TNSESSOllES. 271 



utters a number of notes in slow succession, but not so much 

 lengthened as those of the Gerygone culicivora of Swan River; 

 like that bird, it hovers before the smaller leafy branches of 

 the trees and creeps about the thickets. It is very tame, and 

 scarcely ever flies from the tree upon the approach of an in- 

 truder, but sits turning its little head about from side to side 

 until the hand is almost upon it, when it merely hops upon 

 another branch and again quietly looks about, apparently 

 quite unconcerned. 



The stomach is tolerably muscular, and the food consists of 

 small insects, principally of the soft-winged kinds. 



A narrow obscure line, commencing at the nostrils and 

 passing over the eye, yellowish white ; all the upper surface 

 rusty brown ; primaries brown, margined with lighter brown ; 

 tail whitish at the base, gradually deepening into nearly black, 

 the lateral feather largely and the remainder, except the two 

 middle ones, slightly tipped with white ; all the under surface 

 white, slightly washed with yellow ; irides light reddish 

 brown ; bill olive-brown ; base of lower mandible light ash- 

 grey ; feet dark greenish grey. 



Total length 3-| inches; bill \; wing 2 ; tail \\; tarsi f. 



Sp. 160. GERYGONE CHLORONOTUS, Gould. 



Green-backed Gerygone. 

 Gerygone chloronotus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part x. p. 133. 



Gerygone chlorontus, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ii. 

 pi. 102. 



This species is an inhabitant of the northern parts of 

 Australia : it is tolerably abundant at Port Essington, where 

 it dwells among the extensive beds of mangroves which stretch 

 along the coast. It is of a very shy and retiring disposition ; 

 and as the colouring of its back assimilates very closely to 

 that of the leaves of the mangroves, it is a very difficult bird 

 to sight as it creeps about among the thick branches in search 



