Chapter I: Part 1

THE
BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.

BY

JOHN GOULD, F.R.S.,

F.L.S., F.Z.S., M.E.S., F.ETHN.S., F.R.GEOG.S., M. RAY S., HON. MEMB. OF
THE ROYAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF TURIN, OF THE ROY. ZOOL. SOC. OF
IRELAND, OF THE PENZANCE NAT. HIST. SOC., OF THE WORCESTER NAT. HIST.
SOC., OF THE NORTHUMBERLAND, DURHAM AND NEWCASTLE NAT. HIST. SOC., OF
THE NAT. HIST. SOC. OF DARMSTADT AND OF THE TASMANIAN SOCIETY OF VAN
DIEMEN’S LAND, ETC.

IN SEVEN VOLUMES.

VOL. II.

LONDON:

PRINTED BY RICHARD AND JOHN E. TAYLOR, RED LION COURT, FLEET STREET.

PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR, 20, BROAD STREET, GOLDEN SQUARE.

1848.

LIST OF PLATES.
VOLUME II.

Ægotheles Novæ-Hollandiæ Owlet Nightjar 1

—— leucogaster, _Gould_ White-bellied Owlet Nightjar 2

Podargus humeralis, _Vig. & Horsf._ Tawny-shouldered Podargus 3

—— Cuvieri, _Vig. & Horsf._ Cuvier’s Podargus 4

—— Phalænoïdes, _Gould_ Moth-plumaged Podargus 5

—— plumiferus, _Gould_ Plumed Podargus 6

Eurostopodus albogularis White-throated Goat-sucker 7

—— guttatus Spotted Goat-sucker 8

Caprimulgus macrurus, _Horsf._ Large-tailed Goat-sucker 9

Acanthylis caudacuta Australian Spine-tailed Swallow 10

Cypselus Australis, _Gould_ Australian Swift 11

Atticora leucosternon, _Gould_ White-breasted Swallow 12

Hirundo neoxena, _Gould_ Welcome Swallow 13

Collocalia arborea Tree Martin 14

—— Ariel, _Gould_ Fairy Martin 15

Merops ornatus, _Lath._ Australian Bee-eater 16

Eurystomus Australis, _Swains._ Australian Roller 17

Dacelo gigantea Great Brown Kingfisher 18

—— Leachii, _Vig. & Horsf._ Leach’s Kingfisher 19

—— cervina, _Gould_ Fawn-breasted Kingfisher 20

Halcyon sanctus, _Vig. & Horsf._ Sacred Halcyon 21

—— pyrrhopygia, _Gould_ Red-backed Halcyon 22

—— sordidus, _Gould_ Sordid Halcyon 23

—— MacLeayii, _Jard. & Selb._ MacLeay’s Halcyon 24

Alcyone azurea Azure Kingfisher 25

—— pusilla Little Kingfisher 26

Artamus sordidus Wood Swallow 27

—— minor, _Vieill._ Little Wood Swallow 28

—— cinereus, _Vieill._ Grey-breasted Wood Swallow 29

—— albiventris, _Gould_ White-vented Wood Swallow 30

—— personatus, _Gould_ Masked Wood Swallow 31

—— superciliosus, _Gould_ White-eyebrowed Wood Swallow 32

—— leucopygialis, _Gould_ White-rumped Wood Swallow 33

Dicæum hirundinaceum Swallow Dicæum 34

Pardalotus punctatus Spotted Pardalote 35

—— rubricatus, _Gould_ Red-lored Pardalote 36

—— quadragintus, _Gould_ Forty-spotted Pardalote 37

—— striatus Striated Pardalote 38

—— affinis, _Gould_ Allied Pardalote 39

—— melanocephalus, _Gould_ Black-headed Pardalote 40

—— uropygialis, _Gould_ Yellow-rumped Pardalote 41

Strepera graculina Great Crow-Shrike 42

—— fuliginosa, _Gould_ Sooty Crow-Shrike 43

—— arguta, _Gould_ Hill Crow-Shrike 44

—— Anaphonensis Grey Crow-Shrike 45

Gymnorhina Tibicen Piping Crow-Shrike 46

—— leuconota, _Gould_ White-backed Crow-Shrike 47

—— organicum, _Gould_ Tasmanian Crow-Shrike 48

Cracticus nigrogularis, _Gould_ Black-throated Crow-Shrike 49

—— picatus, _Gould_ Pied Crow-Shrike 50

—— argenteus, _Gould_ Silvery-backed Butcher-Bird 51

—— destructor Butcher-Bird 52

Cracticus Quoyii Quoy’s Crow-Shrike 53

Grallina Australis Pied Grallina 54

Graucalus melanops Black-faced Graucalus 55

—— mentalis, _Vig. & Horsf._ Varied Graucalus 56

—— hypoleucus, _Gould_ White-bellied Graucalus 57

—— Swainsonii, _Gould_ Swainson’s Graucalus 58

Pteropodocys Phasianella, _Gould_ Ground Graucalus 59

Campephaga Jardinii, _Gould_ Jardine’s Campephaga 60

—— Karu Northern Campephaga 61

—— leucomela, _Vig. & Horsf._ Black and White Campephaga 62

—— humeralis, _Gould_ White-shouldered Campephaga 63

Pachycephala gutturalis Guttural Pachycephala 64

—— glaucura, _Gould_ Grey-tailed Pachycephala 65

—— melanura, _Gould_ Black-tailed Pachycephala 66

—— pectoralis Banded Thick-head 67

—— falcata, _Gould_ Lunated Pachycephala 68

—— Lanoïdes, _Gould_ Shrike-like Pachycephala 69

—— rufogularis, _Gould_ Red-throated Pachycephala 70

—— Gilbertii, _Gould_ Gilbert’s Pachycephala 71

—— simplex, _Gould_ Plain-coloured Pachycephala 72

—— olivacea, _Vig. & Horsf._ Olivaceous Pachycephala 73

Colluricincla harmonica Harmonious Colluricincla 74

—— rufiventris, _Gould_ Buff-bellied Colluricincla 75

—— brunnea, _Gould_ Brown Colluricincla 76

—— Selbii, _Jard._ Selby’s Colluricincla 77

—— parvula, _Gould_ Little Colluricincla 78

Falcunculus frontatus Frontal Shrike-Tit 79

—— leucogaster, _Gould_ White-bellied Shrike-Tit 80

Oreoïca gutturalis Crested Oreoïca 81

Dicrurus bracteatus, _Gould_ Spangled Drongo 82

Rhipidura albiscapa, _Gould_ White-shafted Fantail 83

—— rufifrons Rufous-fronted Fantail 84

—— isura, _Gould_ Northern Fantail 85

—— Motacilloïdes, _Vig. & Horsf._ Black Fantailed Flycatcher 86

Seïsura inquieta Restless Flycatcher 87

Piezorhynchus nitidus, _Gould_ Blue Shining Flycatcher 88

Myïagra plumbea, _Vig. & Horsf._ Plumbeous Flycatcher 89

—— concinna, _Gould_ Pretty Flycatcher 90

—— nitida, _Gould_ Shining Flycatcher 91

—— latirostris, _Gould_ Broad-billed Flycatcher 92

Micrœca macroptera Great-winged Micrœca 93

—— flavigaster, _Gould_ Yellow-bellied Micrœca 94

Monarcha carinata Carinated Flycatcher 95

—— trivirgata Black-fronted Flycatcher 96

Gerygone albogularis, _Gould_ White-throated Gerygone 97

—— fuscus, _Gould_ Fuscous Gerygone 98

—— culicivorus, _Gould_ Western Gerygone 99

—— magnirostris, _Gould_ Great-billed Gerygone 100

—— lævigaster, _Gould_ Buff-breasted Gerygone 101

—— chloronotus, _Gould_ Green-backed Gerygone 102

Smicrornis brevirostris, _Gould_ Short-billed Smicrornis 103

—— flavescens, _Gould_ Yellow-tinted Smicrornis 104

ÆGOTHELES NOVÆ-HOLLANDIÆ: _Vig. et Horsf._

_J. & E. Gould del._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]

ÆGOTHELES NOVÆ-HOLLANDIÆ, _Vig. and Horsf._
Owlet Nightjar.

_Crested Goat-sucker_, Phill. Bot. Bay, pl. in p. 270.

_Caprimulgus Novæ-Hollandiæ_, Lath. Ind. Orn., vol. ii. p. 588.—Less.
Traité d’Orn., p. 265.—Ib. Man., t. i. p. 412.—Vieill. Nouv.
Dict. d’Hist. Nat., t. x. p. 234.

—— _cristatus_, Shaw in White’s Voy., pl. in p. 241.

_New Holland Goat-sucker_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p.
261.—Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. x. p. 170.—Lath. Gen. Hist.,
vol. vii. p. 341.

_Bristled Goat-sucker_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. vii. p. 342.

_Caprimulgus vittatus_, Ib. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. lviii.

_Banded Goat-sucker_, Ib. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 262, pl.
136.—Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. x. p. 152, pl. 17.—Lath. Gen.
Hist., vol. vii. p. 342, pl. cxv.

_Ægotheles Novæ-Hollandiæ_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv.
p. 197.—De la Fresn. in Guerin, Mag. de Zool. 1838, p. 21,
pl. 82.

—— _lunulatus_, Jard. and Selby, Ill. Orn., vol. iii. pl. 149.

—— _Australis_, Swains. Class. of Birds, vol. ii. p. 338.

—— _cristatus_, G. R. Gray, List of Gen. of Birds, p. 7.

_Little Mawepawk_, Colonists of Van Diemen’s Land. _Teringing_,
Aborigines of the coast of New South Wales.

This very interesting little Nightjar is subject to great variation in the colour and markings of its plumage, a circumstance which has tended to produce much confusion, and greatly to increase the list of synonyms.

It possesses a great range of habitat, being found in every part of Van Diemen’s Land, and throughout the southern portion of Australia, from Swan River on the western coast to Moreton Bay on the eastern; time, and the continued exploration of that vast country, can alone determine how far it may be found to the northward: it is a stationary species, inhabiting alike the densest brushes near the coast, and the more thinly-wooded districts of the interior.

While rambling in the Australian forests I had the good fortune to meet with more than an ordinary number of specimens of this curious bird. I also procured its eggs, and considerable information respecting its habits and actions, which differ most remarkably from those of the true _Caprimulgidæ_, and on the other hand assimilate so closely to the smaller Owls, particularly those comprised in the genus _Athene_, as to form as perfect an analogical representative of that group of birds as can possibly be imagined, for which reason the English name of Owlet Nightjar has been assigned to it.

During the day it resorts to the hollow branches or spouts as they are called, and the holes of the gum-trees, sallying forth as night approaches in quest of insects, particularly the smaller _Coleoptera_, upon which it chiefly subsists. Its flight is straight, and not characterized by the sudden turns and descents of _Caprimulgus_. On driving it from its haunts I have sometimes observed it to fly direct to a similar hole in another tree, but more frequently to alight on a neighbouring branch, perching across and never parallel to it. When assailed in its retreat it emits a loud hissing noise, and has the same stooping motion of the head observable in the Owls; it also resembles that tribe of birds in its erect carriage, the manner in which it sets out the feathers round the ears and neck, and in the power it possesses of turning the head in every direction, even over the back, a habit it is constantly practising. A pair I had for some time in captivity were frequently leaping to the top of the cage, and had a singular mode of running or shuffling backwards to one corner of it.

While traversing the woods, the usual mode of ascertaining its presence is by tapping with a stone or a tomahawk at the base of the hollow trees, when the little inmate, as represented in the upper figure of our Plate, will almost invariably ascend to the outlet and peep over to ascertain the cause of disturbance. If the tree be lofty or its hole inaccessible, it will frequently retire again to its hiding-place, and there remain until the annoyance be repeated, when it flies off to a place of greater security. In these holes, without forming any nest, it deposits its eggs, which are four or five in number, perfectly white, nearly round, and about one inch and a line in length and eleven lines in breadth. At least two broods are reared by each pair of birds during the year. I have known the young to be taken in Van Diemen’s Land in October, and in New South Wales I have procured eggs in January.

Specimens from Van Diemen’s Land, Swan River, South Australia, and New South Wales, all present considerable difference in the colour and markings of the plumage, but none of sufficient importance to justify their separation into distinct species: in some the nuchal band and the circular mark on the head are very conspicuous, while in others scarcely a trace of these markings is observable; these variations do not depend upon habitat, but are constantly found in specimens from the same localities.

Little or no difference is apparent in the size or plumage of the sexes.

Adults have the patches above the eyes, a semilunar mark at the back of the head, a band round the neck, and all the under surface grey, finely sprinkled with black, and tinged with buff; ear-coverts reddish buff, the remainder of the head blackish brown; all the upper surface and wings dark brown, sprinkled with grey in the form of irregular bars; primaries brown, sprinkled on their outer webs with lighter brown and grey; tail dark, regularly barred with numerous narrow lines of grey sprinkled with black: irides hazel; feet flesh colour.

In immature birds the lunulate markings are much richer in colour and more distinct than in the adults, in many of which they are nearly obliterated, and the irides are nearly black.

The figures are of the natural size.

ÆGOTHELES LEUCOGASTER: _Gould_.

_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]

ÆGOTHELES LEUCOGASTER, _Gould_.
White-bellied Owlet Nightjar.

_Ægotheles leucogaster_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., June 25, 1844.

This is altogether a larger and more powerful bird than the _Ægotheles Novæ-Hollandiæ_; besides which, the white colouring of the lower part of the belly will at all times serve to distinguish it from that species.

It is rather abundant on the Cobourg Peninsula, where it inhabits the forests in the immediate vicinity of Port Essington; how far its range may extend is at present unknown, but it is probable that the bird is distributed over the whole of the northern portion of the continent, and that it there forms the representative of the _Æ. Novæ-Hollandiæ_, which up to the present time has only been found on the southern.

Mr. Gilbert states that it is abundant in most parts of the settlement at Port Essington, “where it is frequently seen flying about at twilight, and occasionally during the day. On the approach of an intruder it flies very heavily from tree to tree, and on alighting invariably turns round on the branch to watch his approach, moving the head all the time after the manner of the Hawk tribe.”

The sexes when fully adult will not I expect be found to differ in plumage. I attribute the redness of some of my specimens to the age of the individuals; but whether the red varieties or the grey are the most mature birds, I have not had sufficient opportunities of ascertaining.

It feeds on insects of all kinds, and as the bird is strictly nocturnal in its habits, they are, as a matter of course, procured at night.

Head black; the crown, a lunar-shaped mark at the back of the head, and a collar surrounding the back of the neck freckled with grey; back freckled black and white; wings brown, crossed by numerous bands of lighter brown freckled with dark brown; primaries margined externally with buff, interrupted with blotchings of dark brown; tail dark brown, crossed by numerous broad irregular bands of reddish buff freckled with dark brown; ear-coverts straw-white; chin, abdomen and under tail-coverts white; breast and sides of the neck white, crossed by numerous freckled bars of black; irides dark brown; upper mandible dark olive-brown, lower mandible white with a black tip; legs very pale yellow; claws black.

The figures are of the natural size.

PODARGUS HUMERALIS: _Vig. & Horsf._

_J. & E. Gould del._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]

PODARGUS HUMERALIS, _Vig. and Horsf._
Tawny-shouldered Podargus.

_Caprimulgus gracilis?_ Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. 58.

_Gracile Goatsucker?_ Ib. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 263.—Steph.
Cont. of Shaw’s Zool., vol. x. p. 145.—Lath. Gen. Hist.,
vol. vii. p. 344.

_Podargus? gracilis?_ Steph. Cont. of Shaw’s Zool., vol. xiii. p. 93.

_Podargus Australis?_ Ib., vol. xiii. p. 92.

_Podargus cinereus?_ Cuv. Règn. Anim., pl. 4. fig. 1.—Vieill. Nouv.
Dict. d’Hist. Nat., tom. xxvii. p. 151. pl. G. 37. fig.
3.—Vieill. Ency. Méth., p. 547.

_Cold-River Goatsucker_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. vii. p. 369.

_Podargus Humeralis_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p.
198.—Jard. and Selb. Ill. Orn., vol. ii. pl. 88.—Swains.
Class. of Birds, vol. ii. p. 338.

So great a similarity reigns throughout the _Podargi_ inhabiting Australia, that it is most difficult to distinguish them; and after a minute examination of a great number of specimens it appears to me that there are five species, only two of which are inhabitants of New South Wales, and to these, in my opinion, the various names of the older authors are referrible. But as it must ever remain a matter of uncertainty as to which these names have been applied, I have preferred to retain for the present bird that proposed by Messrs. Vigors and Horsfield.

The Tawny-shouldered Podargus may be distinguished by the greater breadth of its markings, by the decided admixture of tawny in its colouring, by the feathers of the head having a small round spot of white at the tip, and by the more boldly-marked tips of the coverts. It is plentifully dispersed over New South Wales, where it is not restricted to any peculiar character of country, but inhabits alike the thick brushes near the coast, the hilly districts, and the thinly-wooded plains of the interior. I found it breeding on the low swampy islands studding the mouth of the Hunter, and on the Apple-tree (_Angophora_) flats of Yarrundi, near the Liverpool Range. In their habits and mode of life the _Podargi_ differ very considerably from the true Nightjars, and also in many particulars from _Ægotheles_.

Like the rest of the genus, the Tawny-shouldered Podargus is strictly nocturnal, sleeping throughout the day on the dead branch of a tree, in an upright position across, and never parallel to, the branch, and which it so nearly resembles as scarcely to be distinguishable from it. I have occasionally seen it beneath the thick foliage of the _Casuarinæ_, and I have been informed that it sometimes shelters itself in the hollow trunks of the _Eucalypti_, but I could never detect one in such a situation; I mostly found them in pairs, perched near each other on the branches of the gums, in situations not at all sheltered from the beams of the midday sun. So lethargic are its slumbers, that it is almost impossible to arouse it, and I have frequently shot one without disturbing its mate sitting close by; it may also be knocked off with sticks or stones, and sometimes is even taken with the hand: when aroused, it flies lazily off with heavy flapping wings to a neighbouring tree, and again resumes its slumbers until the approach of evening, when it becomes as animated and active as it had been previously dull and stupid. The food consists of insects of various kinds; but in what way they are obtained is uncertain, though the contents of the stomach of one I dissected induce me to believe that it does not usually capture its prey while on the wing, or subsist upon nocturnal insects alone, but that it is in the habit of creeping among the branches in search of such as are in a state of repose; and an examination of the tail will, I think, serve to strengthen this supposition, since it in some degree resembles the form and structure of that organ in many of the climbing birds. The power it possesses of shifting the position of the outer toe backwards, as circumstances may require, is a very singular feature, and may also tend to assist them in their progress among the branches. A bird I shot at Yarrundi, in the middle of the night, had the stomach filled with fresh-captured mantis and locusts (_Phasmidæ_ and _Cicadæ_), which never move at night, and the latter of which are generally resting against the upright boles of the trees. In other specimens I found the remains of small _Coleoptera_, intermingled with the fibres of the roots of what appeared to be a parasitic plant, such as would be found in decayed and hollow trees. The whole contour of the bird shows that it is not formed for extensive flight or for performing those rapid evolutions that are necessary for the capture of its prey in the air, the wing being short and concave in comparison with those of the true aërial Nightjars, and particularly with the Australian form to which I have given the name of _Eurostopodus_.

Of its mode of nidification I can speak with confidence, having seen many pairs breeding during my rambles in the woods. It makes a slightly-constructed flat nest of sticks carelessly interwoven together, and placed at the fork of a horizontal branch of sufficient size to ensure its safety; the tree most frequently chosen is an _Eucalyptus_, but I have occasionally seen the nest on an Apple-tree (_Angophora_) or a Swamp-Oak (_Casuarina_). In every instance one of the birds was sitting on the eggs and the other perched on a neighbouring bough, both invariably asleep; that the male participates in the duty of incubation I ascertained by having accidentally shot a bird on the nest without being aware it was so occupied, which on dissection proved to be a male. The eggs are generally two in number, of a beautiful immaculate white, and of a long oval form, one inch and ten lines in length by one inch and three lines in diameter.

The sexes so closely resemble each other both in size and plumage, that a separate description is unnecessary. Like the other species of the genus, it is subject to considerable variation in its colouring; the young, which assume the adult livery at an early age, being somewhat darker in all their markings.

The night-call of this species is a loud hoarse noise, consisting of two distinct sounds, which cannot be correctly described.

The stomach is thick and muscular, and is lined with a thick hair-like substance like that of the Common Cuckoo.

All the upper surface brown, speckled with greyish white and darker brown, the feathers of the crown having a blackish brown stripe down the centre terminating in a minute spot of white; wings similar to the upper surface, but lighter and with bolder black and buff spots, the coverts having an irregular spot of white and tawny on the outer web near the tip, which, as they lie over each other, form indistinct bands across the wing; primaries brownish black, with light-coloured shafts, and with a series of whitish spots on the outer webs, between which they are margined with tawny; their inner webs irregularly barred with the same; tail tawny brown, sprinkled with lighter brown, and crossed with a series of irregular bands of blackish brown, sprinkled with dusky white, each feather having a spot of brownish black near the extremity, and tipped with white; face and all the under surface greyish white, crossed by numerous narrow and irregular bars of tawny, and with a stripe of brown down the centre of each feather, the latter colour being most conspicuous and forming a kind of semilunar mark down each side of the chest; bill light brown, tinged with purple; inside of the mouth pale yellow; tongue long, transparent, and of the same colour with the inside of the mouth; irides brownish orange; feet light brownish olive.

In some the rich tawny colour predominates, while others are more grey.

The bird is represented of the natural size, asleep, in the position it is usually seen during the day.

PODARGUS CUVIERI: _Vig. and Horsf._

_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]

PODARGUS CUVIERI, _Vig. and Horsf._
Cuvier’s Podargus.

_Podargus Cuvieri_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 200.

_More-pork_ of the Colonists.

This species is readily distinguished from the _Podargus humeralis_ by the bill being much less robust and of a more adpressed form, while the culmen is sharp and elevated; the bird itself is also of a smaller size and altogether more slender than its near ally. Van Diemen’s Land, if not its exclusive habitat, is certainly its great stronghold, it being there very numerous, as evidenced by the frequency with which I encountered it during my rambles in the woods; and its distribution over the island is so general, that to particularize localities in which it may be found is quite unnecessary, it being equally abundant near the coast as well as in the interior. I observed it both among the thick branches of the _Casuarinæ_ and on the dead limbs of the _Eucalypti_; it appeared however to evince a greater partiality for the latter, which it closely resembles in colour, and from the position in which it rests, looks so like a part of the branch itself as frequently to elude detection; it is generally seen in pairs sitting near each other, and frequently on the same branch. Like the other members of the genus, this bird feeds almost exclusively on insects, of which Coleoptera form a great part: it is strictly nocturnal in its habits, and although not so active as the true _Caprimulgi_, displays considerable alertness in the capture of its food, presenting a striking contrast to its inertness in the daytime, when it is so drowsy that it can scarcely be aroused from its slumbers; that portion of its existence being passed in a sitting posture across a dead branch, perfectly motionless and with the bill pointing upwards: it never flies by day unless roused from the branch on which it is sitting, and this is not easily effected, as neither the discharge of a gun nor any other noise will cause it to take wing. It is frequently captured and kept in captivity, where it excites attention more from the sluggishness of its nature and the singular position it assumes than from any other cause: raw meat forms a suitable substitute for its natural food. In captivity it will pass the entire day in sleep on the back of a chair or any other piece of furniture on which it can perch. Like the owl, it is considered by some a bird of ill omen, principally from the extraordinary sound of its hoarse, unearthly cry, which resembles the words _more-pork_; it not only approaches the immediate vicinity of the houses, but emits this sound while perched in their verandahs and on the buildings themselves; and it is often to be seen perched on the tombstones of the churchyard.

It builds a somewhat neatly-formed flat nest, about seven inches in diameter, in the fork of an horizontal branch; the exterior formed of small sticks, and the interior of the fibrous portions of various plants; the eggs are white, and nearly of a true oval in form, being one inch and nine lines long by one inch and three lines broad.

Considerable variation occurs in the colouring of individuals, the prevailing tint being a dull ashy grey, while others are of a rich chestnut hue; but whether this be indicative of immaturity, or characteristic of the fully adult plumage, I have not been able to satisfy myself. The figures represent both these styles of colouring.

Lores brown, each feather tipped with mealy white, forming a line before and above the eye; feathers of the forehead mealy white, blending into the dull ashy grey of the head and back, all the feathers of which have a stripe of blackish brown down the centre, terminating in a small spot of white, and are moreover minutely freckled with greyish white and dark brown; wing-coverts chestnut, each tipped with an oval spot of white bounded posteriorly with black, forming a line across the wing; remainder of the wing brown, mottled with greyish white, arranged, particularly on the primaries, in the form of irregular bars; scapularies washed with buff and with a broad stripe of blackish brown down the centre; under surface brownish grey, minutely freckled with white, and with a narrow line of blackish brown down the centre; sides of the neck washed with chestnut; tail grey, minutely freckled with greyish white and black, assuming the form of broad irregular bands, each feather with a small spot of white at the tip; irides varying from yellow to reddish yellow and hazel; feet olive-brown.

Other examples have the general tint rich chestnut-brown, with all the markings larger and more decided.

The figures are of the natural size.

PODARGUS PHALÆNOÏDES: _Gould_.

_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]

PODARGUS PHALÆNOÏDES, _Gould_.
Moth-plumaged Podargus.

_Podargus Phalænoïdes_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VII. p.
142.

_Nÿ-ane?_ and _In-ner-jïn-ert_, Aborigines of the neighbourhood of
Port Essington.

The present bird, which is from Port Essington, may be readily distinguished from every other Australian species of _Podargus_ by its small size, by the beautiful, delicate, and moth-like painting of its plumage, and by the colouring of the thighs, which are light brown instead of black; its tail also is rather more lengthened than that of the common species. Like the members of the genus inhabiting Van Diemen’s Land and New South Wales, it exhibits considerable variation in size and colouring; in some a rusty red tint pervades the whole plumage, while in others no trace of this hue occurs. I am inclined to consider that age has much to do with this variation in colour: but whether the red-tinted birds are immature or adult I have had no means of ascertaining; further observation is necessary to determine this point; and I consequently hope the subject will not be neglected by those who may have an opportunity of observing the bird alive: the red-tinted birds occur less frequently than the others.

I have several specimens from the north-west coast of Australia, and Mr. Gilbert states that it is abundant in every part of the Cobourg Peninsula.

Like the rest of the genus it is strictly nocturnal in its habits; becoming animated at the approach of evening, it sallies forth from the favourite branch where it has rested during the day in search of insects, which, I believe, constitute almost exclusively its food; its whole economy in fact, so far as known, so closely resembles that of the _Podargus humeralis_, that one description would serve for both.

Forehead, sides of the face and all the under surface brownish grey, minutely freckled with black; the feathers of the under surface with a stripe of blackish brown down the centre, these stripes being broadest and most conspicuous on the sides of the chest; all the upper surface brown, minutely freckled with grey, each feather with a broad stripe of black down the centre; shoulders dark brown; coverts freckled with greyish white and with a spot of white, the centre of which is fawn-colour at the tip; primaries dark brown, crossed on their outer webs with an irregular bar of white, the interspaces on the outer primaries rufous; inner webs of the primaries crossed by irregular bands of freckled brown and fawn-colour; tail brown, crossed by numerous broad bands of freckled grey, bounded on either side by irregular blotchings of black; irides orange or reddish hazel; bill horn-colour.

In the other state, to which I have alluded, the whole of the upper surface is of a dark rust-red, freckled on the forehead, wing-coverts and scapularies with white; the bands on the tail less apparent; a rufous tint pervades the grey of the under surface, and the striæ are much narrower than in the specimen above described.

The Plate represents a male and a female, in the differently tinted plumage, of the natural size.

PODARGUS PLUMIFERUS: _Gould_.

_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]

PODARGUS PLUMIFERUS, _Gould_.
Plumed Podargus.

_Podargus plumiferus_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part XIII. p.
104.

The only information I have to communicate respecting this beautiful Podargus, is, that it is a native of the brushes of the Clarence and neighbouring rivers in New South Wales, and that several examples have come under my notice, of which one is deposited in the Museum at Dublin, another in the Museum at Manchester, and two are contained in my own collection; of the latter, one was sent to me by Mr. Strange of Sydney, and the other was purchased with other Australian birds in London. It is readily distinguished from all the other Australian members of the genus by the more lengthened form of tail, and by the remarkable and conspicuous tufts of feathers which spring from immediately above the nostrils: considerable variation is found to exist in the colouring of the various specimens, some being much redder than the others, and having the markings on the under surface much less distinct and of a more chestnut tint.

Nothing whatever is known of its habits and economy, points which must remain for future discovery and research to make known.

Tuft of feathers covering the nostrils alternately banded with blackish brown and white; all the upper surface mottled brown, black, and brownish white, the latter predominating over each eye, where it forms a conspicuous patch; the markings are of a larger but similar kind on the wings, and on the primaries and secondaries assume the form of bars; tail similar but paler, and with the barred form of the markings still more distinct; centre of the throat and chest brownish white, minutely freckled with brown; sides of the neck and breast, and all the under surface similar, but with a dark line of brown down the centre, and two large nearly square-shaped spots of brownish white near the tip of each feather; bill and feet horn-colour.

The figures are of the natural size.

EUROSTOPODUS ALBOGULARIS.

_J. Gould and H. C. Richter, del^t_ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]

EUROSTOPODUS ALBOGULARIS.
White-throated Goat-sucker.

_Caprimulgus albogularis_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv.
p. 194, note.

—— _mystacalis_, Temm. Pl. Col. 410.

During my visit to Australia I had opportunities of observing a number of this species; it is still, however, a rare bird in all our collections, and how far it may range over the Australian continent is not known; the south-eastern are the only portions in which it has yet been discovered; and although all the specimens I have seen in collections were procured at Moreton Bay, I have killed three or four of an evening on the cleared lands on the Upper Hunter, which shows that it is far from being a scarce bird in that part of New South Wales. In all probability it is only a summer visitant in the colony, as it was at this season only that I observed it. In the daytime it sleeps on the ground on some dry knoll or open part of the forest, and as twilight approaches sallies forth to the open glades and small plains or cleared lands in search of insects; its flight, which is much more powerful than that of any other Goatsucker I have seen, enabling it to pass through the air with great rapidity, and to mount up and dart down almost at right angles whenever an insect comes within the range of its eye, which is so large and full that its powers of vision must be very great. Most of those I shot were gorged with insects, principally coleoptera and locusts, some of which were entire and so large as to excite surprise how they could be swallowed; in several instances they were so perfect, that I preserved them as specimens for my entomological collection.

Of its nidification I have no information to furnish; it doubtless, however, breeds on the ground, and judging from analogy its eggs will be found to be either one or two in number, and in form and colour partaking of the character of those of _Caprimulgus_, and not of those of _Podargus_ and _Ægotheles_.

Contrary to what might have been expected, I found that although the sexes are nearly alike in colour, the females always exceed the males in size and in the brilliance of the tints; the males, on the other hand, have the two white spots on the third and fourth primaries more conspicuous than in the female.

All the upper surface very minutely freckled grey and brown; the feathers on the crown of the head and at the occiput with a large patch of black down the centre; behind the ear-coverts a patch of dark brown sprinkled with brownish buff; from the angle of the mouth passing round the back of the neck an indistinct collar of intermingled buff, chestnut and black; scapularies variegated with dark brown on their outer webs and margined with bright fulvous; wing dark brown variegated with fulvous and grey; secondaries dark brown, with a regular series of bright fulvous spots along each web; primaries blackish brown, the two first without any spot, the remainder spotted like the secondaries, the third having a spot of white on its inner and outer web about the centre of the feather, the fourth with a large white spot on its outer web; two centre and outer webs of the remaining tail-feathers dark brown, marbled with irregular bars of grey; the inner webs of the lateral feathers dark brown, crossed with irregular bands of light buff; throat blackish brown, spotted with bright buff; on each side of the throat a large oval spot of white; breast dark brown, spotted above with dull buff, and broadly freckled with dull buff and grey; abdomen and under tail-coverts bright fulvous, crossed with bars of dark brown; irides dark brown; feet mealy reddish brown.

The Plate represents a female of the natural size.

EUROSTOPODUS GUTTATUS.

_J. Gould and H. C. Richter, del^t_ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]

EUROSTOPODUS GUTTATUS.
Spotted Goat-sucker.

_Caprimulgus guttatus_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p.
192.

_Käl-ga_, Aborigines of the lowland districts of Western Australia.

_Goatsucker_, of the Colonists.

As the similitude of its form would lead us to suspect, this species closely resembles the preceding, both in its habits and in the whole of its economy; unlike that species, however, whose range of habitat would appear to be very limited, the present bird is universally, but thinly, distributed over the whole of the southern portion of Australia. I killed it in South Australia and in New South Wales; the collection formed by Mr. Gilbert at Swan River also contained specimens which presented no difference whatever, either in size or markings.

I more than once flushed this bird in open day, when, after mounting rapidly in the air, it performed a few zigzag evolutions and pitched again to the earth at a distant spot. That it breeds on the ground there can be no doubt, as I found a newly-hatched young one on the precise spot from which I had flushed the adult; the little helpless creature, which much resembled a small mass of down or wool, was of a reddish brown colour, not very dissimilar from the surface of the ground where it had been hatched: my utmost endeavours to find the broken shell were entirely unavailing; I am consequently unable to describe the egg, or to furnish any further information respecting the nidification of this singular form.

The sexes are so nearly alike in colour and size that they are not to be distinguished except by dissection; the young, on the contrary, is clothed in a more buffy brown dress until it has attained the size of the adult.

Forehead and centre of the head brownish black, each feather spotted and margined with bright buff; over each eye the feathers are pearly white very finely pencilled with brownish black; lores and sides of the face brown spotted with buff; collar at the back of the head reddish chestnut; back grey freckled with black; scapularies light grey freckled with brownish black, largely tipped with bright buff, with an irregular diagonal patch of black; wing-coverts grey, spotted and freckled with brown, each feather largely tipped with bright buff; primaries and secondaries brownish black, marked on both webs with buff, the buff on the outer webs being in the form of round spots, on the inner webs irregular bars; on the inner web of the first primary is a large spot of pure white, on the second primaries a similar but larger spot, and a small one on the outer web; the third and fourth crossed by a large irregular patch of white; middle tail-feathers light grey, marbled and finely freckled with dark brown; lateral feathers light grey barred with blackish brown and bright buff, and freckled with dark brown, the buff on the outer web of the outside feather forming a regular row of spots; on each side of the throat an oblique line of white; chest dark brown, each feather broadly barred and spotted with light buff; abdomen bright buff, finely and irregularly barred with black; under tail-coverts sandy; bill black; irides very dark brown; feet mealy reddish brown.

The Plate represents an adult male and a young bird of the natural size.

CAPRIMULGUS MACRURUS: _Horsf._

_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]

CAPRIMULGUS MACRURUS, _Horsf._
Large-tailed Goatsucker.

_Caprimulgus macrurus_, Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xiii. p. 142.

This, the only true _Caprimulgus_ known to inhabit Australia, is I believe identical with the _C. macrurus_ of Dr. Horsfield, whose specimens were procured in Java, while those I possess were obtained at Port Essington, where the bird is moderately plentiful; hence it would appear that it has an unusually wide range of habitat. It inhabits the open parts of the forest and is strictly nocturnal; it mostly rests on the ground on the shady side of a large tree close to the roots, and if disturbed several times in succession takes to the branch of one of the largest trees. I have never seen the eggs of this species, but I possess a young bird apparently only a few days old, which Mr. Gilbert found lying under a shrubby tree, without any nest or even a blade of grass near it; the little creature was so similar in colour to that of the ground upon which it was lying, that it was with difficulty detected, and Mr. Gilbert was only induced to search for it from the very peculiar manner in which the old bird rose, the reluctance it evinced to leave the spot, and its hovering over the place it had risen from, instead of flying off to the distance of nearly a hundred yards, as it usually does.

The sexes are distinguished from each other by the greater extent of the white mark on the primaries and outer tail-feathers; in other parts of the plumage and in size there is no difference.

Its food consists of moths, flies and coleopterous insects, which are taken during flight.

Head brownish grey, very minutely freckled with black; the feathers down the middle of the head and occiput with a large broad stripe of black down the centre; lores, space surrounding the eyes and ear-coverts reddish brown; on each side of the neck a broad stripe of rich buff barred with black; a narrow line of white passes below the angle of the mouth; chin brown; across the throat a band of white bounded below by black, the extremities of the white feathers being of that hue; centre of the back dark brown, freckled with black and buff; shoulders blackish brown; wing-coverts freckled grey, buff and black, each with a large spot of buff at the tip; primaries and secondaries blackish brown, the former crossed at their base, and the latter throughout their entire length, with reddish buff; the second and third primaries crossed near their base with a broad band of white, stained with buff on the outer margin; the first primary with a spot of white only on the margin of the inner web; the first three primaries freckled at their tips, and the remainder for the entire length of their inner webs with brownish grey; scapularies freckled grey and brown, with a large patch of deep dull black on their outer webs, margined externally with buff; rump freckled with dark brown and grey, and with an interrupted line of darker brown down the centre of each feather; two centre tail-feathers minutely and coarsely freckled with very dark brown; the next on each side very dark brown, crossed by irregular bands of freckled brownish grey and black; the next on each side similar, but the bands narrower and less conspicuous; the two outer ones on each side very dark brown for three parts of the length, the apical portion being white, stained with freckled buff and black on the outer webs; the basal or dark portion crossed by narrow indistinct and irregular bars of deep buff; breast freckled buff, grey and brown, some of the feathers in the centre of the breast largely tipped with buff; abdomen and under tail-coverts deep buff, crossed by narrow regular bands of dark brown; irides blackish brown; bill black; feet and claws reddish brown.

The Plate represents a male and a female of the natural size.

ACANTHYLIS CAUDACUTA.

_J. Gould and H. C. Richter, del^t_ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]

ACANTHYLIS CAUDACUTA.
Australian Spine-tailed Swallow.

_Hirundo caudacuta_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. 57. sp. 1.—Lath. Gen.
Hist., vol. vii. p. 307.—Vieill. 2nde Edit. du Nouv. Dict.
d’Hist. Nat., tom. xiv. p. 535; and Ency. Méth. Orn., Part
II. p. 531.

_Needle-tailed Swallow?_ Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p.
307.—Steph. Cont. Shaw’s Gen. Zool., vol. x. p. 133.

_Pin-tailed Swallow_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. vii. p. 308.

_Chætura Australis_, Steph. Cont. Shaw’s Gen. Zool., vol. xiii. p. 76.

_Hirundo pacifica_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. 58.—Vieill. 2nde Edit.
du Nouv. Dict. d’Hist. Nat., tom. xiv. p. 511; and Ency.
Méth. Orn., Part II. p. 529.

_New Holland Swallow?_ Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 259.—Steph.
Cont. Shaw’s Gen. Zool., vol. x. p. 132.—Lath. Gen. Hist.,
vol. vii. p. 308.

_Chætura macroptera_, Swains. Zool. Ill. 2nd Ser., pl. 42.—Gould,
Birds of Australia, Part II. cancelled.

This noble species, the largest of the _Hirundinidæ_ yet discovered, is a summer visitant of the eastern portions of Australia, proceeding as far south as Van Diemen’s Land; but its visits to this island are not so regular as to New South Wales, and its stay in these southern latitudes is never protracted. The months of January and February are those in which it has been most frequently observed in Van Diemen’s Land, where it simultaneously appears in large flocks, which after spending a few days disappear as suddenly as they arrived. I am not aware of its having been observed in Western Australia, neither has it occurred in any of the collections formed at Port Essington.

The keel or breast-bone of this species is more than ordinarily deep, and the pectoral muscles more developed than in any other bird of its weight with which I am acquainted. Its whole form is especially and beautifully adapted for aërial progression, and as its lengthened wings would lead us to imagine, its power of flight, both for rapidity and extension, is truly amazing; hence it readily passes from one part of the country to another, and if so disposed may be engaged in hawking for flies on the continent of Australia at one moment, and in half an hour be similarly employed in Van Diemen’s Land.

So exclusively is this bird a tenant of the air, that I never in any instance saw it perch, and but rarely sufficiently near the earth to admit of a successful shot; it is only late in the evening and during lowery weather that such an object can be accomplished. With the exception of the Crane, it is certainly the most lofty as well as the most vigorous flier of the Australian birds. I have frequently observed in the middle of the hottest days, while lying prostrate on the ground with my eyes directed upwards, the cloudless blue sky peopled at an immense elevation by hundreds of these birds, performing extensive curves and sweeping flights, doubtless attracted thither by the insects that soar aloft during serene weather; hence, as I have before stated, few birds are more difficult to obtain, particularly on the continent of Australia, where long droughts are so prevalent; on the contrary, the flocks that visit the more humid climate of Van Diemen’s Land, where they necessarily seek their food near the earth, are often greatly diminished by the gun during their stay.

I regret that I could ascertain no particulars whatever respecting the nidification of this fine bird, but we may naturally conclude that both rocks and holes in the larger trees are selected as sites for the purpose, as well as for a roosting-place during the night. Before retiring to roost, which it does immediately after the sun has gone down, the Spine-tailed Swallow may frequently be seen, either singly or in pairs, sweeping up the gullies or flying with immense rapidity just above the tops of the trees, their never-tiring wings enabling them to perform their evolutions in the capture of insects, and of sustaining themselves in the air during the entire day, without cessation.

The sexes offer no perceptible difference in their outward appearance; but the female, as is the case with the other members of the family, is a trifle smaller than her mate.

Crown of the head, back of the neck, and ear-coverts deep shining green strongly tinged with brown; a small space immediately before the eye deep velvety black; band across the forehead, throat, inner webs of the secondaries nearest the back, a patch on the lower part of the flanks and the under tail-coverts white; wings and tail deep shining green, with purple reflexions; centre of the back greyish brown, becoming darker towards the rump; chest and abdomen dark clove-brown; bill black; feet brown.

The figures are those of the male and female of the natural size.

CYPSELUS AUSTRALIS: _Gould_.

_J. Gould and H. C. Richter, del^t_ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]

CYPSELUS AUSTRALIS, _Gould_.
Australian Swift.

_Cypselus Australis_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VII. p. 141.

As I had never seen or heard of a true Swift in Australia, I was no less surprised than gratified when I discovered this species to be tolerably numerous on the Upper Hunter, during my first visit to that district in 1838. Those I then observed were flying high in the air and performing immense sweeps and circles, while engaged in the capture of insects. I succeeded in killing six or eight individuals, among which were adult examples of both sexes, but I was unable to obtain any particulars as to their habits and economy. It would be highly interesting to know whether this bird, like the other members of the family, returns annually to spend the months of summer in Australia. I think it likely that this may be the case, and that it may have been frequently confounded with the _Acanthylis caudacuta_, as I have more than once seen the two species united in flocks, hawking together in the cloudless skies, like the Martins and Swallows of our own island. By the discovery of this bird another beautiful instance of representation is brought under our notice; evincing most clearly that the Australian Swift, Swallow and Martin are representatives of the Swift, Swallow and Martin of Europe, each performing in their respective hemispheres similar offices in the great scheme of nature.

Throat and rump white; upper and under surface of the body brown; the back tinged with a bronzy metallic lustre; each feather of the under surface margined with white; wings and tail dark brown; irides, bill and feet black.

The figures are those of a male and a female of the natural size.

ATTICORA LEUCOSTERNON: _Gould_.

_J. Gould and H. C. Richter, del^t_ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]

ATTICORA LEUCOSTERNON, _Gould_.
White-breasted Swallow.

_Hirundo leucosternus_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VIII. p.
172.

_Boö-de-boö-de_ of the Aborigines of the mountain districts of
Western Australia.

_Black and White Swallow_ of the Colonists.

For the present I have placed this new and elegant Swallow with the members of the genus _Atticora_; the type of which is the _Hirundo fasciata_ of authors, a bird inhabiting South America, from which country I have seen two species, while South Africa presents us with a third; the present, therefore, may be considered as the representative of the genus in Australia, thus further evidencing that beautiful law of representation alluded to in the page on _Cypselus Australis_ respecting the Swift, Swallow and Martin.

I have never myself seen this bird; the specimen from which my original description was taken was presented to me in 1839 by Mr. Charles Coxen, who had killed it some years before, and who informed me that it was one of a pair that he observed flying over a small lake in the neighbourhood of the Lower Namoi; its companion was not procured.

The second example was killed at Swan River, where Mr. Gilbert in his notes from Western Australia says, “I only observed this bird in the interior, and as far as I can learn, it has not been seen to the westward of York: I am told it is merely a summer visitor. It is a very wandering species, never very numerous, and is generally seen in small flocks of from ten to twenty in number, flying about, sometimes in company with the other Swallows, for about ten minutes, and then flying right away; I noticed this singular habit every time I had an opportunity of observing the species. It usually flies very high, a circumstance which renders it difficult to procure specimens.

“Its flight more nearly resembles that of the Swift than that of the Swallow; its cry also, at times, very much resembles that of the former.

“Its food principally consists of minute black flies.

“This bird chooses for its nest the deserted hole of either the Dalgyte (_Perameles lagotis_) or the Boodee (a species of _Bettongia_), in the side of which it burrows for about seven or nine inches in a horizontal direction, making no nest, but merely laying its eggs on the bare sand.”

Crown of the head light brown, surrounded by a ring of white; lores black; a broad band commencing at the eye, and passing round the back of the neck, brown; centre of the back, throat, chest and under surface of the shoulder white; wings and tail brownish black; rump, upper tail-coverts, abdomen and under tail-coverts black; irides dark reddish brown; bill blackish brown; legs and feet greenish grey.

The figures are of the natural size.

HIRUNDO NEOXENA: _Gould_.

_J. Gould and H. C. Richter, del^t_ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]

HIRUNDO NEOXENA, _Gould_.
Welcome Swallow.

_Hirundo Javanica_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 191.

_New Holland Swallow_, Griffith’s Edit. Cuv. Anim. King., Aves, vol.
vii. p. 96; and _H. pacifica_, Ibid., pl. not numbered.

_Kun̈-na-meet_, Aborigines of the lowland districts of Western
Australia.

_Ber-rin̈-nin_, Aborigines of New South Wales.