?o Descriptions of a New Xer of hila and Acantkiza, W.A. [ Is f n Tui- 



species of the genus Xerophila. I subsequently sought to get 

 additional skins from the locality indicated, but without success 

 until a few weeks ago, when Mr. Frederick Lawson, a British 

 ornithologist, satisfied my requirements by forwarding me seven 

 excellently filled skins of adult birds of both sexes, secured by 

 him in the neighbourhood of Lake Austin. 



After comparing those skins with skins of X . leucopsis (Gould) 

 from Victoria and South Australia, and with the descriptions 

 of that bird and X. pectoralis (Gould) in the British Museum 

 Catalogue and the plates and letter-press in Gould's " Birds of 

 Australia," and also with the description and plate of X. nigri- 

 cincta (North) in the " Report of the Horn Expedition " and a skin 

 of the last-named species, I have not any hesitation in declaring 

 the Murchison bird a new species. It may be distinguished from 

 (a) X. leucopsis by the presence of a thicker bill and of deep 

 dull chestnut rump, flanks, and sides, and a chestnut and white 

 abdomen, and white chin, throat, and chest, and by the absence 

 of the faint subterminal cross bars on the breast ; (b) from 

 X. pectoralis principally by the absence of the chestnut-brown 

 back and the well-defined pectoral band of cinnamon-brown 

 and the chestnut and white flanks, which in the new species 

 are almost uniform chestnut ; and (c) from X. nigricincta by 

 the absence of the narrow black pectoral band and the cinnamon 

 back which distinguish that species. The new species appears 

 to occupy an intermediate position between X. pectoralis and 

 X. nigricincta. The technical description of the new species 

 is as follows : — 



Xerophila castaneiventris (Chestnut-bellied Whiteface), sp. 

 nov. 



General colour above, including ear coverts and sides of neck, 

 dark brown, with darker centres to feathers, the brown being 

 deeper on the head and nape ; the wings deeper brown than 

 the mantle, and with edges of primaries whitish, and outer edges 

 of secondaries slightly rufous and inner edges whitish ; rump, 

 flanks, and sides uniform dull chestnut ; abdomen parti-coloured 

 with that colour and white in irregular but distinct patches ; 

 upper tail coverts same shade as mantle ; under tail coverts 

 white ; two central tail feathers blackish-brown, showing faint 

 cross bars in certain lights — the five lateral feathers on each 

 side black, tipped with white ; under webs of tail feathers deep 

 ashy, with faint cross bars and with white tips very pronounced ; 

 under wing coverts ashy, with pinkish-white edges ; chest, throat, 

 cheeks, chin, and face white ; a patch of light brown feathers 

 encroaching on sides of chest ; bill stout and Finch-like, and 

 black ; iris pale yellow ; eyes and feet black. Flesh measure- 

 ments — total length, 4.1 ; culmen, 0.5 ; wing, 2.4; tail, 2 ; 

 tarsus, .75. 



The sexes are alike, except that in the female the rump shows 

 a deeper colour, and all the tail feathers are tipped white, arid 

 the breast shows a faint glow of pinkish-buff. 



