344 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 



only one I met with was built in a clump of coarse grass, shel- 

 tered by an overhanging dead bush. It contained two eggs, 

 the ground-colour of which is dull brownish white, blotched 

 and freckled with purplish brown, some of the blotches ap- 

 pearing as if beneath the surface, particularly at the larger 

 end, where they are most numerous, 



" Its food consists of seeds and insects." 



The sexes so closely resemble each other, that a representa- 

 tion and description of one will suffice for both. 



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 ; irides bright reddish brown ; upper mandible 

 brown, lower mandible bluish green at the tip and greenish 

 white at the base ; legs bluish grey. 



Total length 7^ inches ; bill | ; wing 2f ; tail 4 ; tarsi f . 



Genus ATRICHIA, Gould. 



The only species of this genus yet discovered is as singular 

 in its structure as it is shy and retiring in its habits ; the 

 total absence of vibrissas in a bird apparently closely allied to 

 Sphenura, in which they are so much developed, renders it one 

 of the anomalies of the Australian fauna. 



Sp. 204. ATRICHIA CLAMOSA, Gould. 



Noisy Scrub-bird. 

 Atrichia clamosa, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xii. p. 2. 



Atrichia clamosa, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ill. pi. 34. 



Few of the novelties received from Australia more interested 

 me than the species to which I have given the generic name 

 of Atrichia. Gilbert met with it among the dense scrubs of 

 Western Australia, having had his attention attracted to it 

 by its peculiar and noisy note long before he had an oppor- 



