_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
HEMIPODIUS VARIUS.
Varied Hemipode.
_Perdix varia_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. lxiii.
_New Holland Partridge_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 283.
_Varied Quail_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. viii. p. 344. no. 88.
_Hemipodius varius_, Temm. Pl. Col., 454. f. 1.—Gould in Syn. Birds of
Australia, Part II.
_Turnix varius_, Vieill. 2nd Edit. du Nouv. Dict. d’Hist. Nat., tom.
xxxiv.—Ib. Ency. Méth., part i. p. 331.—List of Birds in Brit. Mus.
Coll., part iii. p. 41.
_Mȍo-ro-lum_, Aborigines of the lowland districts of Western
Australia.
_Painted Quail_, Colonists of Van Diemen’s Land and Swan River.
Among the game birds of Australia the Varied Hemipode plays a rather
prominent part, for although its flesh is not so good for the table as
that of the little partridge and quail, _Synoïcus Australis_ and
_Coturnix pectoralis_, it is a bird which is not to be despised when the
game-bag is emptied at the end of a day’s sport, as it forms a not
unacceptable variety to its contents. Although it does not actually
associate with either of the birds mentioned above, it is often found in
the same districts, and all three species may be procured in the course
of a morning’s walk in any part of the colonies of New South Wales and
Van Diemen’s Land. The natural habits of the _Hemipodius varius_ lead it
to frequent sterile stony ridges, interspersed with scrubby trees and
moderately thick grass; the quail, on the other hand, tenants the open
plains and fields of corn; the little partridge loves to dwell in swampy
lands, where the herbage is rank and green; and these particulars
relative to the habits of the three birds in question being known to the
colonists who have paid any attention to sporting, it is easy for them,
by varying their ground, to procure either of the species they desire to
obtain.
The Varied Hemipode is very common in all parts of Van Diemen’s Land
suitable to its habits, hills of moderate elevation and of a dry stony
character being the localities preferred; it is also numerous on the
sandy and sterile islands in Bass’s Straits; on the continent of
Australia, it is abundant in New South Wales and South Australia:
specimens from Western Australia, which at first sight appear to be
identical with the bird here figured, are found to be smaller in size
and to differ in their markings, and they will probably prove to be a
distinct species. Van Diemen’s Land specimens, having an average weight
of five ounces each, are rather larger than those of New South Wales; no
difference however occurs in their markings; I therefore consider them
to be mere local varieties and not distinct species: no specimen has yet
come under my notice from the north coast, and the range of the species
doubtless does not extend to within several degrees of that latitude.
It runs remarkably quick, and when flushed flies low, its pointed wings
giving it much the appearance of a snipe or sandpiper. When running or
walking over the ground the neck is stretched out and the head carried
very high, which together with the rounded contour of the back give it a
very grotesque appearance. The breeding-season commences in August or
September and terminates in January, during which period at least two
broods are reared. The eggs are invariably four in number, and are
either deposited on the bare ground or in a slightly constructed nest of
grasses, placed in some slight hollow, not unfrequently under the lee of
a stone or at the foot of a tuft of grass; they are very similar in form
to those of the Sandpipers, being more pointed than those of other
gallinaceous birds; they are of a very pale buff, very minutely and
thickly spotted and freckled with reddish brown, chestnut and purplish
grey, one inch and a quarter long by one inch broad.
It has rather a loud plaintive note, which is often repeated.
One very remarkable feature connected with this bird, and indeed with
all the species of the genus, is the large size of the female when
compared with that of her mate; so great, in fact, is the difference,
that the figures in the accompanying Plate scarcely make it sufficiently
apparent; no difference however exists in their colour and markings.
The young run as soon as they are hatched, and their appearance then
assimilates so closely to that of the young partridges and quails that
they can scarcely be distinguished. The pretty downy coat with which
they are then covered soon gives place to feathers, whose markings and
colours resemble, but are less brilliant than those of the adult.
The food of this species consists of insects, grain and berries; of the
former many kinds are eaten, but locusts and grasshoppers form the
principal part; a considerable quantity of sand is also found in the
gizzard, which is very thick and muscular.
I frequently found the nest and eggs of this species while traversing
the bush both in Van Diemen’s Land and New South Wales, and the
following are the notes made at the time, which are probably worth
transcribing:—
“Van Diemen’s Land, 28th of Dec. 1838. Found two bevys between Hobart
Town and New Town; one clutch was much smaller than the other, being in
fact only just hatched, while the others appeared to be two or three
weeks old. The legs of the younger birds were dull flesh-yellow; their
bills black at the tip and nearly white at the base; their eyes very
dark brown: the legs of the older birds were orange, their bills still
lighter at the base and their eyes grey.
“Yarrundi, New South Wales, Oct. 16, 1839. Found a nest and shot a
female which was sitting on four eggs. While in the act of incubation
the female appears to cover her eggs in a peculiar manner, placing two
on each side of the breast where it is bare of feathers.”
The flight of the Varied Hemipode is heavy, tolerably rapid but of short
duration, and it never flies higher than just above the scrub or grass.
The adults have the crown of the head, nape and forehead rich brown,
spotted with white, and transversely rayed with large markings of brown;
feathers of the cheeks and a stripe over each eye white, slightly
fringed with black at their tips; throat greyish white; back and sides
of the neck and mantle rich rufous brown; feathers of the back, rump and
upper tail-coverts transversely rayed with chestnut-red and black, the
former and the scapularies striped laterally with black and white; wings
rufous, each feather spotted with white, which is bounded posteriorly
with an irregular spot of black; primaries brown; chest and flanks
olive, each feather having a triangular yellowish white spot at the tip;
centre of the abdomen and under tail-coverts yellowish white; bill
brown, with a bluish tinge; irides bright reddish orange; legs and feet
orange; claws white.
The Plate represents a male and a female of the natural size.
[Illustration:
HEMIPODIUS SCINTILLANS: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
HEMIPODIUS SCINTILLANS, _Gould_.
Sparkling Hemipode.
Hemipodius scintillans, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part XIII. p.
62.
This very beautiful species of Hemipode is an inhabitant of the
Houtman’s Abrolhos, a group of islands so called lying off the western
coast of Australia, and is tolerably abundant on two of them named East
and West Wallaby Islands, where it is principally met with among the
limestone crags.
In its general appearance and the style of its markings it much
resembles the _Hemipodius varius_, but on comparison will be found to be
but little more than half the size of that species; independently of
which, the colouring is much lighter, more varied and sparkling, the
white margins of the back-feathers more numerous and conspicuous, and
the markings of the throat and breast of a crescentic instead of an
elongated form.
Nothing whatever is known of its habits and economy, but they doubtless
closely resemble those of the other species of the genus.
The whole of the upper surface is light chestnut-red, each feather
crossed by broad bars of brownish black and margined with grey, within
which are two narrow lines of black and white; wing-coverts and
tertiaries light chestnut-red, crossed by irregular zigzag bars of
black, the interspaces of the outer margins greyish white; chin and
sides of the face white, with a narrow crescent-shaped mark of brown at
the tip of each feather; sides of the chest chestnut, each feather
tipped with white, within which is an indistinct mark of deep black;
chest and under surface pale buffy white, the feathers of the chest with
a row of dark grey spots on each margin, giving that part a speckled
appearance; primaries brown, narrowly edged with white; irides reddish
yellow; bill greenish grey, darkest on the culmen and becoming ashy grey
beneath; legs and feet orange-yellow.
The figures are of the natural size.
[Illustration:
HEMIPODIUS MELANOTUS: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
HEMIPODIUS MELANOTUS, _Gould_.
Black-backed Hemipode.
_Hemipodius melanotus_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part V. p. 8 and
in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part II.
_Turnix melanotus_, Gould in Gray’s Trav. App., vol. ii. p. 419, note.
Several years have now elapsed since I described this species from a
specimen received from Moreton Bay; since then I have obtained other
examples from the eastern and northern parts of Australia. It was
procured in the latter locality by Mr. Bynoe, and to that gentleman I am
indebted for the two fine specimens figured in the accompanying Plate.
In structure, and particularly in the feeble form of its bill, the
_Hemipodius melanotus_ bears a close alliance to the _Hemipodius
varius_; and these slender-billed species form a small section which
might with propriety be separated from the stout-billed birds, such as
_H. velox_ and _H. castaneothorax_.
The female of this species is a larger bird than the male, in which
respect only do the sexes differ in outward appearance.
The total want of information respecting the habits and economy of this
bird compels me to conclude my account of it with the following
description of its colouring only:—
Crown of the head black, each feather fringed with brown at the tip;
space between the bill and the eye, stripe over the eye and cheeks,
light yellowish brown, the feathers of the latter slightly tipped with
black; back of the neck rich chestnut-red; scapularies deep
chestnut-red, with a large transverse black mark in the centre of each
feather, and a longitudinal stripe of fawn-yellow on their outer edges;
rump and upper tail-coverts black, each feather freckled with fine
markings of brown, with indistinct spots of buff on the external edges
of the upper tail-coverts; greater and lesser wing-coverts buff-yellow,
each feather having a spot of black in the centre; primaries brown;
throat whitish; front of the neck and chest deep buff; sides of the neck
and flanks light buff, with an oblong spot of black transversely
disposed in the centre of each feather; centre of the abdomen and under
tail-coverts buffy white; bill and feet brown.
The figures are of the natural size.
[Illustration:
HEMIPODIUS CASTANOTUS: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
HEMIPODIUS CASTANOTUS, _Gould_.
Chestnut-backed Hemipode.
_Hemipodius castanotus_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VII. p.
145.
_Wȉn-do-loom_, Aborigines of Port Essington.
_Thick-billed Quail_, Colonists.
The Chestnut-backed Hemipode inhabits the northern and north-western
portions of Australia; specimens from the latter have been forwarded to
me by Mr. Bynoe and by Mr. Dring of H.M.S. Beagle; Mr. Gilbert also
found it at Port Essington, and his notes respecting it I here
transcribe:—
“This is a tolerably abundant species, and inhabits the sides of stony
hills in coveys of from fifteen to thirty in number; which, when
disturbed, seldom rise together, but run along the ground, and it is
only upon being very closely pursued that they will take wing, and then
they merely fly to a short distance: while running on the ground their
heads are thrown up as high as their necks will permit, and their bodies
being carried very erect, a waddling motion is given to their gait,
which is very ludicrous. The stomachs of those dissected were very
muscular, and contained seeds and a large proportion of pebbles.”
Head, neck and chest olive-grey, the feathers of the head and neck
spotted with fawn-white at the tip, and those of the chest having a
spatulate mark of the same colour down the centre; centre of the abdomen
and the under tail-coverts pale buff; a narrow stripe over each eye,
back, shoulders and tail rich chestnut; the feathers on the back and
shoulders spotted with white, the white spots bounded anteriorly with
black; primaries brown, edged with buff; irides gamboge-yellow; bill
light ash-grey; naked skin round the eye smoke-grey; tarsi and feet
king’s-yellow.
The Plate represents the two sexes of the natural size.
[Illustration:
HEMIPODIUS PYRRHOTHORAX: _Gould_.
_J. & E. Gould del._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
HEMIPODIUS PYRRHOTHORAX, _Gould_.
Red-chested Hemipode.
_Hemipodius pyrrhothorax_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., November 10,
1840.
Little as is known of the Swift-flying Hemipode, even less information
has been obtained respecting the history of the present species, which,
although assimilating in some of its characters to the former, differs
from it in the marking of the face and neck, and the rufous colouring of
the fore part of the throat and chest: it is also somewhat more slender
and elegant in its proportions. It first came under my notice while
traversing the flats near Aberdeen, on the Upper Hunter, when my dog
pointing at what I conceived to be a specimen of the preceding species,
a female of the present bird arose before me, and I at once saw, from
the rufous colouring of the breast, that it differed from any I had
previously seen: my shot was a successful one, and it was with no small
delight that I picked up the beautiful bird, from which the accompanying
drawing of the female was taken. I diligently sought for others, but was
not fortunate enough to meet with a second living specimen. For the
little male which enables me to complete my Plate, I am indebted to Mr.
Charles Coxen, who had killed it some years before in the neighbourhood
of the Liverpool Plains, but who could give me no further information
respecting it: he had never seen the female. Of its habits and
nidification of course nothing is therefore known: when the distant
interior is explored, its true habitat will doubtless be discovered, but
until then its history must remain buried in obscurity.
Crown of the head dark brown, with a line of buff down the centre;
feathers surrounding the eye, ear-coverts and sides of the neck
extremely small, white edged with black; back and rump dark brown,
transversely rayed with bars and freckles of black and buff; wings
paler, edged with buff, within which is a line of black running in the
same direction; primaries brown, margined with buff; throat, chest,
flanks and under tail-coverts sandy red, passing into white on the
centre of the abdomen; bill horn-colour; irides straw-yellow; feet
yellowish white.
The male has a similar character of markings on the upper surface, but
the colouring of the throat and flanks is much paler.
The Plate represents a male and a female of the natural size.
[Illustration:
HEMIPODIUS VELOX: _Gould_.
_J. & E. Gould del^t._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
HEMIPODIUS VELOX, _Gould_.
Swift-flying Hemipode.
_Hemipodius velox_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Nov. 10, 1840.
_Kar-a-dong_, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western
Australia.
_Little Quail_, of the Colonists.
I found this new and interesting species of _Hemipodius_ abundant in
various parts of New South Wales, but whether it has always visited
those localities, or has only recently made its appearance there, I
cannot say. Mr. Stephen Coxen, on whose estate it was plentiful, and
who, it is well known, has for some years paid considerable attention to
the Ornithology of Australia, could give me no information respecting
it, and it would appear to have escaped the notice of collectors
generally, for I have never seen a specimen in any collection either
public or private. I clearly ascertained that it is strictly migratory,
by finding it abundant in those places in summer which I had previously
visited in winter, when no appearance of one was to be seen.
The season of more than usual luxuriance that followed the long and
distressing drought of 1838–39, bringing in its train a number of rare
and interesting species, was highly advantageous to the objects of my
expedition. It was to this season of plenty, when the whole face of the
country was covered with the richest vegetation, that I am inclined to
attribute the appearance of vast numbers of this species over the
district of the whole Upper Hunter, particularly in the flats of
Segenho, Invermein, and Yarrundi. It appeared to give preference to the
low stony ridges which border and intersect these flats, and which are
thinly covered with grasses of various kinds, for it was in such
situations I generally found it, though on some occasions I started it
from among the rank herbage clothing the alluvial soil of the bottoms.
It lies so close as to be nearly trodden upon before it will rise, and
when flushed it flies off with such extreme rapidity, as, combined with
its small size and the intervention of trees, to render it a most
difficult shot to the sportsman. On rising it flies to the distance of
one or two hundred yards within two or three feet of the surface, and
then suddenly pitches to the ground. As might be expected, it lies well
to a pointer, and it was by this means that I found many which I could
not otherwise have started.
One of the most singular circumstances connected with the history of
this and the following species, is the great difference in the size of
the sexes, the males being but little more than half the size of their
mates. Pleased as I was at making acquaintance with this little bird, I
was still more gratified at finding its nest and eggs. Natty and Jemmy,
two intelligent and faithful natives, of the Yarrundi tribe, and who
always accompanied me, also caught several of the young which had not
left the nest many days.
In addition to the districts above named, I observed it, although
rarely, in the interior of the country north of the Liverpool Plains.
Before I left Sydney a single specimen was sent me from South Australia,
and in my recently arrived collection from Swan River I found both the
bird and its eggs; these circumstances proving that it possesses a range
of longitude extending from one side of the continent to the other, and
in all probability it inhabits a great portion of the northern interior.
In Western Australia it is stated to inhabit clear open spots of grass,
and may occasionally be met with in the thick scrub, but its most
favourite retreat is the grassy valleys of the interior adjacent to
water.
It breeds in September and October. The nest is slightly constructed of
grasses placed in a shallow depression of the ground under the shelter
of a small tuft of grass: the eggs are four in number, of a dirty white,
very thickly blotched all over with markings of chestnut, eleven lines
and a half long by nine lines broad: the eggs from Western Australia are
much lighter in colour, and have the chestnut blotchings much more
minute.
The stomach is extremely muscular, and the food consists of grasshoppers
and other insects, seeds, etc.
Head, ear-coverts, and all the upper surface chestnut-red; the crown of
the head in some specimens has a longitudinal mark of buff down the
centre; the feathers of the back, rump, scapularies, and sides of the
chest margined with buff, within which is a narrow line of black running
in the same direction; the feathers of the lower part of the back are
also crossed by several narrow irregular bands of black; primaries light
brown, margined with buff on their internal edges; throat, chest, and
flanks sandy buff, passing into white on the abdomen; bill horn-colour;
irides straw-white; legs and feet yellowish white.
The above is the description of a female: the male has the feathers on
the sides of the chest conspicuously margined with buff.
The Plate represents a male and female of the natural size.
[Illustration:
COTURNIX PECTORALIS: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
COTURNIX PECTORALIS, _Gould_.
Pectoral Quail.
_Coturnix pectoralis_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part V. p. 8; and
in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part II.—List of Birds in Brit. Mus.
Coll., Part III. p. 40.
_Stubble Quail_ of the Colonists of Van Diemen’s Land.
In Van Diemen’s Land, South Australia and New South Wales, the present
species is very abundant; I have also received specimens from Western
Australia and a single example from the north coast, from both of which
localities the specimens are smaller, and have a more buffy tint
pervading the under surface; I am not, however, prepared to affirm that
they are specifically distinct from the bird here figured, although I am
disposed to regard them as such. Open grassy plains, extensive grass
flats, and those parts of the country under cultivation, are situations
favourable to the habits of the bird; in its economy and mode of life,
in fact, it so closely resembles the Quail of Europe (_Coturnix
communis_), that a description of one is equally descriptive of the
other. In South Australia it may be found on all the extensive plains to
the north of Adelaide; I sometimes flushed a single bird without finding
another in the neighbourhood, while at others I met with it in pairs or
in small parties of from four to six in number. Although occasionally
found in the immediate neighbourhood, it affects totally different
situations from those frequented by the _Synoïcus Australis_, which goes
in coveys, and which differs but little in its habits from the Common
Partridge (_Perdix cinerea_). Its powers of flight are considerable, and
when flushed, it wings its way with arrow-like swiftness to a distant
part of the plain; it lies well to a pointer, and has from the first
settlement of the colony always afforded considerable amusement to the
sportsman. I need scarcely say that it is an excellent bird for the
table, equalling as it does in this respect its European representative.
During my rambles in the districts frequented by this Quail, I
frequently found its nest and eggs, which bear a strong resemblance to
those of our own Quail; much variation, however, exists in their
colouring, some being largely blotched all over with brown on a
straw-white ground, while from this to a finely peppered marking every
variety occurred; the number of eggs in each nest varied from eleven to
fourteen. The situations chosen for the nest are also very various; I
sometimes found it placed among the thick grass of the luxuriant flats,
while at others it was artfully concealed by a tuft of overhanging grass
on the open plains, where the temperature was of a much warmer
character, and where, from the exposed situation, the sun’s rays caused
a degree of heat never felt in the humid situations just alluded to. The
chief food of this species is grain, seeds and insects, the grain as a
matter of course being only procured in cultivated districts; and hence
the name of Stubble Quail has been given to it by the colonists of Van
Diemen’s Land, from the great numbers that visit the fields after the
harvest is over.
September and the three following months constitute the breeding-season;
but it is somewhat later in Van Diemen’s Land than in South Australia
and New South Wales.
The average weight of the male is four ounces and a half; the female,
which rarely equals her mate in size, may at all times be distinguished
by the total absence of the black markings on the chest, and by the
throat being white instead of buff.
The male has the lores, ear-coverts and throat buff; crown of the head
and back of the neck deep brown; over each eye two parallel lines of
yellowish white; a similar line down the centre of the head from the
forehead to the nape; back of the neck brown, each feather marked down
its centre with a lanceolate mark of yellowish white, blotched on each
side with black; mantle, back and upper tail-coverts brown, transversely
rayed with zigzag markings of black, and striped down the centre with
lanceolate markings of yellowish white; wings brown, transversely rayed
with zigzag lines of grey and black; primaries and centre of the chest
black; sides of the chest brown; abdomen white, each feather marked down
its centre with black; flanks rich brown, the centre of each feather
white, bounded on either side by a fine line of black; bill black;
irides hazel; feet pearly vinous white.
The female differs in being destitute of the black marks on the chest,
in the throat being white instead of buff, and in the bill being olive
instead of black.
The Plate represents both sexes of the natural size.
[Illustration: