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.
[Illustration:
CALAMANTHUS CAMPESTRIS: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
CALAMANTHUS CAMPESTRIS.
Field Reed-Lark.
_Praticola campestris_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VIII. p.
171.
The _Calamanthus campestris_ is a native of Southern and Western
Australia, where it inhabits open plains and scrubby lands, particularly
such as are interspersed with tufts of coarse grasses. It has never yet
been discovered within the colony of New South Wales. Like its near ally
of Van Diemen’s Land it is a rather shy and recluse species, running
mouse-like over the ground among the herbage with its tail perfectly
erect, and is not easily forced to fly, or even to quit the bush in
which it has secreted itself.
Its song is an agreeable and pretty warble, which is poured forth while
the bird is perched upon the topmost twig of a small bush.
This species also emits so very powerful an odour, that my dog
frequently pointed at it from a very considerable distance.
The food, as ascertained by dissection, was small coleopterous insects,
with which its minute stomach was crammed.
The nest, which is placed on the ground, is a globular structure,
composed of grasses and feathers. The eggs are three or four in number,
of a light chestnut colour, thickly blotched with deep chestnut-brown,
particularly at the larger end.
Forehead rufous, passing into the reddish brown of the crown and upper
surface, with a stripe of blackish brown down the centre of each
feather; wings sandy brown; internal webs of the primaries dark brown;
two centre tail-feathers reddish brown, the remainder reddish brown at
the base, crossed towards the extremity with a broad band of brownish
black and broadly tipped with white; over the eye a line of white;
ear-coverts mingled rufous and white; throat white, gradually passing
into the buff of the under surface; all the feathers of the under
surface with a stripe of brownish black down their centre; bill blackish
brown, lighter at the base of the under mandible; irides rufous brown;
feet blackish brown.
The Plate represents a male and a female of the natural size.
[Illustration:
CHTHONICOLA MINIMA.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
CHTHONICOLA MINIMA.
Little Chthonicola.
_Anthus minimus_, Vig. & Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 230.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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