294 PLOCEIDiE, 



somewhat greyer; primaries brown, scarcely barred at all with 

 lighter brown on the outer web ; lower rump and upper tail-coverts 

 bright crimson ; centre tail-feathers black, washed near the base 

 with dull crimson, the remainder barred with light brown on the 

 outer web ; head and sides of face, ear-coverts and sides of neck 

 brown, like the back, but so finely vermiculated as to appear almost 

 uniform ; lores and a narrow frontal band as well as the feathers 

 round the eye black ; cheeks a little greyer than the ear-coverts ; 

 under surface of body silvery grey, more coarsely vermiculated with 

 black cross bars, finer on the throat and fore neck, the breast and 

 abdomen having whiter and coarser bars ; abdomen and under tail- 

 coverts black ; under wing-coverts pale fulvous brown, with remains 

 of dusky vermiculations : " bill crimson, becoming paler at the base 

 of the upper mandible ; feet flesh- colour ; iris very dark brown ; 

 eyelash beautiful light blue " {J. Gould). Total length 4-4 inches, 

 culmen 0*45, wing 2-2, tail 1-7, tarsus 0-65. 



The sexes are alike in colour. (Gould.) 



Young. Much browner and more dusky than the adults; the 

 head uniform brown ; the black on the lores and base of forehead 

 scarcely indicated ; imder surface of body browner, with indistinct 

 vermiculations of blackish cross lines, but not distinct cross-barring, 

 as in the adult : bill dusky. 



Bab. New South Wales ; South Australia ; Interior Province to 

 Wide Bay District (E. P. B.). 



a, b. Ad. sk. Australia. F. Nicholson, Esq. [P.]. 



c. Juv. sk. Australia. Forbes Coll. 



d, e. Ad. ; New South Wales {J. T. Salvin-Godman Coll. 

 /. Juv. sk. Cockerell). 



g. J ad. sk. South Australia. Sir G. Grey [P.]. 



/*,i. Ad. sk. Tasmania (/. 5. J«/Z;es). Voy. H.M.S. ' Fly.' 



h, I. Ad. St. Tasmania. P^onald Gimu, Esq. [P.]. 



m, n. (S ; Bryn Estyn, New Norfolk, C. G. H. Lloyd, Esq. 

 o,p. $ ad. sk. Tasmania. [P.]. 



2. Zonsegintlms oculatus. 



FringiUa oculata, Quay et Gahn. Voy. de VAstrol. i. p. 211, pi. 18. 



fig. 2 (1830). 

 Estrelda oculea, Gould, B. Austr. fol. iii. pi. 79 (1848) ; Gray, Gen. 



B. ii. p. .368 (1849). 

 Zona?pinthus oculeus, Cah. Mus. Ilein. Th. i. p. 171, note (1850) ; 



Beichenh. Singv. p. U, Taf. iii. figs. 21, 22 (1862) ; Goidd, Haiulb. 



B. Austr. i. p. 407 (18G5). 

 Astrilda oculea, Beichenh. Vog. Neidioll. p. 90 (1850). 

 Sporotblastes oculea, Bp. Consp. i. p. 455 (1850). 

 Amadiua oculea, Gray, Hand-l. B. ii. p. 57, no. 6797 (1870). 

 Estrelda (Zonseginthus) oculea, Bamsay, Broc. Linn. Sac. N. S. TV. 



ii. p. 186 (1878) ; id. Tab. List Austr. B. p. 10 (1888). 



Adidt. General colour above brown, with wavy cross lines of 

 blacli, less distinct on the head and neck ; rump and upper tail- 

 coverts crimson : wing-covcrts like the back ; quills dusky, exter- 



