11. PETRCECA. 167 



Adult nude. General colour above slaty blackish, the least win^- 

 coverts like the back ; rest of the wing blacker, the inner, median, 

 and greater coverts white ; primary-coverts very narrowly tipped 

 with white ; quills black, the inner secondaries externally white, 

 forming a bar down the wing, the outer secondaries with a white 

 bar near the base of the outer web, smaller and higher up the feather 

 on the primaries; tail blackish, the penultimate feather with the 

 outer web edged with white near the base and at the tip, the outer- 

 most one wliite, with an oblique mark of brown along the inner web 

 and another brown mark towards the tip of the outer web ; a smaU 

 frontlet of white ; across the base of the forehead a blackish line ; 

 lores, sides of face and ear-coverts, chin and upper sides of throat 

 slaty blackish ; throat and breast rich scarlet-vermilion, the lower 

 flanks, vent, and lower abdomen white ; sides of body greyish, mixed 

 with white ; thighs blackish ; under wing-coverts and axiUaries 

 dusky greyish, tipped with white ; quills blackish below, the secon- 

 daries white at base of inner web ; " bill and feet black ; iris 

 black"' (Gould). Total length 5*2 inches, culmen 0"45, wing 3"15, 

 tail 2-3, tarsus 0-7. 



Adidt female. Brown above, darker towards the rump and upper 

 tail-coverts; base of forehead whitish ; wings dark brown, the coverts 

 narrowly tipped with whitish, the secondaries with conspicuous white 

 bases, slightly tinged with rufoiis, and forming a wing-patch ; pri- 

 maries with an indistinct white mark about halfway up the feather, 

 more distinct on the secondaries, which are edged with white ; tail- 

 feathers dark brown, the outermost white, obliquely marked with 

 brown on the inner web, and having a spot of brown at the tip of the 

 outer web ; ear-coverts brown, with whitish shaft-lines ; lores ru- 

 fescent ; under surface of body brown, the throat and centre of 

 abdomen whitish, the fore neck and breast with a slight tinge of 

 vermilion ; thighs brown ; under tail-coverts white, with longitu- 

 dinal centres of dark brown ; under wing-coverts and axillaries 

 fulvous, with dusky bases ; quills dark brown below, whitish along 

 the inner web, the base of the secondaries conspicuously white. 

 Total length 5-2 inches, culmen 0-45, wing 3, tail 2, tarsus 0-75. 



Yotmg male. Similar to the old female, but with orange instead of 

 vermilion breast. 



Hah. Australia : Wide-Bay district, Richmond and Clarence- 

 River districts, New South Wales, Yictoria, South Australia. Tas- 

 mania. 



a. 5 ad. st. Australia, 



b. d" jtiv. sk. Australia. Baron Laugier. 



c. S ad. St. New South Wales. J. Gould, Esq. [C.]. 



d. S ad. St. South Australia. Sir George Grey [P.]. 



e. S ad. sk. Tasmania. Ronald Gunn, Esq. [P.]. 

 f,g. cJ ad. sk. Tasmania. J. B. Jukes, Esq. fP.]. 



h. (S ad.; i. cJjuv.sk. Tasmania. Antarctic Expedition [C.]. 



k. cJ ad. sk. Tasmania. Sir E. Home [P.]. 



