The Port Essington bird is abundantly and equally distributed over all parts of the peninsula and the neighbouring islands; its favourite haunts being moist meadows or the grassy banks of small streams, and grass-seeds its principal food. It is usually met with in flocks of from twenty to fifty in number, which when disturbed generally fly off to the nearest tree; on alighting they jerk the tail very erect, and utter their slowly-repeated and monotonous double note; at other times they coo very faintly, after the manner of the other members of the family. It is said to make a slight nest in a hollow among the grass near the ground, and to lay two eggs. The only observable difference between the sexes is the smaller size of the female. Face and throat grey; occiput, back and wings ashy brown, each feather with a band of deep velvety black at the extremity; spurious wings and primaries dark brown; under surface of the shoulders chestnut; chest, sides and back of the neck grey, crossed by numerous narrow bands of black; abdomen and flanks vinous; four central tail-feathers ashy brown, the remainder black largely tipped with white; irides light ash-grey; bill and orbits bright greyish blue, becoming much paler before and behind the eye; frontal scales of the tarsi and feet dark greenish grey; remainder of the legs and feet reddish flesh-colour. The Plate represents the two sexes of the natural size. [Illustration: GEOPELIA CUNEATA. _J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._ ] GEOPELIA CUNEATA. Graceful Ground-Dove. _Columba cuneata_, Lath. Ind. Orn., Supp., p. 61.—Wagl. Syst. Av., sp. 107. —— _Macquarie_, Quoy et Gaim. Voy. de l’Uranie, Ois., t. 31.—Ib. Knip et Prevost, Hist. Nat. des Pig., t. 41 —— _spiloptera_, Vig. in Zool. Journ., vol. v. p. 275. _Geopelia cuneata_, List of Brit. Mus. Coll., Part III. p. 11. _Men-na-brun-ka_, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western Australia. _Turtle Dove_, Colonists of Swan River. The beautiful little Dove here represented is at once remarkable for the elegance of its contour, the chaste and quiet colouring of its plumage, and for its tame and gentle disposition, all of which combine to render it a general favourite with the Australians; and it is a matter of surprise to me that it has not long ere this been a denizen of their aviaries and sent alive to England, few birds being likely to bear confinement more contentedly.