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DRYMODES BRUNNEOPYGIA, Gowda.

Scrub Robin.

Drymodes brunneopygia, Gould in Proce. of Zool. Soc., Part VIII. p. 170.

 

I piscoverep this singular bird in the great Murray Scrub in South Australia, where it was tolerably
abundant ; I have never seen it from any other part of the country, and it is doubtless confined to such
portions of Australia as are clothed with a similar character of vegetation. It is a quiet and inactive
species, resorting much to the ground, over which and among the underwood and low stunted bushes it
passes with great ease; it appeared rarely to take wing, but to depend for security upon its dexterity in
hopping away under the dense underwood of the most scrubby parts; I have, however, occasionally ob-
served it to mount to the most elevated part of a low bush, and there pour forth a sharp monotonous
whistling note, not very unlike that of some of the Pachycephaline ; indeed it was its note that first
attracted my attention and led to its discovery. When on'the ground, and sometimes when perched on a
twig, it elevates its tail considerably, but not to the extent of the Malu.

This new form evidently belongs to the Saxicoling, and has many habits in common with the members of
the genus Petroica.

The sexes are alike in colouring, but the female is much smaller than her mate; the young, as will be
seen in the accompanying Plate, resembles the immature Petroicas in the character of its plumage.

Head and all the upper surface brown, passing into rufous brown on the upper tail-coverts ; wings dark
brown, the coverts and primaries edged with dull white ; pr imaries and secondaries crossed near the base
on their inner webs with pure white; tail rich brown, all but the two middle feathers tipped with white ;
under surface greyish brown, passing into buff on the under tail-coverts ; irides, bill and feet blackish brown.

The Plate represents an adult male and a young bird of the natural size.

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