SPOTTED GROUND-BIRD. 
alight on the limb of a tree and survey the intruder. They breed fairly 
early ; young been seen on Oct. 28, 1906, in a nest placed on the ground 
under a fallen limb. Another nest containing eggs that were just 4 chipping 
out ’ was noted on Jan. 1, 1909.” 
Miss J. A. Fletcher has written me from Tasmania : 44 Fairly common in 
this open forest country. In 1908 one of these birds slept at night in a deserted 
nest of a Dusky Robin. The earliest nest which came under my notice was on 
8th October, and contained two eggs. On Nov. 29 I flushed a pair from fallen 
tree ; they had three half -grown young ones with them. From my observations 
the bird I was watching laid every other day.” 
Mr. J. W. Mellor has also sent me a note : “ This bird I have seen in the 
Mount Lofty Ranges, South Australia, where it loves the thickly timbered parts 
where stringy bark eucalyptus affords good shelter ; it is a somewhat shy bird, 
and does not care to have its nest meddled with or even looked at, and I have 
known it to dismantle its nest and peck the eggs to pieces, even though just 
hatching, merely because someone looked into the nest but never in any way 
touched or interfered with the structure.” 
This fine bird has a comparatively restricted range, occurring only in the 
south-east, ranging from New South Wales to South Australia, but also occurring 
in Tasmania. This is rather remarkable, as so few of this group are found 
extending to that country that we may conclude this was an early migrant into 
the Australian continent ; it is also of importance when we search for its allies, 
as the Chestnut-backed species, which seems to be its representative, though 
obviously specifically separable, must be considered strictly congeneric. The 
Cinnamon species, however, which also occur throughout the dry interior, can 
be regarded as of generic distinction. 
No subspecies of the present species were named until I prepared my 
44 Reference List ” in 1912, when I separated three, as follows : A 
Ginclosoma punctatum punctatum (Shaw). 
New South Wales. 
Ginclosoma punctatum neglcctum Mathews. 
Victoria and South Australia. 
44 Differs from G. p. punctatum in its darker coloration, but paler than G. p. 
dovei .” Type from Frankston, Victoria. 
Ginclosoma punctatum dovei Mathews. 
Tasmania. 
44 Differs from G. p. punctatum in its smaller size and darker upper coloration. 
Wing 109 mm. ; typ. av. 116 mm.” 
Nothing has been added nor altered since that date, so that the above 
arrangement is in agreement with present usage. 
187 
