I. xrx 



1919 



] Sfu-feldt, Material for a Study of the Meoapodiidcr. 23 



According to the " Official Check-list of tlio Birds of Australia " 

 (p. 22), the range of this species is given as " New Soiitli Wa,les, 

 Victoria, S., W., and N.W. Austraha." 



The United States National Museum has kindly loamd mv the 

 only specimen (Skin No. 154,275) it possesses of the Mallee-Fowl, 

 and it is at hand at the present writing. From its label it evidently 

 was obtained from the " Museum Boucard," and, as usual, the 

 information about it is extremely vague. For locality and date 

 we have only "3, 1896, Austraha." I have been unable to make 

 out the collector's name on account of the poor handwriting. 

 The sex is not given. It is a fairly good skin of an adult speci- 

 men, though apparentlv an old one, -with the head bent down 

 upon the breast in a most outrageous fashion, rendering it im- 

 possible to properly examine the plumage of the throat. 



The grey feathers, tinged with pale brown, on the top of the 

 head are elongate, and evidently form a crest. Their distal ends 

 are narrowly emarginated with light grey. Throat tan, passing 

 to pointed feathers longitudinally striped with tan, black, and 

 white ; these, centrally, become much larger below, and are black 

 and white only, or black with longitudinal white stripes. Breast 

 pearl-grey. Lower parts white. Feathers at sides of breast 

 barred near their extremities with black, terminating with pale 

 tan emarginations. Some of the flank feathers barred trans- 

 versely with dull black. Crissum tan. Lower neck and upper 

 parts grey, with feathers showing broad emarginations of deep 

 tan as they approach the interscapular region. Feathers of back 

 and secondaries of wings beautifully barred and blotched in 

 bizarre pattern with white, browns, greys, and fainter tints. 

 Some of the black and white bars are wavy and broad ; some very 

 delicate, fine, and zigzagged. The entire combination is remark- 

 able and pleasing. Primaries of wing grey, with outer vanes 

 faintly barred. Rump grey ; feathers of lower rump or upper 

 tail coverts elongated, and nearly cover upper part of tail ; latter 

 composed of 12 (?) feathers, central one transversely barred with 

 black, tan, and dark grey ; outer feathers dark grey, deeply 

 emarginated with light tan. Feet (in skin) black, and not par- 

 ticularly large for a bird of this size. Circumocular space naked. 



Talegallus (Less.) 

 (Ogilvie-Grant, t.c, p. 4r)4.) 

 According to Sharpc's " Hand-Hst," there are four species con- 

 tained in this genus, all of which are confined to New Guinea and 

 off-lving islands. These species are T. cnvieri, Less (p. 465, " Cat. 

 B. M."). T. fiiscirnslris, Salvad. (p. 466), T. johiensis, A. B. Meyer 



valuable works on Australian birds by Gregory M. Mathews — " Reference-list, 

 Birds of Australia" and "Birds of Australia" ; A. J. North, "Nests and 

 Eggs of Birds Found Breeding in Australia and Tasmania " ; " Birds of 

 Australia," by Lucas and Le Soui'f ; Dr. J. A. Leach's excellent little 

 volume, "An Australian Bird Book"; E. P. Ramsay's "Tabular List of 

 .\ustralian Birds," and numerous other publication.s. 



