16 Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria. 



lower part : chest light scarlet ; breast and abdomen white ; 

 flanks brownish ; under tail covers deep cream ; bill and legs 

 black. Length of wing, 2-7 inches ; tail, 2-15 inches. 



Stage Dg. Young c?, sk., 12-10-99. Victoria. 



This skin is practically the same as D.,, the conspicuous patch 

 of the same hue of red across the chest occupying less of the 

 chest and more of the breast than in D.^. Length of wing, 2 '75 

 inches; tail, 2-15 inches. 



Phase E. 



Imm. c?, sk., 27-1-00. Plenty Ranges, Victoria. 



This specimen shows abundant evidence of a thorough eject- 

 ment of one quarter of its brown plumage. That it is a young 

 bird, and is assuming the strongly contrasted " blacks and reds " 

 of the adult is quite evident. Before collecting, I observed it to 

 fly some thirty yards over the bracken just as a Sericornis, or 

 Malurus would do. The process of moult was taxing its grace in 

 flight. The portion of the old plumage remaining is the brown 

 of the breast, back, and half of the wing quills. The reds are 

 coming and many have appeared in a blotchy manner upon its 

 breast. The old tail quills have all been displaced by new, soft 

 and short ones, the laterals being white-edged ; forehead brown, 

 not yet moulted ; lores black ; 1, 2, 3 and 4 primaries are old 

 and grey ; 5 is a new black quill two-thirds correct length ; 

 6, 7, 8 and 9 quills are new and black, spotted with white as in 

 adult ; 10 is new and black and half grown ; the remaining quills 

 are old and grey, new innermost secondaries black ; wing coverts 

 are new in addition to old, while others are maturing ; upper tail 

 coverts are new and old, intergrowing ; under wing coverts 

 " bursting ;" under tail coverts principally new ; head feathers 

 are partly new blacks, but mostly old greys; legs feebly feathered, 

 mostly new. The " reds " of the lower portions of the chin and 

 throat are in their sheaves, though visible owing to the partial 

 fall of the old feathers ; under surface brownish-grey, feathers 

 old; bill and legs black. Length of wing, 2-9 inches; tail, 

 1-35 inches. 



Phase F. 



Stage Fj. Imm. $, sk, April, 1S97. Heytesbury, Victoria. 

 (Per Mr. Geo. Graham). 



