Crown of the head black, each feather fringed with brown at the tip; space between the bill and the eye, stripe over the eye and cheeks, light yellowish brown, the feathers of the latter slightly tipped with black; back of the neck rich chestnut-red; scapularies deep chestnut-red, with a large transverse black mark in the centre of each feather, and a longitudinal stripe of fawn-yellow on their outer edges; rump and upper tail-coverts black, each feather freckled with fine markings of brown, with indistinct spots of buff on the external edges of the upper tail-coverts; greater and lesser wing-coverts buff-yellow, each feather having a spot of black in the centre; primaries brown; throat whitish; front of the neck and chest deep buff; sides of the neck and flanks light buff, with an oblong spot of black transversely disposed in the centre of each feather; centre of the abdomen and under tail-coverts buffy white; bill and feet brown. The figures are of the natural size. [Illustration: HEMIPODIUS CASTANOTUS: _Gould_. _J. Gould and H.C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ ] HEMIPODIUS CASTANOTUS, _Gould_. Chestnut-backed Hemipode. _Hemipodius castanotus_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VII. p. 145. _Wȉn-do-loom_, Aborigines of Port Essington. _Thick-billed Quail_, Colonists. The Chestnut-backed Hemipode inhabits the northern and north-western portions of Australia; specimens from the latter have been forwarded to me by Mr. Bynoe and by Mr. Dring of H.M.S. Beagle; Mr. Gilbert also found it at Port Essington, and his notes respecting it I here transcribe:— “This is a tolerably abundant species, and inhabits the sides of stony hills in coveys of from fifteen to thirty in number; which, when disturbed, seldom rise together, but run along the ground, and it is only upon being very closely pursued that they will take wing, and then they merely fly to a short distance: while running on the ground their heads are thrown up as high as their necks will permit, and their bodies being carried very erect, a waddling motion is given to their gait, which is very ludicrous. The stomachs of those dissected were very muscular, and contained seeds and a large proportion of pebbles.” Head, neck and chest olive-grey, the feathers of the head and neck spotted with fawn-white at the tip, and those of the chest having a spatulate mark of the same colour down the centre; centre of the abdomen and the under tail-coverts pale buff; a narrow stripe over each eye, back, shoulders and tail rich chestnut; the feathers on the back and shoulders spotted with white, the white spots bounded anteriorly with black; primaries brown, edged with buff; irides gamboge-yellow; bill light ash-grey; naked skin round the eye smoke-grey; tarsi and feet king’s-yellow. The Plate represents the two sexes of the natural size. [Illustration: HEMIPODIUS PYRRHOTHORAX: _Gould_.