510 



Crragurg of Natural ^t 



contain a tongue-shaped mollusc, the foot 

 of which is small. The shell is equivalve, 

 inequilateral, transverse, and variously ob- 

 long ; anterior side rounded, posterior side 

 more or less attenuated, slightly paping ; 

 hinge with two cardinal teeth in each valve, 

 and two muscular impressions in each ; liga- 

 ment external. 



PETROGALE. A well characterized 

 genus of the Kangaroo family, first described 

 by Mr. Gray. The species frequent rocky 

 mountains, preferring in some instances 

 those that are most precipitous. The Brush- 

 tailed Rock Wallaby (P. pcMicillata) has a 

 harshish long fur, of a dusky brown hue, 

 tinged with red and grey : a white streak 

 passes down the middle of the throat ; the 

 tail is black, very long, and furnished with 

 long hairs which form a brush. The length 

 of the male is about three feet and a half. 

 It is a strictly gregarious species, assembling 

 in such numbers (Mr. Gould informs us) as 

 to form well-beaten paths along the sides of 

 the mountains : their agility is very great, 



ery 

 , lik 



from rock to rock, and, like the 

 chamois or goat, alighting on perilously 

 narrow ledges a habit which protects them 

 from the aborigines and the native Austra- 

 lian dog. The species is strictly nocturnal 

 in its habits. It occasionally ascends trees, 

 not using the tail as a help. We are assured 

 by Mr. Gould that the flesh is excellent. Cap- 

 tain Grey, in his Travels in South Australia, 

 has described the habits of one of these, and 

 as they are believed to be all somewhat si- 

 milar, we cannot do better than quote him. 

 He is speaking of the species called the 

 Short-eared Rock Kangaroo (P. brachiotis), 

 which is found in North-western Australia. 

 He says, " This graceful little animal is ex- 

 cessively wild and shy in its habits, fre- 

 quenting in the day-time the highest and 

 most inaccessible rocks, and only descending 

 into the valleys to feed early in the morning 



and late in the evening. 



ary n t 

 . When 



disturbed 



dens and dwellings, necessarily makes it a 

 great favourite ; " its attractiveness is more- 

 over much enhanced by its more gay attire, 



the strong contrasts of scarlet 



ore g 

 , jet-b 



lack, and 



in the day-time, among the roughest and 

 most precipitous rocks, it bounds along from 

 one to the other with the greatest apparent 

 facility, and is so watchful and wary in its 

 habits that it is by no means easy to get a 

 shot at it. One very surprising thing is, 

 how it can support the temperature to which 

 it is exposed in the situations it always 

 frequents amongst the burning sandstone 

 rocks, the mercury there during the heat of 

 the day being frequently 136. I have never 

 seen these animals in the plains or lowlands, 

 and believe that they frequent mountains 

 alone." 



PETROICA. A genus of interesting Pas- 

 serine birds, found in Australia, of which 

 Mr. Gould has described several species. 



The PETROICA MULTICOLOR, or SCARLET- 

 BREASTED ROBIN. This elegant species is a 

 native of New Holland and all the small crown of the head, all the upper surface, 

 islands lying off the southern coast, the low wings, and tail reddish brown ; throat white, 

 bushes and woods skirting the open plains ! tinged with brown ; chest and centre of the 

 and sterile districts being its favourite places | abdomen washed with scarlet ; lower part of 

 of resort. We learn from Mr. Gould, that, ' the abdomen and under tail-coverts white ; 

 like our own Redbreast, the familiarity with flanks brown ; bill blackish brown ; feet yel- 

 which this beautiful Robin enters the gar- | lowish brown. 



white rendering it one of the most beautiful 

 to behold of any of the birds of Australia ; " 

 but its song and call-note, though resembling 

 the European bird, are much more feeble. 

 The head, throat, and upper surface of the 

 male are black ; forehead snowy-white ; a 

 longitudinal and two oblique bands of white 

 on the wings ; breast and upper part of the 

 belly scarlet ; lower part of the belly white; 

 bill and feet black. The breast of the female 

 is strongly tinged with red, but the chief 

 part of her plumage is brown. The nest, 

 which is compactly made and securelyplaced, 

 is composed of dried grasses, narrow strips of 

 bark, mosses and lichens, all bound firmly 

 together with cobwebs and the finest fibres 

 of vegetables, and lined with feathers, wool, 

 or soft hair. The eggs are generally three 

 or four in number ; greenish-white, slightly 

 tinged with flesh colour, and rather minutely 

 freckled all over with olive-brown. Two or 

 three broods are generally reared in the year, 

 the period of nidification commencing in 

 August and ending in February. 



The PETROICA SUPERCILIOSA, or WHITE- 

 EYEBROWED ROBIN. This species was dis- 

 covered in the neighbourhood of the Bur- 

 dekin Lakes, by Mr. Gilbert, while in com- 

 pany with Dr. Leichardt, during his adven- 

 turous expedition from Moreton Bay to Port 

 Essington ; and it is thus noticed in that 

 gentleman's journal : " May 14th. In a 

 ramble with my gun I shot a new bird, the 

 actions of which assimilate to those of the 

 Petroicae and the Eopsaltrice /like the former, 

 it carries its tail very erect, but is more re- 

 tiring in its habits than those birds ; on 

 the other hand, its notes resemble those of 

 the latter. It inhabits the dense jungle- 

 like vegetation growing beneath the shade 

 of the fig-trees on the banks of the Burde- 

 kin." Over the eye is a long white stripe, 

 and the throat, abdomen, under surface of 

 the shoulder, and the bases of the primaries 

 and secondaries are white ; lores, ear-coverts, 

 wing-coverts, and the primaries and second- 

 aries, for some distance beyond the white, 

 deep black ; all the upper surface, wings, 

 and tail, sooty brown ; all but the two central 

 tail-feathers largely tipped with white ; bill 

 and feet black. 



Another species, the PETROICA ERTTHRO- 

 OASTRA, or NORFOLK ISLAND ROBIN, to 

 hich locality it is believed to be strictly 

 confined, is thus described : The male has 

 the forehead silvery white ; a small patch 

 on the wings near the shoulder, under wing- 

 coverts, the flanks and under tail-coverts 

 white ; chest and abdomen very rich scarlet ; 

 the remainder of the plumage deep black ; 

 bill black ; feet brown. The female has the 



