CALODERA MACULATA, Gow.
Spotted Calodera.

Cal. capite supra, auricularibus, et guld nitide brunneis, singulis plumis cinereo-argentato cinctis ; fascia nuchali rosacea ;
corpore superne cauddque intense brunneis ; apicibus plumarum in dorso, uropygio, scapulisque fulvo largé guttatis ;
remigibus albidis ; rectricibus ad apicem flavido-albo notatis ; corpore subtus cinereo; lateribus transversalitéer
brunneo striatis ; rostro et pedibus fusco-brunneis.

Long. tot. 114 une.; rostri, 11; ale 6; cauda, 42; tarsi, 14.

Crown of the head, ear-coverts, and throat rich brown, each feather surrounded with a narrow line of black;
feathers on the crown small, and tipped with silvery grey ; a beautiful band of elongated feathers of a light rose
pink crosses the back of the neck, forming a broad fan-like occipital crest ; all the upper surface, wings, and
tail of a deep brown; every feather of the back, rump, scapularies, and secondaries tipped with a large round
spot of rich buff; primaries slightly tipped with white; all the tail-feathers terminated with buffy white ;
under surface greyish white, feathers of the flanks marked with faint transverse zigzag lines of light brown ;
bill and feet dusky brown.

Calodera maculata, Gould, in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part IV. 1836, p. 106; and Synopsis of the Birds of Australia,
Rare ple o- fies i.

 

I wave been induced to consider the present beautiful bird, together with an allied species published in the
Illustrations of Ornithology by Messrs. Jardine and Selby, as sufficiently distinct in structure to warrant their
separation from the genus Péclonorhynchus, to which group the species figured by those gentlemen had been
referred ; consequently the two species, which are all that are at present known, will stand as Calodera nuchalis,
(Prilonorhynchus nuchahs, Jard. & Selb.) and Calodera maculata ; both species being strikingly marked and
widely distinct from each other. In size the Calodera nuchahs exceeds the bird here represented by nearly a
third in all its proportions ; its upper plumage is also of a light ash brown of a uniform tint, offering a great
contrast to the present bird, whose spotted upper surface is very conspicuous. They are both from that portion
of Australia called New South Wales, and the eastern part of the country. The Calodera nuchalis, which
forms a part of the collection of the Linnean Society, was I believe sent from the eastern coast, which doubt-
less also forms a habitat of the present bird, as it is found in tolerable abundance to the north and east of
Liverpool Plains. Although it is extremely probable that the female is entirely devoid of the beautiful nuchal
frill which adorns the neck of both these species, we are not certain that such is the case; the young certainly
do not possess this character, as we have several examples almost fully grown, without the slightest trace
of it.

Of their habits, manners, and nidification nothing is at present known.

Habitat, New South Wales.

The figure is of the natural size.

Remark. Since I characterized this species in the Proceedings of the Zoological Society, I have been
informed that the term Ca/odera had already been applied to a genus in Entomology: if therefore it should
be deemed objectionable in the present case, I would beg to substitute that of Chlamydera.

 

 

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