20 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



the throat nestling feathers are long and silky ; tail feathers show 

 three faint bands, and are terminated distally each by a strong 

 white mark ; dull white featliers at the head of metatarsus ; toes 

 feebly provided with abnormal hirsute feathers ; bill black, except 

 at base and tip of culmen, which are light horn. Length of 

 wing, 8.75 inches; tail, 4.9 inches; culmen, i inch. 



49. Strepera CUNEICAUDATA, Vieill., Grey Crow-Shrike. 



Nestling, 28/9/99. Locality, Nhill, Victoria. 



The general plumage is darker in colour than that of the 

 adult, agreeing more with the sub-species S. plumbea, Gld. The 

 feathers of the forehead, crown, and back are faintly rayed, the 

 tips being brown ; tips of wing quills greyish-white ; under tail 

 coverts greyish-white ; tail quills, which are very short, are 

 mostly white; feathers of lores stiff; bill brownish; middle 

 portion of culmen orange ; legs and feet greyish flesh. Length 

 of wing, 5 inches; tail, 2.3 inches; culmen, 1.4 inches. 



133. Rhipidura albiscapa, Gld., White-shafted Fan-tail. 



(«) Young. Mitcham, Victoria. 



The whole of the dorsal surface deep slate colour, and much 

 darker than the grey of adult ; primary coverts have a double row 

 of cinnamon-coloured edges to the feathers ; secondaries edged 

 with ochreous buff; throat feebly marked by white, with a black 

 mark beneath; no white mark behind eye; chest, breast, and 

 abdomen sandy buff; no distinct white on tail, except upon the 

 shafts of all but the middle two ; bill and legs black. Length of 

 wing, 2.6 inches ; tail, 3 inches. 



(6) Immature female, 3/8/96. Warragul, Victoria. 



Dorsal surface not so dark as in (rt), but not the grey of the 

 mature bird ; throat whiter than in (a), but not so white as in 

 adult ; breast and abdomen not so ochreous as in (a), but 

 deeper than the pale ochreous buff of the adult ; white mark at 

 rear of eye ; the amount of white on tail about intermediate 

 between that of {a) and adult. Length of wing, 3.05 inches; 

 tail, 3.75 inches. 



183. Megalurus gramineus, Gld., Grass-bird. 



Immature skin, male, 29/12/99. Altona, Victoria. 



Upper surface uniform tawny, with a few black streaks on the 

 interscapulum ; barb of middle quill of tail black ; under surface 

 fawn, tending to white from the chin to the breast, below which 

 it is more tawny ; no streaks upon the under surface, a single 

 small one upon one of the lower throat feathers ; wings very 

 much as in adult, except that the edges to secondaries are fulvous ; 

 bill yellowish, other than the ridge of mandible, which is dark 

 brown ; legs brown, under i)ortion of feet yellow. Length of 

 wing, 2.05 inches; tail, 2.2 inches. 



