_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
CYSTICOLA EXILIS.
Exile Warbler.
_Exile Warbler_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. vii. p. 136.
_Malurus exilis_, Lath. MSS. Vig. & Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv.
p. 223.—Less. Man. d’Orn., tom. i. p. 279.
This species appears to have been first noticed by Latham in the seventh
volume of his “General History of Birds” under the title of Exile
Warbler, and to have been subsequently placed in the genus _Cysticola_
by Messrs. Vigors and Horsfield while engaged in naming the collection
of Australian birds in the possession of the Linnean Society. Its
natural habitat is New South Wales and South Australia, in both of which
colonies I observed it to be abundantly dispersed among the thick beds
of grasses which clothe the valleys and open plains. I have never
received it from either of the other colonies, all of which, however,
are inhabited by nearly allied species. It is very retiring in its
habits, generally creeping about among the grasses, and will almost
admit of being trodden upon before it will rise and take wing; during
the months of spring the male becomes somewhat bolder, and early in the
morning will frequently perch on the highest of the grasses and pour
forth a pretty but feeble song, resembling that of the _Maluri_. As some
confusion existed respecting the sexes of the various species of this
genus, I was particular in dissecting all the individuals I shot, and I
can therefore state with certainty that the plumage of both sexes of
this species is perfectly similar and that the only outward difference
between them consists in the female being somewhat smaller than her
mate.
I was not able to discover the nest and eggs of this little bird, which
doubtless breeds among the grasses, and builds a dome-shaped nest
similar to that of its European ally.
Crown of the head, back, wing-coverts, scapularies and tail-feathers
brownish black, each feather narrowly margined with buff; sides and back
of the neck and all the under surface sandy buff, fading into white on
the throat and centre of the abdomen; bill and feet flesh-brown.
The figure represents the bird of the natural size.
[Illustration:
CYSTICOLA LINEACAPILLA: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
CYSTICOLA LINEOCAPILLA, _Gould_.
Lineated Warbler.
_Cysticola lineocapilla_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Jan. 27, 1847.
The _Cysticola lineocapilla_ is a much smaller and more delicately
formed species than the _C. exilis_, and may, moreover, be distinguished
from that and every other member of the genus with which I am acquainted
by the lineated form of the markings of the head. It is a native of the
north coast of Australia, and all the specimens I have seen were from
the neighbourhood of Port Essington. Mr. Gilbert states that it “is very
rarely seen in consequence of its generally inhabiting the long grass of
the swamps, where it creeps about more like a mouse than a bird, and if
once alarmed it is no easy task to get a sight of it again; its note is
a short and feeble, but very pleasing song.
“The stomach is muscular, and the food consists of insects of various
kinds.”
General plumage pale rufous, with broad and conspicuous striæ of
blackish brown forming lines down the centre of the feathers of the head
and back; the under surface fading into white on the throat and centre
of the chest; tail-feathers with a conspicuous blackish spot on the
under surface near the tip; irides light reddish brown; bill and feet
flesh-brown.
The figures are of the natural size.
[Illustration:
CYSTICOLA ISURA: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
CYSTICOLA ISURA, _Gould_.
Square-tailed Warbler.
_Cysticola isura_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part XV.
Little as is the information I have been able to give respecting the _C.
ruficeps_, I have still less to communicate about the present species,
circumstances not having admitted of my seeing them in a state of
nature: at a first glance it might readily be mistaken for the _C.
exilis_, but after a careful examination of many specimens I am
satisfied of its being distinct; had it been identical with that
species, I must have procured specimens at the same time that I killed
the many examples I obtained. I am not so sure however that it may not
prove to be the female, or some peculiar state of plumage of the
_Cysticola ruficeps_; without a further knowledge of the subject, I can
only view it as distinct from both, and I have therefore assigned to it
the specific appellation of _isura_, as indicative of the shorter and
more truncated form of its tail, the principal character by which it may
be distinguished. Like the other species of the group, it appears to
enjoy an extensive range over the grassy districts of the country, the
specimens in my possession having been killed on the Liverpool Plains
and at Port Phillip; the arid and sterile nature of the country seems to
be peculiarly adapted to the members of this group, and hence there are
many species.
Sides and back of the neck and rump pale rufous; crown of the head, back
and secondaries deep brownish black, each feather margined with buff;
tail dark brown margined with buff, and crossed on the under side near
the tip with a broad conspicuous band of black; under surface deep buff,
becoming paler on the chin and centre of the abdomen; bill brown; feet
yellowish brown.
The figures are of the natural size.
[Illustration:
CYSTICOLA RUFICEPS: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
CYSTICOLA RUFICEPS, _Gould_.
Rufous-headed Warbler.
_Cysticola ruficeps_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part V. p. 150;
and in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part IV.
It would give me great pleasure could I communicate any particulars
respecting this pretty little bird, but this unfortunately I am unable
to do, no information of any kind having as yet reached me; I can only
say therefore that I possess three examples, one from the Liverpool
Plains in New South Wales, another from the district of Port Philip, and
a third from the north coast, which proves that it enjoys a widely
extended range of habitat. The uniform rufous colouring of the head and
occiput at once distinguishes it from all the other Australian members
of the genus. In its habits, manners and general economy it doubtless
closely assimilates to its congeners the _C. exilis_ and _lineocapilla_,
and like them inhabits the open grassy glades between the forests, the
grassy crowns of thinly-timbered hills, and all similar situations.
Crown of the head, and back of the neck, rump, chest, flanks and thighs
delicate fawn-colour, becoming deeper and redder on the crown and the
rump; upper part of the back, secondaries and tail deep brownish black,
each feather margined all round with buff; throat and centre of the
abdomen white; bill brown; feet yellowish brown.
The Plate represents the birds of the natural size on one of the plants
of New South Wales.
[Illustration:
SERICORNIS CITREOGULARIS: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
SERICORNIS CITREOGULARIS, _Gould_.
Yellow-throated Sericornis.
_Sericornis citreogularis_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part V. p.
133; and in Synopsis of the Birds of Australia, Part IV.
This is the largest and most attractive species of the genus yet
discovered, and so far as I am aware, its habitat is restricted to the
south-eastern portions of Australia, where it dwells exclusively in the
districts known by the name of “brushes.” I personally observed it in
those of Illawarra, and of the Hunter, and in the cedar brushes of the
Liverpool range. It frequents the most retired parts of the forest,
living in gullies and under the canopy of lofty trees, hopping about
among the stems of the tree-fern, fallen trunks of patriarchal gums and
moss-covered stones. It rarely flies, and when disturbed, seeks
seclusion and safety by hopping away among the underwood. Its food,
which consists of insects of various kinds, is obtained on the ground or
among the trunks of the prostrate trees, over which and the large stones
it passes with much ease and agility.
The sexes are very similar in colour, but the female may at all times be
distinguished by her smaller size and the less strongly contrasted tints
of her plumage, particularly in the hue of the streak running through
the eye and extending over the ear-coverts, which is neither so dark nor
so broad as in the male.
One of the most interesting points connected with the history of this
species is the situations chosen for its nest. All those who have
rambled in the Australian forests must have observed, that in their more
dense and humid parts an atmosphere peculiarly adapted for the rapid and
abundant growth of mosses of various kinds is generated, and that these
mosses not only grow upon the trunks of decayed trees, but are often
accumulated in large masses at the extremities of the drooping branches;
these masses often become of sufficient size to admit of the bird
constructing a nest in the centre of them with so much art that it is
impossible to distinguish it from any of the other pendulous masses in
the vicinity. These bunches are frequently a yard in length, and in some
instances hang so near the ground as to strike the head of the explorer
during his rambles; in others they are placed high up upon the trees,
but only in such parts of the forest where there is an open space
entirely shaded by overhanging foliage: as will be readily conceived, in
whatever situations they are met with, they at all times form a
remarkable and conspicuous feature in the landscape. Although the nest
is constantly disturbed by the wind and liable to be shaken when the
tree is disturbed, so secure does the inmate consider itself from danger
or intrusion of any kind, that I have frequently captured the female
while sitting on her eggs, a feat that may always be accomplished by
carefully placing the hand over the entrance; that is, if it can be
detected, to effect which no slight degree of close prying and
examination is necessary.
The nest is formed of the inner bark of trees, intermingled with green
moss, which soon vegetates; sometimes dried grasses and fibrous roots
form part of the materials of which it is composed, and it is warmly
lined with feathers. The eggs, which are three in number and much
elongated in form, vary considerably in colour, the most constant tint
being a clove-brown freckled over the larger end with dark umber brown,
frequently assuming the form of a complete band or zone: their medium
length is one inch, and their breadth eight lines.
Lores, circle around the eye, and the ear-coverts deep black; a
conspicuous line of yellowish white above and for some distance beyond
the eye; crown of the head, and all the upper surface, secondaries,
wing-coverts and tail reddish brown, becoming more rufous on the upper
tail-coverts and tail; outer edges of the primaries olive; spurious wing
blackish brown; throat yellow; chest and flanks olive-brown; centre of
the abdomen white; bill brownish black; irides reddish brown; legs
purplish flesh-colour, in some specimens flesh-white.
The figures represent the two sexes of the natural size.
[Illustration:
SERICORNIS HUMILIS: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
SERICORNIS HUMILIS, _Gould_.
Sombre-coloured Sericornis.
_Sericornis humilis_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part V. p. 133;
and in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part IV.
This species is very generally dispersed over Van Diemen’s Land, and as
I have found it on some of the islands in Bass’s Straits, it is not
improbable that it may also extend its range to the southern coast of
the continent of Australia. Ravines, deep glens, water-courses covered
with dense herbage and thickly wooded copses are the situations
congenial to the habits of this bird; those that are most humid or damp
being apparently preferred to any other; consequently, although it is
very abundant and its distribution very general, it is a bird that is
less seen, and one whose habits are less known than almost any other of
the indigenous birds of the island. In many of its actions it closely
resembles the Wren (_Troglodytes Europæus_), particularly in its manner
of hopping about on the ground, and from stone to stone, with its tail
erect in search of insects, upon which it solely subsists; it also
assimilates to the Wren in the form, construction and situation of its
nest; but in the number and colour of its eggs there is much difference.
It rarely flies more than a few yards at a time, but secretes itself in
the midst of the little thicket in which it has taken up its abode.
There is little difficulty in finding the nest; for although it is in
general very artfully concealed among the herbage at the base of a tree,
on the edge of a shelving bank, or among the thick tangle of the scrub,
yet by attentively watching the old birds for a short time, they will
soon indicate by their actions the immediate locality of the nest. The
male constantly cheers his mate with a pretty lively song, which,
although neither loud nor voluminous, serves to give life to its
secluded abode, which in many instances is in the depths of the forests,
where few sounds are heard except the monotonous note of the
Honey-sucker, and the perpetual rippling of the rivulet as it steals
over the stony bed of the gully. It is sometimes seen, particularly
towards evening, to leave its lurking-place and seek any little open
part or glade in the forest, doubtless attracted to such situations in
search of food.
The sexes present no difference whatever in the colouring of the
plumage, consequently dissection is necessary to distinguish them.
The nest is of rather a large size and of a domed form, outwardly
composed of any coarse materials at hand, such as leaves, tufts of
grass, roots, &c., the interior being formed of similar substances, but
of a finer kind, and the whole carefully lined with feathers. The eggs,
which are large for the size of the bird, are three in number, of a
reddish white, curiously freckled and marked all over with reddish
brown, particularly at the larger end, where the markings assume the
form of a zone; they are ten and a half lines long by eight lines broad.
Lores blackish brown, above which an obscure stripe of white; crown of
the head and all the upper surface, wings and tail dark olive-brown with
a tinge of red, which becomes more conspicuous on the rump and
tail-feathers; spurious wing blackish brown, each feather margined with
white; throat greyish white, spotted with blackish brown; chest and
centre of the abdomen brownish yellow, the former singularly but more
obscurely spotted than the throat; flanks chestnut-brown; bill blackish
brown; legs dark brown; irides straw-yellow.
The Plate represents the two sexes of the natural size.
[Illustration:
SERICORNIS OSCULANS: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
SERICORNIS OSCULANS, _Gould_.
Allied Sericornis.
_Sericornis osculans_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., January 27, 1847.
The _Sericornis osculans_ inhabits South Australia, where it frequents
underwoods and scrubby places, the bottom of dry water-courses, gulleys,
&c.; it is naturally shy and retiring in its habits, and evades pursuit
by creeping beneath the herbage and making its exit on the other side.
It is most nearly allied to the _S. frontalis_, and is intermediate in
size between that species and the _S. humilis_; from the former it
differs in having at all times numerous longitudinal blotches of black
on the throat, and from the latter in these spots being much more
distinct than in that species. I have seen specimens in which the yellow
tint which pervades the centre of the abdomen has given place to grey or
greyish white, as shown in the centre figure of the accompanying Plate;
but I have never found the tail tipped with white, as in _S. maculata_
and _S. lævigaster_.
The sexes present the usual characteristic of the genus, in the absence
of any black mark on the lores of the female, which are similar to the
other parts of the body.
All the upper surface, wings and tail dark brown, all but the two centre
feathers of the latter crossed by an obscure band of black near the
extremity; spurious wing-feathers black, margined with white; lores
black, above which on each side a patch of white, continued in a fine
line over the eye; throat and centre of the abdomen greyish white in
some and yellowish white in others, marked with a few oblong black spots
on the throat.
The female is somewhat smaller in size, and has the lores brown instead
of black.
The figures represent two males and a female of the natural size, the
upper figure being that of the female.
[Illustration: