FORKED-TAILED PETREI,. 41 



(Bull. Nutt. Orn. Soc. 1881, p. 249), it appears that males 

 and females participate in the duties of incubation, contrary 

 to the assertion of Mr. M. Hardy {torn. cit. p. 125), that the 

 males alone do so, or at least take the larger share. When 

 taken from the holes, the birds showed no disposition to 

 fly, but on being released, would scuttle back into their 

 burrows, or under some logs. They appeared to be com- 

 pletely dazed with the light, and if thrown into the air, 

 would fly in an aimless and dazed way for a few moments. 



The bill is black ; the irides dark brown ; the head, neck, 

 and back, sooty-black ; the forehead and throat rather paler, 

 and a greyish tinge about the head and neck, the back rather 

 the darkest in colour ; wing-coverts brown, turning greyish 

 on the edges ; upper tail-coverts white ; primaries and tail- 

 feathers black; the tail forked, the outer feathers being 

 half an inch longer than those in the middle ; breast and 

 belly sooty-black; behind each thigh, and extending over 

 the sides of the vent and lateral under tail-coverts, an 

 elongated patch of white ; the vent and middle under tail- 

 coverts sooty-black. 



The whole length is seven inches and a quarter ; from 

 the anterior bend of the wing to the end, six inches ; the 

 length of the leg one inch. The sexes in plumage are 

 alike. 



The nestling is covered with long sooty down, giving it, as 

 Mr. G. A. Boardman remarks, the appearance of a little 

 long-haired mouse rather than of a bird, as neither wing 

 nor bill arc visible. 



VOL. IV. 



