SCHCENICLUS AUSTRALIS.
Australian Tonga.
Tiinga Australis, Janl. and Selb. 111. Orn., vol. ii. pi. 91.
SoAcemdm Australis, fii.i ,t li rdain\Sin, M h ^ r lT ijm n
THi*'preyy-&pecie8^^|^tpy4£i8 distributed 'Van Diemen’s Land.
rT te sandrbejebe^fehe sea-eopst a u « 'b k n t e of in t h e m i n g of the coagfagare equally
%|ited by i t , and ||a jll TOchCsituatmnsp^So be iem 4m P ’ in pairs on in smatlj|rtiesi>f- from six to
fifteen feafless^anSC will^ffipgjlf the nea^st'Spp'roaeh’b e fo r e ^ jll take wing. In
it. .Xonwi^ft appeared to me to,hglJ^ilter.m'S’iitb station between the Sandpipers and true Snipes. It
i, aC r r/r ^ S llu h in d oL,tb< gr i-s -id.. of lagpopT and opeii’W marshy places. wherSjfc trips over the
"■herbage which rests on'iS.eiwftee of the water, and sometimes'wades np toqjta body in search of insects.
'•1,,'fiial’r r< si mbit, that iif'the trie Snipes, » f e e sp e c im en s 'l^ h jtfa r the greater number were birds
of 1 Ik \i n at whnh period .Alhen'mi.U n ^ . i^ n - tint pi r rades the breast and flanks; the feathers of
the back its®, also margined witht the same h 5 ® ^ t -w h e f e th v ^ H R gri y%rfite,'some of
\ t t e 'feathera-dfthe scapnlfflies.mid’h a c k b e i ||% |d with tb is .^ o n r; when fully adult, an almost uniform ,
' grey pervades the upperiUrfaa<£thft"e»trij of the abdonn n iloiwAemgj^jHie W M I
«B tfim .n ^W d jlM -1 ’»ales, afsSmewhat unusual cirenm--
Stance in this group of hMs, the Borf him. m i B g H l >1 as B H | »he contrary to the usual
law ; several of the males were vfeighed, and averaged two oUMes.anUthre’e^flarters. '
The food consists ofSmstic insects and their larv®.' ' " ,
AU the feathers I the upper ^ K c e very dark brown tmsmmjm gradually, feding into grey on J f t r
margins- crown‘shgh%washed with rufous; primaries* fir qwp, with .white shafts,^under surface whrfejfc
washed M S S breast with greyish, brown, B H this tint appears, each feather.bas- a small streak of
brown down the cent?«, m«ffilkiUcpverts"with a--eons|jpkou.s‘streak o f t o k brown down the centre; bill
W&B fe&bash,.becoming-dark brown at the tip; b,ack- ■ ■ ■
The above is,the description of an adujf'ih winter plumage; thi young oHh'e,y.-ur are similarly marked,
I W the greater portion o f the feathers, and particularly the si H H H h I
’ margined with sandy red and white', the breast washed with buff, and freejfrom-sgita W ‘be sides.
The Plate represents an adqlf and a young bird of the size of life