173 



Crown of the head brown, bounded with white ; back of the neck 

 brown ; centre of the back, chin, throat and chest white ; the re- 

 mainder of the plumage black, sUghtly glossed with steel-blue ; bill 

 black ; feet brown. 



Total length, 7^ inches; bill, /g; wing, 3|; tail, which is deeply 

 forked, 2|; tarsi, -j^. 



Hab. Interior of Australia. 



The only specimen of this bird that has ever come under my 

 notice, was given me by Mr. Charles Coxen, who informed me it 

 was shot by one of his men while flying in company with another 

 over a small pool on the banks of the Namoi. 



A small bird inhabiting the scrubs of the River Murray. It is a 

 new form, nearly allied to Acanthiza. The generic term is suggested 

 by the ruddy colouring of the throat. 



Genus Pyrrholjemus. 



Characteres generici. — Rostrum quam caput brevius, ad latera paulb 

 compressum, ad apicem denticulo vix notando, vibrissis parvulis 

 ad basin, naribus linearibus et operculo tectis. Ala breves, rotun- 

 datae, remigum primo perbrevi, tertio longissimo. Cauda brevis, 

 rotundata, concava. Tarsi mediocres ; digitus externus quam in- 

 ternus longior. 



Pyrrhol^mus brunneus. Pyrrh. superne brunneus; gutture rvfo. 



Lores greyish white ; all the upper surface and wings brown ; 

 tail brownish black, the three lateral feathers on each side largely 

 tipped with white ; centre of the throat rufous ; the remainder of 

 the under surface brownish grey, passing into sandy buff on the 

 flanks and under tail-coverts ; bill and feet blackish brown. 

 Total length, 4L inches; bill, |; wing, 2|; tail, |; tarsi, j|. 



Hab. Belts oTf the Murray in South Australia. 



The female differs in having no red on the throat. 



A highly interesting Pigeon from the north-west coast, which, as 

 it differs from all the other forms of its family, and is said to inhabit 

 the rocks, I propose to make the type of a new genus, with the 

 name of 



Genus Petrophassa. 



Characteres generici. — Fere ut in Peristera, Ala autem et rotun- 

 datse sunt et admodiim breviores ; deest etiam color metallice 

 seneus. Cauda magis rotundata. 



Petrophassa albipennis. Petr. superne fusca ; gutture albo- 

 guttato; primariis ad dimidium basale albis. 



Crown of the head and neck grayish brown, margined with sandy 

 brown ; all the upper surface, chest and tail rufous brown, the 

 centre of each feather inclining to gray ; lores black ; abdomen and 

 under tail-coverts chocolate brown ; throat clothed with small fea- 

 thers white at the tip, black at the base ; primaries dark brown at 



