96 



CAPT. W. E. AEMIT ON AUSTRALIAN 



that it is rare, and encloses a newspaper of date 18tli March 

 (1876?), from which it appears that it has been reared at that 

 place. 



A pair of these P. Gouldics, which he calls Variegated Bull- 

 finch," built their nest in the wheel of the whip-pole of the 



Martin-Lyons " reef, and became so accustomed to the working 

 of the w'hip, that they used to perch on the rope when ascending, 

 and on reaching the level of the nest would hop into it. The 

 male and one of the young effected their escape ; but the female 

 and six fully fledged young ones were secured and taken to Mr. 

 J. H. Eutherford (since deceased), forming a valuable addition to 

 that gentleman's collection of natural curiosities. 



Mr. Eutherford states " that both sexes are alike, but that the 

 male has a red and the female a black head; the plumage of the 

 young birds being a sober drab." 



Thirdly. That the late Mr. Coxen was also of his (Mr. Diggles's) 

 opinion. 



Now Mr. Diggles brings forward no proof of the Palmerston 

 specimens having been sexed by dissection, which is, it will be 

 conceded, the only method to arrive at a definite conclusion in a 

 matter of doubtful sex. 



Mr. Eutherford, on the other hand, distinctly states that the 

 male has a red head and the female a black head ; and although 

 he had no opportunity of sexing the red-headed bird (which, it is 

 stated, escaped), he seems to have done so in the case of the black- 

 headed bird in his possession ; otherwise it is hard to understand 

 how he could arrive at such knowledge. 



Mr. Diggles never savr either of the above species iu a state of 

 nature, and therefore could not study their nidification or habits. 



The following facts will, I think, prove that P. Gouldiw is a di- 

 stinct species from P. mirahilis, breeding true red- headed males 

 in contradistinction to the black-headed ones of the latter. 



In January 1876 I shot a female of P. GouldicB at Dunrobin, 

 near Georgetown. There were only two birds; and, unfortu- 

 nately, the male (red-headed) escaped. This specimen, which 1 

 carefully sexed, I sent to my friend Mr. E. Pierson Eamsay, 

 F.L.S., C.M.Z.S., Curator of the Australian Museum, Sydney, 

 who kindly sent me the names of this species and also of P. mira- 

 hilis, which were at that time both quite new to me. 



In his letter, Mr. Eamsay requested me to look up these spe- 

 cies, and, if possible, discover whether they were distinct. I did 



