INSESSORES. 47 



persecuted and destroyed by the newly-arrived emigrants at 

 the time I paid this distant land a visit. 



The Flatycercus adelaidensis at first caused me consider- 

 able perplexity from its close similarity in some stages of its 

 plumage to the P. pennantii ; as in that species, the plumage 

 of the young for the first season is wholly green, which colour- 

 ing gradually gives place to pale orange-red on the head, rump 

 and upper surface, the scapularies and back feathers being 

 margined with the same, but which soon disappears and gives 

 place to dull yellow on the flanks and olive-yellow on the 

 upper surface, the scapularies and back feathers in the mature 

 dress being edged with yellowish bufi" and violet. It was only 

 by kilhng numerous examples in all their various stages of 

 plumage, from the nestling to the adult, that I was enabled to 

 determine the fact of its being a distinct species. 



When I visited the interior of South Australia, in the win- 

 ter of 1838, I found the adults associated in small groups of 

 from six to twenty in number ; while near the coast, between 

 Holdfast Bay and the Port of Adelaide, the young in the 

 green dress were assembled in flocks of hundreds ; they were 

 generally on the ground in search of grass-seeds, and when so 

 occupied would admit of a near approach : when flushed they 

 merely flew up to the branches of the nearest tree. It is 

 impossible to conceive anything more beautiful than the rising 

 of a flock of newly moulted adults of this species, for their 

 beautiful broad blue tails and wings glittering in the sun pre- 

 sent a really magnificent spectacle. • 



The fully adult male has the crown of the head, lores, sides 

 of the neck, breast, and centre of the abdomen scarlet, passing 

 into dull yellow on the flanks ^ cheeks and wing-coverts light 

 lazuline blue ; primaries deep blue, passing into black at the 

 extremity ; back of the neck dull yellow ; back black, each 

 feather margined with yellowish buff, some of the margina- 

 tions tinged with blue, others with scarlet ; rump and upper 

 tail-coverts dull greenish yellow, the latter sometimes tinged 



