INSESSOUES. 421 



hill Island at the head of Van Diemen's Gulf, " where it inha- 

 bited the edges of the mangroves and thickets : when tlis- 

 turbed it invariably flew to the topmost branches of the 

 loftiest gums, a habit I have not before observed in any other 

 member of the genus. Its note is a very mournful sound 

 added to a double twit. Those I observed were feeding 

 among the high grass in small families of from four to seven 

 in number, and were very shy. The stomach is tolerably 

 muscular, and the food consists of grass and other seeds." 



More recently the late Mr. Elsey observed it in great 

 abundance on the Victoria River. 



The adult has the forehead, lores, ear-coverts, and throat 

 deep velvety black ; from behind the eye, round the occiput, 

 and down the sides of the neck a mark of verdigris-green, 

 gradually blending into the yellowish green of the upper surface 

 and wings ; across the breast a broad band of shining lilac- 

 purple, below which all the under surface is shining wax- 

 yellow ; tail black ; bill flesh-white at the base, tipped with 

 blood-red ; feet flesh-colour. 



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



The young bird has the head grey; upper surface light 

 olive ; under surface pale buff ; chin white ; primaries and 

 tail brown ; irides dark brown. 



Sp. 260. POEPHILA MIRABILIS, Homb. et Jacq. 



Beautiful Grass-Finch. 

 Poephila mirabilis, Homb. et Jacq. Voy. au Pole Such, tab. 22. tig. 2. 



Poepliila mirabilis, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. iii. pi. 89. 



Some ornithologists have entertained the opinion that the 

 P. mirabilis and the P. gouldim were one and the same species ; 

 but that such is not the case has been proved by the re- 

 searches of the late Mr. Elsey, who lived for some time at 

 the Victoria River, surrounded by hundreds of both these 

 birds. This gentleman found them breeding, and collected 



