50 



CERTFIIID.E. 



one might easily mistake the female of C. superciliosa for that of C. erythrops, especially as the 

 distinguishing white superciliary stripe of C. iuperciliosa is bordered above by a narrower one of 

 rusty-red. 



In New South Wales the western portion of the State is the stronghold of the present species. 

 It also occurs on the Blue Mountains, specimens in the Australian Museum having been 

 obtained by Mr. R. Grant, at Lithgow, who informs me that it is by no means uncommon in the 

 Eucalypti growing on the sides of valleys in that district, and where he has found it breeding. 

 It is seldom, if ever, met with now near the coast, probably owing to the altered character of the 

 country, but there are specimens in the Australian Museum collection obtained by Dr. E. P. 

 Ramsay at Dobroyde, in March 1S65, and by Mr. J. A. Thorpe, at WoUongong, in 1877. The 

 latter has however, obtained it more abundantly at Tarana, one hundred and nineteen miles 

 inland. 



The late Mr. K. H. Bennett wrote of this species from 

 the Mossgiel District, New South Wales: — "Climacteris 

 cvythrops is confined to the forests of Casuarina, Myopovum, 

 etc.. up the rough trunks of which it runs with surprising 

 celerity. Although in close proximity it is rarely if ever 

 found in the clumps of Eucalyptus affected by the Brown 

 Tree-creeper. It is much more arboreal in habits too than 

 that species, but does occasionally resort to the ground for 

 the purpose of capturing insects. It breeds during the 

 months of October and November, and the site chosen is 

 always the hollow trunk of a small tree, just large enough 

 to contain the birds, at the bottom of which a nest is 

 formed of a mass of vegetalile fibre covered over with a 

 layer of fur on which the eggs — never more than two are 

 deposited." 



A set of two taken by Mr. K. II. Bennett on the loth 

 November, 1886, at Ivanhoe, New South Wales, are oval 

 in form, the shell being close-grained, smooth, and lustrous. 

 They are of a faint reddish-white ground colour, thickly freckled all over with light purplish-red, 

 the markings predominating on the thicker end of one specimen, where intermingled with similar 

 underlying spots of pale violet-grey they form a small but well defined zone. Length (A) o-8i 

 X 0-62 inches; (B) 0-85 x 0-65 inches. A single egg taken by Mr. Bennett at Ivanhoe, on the 

 9th September, 1885, is of a salmon-white ground colour with narrow fleecy longitudinal streaks 

 of salmon-red uniformly distributed over the shell. Length o-86 x 0-62 inches. 



September and the three following months constitutes the usual breeding season of this 

 species. 



Immature birds of both sexes resemble the adults but are destitute of the rusty-red lores, 

 superciliary stripe and orbital region, these parts being dusky greyish-brown, the chin and centre 

 of the upper throat are dull buffy-white, remainder of the under surface uniform light earth-brown, 

 except the centre of the abdomen which is buffy-white ; under tail-coverts buff with imperfect 

 V-shaped blackish-brown cross-bars. The wing-measurement is the same as the average adult, 

 and fully plumaged birds, 3-4 inches. Two specimens in the Reference Collection, showing a 

 slightly more advanced stage towards maturity, have a faint indication of the rusty-red supercilary 

 stripe, and each have four feathers on the breast with a broad white streak down the centre 

 bordered on either side with a narrow black line. 



lUiD-KVKIiliOWED TRKE CREKPER. 



