THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
from the camp, and made things pretty miserable. The nest contained two 
eggs. It was built in the side of a small hollow in the ground, composed 
outwardly of a thick wall of twigs, some of which were f inch thick and from 
3 to 8 inches in length, and lined with dead leaves and fine fibres. Egg chamber 
3J inches deep and 3 inches in diameter. Whole nest was 9 inches across and 
inches high on one side and 3 inches on the other (McLennan). Male, iris 
brown, bill black, legs fleshy-straw colour. Stomach contents, beetles.” 
There has been little written about this species, but it is one of the 
interesting forms which suggest the relationship of various birds. While it 
has generally been ranked as congeneric with Drymodes brunneopygia it 
may prove distinct. The facts are very similar to the case of Ginclosoma, as 
D. brunneopygia occurs in the south of Australia from east to west, but 
not in Tasmania. The present species only occurs in North Australia, and 
was supposed to be confined to North Queensland until recent investigations 
found it in the Northern Territory whence I described 
Drymodes superciliaris colcloughi. 
“ Differs from D. s. superciliaris in being much redder on the back and 
entirely reddish-buff on the under-surface. Roper River, Northern Territory.” 
Superficially this bird is closely related to Ginclosoma s. str., only 
differing in the longer legs, so that it appears to be a bush-loving form 
developed from a similar source. It is represented in New Guinea by a 
distinct species D. beccarii Salvadori, which at first sight seems only subspeci- 
fically different, being browner above, but closer examination reveals the 
fact that the wing is shorter, more rounded, with broader primaries, and 
may be allowed specific rank. This species has a subspecies on the Aru 
Islands, which is obviously darker above, especially on the tail, and may 
be called 
Drymodes beccarii adjacens subsp. nov. 
Such a distribution suggests the distinct evolution of D. superciliaris , 
and that it is another case of parallelism from a similar source again. 
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