342 Zoological Society. 



transmitted by M. Landsberger, Netherlands Consul at Caraccas. 

 There is also another specimen, from, I beheve, the same locality, 

 which differs i:i having the under sm-face of a nearly miiform greyish 

 brown, with here and there a few of the white marks so conspicuous 

 in the bird above described ; it is also of a somewhat smaller size, 

 but notwithstanding these differences, the two birds appear to be one 

 and the same species. 



The O. Columbianus has a stouter bill, and is of a larger size than 

 O. dentatus, but is smaller than O. Balliciani, to which it is most 

 nearly allied. 



Leaving America and India, and proceeding to Australia, I return 

 to a country which has so long engaged my attention, to characterize 

 a new genus of small creeping Insessorial Birds, nearly allied to the 

 genera Hylacola and Dasijornis, under the name of Fycnoptilus, of 

 which at present only a single specimen is known, and to which I 

 beg to assign the specific name of Jloccosa ; it is from New South 

 Wales and the country towards the river Darling. 



Genus Pvcnoptilus. 



Gen. Char. — Bill much shorter than the head ; gonys and cnlmen 

 gradually descending ; upper mandible notched at the tip ; nostrils 

 covered with a distinct operculum ; base of the bill beset with very 

 fine feeble hairs ; wings veiy short, round and concave, the sixth 

 primary the longest ; tail short, rounded, feathers very broad and of 

 a soft texture ; tarsi strong, and somewhat lengthened compared with 

 the size of the bird ; hind-toe strong, and armed with a rather long 

 claw ; fore toes and nails rather feeble, the outer and inner toes of 

 equal length ; plumage dense, lengthened and silky, especially on the 

 flanks. 



Pycnoptilus floccosus. 



All the upper surface, wings and tail rich brown ; throat and 

 breast sandy buff, the feathers of the latter with a crescent of brown 

 near the tip ; remainder of the under surface brown, approaching to 

 white on the centre of the abdomen ; under tail-coverts rusty red ; 

 bill and feet dark brown. 



Total length, 6 J inches ; bill, f ; wing, 2f ; tail, 2f ; tarsi, 1^. 



Hab. New South Wales. 



Remark. — Received in a collection made on the upper part of the 

 river Morumbidgee. 



This form is somewhat allied to Atrichia, Hylacola and JDasyornis, 

 but differs from all those genera in several particulars. 



I cannot conclude this paper descriptive of several new and im- 

 portant birds, without congratulating the Society upon the means 

 they possess of making known to the scientific world through their 

 Proceedings and Transactions, spread far and wide as they are, not 

 only over our own country, but I may say over the world, the many 

 interesting objects which from time to time are brought before their 

 Meetings ; neither must I omit to bear testimony to the high estima- 

 tion in which they are held by all the continental naturalists and 

 every true lover of scientific research. 



