TiENlOPVGIA. 



275 



A set of four eggs, taken by Mr. C. E. Cowle on the 6th January, 1895, ^^ Illamurta, 

 Central Australia, are pure white, oval in form, slightly pointed at the smaller end, and measures 

 as follows : — Length (A) o-66 x 0-45 inches; (B) o'66 x 0^42 inches; (C) o-6 x o'45 inches; 

 (D) 0-63 X 0-42 inches ; (E) 0-59 x 0-43 inches. 



Immature males have only the lores, feathers around the eye and base of bill scarlet, throat 

 black. Immature females have only the lores dull scarlet, and two or three dull scarlet-tipped 

 feathers on the centre of the breast. 



In Central Australia Mr. Cowle informs me that he has found nests of this species with 

 eggs from January until June, but the time of breeding is greatly influenced by the rainy season, 

 which usually occurs early in the year. 



Taeniopygia castanotis. 



CIIESTNUT-EARED FINCH. 

 Amadina castanotis, Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc, 1835, p. 105; id., Bds. Aust., fol. Vol. III., pi. 87 



(1848). 

 Tmniopygia castanotis, Gould, Handbk. Bds Austr., Vol. I., p. 419 (18G5) ; Sharps, Cat. Bds. Brit. 

 Mus., Vol. XIII., p. 311 (1890). 



Adult m.\le — General colour above, including tlie wings, ashy-brown, slightly greyer on the 

 head and hind neck; centre of the rump white, the sides black; under tail-coverts black, broadly 

 barred and tipped with white; tail dark brown; a narrow line at base of bill black, except on the 

 louder portion of the binder mandible; lores and fore parts of cheeks white; white, separated from a 

 conspicuous orange-rufous patcJi on the remainder of the cheeks and on the ear-coverts by a narrow 

 black line, extending below the eye; throat and foreneck grey crossed icith narrow black lines; on the 

 centre of foreneck a black cross-bar, remainder of the utider surface and under tail-coverts white ; the 

 sides 0/ the body chestnut spotted ivith white: bill orange-red; legs and feet fleshy orange- red ; iris 

 black. Total length in thejlesh 4'-- inches, wing 215, tail l-.'i, bill OSS, tarsus O'oo. 



Adult female — -Differs from the male in being destitute of the conspicuous orange-rufous patch 

 on the sides of the face and ear-coverts, these parts being ashy-grey, as are the throat and fore neck ; 

 breast, abdomen and under tail-corerts pale creamy-buff'; sides of body ashy-brown. 



Distributro7i — North-western Australia, Northern Terri- 

 tory of South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, 

 North-western Victoria, South .Vustralia, Central Australia, 

 Western Australia. 



/"I^HE Chestnut-eared or "Zebra" Finch is abundantly 



1 



CHESTNUT-EARED FINCH. 



distributed, in suitable situations, over nearly the 

 whole of the inland portions of the Australian Continent. 

 Although the commonest species of Finch in Western 

 New South Wales, it is greatly influenced in the localities 

 it frequents by climatic conditions. Wherever there is a 

 good rainfall and consequent profusion of grasses and 

 herbaceous plants, the seeds of which constitute its food, 

 these birds are e.xtremely numerous, and its presence is a 

 sure indication of water being near at hand, which may 

 •be found by noting the direction taken by the flocks on 

 the way to their drinking place. In dry seasons it is 



