120 A MANUAL OF THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 



Adult female. Head olive-brown, minutely barred with black and divided in 

 the middle by a white line from the base of the bill over the top of the head, a white 

 eye-ring which widens out at the back of the eye into a large white spot ; nape and 

 hind-neck chestnut, the feathers minutely barred with black ; upper back and 

 scapulars greenish-grey, the feathers minutely speckled and barred with dark brown ; 

 the inner webs of the inner scapulars buff which form a longitudinal line on each 

 side of the back ; the upper, lesser, median, and greater wing-coverts with narrow 

 dark cross-bars ; some of the primary -coverts, inner primaries, and secondaries 

 silvery-grey, with narrow bars of black and buff and also white blotches edged with 

 black, the long innermost secondaries more inclining to dark green barred and finely 

 vermiculated ; outer primary -quills brown, darker towards the base, with golden- 

 olive on the outer webs and oval spots of buff ; lower back, rump, upper tail-coverts, 

 and tail silvery-grey, with wide bars of white or buff and very narrowly lined across 

 with black ; lores, sides of face, sides of neck, throat, and fore-neck dark brown, 

 more or less mixed with white especially on the chin and throat ; a patch of dark 

 brown on each side of the breast which terminates with olive-coloured feathers 

 which are very narrowly barred ; a broad band of white on each side of the fore-neck, 

 which extends in a narrow line on each side of the mantle, where it joins the buff 

 streak on the inner scapulars ; middle of breast, abdomen, and under tail-coverts 

 white like the axillaries and inner under wing-coverts ; marginal under wing-coverts 

 and the greater series grey, minutely barred with black and tinged with golden - 

 olive ; bill yellowish-brown ; iris hazel ; feet blue-giey. Total length 290 mm. ; 

 culmen 45, wing 150, tail 52, tarsus 43. 



Adult male. Differs chiefly from the adult female in its smaller size and by the 

 absence of the chestnut on the hind -neck, the more golden-olive on the upper wing- 

 coverts, which have large twin spots of buff, and by the much paler and more white 

 OD the throat and fore-neck ; bill, iris, feet, and legs brown. Total length 282 mm. ; 

 culmen 41, wing 139, tail 49, tarsus 38. 



Immature and Nestling. Unknown. 



Nest. A depression lined with grass. 



Eggs. Clutch, four ; ground-colour cream-white, almost completely hidden 

 by irregular broad lines of black wound round the thicker end and extending longi- 

 tudinally towards the thin end, the lines are curved and twisted forming loops and 

 blotches ; axis 30-31 mm., diameter 27-28. 



Breeding-season. November and December. 



Distribution and forms. Confined to Australia. Subspecies at present requiring 

 confirmation, the north-western form having been separated by Mathews as R. a. 

 fitzroyi on account of its larger size and paler wing markings. 



FAMILY SCOLOPACID^E. 



The inclusion of the Snipe, Sandpipers, etc., in one family has long been accepted, 

 but it is probable that the association will prove faulty when the group is studied 

 more fully. We have recently indicated the separation of three subfamilies, Cali- 

 dritinae (=Canutinse or Eroliinae olim), Tringinse (=Numeniinae or Tringinse olim, 

 i.e., Totaninse of older writers), and Scolopacinse (Woodcocks only.) These may 

 later be granted family rank as the differences seem valid and important. No 

 detailed comparison of the constituents has yet been carried out, but Lowe found 

 many items peculiar to these groups in the osteology of the species he examined. 

 Our separation was framed from a study of the colour pattern of the downy young 

 of which at least three distinct types are seen. These types are somewhat permanent, 

 as the adults vary appreciably, being referred from structural characters to distinct 

 genera by genus-lumpers. In the Calidritinse a summer breeding-plumage of bright 

 coloration is attained, often red, while in the Tringinae little change is made for 



