008 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 



throwing back the earth Hke the GallinacecB. It never climbs, 

 as was formerly supposed, but runs over fallen trunks of 

 trees; — is rather a solitary bird, seldom more than two being 

 seen together. Its often -repeated cry of cri-cri-cri-crife 

 betrays its presence, when its native haunts, the most retired 

 parts of the forest, are visited. Its chief food consists of 

 insects, their larvse, and wood-bugs. It builds a large domed 

 nest, of slender mosses ; the entrance being by a lateral hole 

 near the bottom. The eggs are white and disproportionately 

 large. The situation of the nest is the side of a slanting rock 

 or large stone, the entrance-hole being level with the surface. 

 — Revue Zoologique, July 1847. 



The male has the crown of the head and upper part of the 

 back reddish brown, with a large mark of black on each 

 feather ; lower part of the back and upper tail-coverts rich 

 rufous brown ; wings black ; coverts largely tipped with grey; 

 primaries crossed with grey at the base ; apical half of the pri- 

 maries and the tips of the secondaries dark brownish grey ; 

 tail dark brown ; sides of the head and neck dark grey ; 

 throat and chest white, separated from the grey of the sides 

 of the neck by a lunar-shaped mark of deep black ; flanks and 

 under tail-coverts grey, stained with reddish brown ; bill and 

 feet black ; irides very dark hazel. 



The female only differs in colour in having the throat rich 

 rust-red. 



Genus SITTELLA, Sivainson. 



During the progress of the " Birds of Australia" I had the 

 pleasure of characterizing several new species of this form ; 

 one from Southern and Western Australia, another from 

 Moreton Bay, and a third from the north coast. The Sittella 

 chrysoptera was the only one previously known. 



No species of this genus exists in Tasmania. 



These birds build singular, upright nests on the branches of 



