154 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 



pure white ; all the under surface rich deep chestnut ; irides 

 nearly black ; bill light blue at the base, black at the tip ; 

 feet dark lead-colour. 



The female has a similar distribution of colouring, but 

 differs from her mate in the following particulars : — lores and 

 a ring surrounding the eye jet-black ; only an indication of 

 the superciliary stripe ; throat grey ; tail not so distinctly 

 tipped with white ; under sui'face light chestnut-red. 



Sp. 80. ARTAMUS LEUCOPYGIALIS, Gould, 



White-rumped Wood Swallow. 

 Artamus leucopygialis, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part x. 1842, p. 17. 



Artamus leucopygialis, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ii. pi. 33. 



On a careful comparison of specimens of the White-rumped 

 At f ami from India and the Indian Archipelago with those 

 killed in Australia, I cannot but consider that at least two, 

 if not three, species have been confounded under one name, 

 and that the Australian bird had remained undescribed until 

 characterized by me in the 'Proceedings of the Zoological 

 Society' above quoted. The present species is most nearly 

 allied to the Artamus leucorhynchis, but is readily distin- 

 guished from it by the blue colour of the bill ; and I may 

 here remark, that the Australian birds are also considerably 

 smaller in all their admeasurements than those of the islands 

 to the northwards. 



Tasmania and Western Australia are the only colonies in 

 which this bird has not been observed ; its range, therefore, 

 over the continent may be considered as very general : in 

 South Australia and New South Wales it would appear to be 

 migratory, visiting these parts in summer for the purpose of 

 breeding. Among other places where I observed it in con- 

 siderable abundance was Moscpiito, and the other small 

 islands near the mouth of the Hunter, and on the borders of 



