I 20 Campbell, Victor imi caul TasDianian Birds. [sth'jan. 



bordering the creeks, in contrast to A. diemenensis, the "Forest 

 Tit," which inhabits mostly the gum-tree areas. Gould, who 

 first described the species, wrote that it was a slenderer bird 

 than A. diemenensis, with more brown at base of primaries. A 

 more complete description may be welcomed : — General colour 

 above brownish-olive, passing into rufous on rump ; forehead 

 rufous, with very faint black edging to each feather ; spurious 

 wing and primaries nearly black, the outer webs of Nos. 3 to 7 

 for the basal third rufous ; the bases of secondaries rufous, then 

 black for half an inch, then olive on outer web ; chest and 

 throat with indistinct grey-black edgings to feathers ; abdomen 

 white ; flanks dark olive ; tail brownish-olive, with all but centre 

 ones showing wide sub-terminal band nearly black and tips 

 dark grey ; legs and bill brownish-black ; basal half of lower 

 mandible white ; irides light red. The King Island bird shows 

 the prominent black and rufous wing-patches a lighter tint. 



Acanthiza chrysorrhoa (Yellow-rumped Tit). — The general colour 

 of the mantle in the Tasmanian bird is lighter, particularly on 

 the back and the primaries, the feathers of tlie throat, lores, 

 and eyebrow, while the tarsus is longer by .1 inch than the main- 

 land form. 



Acanthornis magna (Scrub-Tit). — The present name of this 

 bird, as further evidence is collected, appears to be more 

 fitting than either Acanthiza (Gld.) or Sericornis (Brit. Mus.), 

 for, although there is a leaning toward the latter, it is, in its 

 structure and economy, a link between the two. A descrip- 

 tion and measurements of birds from Mt. Wellington, Tasmania, 

 are as follow : — ■ 



Total length. 



Male .. •■4-4 



Female .. 4.35 



Young male .. 4.3 



Crown of head, lower back, rump, flanks, and under tail coverts 

 deep brownish-olive ; upper back olive ; lores white, extending 

 into a stripe over the eye, which is also encircled on the lids with 

 a zone of small white feathers ; ear coverts and cheeks slate- 

 black in male, but greyer in female ; wing black, five primaries 

 narrowly edged on terminal half of outer web with white; tips 

 of five secondaries and five greater wing coverts boldly edged 

 with semicircular patches of same colour, which is easily detected 

 on the bird in nature ; throat white (in female tinged with 

 yellow), passing into pale yellow on abdomen ; a line of white 

 extends from gape partly under the ears ; tail blackish-brown, 

 outer webs brownish-olive, subterminal black band, tips deep 

 slate passing into narrow white edge, especially on outer feathers ; 

 bill blackish, base of lower mandible pale yellow ; legs brownish 

 in male, much lighter in female ; irides light yellow. The female 

 is the browner of the two sexes, while the young is duller in all 

 its markings than either, and is distinguished by having a patch 

 only of dull yellow on each side of the chest, the centre of abdo- 

 men being white. 



