INSESSORES. 59 



it would appear that its range is very limited, the colony of 

 Swan River in Western Australia being the only locality in 

 which it has yet been seen in a state of nature ; there, how- 

 ever, it is one of the most common birds of the country, and, 

 except in the breeding-season, may always be seen in large 

 flocks, which approach so near to the houses of the settlers as 

 frequently to visit their gardens. It generally feeds on the 

 ground, on the seeds of various kinds of grasses, and not un- 

 frequently attacks ripe fruit of the garden, especially if it be 

 left unprotected. 



Like most other members of the genus, the Flatycercus 

 icterotis does not differ in the colouring of the sexes of the 

 same age. During the first year they are green, which gra- 

 dually gives place to the fine colouring of maturity. 



Its flight is of short duration, and consists of a series of 

 rather rapid undulating sweeps. 



Its note is a feeble, piping kind of whistle, which is occa- 

 sionally so much varied and lengthened as almost to assume 

 the character of a song. 



The eggs, which are white and six or seven in number, are 

 eleven lines long and nine and a half lines broad ; they are 

 deposited in the holes of large trees without any nest. 



Crown of the head and back of the neck, chest, and all the 

 under surface scarlet ; cheeks and thighs yellow ; feathers of 

 the back black, bordered with green, yellow, and in some 

 instances scarlet; rump and upper tail-coverts yellowish 

 green ; shoulders and outer edges of the primaries blue, the 

 inner webs and tips of the latter blackish brown ; two middle 

 tail-feathers green ; the remaining feathers light blue tipped 

 with white, with the basal portion of a darker blue tinged 

 with green; bill fight horn-colour; feet and legs dull ashy 

 brow ; irides blackish brown. 



The young birds of both sexes are nearly of a uniform 

 green, becoming parti-coloured as they advance in age ; the 

 scarlet of the crown and abdomen and the yellow of the 



