292 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 



or note during the time I was watching its motions. Two others 

 were afterwards procured in the same kind of open scrub, and 

 the birds, being probably in the immediate neighbourhood of 

 their nest, hopped up quite close to the observer." 



This is a much more gaily attired species than the last, its 

 back and tail-feathers being rich reddish brown, which, with 

 the black and white markings about its face and the two white 

 bands across its wings, render it conspicuously different. 



The sexes assimilate in colour, but the female is somewhat 

 smaller than the male. 



Lores white ; immediately above and below the eye a black 

 mark forming a conspicuous moustache ; crown of the head 

 and upper surface reddish brown, passing into chestnut-red 

 on the rump and six middle tail-feathers ; remainder of the 

 tail-feathers black, tipped with white ; wings black, with the 

 base of the primaries and the tips of the coverts white, forming 

 two bands across the wing ; throat and centre of the abdomen 

 fawn-white ; chest and flanks washed with tawny ; irides 

 umber-brown ; legs and feet flesh- colour. 



Total length 8 J inches ; bill f ; wing 3f ; tail 4 ; tarsi If. 



Genus EOPSALTRIA, Gould. 



At least four species of this form are known ; two of these 

 are natives of Western Australia, and two inhabit the eastern 

 portion of the country. Although generically distinct from, 

 they are very nearly related to the PetroiccB. They are all 

 more arboreal in their habits than those birds, and also differ 

 from them in the silky character of their plumage and. in the 

 prevalence of yellow in their colouring. The females generally 

 lay only two eggs, while those of the Petroica lay four. 



