ACANTHIZA LINEATA, Gowda.

Striated Acanthiza.

Acanthiza lineata, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part V. p. 146; and in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part IV.

 

Tus pretty little species inhabits most of the wooded districts of South Australia, particularly the gullies
among the mountain ranges ; it is also tolerably abundant among the brushes and trees near the brooks and
rivulets of the Liverpool range in New South Wales. It is very active and animated in its actions, clinging
and prying about among the branches in search of insects in every possible variety of position. It is a per-
manent resident in the countries above-mentioned, but is not found in Van Diemen’s Land or Western
Australia. Unfortunately I did not succeed in procuring its nest, but judging from those of the other
members of the genus, it is doubtless of a domed form, with a small hole near the top for an entrance ; and
though I have never seen the eggs, it may be presumed from analogy that they are either purely white, or
white speckled with reddish brown.

Its food consists entirely of insects, which are procured from the leaves and flowers of the various trees.

The sexes can only be distinguished by dissection, for no perceptible difference whatever is observable
either in their size or the colouring of their plumage.

This species, the least of the genus to which it belongs, and one of the most diminutive of the Australian
birds, may be thus described :-—

Crown of the head brownish olive, with a fine line of white down the centre of each feather ; back
and wings greenish olive ; tail the same, crossed by a broad band of brownish black near the tip, beyond
which the extremities are brownish grey; throat and chest grey, tinged with olive, the margins of the
feathers spotted with dark brown, giving these parts an irregular spotted appearance ; bill and feet black ;
irides brown.

The Plate represents the two sexes of the natural size.