An Australian Bird Book Part 35

nitida_, Louisiade Is., E.A., S.A., T.

Mig. r. _gullies_ 6.5

Upper, breast blackish metallic-green; abdomen, under base tail white; f., upper duller; throat, breast rust-red.

Insects. Loud piping whistle.

2 2

=259* Restless Flycatcher=, Scissors Grinder, Grinder, Willie Wagtail (e), Dishwasher (e), Who-are-you? _Seisura inquieta_, A.

Stat. c. _open_, _scrub_ 8

Upper s.h.i.+ning black; under white; like 256 but throat white; hovers; f., throat, breast buff. Insects. Harsh grinding, "Tu-whee, tu-whee."

2 8

=260 Black-faced Flycatcher= (Carinated), _Monarcha melanopsis_, Timor, N.G., N. Ter., E.A.

Stat. r. _brushes_ 6.7

Forehead, face, throat black; upper gray; wings, tail brown; chest gray; abdomen rufous; f., sim. Insects. Loud whistle, "Why-yew, witch-yew."

Order XXI. (continued)

More than half the species of birds making up the family of Caterpillar-eaters are restricted to the Australian region.

The common Black-faced Cuckoo-Shrike has many names. Leatherhead, Blue Pigeon, and Blue Jay are amongst the most common, and all are wrong. The Leatherhead is a Honey-eater, and is better known as the Friar-Bird. The Cuckoo-Shrike is not a Pigeon, but is a perching bird; nor is it a Jay, which is a Northern Hemisphere bird, a member of the Crow family.

The Black-faced Cuckoo-Shrike is partly migratory, being stationary in the northern parts of its range, but migratory in the south. It occasionally reaches New Zealand. These birds undergo many changes of plumage before a.s.suming the adult dress. The Little Cuckoo-Shrike, in particular, has several plumage phases, the throat and neck being black in the young, but gray in the adult. Its Cuckoo-like flight undoubtedly suggested part of the name. When young males are unlike the adult males, they usually resemble the female. Here, however, the adults of both s.e.xes are similar.

The male White-shouldered Caterpillar-eater resembles a Hooded Robin (249). It is supposed to be shy, but at the Tallangatta excursion, two pairs were attending to domestic duties in the school ground and surprised all by their fine musical performances. The male called "Peter, Peter," or some syllabize it "Pretty Joey," and then broke into a trilling song that fully equalled any canary performance I have heard. This was repeated frequently during the day. The female seemed to have a creak in her note, which, however, was musical. The bill is slender in this species.

The Jardine Caterpillar-eater is rare and very shy. It keeps to the topmost branches of lofty trees. The male is dark blue-gray and black, and has a strong bill. The brown female is quite dissimilar, her whitish under surface being crossed with numerous brown arrow-head markings.

The Cuckoo-Shrikes and Caterpillar-eaters are, like the Cuckoos, very fond of caterpillars, and so should receive all the protection we can give them.

(continued below)

[Page 126]

[Ill.u.s.tration: [261] [262] [263] [264] [265] [265^A]]

F. 120. CAMPOPHAGIDAE (10), CUCKOO-SHRIKES, Caterpillar-eaters, 186 sp.--104(103)A., 63(61)O., 2(1)P., 19(19)E.

1 1

=261 Ground Cuckoo-Shrike=, Ground Graucalus, Ground (Long-tailed) Jay (e), _Pteropodocys phasianella_, Q., N.S.W., V., C.A., W.A. (interior).

Stat. v.r. _plains_ 13

Head, neck, chest, back delicate-gray; abdomen, rump white, many narrow black bars; under base tail white; wings, tail black; side tail tipped white; f., sim. Insects, larvae.

Shrill note.

[Page 127]

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=262* Black-faced Cuckoo-Shrike=, Leatherhead (e), Cherry-Hawk (e), Lapwing (e), Summer (Blue) Bird, Blue (Gray) Jay (e), Blue (Mountain) Pigeon (e), Australian Shrike (N.Z.), _Coracina robusta (Graucalus melanops)_, Cel., Mol., N.G., A., N.Z. (acc.).

Part.-Mig. v.c. _plains_, _timber_ 13

Delicate gray; forehead, face, throat black; wing-quills black edged gray; tail gray base, black centre, tip white; lifts wings after settling; f., sim. Caterpillars, insects, fruit.

Purring note.

=263 Little Cuckoo-Shrike=, Varied Graucalus, Lesser Blue-Jay (e), _C. mentalis_, E.A.

Stat. r. _forest_ 10.5

Upper dark slate-gray; wing-quills black; tail black tipped white; about eye black; throat, breast gray (adult), under wing, under base tail white; young many changes of color; head, neck black; f., sim. Caterpillars, insects, berries.

Soft rolling note.

1 35

=264 Jardine Caterpillar-eater= (-Campophaga), _Edolisoma tenuirostre_, N. Ter., E.A.

Stat. r. _treetops_ 10.6

Face black: upper, under, centre-tail deep blue-gray; wing-quills, outer-tail black; f., smaller; upper, wings, tail feathers brown, edged lighter; under creamy-buff with many blackish bars; line over eye buff. Insect larvae. "Kree-kree."

2 25

=265* White-shouldered Caterpillar-eater= (-Campophaga), Peewee-Lark (e), _Lalage tricolor_, N.G., A., T.

Mig. c. _thick timber_ 6.5

Crown, hind-neck, upper-back black; shoulders, line on wing white; rest wing black; lower-back gray; tail black outer tipped white; under white; somewhat like 248 but throat white; f.,* upper brown; wing marked light lines; under whitish.

Insects. Fine musician, canary-like song.

F. 121. _Pycnonotidae_, Bulbuls, 257 sp.--7(6)A., 148(145)O., 6(4)P., 99(99)E.

Order XXI. (continued)

The family _Timeliidae_ is an ill-defined one, the members of which are mostly ground birds, or, at least, spend a good deal of time on the ground.