CINCLORAMPHUS C ANTILLANS, Gould.
Black-breasted Cincloramphus.
Cincloramphus cantatoris, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part X. p. 135.
Ye-jiil-lup, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western Australia.
Shy-Lark of the Colonists.
I c o n s id e r it necessary to state th at the figures in the accompanying Plate are taken from specimens
killed a t Po rt Philip in South Australia, and I have a specimen procured at P o rt Essington which is
precisely similar. They all differ from C. cruralis in their smaller size and in their darker colouring, a
character which is confined to the male sex, and which is, I believe, strictly a summer livery. At Swan
River the individuals are still smaller, and like the C. cruralis are never so black on the breast as the bird
here figured; shall we not then be justified in considering this again as distinct? The term cantillans
was applied to a specimen in the winter dress, when neither the breast nor bill is black, otherwise a
more appropriate appellation might have been applied.
I possess no information respecting the habits o f the Po rt Philip bird.
The following notes are from the pen of Mr. Gilbert, and are the result o f his observations o f the bird in
Western Australia -
“ T his is a summer visitor to Western Australia, a remarkably shy and wary species, and a most difficult
bird to procure, from its generally perching on a p a rt o f a tree whence it can command an uninterrupted
view all round, rarely admitting any one to approach it within gun-shot; On being flushed from the
ground it immediately takes to a tree, where, with its tail erect, and its head stretched out to the full extent
of its neck, it presents a most grotesque appearance. I t often ascends perpendicularly to a considerable
height in the air, and then floats horizontally without any apparent motion of the wings to the distance of
three hundred yards. While flying it utters a most disagreeably h arsh and grating note, which is. exchanged
for an inward, rather plaintive tone when perched among the branches. The nest, which is deposited in a
slight depression of the ground, is formed o f dried grasses, and is so loosely p u t together th at it is extremely
difficult to preserve it entire ; the eggs are four in number, and are similar to, but larger and o f a lighter
colour than those of the C. rufescens.
All the upper surface sandy brown, the centres of the feathers d a rk e r ; primaries and tail greyish brown,
slightly margined with reddish brown; immediately before the eye a triangular spot of brownish b la c k ;
throat and chest dull white, the latter with a stripe of brown down each fea th e r; under surface light brown;
in tbe centre of the abdomen a patch of dark brown, each feather margined with pale brown ; bill and feet
fleshy brown.
The figures represent two males and a female o f the natural size in different states of plumage.