_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
PETROICA ERYTHROGASTRA.
Norfolk Island Robin.
_Muscicapa erythrogastra_, Lath. Ind. Orn., vol. ii. p. 479.—Gmel.
Syst. Nat., vol. i. p. 944.
—— _multicolor_, Gmel. Syst. Nat., vol. i. p. 944.
_Red-bellied Flycatcher_, Lath. Gen. Syn., vol. iii. p. 343. pl.
50.—Ib. Supp., vol. ii. p. 216.—Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. x. p.
400. pl. 32.—Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. vi. p. 209. pl. C.—Shaw,
Nat. Misc., pl. 147.
_Petroica pulchella_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VII. p. 142,
male.
—— _modesta_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part V. p. 147, female.
I have been induced to give a figure of this Robin, which I believe to
be strictly confined to Norfolk Island, in order to clear up the
confusion which has hitherto existed respecting it and the _Petroica
multicolor_, with which it has been confounded. Under the impression
that the two birds were identical, and that the terms _erythrogastra_
and _multicolor_ were synonymous, I was induced some years ago to
characterize the male of the present bird under the name of _pulchella_,
and the female under that of _modesta_, believing as I then did that it
was a distinct species; subsequent research has however enabled me to
perceive the errors into which I had fallen, and I now proceed to point
out the differences between the two species, and to restore to the
Norfolk Island bird the term _erythrogastra_, originally applied to it
by Latham. The _P. erythrogastra_ may be distinguished then from its
near ally by the greater size of the bill; by the greater extent and
more silvery hue of the white feathers on the forehead; by the tail
being wholly black, while in the _P. multicolor_ the lateral feathers
are white; by the white on the wing forming a large spot near the
shoulder, instead of a line as long as the secondaries; and by the
scarlet of the breast and abdomen being much more intense in colour: the
females of the two birds also differ from each other, the tail of the
_P. erythrogastra_ being wholly brown, while that of the _P. multicolor_
has the lateral tail-feathers marked with white.
The male has the forehead silvery white; a small patch on the wings near
the shoulder, under wing-coverts, the flanks and under tail-coverts
white; chest and abdomen very rich scarlet, the remainder of the plumage
deep black; bill black; feet brown.
The female has the crown of the head, all the upper surface, wings and
tail reddish brown; throat white, tinged with brown; chest and centre of
the abdomen washed with scarlet; lower part of the abdomen and under
tail-coverts white; flanks brown; bill blackish brown; feet yellowish
brown.
The figures represent the two sexes of the natural size.
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