96 
The Emu. 
All are moulting, a has its new tail quills, but the crown and 
forehead feathers are old and very much decomposed, b has its 
new forehead and crown feathers, but the tail quills are only 
about half grown. They are jet black, while the still remaining 
quills are brown with age. 
Mud is upon the bill of each, because of the habit the bird has 
of foraging upon the muddy mangrove stems. [These birds I 
have never seen unassociated with the mangrove flats. All birds 
found among the mangroves appear to forage upon the mud, 
and have dirty bills.] 
13. PCECILODRYAS CERVINIVENTRIS (Gould), Buff-sided Robin. 
Petroica cerviniveniris, Gould, Birds Aust., fol., supp., pi. 15 (1869). 
Poecilodryas cervmive?itris, Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., vol. iv., 
p. 242 (1879). 
a. Adult male, 2/12/00. Breakaway. 
b, c, d. Adult females, 2/12/00. Breakaway. 
e. Adult female, 1/8/00. Breakaway. 
/. Young male, 2/ 1 2/00. Breakaway. 
The flanks of adult male and female (sexes alike) are strongly 
marked with a very pronounced tawny-rust colour. 
Description of Young Male. — It has a striking appearance 
when losing its rusty-coloured plumage for one similar to, if not 
exactly like, that of an adult. The quills have the conspicuous 
white bands, with a splash of tawny about the brown edges of 
centre tail feathers and wing quills. Excepting the white marks 
upon the sides of the throat, the whole of the head, neck, throat, 
and breast show the previous stage to have been rusty-rufous ; 
white feathers show through the lores and eyebrows ; blackish - 
brown feathers appear in advance upon the rusty forehead, 
crown, and hind neck ; grey feathers are as much in evidence 
upon the upper portion of the breast as rusty-coloured ones are ; 
the tawny-rust flanks are paler than in adult ; wing, 3.15 inches. 
[Bill brown, cutting edge horn colour ; corner of mouth white ; 
eyelids dark flesh colour ; feet and nails grey ; legs darker grey 
than feet.] 
Mr. Rogers noted (2/12/00) that both knees were covered with 
parasites of an orange-yellow colour. 
[In the thick growth of a bank of the river I collected and 
heard the calling of the birds (1/8/00). The notes were two 
clear whistling calls repeated rapidly nine or ten times, during 
which the motions of the bird resembled those of a Dove, bowing 
its head and raising its tail. This latter was extended at every 
call. The white of wing is conspicuous when the bird is sitting. 
On the 8/12/00 I saw an adult feeding a young Cuckoo. It 
appeared to be of the Black-eared species, a skin of which has 
already gone forward. I did not secure the young Cuckoo. At 
3 a.m. to-day, 9th December, I heard the call of a Cuckoo.] 
