75. FALCo. 399 



black, all but the two centre feathers barred on the inner web and 

 tipped with rufous, these bars sometimes extending slightly on to 

 the inner web ; forehead and lores white ; sides of face, fore part of 

 the cheeks, and ear-coverts brownish black ; hind part of cheeks, 

 sides of neck, and throat white, slightly tinged with rufous ; under 

 surface of the body pale dingy rufous, with a few shaft-stripes on the 

 breast and the remains of obsolete grey cross bars on the flanks ; 

 under wing-coverts dingy rufous, obsoletely barred with brown and 

 tipped with fulvous ; cere and base of upper mandible yeUow ; bill 

 bluish lead-colour, black at tip ; feet yellow, claws black ; iris black- 

 ish buown. Total length 11-5 inches, culmen 0-8, wing 9-7, tail 5-9, 

 tarsus 1-3. 



Adult female. Similar to the male, but larger. Total length 13-5 

 inches, culmen 0*85, wing 10-5, tail 6, tarsus 1"45. 



Tounc). Above slaty blue, with broad rust-coloured margins to the 

 feathers, the secondaries plainly tipped with bufiy white ; the crown 

 and upper tail-coverts rusty, being quite obscured by the margins to 

 the feathers ; forehead whitish ; fore part of cheeks, region of the 

 eye, and ear-coverts brownish black ; hinder part of cheeks, sides of 

 neck, and throat creamy white ; chest creamy buff, tinged with rufous, 

 with several dark brown streaks down the centre of the feathers ; 

 remainder of under surface deep rufous ; the lower abdomen, vent, 

 and under tail- coverts tawny buff, with a few rufous shaft-stripes 

 and bars ; under wing-coverts duU rufous, with oval spots of creamy 

 buff; primaries dark brown, tipped with whitish and barred on the 

 inner web with rufous ; tail greyish above, browner beneath, aU the 

 feathers barred across and tipped with rufous. 



Ohs. The birds above described are certainly the adults,and young 

 of one and the same species. In the Museum, however, are three 

 specimens, one of which is from Tasmania, and the two others simply 

 marked "Australia," but agreeing in every respect with each other : 

 all the other specimens are from various parts of the Australian 

 continent, as noticed below. I cannot help thinking that these three 

 birds belong to a different species. They are slightly smaller than 

 the male described (wing 9-4) and arc very much darker, being 

 black with a slight greyish shade ; the throat and chest are thicklj- 

 streaked with black, and the sides of the body mottled with blackish 

 cross bars. These are, perhaps, only in the intermediate stage before 

 assuming the adult dress ; and this idea is favoured by the presence 

 of the cross bars on the sides, remains of which are seen even in 

 quite adult birds. 



Hah. The whole of Australia and Van Diemen's Laud ; Flores. 



a. c? ad. st. Australia. 



b. (S juv. St. Australia. Linnean Society [P.]. 



c. $ ad. sk. Australia. Sir 1). Cooper [^P.]. 



d. cS ad. St. Van Diemen's Laud. Konald Guun, Esq. 



e. S ad. St. South Australia. Sir George Grey [P, 

 /. S juv. sk. Yarruudi River, N.S.W. J. Gould, Esq. [P.] 



.f'- 



(/. $ ad. sk. Interior of S. Australia. Captain Start 



h. S ad. sk. Interior of S. Australia. Captain Sturt _ 



(:. .Tuv. sk. N.W. Australia. .1. K. Elsey, Esq. [P.]. 



P 



