The present beautiful species of Poëphila is one of the novelties discovered during Dr. Leichardt’s expedition from Moreton Bay to Port Essington; it was killed in the neighbourhood of the river Lynd by Mr. Gilbert, in whose Journal, under the date of June 3, 1845, I find the following remark:—“The most interesting circumstance that occurred to me to-day was the discovery of a new species of Poëphila, which is very nearly allied to the one from Port Essington (P. personata, Gould), but which differs from that bird in having the bill light yellowish horn-colour instead of orange, the irides dark brown and the legs red; it is in every respect a true Poëphila, having the black face and throat, the black marks on the flanks, the lengthened tail-feathers and the general plumage of a light brown; like the other members of the genus too, it inhabits the open spots of country, and feeds on grass seeds.”
This I regret to say is all that is known respecting it. In addition to the differences pointed out by Mr. Gilbert, I may mention that it may also be distinguished from the P. personata by its white ear-coverts and by the black of the throat being bounded below and the black marks on the flanks anteriorly with white; the colouring of the upper surface is also a somewhat richer brown.
I possess both sexes of this species, and, as is the case with the other members of the genus, they differ but little from each other.
Band crossing the forehead, lores, throat, and a large patch on each flank deep velvety black; ear-coverts, a narrow line beneath the black of the throat, and a space surrounding the black patch on the flanks white; crown of the head deep reddish chestnut; all the upper surface and wings dark cinnamon-brown; chest and abdomen pale vinous brown; upper and under tail-coverts white, the former margined externally with deep black; tail black; irides dark brown; feet red; bill yellowish horn-colour.
The Plate represents the two sexes of the natural size.
POËPHILA CINCTA: Gould.
J. Gould and H. C. Richter delt. C. Hullmandel Imp.
POËPHILA CINCTA, Gould.
Banded Grass Finch.
Amadina cincta, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part IV. p. 105.
This species is tolerably abundant on the Liverpool Plains, and the open country to the northward towards the interior. It occurs so rarely on the sea side of the ranges, that I only once met with it during my sojourn in New South Wales. It is doubtless a native of the great basin of the interior, where, like the P. acuticauda and P. personata, it frequents those parts of the open plains which abound in grasses, upon the seeds of which and other plants it mostly subsists. The range of this species is entirely unknown; I have never seen a specimen except from the localities above mentioned.