354 THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA 



Genus Eopsaltria. Shrike-Robins. 

 The genus is intermediate between the Pachycephalinm and 

 the Muscicapinm. (Gadow). Australia, New Caledonia, New 

 Guinea, Am Islands. 



Key to the Species. 



1. Abdomen and lower breast bright yellow. 



CMn and upper throat greyish white, chest and breast 

 yellow. Eastern Australia. 

 Upper tail-coverts yellowish-green. E. australis. 



Upper tail-coverts bright yellow. i E. ohrysorrhoa. 



I E. jacksoni. 

 Chin, throat and upper breast white. Western 



Australia. E. georgiana. 



2. Under parts white, rest of plumage black. Tips of tail 



feathers white. E. gularis. 



Of the Yellow-breasted Robins E. australis is common in 

 Victoria and New South Wales, E. ohrysorrhoa extends from the 

 Northern Rivers of New South Wales up to Rockingham Bay in 

 Queensland, while E. georgiana is confined to Western Australia. 

 The form in which the plumage shows no yellow, E. gularis, 

 occurs in West and South Australia. E. jacksoni has more 

 white on the throat than E. chrysorrhoa and more yellow on the 

 rump, the white on the shoulder not so distinct and the primaries 

 not tipped with ashy- white. It inhabits the open forest and 

 scrub country at an elevation of between 3,000 and 5,000 feet. 

 Type from Herberton Range. Length 5.6 inches, wing 3.45, 

 tail 2.5. Eopsaltria means the Harpist of the Dawn, and these 

 beautiful sprightly little birds are well named. 



The Yellow-breasted Shrike-Robin. 



Eopsaltria australis. 

 Above olive-grey, except the hind neck, which is simply grey; wing- 

 coverts blackish-grey, edge of the wing whitish; upper tail-coverts 

 yellowish- green; tail feathers dark-greyish-brown, except the two central 

 pairs, with narrow white tips; under surface, except chin and uppermost 

 part of throat which is greyish-white, all bright yellow; under-surface 

 of wings whitish and grey; bill black, feet brown, iris brown. Total 

 length 6 inches, eulmen .7, wing 3.7, tail 2.9, tarsus .75. Female duller. 



Abundant in Southern Victoria and the eastern parts of 

 New South Wales. A beautiful and impassively friendly bird, 

 which readily perches near you, remaining quite quiet unless you 

 take steps to frighten it away, and one of the most useful in the 

 orchard or vineyard, for it finds all its food among the insects 



