316 ON THE OOLOGY OF AUSTRALIA, 



POMATORHINUS TEMPORALIS, 



The Temporal Pomatorhinus. (Gould, B. Austr., Vol. IV., pi. 20.) 

 PI. I., Fig. 1. 



The genus Pomatorhinus is well represented in Australia, but 

 the great 'strong hold of this tribe is the south-eastern portion of 

 Asia, and the Islands throughout, to the North of Australia. From 

 what I can learn from the notes of various authors, upon the 

 Asiatic members of this genus, I find that our Australian 

 species seem to form a separate and distinct group, differing in 

 their habits and nidification, and chiefly in the curious markings 

 of their eggs, in which all our species closely resemble each other. 

 From these facts alone they quite merit their separation into 

 another genus. 



Four species of Pomatorhinus are found inhabiting Australia : 

 P. superciliosus, P. ruftceps, and P. temporalis, the eastern and 

 southern parts ; and P. ruberculus the northern portion, where it 

 takes the place of P. temporalis of New South Wales. P. 

 superciliosus enjoys an extensive range of habitat, being found 

 equally plentiful in Western Australia. P. ruftceps was dis- 

 covered by a German Emigrant in South Australia ; its habitat 

 is chiefly the borders of the Darling and Murray Rivers. 



The Pomatorhini have been placed by most authors among 

 the Honey-eaters (MeUphagidce) ; but Mr. Gould informs us (after 

 a careful study of habitats and economy) that they have no 

 affinity to that tribe whatever, he has therefore placed them in 

 a separate family, between the CorvidoB and Meliphagidce, and I 

 can myself testify that as far as our Australian Pomatorhini are 

 concerned, they neither assimilate in their habits, actions, or 

 nidificajtion, to any of the numerous genera of Honey -eaters, for 

 which Australia is so famous. 



In Fig 1, is a very good representation of the eggs of P. 

 temporalis. I found this, which is about the largest species, very 

 plentiful on the Bell River, also in the districts of Wellington, 

 and the Lachlan. They are usually met with in small troops, 

 and not unfrequently on the ground, over which they hop and 

 run with surprising agility and ease, and where they procure the 



