CINCLORAMPHUS CANTILLANS, Gould.
Black-breasted Cincloramphus.
Cincloramphus cantatoris, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part X. p. 135.
Ye-jȕl-lup, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western Australia.
Sky-Lark of the Colonists.
I consider it necessary to state that the figures in the accompanying Plate are taken from specimens killed at Port Philip in South Australia, and I have a specimen procured at Port Essington which is precisely similar. They all differ from C. cruralis in their smaller size and in their darker colouring, a character which is confined to the male sex, and which is, I believe, strictly a summer livery. At Swan River the individuals are still smaller, and like the C. cruralis are never so black on the breast as the bird here figured; shall we not then be justified in considering this again as distinct? The term cantillans was applied to a specimen in the winter dress, when neither the breast nor bill is black, otherwise a more appropriate appellation might have been applied.
I possess no information respecting the habits of the Port Philip bird.
The following notes are from the pen of Mr. Gilbert, and are the result of his observations of the bird in Western Australia:—
“This is a summer visitor to Western Australia, a remarkably shy and wary species, and a most difficult bird to procure, from its generally perching on a part of a tree whence it can command an uninterrupted view all round, rarely admitting any one to approach it within gun-shot. On being flushed from the ground it immediately takes to a tree, where, with its tail erect, and its head stretched out to the full extent of its neck, it presents a most grotesque appearance. It often ascends perpendicularly to a considerable height in the air, and then floats horizontally without any apparent motion of the wings to the distance of three hundred yards. While flying it utters a most disagreeably harsh and grating note, which is exchanged for an inward, rather plaintive tone when perched among the branches. The nest, which is deposited in a slight depression of the ground, is formed of dried grasses, and is so loosely put together that it is extremely difficult to preserve it entire; the eggs are four in number, and are similar to, but larger and of a lighter colour than those of the C. rufescens.”
All the upper surface sandy brown, the centres of the feathers darker; primaries and tail greyish brown, slightly margined with reddish brown; immediately before the eye a triangular spot of brownish black; throat and chest dull white, the latter with a stripe of brown down each feather; under surface light brown; in the centre of the abdomen a patch of dark brown, each feather margined with pale brown; bill and feet fleshy brown.
The figures represent two males and a female of the natural size in different states of plumage.