THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
Adult male. Head and back of the neck pearl-grey, upper mantle vinous-pink • lower 
mantle, back, wing-coverts and secondaries mouse-colour suffused with pink- 
primapies ash-brown, margined on the outer web with wMte and on the inner web 
with vinous-buff ; a broad black band across the upper margin of the rump • lower 
part of the rump and upper tail-coverts pure wlute ; tail intense black, tlie middle 
pair of feathers extremely long and acuminate and slightly glossed with purple ■ 
lores black ; cheeks and ear-coverts silvery-white ; chhi, thi-oat and upper breast 
black, slightly glossed with pm^le; sides of the chest, breast, belly, ades of the 
body and luider wing-coverts vinous-pudv ; abdomen, vent and under tail-coverte 
pmn white, a large patch of black feathers on each flank; mider-surface of the 
primaries greyish-ash, widely bordered on the umer web with vinous-pink. Eyes 
reddish-brown, feet and tareus red, bill yellow^ Total length 160 mm.; culmen 10 
wing 62, tail 80, tarsus 17. Figured. Collected on Parry’s Cheek,’ North-west 
Australia, on the 26th of December, 1908. 
Adult female. Similar to the adult male. 
Adult female from Point Torment has the wing-coverts browner and the under-surface more 
suffused with pink. Eyes red, feet and tarsus red, bill yellow. Total length 163 mm. • 
culmen 9, wing 61, tail 82, tarsus 17. Collected at Point Torment, North-west 
Australia, on the 16th of February, 1911. 
Adult male. Similar to the adult female. 
Immature. Top of the head greyish-ash; back of the neck, mantle and wing-coverts 
rich isabelline ; lower back black ; rump and elongated upper tail-coverts white; 
middle tail-feather long and pointed and of a glossy-black ; remainder of tail black, 
the outer pair tipped and margined on the outer web with white ; cheeks and ear- 
coverts silvery-grey; chin, throat and fore-neck black ; chest, beUy, sides and 
flanks rich pinkish-buff; middle of the belly and under tail-coverts pale buff; under¬ 
surface of wdngs ash-grey, margined on the inner web with rust-colour. Eyes brown, 
feet and tarsi dusky’^-red, bill black, with base and cutting edge of lower mandible 
fleshy-grey. Collected on the Lennard River, West ELimberley, North-west Australia, 
on the 8th of November, 1910. 
Eggs. Five to six eggs form the clutch. A clutch of six taken at Napier Broome Bay, 
North-wnstem Australia, on the 13th of May, 1910, is of a pure wliite. Rather 
swollen ovals in shape. Surface of shell fine, smooth, but without glos.s. 
15 by 11 mm. 
Nest. Constructed of dried grass, bottle-shaped ; usually built in long grass and some¬ 
times in a small tree or bush as high as 8 and 10 feet from the ground. 
Breeding-months. September to January, and earlier and later according to the conditions 
of the season and the rainfall. 
In tliis case Gould described specimens from North-west Australia, and then 
wrote: “ The specimens from wliich my description of this bird was taken 
are from the interesting collection placed in my hands by the late ]\Ir. Bynoe, 
whose great perseverence and assiduity have enabled me to add many species 
to the fauna of Australia. Indeed, many of the officers of the ‘ Beagle ’ will 
have their names handed dowm to posterity in consequence of the attention 
they paid to this branch of science, independently of the legitimate objects 
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