_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
PARDALOTUS STRIATUS, _Temm._
Striated Pardalote.
_Pardalotus striatus_, Temm. Man., Part I. p. lxv.—Vig. and Horsf. in
Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 237. note.—Gould, Syn. Birds of
Australia, Part II.
_Pipra striata_, Lath. Ind. Orn., p. 558. No. 13.—Gmel. Syst., vol. i.
p. 1003.
_Striped-headed Manakin_, Lath. Gen. Syn., vol. iv. p. 526. pl.
54.—Id., Supp., p. 188.—Shaw, Zool., vol. x. p. 29. pl.
4.—Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. vii. p. 237. pl. 109.?
_Pardalotus ornatus_, Temm. Pl. Col. 394. fig. 1.
_Wë-dup-weë-dup_, Aborigines of the lowland, and
_Wë-dee-wë-due_, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western
Australia.
This beautiful species, like the _P. punctatus_, enjoys an extensive
range of habitat, being found in all parts of the southern portion of
the Australian continent; it has not as yet been discovered in Van
Diemen’s Land, its place in that island being apparently occupied by the
_P. affinis_. I have carefully examined specimens killed at Swan River
with others from New South Wales, and I cannot find the slightest
difference either in their size or markings. It will be interesting to
know how far this species and the _P. punctatus_ extend their range
northwards, a point which can only be ascertained when the country has
been fully explored. The _P. uropygialis_ is the only species that has
yet been discovered on the north coast. This active little bird is
generally seen seeking insects among the leaves, for which purpose it
frequents trees of every description, but gives a decided preference to
the _Eucalypti_. Its flight is rapid and darting, hence it passes from
tree to tree, or from one part of the forest to another with the
greatest ease. Its voice is a double note several times repeated.
The nest, which is a very neat structure of dried soft grasses and the
bark of the tea-tree, lined with feathers, is usually placed in a hole
of a dead branch, but sometimes in the boll of the tree. It breeds in
September, October and November, and lays three or four fleshy-white
eggs, which are nine lines long by seven lines broad.
The sexes so closely assimilate in colour and markings that they are
only to be distinguished by dissection.
The young assume the adult colouring from the nest, but have the tips of
the spurious wing orange instead of red.
Forehead and crown of the head black, the feathers of the latter having
a stripe of white down the centre; a stripe of deep orange-yellow
commences at the base of the upper mandible and runs above the eye,
where it is joined by a stripe of white which leads to the occiput; back
of the neck and back brownish olive-grey; rump and upper tail-coverts
yellowish brown; wings black, the external edges of the third, fourth,
fifth, sixth and seventh primaries white at their base and tipped with
white; secondaries margined with white and reddish brown; tail black,
each feather tipped with white; sides of the face and neck grey; throat
and upper part of the chest yellow; centre of the abdomen white; flanks
and under tail-coverts brownish buff, the former tinged with yellow;
irides brownish red; bill at the tip and along the culmen dark brown
tinged with blue, the remainder yellowish white; legs and feet greenish
grey.
The Plate represents a male, a female, and three young birds of the
natural size.
[Illustration:
PARDALOTUS AFFINIS: _Gould_.
_J. & E. Gould del._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
PARDALOTUS AFFINIS, _Gould_.
Allied Pardalote.
_Pipra striata?_ Gmel. et Auct.
_Striped-headed Manakin_, Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. x. p. 29, pl.
4.—Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. vii. p. 237, pl. cix.
_Pardalotus affinis_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part V. 1837, p.
25.—Syn. Birds of Australia, Part II.
The _Pardalotus affinis_ is distinguished by the yellow tips of its
spurious wings and by the margin of the third primary only being white.
The bird figured by Shaw and Latham, as quoted above, has in all
probability reference to the present species, but not, in my opinion, to
the _Pipra striata_ of Gmelin, whose description does not agree with the
Van Diemen’s Land bird, or with any of those from New South Wales; he
distinctly states that the tips of some of the wing-coverts are yellow,
and that the spurious wing is tipped with white, and, moreover, adds
that it is a native of South America.
The Allied Pardalote is distributed over every part of Van Diemen’s
Land, and may be regarded as the commonest bird of the island: wherever
the gum and wattle exist there also may the bird as certainly be found;
giving no decided preference to trees of a high or low growth, but
inhabiting alike the sapling and those which have attained their
greatest altitude. It displays great activity among the branches,
clinging and creeping about in the most easy and elegant manner,
examining both the upper and under sides of the leaves with the utmost
care in search of insects. It is equally common in all the gardens and
shrubberies, even those in the midst of the towns, forming a familiar
and pleasing object, and enlivening the scenery with its sprightly
actions, and piping, though somewhat monotonous note. Its food consists
of seeds, buds, and insects, in procuring which its most elegant actions
are brought into play.
I am led to believe that it is strictly confined to Van Diemen’s Land
and the islands in Bass’s Straits, having never observed it on the
mainland, or seen specimens in any one of the numerous collections I
have examined from New South Wales.
The season of nidification occupies at least four months, during which
two or more broods are reared. Eggs may be found in September, and on
reference to my journal I find that near George Town, on the 8th of
January, I took from a nest in the hole of a tree five fully-fledged
young. The nest in this instance was of a large size, and of a round
domed form like that of the Wren, with a small hole for an entrance; it
was outwardly composed of grasses and warmly lined with feathers. The
eggs vary from three to five in number, and are of a beautiful white,
nine lines long by seven lines in diameter.
The holes selected for the nest are sometimes high up in the loftiest
trees, at others within a few feet of the ground. The young birds have
the tips of the spurious wing orange instead of yellow; and although the
whole plumage possesses the same character as that of the adults, the
markings are less brilliant and well-defined. The sexes offer no
observable difference in their colouring by which they can be
distinguished.
Forehead and crown of the head black, the latter with a stripe of white
down the centre of each feather; a stripe of yellow commences at the
base of the upper mandible, and runs above the eye, where it is joined
by a stripe of white, which proceeds nearly to the occiput; back of the
neck and back greyish olive-brown; rump and upper tail-coverts
olive-brown; wings black, each of the primaries slightly tipped with
white, and the third externally edged with white; the secondaries edged
with white and rufous, and the tips of the spurious wing yellow; tail
blackish brown, each feather having a transverse mark of white at the
tip; ear-coverts and cheeks grey; throat yellow, passing into lighter
yellow on the flanks; centre of the abdomen white; irides olive-brown;
bill black; feet brown.
The figures are of the natural size.
[Illustration:
PARDALOTUS MELANOCEPHALUS: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
PARDALOTUS MELANOCEPHALUS, _Gould_.
Black-headed Pardalote.
_Pardalotus melanocephalus_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., part v. p.
149; and in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part IV.
I have received numerous examples of this species from Moreton Bay,
where it probably takes the place of the _P. striatus_, from which it is
distinguished by the black colouring of its head and by its thicker
bill, but to which it is very nearly allied, as well as to the _P.
uropygialis_; it is in fact directly intermediate between the two,
having the black head of the latter without the yellow colouring of the
rump. There is no external difference in the sexes.
Nothing whatever is known of its history.
Crown of the head, lores and ear-coverts black; over each eye a stripe
commencing at the nostrils, the anterior half of which is orange, and
the posterior white; sides of the face and neck white; back of the neck
and back olive-grey; upper tail-coverts brownish buff; tail black, each
feather tipped with white; wings blackish brown, the third, fourth,
fifth, sixth and seventh primaries white; secondaries edged and tipped
with white; one of the wing-coverts broadly margined on the inner web
with white, forming an oblique line across the shoulder; spurious wing
tipped with crimson; line down the centre of the throat, the breast and
middle of the abdomen bright yellow; vent and under tail-coverts buff;
hill black; feet brown.
The figures are of the natural size.
[Illustration:
PARDALOTUS UROPYGIALIS: _Gould_.
_J. & E. Gould del,^t_ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
PARDALOTUS UROPYGIALIS, _Gould_.
Yellow-rumped Pardalote.
_Pardalotus uropygialis_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VII.
1839, p. 143.
For this very beautiful Pardalote, and several other interesting birds
from the north-west coast of Australia, I am indebted to the kindness of
Benjamin Bynoe, Esq., Surgeon of Her Majesty’s Surveying Ship the
Beagle; to Captain Wickham and the other officers of which vessel my
thanks are also due for their polite attention to my wishes, and the
promise of communicating to me any novelties they might procure during
their survey of the north-west coast.
The Yellow-rumped Pardalote is easily distinguished from every other
species of the group with which I am acquainted, amounting to seven or
eight in number, by the bright yellow colouring of the rump, by the rich
spot of orange before the eye, by having a shorter wing, and by being
more diminutive in size than any of the others, with the exception of
_Pardalotus punctatus_. It is more closely allied to my _Pardalotus
melanocephalus_ than any other species; but as the latter is without the
yellow on the rump, and has a larger bill, I am induced to regard them
as distinct.
I am unable to give any account of its habits and manners, but in these
respects it doubtless closely assimilates to the other members of its
group.
Crown of the head, stripe before and behind the eye black; lores rich
orange; a mark from above the eye to the occiput, chest and centre of
the abdomen white; throat and cheeks delicate crocus-yellow; rump and
upper tail-coverts sulphur-yellow; back of the neck and back olive-grey;
wings black, the external webs of the second and five following
primaries white at the base; tips of the spurious wing scarlet; tail
black; the three outer feathers tipped with white, the white spreading
largely over the inner web of the outer feathers; bill black; feet lead
colour.
The sexes do not differ in size or in the colour of their plumage.
The figures are of the natural size.
[Illustration: