188 Mr. R. Hall on Birds 



In A, B^ and C the under tail-coverts are not narrowly 

 edged with w^hite ; those of D are clearly so. 



Description of A {young) . — Shafts of head- and neck- 

 feathers fulvous, giving a light-brown appearance ; upon the 

 slate-grey of the back are a few feathers deeply edged with 

 fulvous ; rump brownish black, with small brown edgings to 

 feathers ; tail much as in adult ; wings slate-grey, tipped with 

 dirty white, the outer webs darker than the inner ; a few of 

 the upper coverts edged with fulvous ; chin and lores black ; 

 throat grey ; chest, breast, and abdomen sooty grey ; under 

 tail-coverts black; under wings silvery grey, coverts white. 



So thoroughly insectivorous is this species, in common with 

 others of its genus, that in search of insects it dips its bill into 

 the corollse of flowers and brings it out covered with pollen, 

 which makes the black chin and forehead appear yellow. It is 

 thus an effective agent in the process of cross-fertilization. 



47. ZoNTEGiNTHus ocuLATus. Rcd-cared Finch. (HalTs 

 Key, p. 49.) 



Two ad. sk. Sept. 27th, Oct. 2nd. Denmark. 



At Tor Bay I observed this Finch building a nest, from 

 which, four days later, I took two fresh eggs. Both eggs 

 and nest are what Australians call " typical Finches\^^ A 

 Banhsia situated amongst " black boys " (Xanthorrhoea) was 

 utilized for the nest, a good look out being thus ensured 

 over an acre or two of ground. 



So far as I saw, the south-west corner of Australia did not 

 appear to contain many Finches, and they were represented 

 by one species only. Only two out of twenty Australian 

 species are found in West Australia, one of which I do not 

 think would care to live in the moist climate of the south- 

 west. The resident form is the " red-eared,^^ which seems 

 to me to act in the south-west the part that the " red-browed" 

 species plays in the south-east, most of each district being 

 damp and wild. 



48. PoDARGUs PHAL^NOiDES. Frccklcd Frog-mouth. 

 (Hairs Key, p. 55.) 



Fledgling, sk. 28.10.99. Geraldton. 



Description of jledyling. — There were two specimens in 



