INSESSORES. 87 



force it to take shelter on the branches. It usually fre- 

 quents either sandy sterile districts covered with tufts of 

 rank grass and herbage, or low swampy flats abounding with 

 rushes and the other kinds of vegetation peculiar to such 

 situations. From its very recluse habits and great powers 

 of running it is seldom or ever seen until it is flushed, and 

 then only for a short time; as it soon pitches again and runs 

 off to a place of seclusion. On the approach of danger it 

 crouches on the earth or runs stealthily through the grasses, 

 and, from the strong scent it emits, dogs road and point as dead 

 to it as they do to ordinary game-birds ; consequently, when 

 shooting over swampy land in Australia, the sportsman is 

 never certain whether a parrakeet, a quail, or a snipe will rise 

 to the point of his dog. It flies with great rapidity, fre- 

 quently making several zigzag turns in the short distance of 

 a hundred yards, which it seldom exceeds without again 

 pitching to the ground. Its flesh is excellent, being delicate 

 in flavour, and equalling, if not surpassing, that of the quail 

 and snipe. Its five or six white eggs, are deposited on the 

 bare ground. 



Plumage of the upper surface dark grass-green, each feather 

 crossed by irregular bands of black and yellow ; feathers 

 of the crown and nape with a broad streak of black down 

 the centre; forehead scarlet; throat, neck, and breast pale 

 yellowish green, passing into bright greenish yellow on the 

 abdomen and under tail-coverts, crossed by numerous irregular 

 waved blackish bands ; primaries and spurious wings green 

 on their outer webs and dark brown on the inner, each of the 

 latter with a triangular spot of pale yellow near the base ; 

 four centre tail-feathers green, crossed by numerous narrow 

 bars of yellow ; lateral tail-feathers yellow, crossed by nume- 

 rous bars of deep green ; irides black, with a fine ring of 

 light grey ; feet and legs bluish flesh-colour ; claws very 

 much lengthened, and of a blackish brown. 



The young assume the colouring of the adult at a very 



