THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 135 



Taking the species in their order, I will now give a few notes 

 that may prove of interest to ornithologists who cannot study from 

 nature for reasons already stated. 



Amytis textilis, Quoy and Gaimard, Grass-Wren. 



Stunted ti-tree scrub, cane grass, samphire and spinifex flats 

 are the favourite haunts of this specits. I first saw it at 

 Idracowra, one of the flats on the Finke River, about loo miles 

 north-west of the Charlotte Waters, Northern Territory. Most of 

 the level ground near the river vyas covered with tussocks of 

 coarse cane grass, among whicli the low note of the Grass-Wren 

 was frequently heard. After searching for some time for the 

 author of the strange sound, I saw what at first appeared to be 

 a species of Calamanthus run from tussock to tussock, with head 

 low and tail erect. I made several attempts to shoot, and at last 

 killed one at a distance of about six yards. Although the cart- 

 ridge was a light one the bird was destroyed, which was annoying, 

 as it proved to be a bird I had never seen before. I then 

 decided to stand still until one appeared on the open ground 

 within range. For half an hour I watched these birds ho|)ping over 

 the ground, one at a time, with tail erect like the Maluri, picking 

 up insects and seeds. Occasionally one found an insect, and, 

 whilst holding it in its bill, uttered a twittering note, probably 

 intended as a challenge to an unseen comrade. In response to 

 the call another emerged from the cane grass, and a fight or chase 

 for the morsel took place. During one of these episodes, I took 

 a quick shot at a pair of birds about forty yards off and both fell. 

 One fluttered into a tussock, winged, but the other lay until I got 

 near, when it too struggled to a tussock. Although the bird had 

 both a wing and a leg broken it took about twenty minutes to 

 capture, and would probably have escaped had I not been assisted 

 by a native. The other bird could not be found. The specimen 

 secured was afterwards identified as the Amytis textilis of Gould. 

 Its general colour was dark brown above, with a dirty white stripe 

 down the centre of each feather. The breast was a little lighter 

 in colour, but similarly striped ; on the side and flank was a patch 

 of chestnut-brown. The thighs were exceedingly massive for so 

 small a bird, and were almost denuded of feathers, which 

 appeared to have been worn off by running through the coarse 

 grass. Other specimens subsequently shot were also males. 



In 1896, whilst travelling from Cue to Lake Way in Western 

 Australia, many of these birds were disturbed by our camels as 

 we passed through some stunted heath resembling boronia, but, 

 owing to their refusal to fly, I had difiiculty in obtaining speci- 

 mens until Lake Way was reached, when several were secured in 

 the following manner. As soon as we located the little clump 

 from which the peculiar note of the Amytis came, Mr. G. L. 



