INSESSORES. 99 



an inch in breadth ; in colour nearly uniform olive stone- 

 colour, with here and there a roundish purple blotch or spot. 

 In confirmation of the opinion I have expressed that the birds 

 of this form lay but one egg, I may cite the following note re- 

 ceived from Mr. White, of the Reed-Beds, near Adelaide : — 



"I have several times found the female sitting on the 

 ground or rock with only a single egg under her ; the one 

 sent to you was placed on a bare piece of stony ground, and 

 the bird was sitting so close that she allowed me to approach 

 within a few feet of her without moving. The egg is dusky 

 green, spotted with black, and is of equal size at both ends." 



The sexes are so nearly alike in colour and size that they 

 are not to be distinguished except by dissection ; the young, on 

 the contrary, is clothed in a more buffy-brown dress until it 

 has attained the size of the adult. 



Forehead and centre of the head brownish black, each fea- 

 ther spotted and margined with bright buff; over each eye 

 the feathers are pearly white, very finely pencilled with brown- 

 ish black ; lores and sides of the face brown, spotted with 

 buff; collar at the back of the head reddish chestnut ; back 

 grey, freckled with black ; scapularies light grey freckled with 

 brownish black, largely tipped with bright buff, with an irre- 

 gular diagonal patch of black ; wing-coverts grey, spotted and 

 freckled with brown, each feather largely tipped with bright 

 buff; primaries and secondaries brownish black, marked on 

 both webs with buff, the buff on the outer webs being in the 

 form of round spots, on the inner webs irregular bars ; on the 

 inner web of the first primary is a large spot of pure white, 

 on the second primaries a similar but larger spot, and a small 

 one on the outer web ; the third and fourth crossed by a large 

 irregular patch of white ; middle tail-feathers light grey, mar- 

 bled and finely freckled with dark brown ; lateral feathers 

 light grey, barred with blackish brown and bright buff, and 

 freckled with dark brown, the buff on the outer web of th.e 

 outside feather forming a regular row of spots ; on each side 



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