Genus ENTOMOPHILA, Gould. 



CHARACTERES GENERICI. 



Gen. Char. Rostrum fere capitis longitudinem cequans ; ad basin latiusculum, dein compressum, etad 

 apicem acutum ; mandibulce superioris tomiis arcuatis, et apicem versus leviter indentatis. Nares 

 basales, ovales, in membrane! positce, et opercido tectce. Alae longiusculce ; remige prima spurio, 

 secundo tertium fere cequante, hoc longissimo. Cauda brevis, sub-quadrata. Tarsi breves., et sub- 

 debiles ; digito posteriore brevi, forti ; digitis externis Jiaud cequalibus, inferno paululum breviore. 



GENERIC CHARACTER. 



Bill nearly as long as the head, somewhat broad at the base, becoming compressed and pointed 

 the tip ; tomia of the upper mandible arched and slightly notched at the tip ; nostrils basal, oval, 

 pierced in a membrane and protected by an operculum; wings rather long, first quill spurious, the 

 second nearly as long as the third, which is the longest ; tail short and nearly square ; tarsi short and 

 rather feeble ; hind toe short and stout ; lateral toes unequal, the inner one being rather the shortest. 



ENTOMOPHILA PICTA, Gould. 



Mas. Ent. capite, genis, corporeque supra nigris ; plumis auricularibus postice albo fimbriatis ; alis 

 nigris primariis secondariisque extus nitide flavis ; caudce rectricibus nigris, extus flavo marginatis, 

 omnibusque (duabus internis exceptis) plus minusve extus albo ad apicem notatis ; guld, corporeque 

 subtus albis, hoc ad later a notis subfuscis longitudinalibus sparse ornato; rostro flavescente; pedibus 

 nigrescentibus. 



Fozm. vel mas junior ? Differt partibus fuscis, qua in mareadulto nigrce ; in cceteris mari simillima, 

 flavo colore minus nitido, rostroque ad apicem fusco. 



Long. tot. 51 unc. ; rostri, f ; ala, 3f ; caudce, 2f ; tarsi, f . 



Male. Head, cheeks, and all the upper surface black, the posterior edges of the ear-coverts tipped 

 with white ; wings black, the outer edges of the primaries and secondaries rich yellow, forming a con- 

 spicuous broad bar on the wing ; tail black, margined externally with rich yellow, each feather except 

 the two centre ones more or less largely tipped on the internal web with white ; throat and all the under 

 surface white, the flanks having a few longitudinal faint spots of brown ; bill yellowish white ; feet 

 blackish brown. 



Female, or young male. Differs in having all those parts of hair brown which are black in the male ; 

 in other respects the colours are the same, except that they are less brilliant, and the bill brown at the 

 tip. 



Syn. Entomophila picta, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, Part V., 1837* 



Remark. The disposition of the yellow markings of the wings and tail of this kind reminds us of 

 the Goldfinch (Carduelis elegans, Steph.) : the lengthened wing, broad and short tail, the great breadth 

 of the bill at its base, and the short tarsi lead me to believe that this species feeds principally upon 

 msects which it pursues and captures on the wing. 



Habitat. Australia : locality, interior of New South Wales. 



