SERICORNIS MACULATUS, Gow. 
Spotted Sericornis. 
Sericornis maculatus, Gould in Proe. of Zool. Soc., January 27, 1847. 
Goor-gal, Aborigmes of the mountain districts of Western Australia. 
Tue present bird, to which I have assigned the specific term of maculatus, has always been a source of per- 
plexity to me, from the circumstance of ifs varying considerably in its markings ; after mature consideration, 
however, Lam induced to regard the specimens from South Australia, Western Australia and the north 
coast as referable to one and the same species, each however possessing trivial differences by which it may 
be known from whence it was received. Specimens from the Houtman’s Abrolhos are of a rather smaller 
size, of a much greyer tint on the back, and have much darker-coloured legs. I believe that the bright 
yellow wash on the under surface of some individuals is characteristic of newly moulted or young birds: in 
this species, not only is the throat spotted with black, but the spotting extends over the chest and some 
distance down the flanks; it has at all times the tail tipped with white, a character which serves at once to 
distinguish it from 8. osewlans and 8. frontalis. Scrubby places, and ravines covered with dense herbage, 
whether in sterile or humid situatious, are its favourite resort. It has the same shy disposition and retiring 
habits as the other members of the genus, depending for safety rather upon its creeping, mouse-like 
habits than upon its powers of flight, which are indeed seldom resorted to. 
Its note is a harsh, grating kind of twitter, often repeated. 
The nest is a warm, dome-shaped structure, formed of leaves and grasses, and lined with feathers; the 
eggs are reddish white, minutely freckled and streaked with reddish brown, particularly at the larger end ; 
they are three in number, nine lines long by seven lines broad. 
All the upper surface, wings and tail brown; the latter crossed near the tip with a broad band of black- 
ish brown, and the outer feathers slightly tipped with white; forehead and lores deep black ; stripe above 
and a small patch below the eye white; spurious wing-feathers black, margined on their inner web with 
white ; under surface in some specimens greyish white, in others washed with yellow; the feathers of the 
throat and chest spotted with black on a light ground ; trides greemsh white. 
The female is somewhat smaller than her mate, and has the lores brown instead of black ; in other 
respects her plumage is very similar to that of the male. 
The upper figure in the accompanying Plate represents a female, and te lower probably a young male 5 
the figures are of the natural size, from specimens killed m Southern and Western Australia, 
