RHYNCM.EA. 



I'Jl 



Sub-family SCOLOPACIN^. 

 Rhynchaea australis. 



PAINTED SXII'E. 



Rl(yif}(iiii aii!itrii.ll:i, Goulil, Proc. /ool. Soc, 1S."57, p. 155; hi., Bds. Austr., fol. Vol. VI., pi. tl 

 (184S); i'L, Haiuibk. Bds. Austr., Vol. II., p. 271 (1865). 



B.HfrnfnIa anstmlu, Sharpe, Cat. B.ls. lirit. Mus., Vol. XXIV., p 690 (1896); id., Hand-1. 

 Bds., Vol. I., p. 167 (1899). 



Adult .male. — Croxu of llie heail and naj)e dark lirunui, some nf l/n- /e<itherti liaving narroiv 

 ir/iitifh maryiiis at the tips ; a broad streak domn the middle of t/ie head and uape bujl' : liind-neek 

 and iiiaiit!e asliy-broivn, all the feathers crossed with narroiv transverse blackish bars ; scn/niJars ashy- 

 broivH, slightly ivashed icith olire-broii'.e, some of the longer ones broadly margined — fre([nenlly on 

 one iveb only — with bujf', most of them wAth the remains of blackish cross-bars and narrow widtish 

 tips, some of iJte concealed ones with large buff' spots encircled with black on both webs : npper luiug- 

 coverts pale olire-bronze, with numerous eye-like bxfy-ivhiie spots encircled >rith black; primary-coi-erts 

 grey crossed with, narrow transverse black lines, loith a few ivhite spots on their inner webs bordered 

 until black, those on the outer web being far larger ami of a rich bu,ff', occupying most of the feather ; 

 (/Hills grey, tvitli a broad black band in the middle crossing their outer ivebs and having numeroiis 

 narroiv zig-zag blackish cross lines, ami conspicuous spots of buff' or white bordered ivith black ; upper 

 tail-coverts and tail-feathers grey, crossed ivith narroiv black transverse lines, betiveeii them there are large 

 rounded spots of white on the former, and of pale buff' on the latter, some of tlie longer central npper 

 tail-coverts also sparingly spotted with pale buff ; a broad line of feathers rotind the eye and extending 

 doivu a short distance beyond the sides of the nape pale buff' ; chin and centre of the throat ivhite ; 

 cheeks, sides of the neck and ujiper part of the fore-neck dark broivn largely mottled with white ; loicer 

 fore-neck dark broivn with whitish bases to the feathers, the lower ones also fringed ivith white ; 

 remainder of the uniler surface and a line on each side of the hind-neck tvhite ; a patch of feathers on 

 each side of the breast blackish-hrown, passing into greyisholive-brown on the loiver portion, some of 

 the feathers spotted with while or very pale buff', and edged with black around the tip ; axillaries 

 ivhite. I'otal lengtli. in theffesh 10 indies, wing rtuo, tail 2, bill I'S, tarsus 1'6. 



Adult female — Differs from the adult male in having the stripe down the centre of the head 

 and nape, and the line of feathers around and behind the eye, almost pure ivhite ; hind-neck blackish- 

 brown, ivith indistinct paler broivn cross-bars and a patcli of rich chestnut on the upper portion ; 

 elongated feathers concealed by the scapulars pure white ; upper winy-coverts pale olive-bronze with 

 narroiv transverse black lines ; lores, cheeks, chin, throat and fore-neck brownisli-black, the chin and 

 npper throat mottled irith ivhite. Total length in theffesh 10'75 inches, wing fJ, tail 21. 



Distribution. — Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South .\ustralia, Western Australia, 

 North-western Australia. 



/~|^IIP2 ran^e of the Painted Snipe e.xtends throughout Eastern, Southern and Western 

 L .Australia. .Although a permanent resident of .Australia, in New South W'ales it is a 

 migratory species, arriving about September or October, especially during wet seasons, and 

 departing again after the breeding season is over, at the end of February or early in March. 

 It frequents the margins of swamps and lagoons, sometimes selecting those surrounded with 

 a low, sparse and stunted vegetation, but not infrequently resorting to marshy situations, 



75 



