_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
CALAMANTHUS FULIGINOSUS.
Striated Reed-Lark.
_Anthus fuliginosus_, Vig. & Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 230.
_Praticola fuliginosa_, G. R. Gray, List of Gen. of Birds, 2nd Edit.,
p. 27.
This species is very generally dispersed over Van Diemen’s Land, where
it frequents open forests and sandy land covered with scrub and dwarf
shrub-like trees. It carries its tail erect, like the _Maluri_, but
differs from the members of that group in moving that organ in a lateral
direction whenever it perches, and at the termination of a succession of
hops on the ground, over which it passes with great celerity, depending
at all times for safety more on this power than on that of flight. It
eludes pursuit by running through a bush to the opposite side, and
hopping off to another beyond, which it does quite unseen unless closely
watched. It builds a dome-shaped nest, which is placed on the ground,
and frequently so hidden by the surrounding grass as to be with great
difficulty discovered; a small narrow avenue of a yard in length, like
the run of a mouse, being frequently resorted to by the bird, expressly,
as one would suppose, to avoid detection. The eggs are three or four in
number, rather large and somewhat round in form, of a reddish
wood-brown, obscurely clouded with markings of reddish brown, the larger
end of the eggs being the darkest; their medium length is ten lines and
a half, and breadth eight lines and a half.
The nest is formed of dried grasses and leaves, and is warmly lined with
feathers. The breeding-season commences in September and lasts until
January.
This species emits so strong an odour, that pointers and other game-dogs
stand to it as they do to a quail, and that too at a considerable
distance. It possesses a clear and pretty song, which it frequently
pours forth while sitting on a bare twig, or the summit of a low bush or
shrub among the thickets, to a part of which it dives on the least
alarm.
The sexes are precisely similar in colour, and nearly so in size.
All the upper surface olive, with a broad mark of sooty black down the
centre of each feather; wings sooty black, narrowly margined with olive;
tail olive, all but the two centre feathers crossed near the tip by a
broad band of sooty black; line over the eye white; throat greyish
white; breast, abdomen and flanks deep buff, each feather of the throat,
breast and flanks with a narrow line of sooty black down the centre;
irides light sandy buff; bill and feet brownish flesh-colour.
The Plate represents two birds of the natural size; the beautiful rush
on which they are figured is very abundant in the immediate vicinity of
Hobart Town.
[Illustration:
CALAMANTHUS CAMPESTRIS: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
CALAMANTHUS CAMPESTRIS.
Field Reed-Lark.
_Praticola campestris_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VIII. p.
171.
The _Calamanthus campestris_ is a native of Southern and Western
Australia, where it inhabits open plains and scrubby lands, particularly
such as are interspersed with tufts of coarse grasses. It has never yet
been discovered within the colony of New South Wales. Like its near ally
of Van Diemen’s Land it is a rather shy and recluse species, running
mouse-like over the ground among the herbage with its tail perfectly
erect, and is not easily forced to fly, or even to quit the bush in
which it has secreted itself.
Its song is an agreeable and pretty warble, which is poured forth while
the bird is perched upon the topmost twig of a small bush.
This species also emits so very powerful an odour, that my dog
frequently pointed at it from a very considerable distance.
The food, as ascertained by dissection, was small coleopterous insects,
with which its minute stomach was crammed.
The nest, which is placed on the ground, is a globular structure,
composed of grasses and feathers. The eggs are three or four in number,
of a light chestnut colour, thickly blotched with deep chestnut-brown,
particularly at the larger end.
Forehead rufous, passing into the reddish brown of the crown and upper
surface, with a stripe of blackish brown down the centre of each
feather; wings sandy brown; internal webs of the primaries dark brown;
two centre tail-feathers reddish brown, the remainder reddish brown at
the base, crossed towards the extremity with a broad band of brownish
black and broadly tipped with white; over the eye a line of white;
ear-coverts mingled rufous and white; throat white, gradually passing
into the buff of the under surface; all the feathers of the under
surface with a stripe of brownish black down their centre; bill blackish
brown, lighter at the base of the under mandible; irides rufous brown;
feet blackish brown.
The Plate represents a male and a female of the natural size.
[Illustration: