Official Organ of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists' Union. 



" Birds of Zi featber.' 



Vol. XIX.] ist APRIL, 1920. [Part 4. 



The Rufous Scrub-Bird (Atrichornis rufescens) in 

 Queensland. A new Sub-species. 



By Henry L. White, R.A.O.U., 1^>elltrees, Scone, N.SAV. 

 When, during last year, Mr. A. H. Cliisholm, R.A.O.U., of 

 Tiie Daily Mail, Brisbane, reported the Scrub-Bird in Southern 

 Queensland, I felt anxious to investigate the matter. The locality 

 mentioned by Mr. Chisholm is on the .northern side of the Mac- 

 pherson l-Jange, which forms part of the boundary between New 

 South Wales and Queensland. 



The Queensland Government, thanks to Mr. Chisholm's good 

 ofifices, issued a special permit to search for and secure a pair of 

 the birds for scientific purposes. 



Mr. Sid. W. JacLson, who knows more alwut the habits of tlie 

 Atrichornis than anyone else, and who had already taken two 

 sets of eggs in New South Wales, was despatched to the locality 

 with instructions to secure the female bird at all costs. Mr. 

 Jackson's article in this issue narrates his successful hunt for 

 tlie female Atrichornis, while I shall endeavour to describe what 

 1 consider to be a good new sub-species, the female of whicli is 

 tlie first of that sex recorded for the species. 



According to agreement, I obtained, upon loan, from the " H. 

 L. White Ornithological Collection," National Museum, Melbourne, 

 its series of skins ; these, added to a few I had retained, made 

 probably the finest series of skins of the species in existence, 

 embracing specimens from the Bellinger, Clarence, and Richmond 

 River districts. Upon the skins being arranged in the order of 

 their localities, little or no difference is observed in the New 

 South Wales skins, but the Macpherson Range male birds show 

 out at once ; scarcely any cinnamon rufous can be noticed on 

 the upper parts of the Queensland birds, this colour being re- 

 placed by a darker (chestnut) brown, uniform from head to tail, 

 while the wings are decidedly darker. On the under surface the 

 Queensland specimens again show less cinnamon-rufous, while the 

 lilack patches on either side of the breast are much more distinct. 



The throat of the Queensland bird is distinctly barred, a close 

 examination proving that the feathers are blackish, edged with 

 white, giving the appearance of scales : the scaled area extending 

 well down towards the lireast. 



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