160 
PLOCEIDJE. 
Family PLOCEIDiE. 
Genus ZONzEGINTHUS, Cabanis. 
ZONTEGINTHUS BELLA, Latham. 
Fire-tailed Finch. 
Gould, HandbTc. Bds. Aust., Yol. i., sp. 249, p. 406. 
Tasmania is the stronghold of this species, but it is also found 
on the Australian continent; a nest of this species in the Australian 
Museum Collection, taken by Mr. J. A. Thorpe at Hornsby on 
the 9th of November 1886, (together with the birds and eggs) is 
a large structure, composed exteriorly of long pieces of coarse dried 
grasses, lined with others of a finer description, it has a long 
narrow neck ten inches in length by two inches and a-half in 
width, the nest proper which is globular, measuring seven inches 
through external diameter : it was built in a Native Broom about 
ten feet from the ground. Eggs five in number for a sitting, 
pure white elongated in form, being nearly equal in size at both 
ends ; length (A) 0-73 x 048 inch ; (B) 0-72 x 0-47 inch ; (C) 
0*71 x 0-48 inch ; (D) 0 - 7 x 0-49 inch; (E) 071 x 0'49 inch. 
Specimens from Tasmania give the following measurements :— 
length (A) 0-73 x 0-51 inch ; (B) 0-72 x 0-5 inch ; (C) 0 75 x 0-52 
inch. Specimens in the Macleayan Museum Collection, measure 
as follows :—length (A) 0-78 x 0 51 inch ; (B) 0-73 x 0-5 inch ; (C) 
0-73 x 0 - 51 inch; (D) 3-75 x Q'52 inch. 
The breeding season commences in September and continues 
till tho end of December. 
Sab. Wide Bay District, New South Wales, Interior, Victoria 
and South Australia, Tasmania. (Ramsay.) 
Genus STICTOPTERA, Ihichenbach. 
STICTOPTERA BICHENOVII, Vigors and Sorsfield. 
Bicheno’s Finch. 
Gould, Handbk., Bds. Aust., Vol. i., sp. 251, p. 409. 
The habitat of this Finch is the interior and the northern and 
eastern portions of Australia. Like all other members of this 
