INSESSORES. 381 



my notice by the beauty of its colouring, the sprighthness and 

 activity of its actions, and the busy manner in which it was 

 engaged in capturing small insects. As may be supposed, 

 the sight of a bird of such beauty, which, moreover, was en- 

 tirely new to me, excited so strong a desire to possess it that 

 scarcely a moment elapsed before it was dead and in my hand. 

 In a small collection procured in South Australia by the late 

 F. Strange, two other specimens occurred w-hich I supposed 

 to be male and female ; unfortunately they were unaccom- 

 panied by any information respecting the habits or economy 

 of this rare bird ; more recently, however, both G. French 

 Angas, Esq., and Mr. White have favom^ed me with brief notes 

 on the subject. 



" A nest and eggs of the Tricoloured Ephthianura," says 

 Mr. Angus, " were taken on the 27th of October 1862, in a 

 low bush at Evan dale, about three miles from Collingrove, 

 Angaston, South Australia. It had never been seen in that 

 locality before, the farthest south being the head of Spencer's 

 Gulf, where I obtained it in the scrub in September 1860." 



" This," says Mr. White, " is a very rare species ; and from 

 all I can learn, I imagine its true haunt to be in the far north 

 and W'Cst of South Australia, and that it occasionally comes 

 southward to breed. On a journey made in October last to 

 the head of Spencer's Gulf and Mount Brown, I first observed 

 it in a flock of ten or twelve males, females, and young birds, 

 and at once saw that it was a species I had not previously 

 noticed ; and on inquiring in various northern localities found 

 that it had not been seen by the residents until this spring. 

 Those I saw were in the scrubby country on the western 

 slopes of Flinder's Ranges, close to the head of Spencer's Gulf; 

 they were hopping about on the low bushes and on the 

 ground." 



In another note by this gentleman he states that he saw 

 this species and E. aurifrons in considerable numbers about 

 latitude 27° and 28°. 



