POËPHILA CINCTA, Gouid.
Banded Grass Finch.
Amadina cincta, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part IV. p. 105.
T h is species is tolerably abundant on the Liverpool Plains, and the open country to the northward towards
the interior. I t occurs so rarely on the sea side o f the ranges, that I only once met with it during my
sojourn in New South Wales. It is doubtless a native o f the great basin of the interior, where, like the
P . acuticauda and P . personala, it frequents those parts of the open plains which abound in grasses, upon the
seeds o f which and other plants it mostly subsists. The range o f this species is entirely unknown ; I have
never seen a specimen except from the localities above mentioned.
Crown of the head and back of the neck g re y ; ear-coverts and sides o f the neck silvery grey ; throat and
lores black ; back, chest and abdomen chestnut-brown ; wings the same, but d a rk e r; lower p a rt of the body
surrounded by a black b an d ; tail-coverts w h ite ; tail black ; bill b lack ; irides reddish brown; eye-lash
blackish brown ; feet pink-red.
The female differs from her mate by all her markings being much more obscurely defined.
The figure is that of a male of the natural size.