Order P80PHIIF0BMES Family PSOPHIIDM 
No. 224. 
MATHEWSIA RUBICUNDA RUBICUNDA. 
EAST AUSTRALIAN CRANE. 
Ardea RUBICUNDA Perry, Arcana, June 1810 ; Botany Bay, New South Wales. 
Ardea rubicunda Perry, Arcana, June 1810. 
Grus antarctica lUiger, AbhandJ. Ak. Wissen. Miinch., p. 230, 1816 (New South Wales). 
Grus australasianus Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc. (Lond.) 1847, p. 220, 1848 ; Sturt, Narr. Exp. 
Centr. Austr., Vol. II., App., p. 51, 1849 ; Bennett, Gath. Nat., p, 221, 1860 ; Gould, 
Handb. Birds Austr., Vol. II., p. 290, 1865 ; Ramsay, Proc. Zool. Soc. (Lond.) 1877, 
p. 340 ; id.. Tab. List Austr. Birds, p. 20, 1888 ; North, Austr. Mus. Cat., no. 12, 
p. 314, 1889 ; Keartland, Birds Melb. Distr,, p. 116, 1900. 
Ardea antigone Leichhardt, Journ. Exp. Austr., p. 38, 1847. 
Laomedontia austraUbsiana “ Reich.” Bonaparte, Consp. Gen. Av., Vol. II., p. 98, 1857. 
Antigone australasiana Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., Vol. XXIII., p. 265, 1894 ; Campbell, 
Nests and Eggs Austr. Birds, p. 760, 1901 ; Le Souef, Emu, Vol. II., p. 156, 1903 ; 
Simpson, ib., p. 217, 1903 ; HaU, Key Birds Austr., p. 78, 1906 ; Berney, Emu, 
Vol. VI., p. 109, 1907 ; Austin, ib., Vol. VII., p. 76, 1907 ; Mathews, Handl. Birds 
Austral., p. 30, 1908. 
Antigone rubicunda Mathews, Nov. Zool., Vol. XVII., p. 499, 1910. 
Mathewsia rubicunda Iredale, Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club., Vol. XXVTI., p. 47, 1911. 
Mathewsia rubicunda rubicunda Mathews, Nov. Zool., Vol. XVEII., p. 227, 1912; id.. 
List Birds Austr., p. 77, 1913. 
Distribution. Queensland ; New South Wales ; Victoria ; South Australia. ^ 
Adult male. Differs from the adult male of M. r. argentea in being much darker, 
altogether lacking the silvery-grey appearance of the former. They seem also to 
be larger birds than those from the North-west. 
Nest, Usually none made. 
Eggs. Clutch, two ; ground-colour white, covered with a few spots of reddish-purple ; 
axis 92-99, diameter 56-60. 
Breeding-season. September to March (Bemey, North Queensland). 
Captain S. A. White writes : “ These fine birds are distributed over the 
eastern parts of Australia. They prefer the soft, marshy country, where 
they lay their eggs on the bare ground, the eggs being two in number. The 
birds have a very stately walk, and can rise on the wing to an immense 
height, uttering a deep croaking note.” 
VOL. m. 
373 
