3. ANTHtrs. 615 



31. Anthus australis. 



An thus australis, Vig. ^- Horsf. Trans. Linn. Soc. xv. p. 229 (1826); 

 Gray, Gen. B. i. p. 206 (1847) ; Gould, B. Austr. fol. iii. pi. 78 

 (1848) J Bp. Consp. i. p. 249 (1850) ; Cab. Mas. Hein. Th. i. p. 15 

 (1850) ; Rekhenh. Foff. Neuholl. p. 64 (1850) ; Gould, Handb. B. 

 Austr. i. p. 392 (1865); Bamsai/, P. Z. S.'lS65, p. 690 ; Gray, 

 Hand-l. B. i. p. 252, no. 3656 (1869) ; Von .Will. P. Z. S. 1869, 

 p. 279 ; Ranmuj, P. Z. S. 1875, p. 590 ; id. Proc. Linn. Soc. N. S. W. 

 ii. p. 186 (1878). 



Anthus paUescens, Vig. 8f Horsf. Trans. Linn. Soc. xv. p. 229 (1826). 



Adult male. General colour above fawn-buff, the feathers distinctly 

 mottled with dark-brown centres, especially on the head ; scapulars 

 and lower back and rump more uniform, the darker bases more 

 indistinct ; least wing-coverts uniform with the scapulars ; median 

 and greater coverts blackish, with broad edgings of tawny buff, 

 inclining to whitish at the tips of the latter ; secondaries broadly 

 edged with tawny buff, whitish at the tips and on the extreme 

 margins ; primary-coverts and primary- quills dark brown, narrowly 

 edged with white, the inner primaries also tipped with white ; 

 upper tail-coverts more tawny than the rump ; tail-feathers dark 

 brown, edged with fulvous, more distinct on the two centre feathers ; 

 outer feather entirely white, excepting an oblique mark of dark 

 brown along the inner web ; penultimate feather white for the outer 

 half of the inner web, the inner part of the latter and the shaft dark 

 brown ; lores and a distinct eyebrow white, more or less tinged with 

 fulvous; round the eye a ring of buffy-white feathers; in front of the 

 eye a few dusky plumes, those below the eye whitish ; ear-coverts 

 pale fulvous, mottled with dark-brown edges to the feathers ; cheeks 

 and throat dull white, separated b)' a distinct malar line of 

 dusky brown ; rest of under surface dull white, rather more fulves- 

 cent on the thighs and under tail-coverts ; breast and sides of body 

 light tawny buff; the fore neck and chest distinctly spotted with 

 triangular markings of darlv brown, becoming narrow shaft-streaks 

 on the sides of the body ; under wing-coverts and axillaries light 

 buff, with greyish ba^es to the feathers, the edge of the wing mottled 

 with brown spots ; quills dark brown below, shaded with ashy- 

 fulvous along the inner web : " bill and legs fleshy brown ; iris ver)-^ 

 dark brown "' (J. Gould). Total length 6-2 inches, culmen 0-56, 

 wing 3--15, tail 2-75, tarsus 0"9o. 



Obs. Tasmanian specimens are more rufous than those from the 

 continent of Australia; and the spots on the breast are more distinct 

 as well as the malar stripes and the markings on the ear-coverts. 

 The type belongs to the rufous form, and may have come from 

 Tasmania. 



The absence of dates to the specimens in the British ^luseum 

 prevents me from following out the sequence of phimages. 



labelled, and the probability is that the bird iu question really came from the 

 Is'.W. Himalayas. In either case any of the three locaUties would be a new 

 one for the species. 



