1896.] Birds of New Guinea. 711 
length. Above, the feathers are brown barred with black ; 
below, the arrangement and shading are similar; head and 
throat white, as are also the upper tail-coverts. Below they are 
dark, sometimes obscurely spotted. The tail is black and short. 
Bill black. Legs yellow. The female differsin the coloring of 
head and under parts, not always essentially. 
Of the Megaluri scarcely more than two or three species are 
to be found within the boundaries of New Guinea. One of 
these is Megalurus macrurus, from the southeastern portion of 
the main-land. The bird is eight inches long; dull brown 
above, or at times brighter and tawny and streaked with 
black ; under parts coarse white and bluff; and long tail, more 
than half the entire length. From the same region comes 
another species much smaller in every way, but of more varied 
coloring. Considerable white marks the little bird—the under 
parts, cheeks and quills of the wing feathers taking this hue. 
Above the ground color is a rusty brown, with black streaks 
and markings on the shoulders and head. Black prevails on 
the wing-coverts. 
Cisticola exilis, with an endless string of synonyms, which it 
has obtained by its wide distribution and change of plumage, 
is a very small thrush, varying in length from 3.5 to 4 inches. 
In Australian form the head seems to be of a more even red- 
dish or rusty hue. Otherwise the general color is plain gray, 
picked out with black along the neck and upper back. Some- 
times the gray is tinged, as along the wings and tail. Around 
the face is much white and yellow. The under parts are a 
discolored gray or buff. The females differ in having the head 
touched with lines of black or deep brown, and generally in a 
deeper tone. The plumage changes with the seasons. 
Among the Bubbling Thrushes the genus Sericornis is repre- 
sented in New Guinea by two or three species. S. beccarii, from 
the Aru Islands, is colored above dusky, ferruginous on the 
rump and tail-coverts, and black edging on the wings. Some 
feathers show white points. Much brown appears in certain 
lights. White in streaks on the face. Throat white, slightly 
touched with black. The under parts are a discolored white 
flanked with brown. 
