PARDALOTUS STRIATUS , Temm.
Striated Pardalote.
Pardalotus striatus, Temm. Man., Part I. p. lxv.—Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 237. note.—Gould,
Syn. Birds of Australia, Part II.
Pipra striata, Lath. Ind. Om., p, 558. No. 13—Gmel. Syst., vol. i. p. 1003.
Striped-headed Manakin, Lath. Gen. Syn., vol. iv. p. 526. pi. 5 4—Id., Supp., p. 188. Shaw, Zool., vol. x. p. 29.
pi. 4.—Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. vii. p. 237. pi. 109.?
Pardalotus ornatus, Temm. PI. Col. 394. fig. 1.
WS-dup-wee-dup, Aborigines of the lowland, and
We-dee-we-due, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western Australia.
T h i s beautiful species, like the P . punctatus, enjoys an extensive range of habitat, being found in all parts
of the southern portion of the Australian continent; it has not as yet been discovered in Van Diemen’s Land,
its place in that island being apparently occupied by the P . affirm. I have carefully examined specimens
killed at Swan River with others from New South Wales, and I cannot find the slightest difference either
in their size or markings. It will be interesting to know how far this species and the P . punctatus extend
their range northwards, a point which can only be ascertained when the country has been fully explored.
The P . uropygialis is the only species that has yet been discovered on the north coast. This active little
bird is generally seen seeking insects among the leaves, for which purpose it frequents trees o f every
description, but gives a decided preference to the Eucalypti. Its flight is rapid and darting, hence it
passes from tree to tree, or from one part of the forest to another with the greatest ease. Its voice is a
double note several times repeated.
The nest, which is a very neat structure of dried soft grasses and the bark of the tea-tree, lined with
feathers, is usually placed in a hole of a dead branch, but sometimes in the boll of the tree. It breeds
in September, October and November, and lays three or four fleshy-white eggs, which are nine lines long
by seven lines broad.
The sexes so closely assimilate in colour and markings that they are only to be distinguished by
dissection.
The young assume the adult colouring from the nest,, but have the tips o f the spurious wing orange
instead o f red.
Forehead and crown of the head black, the feathers of the latter having a stripe of white down the
centre; a stripe of deep orange-yellow commences at the base of the upper mandible and runs above the
eye, where it is joined by a stripe of white which leads to the occiput; back of the neck and back brownish
olive-grey; rump and upper tail-coverts yellowish brown; wings black, the external edges of the third,
fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh primaries white at their base and tipped with white; secondaries margined
with white and reddish brown; tail black, each feather tipped with white; sides of the face and neck
grey; throat and upper part of the chest yellow; centre of the abdomen white; flanks and under tail-
coverts brownish buff, the former tinged with yellow; irides brownish red; bill at the tip and along the
culmen dark brown tinged with blue, the remainder yellowish white; legs and feet greenish grey.
The Plate represents a male, a female, and three young birds of the natural size.