INSESSORES. 343 



All the upper surface brown ; wings, tail-coverts, and tail 

 rufous brown, the latter indistinctly barred with a darker tint ; 

 under surface grey, gradually passing into the brown of the 

 upper surface ; over the eye an indistinct buffy stripe ; irides 

 brown ; bill brown, becoming much lighter on the lower 

 mandible ; legs greyish brown. 



Sp. 203. SPHENURA LONGIROSTRIS, Gould. 



Long-billed Bristle-bird. 



Dasyornis longirostris, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part viii. p. 170. 

 Djyr-dal-ya, Aborigines of the lowland districts of Western Australia. 



Dasyornis longirostris, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iii. 

 pi. 33. 



The present species assimilates very closely in the character 

 and colouring of its plumage to its eastern analogue, the S^jJie- 

 nura hracliyptera ; but differs from that bird in being of a 

 smaller size and in having a longer bill. It is a native of 

 Western Australia, and is very generally distributed over the 

 colony of Swan River, where it inhabits reed-beds and long 

 grasses, and is occasionally seen in scrubby places. *' It is 

 so remarkably shy," says Gilbert, " that it is extremely difficult 

 to get even a glimpse of it : it appeared to feed on the ground, 

 where its actions are extremely quick, running over the 

 surface with its tail erect. The only chance of procuring 

 specimens is when it ascends to a small branch on the top of 

 a scrub to sing. Its notes are loud, clear, and extremely 

 varied. 



" It flies very low ; in fact the bird scarcely ever rises 

 more than a few yards above the scrub or long grass it 

 inhabits ; it is consequently very rarely seen on a tree. 



" The nest is formed of dry wiry grass, without any lining, 

 more globular than those of the Maliiri, but, like them, with 

 an opening in the side ; it is of rather a large size, and the 



