THE VlCtOKlAN NATURALIST. 137 



food consists principally of ants and spidery, of which a plentiful 

 supply is always available. Crossing the Great Desert of North- 

 West Australia they were frequently the only birds visible. As 

 we travelled through the spinifex, in September and October, we 

 often saw these birds suddenly hop off the side of a tussock, and, 

 on visiting the spot, found the nest placed on top of the tussock. 

 It was dome-shaped, with a large side-opening, invariably facing 

 east, and constructed of the dead strippings of the spinifex. The 

 two eggs which constituted the clutch were white, with a few light 

 brown spots, as though sprinkled with bran. Others were freckled 

 with finer spots, in some cases forming a zone. 



Amvtis modesta. North. 



Whilst with the Horn Expedition, at Stokes's Pass, in the 

 Macdonnell Ranges, I shot several birds which at that time I 

 thought were A. textilia, and labelled them as such, but on a sub- 

 sequent examination I noticed a marked difference in the shape 

 of the bill and the colour of the under parts. They happened to 

 be all females. Apart from the difference already pointed out 

 between this bird and A. lextilis is the fact that they are almost 

 exclusively confined to the locky sides of the gorges in the 

 Macdonnell Ranges, where they are found in flocks of from six 

 to ten birds, apparently living in the most perfect harmony. I 

 saw several flocks of these birds hopping amongst the rocks or 

 on the ground, others on the stones. Sometimes as many as four 

 or five on one stone at a time, but at the least alarm they all 

 vanished behind stones or into crevices in the rocks, but appar- 

 ently avoiding the shelter of the grass. Whether this species is 

 polygamous is doubtful. My opinion is that they are simply 

 gregarious when not breeding. Through the kindness of Mr. 

 C. E. Cowle I received several clutches of eggs of this species, 

 which were taken from nests in cane grass tussocks. Fortunately 

 Mr. Cowle shot the bird at the nest, and so established its identity. 

 As Mr. North has already pointed out in the Victorian Naturalist, 

 vol. xix., p. 103, these birds are paler and less striated than 

 A. textilis, though resembling that species in some respects. 

 Their eggs have also a different appearance, as will be seen from 

 the specimens on the table. 



Amvtis goyderi, Gould, Goyder's Wren. 



The bird to which this name was given by Gould was secured 

 by a member of the Lake Eyre Exploring Expedition in the 

 interior of South Australia. Its nearest ally is said to be 

 A. striatus. Until further particulars are to hand I shall retain 

 the opinion that it is a doubtful species, as the white throat and 

 chest appear to indicate too close a connection with striatus. 

 It is also found in the same country. 



