586 Mr. T. Carter on the Birds of [Ibis, 



and more curved bills than birds from Carnarvoii and further 

 north, aud resembled the south-western birds, 



Calamanthus campestris hartogi Carter, Bull. B. O. C. 

 xxxvii. 1916, p. 6. 



The Dirk Hartog Pield-Wren was plentiful on the island, 

 and is quite distinct from the Calamanthus occurring on 

 the Perou. The habits and song are the same as those of 

 C. rubiginusus, which occurs further north. The birds are 

 mostly found in fairly open scrub, and were not seen in the 

 dense dark growths of the large wattle bushes. The pleasant 

 song is almost invariably uttered when the bird is perched 

 on the topmost twig of a bush, a dead twig seeming to be 

 chosen by preference, and both sexes are often seen in this 

 position. Upon any alarm, as at the approach of some one, 

 the birds dive down into the bush, and either run or hop 

 very rapidly along the ground, and are not easily Hushed 

 again. The tail is almost always carried very erect, and 

 when one of these birds is seen for a moment, it can easily 

 be mistaken for an Amytornis. Although these birds are 

 usually very shy, they can sometimes be " chirped " close 

 up. One alarm-note is somewhat like the alarm "churr-r-r" 

 of Oreoica cristata. Another resembles the " han-han-han " 

 of the English Herring-Gull when heard at a distance. 

 No nests or eggs were discovered, as my second visit to the 

 island (at the end of September) was evidently too late for 

 them. Many fledged young birds were observed on various 

 dates after September 39. In all probability many of this 

 species, and other small birds, had nested after the heavy 

 rains that fell over the district in January, 1916, as the 

 majority of birds occurring in the mid- and north-west areas 

 breed immediately after any heavy rainfall. 



Calamanthus campestris peroni, subsp. nov. 



The Peron Field- Wren is quite distinct from the Dirk 

 Hartog bird, and is therefore here described as a new sub- 

 species. 



Unfortunately, it is impossible to have this bird figured 



