INSESSORES. 351 



very retiring in its habits, generally creeping about among 

 the grasses, and will almost admit of being trodden upon 

 before it will rise and take wing; during the months of 

 spring the male becomes somewhat bolder, and* early in the 

 morning will frequently perch on the highest of the grasses 

 and pour forth a pretty but feeble song, resembling that of the 

 Maluri. As some confusion existed respecting the sexes of 

 the various species of this genus, I was particular in dissecting 

 all the individuals I shot, and I can therefore state with cer- 

 tainty that the plumage of both sexes of this species is per- 

 fectly similar, and that the only outward difference between 

 them consists in the female being somewhat smaller than her 

 mate. 



Crown of the head, back, wing-coverts, scapularies, and 

 tail-feathers brownish black, each feather narrowly margined 

 with buff; sides and back of the neck and all the under 

 surface sandy buff, fading into white on the throat and centre 

 of the abdomen ; bill and feet flesh-brown. 



Sp. 210. CISTICOLA LINEOCAPILLA, Gould. 



LiNEATED Grass-Warbler. 



Cysticola lineocapilla , Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xv. p. 1. 

 Cisticola lineicapilla, Bonap. Cousp. Gen. Av., torn. i. p. 287^ Cisticola, 

 sp. 7. 



Cysticola lineocapilla, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iii. pi. 43. 



The Cisticola litieocapilla is a much smaller and more 

 delicately formed species than the C. exilis, and may, more- 

 over, be distinguished from that and every other member of 

 the genus with which I am acquainted by the lineated form 

 of the markings of the head. It is a native of the north coast 

 of Australia, and all the specimens I have seen were from the 

 neighbourhood of Port Essington. Gilbert states that it " is 

 very rarely seen, in consequence of its generally inhabiting the 

 long grass of the swamps, where it creeps about more like a 



