438 MR. E. P. RAMSAY ON A NEW ATRICHIA. [Nov. 22, 



misnomer. The hen lays towards the end of May ; the egg is larger 

 than a common fowl's, and, as far as I recollect, rather bluish in tint. 

 The Chinese, who bring these birds in, feed them with a kind of 

 millet-cake ; they are also very fond of barley, which is grown in 

 quantities in the mountain-valleys. 



7. Description of a New Species of Atrichia from the Rich- 

 mond River, New South Wales. By E. P. Ramsay, 

 C.M.Z.S. 



Atrichia rufescens, nov. sp. 



All the upper surface rufous brown, becoming rufous on wings and 

 tail ; each feather, except those of the wings and tail, crossed by three 

 crescent-shaped lines of blackish brown ; underside of the wings and 

 inner webs of primaries and secondaries dark brown, tertiaries and 

 outer webs of primaries and secondaries crossed with wavy zig-zag 

 lines of black ; under wing-coverts brown, edged with rufous ; upper 

 tail-coverts and both the upper and under side of all the tail-feathers 

 deep rufous, crossed by numerous distinct wavy lines of black ; ear- 

 coverts, cheeks, and sides of the throat and neck rufous, barred in- 

 distinctly with dark brown, becoming more distinct on sides of chest, 

 which is rufous ; throat whitish ; rest of the under surface deep 

 rufous, becoming brighter and of a much deeper tint on centre of 

 abdomen and under tail-coverts ; flanks deep rufous, crossed with 

 narrow wavy lines of blackish brown ; irides dark brown ; bill dark 

 horn-colour, becoming whitish on lower mandible ; legs and feet 

 light reddish brown ; claws light horn-brown. 



Total length 6^- inches ; bill -j^j in length, in height -fa, width -fa; 

 tarsi 8\ tenths ; claw of hind toe 3g tenths ; claw of middle toe -fa; 

 wing 2-fa inches ; tail 2 T 9 ir . 



I propose the specific name of rufescens for this species, as being 

 most appropriate. Two males were all that were procured. These 

 were shot in the thick brushes on the borders of the Richmond 

 River, about the end of December 1865, by that well-known orni- 

 thologist Mr. T. MacGillivray, from whom I purchased the present 

 specimen. Atrichia rufescens may at once be distinguished from 

 A. clamosa of the west coast by its smaller size and the rufous tint 

 which pervades the whole plumage. The legs and claws are much 

 larger in proportion to the size of the bird than those organs in the 

 much larger species A. clamosa ; the claw of the hind toe is exactly 

 the same in size as that in A. clamosa. 



A specimen of A. clamosa, now before me, kindly lent to me by 

 G. Krefft, Esq., Curator of the Australian Museum, Sydney, being 

 one of those procured in Western Australia by Mr. G. Masters in 

 March 1866, differs slightly from Mr. Gould's description given in 

 his 'Handbook to the Birds of Australia' (vol. i. p. 345), in the 

 following particulars, viz. : — The throat, chest, and abdomen pure 

 white; an irregular triangular patch of black feathers edged with 



