24 Mathews, Note on Oreoscopiis gutiuralis. [ist^'juiy 



A Note on Oreoscopus gutturalis, De Vis. 



By Gregory M. Mathews, F.L.S., F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. 

 During his recent visit to England Mr, Dudley Le Souef was 

 entrusted by Mr. C. J. Wild, acting director, on behalf of the 

 trustees of the Queensland Museum, with the type-specimens 

 of several species described by Mr. C. W. De Vis, for comparison 

 with the series in the British Museum. 



Amongst these type-specimens was that of Sericornis 

 gutturalis of De Vis (Proc. Roy. Soc, Queensland, vi., p. 244, 

 1889), a pretty little species discovered by Mr. Broadbent, 

 near Herberton, in Northern Queensland. The bird turned out 

 not to be a true Sericornis, and Mr. A. J. North described it 

 under the new generic title of Oreoscopiis {Agricultural Gazette 

 of New South Wales, March, 1905, p. 247), describing at the 

 same time the nest and eggs, forwarded to him by Mr. Elgner 

 {cf. Emu, v., p. 47, 1905). 



I have compared this type-specimen and another from Bartle 

 Frere, collected by Mr. E. Olive, in the Hon. Walter Rothschild's 

 collection with other Timeliine genera in the British Museum, 

 and I find that the nearest ally to Oreoscopus seems to be the 

 Indo-Malayan genus Turdinulus. Compared with Ttirdinulus 

 roberti it is found to differ in its longer tail and distinctly 

 scutellated, or rather plated, tarsus. In both genera the rictal 

 bristles are very small and indistinct and confined to the gape. 



Considering the species to be of more than ordinary interest, 

 I have had much pleasure in having the accompanying plate 

 (III.) prepared. 



Description of a New Emu^Wren. 

 By a. J. Campbell, C.M.B.O.U. 

 Through Mr. Donald Macdonald's " Nature Notes," which are 

 published weekly in The Argus, a new Victorian bird has been 

 brought to light. Mr. C. H. M'Lennan, an observing bush 

 naturalist, drew attention to an Emu-Wren frequenting the 

 Mallee district. On being requisitioned for further particulars 

 of the little bird, Mr. M'Lennan obligingly and promptly for- 

 warded a skin for examination. At once it will be seen that 

 the Mallee bird differs from the ordinary Emu- Wren of the more 

 southern parts of Victoria and Tasmania by its general lighter 

 colouring, by its smaller dimensions, except the bill, which is 

 larger, and by the six loose feathers of the tail being less 

 filamented. It appears to be an intermediate form between the 

 common Emu-Wren and the Rufous Emu-Wren of North-West 

 Australia. I have ventured to designate the new species 

 Stipiturus mallee, or the Mallee Emu-Wren. Mr. M'Lennan, its 

 discoverer, states that it is partial to the tufts of spinifex grass 

 in the Mallee tracts, and is extremely difficult to detect. 



