CALAMANTHUS FULIGINOSUS .
Striated Reed-Lark.
Anthus fuliginosas, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 230.
Praticola fuliginosa, G. R. Gray, List of Gen. of Birds, 2nd Edit., p. 27.
T his 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 o f 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 o f 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 o f a yard in length, like
the run o f 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, o f a reddish
wood-brown, obscurely clouded with markings o f reddish brown, the larger end o f 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 o f 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 o f 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 o f 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..