604 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 



the female — exists in this as in the other species of the genus ; 

 they may be thus described : — 



Supercihary hne and throat bufly white; line before and 

 behind the eye, all the upper surface, wings, and tail dark 

 brownish black ; the base of the primaries, secondaries, and 

 tertiaries, and the under surface of the shoulder buff; under 

 surface pale vinous brown ; the feathers of the abdomen with 

 two stripes of black running parallel to and near the stem, 

 the space between dull white ; at the base of the throat several 

 irregular spots of black ; under tail-coverts buffy white, crossed 

 by broad bars of black ; irides brown . 



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



The female differs in having the markings of the abdomen 

 larger and more conspicuous, and in having the spots at the 

 base of the throat chestnut instead of black. 



Sp. 370. CLIMACTERIS MELANURA, Gould. 



Black-tailed Tree-Creeper. 

 Climacteris melanura, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part x. p. 138. 



Climacteris melanura, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. iv. pi. 97. 



I formerly believed that all the members of this genus 

 were confined to the southern portions of Australia, but that 

 such is not the case is proved by the circumstance of Mr. 

 Bynoe having killed this bird on the northern coast. It 

 exceeds all the other species in size, and also differs from 

 them in its colouring, particularly in the lanceolate feathers 

 on the throat and in the black colour of the tail. Nothing 

 whatever is known of its habits or general economy, but, 

 judging from its structure, it doubtless closely assimilates 

 to its congeners in all these particulars. 



Forehead, all the upper surface, and the tail-feathers velvety 

 brownish black ; the occiput and back of the neck stained 

 with ferruginous brown ; primaries and secondaries dark 

 brown at the base and at the tip, the intermediate space buff. 



