HEMIPODIUS ¢ ASTANOTUS, Gowa.
Chestnut-backed Hemipode.
Hemipodius castanotus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VII. ps 145,

Win-do-loom, Aborigines of Port Essington.
Thick-billed Quail, Colonists.

 

Tur Chestnut-backed Hemipode inhabits the northern and north-western portions of Australia ; spe-
cimens 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 bis 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 innumber ; 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.