196 Miscellanea. 
the mainland, since he states therein that the Rifle-bird inhabits 
the northern as well as the southern part of Australia; in which he 
was in error: the bird he saw in the northern part of the country 
being doubtless the one here described. 
It is very nearly allied to the Ptiloris paradiseus, but is a smaller 
bird, with a still more gorgeous colouring. It may be distinguished 
from that species by the purple of the breast presenting the appear- 
ance of a broad pectoral band, bounded above by the scale-like 
feathers of the throat, and below by the abdominal band of deep 
oil-green, and also by the broad and lengthened flank-feathers, 
which show very conspicuously. 
SPHECOTHERES FLAVIVENTRIs, Gould. 
Sp. Ch.—Male: crown of the head and cheeks glossy black ; 
orbits, and a narrow space leading to the nostrils naked, and of a 
light buffy yellow, or flesh-colour; all the upper surface, wing- 
coverts, outer webs of the secondaries, and a patch on either side of 
the chest, olive-green; chin, chest, abdomen and flanks beautiful 
yellow; vent and under tail-coverts white; primaries and inner 
webs uf secondaries black, edged with gray ; tail black, the external 
web and the apical half of the internal web of the outer feather on 
each side white; the apical half of the second feather on each side 
white; the next, or third, on each side with a large spot of white at 
the tip; bill black; feet flesh-colour. 
Female; striated on the head with brown and whitish; all the 
upper surface olive-brown ; all the wing-feathers narrowly edged 
with greenish grey ; under surface white, with a conspicuous stripe 
of brown down the centre of each feather; vent and under tail- 
coverts white, without striz. 
Total length, 10 inches; bill, 15; wing, 52; tail, 41; tarsi, 2. 
Hab. Cape York. 
Remark.—Of the same size as Sphecotheres Australis, but may be 
distinguished from that and every other species of the genus by the 
beautiful jonquil-yellow of its under surface. 
On THE HABITAT oF CYPREA UMBILICATA, SOWERBY. By RonALD 
Gunn, Esq. Ina LETVER ro J. K. Gray, Esa. 
[Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 13th November, 1849.] 
Mr. Gunn, the enthusiastic and intelligent naturalist in Launces- 
ton, Van Diemen’s Land, from whom we have received so many 
roductions of that island, has most kindly sent to the British 
Neucauta a fine specimen of the above shell, which was described by 
Mr. Sowerby in the Appendix to the Tankerville Catalogue. Mr. 
Gunn in his letter observes :— 
“Cowries, found upon the east shore of Barren Island, one of 
Hunter’s Islands, N.W. of Van Diemen’s Land. Considerable 
numbers of the dead shell of this species were to be seen lying upon 
a deep bed of the dead shells of a species of Pectunculus. 
‘‘ J will send you a Cowry which is new: it is most closely allied 
to Cyprea eximia of Strzelecki, ‘Physical Description of New South 
