This beautiful and well-marked species of Grass Finch is also a native of the north-west coast of Australia, where several specimens were shot by Mr. Gilbert during an excursion from Port Essington towards the interior of the country, who states that it inhabits grassy meadows near streams, feeding on grass-seeds, &c. It was tolerably abundant, being congregated in flocks of from twenty to forty. When on the wing it utters a very feeble cry of _twit, twit, twit_, but at other times pours forth a drawn-out mournful note, like that of the Estreldas. The sexes are scarcely to be distinguished by their outward appearance, both possessing the masked face; the female is, however, rather less in size, and her markings are not quite so brilliant or decided as those of the male. Base of the bill surrounded by an irregular ring of deep velvety black; crown of the head, upper surface and wings light cinnamon-brown; lower part of the abdomen banded with deep velvety black; lower part of the rump and under tail-coverts white; upper tail-coverts white, striped longitudinally with black on the outer side; tail deep blackish brown; irides of the old birds red, of the young birds dark brown; bill bright orange; legs and feet fleshy red. In some specimens the upper and lower ridges of the bill are black, while in others the basal half only is orange, the remaining portion being brown. The figures are those of a male and a female of the natural size. [Illustration: POËPHILA LEUCOTIS: _Gould_. _J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._ ] POËPHILA LEUCOTIS, _Gould_. White-eared Grass Finch. _Poëphila leucotis_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part XIV. p. 106. The present beautiful species of _Poëphila_ is one of the novelties discovered during Dr. Leichardt’s expedition from Moreton Bay to Port Essington; it was killed in the neighbourhood of the river Lynd by Mr. Gilbert, in whose Journal, under the date of June 3, 1845, I find the following remark:—“The most interesting circumstance that occurred to me to-day was the discovery of a new species of _Poëphila_, which is very nearly allied to the one from Port Essington (_P. personata_, Gould), but which differs from that bird in having the bill light yellowish horn-colour instead of orange, the irides dark brown and the legs red; it is in every respect a true _Poëphila_, having the black face and throat, the black marks on the flanks, the lengthened tail-feathers and the general plumage of a light brown; like the other members of the genus too, it inhabits the open spots of country, and feeds on grass seeds.”