04 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 



the ' Birds of Australia,' published prior to my visit to that 

 country, and cancelled on my return, have reference to the 

 present species, which has bright yellow under tail-coverts and 

 a lengthened patch of saflFron-yellow on the centre of the wing, 

 while the P. hcsmatogaster of the folio edition (vol. v. pi. 33) is 

 the other species, with red under tail-coverts and a patch of 

 red on the wing. The late Prince Charles Bonaparte and my- 

 self agreed that it would be well to abolish the term hamato- 

 paster, and call the former bird xcmthorrhous and the latter 

 hcsmatorrJious, a course which I here adopt, and trust orni- 

 thologists will agree in its propriety. 



On reference to my account of P. hamatorrJious it will be 

 seen that the native habitat of that bird is the interior of New 

 South Wales, while the present ranges more to the westward, 

 having been found in abundance by Captain Sturt at the 

 Depot, and by Mr. White, of Adelaide, at Cooper's Creek. 

 There can be no mistake on this point, for I have specimens 

 from both those gentlemen now before me. Captain Sturt's 

 are a little darker on the upper surface than those transmitted 

 by Mr. White. 



Forehead and face ultramarine blue ; crown of the head, 

 upper surface, ear-coverts, and chest delicate yellowish grey, 

 the yellow tint becoming deeper on the rump and upper tail- 

 coverts ; edge of the shoulders, above and beneath, light 

 greenish blue ; anterior portion of the greater wing- coverts 

 and basal portion of the external webs of the primaries and 

 secondaries rich deep blue ; remainder of the primaries and 

 secondaries dark blackish brown with whitish margins, the 

 hinder portion of the greater coverts and the tertiaries deep 

 saffron-yellow, forming a patch along the centre of the wing ; 

 flanks and under tail-coverts rich primrose-yellow, with specks 

 of red on the tips of some of the latter; centre of the 

 abdomen rich scarlet ; base of the two central tail-feathers 

 light olive-green, tinged with oil-green, merging into dark 

 blue at the tips, the remaining feathers deep blue at the base. 



