Vol. XII. 



1913 



] White and Mellor, Descriptions of Three New Birds. 165 



on the under tail coverts, the longer feathers having a dull brown 

 centre ; flank rnsty-brown, some of the feathers having a broad 

 blackish-brown central stripe. Tail dull brown, with darker brown 

 shafts, the large centre feathers being very pointed at the tips. 

 Iris dark brown, bill brown, feet horn. 



Dimensions in inches : — Total length, 4.94 ; bill, .60 ; wing, 2.10 ; 

 tail, 2.25 ; tarsus, .78. 



Habitat. — Flinders Island (Furneaux Group). Inhabiting swampy 

 and marshy land, where the birds keep closely to the bushes, and 

 utter a plaintive three-note call. 



Sericornis flindersi (FHnders Scrub-Wren), sub-sp. nov. 



Adult Male. — Head, back of neck, back, and wings dark brown ; 

 rump and tail reddish-brown, spurious wing feathers black, strongly 

 tipped with white, the centre of a few feathers faintly marked 

 with brown ; cheek and abdomen dull white, passing into yellowish- 

 brown on the flanks ; lores black ; under tail coverts brown, tipped 

 with white. Bill and feet brown. 



Dimensions in inches : — ^Total length, 4.5 ; bill, .62 ; wing, 2.25 ; 

 tarsus, .88. 



Habitat. — Flinders Island (Furneaux Group). 



Description of a New Cuckoo. 



By Alan P. Dodd, R.A.O.U., Nelson (N.Q.) 

 Cacomantis lineatus (Barred Cuckoo), sp. nov. 



Female. — Back and upper wing coverts dark sub-metallic olive- 

 green, each feather crossed with an irregular V-shaped light buff 

 bar ; primaries and secondaries slightly toothed with light buff. 

 Head black, pencilled with rufous ; the head colouration, when 

 examined closely, contrasts with that of back. Upper tail coverts 

 and tail dark sub-metallic olive-green, more or less toothed with 

 rufous. Under surface of wing has an oblique white bar. Under 

 wing coverts white, each feather with a single V-shaped dark 

 sub-metallic olive-green bar. Throat dark sub-metallic olive- 

 green barred with rufous, the centre of each feather pencilled with 

 white. Lower throat similar, but the rufous colouring becomes 

 paler, and on the chest blends into white. Towards the tail the 

 white bars broaden, until on the abdomen the feathers have more 

 white than olive-green. The bars of adjacent feathers not being 

 symmetrical, the under surface does not show a uniform barred 

 appearance as in Chalcococcyx, but is more marbled. Under tail 

 coverts white, with five dark olive-green bars. Upper mandible 

 blackish ; lower mandible yellow, except the tip, which is blackish ; 

 gape yellow. 



Dimensions in inches : — Length, 8 ; tail, 3.75 ; bill, 0.5. 



Owing to the peculiar varied colouration of this bird, it is 

 difficult to describe it accurately. The colouration reminds one 



