Genus — MAGNAMYTIS. 
Magnamytis Mathews, Nov. Zool., Vol. 
XVIII., p. 366, Jan. 31st, 1912. Type 
(by original designation) Amytornis woodwardi Hartert. 
Lakgest Grass-Wrens of strikingly distinct coloration with flat heads, 
short stout bills, long rounded wing, long wedge tail of ten broad feathers, 
and long strong legs and feet. 
The bill is short, a little more than half the length of the head, the 
culmen strongly arched, the tip distinctly hooked, the lower mandible stout, 
the depth of bill at base about one-third the length ; six prominent rictal bristles 
can be counted but no nasal bristles, though frontal feathers encroach on 
nasal groove but do not reach the nostrils ; the groove is more than one- 
third the length of the bill, and the linear nostrils show a swollen operculum, 
the culmen is keeled and laterally compressed. 
The wing has the primaries from the fourth to the tenth and the 
secondaries subequal, the first only about half the length of the fourth, and 
the second and third comparatively equally longer. 
The tail is strongly wedge-shaped of ten broad feathers. 
The feet are strong, the tarsus strongly scutellate- in front, seven scutes 
being clearly counted, the hind portion bilaminate. 
The toes are stout, the middle toe and claw longest, a little longer than 
the hind-toe and claw, the latter claw longest ; the inner and outer toes 
subequal, claws small, and inner toe and claw about equal to the middle toe 
alone. 
This delightful evolution of the Grass- Wren group is restricted to northern 
tropical Australia, and in the very short range three distinct species are 
already known. 
Key to the Species. 
Throat black with white shaft-streaks ... ... ... M. housei. 
Throat white 
Larger. Lores not red ... ... ... ... M. woodwardi . 
Smaller. Lores red... ... ... ... ... M. dorothece. 
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