276 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 



a receptacle for its folds within the cavity of the keel of the 

 breast-bone ; while in others it is situated outside the pectoral 

 muscles, immediately beneath the outer skin of the breast ; 

 but in no instance is it more extensively or more curiously 

 developed than in the present bird. 



The use of this convoluted trachea, so exclusively confined 

 to the female, I could not in any way discover or surmise. No 

 note whatever was heard to proceed from either sex, w^hile on 

 the wing or when flushed. 



" This beautiful bird," says Captain Stm-t, " was very 

 scarce in the interior, and, indeed, is not common anywhere. 

 Some three or four couples visit my residence at Grange 

 yearly, and remain in the high reeds at the bottom of the 

 creek, among which they doubtless breed, but we never 

 found one of their nests. They lay basking in the shade of a 

 tree on the sand-hills during the day, and separate when 

 alarmed." 



The male is much smaller than the female, and has the 

 sides, back, and front of the neck much lighter and mingled 

 with patches of white ; wings more olive, the coverts orna- 

 mented with numerous large irregular patches of buff, en- 

 circled with a narrow line of black ; the buff bands on the 

 primaries richer and more distinct ; the scapularies speckled 

 with white ; the patch on each side of the chest dark olive, 

 with large patches of white surrounded by a line of black. 



Total length 8^ inches ; bill 2 ; wing 5^; tail2-|-; tarsi 1 J. 



The female has a stripe from the bill, down the centre of the 

 head, to the nape pale buff; circle surrounding and a short 

 stripe behind each eye white ; back of the neck chestnut, 

 crossed with indistinct narrow bars of greenish brown ; crown 

 dark brown ; sides of the face and the sides and fore part of 

 the neck chocolate ; chin white ; back olive-green, tinged 

 with grey, and marbled with dark brown ; scapularies blotched 

 on their external webs with deep buff; wing-coverts olive- 

 green, crossed by numerous fine irregular bars of black ; 



