18G6.] MR. K. P. RAMSAY ON A NEW ATRICHIA. 439 



white runs down from the centre of the throat, widening on the chest 

 and spreading out at its base, joins the sides of the neck above the 

 shoulders ; underside of the tail-feathers dark brown, outer webs 

 only freckled with a darker hue ; under tail-coverts brown, barred 

 with blackish brown, and margined with rufous brown. Total length 

 8 inches, wing 2-^ inches, tail 4 inches. 



It is a curious fact that the specimens of A. clamosa and A. 

 rufeseens, procured by Gilbert, MacGillivray, or Masters are all 

 males. 



8. Remarks upon the New Species of Atrichia and on A. cla- 

 mosa of the West Coast. By E. P. Ramsay, C.M.Z.S. 



Since I last forwarded my description of the new Atrichia, for 

 which I proposed the specific name of rufeseens, I find that Mr. 

 James F. Wilcox procured the birds during an excursion made by 

 Messrs. Wilcox and MacGillivray to the brushes of the Richmond 

 River. Mr. Wilcox, therefore, is its discoverer, and not Mr. 

 MacGillivray as I had stated. 



I have just received a very interesting note from Mr. J. F. Wilcox, 

 in which he gives us the following valuable account of his discovery, 

 which, I think, I cannot do better than give in his own words : — 



" In answer to your inquiries respecting the Atrichia, I have much 

 pleasure in sending you all the particulars, which I take from my 

 notes made at the time, November 17, 1865: — 'In the Bowling 

 Creek, Richmond River, in a dense scrub, in pursuit of Rifle-birds 

 (Ptiloris paradised), my attention was drawn to the note of a bird 

 I had never before heard, and from that moment I knew it would 

 prove a prize should I have the good luck to procure it. I followed 

 it up on my hands and knees (for the scrub was too thick to stand 

 up in) until the voice appeared almost at the muzzle of the gun ; here 

 I remained fixed quite half an hour, and during that time I can 

 scarcely describe my feelings. I was almost inclined, although not 

 superstitious, to think some evil spirit was playing me a trick ; for at 

 one moment it would give out its own notes apparently just in front 

 of me, and the next minute mimic the Spine-tailed Orthonyx (O. 

 spinicaudd) in another direction ; then the Scrub-Robin's note would 

 be imitated in some other place ; and even sometimes its voice seemed 

 to come from the ground, at other times from the trees above me.' 



"This state of things lasted until I became painfully cramped 

 from the position I had to lie in, and my eyes painful from staring 

 about so long. I was just about to give up, when, to my delight, 

 I saw my tormentor hop from one bush to another, not more than 

 7 or 8 feet from where I had been lying the whole time. But the 

 scrub was so densely thick I could not bring the gun to bear on it ; 

 but marking well the spot where the bird was sitting, I managed to 

 back a little through a narrow open place, fired, and to my intense 

 satisfaction succeeded in bringing it down. During the whole time 



