158 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 



somewhat higher than the mouth of the hole, by which means 

 the risk of its being inundated upon the occurrence of rain 

 is obviated. I have been fortunate enough to discover many 

 of the nests of this species, but they are most difficult to 

 detect, and are only to be found by watching for the egress 

 or ingress of the parent birds from or into its hole or entrance, 

 which is frequently formed in a part of the bank overhung 

 with herbage, or beneath the overhanging roots of a tree. 

 How so neat a structure as is the nest of the Spotted 

 Diamond-bird should be constructed at the end of a hole 

 where no light can possibly enter is beyond our compre- 

 hension. The eggs are four or five in number, rather round 

 in form, of a beautiful polished fleshy white, seven and a half 

 lines long by six and a half lines broad. 



The song of the Spotted Diamond-bird is a rather harsh 

 piping note of two syllables often repeated. 



The male has the crown of the head, wings, and tail black, 

 eacli feather having a round spot of white near the tip ; a 

 stripe of white commences at the nostrils and passes over the 

 eye ; ear-coverts and sides of the neck grey ; feathers of the 

 back grey at the base, succeeded by a triangular-shaped spot 

 of fawn-colour, and edged with black ; rump rufous brown ; 

 upper tail-coverts crimson ; throat, chest, and under tail- 

 coverts yellow ; abdomen and flanks tawny ; irides dark 

 brown ; bill brownish black ; feet brown. 



The female maj'^ be distinguished by the less strongly con- 

 trasted tints of her colouring, and by the absence of the bright 

 yellow on the throat. 



Sp. 82. PARDALOTUS RUBRICATUS, Gould. 



Red-lored Diamond-bird. 

 Pm-dalotus rubricatus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part v. p. 149. 



Pardalotus rubricatus, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ii. pi. 36. 

 The Red-lored Diamond-bird belongs to the same section of 



