Order PASSERIFORMES. Family MUSCICAP1DM. 
No. 29. 
RHIPIDURA FLABELLIFERA. 
(CERVXNA.) 
LORD HOWE ISLAND F ANT AIL. 
(Plate 24.) 
Rhipidura cervtna Ramsay, Proc. Linn. Soc. (N.S.W.), Vol. III., p. 340, May 1879: Lord 
Howe Island. 
Rhipidura cervina Ramsay, Proc. Linn. Soc. (N.S.W.), Vol. III., p. 340, May 1879; Mathews, 
Handl. Birds Austral., p. 65, Jan. 1908. 
Rhipidura macgillivrayi Sharpe, Proc. Zool. Soc. (Lond.), Oct. 1st., 1881, p. 789, pi. 67: Lord 
Howe Island. 
Rhipidura flabellifera cervina Mathews, Nov. Zool., Vol. XVIII., p. 449, Jan. 1912; id., List 
Birds Austr., p. 323, Dec. 1913 ; id., Birds Austr., Vol. IX., pt. i., p. 16, Feb. 15th, 1921. 
Distribution. Lord Howe Island. 
Adult female. Crown of head and back of neck dark olive-brown, slightly suffused with grey; 
scapulars, back and rump olive-brown, lightest on the rump ; wing-coverts similar in 
colour to the back, but each feather rather broadly tipped with whitish-huff, forming a 
double wing-bar; primaries uniform blackish-brown; secondaries blackish-brown, the 
outermost ones margined with brownish-buff, the innermost ones more broadly margined 
with buff and w'hitish towards the extremity ; the middle pair of tail-feathers uniform 
blackish-brown, the succeeding pairs ash-brown, lighter on the innermost margin, the 
outermost pairs margined on both webs with whitish-buff ; chin and throat tawny white; 
remainder of the under-surface of the body chestnut-buff, brightest on the chest and palest 
on the under tail-coverts. Bill black, with lower base grey, eyes very dark brown, feet 
greyish-black. Total length 161 mm. : culmen 7, wing 72, tail 87, tarsus 21. Figured. 
Collected at the Pines, Lord How’e Island, on the 5th of May, 1914. 
Adult male. Similar to the adult female. Total length 160 mm. : culmen 7, wing 74, tail 87, tarsus 
21. Collected at the Pines, Lord Howe Island, on the 11th of May, 1914. 
Immature. Fore-head whitish-grey ; crown and back of the head dark grey, shafts paler; back 
of the neck dark grey ; scapulars and back dark brown, washed w r ith rust-colour, more 
pronounced on the lower back and rump ; primary-quills uniform ash-brown; secondaries 
dark ash-grey, narrowly margined on the outer web w T ith rust-red; w T ing-coverts similarly 
coloured to the 'wing, but -with large spots of rust-red at the extremity forming a double 
bar ; the middle pair of tail-feathers uniform brownish-black with black shafts, the 
remaining pairs ash-brown, shafts ivory-w r hite; throat greyish-white ; chest and upper 
breast rust-red; belly, vent and under tail-coverts w T hite, tinged with pale buff ; under wing- 
coverts and axillaries pale buff. Bill black with lower base grey, eyes brown, feet blue-grey. 
Collected at the Pines on the 27th of February, 1914. 
Nest and eggs. The one nest is similar to those of Rhipidura flabellifera pelzelni, but still neater 
and smoother, the outside being beautifully covered with spiders’ webs, and there are no 
horse-hairs in the lining. The eggs are also like those of R. f. pelzelni but average slightly 
larger, measuring : 17T X 12‘7, 165 X 13 6 ; 17 6 X 13 4, 172 X 13T, 17 2 X 14; 
16-5 X 13-5, 16-8 X 14, 17 X 13 5; 16 X 13-5, 16’5 X 13T, 161 X 13 2 mm. They were 
taken from the 6th of October to the 18th of November, 1913. 
Breeding-season. October and November. 
44 
