in the Neighbourhood of Sydney. 279 



I may mention, however, that of two skins forwarded from 

 South Australia to the Australian Museum at Sydney, one, said 

 to be of the female, differs from that of the male in having the 

 head, especially the back part of it, striated with black; in 

 every other respect the plumage is the same as in those males 

 which I have myself dissected. I did not meet with any other 

 species, during my visit to the Hunter, than Cisticola ruficeps. 



The legs are of a light fleshy-brown ; claws lighter ; irides 

 light brown ; inside of the mouth fleshy-brown, darker on the 

 roof and sides of lower mandible ; tip of the tongue blackish ; 

 lower mandible fleshy-brown, upper brownish, with the culmen 

 and sides of the nostrils blackish. The eggs of C. ruficeps 

 are three in number, of a pale blue, spotted largely with 

 brownish-red, "5 in. in length, by '4 in width. 



19. ExcALFACTOBiA AUSTRALis, Gould, Haudb. B. Austral, 

 ii. p. 197. 



The Little Swamp-Quail is found tolerably abundant in the 

 marshy parts about Botany Bay and Southhead, in which situ- 

 ations it breeds freely, rearing often, three broods in the season. 

 It usually lays five eggs, in shape resembling those of Synoscus 

 australis, but much smaller in size, being 1*1 in. in length, by 

 •8 in breadth, and when fresh of a pale light green colour, 

 dotted all over with blackish umber ; in some the ground-colour 

 is a dirty olive-yellow; others, again, are almost brown, with 

 black dots. This species is known by our Sydney sportsmen 

 under the name of the " King Quail," and is by most people 

 considered a rare bird ; but if its natural haunts be visited it 

 will be found plentiful enough, although hard to " raise." It 

 shows preference for the long tall grass in low damp situations, 

 particularly bordering swamps and lagoons. I have received 

 the eggs from various localities, as far inland as Lake Bathurst, 

 from the Hunter River, and also from Sydney, or rather the 

 Botany, swamps. They bi*eed readily in confinement ; last year 

 I saw a pair in the possession of Mr. Palmer, naturalist, of 

 Sydney, which had been laying for several months, and had 

 just at that time succeeded in liatching four young from a 

 set of five eggs. 



