350 Zoological Society. 



line over the eye ; throat and centre of the abdomen greyish white 

 in some and yellowish white in others, marked with a few oblong 

 black spots on the throat. 



Female, — Somewhat smaller in size, and with the lores brown in- 

 stead of black. 



Total length, A^ inches ; bill, | ; wing, 2\ ; tail, 2 ; tarsi, |. 

 Hub. South Australia. 



Remark. — Intermediate in size between S. frontalis and S. humilis. 



Sericornis LiEViGASTER, Gould. Ser. corpore super ior e f us co ; 



caudd, ad apicem gradatim nigricanie, in apice albd ; alis spuriis 



brunneis, pogoniis quarum internis albo-marginatis ; corpore infe- 



riore cervino lavato. 



Upper surface brown ; tail deepening into black near the extremity 



and tipped with white ; spurious wing-feathers dark brown, margined 



with white on their inner webs; lores and mark under the eye 



brownish black ; above the eye an indistinct line of white ; under 



surface washed with yellowish buff; irides greenish white. 



Female. — Smaller than the male, and with the lores pale brown. 

 Total length, 4^ inches; bill, |; wing, 2^; tail, 2; tarsi, |. 

 Hab. Interior of Australia, near the Gulf of Carpentaria, where it 

 was discovered by Mr. Gilbert. 



Remark. — Nearly allied to S. frontalis. 



February 23. — William Yarrell, Esq., Vice-President, in the Chair, 



The following communications were read : — 



1. Observations on Struthionine Birds in the Menagerie at 

 Knowsley. By The President. 



I shall take this opportunity of noticing some of the differences 

 which appear to me to characterize the Struthious tribe in their breed- 

 ing, and which I rather think are not generally known. 



I believe the general supposition to be, that no difference exists, 

 and that they agree at this period with most of the Rasorial birds 

 in being polygamous ; but this is by no means the case. 



What may be the truth with the head of the Family, the African 

 Ostrich, we have had too few opportunities or means of judging. 

 The Emu is strictly monogamous ; and the male, who attends to the 

 eggs, by no means approves of any other female than the favoured 

 one coming near the nest. 



The Rheas, on the contrary, are clearly polygamous ; and with 

 them the male not only selects the place for and forms the nest, but 

 actually collects together in it the eggs * (which are frequently laid 

 at random about the enclosure), in order that he may incubate them. 

 He shows no signs of anger when the females approach, and in one 

 instance two females have laid in the same nest. By analogy we 

 may perhaps suppose that the Ostrich follows a similar plan. 



* The manner in which this operation is accomplished is by inserting the beak 

 between the egg and the ground, and rolling it along by the assistance of his long 

 neck, exactly in the way that a boy would roll a cricket-])all along by the aid of a 

 long stick with a hooked end to it. 



