258 A MANUAL OF THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 



scales dark purplish vinous-red. Total length 325 mm. ; culmen 22, wing 148 

 tail 110, tarsus 25. 



Immature. Undescribed . 



Nest. A little hollow, scooped in the ground, about an inch deep, and lined 

 more or less with dead, soft grass, sometimes sheltered by herbage. 



Eggs. Clutch, two. A clutch from the Dawson River, North Queensland, 

 are creamy-white, smooth and glossy ; axis 30-31 mm., diameter 21-22. 



Breeding-season. September to January, but breeds at almost any period of 

 the year. 



Incubation-period. (In captivity) seventeen days. 



Distribution and forms. Restricted to Eastern Australia in the interior of 

 Queensland and New South Wales. Two forms have been indicated : G. s. scripta 

 (Temminck) from Shoalwater Bay, Queensland ; and O. s. bourkei Mathews, from 

 Bourke, New South Wales, as being larger and darker. 



176. Geophaps smithii. NAKED-EYED PARTRIDGE PIGEON. 



Gould, Vol. V., pi. 68 (pt. vn.), June 1st, 1842. Mathews, Vol. I., pt. 3, pi. 41, April 29th, 

 1911. 



Columba smithii Jardine and Selby. Illufltr. Ornith., Vol. II., pi. 104, (? Dec.) 1830 : No 



locality = Northern Territory. 



Geophaps smithi blaauwi Mathews, Austral Av. Rec., Vol. I., pt. 2, p. 28, April 2nd, 1912 : 



Napier Broome Bay, North-west Australia. 



Geophaps smithi cecike Mathews, ib. : Melville Island, Northern Territory. 



DISTRIBUTION. Northern Territory, North-west Australia. 



Adult. General colour above earth-brown, including the head, back, wings 

 and middle tail-feathers ; wing-speculum, which is formed by the metallic spots 

 on the outer webs of some of the greater coverts and innermost secondaries, wavy 

 purple and green ; outer tail-feathers brown, with broad black tips ; a narrow white 

 and black line on the lores, encircling the eye ; the white of the throat extending 

 on to the sides of the neck to behind the ear-coverts ; cheeks grey, like the narrow 

 line which fringes the white patch on the throat ; fore-neck and breast vinous-grey 

 on the middle of the latter, a few grey feathers narrowly barred with black ; sides of 

 body, axillaries and under wing-coverts white ; lower flanks like the breast ; abdomen 

 and vent whitish-buff ; thighs buff ; under tail-coverts brown, margined with 

 white ; bill blackish ; iris white, feet dull pink. Total length 290 mm. ; culmen 20, 

 wing 136, tail 101, tarsus 23. 



Female. Similar in coloration but with noticeably weaker bill. 



Immature. Similar above but all the feathers of upper-surface minutely freckled, 

 the freckling more noticeable on rump and upper tail -coverts, the upper wing-coverts 

 similarly freckled, tips whitish ; inner secondaries with all outer webs freckled, tail- 

 feathers also freckled as feathers of breast which are brownish and show also white 

 tipping ; indistinct central breast patch ; face markings less defined. 



Nest. Eggs are laid on the ground in a slight nest made of grass, or sometimes 

 on a tussock of grass. 



Eggs. Clutch, two ; somewhat oval, slightly glossy ; colour, very pale cream. 

 Dimensions 27-28 mm. by 20. 



Breeding-season. All the year round. 



Distribution and forms. Northern Territory and North-west Australia only. 

 Three subspecies as G. s. smithii (Jardine and Selby) from Northern Territory ; 

 G. s. blaauwi Mathews from North-west Australia, a paler form, with the naked 

 eye-space yellow, not scarlet as in typical form ; and G. s. cecilce Mathews from 

 Melville Island, a still paler form with the upper-breast suffused with pink, and the 

 stripe below the eye lighter. 



