102 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



Type. — In the Australian Museum. 



Dr. Sharpe's description of Rhipidara rufifrons in the " Cata- 

 logue of Birds in the British Museum," vol. iv., p. 319 (1879), 

 evidently applies to this species, for he describes the tail feathers 

 as being " distinctly tipped with white." The type of lihipidura 

 riijifrons characterized by Dr. Latham, was obtained in New 

 South Wales, and has the tips of the tail feathers pale brown, not 

 white. In the latter respect Ehipidura intermedia agrees with 

 B. torrida, described and figured (Proc. Zool. Soc, 1865, p. 477, 

 pi. xxviii.) by Dr. Alfred Russel Wallace, from the island of 

 Ternate, but -R. torrida differs from R. intermedia in having the 

 ear-coverts and upper breast black. 



The eggs of R. intermedia are indistinguishable from those of 

 its ally, R. rufifrons, being oval in form, of a pale cream ground 

 colour, and slightly darker at the larger end, where they are 

 dotted and spotted with dull umber-brown, intermingled with a few 

 underlying spots of faint bluish-grey. A set of two measure : — 

 length (A), 0.69 x 0.52 inches; (B), 0.68 x 0.49 inches. 



Calamanthus albiloris, sp. nov. 



Adidt female. — Like the adult female of Calamanthus fidigino- 

 sus, Vigors and Horsfield, but distinguished from that species by 

 having a large triangular-shaped white patch in front of the eye, 

 joining the white eyebrow above, and extending in a broad line 

 of white feathers below the eye. Total length, 5.2 inches ; wing, 

 2.15 ; tail, 2 ; bill, 0.5 ; tarsus, 0.9. 



Hab. — Victoria. 



Type. — In the Australian Museum. 



The specimen of Calamanthus, in which the above distinguish- 

 ing characters have been pointed out, forms part of the Old 

 Collection of the Australian Museum, and nothing is known of its 

 history beyond that given on the label — " Cakwianthus fuli- 

 ginosus, Victoria, 1865." Formerly I regarded the species of 

 Reed-Lark found by me breeding near Melbourne as C. cam- 

 pestris (Nests and Eggs Aust. Birds, p., 148, 1889); but, from 

 the situations it frequented, I have no doubt now it was C. fuli- 

 ginosus, or, perhaps, the present species, C. albiloris. All the 

 eggs I took were, however, distinctly smaller than those of C. 

 fuliginosus obtained in Tasmania, and agreed precisely in size 

 "and their average paler colour with the eggs of Calamanthus 

 campestris taken in South Australia. Dr. Sharpe, in the " Cata- 

 logue of Birds in the British Museum," vol. vii., p. 502-3 (1883), 

 includes Victoria in the habitat of 6'. campestris, but omits that 

 State from the habitat of C . fuliginosus. The latter is clearly an 

 oversight, for in the list of specimens enumerated by him is one 

 from Melbourne. I have never handled or seen a properly 

 localized specimen of 0. camj)estris from any part of Victoria. 



[Since the above was sent to press Mr. Keartland has forwarded 

 me a specimen of an adult female obtained by him at Clayton, 



