_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
AMADINA LATHAMI.
Spotted-sided Finch.
_Fringilla leucocephala_, var., Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p.
xlviii.—Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. ix. p. 493.
_Spotted Grosbeak_, Lewin, Birds of New Holl., pl. ix.
_White-headed Finch_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 210. pl. 132.
_Spotted-sided Grosbeak_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. v. p. 248. pl.
lxxxix.
_Fringilla Lathami_, Vig. & Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 256.
This bird is very generally dispersed over the southern portion of the
Australian continent; I found it plentiful in South Australia and in
every part of New South Wales that I visited; and it was equally
numerous beyond the boundary of the colony on the Liverpool Plains, the
Namoi, &c. It is a showy attractive species, and passes much of its time
on the ground, where it procures its food, which consists of the seeds
of various kinds of grasses, &c.; upon being compelled to rise from the
ground it merely flies into the nearest tree, the scarlet rump showing
very conspicuously during these short flights.
The most singular part of this bird’s history is the site often chosen
for its nest, which is frequently built among the large sticks forming
the under surface of the nest of the smaller species of Eagles, and that
too during the time the Eagle is sitting, both species hatching and
rearing their progeny in harmony; this I have witnessed in several
instances, and have taken the eggs of the Eagle and of the Finch at the
same time, as mentioned in the following extract from my journal:—“Oct.
23. Found the nest of _Amadina Lathami_ placed under and among the
sticks of a Whistling Eagle’s (_Haliastur? sphenurus_) nest, in which
latter the old bird was then sitting. My black companion Natty ascended
the tree, a high swamp oak (_Casuarina_) on the bank of the Dartbrook,
and brought down the eggs of both birds. The little Finches were sitting
on the small twigs close to their rapacious but friendly neighbour.” At
other times the nest is placed on the leafy branch of a gum- or
apple-tree. It is of a large size, and is constructed of grasses of
various kinds; in form it is nearly spherical, with a short pendent
spout on one side, through which the bird obtains access to the
interior; the eggs are white, rather long in shape, and five or six in
number.
The sexes offer little or no difference in the markings of their
plumage.
Crown of the head and back of the neck brownish grey; back and wings
brown, becoming deeper on the tips of the primaries; lores, a broad band
across the breast, flanks and tail deep black; each feather of the
flanks with a large spot of white near the tip; rump and upper
tail-coverts shining scarlet; throat, abdomen and under tail-coverts
white; irides red, surrounded by a narrow, naked, lilac-red lash; bill
blood-red, passing into lilac at the base and on the culmen; feet
purplish brown.
The young for the first year has the bill black, except at the base,
where it is flesh-colour; the band across the breast and the flanks
greyish brown, the latter being barred indistinctly with black and
greyish white; in other respects the plumage nearly resembles the adult.
The Plate represents an adult male and a young bird of the natural size.
[Illustration:
AMADINA CASTANOTIS: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
AMADINA CASTANOTIS, _Gould_.
Chestnut-eared Finch.
_Amadina castanotis_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part IV. p. 105;
and in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part I.
This bird, which is nearly allied to the _Bengali moucheté_ of
Vieillot’s ‘Oiseaux Chanteurs,’ plate 3, appears to be almost peculiar
to the interior of Australia; among other places it inhabits the large
plains to the north of the Liverpool range, and is particularly abundant
about Brezi and the banks of the river Mokai; but that it sometimes
occurs on the southern side of the range, is proved by my having killed
five specimens in Mr. Coxen’s Garden at Yarrundi on the Upper Hunter. It
has also been found, though very sparingly, at Swan River, and a
specimen is contained in the collection formed by Mr. Bynoe at Port
Essington: like the _Amadina Lathami_, this species resorts much to the
ground and feeds upon the seeds of various kinds of grasses. On the
plains it congregates in small flocks, and evinces a decided preference
to those spots where the trees are thinly dispersed and grasses
abundant.
The Chestnut-eared Finch is one of the smallest of the genus yet
discovered in Australia; it is also one of the most beautiful, and in
the chasteness of its colouring can scarcely be excelled.
The two sexes differ very considerably in their markings, and may be
thus described:—
The male has the crown of the head, nape and back brownish grey; wings
brown; rump white; upper tail-coverts jet-black, each feather having
three large and conspicuous oval spots of white; tail-feathers blackish
brown slightly tinged with white at their tips; cheeks and ear-coverts
reddish chestnut, separated from the bill by a narrow transverse line of
white, which white line is bounded on each side by a still finer line of
black; throat and chest grey, the feathers transversely marked with fine
lines of black; a small black patch on the middle of the chest; abdomen
white; under tail-coverts buffy white; flanks chestnut, each feather
marked near the tip with two small oval spots of white; bill reddish
orange; feet reddish orange, rather lighter than the bill; irides red.
The female has the transverse lines on the face, upper tail-coverts and
feet, as in the male; upper surface, ear-coverts, wings, tail and flanks
greyish brown; throat and chest grey, slightly tinged with brown;
abdomen yellowish brown; bill reddish orange.
The figures represent both sexes of the natural size.
[Illustration:
AMADINA GOULDIÆ: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
AMADINA GOULDIÆ.
Gouldian Finch.
_Amadina Gouldiæ_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., January 23, 1844.
Novelty in itself has attractions, but when with novelty, beauty and
elegance are combined, the attractions are augmented beyond measure.
With this trite observation I here introduce to the notice of the
ornithologist a species not only the most beautiful of the family to
which it belongs, but which has its plumage adorned with colours and
markings that render it conspicuously different from every other bird
known; it is in fact beyond the power of my pen to describe or my pencil
to portray anything like the splendour of the changeable hues of the
lilac band which crosses the breast of this little gem, or the scarcely
less beautiful green of the neck and golden-yellow of the breast, the
latter colour being only equalled, certainly not surpassed, by the
crest-feathers of the Golden Pheasant. Whenever this bird becomes so far
common as to form a part of our preserved collections, or to add a
living lustre to our aviaries, it cannot fail to become a general
favourite. It is therefore with feelings of no ordinary nature that I
have ventured to dedicate this new and lovely little bird to the memory
of her, who in addition to being a most affectionate wife, for a number
of years laboured so hard and so zealously assisted me with her pencil
in my various works, but who, after having made a circuit of the globe
with me, and braved many dangers with a courage only equalled by her
virtues, and while cheerfully engaged in illustrating the present work,
was by the Divine will of her Maker suddenly called from this to a
brighter and better world; and I feel assured that in dedicating this
bird to the memory of Mrs. Gould, I shall have the full sanction of all
who were personally acquainted with her, as well as of those who only
knew her by her delicate works as an artist.
A single specimen of apparently an adult male and two immature birds are
all that ever came under my notice; for the former my especial thanks
are due to my esteemed friend Benjamin Bynoe, Esq., Surgeon R.N., late
of H.M.S. the Beagle, who obtained it in the Victoria River, on the
north-west coast of Australia. The young birds were procured by Mr.
Gilbert at Port Essington. These three examples are probably all that
have been collected, and from the remote situation of the country of
which it is a native, a long period is likely to elapse before the
species becomes common.
“This would seem to be a very local species,” says Mr. Gilbert, “for I
only met with it on Greenbill Island at the head of Van Diemen’s Gulf,
where it inhabited the edges of the mangroves and thickets: when
disturbed it invariably flew to the topmost branches of the loftiest
gums, a habit I have not before observed in any other member of the
genus. Its note is a very mournful sound, added to a double twit. Those
I observed were feeding among the high grass in small families of from
four to seven in number, and were very shy. The stomach is tolerably
muscular, and the food consists of grass and other seeds.”
The adult has the forehead, lores, ear-coverts and throat, deep velvety
black; from behind the eye, round the occiput, and down the sides of the
neck, a mark of verdigris-green, gradually blending into the yellowish
green of the upper surface and wings; across the breast a broad band of
shining lilac-purple, below which all the under surface is shining
wax-yellow; bill flesh-white at the base, tipped with blood-red; feet
flesh-colour.
The young bird has the head grey; upper surface light olive; under
surface pale buff; chin white; primaries and tail brown; irides dark
brown.
The figures are of the natural size.
[Illustration: