120 Transactions. — Zoology. 



"With this view I beg to lay before the Society a sketch, by Keulemans, of 

 the two specimens which T brought to England, together with my already 

 published descriptions. 



Adult male. — Forehead, crown of the head, and nape bluish black ; throat 

 and front of the neck tawny buff, each feather shaded in the centre with 

 brown; from the chin and down the foreneck an irregular streak of reddish 

 brown ; on the sides of the neck the buff passes gradually into a rich chestnut; 

 and this colour is continued on the sides of the head, forming a broad streak 

 over the eyes, and another, less distinct, to the angles of the mouth, mixed 

 with tawny yellow on the ear-coverts ; under parts pale buff, each feather 

 centred more or less with black ; on each side of the chest the black 

 predominates, forming broad acuminate stripes ; the whole of the back and the 

 feathers composing the mantle bronzy black, tinged more or less with chestnut, 

 the scapulars margined with tawny buff; quills and tail feathers bluish black, 

 slaty on their under surface, the inner primaries, as well as their coverts and 

 most of their secondaries, tipped with chestnut bx-own ; the primary coverts and 

 a patch of feathers near the flexure pale chestnut edged with fulvous, the 

 former centred more or less with black ; the small wing-coverts and the whole 

 of the secondary coverts blackish brown, broadly edged with yellowish buff, 

 and presenting a handsome appearance. Irides golden yellow ; eyelids and 

 bare space in front of the eyes yellowish green ; bill dark brown along the 

 ridge and at the tip, yellowish green on the sides and towards the base of both 

 mandibles ; legs and feet bright green, stained at the tarsal joint and along the 

 toes with dark brown. Length 15 inches ; wing, from flexui-e, 6 -25 ; tail, 2 ; 

 bill, along the ridge 2*2, along the edge of lower mandible 2-75 ; bare tibia -5 ; 

 tarsus 2-1 ; middle toe and claw 2-5 ; hind toe and claw 1-5. 



Young 7)iale. — Differs from the adiilt in having the plumage of the back 

 darker, and the wing-coverts of a rich tawny buff, shading into chestnut on 

 the secondary coverts and towards the flexure. 



Remarks. — Mr. Gould, in his account of this species in Australia, states 

 that the " sexes differ considerably from each other, the female being mottled 

 and of a smaller size than the male ;" and he gives the following description of 

 the former : — " Head and back chestmit ; wing-coverts very deep tawny, 

 passing into chestnut on the tips of the coverts and secondaries; primaries 

 grey, tipped with brown ; tail black ; sides of the neck pale chestnut ; front 

 of the throat and the under surface white, with a sti'ipe of tawny down the 

 middle, and a small streak of brown in the centre of each feather, the brown 

 hue predominating and forming a conspicuous mark down the throat." No 

 specimen has yet been obtained in New Zealand answering to the above 

 account. The young bird, from which I have taken my description, exhibits 

 one or two new feathers among the wing-coverts, marked as in the adult with 



