THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
Morganornis superciliosus ashbyi Mathews, ib. ; Garter, Ibis, 1921, p. 55 (W.A.). 
Morganornis superciliosus gwendolence Mathews, List Birds Austr., p. 202, 1913 ; Carter, 
Ibis, 1921, p. 55 (W.A.) . 
Morganornis superciliosus subsp. Carter, Ibis, 1917, p. 585 (W.A.). 
Distribution. New South Wales ; Victoria ; South Australia ; West Australia. 
Adult male. Crown of head and nape dark brown with slightly paler margins to the 
feathers and a bronzy tinge ; sides of neck, back, upper tail-coverts, and upper 
wing-coverts greyish-brown ; bastard-wing, primary-coverts dark brown in contrast 
to the back ; central tail-feathers blackish-brown, the outer ones black tipped 
with white — more extensively towards the outermost ; sides of face dark brown ; 
a supraloral streak of white which extends over the eye and along the sides of the 
crown to the sides of the nape ; lores black ; chin, throat, and middle of the breast 
white ; sides of the body, thighs, under tail-coverts, axillaries, and under wing- 
coverts dusky-brown ; under-surface of flight-quills greyish-brown ; lower aspect 
of tail black tipped with white. Bill black, lower base horn ; eyes dark ; feet 
black. Total length 210 mm. ; culmen 24, wing 88, tail 84, tarsus 27. Figured. 
Collected at Mount Lofty, South Australia, on the 12th of August, 1912. 
Adult female. Similar to the adult male. 
Immature female. Crown of the head, sides of the face, hind-neck, entire back, and wings 
smoke-brown, somewhat darker on the inner webs of the flight-quills ; tail blackish, 
the outer feathers tipped with white, which increases in extent towards the outer- 
most ; lores buffy-white ; a broad line of white from above the eye along the sides 
of the crown ; throat, fore-neck and breast white : abdomen, sides of the body, 
thighs, and under tail-coverts smoke-brown ; under-surface of flight-quills similar ; 
lower aspect of tail blackish tipped with white. Eyes bluish ; feet slatey-grey. 
Bill slate. Collected at Moorilyan Native Well, South Australia, on the 16th of 
July, 1914. 
Male fledgeling. General colour of the upper-surface dark earth-brown, including the top 
of the head, sides of the face, back, wings, and tail ; bastard-wing margined with 
buffy-white ; inner-webs of flight-quills darker than the back with cinnamon-buff 
margins on the basal portion ; tail-feathers darker than the back, the outer ones 
broadly tipped with white ; lores blackish at the base with buff tips ; a broad buffy- 
white superciliary streak which extends along the sides of the crown on to the sides 
of the neck ; chin and throat white becoming buff on the fore-neck and breast and 
deepening in colour on the abdomen, sides of the body, and under tail-coverts ; 
thighs dusky ; under wing-coverts similar to the breast ; under-surface of flight- 
quills hair-brown with buff edgings to the feathers ; lower aspect of tail dark brown 
at the base and white at the tip. Eyes deep brown, bill dark horn, tip pale, feet 
and legs pale lead-grey. Collected at Waraya, Yalgoo Gold Fields, West Australia, 
on the 30th of August, 1903. 
Nest Dome-shaped, with side entrance. Composed of sticks or twigs, and lined with 
grass, wool or other available material. Outside measurements 10 by 12 inches. 
Eggs. Clutch, three. Ground-colour brown covered all over with hair-like markings of 
darker brown, 23 mm. by 17. 
Breeding-season. May to December. 
Mb,. Robert Brown, the famous botanist, was the first to bring to England 
this species, which he procured on the South Coast of New Holland in 1802 . 
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