230 PARDALOTIDS. 



obtained it on the Dawson River, and Mr. K. Broadbent has recorded it from Charleville. I 

 have never seen a properly locaHzed specimen from the coastal districts of Queensland, nor from 

 any part of New South Wales, but Dr. R. B. Sharpe records a specimen from Bourke on the 

 Darling River, in the western part of the latter State." There are also two specimens in the old 

 mounted collection in the Australian Museum, labelled, — " Locality, New South Wales." 



Immature birds are darker on the upper parts and especially in the centre of most of the 

 feathers, giving them a mottled appearance, the yellow patch on the centre of the fore neck is smaller, 

 and the sides of the neck and body are distinctly washed with creamy-brown. In an adult female 

 from Derby, a distinct yellowish wash to the feathers extends over the breast and abdomen. An 

 adult male from the Victoria River, in the Northern Territory of South Australia, has the broad 

 streak over and behind the eye rich fawn colour. Gould's figures of this species in his "Birds 

 of Australia," taken from the then only known specimen, are much darker on the upper parts 

 than any examples I have seen. His vernacular name given to this species I have discarded, 

 as it is an obvious misnomer. 



Mr. G. A. Keartland sends me the following note: — "I first met with Pardalotiis ruhricatus in 

 June 1894, hopping amongst the foliage of the stunted Eucalypti on the banks of the Finke River, 

 Central Australia. As I saw several birds go in and out of hollow branches I came to the 

 conclusion that they intended nesting there, but an examination of several failed to reveal 

 any eggs. However, on a subsequent occasion, Mr. C. E. Cowle observed a small bird enter a 

 hole in the bank of a creek. He sent a blackfellow to stop the entrance, and then carefully 

 removed the earth until he reached the nest and captured the bird sitting on four eggs. He 

 forwarded both skin and eggs to establish the identity of the latter which were of normal size. 

 About a month later he saw another bird under similar circumstances. This was also captured 

 and skinned, as the eggs were so small that he thought I would imagine he had made a mistake 

 in the species. Mr. Cowle stated that the nest was two feet six inches from the entrance of the 

 tunnel. During the journey of the Calvert Exploring Expedition across North-western Australia, 

 I saw these birds several times, and obtained some fine specimens near the junction of the Fitzroy 

 and Margaret Rivers, North-western Australia. They seem to confine themselves to the Eucalypt 

 trees as I never saw them in any other." 



Mr. H. G. Barnard sent the following note when forwarding a set of three eggs taken by 

 him at Duaringa, Queensland, on the 24th July, 1906: — "Pardalotiis ruhricatus generally breeds 

 on sand ridges, making their burrows in small holes grubbed out by kangaroo-rats when searching 

 for roots. These birds are very shy, and when flushed from their burrows dart swiftly away and 

 do not return for some time. Eggs three or four in number for a sitting; the breeding months 

 are from July to October." 



A nest of this species, taken by Mr. C. E. Cowle, from the end of a tunnel in a sandy bank 

 of a creek at Illamurta, in Central Australia, is a rounded structure with a rather large entrance, 

 it averages four inches in external diameter, and is formed entirely of strips of silvery-grey bark 

 and fine grass. 



The eggs are three or four in number, rounded-oval in form, pure white, the shell being 

 close-grained, smooth and lustreless. A set in Mr. Keartland's collection, from the above 

 described nest, measures: — Length (A) 077 x o'55 inches; (B) 077 x 0-55 inches; (C) o-68 x 

 0-52 inches; (D) 07 x 0-55 inches. A set of two taken by Mr. C. E. Cowle, on the 7th February, 

 1899, measures: — Length (A) 077 x 0-57 inches; (B) 077 x 0-55 inches. Two eggs in the 

 Australian Museum collection of a set of three taken by Mr. H. G. Barnard, at Duaringa, 

 Queensland, on the 24th July, 1906, measures: — Length (.•\) 075 x 0-53 inches; (B) 075 x 0-52 

 inches. 



* Sharpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus.. Vol. X., p. 60 (1885). 



