158 PLATYCKRCIN,*;. 



Adi'L'I' male. — (reni'fiil ijiiliiiir nliiirfl (jliri'-i/re/'n ; scipii/itrs, iiiiier sr.rlcs of uppi'r H'ing-coverts 

 tiiui ihi' onlfr iv-:bf< o/ the inwr si'cunriarie.i lik'' the lidck; llie onler ii/>/)i?r ivliKj-cocrrls dark blue, 

 isi>)}(i.rated hy a baiul of ricli Uyhf hhit>. e,xt iwJ imi doan tlif middle; remainder of tlv qnilh black, dark 

 bliiA 1)11 tlifir oii/i'r ivrhn, /he njiinil /mr/iim ,if tlie ini/i-r /irimiries /rii.^/ied irith pidi' grernix/i hlw : 

 central pair oj loil-lentlcrs blue, iris/od ivith yreeit at tlirir ba^e, and irliie/i •rte}i'l>: idinu/ //fir 

 marijhif! for tivo-lliirds of tlieir lemjlli : tlie remniiider bl ae on the outer /cib.-t, blackish-broira oit tin- 

 inner and liiiii-d intli ylloio, these ti/m increasiiiy in ex/eiil. to/cards t/ie mitennost fentlor mi either 

 aide, ichieh la ( ittirehj ijellmc, e.ece/it al the e.rtreine baai- : n Imnd aeruss tlie fi}riliead of deeji iiidiijo-blue, 

 bordered abore iritli n iiirrnnjer line vf li-/lit bine, ii'hieli ixtmda orer the eye ; lores yelloiv ; throat, 

 fore neck, chest, and jlankt: olire-yreeti sluvlel iritli yellon:: huvi'r breast and abdomen green ish-yellov, 

 frtth an orange sunt in ///- i-i iitre if the abdmniit : under tail-rorerts briqlit i/elloiv ; under /ring-coverts 

 and upper edyr nf tin- icing dfep bl ur Total IrnithS 7i'> inelies, icing Jf.'i, tail '>, bill tt .'t/i, tarsus (J 5. 



Adult KKMALK. — liesenibles thi' adult nude, but is sliglUly duller in colour, the iiidiyo band on 

 the. forehead narroicer, there is less ric/t light him dmrn. tlie middle of the upper vnng-coverts, no orange 

 spot in tlie centre of the abdomen, mid tin yrlluic nnd'C tnil-cocerls are sliyhlly ivaslnd iritli yreen. 



Distribution. — South-western Queensland, New South Wales, \'ictoria, South Australia, 

 Western Australia, North-western Austialia. 



|I\T was fortunate that the Trustees of the Australian Museum had for a long period from 1865 

 JL. the services of "Mr. George Masters as collector. All the zoiplogical departments have 

 benefitted by his exertions in Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia 

 and Tasmania, and none more so than the bird collections. Had his visits to the other States 

 been delayed for a decade or two, tlie opportunities for procuring specimens would have been 

 far less favourable, if not in some instances entirely lost. In November, 1865, he procured 

 specimens of Ncophcina dedans at Port Lmcoln, South Australia, and in October, 1868, at King 

 George's Sound, and January, iS6g, at Mongup, Salt River, Western Australia, a fine series of 

 both se.\es and also young. A golden-yellow wash pervades some adult specimens, and is most 

 marked in the upper tail-coverts of an adult male procured by Mr. Masters at King George's 

 Sound in October, 1868. 



Of its distribution Mr. Tom Carter records it as fairly common at l^roome Hill, Western 

 Australia, and informs me that one was picked up dead at Point Cloates, North-western Australia. 

 Dr. A. M. Morgan found it breeding at Yultacowie Creek, one hundred and twenty miles north- 

 west of Port Augusta, South Australia, and Mr. Edwin Ashby records it from Murray Bridge 

 in that State, and from Ascot, near Ballarat, \'ictoria. Dr. W. Macgillivray has noted it as rare 

 in the Broken Hill District of South-western New South Wales, and the late Mr. K. H. Bennett 

 has observed it in the Mossgiel District. I have never seen or heard of it being obtained in 

 Eastern and Northern New South Wales, but the late Mr. K. Broadbent has recorded it as 

 occurring at Chinchilla, in Southern Queensland. 



The late Mr. K. H. Bennett wrote me from the Mossgiel District, New South Wales: — 

 " Euplhina I'li-qans I have met with ouly on the borders of the large cane-swamps, in the open 

 plains far from timber, and either in pairs or small Bocks of i\ve or six in number. It is an 

 extremely shy species, and when flushed flies with a peculiar zig-zag flight, sometimes pitching 

 to the ground within a short distance, but more frequently ascending to a great altitude and 

 flying off until lost to sight. I have never known of an instance of it breeding here." 



From Broken Hill, in South-western New South Wales, Dr. W. Macgillivray writes me : — 

 " I have seen a few examples of Neophcmn elct;ans caught in the district, but they are rare." 



Mr. Edwin Ashby wrote me as follows from Blackwood, South .Australia : — " Ncopluma 

 elegans is not uncommon at Murray Bridge, South .-Vustralia. In May, 1886, I also found it 

 very freely dispersed at Ascot, near Ballarat, Victoria. As far as I could ascertain thistle seed 

 there formed the attraction." 



