418 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 



of a gum- or apple-tree. It is of a large size, and is con- 

 structed of grasses of various kinds; in form it is nearly 

 splierical, with a short pendant spout on one side, through 

 which the bird obtains access to the interior ; the eggs are 

 white, rather long in shape, and five or six in number. 



The sexes offer hnle or no difference in the markings of 

 their plumage. 



Crown of the head and back of the neck brownish grey ; 

 back and wings brown, becoming deeper on the tips of the 

 primaries ; lores, a broad band across the breast, flanks, and 

 tail deep black ; each feather of the flanks with a large spot 

 of white near the tip; rump and upper tail-coverts shining 

 scarlet ; throat, abdomen, and under taU-co verts white ; irides 

 red, surrounded by a narrow, naked, lilac-red lash ; bill blood- 

 red, passing into lilac at the base and on the culmen : feet 

 purphsh brown. 



The young for the fiKt year has the bill black, except at 

 the base, where it is flesh-colour ; the band across the breast 

 and the flanks greyish brown, the latter being barred indi- 

 stinctly with black and gre\ish white; in other respects the 

 plumage nearly resembles the adult. 



Genus T.ENIOPYGIA. Reichenhach. 



The Berlin Professor, Cabanis, established the genus Star/a- 

 nojtleura for the Loxia guttata of Shaw, and associated there- 

 with the bird described by me as Amadina castanotis : the 

 Dresden Professor, Reichenbach, has, however, gone further 

 still, for he has separated the latter bird from the former 

 under the generic name of Tcsnioptera. To this form must 

 be added the Loiia guttata of Vieillot, not of Shaw. Pro- 

 bablv the Timor bird recently described by Mr. Wallace as 

 Amadina insalari^ is Vieillot's bird ; there are, therefore, two, 

 if not three, distinct species of this form. 



