INSESSORES. 227 



of the genus. It imitates the note of Ptilonorliynclms holose- 

 riceus so exactly that I have often been deceived by it. You 

 mostly meet with the bird amongst the vines and supplejacks 

 trailing over a few stunted trees ; here it will be seen hopping 

 up the thick limbs in search of food, just after the manner of 

 the members of the genus Climacteris ; like them too, they 

 are continually on the move." 



All the upper surface, wings, and tail olive-brown, with the 

 exception of the inner webs of the primaries, which are dark 

 brown ; throat pale bufty white, streaked with brown ; all the 

 under surface rusty red ; irides black ; bill and feet fleshy 

 brown. 



Total length 7 J inches ; bill l\ ; wing 3f ; tail 8 J ; 

 tarsi 11. 



Genus FALCUNCULUS, Vieillot. 



The two species of this genus are not only strictly Austra- 

 lian, but are confined to the southern parts of the country ; 

 the F. frontcdns inhabiting New South Wales and South 

 Australia, and the F. leucogaster Western Australia. When 

 attacked by other birds or by man, both species defend them- 

 selves with their powerful bill and claws with the utmost fury; 

 they also use their strongly toothed bills for tearing off" pieces 

 of rotten wood and the thin scaly bark of the Eucalypti in 

 search of insects. The large branches of trees are their usual 

 place of resort, and in many of their actions and habits they 

 closely resemble the Tits of Europe and India (genus Parus), 

 while they also assimilate to the Pachycejjhalce. They build 

 a round, cup-shaped nest, and lay three or four eggs. 



q2 



