338 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 



Sp. 200. AMYTIS MACROURUS, Gould. 



Laege-tailed Wren. 



Amytis macrourus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xv. p. 3. 

 Nyern-de and Jee-ra, Aborigines of the interior of, Western Australia. 



Amytis macrourus, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iii. pi. 30. 



The present is the only species of the genus that has been 

 discovered in Western Australia ; two examples were shot in 

 the interior by Gilbert, who states that " it inhabits the 

 thickets, and is almost always on the ground, moving about 

 in families of from four to seven in number : it carries its 

 tail more erect than any other bird I have seen, and certainly 

 no bird runs or rather hops over the surface of the ground 

 with greater rapidity." 



It is evidently the representative of the Amytis textilis of 

 the eastern coast, to which it is very nearly allied, but from 

 which, as well as from the A. striatus, it may at once be 

 distinguished by its more robust form, and by the much 

 greater length and size of its tail. 



All the upper surface brown, each feather with a narrow 

 stripe of white down the centre ; under surface the same, but 

 much paler ; under surface of the shoulder pale rusty red ; 

 tail brown, margined with pale brown ; irides hazel ; base of 

 the lower mandible horn-colour, remainder of the bill black ; 

 feet flesh-brown. 



Total length 5^ inches ; bill \ ; wing 2f ; tail 2^ ; tarsi f . 



Genus STIPITURUS, Lesson, 



A form confined to Australia, where it frequents extensive 

 grass-beds, particularly those which occur in humid situations. 

 It runs quickly over the ground, and carries its tail erect like 

 the Maluri. Some slight variation occurs in specimens from 

 Tasmania, Southern and Western Australia ; but I believe they 

 arc all referable to one species. 



