short, round, the fourth quill the longest, the third, fifth, sixth and seventh equal; tail rather short and round; tarsi
moderately long, defended anteriorly with indistinct scales; hind-toe rather long, with a long claw; lateral toes
uneven, the outer one the shortest.
This group comprises two species, one inhabiting Van Diemen’s Land, the other Southern and Western Australia
; they are terrestrial in their habits, but occasionally perch on the smaller branches of the trees.
223. Calamanthus fuliginosus . . . . . . . . . , Vol. III. PI. 70.
224. Calamanthus campestris, Gould Vol. III. PI. 71.
Genus Chthonicola, Gould.
Generic characters.
Bill short, gradually descending from the base; the upper mandible slightly notched at the tip, compressed
laterally; tomia curving inwards; wings concave; the first primary very short, the third, fourth, fifth and sixth
nearly equal and the longest; tail slightly concave, and all the feathers of an equal length; tarsi moderately long;
toes short, the hinder toe somewhat longer than the middle one; front claws more curved than in the genus Anthus.
The single species known of this genus combines in a remarkable manner the outward appearance, habits and
manners of the Acanthiza and Anthi, but is, I believe, more nearly allied to the former than to the latter.
225. Chthonicola minima . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vol. III. PI. 72.
Sylvia sagittata, Lath. Gen. Hist. vol. vii. p. 136?
Rather widely dispersed over the grassy flats of New South Wales, and constructs a domed nest in a depression
of the ground like the true Sylvia.
Subfamily MOTACILLINjE, Bonap.
Genus Anthus, Bechst.
Whether this Old World form is represented in Australia by more than a single species, is a point I have not
satisfactorily determined; every part of its extra-tropical regions, including Van Diemen’s Land, is inhabited by
Pipits which differ somewhat in size in almost every colony; still their difference is so slight that I have hitherto
regarded them as mere varieties or local races.
226. Anthus Australis, Vig. fy Hors/. . . . . . . . . . Vol. HI. PI. 73.
Subfamily—— ?
Genus Cincloramphus, Gould.
Bill rather shorter than the head; culmen slightly arched; the tip distinctly notched; the commissure slightly
angulated at the base, and somewhat incurved for the remainder of its length; nostrils lateral, oval; wings moderate,
rigid, first quill very long and nearly equal to the second and third, which are the longest; tertials nearly as long
as the primaries; tail rather small and cuneiform; tarsi very strong and scutellated anteriorly; toes long and
powerful, particularly the hinder one and claw, which is articulated on the same plane with the inner to e ; lateral
toes nearly equal.
The members of this genus, which are three in number, are closely allied to the Indian genus Megalurus, and
present even a greater disparity in the size of the sexes; they are all confined to Australia, where they frequent
the grassy plains and open districts. The song of the males is more animated than that of any other bird inhabiting
the country.
227. Cincloramphus cruralis
228. Cincloramphus cantillans, Gould
229. Cincloramphus rufescens, Gould
Vol. III. PI. 74.
Vol. III. Pb 75.
Vol. III. PI. 76.
Subfamily ÁLAÜDINME, Bonap.
Genus M ir a f r a , Horsf.
One, if not two, species of this well-defined genus inhabit Australia. At present one only has been characterized
; but the bird of this form, frequenting the intertropical portions of the country, may prove to be a distinct
species.
230. Mirafra Horsfieldii, Gould ...................................................................Vol. III. PI. 77.
Family FRINGILLIDJ5, Vig.
The Finches of Australia comprise twenty well-marked species, referable to several genera or subgenera, each
of which exhibit a slight difference in structure, accompanied, as is always the case, by a difference in habit, and in
the districts inhabited; thus the true Estrelda frequent grassy patches in the glades of the forests, the open parts
of gullies, &c.; the Amadina, the stony hills and flats; the Po'éphilee, the grass beds of the open plains ; and the
Donacola, the grasses of the marshy districts and reed-beds: of the habits of Emblema nothing is known; its
pointed bill indicates some peculiarity in its economy differing from those of the other genera.
All the species build, I believe, large grassy nests with a spout-like opening.
The whole of those figured are peculiar to Australia.
Genus E s t r e l d a , Swains
231. Estrelda bella . . . . . . . . .
_Loxia nitida, Lath. Gen. Hist. vol. v. p* 268?
232. Estrelda o c u l e a .......................................................... ....
233. Estrelda Bichenovii . . . . . . . .
234. Estrelda annulosa, Gould . . . . . . .
235. Estrelda temporalis . . . . . . . .
236. Estrelda Phaeton, Gould . . . . . . .
237. Estrelda ruficauda, Gould . . . . . . .
238. Estrelda modesta.
Amadina modesta, Gould . . . . . . .
Genus A m a d in a , Swains.
Vol. III. Pl. 78.
Vol. III. Pl. 79,
Vol. III. Pl. 80.
Vol. III. Pl. 81.
Vol. III. Pl. 82.
Vol. III. Pl. 83.
Vol. III. Pl. 84.
Vol. III. Pl. 85.
239. Amadina L a t h a m i Vol. III. PI. 86.1
240. Amadina castanotis, G o u l d Vol. III. PI, 87.
Genus P o é p h il a , Gould.
Generic characters.
Bill considerably swollen at the base, rendering it nearly as deep and broad as it is long; wings moderately long,
the first quill rudimentary, the four next equal in length; feet plantigrade, toes slender; the middle toe much longer
than the lateral ones, which are equal in length; hind-toe much shorter than the middle one; tail strictly cuneiform,
the two middle feathers much produced.
241. Poëphila Gouldiæ.
Amadina Gouldiæ, G o u l d ...................................................................................................................Vol. III. Pl. 88.
242. Poëphila mirabilis, Hornb. et Jacq. . . . . . . . . . . . Vol. III. Pl. 89.
N