INSE8S0RES. 285 



men, and under tail-coverts white ; irides brownish black ; 

 bill black ; feet blackish brown. 



The female has the upper surface dark brownish grey ; 

 wings brown, with the oblique band less prominent than in 

 the male ; under surface light brownish grey, passing into 

 white on the vent and under tail-coverts ; tail brown, the 

 lateral feathers white at the base, the white continuing to near 

 the tip on the external web of the outer feather. 



The young immediately after leaving the nest is dark brown, 

 with a stripe of light brown down the centre of each feather, 

 the markings of the wings and tail resembling those of the 

 adult J under surface like the upper, but becoming white as 

 it proceeds towards the vent. 



Sp. 169. MELANODRYAS PICATA, Gould, 



Pied Robin. 



For many years I have had in my possession skins of two 

 Pied Robins, one from the north-west, and the other, which 

 is somewhat mutilated, and perhaps a female, from Port 

 Essington. In all probability they are two district species, 

 both differing from the M. cucuUata of New South Wales ; I 

 shall here, however, only describe the one from the north-west 

 coast. The specimen is that of a fully adult male. In its 

 colour and general form it is very like the M. cucuUata, but is 

 much smaller than ornithologists admit to constitute a mere 

 race or variety. 



Head, throat, neck, back, and wings black ; scapularies, 

 bases of the innermost primaries and the secondaries and 

 under surface white ; tail black, the lateral feathers white for 

 two-thirds of their length from the base ; bill and legs black. 



Total length 5 J inches ; bill f ; wing 3 J ; tail 2^ ; tarsi |. 



