22 Campbell, The Genus Pardalotus. [i2th'juiy 



The Genus Pardalotus. 



By a. G. Campbell, Pomonal, Victoria. 



{Read before the Bird Observers' Club, i yth March, 1 909.) 



Key to the Genus. 



Crown uniform black (or greyish in youth). 



Rump dark brown ; throat and chest yellow (2, 3, 7). 



P. nielanoceplialus. 

 Rump yellowish ; throat yellow ; chest white (1,3, 8). 



P. uropygialis. 

 Crown black spotted with white (or yellow in youth). 

 Lores scarlet ; primaries edged rufous (i, 2, 3, 7, 8). 



P. rubricatus* 

 Lores white ; primaries black except tips (white). 



Rump mostly chestnut (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9). P. punctatus. 



Rump all yellow (6, 7, 9). P.xanthopygius. 



Crown black, streaked white (grey in youth) ; always a few yellow 



or red feathers at base of primaries. 



Nearly all primaries edged white, making a conspicuous 



white patch (2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9). P. ornatus. 



Third or third and fourth primaries only edged white. 



Small yellow patch on wing ; third primary edged white 

 (4, 5). P. affinis. 



Small red patch on wing ; third primary and sometimes 

 fourth edged white (2, 3, 4, 6, 7). P. assimtlis. 



Crown mottled olive, like back ; no colour on wing, but each 

 feather tipped white (5). P. quadragintus. 



Habitats (after Hall). — i, Northern Territory; 2, North 

 Queensland ; 3, South Queensland and New South Wales (north- 

 east coast) ; 4, South-east Australia ; 5, Tasmania ; 6, South 

 Australia and north-west Victoria ; 7, Central Australia ; 8, 

 North-west Australia ; 9, Western Australia. 



Nesting-Places of Pardalotes. 



In Victoria there are four species of Pardalotes, perhaps five. 

 Two belong to the section having crown of head streaked with 

 white. These are — P. ornatus, in northern Victoria, and P. 

 assimilis, in southern Victoria. They have also a small bright- 

 coloured patch (speculum) on the wing, while the other two are 

 the more beautiful spotted birds, P. punctatus and P. xantho- 

 pygius. Now, the latter invariably build their nests in the 

 ground. P. xanthopygius is found only in the north-western 

 Mallee, and selects the protection of a tussock or some upturned 

 bush in which to tunnel into the sandy soil. P. punctatus is 

 found throughout the whole of Victoria, excepting the north- 



* Including P. pallida (see Emu, viii., p. 142). — A. G, C. 



