither Calyptorhynchus, Platycercus, Euphema, Psephotus, Melopsittacus, or Nymphicus have been found in any other country; and whether we consider the elegance of their forms or the beauty of their plumage, they may vie with the members of this extensive family from any part of the world.

Genus Cacatua, Briss.

Australia, the Molucca and Philippine Islands and New Guinea are the great nurseries of the members of this genus. They incubate in holes of trees or in rocks, and lay two eggs.

361. Cacatua galerita Vol. V. Pl. 1.

There are evidently several varieties or races of this species in Australia, each possessing a modification in the form of the bill doubtless given for some specific purpose; the Van Diemen’s Land bird is the largest, and has the upper mandible attenuated, while the Port Essington bird is altogether smaller, and has a much more arched bill.

362. Cacatua Leadbeaterii Vol. V. Pl. 2.

This species ranges over all the southern portions of Australia between the 20th and 30th degrees of S. latitude. I have never seen a specimen from the north, and I believe it does not inhabit that part of the country; its true habitat appears to be the interior, for it is never found near the coast.

363. Cacatua sanguinea, Gould Vol. V. Pl. 3.

This species has been found on the north coast, and was observed by Captain Sturt at the Depôt in Central Australia; we may hence infer that its range extends over all the intermediate country.

364. Cacatua Eos Vol. V. Pl. 4.

This fine bird, which is strictly Australian, is distributed over all parts of the interior of the country, and is as abundant in the north as it is in the south; it was also observed by Captain Sturt at the Depôt.

The specimens from the north are of a larger size and have the orbits more denuded than those from the south.

Genus Licmetis, Wagl.

The two species forming the genus Licmetis are not only confined to Australia, but, so far as we yet know, to the southern portions of that continent; one inhabits the western and the other the eastern part of the country. Their singularly formed bill being admirably adapted for procuring their food on the ground, they are more terrestrial in their habits than the other members of the family.

365. Licmetis nasicus Vol. V. Pl. 5.

366. Licmetis pastinator, Gould.

Licmetis pastinator, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VIII. p. 175.

lxivLores scarlet; general plumage white; the base of the feathers of the head and front of the neck scarlet, showing through and giving those parts a stained appearance; the basal half of the inner webs of the primaries, the inner webs of all the other feathers of the wing, and the inner webs of the tail-feathers beautiful brimstone-yellow; naked space round the eye greenish blue; irides light brown; bill white; feet dull olive-grey.

Inhabits Western Australia.

Differs from L. nasicus in being of a much larger size; but the colouring being similar, I have not thought it necessary to figure it.

Genus Nestor, Wagl.

Of this genus two species are known, one of which was exclusively confined to Phillip Island, and the other inhabits New Zealand; they are evidently the remains of a race, all the other members of which are probably extinct.

367. Nestor productus, Gould Vol. V. Pl. 6.

The few examples of this species that may exist in captivity are all that survive, none remaining on Phillip Island, their native habitat.

Genus Calyptorhynchus, Vig. & Horsf.

The Calyptorhynchi are strictly arboreal, and are evidently formed to live upon the seeds of the Banksiæ, Eucalypti, and other trees peculiar to the country they inhabit; they diversify their food by occasionally devouring large caterpillars; as they mostly move about in small companies of from four to six in number they can scarcely be considered gregarious. Their flight is rather powerful, but at the same time laboured and heavy; and their voice is a low crying call, totally different from the harsh screaming notes of the Cacatuæ. Each division of the country, from the north coast of the continent to Van Diemen’s Land, is inhabited by its own peculiar species.

I have never seen a member of this genus from any other country than Australia, but I have heard that an extraordinary Parrot, said to be larger than any at present in our collections, inhabits New Guinea, and which, from the description given of it, will probably be of this form. The Calyptorhynchi lay from two to four eggs in the holes of trees.

368. Calyptorhynchus Banksii Vol. V. Pl. 7.

369. Calyptorhynchus macrorhynchus, Gould Vol. V. Pl. 8.

Inhabits the north coast, where it represents the C. Banksii of the eastern and the C. naso of the western coasts.

370. Calyptorhynchus naso, Gould Vol. V. Pl. 9.

This species, which is confined to Western Australia, is rendered conspicuous by the small size of its crest, and by its bill being nearly as large as that of C. macrorhynchus, while its wings are much shorter than those of that species.

371. Calyptorhynchus Leachii Vol. V. Pl. 10.

Banksianus Australis, Less. Traité d’Orn. p. 180, Atlas, pl. 18, fig. 2, fem.

Inhabits the south-eastern parts of the continent, and differs from all the others in its smaller size, the gibbose form of its bill, and in the paucity of its crest.

372. Calyptorhynchus funereus Vol. V. Pl. 11.

Confined, I believe, to New South Wales, and South Australia?

373. Calyptorhynchus xanthonotus, Gould Vol. V. Pl. 12.

The true habitat of this species is Van Diemen’s Land, but I have lately received a specimen from Port Lincoln, which proves that its range extends to South Australia. It is distinguished from C. funereus by its much smaller size, and by the uniformity of the yellow colouring of the tail.

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374. Calyptorhynchus Baudinii, Vig. Vol. V. Pl. 13.

Inhabits Western Australia, and is distinguished by its small size and by the white marks on the tail.

Genus Callocephalon, Less.

Of this form only a single species is known.

375. Callocephalon galeatum Vol. V. Pl. 14.

Inhabits the southern coast of Australia and Van Diemen’s Land.

Genus Polytelis, Wagl.

This genus comprises two species, both of which are peculiar to the southern portions of Australia. They have many characters common to, and resemble in appearance, the Palæorni of India.

376. Polytelis Barrabandi Vol. V. Pl. 15.

377. Polytelis melanura Vol. V. Pl. 16.

Genus Aprosmictus, Gould.

Generic characters.

As in Platycercus, but the bill more feeble; cere and nostrils covered with fine hair-like feathers; wings longer and less concave; tail more square; tarsi shorter and toes longer than in that genus.

Two, if not three species of this form inhabit Australia, and others are found in New Guinea and the neighbouring islands. They are distinguished from the Platycerci by the possession of a well-developed os furcatorium, a bone which is entirely wanting in the members of that genus; in their habits they are mainly arboreal, and in their disposition are morose and sullen.

378. Aprosmictus scapulatus Vol. V. Pl. 17.

This species appears to be confined to New South Wales.

379. Aprosmictus erythropterus Vol. V. Pl. 18.

The red-winged Parrakeets from the north coast are nearly a fourth smaller than those inhabiting the Liverpool plains and similar districts of the south coast; are they varieties of each other or distinct species?

Genus Platycercus, Vig.

In my opinion the New Zealand birds that have been placed in this genus are not true Platycerci, all the known species of which are confined to Australia; they comprise fourteen species which appear to be naturally divisible into minor groups, to which generic appellations may hereafter be given; for instance the P. semitorquatus, P. Baueri, P. Barnardi, &c. form one; the P. Adelaidiæ, P. Pennantii, P. flaveolus, P. flaviventris, &c. form another; P. eximius, P. splendidus, P. icterotis, &c. form a third; and P. pileatus a fourth.

The members of this and the two next genera lay from seven to ten eggs in the holes of trees.

380. Platycercus semitorquatus Vol. V. Pl. 19.

381. Platycercus Baueri Vol. V. Pl. 20.

382. Platycercus Barnardii, Vig. & Horsf. Vol. V. Pl. 21.

383. Platycercus Adelaidiæ, Gould Vol. V. Pl. 22.

384. Platycercus Pennantii Vol. V. Pl. 23.

385. Platycercus flaviventris Vol. V. Pl. 24.

lxvi386. Platycercus flaveolus, Gould Vol. V. Pl. 25

387. Platycercus palliceps, Vig. Vol. V. Pl. 26.

388. Platycercus eximius Vol. V. Pl. 27.

389. Platycercus splendidus, Gould Vol. V. Pl. 28.

390. Platycercus icterotis Vol. V. Pl. 29.

391. Platycercus ignitus, Leadb. Vol. V. Pl. 30.

392. Platycercus Brownii Vol. V. Pl. 31.

393. Platycercus pileatus, Vig. Vol. V. Pl. 32.

Genus Psephotus, Gould.

Generic characters.

As in Euphema, but the cere, in which the nostrils are placed, more swollen or developed; wings rather short and the tail much lengthened; the lateral feathers short and not so regularly graduated; feet more adapted for terrestrial progression.

All the members of this genus are confined to Australia, and hold an intermediate station between the Platycerci on the one hand and the Euphemæ on the other. They pass much of their time on the ground, where the principal part of their food is procured; inhabit the interior rather than the country near the coast, and are adapted for the open plains, where they often assemble in vast flocks.

I have figured four species, and I have seen a drawing in the possession of Mr. Brown, made by Ferdinand Bauer from a bird said to have been found near the Gulf of Carpentaria, which will probably form a fifth.

394. Psephotus hæmatogaster, Gould Vol. V. Pl. 33.

This species differs from all the other members of the genus, as well as from those of the allied genera, in the pointed form of the tips of its primaries.

If they be not local varieties of each other, there are two birds confounded under this name, one having yellow and the other scarlet under tail-coverts; it will be necessary, however, to see other examples before we can decide whether they are or are not distinct. Captain Sturt brought specimens with yellow under tail-coverts from the Depôt in the interior of South Australia.

395. Psephotus pulcherrimus, Gould Vol. V. Pl. 34.

396. Psephotus multicolor Vol. V. Pl. 35.

397. Psephotus hæmatonotus, Gould Vol. V. Pl. 36.

Genus Euphema, Wagl.

The members of this genus are exclusively Australian and appear to be confined to the extra-tropical parts of the country, no species having yet been seen from the north coast. Our knowledge of this group has been extended from three to seven species, all of which are abundantly distributed over the southern portions of the continent, and two of them over Van Diemen’s Land.

398. Euphema chrysostoma Vol. V. Pl. 37.

399. Euphema elegans, Gould Vol. V. Pl. 38.

400. Euphema aurantia, Gould Vol. V. Pl. 39.

401. Euphema petrophila, Gould Vol. V. Pl. 40.

402. Euphema pulchella Vol. V. Pl. 41.

403. Euphema splendida, Gould Vol. V. Pl. 42.

Captain Sturt procured a single male example of this beautiful bird during his journey into the interior of South Australia.

lxvii

404. Euphema Bourkii Vol. V. Pl. 43.

Captain Sturt found this species in abundance at the Depôt in Central Australia.

Genus Melopsittacus, Gould.

Generic characters.

Bill moderate; culmen arched; tomia descending at the base, then ascending and curving downwards to the tip; nostrils basal, lateral, open, and seated in a broad swollen cere; wings rather long, pointed, first primary very long, the second the longest; tail long and much graduated; tarsi moderate and covered with minute scales; toes slender, the outer toe much longer than the inner one.

The only known species of this form is strictly gregarious, assembles in vast flocks, and is admirably adapted for plains and downs covered with grasses, upon the seeds of which it entirely subsists.

405. Melopsittacus undulatus Vol. V. Pl. 44.

In all probability this bird is universally dispersed over the whole of the interior of Australia, since independently of its previously known range from Swan River on the west to New South Wales on the east, Mr. Gilbert observed it in every part of the country between Moreton Bay and the Gulf of Carpentaria.

Genus Nymphicus, Wagl.

As of Melopsittacus, there is only one species known of this genus. It is strictly Australian, and will doubtless hereafter be found to be universally distributed over that vast country; it is equally adapted for the plains, and the two birds are frequently found associated.

406. Nymphicus Novæ-Hollandiæ Vol. V. Pl. 45.

There are two distinct varieties of this species, one having a much darker colouring than the other.

Genus Pezoporus, Ill.

Of this terrestrial form but one species is known, which is very generally distributed over the temperate portions of Australia, the islands in Bass’s Straits and Van Diemen’s Land. The eggs are laid on the bare ground.

407. Pezoporus formosus Vol. V. Pl. 46.

Genus Lathamus, Less.

Of this form only a single species is known to exist in Australia, and that species had been assigned to a different genus by almost every recent writer on ornithology, Messrs. Vigors and Horsfield placing it in their genus Nanodes, Wagler in his genus Euphema, &c.; subsequently M. Lesson made it the type of his genus Lathamus, giving it at the same time the specific appellation of rubrifrons, which must of course give place to that of discolor, long before applied to it by Latham.

Having had ample opportunities of observing this bird in a state of nature, I concur in the propriety of M. Lesson’s views in separating it into a distinct genus; at the same time I must remark that in its habits, nidification, food and whole economy, it is most closely allied to the Trichoglossi or honey-eating Parrakeets, and in no degree related to the Euphemæ.

408. Lathamus discolor Vol. V. Pl. 47.

lxviii

Genus Trichoglossus, Vig. & Horsf.

The arboreal group of Trichoglossi or honey-eating Lorikeets, if not so numerous in species as the grass-feeding Parrakeets, are individually much more abundant and are more universally dispersed, being found in every part of the country yet visited; several species inhabit New South Wales: only one has yet been found in Western Australia. Other members of the genus are found in New Guinea and the Moluccas, but Australia is the great nursery for the birds of this form.

In their structure, habits and mode of nidification, and in their economy, no two groups of the same family can be more widely different than the Trichoglossi and the Platycerci; the pencilled tongue, diminutive stomach, thick skin, tough flesh, and fœtid odour of the former presenting a decided contrast to the simple tongue, capacious crop and stomach, thin skin, delicate flesh and freedom from odour of the latter; besides which the Trichoglossi possess a strong os furcatorium, which organ is wanting in the Platycerci; hence while the Trichoglossi are powerful, swift and arrow-like in their flight, the Platycerci are feeble, pass through the air in a succession of undulations near the ground, and never fly to any great distance. The mode in which the two groups approach and alight upon and quit the trees is also remarkably different; the Trichoglossi dashing among and alighting upon the branches simultaneously, and with the utmost rapidity, and quitting them in like manner, leaving the deafening sound of their thousand voices echoing through the woods; while the Platycerci rise to the branches after their undulating flight and leave them again in the like quiet manner, no sound being heard but their inward piping note.

The eggs of the Trichoglossi are from two to four in number.

409. Trichoglossus Swainsonii, Jard. & Selb. Vol. V. Pl. 48.

410. Trichoglossus rubritorquis, Vig. & Horsf. Vol. V. Pl. 49.

“Procured at Port Molle on the north-east coast, previously only found at Port Essington.”—J. M’Gillivray.

411. Trichoglossus chlorolepidotus. Vol. V. Pl. 50.

412. Trichoglossus versicolor, Vig. Vol. V. Pl. 51.

413. Trichoglossus concinnus. Vol. V. Pl. 52.

414. Trichoglossus porphyrocephalus, Diet. Vol. V. Pl. 53.

415. Trichoglossus pusillus. Vol. V. Pl. 54.