Jhe £mu 



(fDfficial ©rgau of the ^uatralasiau ©rnithologists' Enion. 



" Birds of 21 feather.' 



Vol. X.] 1ST JULY, 1910. [Part i. 



Note on Rhipidura phasiana, De Vis. 



By Gregory M. Mathews, F.L.S., &c. 



Rhipidura phasiana^ De Vis, Proc. Roy. Soc. Queensland, i., p. 158 (1884) ; 

 Rams., Add. to Tab. List Austr. Birds (1891) ; Math., Handl. B. 

 Austr., p. 65, No. 477 (1908). 



The type of this bird was collected near the mouth of the 

 Norman River by Mr. Kendall Broadbent. It belongs to the 

 group o{ R. alhiscapn and R.preissi, but differs in its pale ochreous- 

 ashy colouration, the head being nearly of the same ash colour 

 as the back. There is no black collar on the fore-neck, which is 

 light ashy-grey, and the rest of the under surface is fawn-buff of 

 about the same tint as in R. albiscapa. The principal difference 

 in A^ phasiana seems to be in the much greater extent of the 

 white spotting on the wing coverts, which form two rows of 

 white spots in the likeness of bands, the spots in R. albiscapa 

 being rounded and terminal. In R. phasiana the primary 

 coverts are also tipped with white. 



The following description is taken from the typical specimen, 

 which Mr. De Vis has kindly allowed to be brought to England 

 by Mr. D. Le Souef, C.M.Z.S. : — " General colour above ashy- 

 brown, with an ochreous tinge ; the wing coverts dusky-brown, 

 with large white spots at the ends ; primary coverts dusky- 

 brown, fringed with white ; quills dusky-brown, the innermost 

 secondaries edged with white; upper tail coverts and central 

 tail feathers dull ashy-brown, with dusky cross-bars under certain 

 lights ; remainder of tail feathers dusky-brown, with white 

 shafts and a considerable amount of white towards the ends, 

 which are also white, the outermost feather being white for 

 nearly the whole length, with the base dark brown ; crown of 

 the head somewhat darker ashy than the back, with a slight 

 evidence of a pale ochreous collar on the nape ; lores con- 

 spicuous, with a faintly indicated white eyebrow ; feathers 

 below the eye and ear coverts dusky ash colour ; cheeks and 

 throat white, followed by a shade of ashy-grey on the fore-neck ; 

 remainder of under surface from the fore-neck downwards pale 

 isabelline-buff." 



This bird looks like an immature one. If so, what is it the 



