Family CAPRIMULGIDÆ, Vig.

Genus Ægotheles, Vig. & Horsf.

The known species of this genus are two in number, both of which, so far as has yet been ascertained, are confined to Australia. In many of their actions, and in their nidification, they are very owl-like, depositing, like those birds, their four or five round white eggs in the hollows of trees, without any nest.

Inhabits the whole of the southern parts of Australia and Van Diemen’s Land.

Inhabits the northern or intertropical parts of Australia, where it represents the Æ. Novæ-Hollandiæ.

Genus Podargus, Cuv.

With no one group of the Australian birds have I had so much difficulty in discriminating the species as the genus Podargus. It is almost impossible to determine with certainty the older species described by Latham; could this have been done satisfactorily, even in a single instance, it would have greatly facilitated the investigation of the remainder. Messrs. Vigors and Horsfield regarded the specimens in the Linnean Collection as referable to three species, and have described them under the names of Stanleyanus, humeralis, and Cuvieri; Latham’s description of the species named by him megacephalus accords so well with the P. Stanleyanus, that I suspect both those terms have been applied to one and the same species, an opinion strengthened by Latham’s remarks as to the great size of the head and mandibles of his bird, the total length of which he states to be thirty inches, which is evidently an error.

After examining a large number of specimens comprising individuals of all ages, I have come to the conclusion that the Australian members of this genus constitute six species; four of which, namely, P. megacephalus, P. humeralis, P. Cuvieri, and P. brachypterus, are most closely allied to each other; and two, namely, P. plumiferus and P. Phalænoides, which present specific characters that cannot be mistaken. We have then in Australia a large group of nocturnal birds of this form destined, as it would seem, to keep in check the great families of Cicadæ and Phasmidæ, upon which they mainly subsist; but they do not refuse other insects, and even berries have been found in their stomachs. They are an inanimate and sluggish group of birds, and do not procure their food on the wing so much as other Caprimulgi, but obtain it by traversing the branches of the various trees upon which their favourite insects reside; at intervals during the night they sit about in open places, on rails, stumps of trees, on the roofs of houses and on the tombstones in the churchyards, and by superstitious persons are regarded as omens of death, their hoarse disagreeable voice adding not a little to the terrors induced by their presence.

In their nidification the Podargi differ in a most remarkable manner from all the other Caprimulgidæ, inasmuch as while the eggs of the Ægothelæ are deposited in the holes of trees, and those of the members of the other genera of this family on the ground, these birds construct a flat nest of small sticks on the horizontal branches of trees for the reception of theirs, which are moreover of the purest white.

Although I have no satisfactory evidence that these birds resort to a kind of hybernation for short periods during some portions of the year, I must not omit to mention that I have been assured that they do occasionally retire to and remain secluded in the hollow parts of the trees; and if such should prove to be the case, it may account for the extreme obesity of many of the individuals I procured, which was often so great as to prevent me from preserving their skins. I trust that these remarks will cause the subject to be investigated by those who are favourably situated for so doing; for my own part I see no reason why a bird should not pass a portion of its existence in a state of hybernation as well as some species of quadrupeds, animals much higher in the scale of creation.

So great a similarity in plumage reigns throughout the first four of the species enumerated below that I have thought it unnecessary to figure more than two, viz. P. humeralis and P. Cuvieri; the other two may be readily distinguished by the descriptions I have given of them, particularly if the localities be attended to.

• Caprimulgus megacephalus, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. lviii.
• Great-headed Goatsucker, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 265.—Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. x. p. 141.—Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. vii. p. 364.
• Wedge-tailed Goatsucker, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. vii. p. 368?
• Podargus Stanleyanus, Lath. MSS., Vig. & Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 197?

In the general colouring, form and arrangement of its markings, this species so closely resembles the P. humeralis, that one description applies equally to both; but it may be distinguished by its being somewhat larger in the body and much larger in the head, and by the very great development of the mandibles.

It inhabits the brushes of the east coast, and in its habits and economy resembles the other species of the group.

• Podargus brachypterus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VIII. p. 163.

In its general appearance this bird closely resembles the P. humeralis, but is even smaller in size than P. Cuvieri, while at the same time the bill is larger than that of the former species, and projects much farther from the face than in any other of its congeners; it also differs in the shortness of its wings, which circumstance suggested the specific appellation I have assigned to it.

It is a native of Western Australia.

Genus Eurostopodus, Gould.

Generic characters.

Bill somewhat more produced and stouter than in Caprimulgus; nostrils lateral and linear; rictus entirely devoid of bristles, but furnished with short, weak, divided and branching hairs; wings longer and more powerful than in Caprimulgus; first and second quills equal and longest; tail moderately long and nearly square; tarsi stout, and clothed anteriorly for their whole length; toes short, thick and fleshy; outer ones equal, and united to the middle one by a membrane for more than half their length; nail of the middle toe strongly pectinated on the inner side.

This genus, so far as is yet known, comprises but two species, both of which are natives of and confined to Australia. They differ considerably in their habits from the true Caprimulgi. Their wing-powers being enormous, they pass through the air with great rapidity, and while hawking for insects during the twilight of the early dawn and evening, they make the most abrupt and sudden turns in order to secure their prey. Like the typical Caprimulgi, they rest on the ground during the day. In every instance in which the site employed for incubation has been discovered, a single egg only has been found; it is deposited on the bare ground, and differs from those of the other Caprimulgi in being much more round in form, and of a dull olive-green spotted with jet black.

The members of this genus are very nearly allied to the Lyncorni, a group of birds inhabiting the Indian Islands.

• Fichtel’s Goatsucker, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. vii. p. 345.

Europe, Asia and Africa are the great strongholds of the members of this genus as at present restricted. A single species only has yet been discovered in Australia, where it frequents the northern or intertropical parts of the country.

This bird is found in Java, and I believe in Southern India.

Family HIRUNDINIDÆ, Vig.

Genus Acanthylis, Boie.

A group of birds possessing enormous powers of flight, and the members of which are distributed over the Indian Islands and Asia; the form is also found in Africa and in America, but in those countries the species are fewer in number: one species only has yet been discovered in Australia.

A migratory bird in most parts of Australia, but whence it comes or whither it goes has not yet been ascertained; of its nidification also nothing is known.

I have alluded to the great wing-powers of the birds of the genus Acanthylis, and in confirmation of which I may mention that an individual of this species was killed in England during the past year: it would be interesting to know the route pursued by the bird in travelling so great a distance as it must have done.

Genus Cypselus, Ill.

Of this genus, as of Acanthylis, there is but one species peculiar to Australia: other members of the group inhabit the continents of Europe, Asia and Africa, but not America.

• Hirundo pacifica, Lath.?

Genus Atticora, Boie.

The members of this genus are principally American.

I am not fully satisfied of the propriety of placing the bird I described in the ‘Proceedings of the Zoological Society’ as Hirundo leucosternon in the present genus: if on a further knowledge of the Australian birds it should prove that I have been correct in so doing, the species will be found to inhabit Australia, Africa and America.

Since I described and figured this species I have received numerous examples from Swan River, where Mr. Gilbert observed it on the 19th of August flying about the holes of the Boodee (Bettongia Grayii) in pairs; but it was not until the latter end of September that he succeeded in finding their nests placed at the extremities of holes bored in the side of a bank. All the holes that he saw were perfectly round, not more than two inches in diameter, running horizontally, and of the same dimensions, for three feet from the entrance, and then expanding to the extent of four inches and forming the receptacle of the nest, which is constructed of the broad portions of dried grasses and the dry dead leaves of the Acacia. Mr. Johnson Drummond informed him that he had frequently found seven and even nine eggs in a single nest, from which he inferred that more than one female lays in the same nest: the eggs are white, somewhat lengthened, and pointed in form. It would seem that the holes are not constructed exclusively for the purpose of nidification, for upon Mr. Gilbert’s inserting a long grass stalk into one of them five birds made their way out, all of which he succeeded in catching; upon his digging to the extremity in the hope of procuring their eggs, no nest was found, and hence he concludes that their holes are also used as places of resort for the night.

The members of the genus Hirundo, or true Swallows, inhabit Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, the Indian Islands and Australia, where the European and American chimney Swallows, Hirundo rustica and H. rufa, are beautifully represented by the H. neoxena.

• Hirundo neoxena, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part X. p. 113.

Genus Chelidon, Boie.

I find that by some unaccountable mistake I have placed the Australian members of this genus in that of Collocalia,—an error which I take this opportunity of correcting.

The two species inhabiting Australia are both represented by others in Europe, Asia, Africa and America. They differ somewhat from each other in habits, one always resorting to the holes of trees for the purpose of nidification, and the other building a clay nest similar to those constructed by the martins of Europe and America.

Family MEROPIDÆ, Vig.

Genus Merops, Linn.

India and Africa may be said to be the great nursery of this lovely group of birds; one species of which, common in the southern parts of Europe, is beautifully represented in Australia by the Merops ornatus, the only species inhabiting that country.

Family ——?

Genus Eurystomus, Vieill.

One species of this genus is found in Australia, and others inhabit India and Africa. They are closely allied to the Rollers, and not very distantly related to the Halcyons.

Family HALCYONIDÆ, Vig.

Genus Dacelo, Leach.

The members of the genus Dacelo comprise the largest species of the great family of the Halcyonidæ, and form a conspicuous portion of the ornithology of Australia; but remarkably enough are confined to the south-eastern and northern portions of the country, the south-western parts being uninhabited by any species of this group. I believe that water is not essential to their existence, and that they seldom if ever drink. They feed almost exclusively upon animal substances, small quadrupeds, birds, snakes, lizards, and insects of every kind being equally acceptable.

Three species inhabit Australia.

Inhabits the south-eastern portion of Australia, from South Australia to Moreton Bay.

Inhabits the north-eastern portion of Australia, and is common at Cape York.

Inhabits the north-western parts of Australia, particularly the Cobourg Peninsula.

In his ‘Journal of an Overland Expedition from Moreton Bay to Port Essington,’ Dr. Leichardt states that when near the Gulf of Carpentaria, “The laughing jackass (Dacelo Cervina, Gould) of this part of the country is of a different species from that of the eastern coast, is of a smaller size and speaks a different language; but the noise is by no means so ridiculous as that of Dacelo gigantea; he is heard before sunrise, and immediately after sunset, like his representative of the eastern coast; the latter was observed as far as the upper Lynd, where the new one made its appearance.”—P. 326.

Genus Halcyon, Swains.

The members of this genus, as now restricted, are found in all the islands of the Indian Archipelago, Australia, and New Zealand. The Australian species, which are four in number, have many habits in common with the Dacelos, and like them dwell among other places on the open plains, far away from water, and consequently must live for considerable periods without a supply of that element.

Captain Sturt found this species at the Depôt, and I have received specimens from the Swan River Settlement; consequently it has a very wide range, but is more an inhabitant of the interior than of the districts near the coast.

Independently of the Cobourg Peninsula, I have received specimens of this bird from Moreton Bay and other parts of the east coast.

Genus Alcyone, Swains.

The Australian members of this genus are so intimately allied that I have only deemed it necessary to figure two species, viz. Alcyone azurea and A. pusilla; the two species not figured are both nearly allied to A. azurea, and may be considered its northern and southern prototypes, since the one to which I have given the name of pulchra inhabits the north coast, and the other, which I have called Diemenensis, inhabits Van Diemen’s Land. The A. azurea inhabits the intermediate or rather the south-eastern portions of the country, but no species of the genus has yet been found in Western Australia. They all frequent the margins of rivers, and live on small fish and insects, and have many habits in common with the members of the genus Alcedo, of which the Kingfisher of Europe, A. Ispida, is the type. Although some species are found in New Guinea and the Indian Islands, Australia is the country in which birds of this form are most abundant.

• Alcyone Diemenensis, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part XIV. p. 19.

All the upper surface deep blue, becoming more vivid on the rump and upper tail-coverts; wings black washed with blue; throat buff; under surface of the body and wings ferruginous orange; on each side of the chest a patch of bluish black; lores and a small patch behind the ears buff; crown of the head indistinctly barred with black; irides and bill black; feet orange. Total length 6½ inches; bill, 2; wing, 3⅛; tail, 1¾; tarsi, ½.

Inhabits Van Diemen’s Land.

More robust than Alcyone azurea, or A. pulchra, and differing from both in the blue of the upper surface being tinged with green.

• Alcyone pulchra, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part XIV. p. 19.

All the upper surface shining purplish blue; wings brownish black; lores, tuft behind the ear, and throat buff; under surface deep ferruginous orange; sides of the chest fine purplish blue, passing into a rich vinous tint on the flanks; irides and bill black; feet orange. Total length 6 inches; bill, 2; wing, 2⅞; tail, 1½; tarsi ½.

Inhabits the north coast of Australia.

This is the finest coloured species of the Australian Alcyones, and is distinguished by the beautiful vinous colouring of the flanks.

Family ——?

Genus Artamus, Vieill.

The members of this singular genus are distributed over New Guinea, Ceram, the Indian Islands and the continent of India, but are more numerous in Australia than elsewhere, its fauna comprising no less than seven well-defined species.

Mr. Gilbert found this species breeding in the interior of the country during Dr. Leichardt’s overland journey to Port Essington.

Family ——?

Genus Dicæum, Cuv.

The continent of India, the Indian Islands and New Guinea are the countries in which the members of this genus abound; as yet only a single species has been found in Australia.

Family PIPRIDÆ, Vig.

Genus Pardalotus, Vieill.

This form is peculiar to Australia, in every portion of which great country, including Van Diemen’s Land, one or other of the species I have figured are to be found; some of them associated in the same district, and even inhabiting the same trees, while in other parts only a single species exists; for instance, the P. punctatus, P. quadragintus and P. affinis inhabit Van Diemen’s Land; on the whole of the southern coast of the continent from east to west P. punctatus and P. striatus are associated; the north coast is the cradle of the species I have called P. uropygialis, and the east coast that of P. melanocephalus, from both of which countries the others are excluded; the true habitat of the beautiful species I have figured and described as P. rubricatus is not yet known.

The seven species of this little group are each individually very numerous, which, together with their general distribution, may enable them to effect some important operation in the economy of nature; their chief food consisting of the larvæ of insects.

Family LANIADÆ, Vig.

Genus Strepera, Less.

Prior to the commencement of the present work only two species of this form (S. graculina and S. Anaphonensis) had been described, and these had been referred to a different genus by almost every author who had occasion to mention them; the older writers assigning them to Corvus, Coracias and Gracula, and the more modern ones to Cracticus and Barita: finding that their structure did not agree with the character of either of those genera, I (in 1837) proposed to make the first-mentioned species the type of a new genus (Coronica), not being aware at the time that this had been done some years before by M. Lesson, whose name, having the priority, is necessarily the one adopted.

My researches in Australia have enabled me to add four other species to the group, three possessing well-defined specific characters, and one, the distinctive markings of which are not so apparent, but which, in my opinion, is equally distinct; the specific characters of some groups of birds are, in fact, so difficult to be determined, both from the similarity of the species and the want of a knowledge of their natural habits, as to cause the naturalist no little trouble and research in properly distinguishing them; and to no group does this remark more strongly apply than to the one under consideration; the ample materials, however, at my command, and the possession of a large number of specimens, the sexes of which have all been ascertained by dissection, and the habits of which have been observed in their native localities, enables me to give as perfect an account of this curious group as any I have yet attempted.

On a careful examination of the members of this genus, it will be perceived that their relationship to the Corvidæ, to which they have been usually assigned, is very remote, their size and colour being, in fact, the only features of resemblance; their whole structure and economy is indeed very different from those of every other bird known, except those of Gymnorhina and Cracticus, with which genera they form a very natural group among the great family of Laniadæ or Shrikes.

All the species yet discovered are not only peculiar to Australia, but are strictly confined to the southern portion of that continent; their range being limited to the country comprised within the 25th and 40th degrees of south latitude; future research may, however, add both to the number of species and to the extent of their range; still their great stronghold is undoubtedly the most southern portion of the Australian continent, the islands of Bass’s Straits and Van Diemen’s Land.

Most of these birds seek their food on or near the ground, sometimes in swampy situations, and even on the sea-shore, at others on the most sterile plains far distant from water; grasshoppers and insects of every order are eaten by them with avidity, and to these grain, seeds and fruits are frequently added; they hop with remarkable agility over the broken surface of the ground, and leap from branch to branch with great alacrity: their flight is feeble and protracted, and they seldom mount high in the air, except for the purpose of crossing a gully, or for passing from one part of the forest to another, and then merely over the tops of the trees; during flight they usually utter a peculiar shrill cry, which is frequently repeated and answered by other birds of the same troop, for they mostly flit about in small companies of from four to six in number, apparently the parents and their offspring of the year. All the species occasionally descend to the cultivated grounds, orchards and gardens of the settlers, and commit considerable havoc among their fruits and grain; in many parts of Australia, particularly in Van Diemen’s Land, they form an article of food, and are considered good and even delicate eating. They usually build open cup-shaped nests as large as that of the Crow, composed of sticks and other coarse materials, lined with grasses or any other suitable substance that may be at hand; the eggs are generally three, but are sometimes four, in number. The sexes are similar in plumage, and the young assume the livery of the adult from the time they leave the nest.

• Corvus versicolor, Lath.?

• Strepera melanoptera, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part XIV. p. 20.

All the upper surface, wings, and tail black; under surface brownish black, tinged with grey on the abdomen; under tail-coverts and tips of all but the two centre tail-feathers white; irides yellow; bill and feet black.

Total length, 19 inches; bill, 2; wings, 11; tail, 9; tarsi, 2⅝.

This species inhabits South Australia, and is distinguished from all its congeners by the total absence of any white mark on the wings; in other respects it is so similar to S. Arguta, that I have not considered it necessary to give a figure of it.

Genus Gymnorhina, G. R. Gray.

Like Strepera this is strictly an Australian form, all the species of which frequent exclusively the southern parts of the country. Their structure is a mere modification of that of the members of the last genus adapted to a somewhat different mode of life and habits. They are more pastoral than the Streperæ, frequenting as they do the open plains and grassy downs, over which they run or rather hop with great facility. Their chief food consists of grasshoppers and other insects, to which berries and fruits are added, when such kinds of food are procurable. If unmolested in their natural haunts they may be considered a more familiar race than the Streperæ, but if persecuted they become extremely shy and distrustful. Few birds are more ornamental, or give a more animated appearance to the country than the members of this genus, either when running over the surface of the lawn-like ground, or when pouring forth their singular choral-like notes while perched together on the bare branches of a fallen Eucalyptus. The form and situation of the nest is the same as those of the Streperæ, larger, but not unlike that of the European Crow.

Specimens of this form from Western Australia exhibit some trifling differences, but I have not as yet been able to satisfy myself whether they are or are not distinct.

Genus Cracticus, Vieill.

The members of this genus, which are universally dispersed over Australia, prey upon small quadrupeds, birds, lizards and insects, which they frequently impale after the manner of the ordinary Shrikes. Their nidification resembles that of the species belonging to the genera Strepera and Gymnorhina, the nest being a large round structure placed among the branches of the trees, and the eggs four in number. So great a similarity exists between the birds inhabiting New South Wales, Van Diemen’s Land, and Swan River, that I have thought it unnecessary to figure the whole, but the annexed descriptions, with a due attention to the localities, will obviate all difficulty in determining the species.

• Lanius robustus, Lath. Gen. Hist. vol. ii. p. 67?

• Lanius curvirostris, Lath. Gen. Hist. vol. ii. p. 52.
• Lanius torquatus, Lath. Gen. Hist. vol. ii. p. 70.

• Vanga cinerea, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part IV. p. 143.

Inhabits Van Diemen’s Land, and may be distinguished from C. destructor by its much longer bill, and, when fully adult, by its grey back.

Inhabits Western Australia; is of the same size as C. destructor, but has the white mark on the wings much larger and more clearly defined.

Genus Grallina, Vieill.

Only one species of this genus is at present known. It is peculiar to Australia, over every portion of which country it is dispersed; and it may be considered one of the anomalies of the Australian ornithology, since its alliance to any group of birds with which we are acquainted is very remote.

Genus Graucalus, Cuv.

The woods of every part of the Old World from India to Australia are tenanted by species of this genus, which, from their great size, their being strictly insectivorous, and individually very numerous, must tend to keep insect life in check, and consequently perform a most important part in the economy of nature.

In my description of Graucalus melanops, I have stated that New South Wales, Van Diemen’s Land, Swan River and Port Essington, are each inhabited by Grauculi so nearly allied to each other that it was questionable whether they were not one and the same species, and that the slight differences they present were attributable to some peculiarity in the districts they inhabit; after much attention to the subject, I have been induced to regard the Van Diemen’s Land bird as distinct, and I have therefore assigned it a name, parvirostris; those of the other countries appear to be local varieties or races peculiar to their respective habitats.

All the members of the group build a flat slight nest of fine short dead twigs, curiously joined together with cobwebs, on which they lay two eggs.

• Graucalus melanotis, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part V. p. 143; and in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part IV. Young.

• Graucalus parvirostris, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part V. p. 143; and Syn. Birds of Australia, Part. IV.

Forehead, sides of the face and the throat jet black; crown of the head, all the upper surface and centre of the wings delicate grey; primaries and the inner webs of the secondaries deep brownish black, the former narrowly and the latter broadly margined with greyish white; tail grey at the base, passing into deep brownish black and largely tipped with white, the grey colour predominating on the two centre feathers, which are destitute of the white tips; chest grey, into which the black of the throat gradually passes; lower part of the abdomen, under surface of the wing and under tail-coverts white; flanks and thighs grey; bill and feet brownish black.

Total length, 12 inches; bill, 1½; wing, 7½; tail, 6; tarsi, 1.

Inhabits Van Diemen’s Land.

Genus Pteropodocys, Gould.

Generic characters.

Bill small, shorter than the head, nearly cylindrical; tomia curved and pointing downwards; a well-defined notch at the extremity of the upper mandible; nostrils basal, round, and covered with the short feathers of the forehead; wings long and pointed, the fourth feather the longest; tail lengthened, the four middle and the lateral feather on each side shorter than the rest; tarsi long, stout; toes rather short, the inner toe longer than the outer one, hind-toe large and lengthened, the toe and nail nearly equalling in length the middle toe and nail.

The general structure of the only known species of this form resembles that of Graucalus and of Campephaga, but the bill is so small as to be quite out of proportion with the body; its lengthened wings and tarsi adapt it both for flight and for moving rapidly over the surface of the ground.

Inhabits the whole of the interior of Southern Australia from east to west; the extent of its range northward has not been ascertained. It has many habits in common with the Graucali; but while those birds are destined for the trees the present bird is adapted for the ground, where it procures and feeds upon insects of various genera, particularly locusts and grasshoppers. It frequents the open plains in small companies of from three to six or eight in number, and is very animated in its actions, but at the same time most cautious and shy.

Genus Campephaga, Vieill.

The members of this genus are spread over India and the Indian Islands, and the fauna of Australia comprises four species; they are allied to the Graucali, but are much smaller in size, and more active among the branches.

The sexes are generally very dissimilar in colour and markings, while in Graucalus they are alike. The nidification and the form of the nests of the two genera are very similar.

Genus Pachycephala, Swains.

The Pachycephala gutturalis may be regarded as the type of this group of birds, which is peculiarly Australian, and comprises many species, universally distributed over the country. Their habits differ from those of most other insectivorous birds, particularly in their quiet mode of hopping about and traversing the branches of the trees in search of insects and their larvæ: caterpillars constitute a great portion of their food; but coleoptera and other insects are not rejected. The more gaily-attired species, such as P. gutturalis, P. glaucura, P. melanura and P. pectoralis, resort to the flowering Acaciæ, Eucalypti and other stately trees, while the more dull-coloured ones frequent the ground: they all build a neat, round, cup-shaped nest, and the eggs are generally four in number. Their powers of flight are not great: some of the species enjoy a wide range of habitat, while others are extremely local. The song of some is loud and rather pleasing, while others merely emit a whistling note, slowly but frequently repeated.

• Sylvia rufiventris, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. liv.
• Rufous-vented Warbler, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 248.—Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. x. p. 696.
• Turdus prasinus, Lath. Gen. Hist. vol. v. p. 121?

• Pachycephala inornata, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VIII. p. 164. Young?

The two birds described by me in the Proceedings of the Zoological Society, Part V. p. 164, as P. xanthoprocta and P. longirostris, are both immature birds, and are, I believe, from Norfolk Island.

Genus Colluricincla, Vig. & Horsf.

Like the last group, the present is strictly confined to Australia, every one of the colonies of which country, from north to south and from east to west, is inhabited by a species peculiarly and restrictedly its own. They have many characters in common with the Pachycephalæ, which they also resemble in their actions, food, economy and nidification. They are neither Shrikes nor Thrushes, but are most nearly allied to the former; they are insect-feeders to a very great extent, but occasionally partake of mollusks and berries. Some of them defend themselves vigorously with both bill and claws when attacked. Their voice is a loud whistle, some parts of which are not devoid of melody, particularly the loud swelling notes.

The nest is rather slightly built, round and cup-shaped in form, and is mostly placed in the hollow spout of a tree: the eggs are four in number.

• Certhia canescens, Lath. Gen. Hist. vol. iv. p. 180?

Inhabits New South Wales.

Inhabits Western Australia.

Inhabits Port Essington.

Inhabits Van Diemen’s Land.

Inhabits the northern parts of the country.

• Colluricincla rufogaster, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part XIII. p. 80.

I have assigned this name to a bird lately sent to me by Mr. Strange from the brushes of the Clarence in New South Wales; it may hereafter prove to be identical with the last-mentioned species, C. parvula, the form and admeasurements being precisely the same; but the bird from New South Wales has a lighter coloured bill, and the whole of the under surface washed with deep rufous.

The locality of the bird described by me in the Proceedings of the Zoological Society, Part IV. p. 6, as Colluricincla fusca, being still unknown, that species has not been included.

Genus Falcunculus, Vieill.

The two species of this genus are not only strictly Australian, but are confined to the southern parts of the country; the F. frontatus inhabiting New South Wales and South Australia, and the F. leucogaster Western Australia. When attacked by their natural enemies or by man, both species defend themselves with their powerful bill and claws with the utmost fury; they also by the same means readily tear off pieces of rotten wood and the thin scaly bark of the Eucalypti in search of insects. The branches of trees are their usual place of resort, and in many of their actions and habits they closely resemble the Tits of Europe and India (genus Parus), while they also assimilate to the Pachycephalæ. They build a round, cup-shaped nest.

Mr. Gilbert states that while staying in the Toodyay district of Western Australia in the month of October, he found the nest of this species among the topmost and weakest perpendicular branches of a Eucalyptus, at a height of at least fifty feet: it was of a deep cup-shaped form, composed of the stringy bark of the gum-tree, and lined with fine grasses, the whole matted together externally with cobwebs; the eggs, which are three or four in number, are of a glossy white with numerous minute speckles of dark olive most thickly disposed at the larger end; they are seven-eighths of an inch long by five-eighths of an inch in breadth. He adds, that under ordinary circumstances it is a somewhat shy bird, but when breeding becomes bold and familiar; as an evidence of which he adduces the fact that a flock of sheep were driven every night beneath the tree upon which the nest was being constructed without giving the least alarm to the birds.

Genus Oreoïca, Gould.

Generic characters.

Bill shorter than the head, stout, compressed laterally, and notched at the tip; culmen bent gradually downwards from the base; lower mandible nearly as stout as the upper; nostrils basal, round, and nearly covered with very fine short hair-like feathers directed forwards, among which are intermingled a few long fine hairs; wings rather long, the first quill short, the third the longest; tertiaries very long, and nearly equalling the primaries; tail short and very slightly rounded; tarsi moderately long and stout, entire posteriorly, and defended anteriorly with hard scuta; feet adapted for the ground; toes very short, particularly the hind one, inner toe rather shorter than the outer; claws short, and nearly straight.

The only species known of this form is strictly Australian, and is a sprightly animated bird frequenting the sterile districts studded with large trees, scrubs, and open glades, where it hops about on the ground in search of insects. Notwithstanding the singularly lengthened form of its scapularies and its terrestrial habits, it appears to me to belong to the same type of form as the Pachycephalæ; its loud piping note and mode of nidification also favours this opinion. It lays three or four eggs, in a round, cup-shaped nest, placed either in a grass tree (Xanthorrhœa) or in a hole or stump of a decayed upright tree.

Genus Dicrurus, Vieill.

A genus of which many species inhabit India and Africa, but of which only one has yet been found in Australia.