134 



Howe, Among the Birds of North-We stern Victoria. [,„'^"j"„. 



was broken here and there by a pine ridge and then a plain, inter- 

 spersed with tracts of porcupine grass {Triodia) and in the latter 

 we again saw Glycyphila fulvifrons. On a plain we were for- 

 tunate in securing a male of the Black-eared Cuckoo {Mcsocaliiis 

 palliolatus). On dissecting this bird we found it crammed full of 

 grubs, &c. 



When we were within two miles of the homestead the character 

 of the country altered considerably, and after driving through a 

 fine belt of pines, the mallee (instead of the small, stunted stuff 

 wc had seen for upwards of a hundred miles) assumed the pro- 

 portions of box or peppermint, and here we saw the Musk and 

 Purple-crowned Lorikeets {Glossopsittacus concinmis and G. 

 porphyrocephaltis) in flocks of hundreds. 



Next morning we split our party in two, Mr. Ross accom- 

 panying the boundary-rider, while Mr. M'Lennan and I visited a 

 fine sheet of water called Mumble. We identified Pardalotus 

 ornatus, Cracticus destructor, 'Acanthlza iiropygialis, Zonifer tri- 

 color, Corcorax melanorJiainpJius, Astur cinereus, Artanins sor- 

 didus, and AntJius australis, all nesting. I also found a nest of 

 the White-browed Tree-creeper {Climacteris s7ipercilios(i) {?), 

 which contained three fresh eggs, and secured the female for 

 identification. We saw many nests building of AcantJiocJicera 

 rufigularis, and in the distance we heard the call-note of PacJiy- 

 cephala gilberti. 



Reaching the water we were agreeabl}^ surprised to see about 

 a dozen White-headed Stilts {Hiviantopus leucoceplialns) and 

 three or. four varieties of Ducks, and on the other side a bird 

 which I think was the Dottrel {Peltohyas australis), but the dis- 

 tance was too great to identify it. A pair of White-necked 

 Herons [Notophoyx pacified) were soaring above the water, and a 

 dingo was seen to steal into the fringing mallee. 



On reaching the homestead that night, Mr. Ross triumphantly 

 placed two birds in my hands, one of them resembling the 

 female of the Rufous Song-Lark (yCinclorhaviphus rufescens). Mr. 

 M'Lennan has observed this bird on a few occasions, and says 

 that it is very silent, and has only been seen singly. The other 

 was a Calanianthus, and if not caiiipestris is a new variety. The 

 head is rufous, with dark streaks, and the eyebrow is white ; 

 breast and under surface creamy-bufif, streaked with brown ; 

 under tail coverts dark brown with white tips ; it measures 

 4^ inches long, bill 5^ lines, wing 2 inches i line, tarsus 9 

 lines. This bird was found in the salt-bush country, and 

 appears to be fairly plentiful. They were very hard to flush, 

 and on account of their agility exceedingly hard to secure. Mr. 

 Ross informs me that he first saw them running rapidly from 

 bush to bush with tail erect ; now and then they would rise to 

 the top of a bush, uttering a warble-like song, and dart down 

 again before he could discharge his gun. 



