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diff --git a/34781-8.txt b/34781-8.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..3144b62 --- /dev/null +++ b/34781-8.txt @@ -0,0 +1,12611 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of An Australian Bird Book, by John Albert Leach + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: An Australian Bird Book + A Pocket Book for Field Use + +Author: John Albert Leach + +Illustrator: C. C. Brittlebank + +Release Date: December 29, 2010 [EBook #34781] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK AN AUSTRALIAN BIRD BOOK *** + + + + +Produced by Lesley Halamek, Chris Curnow, Joseph Cooper, +Mark Orton (for the Formatting Template), and the Online +Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net + + + + + +Transcriber's Note. + +^ indicates a superscript. + +_text_ indicates italic type. + +=text= indicates bold type. + +A missing line on Page 25 (_in italics_) + +(Their wings are paddles, being flattened and devoid of quills. +_The wings are not folded, but are carried hanging awkwardly at_ +the side.) + + was restored from a different Edition on Google Books +(http:// books.google.com/books?id=Rn3uthhODo8C&pg=PA25&lpg=PA25). + +Sundry damaged or missing punctuation has been repaired, and a few +index entries have been amended. + + +The use of hyphens was not necessarily consistent throughout this book. +In some instances there are subtle differences in meaning. + +Some Australian/British spellings (e.g. coloured, defence, draught, +grey, learnt, lustre, etc.) have been retained, though color/colored +and gray are more prevalent. The Author has used various resources. + + + + +From Wikipedia: + +"DR JOHN ALBERT LEACH (19 March 1870 - 3 October 1929) was an +ornithologist, teacher and headmaster in the state of Victoria, +Australia. + +Leach was born in Ballarat, Victoria and educated at Creswick Grammar +School (where he was dux), Melbourne Training College (1890) and the +University of Melbourne, where he graduated B.Sc. in 1904, M.Sc. in +1906 and in 1912 obtained his doctorate for research in ornithology. + +Leach was a regular writer and broadcaster on natural history subjects +and introduced it into the school curriculum. He was President of the +Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union (RAOU) 1922-1924 and Editor of +its journal The Emu 1914-1924 and 1928-1929. He was a member of the +British Ornithologists Union and a corresponding fellow of the +American Ornithologists Union. Leach was also member of the Field +Naturalists Club of Victoria. He was instrumental in founding the +Gould League of Bird Lovers in 1909 with Jessie McMichael. He is best +known as the author of An Australian Bird Book, the first edition of +which was published in 1911, and of Australian Nature Studies in 1922. +He also part-authored a series of Federal Geography books, and worked +on the Official Checklist of the Birds of Australia second and revised +edition, published by the RAOU in September 1926. + +Leach had been preparing two books before his death, one of these was +a collection of weekly radio broadcasts he made on 3LO in the mid +1920s.... + +Among his contributions to ornithology was the relationship between +the Australian Magpie, butcherbirds and currawongs in the family +Cracticidae, now sunk as a subfamily into Artamidae." + + + + +This book is a field guide. The pages were divided vertically, with +the tabular matter on the top half, and the Lecture on the bottom half +of the page. + +The ebook has been re-arranged so that the separate parts have a +smoother flow. The top parts of the pages have been left intact, but +the bottom parts have been collected together and moved, so that the +Lecture text for each ORDER precedes the tabular listing and +descriptions for that ORDER. + +The only exception is for ORDER XXI. + +ORDER XXI.--Perching-Birds--contains 11,500 species, more than +three-fifths of the world's 19,000 birds. It has been arranged into +sets of suitable groups of FAMILIES, to make it easier to access. + +==== has been used to separate the Lecture from the Tabular matter. + + +From "PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.": + +"In response to requests from beginners, a table has been added on +page 190. This table shows the page on which a bird of a certain size +may be found." + + +As the page numbers are an integral part of the field guide, and +necessary for the identification of birds seen in the field, in flight, +or found dead, they have been inserted into the tabular section, as +[Page xx]. + +Sometimes a page has contained the end entries of one ORDER, or one +Family, and the beginning entries of the next. In these few instances +(e.g. [Page 18a] and [Page 18b]; [Page 188a] and [Page 188b]), it may +be necessary for the reader to search both sections of the page. + +For birds mentioned in the Lecture, it would be necessary to search by +bird name. + + +NAMES RECENTLY AMENDED (located after the INTRODUCTION). + +It seems important to have these new names available, so they have +been added to (e.g.) + +=20 Slate-breasted Rail= .... + +as [~20 _Rallus pectoralis._] + +so: + +=20 Slate-breasted Rail= (Short-toed), Lewin Water-Rail, + _Eulabeornis (Hypotaenidia) brachypus_, A., T., Auckland Is. + =vt. Eur. Water-Rail. + [~20 _Rallus pectoralis._] + + +See also the explanatory notes in the PREFACE, and in the PREFACE TO +THE SECOND EDITION. + +"The number at the right side of the page is the length of the bird in +inches (from the tip of bill to the tip of tail)." ... + +so: + +1 +1 + + =2* Mallee-Fowl=, Lowan, Native Pheasant, Pheasant (e), + _Leipoa ocellata_, N.S.W., V., S.A., W.A. + + Stat. r. _mallee scrubs_ 24 + + Like a small turkey; neck light fawn-gray; back, wings spotted + white, black, brown; f., smaller. Seeds, ants. + +This means there is one genus of Mallee-Fowl in the world, and it is +found only in Australia. It is listed in this book as Bird number 2, +which has a colored illustration, indicated by the asterisk, *. + +It is stationary (not migratory), rarely seen, lives in mallee scrubs, +and is 24" long. + +It resembles a small turkey; its neck is light fawn-gray; its back +and wings are spotted white, black, and brown; the female is smaller; +and it feeds on seeds and ants. + +Note (From NOTE following "PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION."): + + A.--Australian Region (from Wallace's Line to Sandwich Islands + and New Zealand, see map p. 10). + +'Sandwich Islands' is an old name for Fiji. + + * * * * * + + + + +[Illustration: [2] [3] [4] [6] [8] [11] [14] [16]] + + =2= Mallee-Fowl + =3= Stubble Quail + =4= Brown Quail + =6= King Quail + =8= Painted Quail + =11= Plain Wanderer + =14= Diamond Dove + =16= Bronzewing Pigeon + + + + +AN AUSTRALIAN BIRD BOOK + + +A Pocket Book for Field Use + + +BY + +J. A. LEACH, M.Sc. + +_First-class Honorman and University Exhibitioner and Scholar in +Biology; Organizing Inspector of Nature Study, Education Department, +Victoria; Member of the Council of the Royal Australasian +Ornithologists' Union; Vice-President of the Field Naturalists' Club +of Victoria; &c._ + +With Introduction by +FRANK TATE, M.A., I.S.O. + +_Director of Education, Victoria._ + +_Published by arrangement with the Education Department +of Victoria._ + +SECOND EDITION + +[Illustration] + +MELBOURNE +Christchurch, Wellington, Dunedin, N.Z., and London. +WHITCOMBE & TOMBS LIMITED +1912 + +[Illustration: _The Queen City Printers_] + +_Illustrations from Specimens (318) in the National Museum, Melbourne; +the balance mostly from Specimens in the Entomological Museum, C. +French (59), and in the collections of A. Coles, Taxidermist, (36), +C. F. Cole, and D. Le Souëf. Twenty-two birds were photographed from +Gould's "Birds of Australia," five from drawings specially prepared by +C. C. Brittlebank, the well-known naturalist-artist, and one from the +Report of the Horn Expedition._ + +_Photos by Ralph L. Miller._ + +_Engravings by Patterson Shugg & Co., from Paintings by Miss Ethel M. +Paterson._ + + + + +INTRODUCTION. + + +Nature-study in our schools is fast producing a generation of +Australians trained to look upon the characteristic beauties of our +Australian skies, our trees, our flowers, our birds with a passionate +appreciation almost unknown to our pioneering fathers and mothers. +It was natural that newcomers from the Old World should have been +impressed, and often unfavorably impressed, by the oddness of things +here. Rural sights to them had hitherto been sights of trim meadows +bordered by neat hedgerows, of well-cultivated fields and comfortable +farmsteads, or of stately homes set in fair gardens and far-reaching +parks of magnificently-spreading trees. What wonder, then, that they +were at first almost repelled by the strangeness and unfamiliarity +of their new surroundings! How could eyes accustomed to the decided +greens and to the somewhat monotonous shapeliness of the trees in +an English summer landscape find beauty all at once in the delicate, +elusive tints of the gum trees, or in the wonderfully decorative lines +of their scanty boughs and light foliage shown clear against a bright +sky? And so a land which is eminently a land of color, where +the ever-present eucalypts give in their leaves every shade from +blue-grays to darkest greens; where the tender shoots show brilliantly +in bright crimson, or duller russets, or bright coppery-gold; +and where tall, slender stems change slowly through a harmony of +salmon-pinks and pearl-grays, has been called a drab-colored land. +Even now, the beauty of the gum tree is not sufficiently appreciated +by Australians, and we see all too few specimens in our suburban +gardens. For an appreciation of the decorative effect of our young +blue gums, we must go to the Riviera or to English conservatories. + +Australia has suffered greatly from phrase-makers. There is still much +popular belief that our trees are shadeless, our rivers are waterless, +our flowers are scentless, our birds are songless. Oddities in our +flora and fauna have attracted the notice of superficial observers, +and a preference for epigrammatic perfection, rather than for +truthful generalization, has produced an abundance of neatly-expressed +half-truths, which have been copied into popular literature, and even +into school books. Our English-bred poet, Gordon, writes of lands-- + + "Where bright blossoms are scentless, + And songless, bright birds." + +and these lines are remembered better than his description in the same +poem of Spring-- + + "When the wattle gold trembles + 'Twixt shadow and shine, + When each dew-laden air draught resembles + A long draught of wine." + +It is true that we have scentless, bright blossoms; but Australia +is the home of the richly-perfumed wattle, and the boronia, with +its never-cloying fragrance; while there is, perhaps, no forest more +odorous than a forest of eucalypts. It is true, too, that we have +bright birds that have no excellence in song; but it is also true +that, in this favored land, there is a far greater proportion than +usual of fine song-birds. + +The first generations of Australians were not taught to love +Australian things. We "learned from our wistful mothers to call Old +England home." Our school books and our story books were made in Great +Britain for British boys and girls, and naturally they stressed what +was of interest to these boys and girls. We read much about the beauty +of the songs of the Lark, and the Thrush, and the Nightingale, but we +found no printed authority for the belief that our Magpie is one of +the great song-birds of the world; we read of the wonderful powers +of the American Mocking-Bird, and did not know that our beautiful +Lyrebird is a finer mimic; we learned by heart Barry Cornwall's +well-known poem on "The Storm Petrel," and did not know that one of +the most interesting of Petrel rookeries is near the harbor gate +of Melbourne; and I remember well a lesson I heard as a boy on the +migration of birds, in which the teacher took all of his illustrations +from his boyish experiences in the South of England, and gave us no +idea that the annual migration of our familiar Australian birds to +far-off Siberia is a much more wonderful thing. + +But all this is being rapidly changed. In the elementary schools +Nature-study is steadily improving, and children are being given an +eye for, and an interest in, the world of Nature around them. Our +school books are now written from the Australian standpoint, and more +use can, therefore, be made of the child's everyday experience. Field +Naturalists' clubs are doing much to extend the area of specialized +Nature-study, and their members are giving valuable assistance to the +schools by taking part in the programs for Arbor Day, Bird Day, and +the like. The growing interest in the Australian fauna and flora +is further evidenced by the frequent reservations by Government of +desirable areas as national parks and sanctuaries for the preservation +of Australian types. Last, but not least, is the production by capable +Nature students of special books on some form of Nature-study, such as +this Bird Book by Mr. Leach. + +To our parents, Australia was a stranger land, and they were +sojourners here. Though they lived here, they did not get close enough +to it to appreciate fully its natural beauty and its charm. To us, +and especially to our children, children of Australian-born parents, +children whose bones were made in Australia, the place is home. To +them Nature makes a direct appeal, strengthened by those most powerful +of all associations, those gathered in childhood, when the foundations +of their minds were laid. The English boy, out on a breezy down, may +feel an exaltation of soul on hearing a Skylark raining down a flood +of delicious melody from far up at heaven's gate, but his joy is no +whit greater than his who hears, in the dewy freshness of the early +morning, the carol of the Magpie ringing out over an Australian plain. +To those who live in countries where the winter is long and bitter, +any sign that the genial time of flowers is at hand is very welcome. +All over the countryside the first call of the Cuckoo, spring's +harbinger, arouses the keenest delight in expectant listeners. This +delight is, however, more than mere delight in the bird's song. And to +those brought up with it year by year there comes a time when the call +of the Cuckoo stirs something deep down below the surface of ordinary +emotion. It is the resultant of multitudes of childhood experiences +and of associations with song and story. I first heard the Cuckoo in +Epping Forest one delicious May evening four years ago. It charmed me, +but my delight was almost wholly that of association. All the English +poetry I knew was at the back of the bird's song. Here in Australia +we have no sharply-defined seasons, yet I find myself every spring +listening eagerly for the first plaintive, insistent call of the +Pallid Cuckoo. For me his song marks another milestone passed. + +Marcus Clarke wrote of the Laughing Jackasses as bursting into +"horrible peals of semi-human laughter." But then Marcus Clarke was +English-bred, and did not come to Australia till he was eighteen years +old. It makes all the difference in our appreciation of bird or tree +or flower to have known it as a boy. I venture to think no latter-day +Australian who has grown up with our Kookaburra can have any but +the kindliest of feelings for this feathered comedian. For myself, I +confess that I find his laughter infectious, and innumerable times he +has provoked me into an outburst as hearty and as mirthful as his own. +More than half of our pleasure is due to the fact that the bird is + + "The same that in my schoolboy days I listened to." + +and to such a one we can say-- + + "I can listen to thee yet, + Can lie upon the plain + And listen, till I do beget + That golden time again." + +It is time that we Australians fought against the generally received +opinion that the dominant note of our scenery is weird melancholy. +This is the note sounded mainly by those who were bred elsewhere, who +came to us with other associations and other traditions, and sojourned +among us. It will not be the opinion of the native-born when they find +appropriate speech. + + "Whence doth the mournful keynote start? + From the pure depths of Nature's heart? + Or, from the heart of him who sings, + And deems his hand upon the strings, + Is Nature's own?" + +This little book should do much to popularize bird-study and to spread +a knowledge of our common birds among our people. I hope devoutly that +an effort will be made to give them suitable names. We should give +them names a poet or a child can use. A Chaucer poring lovingly over +his favorite flower, the daisy, could call it by a name which is +itself full of poetry. Even the unimaginative clown, Nick Bottom, +could sing of + + "The Ouzel Cock, so black of hue, + With orange-tawny bill, + The Throstle with his note so true, + The Wren with little quill, + The Finch, the Sparrow, and the Lark, + The plain-song Cuckoo gray." + +And a Burns can invoke the Throstle in lines as musical as the song of +the bird itself--"And thou mellow mavis, that hails the night-fa'." + +But how shall an Australian bard sing of "The Red-rumped Acanthiza," +or of that delightful songster, "The Rufous-breasted Thickhead"? +Australian Nature-poetry will be handicapped until our children give +names like "Bobolink," and "Chickadee," and "Whip-poor-will," and +"Jacky Winter," to our birds. + +"Oriel," in the _Argus_, some time ago, showed how hard it is to write +of love's young dream in Australian verse. + + "Sweetheart, we watched the evening sky grow pale, + And drowsy sweetness stole away our senses, + While ran adown the swamp the Pectoral Rail, + The shy Hypotaenidia philippinensis. + + "How sweet a thing is love! Sweet as the rose, + Fragrant as flowers, fair as the sunlight beaming! + Only the Sooty Oyster-Catcher knows + How sweet to us, as there we lingered dreaming. + + "Dear, all the secret's ours. The Sharp-tailed Stint + Spied, but he will not tell--though you and I + Paid Cupid's debts from Love's own golden mint, + While Yellow-Bellied Shrike-Tits fluttered nigh. + + "The Honey-eaters heard; the Fuscous--yea, + The Warty-faced, the Lunulated, too; + But this kind feathered tribe will never say + What words you said to me, or I to you. + + "The golden bloom was glorious in the furze, + And gentle twittering came from out the copses; + It was the Carinated Flycatchers, + Or else the black Monarcha melanopsis. + + "That day our troth we plighted--blissful hour, + Beginning of a joy a whole life long! + And while the wide world seemed to be in flower, + The Chestnut-rumped Ground-Wren burst forth in song." + +It surely would not be amiss if the Bird Observers' Clubs throughout +Australia, and the Royal Australasian Ornithologists' Union, enlisted +the aid of the State Education Departments, and endeavored to find out +what names the children use for the birds of their district. Executive +committees upon bird names are good; but a good name is not evoked by +arguments in committee. It ofttimes comes from the happy inspiration +of some child who loves the bird. At present the names given by +classifiers are often an offence. A few evenings ago I was charmed +with an unaccustomed song coming from out a big pittosporum tree in +my garden at Kew. I took careful note of the little warbler, and then +consulted Mr. Leach's _Descriptive List_. Judge of my satisfaction +when I found that my little friend was "The Striated Field Wren or +Stink Bird"! + +The Australian boy is responding splendidly to the Nature-study +movement. Bird observers tell me that shy native birds, formerly +unknown near the haunts of men, are making their appearance, +feeling safer now from molestation. Nest hunting for the sake of egg +spoliation is happily becoming rarer, although children are developing +keener eyes for nests. To-day every country school has its nests +under loving observation for the purposes of bird-study and of +bird-protection. Walt Whitman might have been describing many a +Victorian school boy when he wrote-- + + "And every day the he-bird, to and fro, near at hand, + And every day the she-bird, crouched on her nest, silent, with bright eyes, + And every day, I, a curious boy, never too close, never disturbing them, + Cautiously peering, absorbing, translating." + +This loving study must bear good fruit. If we believe the scientific +men, Australia is, _par excellence_, the land of birds, song-birds, +plumage-birds, and birds of wonderful interest, such as the Satin +Bower Bird. The collection of Australian birds in our National Museum +at Melbourne is certainly one of the finest sights of the city, and it +should be studied by all who wish to know how favored this continent +is in bird distribution. But we must get to know and to love our +feathered friends. Mr. Leach in his lecture has dwelt sufficiently on +the economic and scientific value of bird-study. Let me enter a plea +for bird-study as a source of æsthetic pleasure. Before our Australian +birds can be to us what the Thrush and the Blackbird and the Linnet +and the Lark and the Nightingale are to the British boy, we must have +a wealth of association around them from song and story. And this +association must grow up with us from childhood if it is to make +the strongest appeal to us. It can rarely be acquired in later life. +British birds owe much to the poets for the charm that surrounds them. +When I heard the Nightingale in England, although I had no association +with it gathered from my boyhood's days, I heard more than the bird's +song. I was listening to Keats and Wordsworth and Shakespeare as well. +There is something very fine in the thought that such bird songs go on +for ever, that these immortal birds are "not made for death," that + + "The voice I hear this passing night was heard + In ancient days by emperor and clown: + Perhaps the self-same song that found a path + Through the sad heart of Ruth, when, sick for home, + She stood in tears amid the alien corn." + +The Nightingale's song, as a bird song, I thought disappointing. +I remember having the same feeling with regard to the Thrush and +Blackbird. The charm of their songs is largely in the associations +they evoke. Our city children are now growing up in familiarity with +these two birds, which are becoming as common in our gardens as in +England. And wherever they go they carry so much that is fine in +literature with them. But there has not yet been time for our native +birds to endear themselves to us. And so we hear only their song. Wise +Shakespeare says-- + + "How many things by season seasoned are + To their right praise and true perfection." + + * * * * * * * + + "The Nightingale, if she should sing by day, + When every goose is cackling, would be thought + No better a musician than the Wren." + +He knows that to the song of the bird must be its appropriate setting, +and that when Nature has done her part there is still much to be +supplied by ourselves. + +The outlook is, however, a hopeful one. Nature-study is bringing our +boys and girls into kindlier relationships with our birds; suitable +popular names will be forthcoming for them; our poets will sing of +them; our nursery rhymes and our children's tales will tell of them; +and the time will come when even the birds now trying so hard to +sing their way into our hearts, while cursed with the names of +"Rufous-breasted Thickhead" and "Striated Field Wren or Stink Bird," +will mean to an Australian what "the Throstle with his note so true" +and "the Wren with little quill" do to an Englishman. + +Mr. Leach's valuable little book is a powerful contribution to this +much-to-be-desired result. + + FRANK TATE. + + + + +NAMES RECENTLY AMENDED + +By Gregory Mathews. + +_The following were not included in the text._ + +The numbers 70, 74, and so on refer to the numbers of the birds. + + 20 _Rallus pectoralis._ + 65-66 _Genus Thalasseus._ + 70 _Sterna fuscata._ + 74 _Catharacta._ + 75 _Catharacta parasitica._ + 76 _Morinella interpres._ + 80 _Lobibyx novae hollandiae._ + 82 _Squatarola squatarola._ + 83-89 _Genus Charadrius._ + 90 _Hypsibates_ + 95 _Numenius minutus._ + 96 _Limosa baueri._ + 97 _Limosa melanuroides._ + 98 _Tringa hypoleuca._ + 99 _Tringa nebularia._ + 100 _Arenaria leucophaea._ + 101 _Erolia ruficollis._ + 102 _Erolia aurita._ + 103 _Erolia ferruginea._ + 104 _Canutus canutus._ + 105 _Canutus magnus._ + 110 _Choriotis australis._ + 111 _Mathewsia rubicunda._ + 114 _Egatheus falcinellus._ + 117 _Egretta plumifera._ + 118 _Egretta timoriensis._ + 121 _Egretta nigripes._ + 122 _Demigretta sacra._ + 124 _Ixobrychus pusillus._ + 126 _Chenopis atrata._ + 132 _Tadorna tadornoides._ + 134 _Nettion castaneum._ + 139 _Nyroca australis._ + 140 _Oxyura australis._ + 142-146 _Genus, Carbo._ + 157 _Astur cirrhocephalus._ + 171 _Ieracidea berigora._ + 172 _Ieracidea orientalis._ + 179-183 _Genus, Tyto._ + 185-187 _Genus, Glossopsitta._ + 191 _Genus, Callocephalon._ + 192-194 _Genus, Cacatöes._ + 195 _Licmetis tenuirostris._ + 196 _Calopsitta novae-hollandiae._ + 198 _Polytelis anthopeplus._ + 208 _Neophema chrysostoma._ + 213 _Lathamus discolor._ + 225 _Eurostopodus albigularis._ + 228 _Apus pacificus._ + 229 _Cuculus pallidus._ + 232 _Misocalius palliolatus._ + + + + +PREFACE. + + +This little volume is intended as a pocket book for field use, so +that the many teachers, nature-students, nature-lovers, schoolboys, +schoolgirls, and boy scouts, who like to "_see_ what they _look at_," +may be able to name the birds they meet. + +The first step towards knowing the birds is a _desire_ to know them; +this will grow if a person is interested; so our first business, as +in all nature-study work, is to arouse _interest_. Interest follows at +once, as we have often found, if a person realizes that what is about +him or her is worthy of study. + +To arouse this necessary interest, a lecture on Australian birds is +given in such a form that it may be repeated, if desired. + +The second requisite is a handy descriptive list of the birds that are +likely to be seen. This has been written in simple language, so that +the schoolboy and non-expert can use it. + +Thus, our aims are two:-- + + 1. To show that Australian birds are of interest. + + 2. To supply, in a convenient form, a list of the birds which + are likely to be seen, and the marks by means of which they + may be identified. + +This little book contains illustrations and descriptions of-- + + 100% of the birds found in Victoria. + 92.5% .. .. .. .. .. .. .. South Australia. + 87.3% .. .. .. .. .. .. .. Tasmania. + 82.5% .. .. .. .. .. .. .. New South Wales. + 78.16%.. .. .. .. .. .. .. W. Australia (S. and C.). + 78.15%.. .. .. .. .. .. .. Queensland. + +The balance of those found in each of the other States is made up +mainly of birds closely related to those of which illustrations are +given, or of very rare birds restricted to a small area. + +The families of the birds of the world have been included, so that the +observer can see where the bird he is observing is placed amongst the +world's birds. He will also be enabled to place near its Australian +relatives birds he reads about. The Australian birds only are grouped +in orders. + +Mr. H. Wilson, Nature-study Lecturer, Training College, superintended +the painting of the birds, and saw the book through the press. + +_A Hand-List of Birds_: Dr. Sharpe; and _A Hand-List of the Birds +of Australasia_: Gregory M. Mathews, have been followed for +classification and distribution. + +But for the interest of the Minister of Education, the Hon. A. A. +Billson, and the Director, Mr. F. Tate, M.A., I.S.O., this little +book would not have been possible. Further, Mr. Billson suggested the +colored illustrations, while Mr. Tate has written the introduction, +read the proof-sheets and assisted at all stages. + + + + +PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. + + +In response to requests from beginners, a table has been added on page +190. This table shows the page on which a bird of a certain size may +be found. + +Pending the completion by the Royal Australasian Ornithologists' Union +of its official _Check-list of the Birds of Australia_, the scientific +names have been left as in the first edition. + + +NOTES. + +Where one number is placed over another at the left side of the page, +the lower number denotes the number of species of that genus found in +the world; the upper denotes the number of species found in Australia +and Tasmania. + +The number at the right side of the page is the length of the bird in +inches (from the tip of bill to the tip of tail). + +The families of birds known are numbered consecutively, thus, F. 11, +F. 12, and so on. The number after a family name denotes the number of +species recorded from Australia and Tasmania. The distribution of +the species of each family amongst the six zoogeographical regions is +shown thus: + + F. 17. COLUMBIDAE (2), WOOD PIGEONS, Passenger-Pigeon, Rock-Dove, + 119 sp.--41(40)A., 25(17)O., 18(10)P., 19(17)E., 4(0)Nc., 24(20)Nl. + +This should read: Family number 17 of the world's birds, COLUMBIDAE +(two of which are found in Australia and Tasmania) contains the Wood +Pigeons, including the Passenger-Pigeon (of North America) and the +Rock-Dove (of Europe). It comprises 119 species, of which 41 are found +in the Australian Region, 40 of them being confined to this region; +25 are found in the Oriental Region, 17 being confined to it; 18 are +found in the Palaearctic Region, 10 of which are not found outside +the region; 19 have been recorded from the Ethiopian Region, 17 +being peculiar to that region; 4 have been recorded from the Nearctic +Region, none of which is restricted to the region; 24 have been +recorded from the Neotropical Region, 20 being peculiar to it. + +The name in black type is the name accepted by the Australasian +Association for the Advancement of Science in 1898, and amended by the +"names" sub-committee of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists' Union, +1911. This name should be used to denote the bird. Many local names +are given, so that a person knowing a bird by one of these may +discover its proper name. + + A.--Australian Region (from Wallace's Line to Sandwich Islands + and New Zealand, see map p. 10). + + O.--Oriental (Indian) Region (India to Wallace's Line). + + P.--Palaearctic Region (Europe, N.W. Africa, and Northern and + Western Asia, except Arabia). + + E.--Ethiopian Region (Arabia and Africa, except N.W.). + + Nc.--Nearctic Region. ("_The A.O.U. Check-List of North + American Birds, 1910_" has been followed in making this North + America, less Mexico). + + Nl.--Neotropical Region (South America, with Mexico). + + A.O.U.--American Ornithologists' Union; R.A.O.U--Royal + Australasian Ornithologists' Union. + + + A. denotes found throughout Australia; E.A. denotes found + in Queensland, N.S.W., and Victoria; S.A. denotes South + Australia; C.A. denotes Central Australia; W.A. + denotes Western Australia; N. Ter.--Northern Territory; + Mal.--Malaysia; Mol.--Molucca Is.; N. Cal.--New Caledonia; + N. Heb.--New Hebrides; N.G.--New Guinea; N.Z.--New Zealand; + Br.--British; T.--Tasmania. + + Nom.--Nomadic; Mig.--Migratory; Part. Mig.--Partly Migratory; + Stat.--Stationary; exc.--except; acc.--accidental. + + C.--common; v.c.--very common; r.--rare; v.r.--very rare; + u.--unlikely that the ordinary observer will see it. + + * means see colored illustration. + + f.--female; m.--male; f., sim.--f. is similar in color and + size. + + =vt. Eur. denotes that the Australian bird is closely similar + in form, habits, &c., to the corresponding European bird. + + =vt. cos. denotes that it is the equivalent or representative + of a cosmopolitan group of birds. + +1 +4 + + =6* King Quail= (Chestnut-bellied, Least, Dwarf), reads "No. 6 + (see colored illustration) is the King Quail, called also the + Chestnut-bellied Quail, Least Quail, and Dwarf Quail. Four of + this genus are known in the world, of which one is found in + Australia." + +(e) denotes that a name is used in error. + + * * * * * + +A Yellow-tailed Tit-Warbler is about 4 in. long; a White-eye, 4.5 in.; +a Sparrow, 5 in.; a House-Swallow, 6.5 in.; a Sordid Wood-Swallow, +7 in.; a Black and White Fantail, 7.5 in.; a Starling, 8.5 in.; +a Harmonious Shrike-Thrush, 9.5 in.; a Noisy Miner, 10 in.; a +Magpie-Lark, 10.5 in.; a Butcher-Bird, 11 in.; a Pallid Cuckoo, 12in.; +a Rosella, 12.5 in.; a Galah, 14 in.; a Wattle-Bird, 14.5 in.; +a Laughing Kingfisher, 17.5 in.; a White-backed Magpie, 18 in.; and a +Crow, 20 in. (measured from the tip of tail to the tip of bill). + +Don't try to judge a bird's length in inches. + +Note one or two prominent markings, and the size of a bird; say, +larger than a Starling, but smaller than a Magpie-Lark. Then get the +length of these birds from the table above (8-1/2 in. and 10-1/2 in. +respectively), and compare the description of each bird that comes +between these lengths with the illustrations and the bird before you. +The birds are approximately relative size on each block. + +Use the index to find the page of a bird, then use the number, if +asterisked, to find the bird in the colored plate index. + +[Illustration: THE WORLD Showing REGIONS] + + + + +=An Australian Bird Book.= + + * * * * * + +A LECTURE. + + +Australia is the wonderland of the scientist and of the Nature-lover. +It is a great living "museum," stocked with marvels of many kinds, +including so-called "living fossils," the sole survivors of otherwise +extinct groups of animals. + +Competent authorities have proposed to divide the world, biologically, +into two parts--Australia and the rest of the world, and they have +considered Australia the more important part. + +This division was based mainly on the study of mammals--animals which +suckle their young--for Australia is the home of the two surviving +members of the lowest group of mammals--Monotremata, the egg-laying +Platypus (_Ornithorhynchus_), and the Spiny Ant-eater (_Echidna_). +Further, marsupials, except for two kinds found in America, are +confined to this long-isolated southern land. + +Here, shut off from the severe competition experienced by the animals +of northern lands, marsupials were modified so that they were adapted +for life in almost every realm utilized by the higher mammals of other +countries. Thus there are herbivorous, carnivorous, and insectivorous +marsupials. Owing, probably, to the advent of Bats--true flying +mammals--at, possibly, a comparatively early time, the marsupial was +beaten in the air, and so a true flying form was not evolved, though +the so-called "Flying Phalanger" is some distance on the way. + +As regards the other group of flying animals--birds--Australia is even +of greater interest, for here are found unique archaic forms of life, +such as the Emu, Cassowary, Mound-Builders, and Lyre-Birds, and +"every widely-spread family of birds but two is represented; the only +widely-spread families of birds totally absent from Australia +are Woodpeckers and Vultures." Woodpeckers, however, have crossed +Wallace's line into Celebes and adjacent islands, and may yet reach +Australia naturally. + +Further, many well-known birds, such as Pigeons, Parrots, and +Kingfishers, reach their highest development in the Australian region, +and, more important still, the whole bird world seems to reach its +culminating point in this wonderland. It is a factor adding to the +interest of Australia's fauna that three of the four families placed +at the head of the bird world in the natural system of classification +adopted by ornithologists, and used by Dr. Sharpe in his just recently +completed _Hand-List of Birds_, should be absolutely confined to the +Australian Continent and adjacent islands. Thus Australia can justly +claim to be the most highly developed of regions, so far as birds +are concerned, for Bower-Birds, Birds of Paradise, and Bell-Magpies +(_Streperas_) are peculiar, while the penultimate family--the Crow +family--is shared with the other regions of the world. + +Thus, with regard to birds, the term "fossil continent" applied to +Australia is not appropriate, as it is but partly true. + +Since the birds native to Australia are so interesting in themselves, +and are so varied in kind, Australians should know, love, and +jealously protect these beautiful creatures. Strict regulations should +be framed to prevent the exploitation of Nature's gifts by those who +destroy useful or precious and rare birds for the sake of gain. Even +collectors, who, under the guise of scientific work, collect eggs, and +kill birds to trade in their skins, should be supervized. + +Let us now consider the different groups of birds. Living birds were +formerly divided into two sub-classes--(1) _Ratitae_ (Lat., _ratis_, a +raft), and (2) _Carinatae_ (Lat., _carina_, a keel). The first is +the small group of flightless, running birds, made up of five living +birds, all inhabiting southern lands. These are the Emu and Cassowary +of Australia, the Ostrich of South Africa, the Rhea or South American +Ostrich, and the Kiwi or Apteryx of New Zealand. Taken together with +other evidence, all pointing in the same way, these birds have led +scientists to think of a great southern land mass connecting the +southern lands, for the Emu did not fly here, nor did the Rhea fly +to South America, but they must have reached their present home by a +land-bridge not necessarily complete at any one time. As these birds +do not fly, they have no big wing-muscles, and so do not need the +ridge of bone down the breast. Thus they belong to the sub-class, the +members of which have a raft-like breast bone. The other living birds +were placed in the sub-class the members of which have a keel on the +breast bone for the attachment of the wing-muscles. + +Recently, however, Pycraft, a leading ornithologist, has proposed to +base the division into sub-classes on the characters of the bones of +the palate instead of those of the breast-bone. Thus, he places the +sixth family of birds--the Tinamous, of South America--with the ratite +birds, to form his primitive group--_Palaeognathae_ ("old jaw"), while +the members of the old sub-class _Carinatae_, minus the Tinamous, +constitute his second division, the _Neognathae_ ("new jaw"). + +Mr. Gregory Mathews, the first part of whose projected great work +on Australian Birds has just come to hand, has followed Dr. Bowdler +Sharpe in accepting this classification, so we must follow too, as +Mathews' work will probably be our standard for years to come. The +large number of Australian birds belonging to this second sub-class is +now divided into 20 orders, which with the Emu order, make a total of +21 orders of birds represented in Australia. + +Now, let us consider the birds in each order. The best-known member +of the first Australian order is the Emu, a bird well known to all, +though, unfortunately, becoming very rare, so that few persons in the +settled districts now enjoy the privilege of seeing an Emu in a wild +state. + +==== + + [Page 12] + + [Illustration: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]] + + CLASS.--AVES.--BIRDS. + + Sub-Class I.--Palaeognathae. + + Ratitae and Tinamidae. + + F. 1. _Rheidae_, Rhea, 3 sp. Nl. + + F. 2. _Struthionidae_, Ostrich, 4 sp.--4(3)E., 1(0)P. (S. + Palestine). + + ORDER I.--CASUARIIFORMES. + + F. 3. DROMAEIDAE (1), EMU, 1 sp. A. + +1 +1 + + =1 Emu=, _Dromaius novae-hollandiae_, A. + + Stat. r. plains 78 + + See diagram, second largest living bird; f., smaller. Fruits, + grass. + + F. 4. CASUARIIDAE (1), CASSOWARY, 17 sp. A. + + F. 5. _Apterygidae_, Apteryx, Kiwi, 6 sp. A. (N.Z.). + + F. 6. _Tinamidae_, Tinamous, 69 sp. Nl. + + Sub-Class II.--Neognathae. + + Carinatae, minus Tinamidae. + +==== + +The birds of the second order are well known as "scratchers." They +include the domestic fowl, which has been derived from the wild jungle +fowl of India, and other fowl, such as the peafowl. Quail are also +included here; so are Pheasants. The absence of Pheasants from +Australia is more than compensated for by the presence of the +Mound-Builders. These marvellous birds, Brush Turkeys and Mallee-Fowl, +retain the reptilian characteristic of not sitting on their eggs. Thus +the young have never known their parents. The eggs are laid in a huge +mound of sand and earth, which contains rotting vegetation. The +heat of decomposition in this remarkable natural incubator, is quite +sufficient to hatch the eggs. The young are born fully feathered, able +to run at once, and able to fly the day they leave the mound. Contrast +their stage of development with that of a pigeon born naked, blind, +and helpless, and that of a chick born clothed with down and able to +run about. There is an interesting connexion between the size of +an egg and the state of development of the young bird at birth. The +pigeon lays a relatively small egg, so the young pigeon does not +develop far in the egg, and requires much maternal care. The hen's egg +is larger, and the chick is more fully developed. The Mallee-Hen's egg +is enormous, and so the young can develop much further before birth. +This bird, unfortunately, is doomed to early extinction, for the +fox has discovered the rich store of food in the eggs, and country +dwellers have also discovered that they are delicate in flavor, and +are good food. It is hoped that the scrubby western end of Kangaroo +Island, where foxes are unknown, will prove a suitable sanctuary +for them. These birds, which rank among Nature's wonders, are almost +confined to the Australian region. One is found in Borneo and the +Philippines, while a second is confined to the distant Nicobar +Islands. Twenty-six live in Australia and its neighboring islands. One +of these has spread across Wallace's line to the small Kangean Island, +near Java. The Stubble Quail, a member of the Pheasant family, is +nearly identical with the British Quail. Mathews and Campbell make the +King Quail a sub-species of the Chinese Quail. + +Quail are favorite sporting birds, but when one considers that they +are worth about 9d. each as table or game birds, and that sportsmen +found at Birregurra, that the crops of Quail were full of crickets, +and at Kerang the Quail contained numbers of a species of weevil, it +is doubtful if it is wise policy to shoot this insect-eating bird. +Although it may be worth a few pence as a table bird; it is worth many +shillings as a pest destroyer. + +==== + + [Page 13] + + ORDER II.--GALLIFORMES. + + F. 7. MEGAPODIIDAE (4), Mound-Builders, Scrub-Fowl, Brush + Turkey, Megapode, 28 sp.--27(25)A., 3(1)O. + +1 +1 + + =2* Mallee-Fowl=, Lowan, Native Pheasant, Pheasant (e), + _Leipoa ocellata_, N.S.W., V., S.A., W.A. + + Stat. r. _mallee scrubs_ 24 + + Like a small turkey; neck light fawn-gray; back, wings spotted + white, black, brown; f., smaller. Seeds, ants. + + F. 8. _Cracidae_, Curassows, Guans, 59 sp.--1(0)Nc., 59(58)Nl. + + F. 9. _Tetraonidae_, Grouse, Capercailly, Ptarmigan, + Prairie-Fowl, 45 sp.--1(0)O., 19(16)P., 28(26)Nc. + + F. 10. PHASIANIDAE (6), Pheasants, Partridges, Peafowl, + Domestic Fowls, 242 sp.--12(10)A., 137(119)O., 47(31)P., + 64(58)E. + +1 +6 + + =3* Stubble Quail= (Pectoral), _Coturnix pectoralis_, A., T. + =vt. Eur. Quail. + + Nom. c. _stubble_, _grass_ 6.7 + + Brown lined white, black; throat dull reddish; breast streaked + black; f., less distinctly marked with black. Weed-seeds, + insects. Rises with a burr-r-r. + +3 +7 + + =4* Brown Quail= (Swamp, Partridge), _Synoicus australis_, + N.G., A., T. =vt. Eur. Partridge. + + Nom. c. _grassy flats_ 6.5 + + Upper finely-barred gray, black, chestnut; under buffy-gray + with zigzag black bars; bill blue, tipped black; eyes orange; + f., sim. Seeds, insects. "Bee'e quick." + + =5 Tasmanian Quail= (Silver, Greater-Brown), _S. diemenensis_, + V., T. Like 4, but larger. + + Nom. r. occ. _thick grass_ 8.5 + + [Page 14] + + [Illustration: [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]] + +1 +4 + + =6* King Quail= (Chestnut-bellied, Least, Dwarf, Swamp), + _Excalfactoria chinensis lineata_, Philippines, Sumatra to A. + exc. W.A.; sub-species of Chinese Quail. + + Nom. r. _swamps_ 4.5 + + Back dark-brown; breast blue-gray; abdomen chestnut; throat + black, white bands conspicuous; 1-1/4 oz.; f., dark-brown, + spotted black; throat whitish; under barred black. Weed-seeds, + insects. + + F. 11. _Numididae_, Guinea-Fowls, 23 sp. E. + + F. 12. _Meleagridae_, Turkeys, 5 sp.--4(2)Nc., 3(1)Nl. + + F. 13. _Odontophoridae_, American Quails, Bob-Whites, 72 + sp.--18(10)Nc., 62(54)Nl. + +==== + +Order III. comprises the 26 Bustard Quail and the peculiar Australian +Plain Wanderer. Only the last species of this Bustard Quail family, +the Australian Plain Wanderer has the hind toe. The females of this +order of birds do the fighting. + +In Quail, the rule often observed amongst birds that the male is +larger and more beautiful than the female may be reversed, for here +the female is sometimes larger and the more conspicuously colored. In +association with this reversal of color and size, the domestic habits +are changed, for, in some species at least, the female sits on +the eggs but a very short time; the male then finishes the task of +incubating, and brings up and educates the young family. Meantime, the +female has found another mate and another clutch of eggs is left to +the care of the male. + +In birds having both sexes the same color each bird usually does its +share of domestic work, sitting on the eggs, feeding the young, etc. +Where the male is more brightly colored, he, as a rule, does not +sit on the eggs, for he would be visible to a bird of prey sailing +overhead, and so would probably be killed and the eggs taken. The +great naturalist, Alfred Russel Wallace, thus regards the quiet +coloration of most female birds as a protection during the nesting +season. The gaudy coloration of many male birds has been explained by +Darwin as being due to sexual selection, the female choosing as a mate +the most gaily colored or most attractive bird. + +Though the sitting bird is usually protectively colored, it was our +good fortune, on a Summer School excursion, attended by His Excellency +the Governor (Sir Thomas Gibson-Carmichael), a keen Nature-lover, +and the Director of Education (Mr. F. Tate), to find the +gorgeously-colored male Golden-breasted Whistler (Thickhead) sitting +on the eggs in full daylight. It was noted, however, that the open +nest was unusually well protected by an overhead bushy branch. + +==== + +[Page 15] + + ORDER III.--TURNICIFORMES, HEMIPODES. + + F. 14. TURNICIDAE (8), Button (Bustard) Quail, 27 + sp.--14(14)A., 9(6)O., 3(0)P., 4(4)E. + +7 +26 + + =7 Red-Backed Quail= (Black-backed, Orange-breasted), _Turnix + maculosa_, Cel., N.G., N.A., E.A., S.A. + + Nom. r. _marshy_ 7 + + Back brown; crown blackish; sides, breast large black spots; + abdomen lighter; no hind toe; f., larger. Weed-seeds, insects. + + =8* Painted Quail= (Speckled, Butterfly), Varied Turnix, New + Holland Partridge (e), _T. varia_, A., T. + + Nom. r. _sandy_ 8 + + Upper rufous-brown with buff, black lines; breast, face + spotted; no hind toe; f., larger. Weed-seeds, insects. + + =9 Red-chested Quail= (Chestnut-breasted, Yellow), _T. + pyrrhothorax_, A. exc. W.A. + + Nom. v.r. _marshy_ 6 + + Upper dark-brown with buff, black lines; breast sandy-red; + abdomen whitish; no hind toe; f., much larger, brighter. + Weed-seeds, insects. + + =10 Little Quail= (Dottrel, Swift-flying, Button), _T. velox_, A. + + Nom. c. _open plains_ 5.5 + + Upper rufous with chestnut, black lines; breast rufous; + abdomen white; no hind toe; f., much larger. Weed-seeds, + insects. + +1 +1 + + =11* Plain Wanderer=, Turkey Quail, _Pedionomus torquatus_, A. + exc. W.A. + + Mig. r. _grass_, m., 4.8; f., 6.3 + + Brown; broad black, white spotted collar; light band on wing; + breast chestnut; hind toe; m., smaller, paler, faint collar. + Weed-seeds, insects. + + F. 15. _Pteroclididae_, Sand-Grouse, Rock-Pigeons (e), 17 + sp.--7(2)O., 8(1)P., 12(7)E. + +==== + +In Order IV. come those well-known birds--the "Cooers," Pigeons and +Doves. The Australian region is the great stronghold of these often +beautiful birds. It is only in this region that members of each of the +five families of living Pigeons are found. Two of the five families +are peculiar to the region, and nearly half the kinds of Pigeons known +are found here. The finest and largest of all Pigeons are the large +Crowned Pigeons of New Guinea. Unfortunately, the heads of these +Pigeons are much in demand for millinery. Would that fashionable women +knew the cruelty and devastation wrought by such fashions! + +Amongst the most beautiful of Pigeons are, as Dr. Newton remarked, +the common Bronzewing Pigeons of Australia and Tasmania. The lovely +Fruit-Pigeons of East Australian scrubs are, perhaps, the most +beautiful of all, so it will readily be seen how fortunate we are with +regard to these birds. + +The fine large Wonga-Wonga Pigeon is becoming rare. Its flesh is +white, so Gould named it _Leucosarcia_ (white flesh). It has been +proposed to introduce this bird into Europe to breed for table +purposes. + +==== + + [Page 16] + + [Illustration: [12] [12^A] [13] [14] [15] [16]] + + ORDER IV.--COLUMBIFORMES, PIGEONS, DOVES. + + F. 16. TRERONIDAE (8), FRUIT-PIGEONS, 228 sp--159(155)A., + 60(56)O., 1(1)P., 12(12)E. + +2 +2 + + =12 Topknot Pigeon=, _Lopholaimus antarcticus_, E.A., T. + (acc.) "Quook-quook." + + Stat. c. _thick brushes_ 17 + + "This noble pigeon;" under silvery-gray; upper dark-gray; + crest rust-red; eyes orange; f., sim. Native fruits. + + [Page 17] + + F. 17. COLUMBIDAE (2), WOOD-PIGEONS, Passenger-Pigeon, + Rock-Dove, 119 sp.--41(40)A., 25(17)O., 18(10)P., 19(17)E., + 4(0)Nc., 24(20)Nl. + + F. 18. PERISTERIDAE (15), GROUND-PIGEONS, Turtle-Doves, 198 + sp.--61(55)A., 21(8)O., 10(1)P., 32(30)E., 10(0)Nc., 86(76)Nl. + +1 +6 + + =12^A Indian Turtle-Dove=, _Turtur ferrago_, Siberia to Ceylon, + introduced A. + + Mig. c. _gardens_, _cities_ 13 + + Back brown; head gray; broad patch side and back of neck black + spotted white; breast cinnamon; centre tail feathers blackish, + rest tipped white; f., sim. Seeds. + +3 +5 + + =13 Ground Dove= (Peaceful), Doo-doo, _Geopelia placida_, A. + (interior). + + Stat. r. _grassy_ 8.7 + + Upper ashy-brown, barred black; chest, hind-neck gray with black + lines; abdomen fawn; side tail feathers tipped white; f., sim. + Small seeds. "Doo-doo." + + =14* Diamond Dove= (Little, Turtle), _G. cuneata_, A. (interior). + + Stat. r. _grass_ 8.2 + + Upper light-brown; crown gray; under light-gray; white spots + on wing; side tail tipped white; eye red; f., neck, chest pale + brown. Seeds. + +1 +6 + + =15 Little Green Pigeon=, _Chalcophaps chrysochlora_, Mol., + N. Heb., N. Cal., Lord Howe Is., A. exc. S.A., W.A. Melancholy + bellowing note. + + v.r. _dense scrubs_ 9.5 + + Rich brown; head, short tail darker; wings much green; + shoulder white; f., less brilliant. Fallen berries. + +2 +2 + + =16* Bronzewing Pigeon= (Scrub), _Phaps chalcoptera_, A., T. + + Nom. c. _open_, _forest_ 13.5 + + Upper brown marked lighter; cap whitish; line below eye, + throat white; breast, back of head vinous; bronze wing; legs + red; f., head gray. Seeds, fruits. + + [Page 18a] + + [Illustration: [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22]] + + =17 Brush Bronzewing Pigeon= (Little Bronze), _P. elegans_, A., T. + + Nom. r. _sandy_ 13 + + Upper chestnut-brown; breast blue-gray; throat, crown chestnut; + bronze wings; f., crown gray. Seeds. + +1 +1 + + =18 Crested Pigeon= (Topknot (e), Crested Bronzewing), + _Ocyphaps lophotes_, A. Seeds. + + Nom. r. _inland plains_ 13 + + Upper fawn; crown, under gray; crest black; black bars on wings; + tail tipped white; eyes orange; f., sim. + +1 +1 + + =19 Wonga-Wonga Pigeon=, _Leucosarcia melanoleuca_, E.A. Seeds, + fallen fruits. + + Stat. r. _coast-_, (_hillside-_) _brushes_ 15 + + Back, breast slaty-gray; wings brown; crown, throat, abdomen white; + sides spotted black; f., sim. + + F. 19. _Gouridae_, Crowned Pigeons, 8 sp. A. (N.G.). + + F. 20. _Didunculidae_, Tooth-billed Pigeons, 1 sp. A. (Samoa). + + F. 21. _Opisthocomidae_, Hoactzin, 1 sp. Nl. + +==== + +The birds of Order V. are amongst the successes in the struggle +for existence, for they are found the world over. + +The Landrailor Corn-Crake, the Little Crake, Spotted Crake, Moor-Hen, +Purple Gallinule, and the lobed-toed Coot, of other countries, are +represented by similar birds here. + +They are largely swamp-dwellers, and conditions about swamps +apparently do not vary much from continent to continent. There is a +full supply of vegetable and animal food, and there is good shelter +in the thick reed-beds. The smaller members of the family are seldom +seen, for they skulk amongst the reeds, and seldom show themselves. + +Many of these birds are long-toed, and are beautifully adapted for +life about the soft mud and floating vegetation of lagoons and swamps. +Though the feet are not webbed, several of these swamp-dwellers swim +well. Thus the Little Crake is an expert swimmer and diver. + +There is one Australian bird not represented in other countries. +This is the handsome, bantam-like Black-tailed Native-Hen. At long +intervals the birds appear in thousands, and, being largely vegetable +feeders, they have sometimes done considerable damage to crops. + +During one such irruption in 1846, the birds invaded the streets of +Adelaide. Others invaded the Geraldton district, and even reached +Perth in 1886. Northern Victoria was visited in 1909. + +Some of the members of this group are known to all; indeed, when you +have finished reading this lecture, I expect to have created in your +mind an idea that bird study is very simple--that you know at least +one of each of the groups of birds. One further advantage of bird +study is that so few birds are found in any district. Thus, only 880 +birds have ever been recorded from Australia, whereas there are over +9,000 kinds of native flowering plants, not to mention non-flowering +plants. In very few districts could a list of 100 different kinds of +birds be compiled in one year. + +Again, while it is impossible to talk popularly of native plants, +because they have no common names, that does not apply to birds, for +bird-lovers have given a simple name to each bird. Even children, +therefore, can talk definitely and exactly about the different kinds. +This is a great advantage. Again, as birds are living, moving, loving, +and beautiful animals, they have always been favorite objects of +study, and so we know more about them than about any other division of +the animal kingdom. Thus you will, I hope, find that you know far more +about the subject than you at first thought. + +==== + + [Page 18b] + + ORDER V.--RALLIFORMES. + + F. 22. RALLIDAE (16), RAILS, 204 sp.--68(60)A., 37(18)O., 18(0)P., + 37(24)E., 17(7)Nc., 72(65)Nl. + +4 +17 + + =20 Slate-breasted Rail= (Short-toed), Lewin Water-Rail, + _Eulabeornis (Hypotaenidia) brachypus_, A., T., Auckland Is. + =vt. Eur. Water-Rail. + [~20 _Rallus pectoralis._] + + Stat. r. _rivers_, _lagoons_ 8.5 + + Upper blackish striped olive; wings, flanks, abdomen barred + black, white; throat, breast, slate-gray; f., duller. + + =21* Pectoral Rail=, Landrail, _E. philippinensis_, Malay Arch. + to A., N.Z., Pac. Is. =vt. Eur. Corn-Crake (Landrail); + f., young sim. Insects, grass. + + Mig. c. _grassy_ 10.5 + + Upper brown spotted white; under finely-barred black; white; + sandy-buff bar on chest; light stripe above eye. + +4 +17 + + =22* Australian Spotted Crake=, Water-Crake, _Porzana fluminea_, A. + =vt. Eur. Spotted Crake. + + Stat. r. _rivers_ 7 + + Upper dark-brown, spotted white; abdomen, flanks blackish barred + white; breast gray; swims; f., sim. Insects. + + [Illustration: [21] [22] [26] [27] [30] [67] [71] [72] [73]] + + =21= Pectoral Rail + =22= Australian Spotted Crake + =26= Black Moor-Hen + =27= Bald Coot + =30= Hoary-headed Grebe + =67= Crested Tern + =71= White-faced Ternlet + =72= Silver Gull + =73= Pacific Gull + + [Page 22] + + [Illustration: [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28]] + + =23 Australian Little Crake=, _P. palustris_, A. =vt. Eur. + Little Crake. + + Stat. r. _river_, _reed-beds_ 6 + + Upper rusty-brown; throat, breast gray; crown blackish; flanks, + lower-abdomen barred black, white; swims, dives; f., sim. + Water-animals. + + [Page 23] + + =24 Spotless Crake= (Leaden, Tabuan), Swamp-Rail, Little Swamp-Hen, + Putoto, _P. plumbea_, Philippines to A., N. Heb., N. Cal., Fiji, + Samoa, Tonga, N.Z., Chatham Is. + + Stat. c. _reed-beds_ 6.3 + + Upper reddish-brown; under dark slate-gray; throat whitish; + eyes pink; f., young sim. Water-animals. + +2 +2 + + =25 Black-tailed Native-Hen=, Gallinule (e), _Tribonyx ventralis_, A. + + Mig. flocks, occ. r. _lagoons_, _rivers_ 15 + + Upper brown; under bluish-gray; white marks conspicuous on flanks; + upper-bill light-green; lower red at base; legs brick-red; + runs, seldom flies; f., sim. Water-animals, seeds. + +1 +8 + + =26* Black Moor-Hen= (-Gallinule), _Gallinula tenebrosa_, N.G., A. + =vt. cos. Gallinule. + + Stat. c. _lagoons_, _rivers_ 15 + + Grayish-black; back deep-brown; under tail white at sides; scarlet + garter above knee; base bill, plate on forehead blood-red; + no white on flanks; jerks tail; f., smaller. Water-animals, plants. + +2 +16 + + =27* Bald-Coot=, Purple Gallinule, Black-backed Water (Swamp, + Macquarie) Hen, Pukeko, Redbill (e), _Porphyrio melanonotus_, + N.G., A., T., Norfolk Is., Lord Howe Is., N.Z. =vt. cos. bird. + + Stat. c. _lagoons_, _rivers_ 17.5 + + Hind-neck, breast, flanks indigo-blue; back, wings, tail black; + under tail white; eyes orange-red; bill, legs red; jerks tail; + f., smaller. Insects, vegetable food. + +1 +13 + + =28 Australian Coot=, Dabchick (e), _Fulica australis_, A., T., + =vt. cos. bird. + + Stat. c. _lakes_, _bays_ 14 + + Sooty-black; bill bluish-gray; eyes red; lobed feet; f., sim. + Water-insects, snails. + + F. 23. _Heliornithidae_. Finfoot, 5 sp.--1(1)O., 3(3)E., + 1(1)Nl. + +==== + +In the next Order, the Sixth, there are three Australian birds. +They are called Grebes. Bird names often reflect some habit, e.g., +Scratchers, Cooers. So Grebes are often called Divers. But the Divers +of the ornithologist are Northern Hemisphere birds, placed in the next +family (25). + +There is a widespread tradition to the effect that Grebes wait for the +flash of the cap, and then dive before the bullet can reach them. They +are, indeed, remarkably active in the water, but are absurd on land. +Their legs are set so far back that it is almost impossible for them +to walk. Their toes are not webbed, but are broadly lobed. + +The Great Crested Grebe is identical with the British bird, for it is +found all through the Eastern Hemisphere. + +This is a remarkable distribution, when we consider that the bird, +by reason of its very small wings, is a poor flyer, and is almost +helpless on land. Such a wide distribution of a creature possessing +poor means of locomotion indicates that the animal must have existed +for a long time, so that it has been able to gradually extend its +range. Thus we conclude it is an ancient form. + +==== + + [Page 24] + + [Illustration: [29] [30] [31] [32] [33] [34]] + + ORDER VI.--PODICIPEDIDIFORMES. + + F. 24. PODICIPEDIDAE (3), GREBES, 25 sp.--5(2)A., 8(2)O., 6(0)P., + 5(1)E., 6(0)Nc., 11(7)Nl. + +2 +15 + + =29 Black-throated Grebe= (Little), Dabchick (e), + White-bellied Diver (e), _Podiceps novae-hollandiae_, Java, + N.G., A., N. Cal., =vt. Eur. Little Grebe. + + Stat. c. _lagoons_ 9.5 + + Upper blackish-brown; white patch on wing; under silvery-gray; + throat, side-face black (summer), brown (winter); beautiful + fur-like plumage; lobed toes; f., sim. Small fish, snails, insects. + + [Page 25a] + + =30* Hoary-headed Grebe=, Dabchick (e), "Tom Pudding," P. + _poliocephalus_, A., T. + + Stat. c. _lagoons_, _river_ 9.5 + + Upper brown; wings white patch; under silvery-gray; head short + white hair-like plumes (summer); head brown, throat buff (winter); + fur-like plumage; lobed toes; f., sim. Small fish, snails, insects. + +1 +3 + + =31 Great Crested Grebe= (Tippet), Loon, Gaunt, Carr Goose, + _P. cristatus_ (_Lophaethyia cristata_, Mathews' Handlist), + Eur., N. Asia, Japan, Africa, India to A., T., N.Z. + + Stat. r. _lakes_, _rivers_ 24 + + Upper brown; under glistening-white; crown black; neck-frill + chestnut edged black (summer); face, neck whitish (winter); + fur-like plumage; lobed toes; f., sim. Small fish, snails, insects. + + F. 25. _Colymbidae (Gaviidae)_, True Divers, Loons, 5 sp.--1(0)O., + 5(0)P., 2(0)E., 5(0)Nc. + +==== + +In the next order come those remarkable birds, Penguins. As so much +has been said about Penguins by Lieutenant Shackleton's party, they +have caught the popular fancy, and people are much interested in them. +Many Australians do not know that three Penguins are found on their +own coast. It was one of the sights of the 1910 Summer School at +Portsea to sit on the balcony and watch the Penguins chasing their +prey in the clear waters in front. Their wings are paddles, being +flattened and devoid of quills. The wings are not folded, but are +carried hanging awkwardly at the side. + +During the interest aroused by Peary's expedition to the North Pole, +an illustrated weekly paper published a cartoon, which showed the +American Eagle sitting on the North Pole and reading a proclamation to +an audience of Penguins. One thing is unfortunate about this--Penguins +are unknown in the Northern Hemisphere. Indeed, they support the +geographer in his contention that, while the Pacific Ocean is very +ancient, the Atlantic Ocean has been formed much more recently, for +Penguins are found up the Pacific even to the Galapagos Is. on the +Equator, but have not spread into the Atlantic Ocean beyond Tristan da +Cunha, at the extreme South. + +==== + + [Page 25b] + + ORDER VII.--SPHENISCIFORMES. + + F. 26. SPHENISCIDAE (3), PENGUINS, 17 sp.--11(7)A., 6(1)E., 9(4)Nl. + +1 +5 + + =32 Crested Penguin= (Tufted, Jackass, Victoria), _Penguinus + (Catarrhactes) chrysocome_, Southern Ocean (circumpolar), V., + T., N.Z. + + Occ. r. _coasts_ 27 + + Wing a paddle; upper black; under silvery-white; crest yellow; + f., yellow crest feathers shorter. Sea-animals. + +2 +3 + + =33 Little Penguin= (Little Blue), _Eudyptula minor_, N.S.W., V., + S.A., T., N.Z. + + Stat. c. _coasts_ 18 + + Upper light-blue; under glistening-white; wing a paddle; f., sim. + Sea-animals, plants. + + =34 Fairy Penguin=, _E. undina_, V., T., N.Z. + + Stat. c. _coast_ 13.5 + + Like 33, but smaller. + +==== + +Order VIII. includes the true ocean birds--those wanderers seen far +from any land by ocean travellers. Indeed, many of them do not go near +land except to breed. Then they usually repair to small lonely islands +often with bold precipitous shores. + +Ocean birds are readily divisible into four families. The first +is made up of the 25 Storm-Petrels; the second of the 75 Petrels, +Shearwaters, Fulmars, and Dove-Petrels; the third family comprises +only the three small southern Diving-Petrels; while the fourth +contains the nineteen noble Albatrosses. + +Though Storm-Petrels and Petrels of various kinds may be seen in the +Northern Hemisphere, yet the Southern Hemisphere, with its enormous +expanse of water, is the headquarters of these birds. + +The dainty, tiny Storm-Petrels, fearlessly tripping over the mountain +billows in times of great danger to the sailor, were considered birds +of ill-omen. Their peculiar flight possibly helped this idea. Gould +closely studied them and other ocean birds during his voyages on +sailing ships. He describes them as "fluttering over the glassy +surface of the ocean during calms with an easy butterfly-like motion +of the wings, and buffeting and breasting with equal vigor the crests +of the loftiest waves of the storm; at one moment descending into +their deep troughs, and, at the next, rising with the utmost alertness +to their highest point, apparently from an impulse communicated as +much by striking the surface of the water with its webbed feet as by +the action of the wings." + +This habit of "walking" on the sea is said to be responsible for the +name "Petrel," which is associated with Saint Peter, who, of old, +walked on the waters. Sailors call them Mother Carey's Chickens. + +The largest Australian Storm-Petrel is the Whitefaced Storm-Petrel, +whose scientific name, _Pelagodroma_, means "open sea wanderer." +It has been recorded even from the North Atlantic and Britain. Many +thousands of these birds still nest on Mud Island, a sandbank just +inside Port Phillip Heads. The presence there of a true ocean wanderer +is a valuable piece of evidence to support the geographer in his claim +that Port Phillip Bay once had a wide opening, which has been almost +closed by the drift of sand across its mouth. The Storm-Petrels have +probably nested there for many, many centuries. Long may they continue +to do so! They hurt no one, and they are a feature of interest to all +interested in the flora and fauna of Australia, and to natural history +students and Nature-lovers in general. + +The Shackleton expedition met the Wilson (Yellow-webbed) Storm-Petrel, +in considerable numbers, far south. Two specimens were presented by +Lieutenant Shackleton to the National Museum, Melbourne. However, +recently our Museum received, through the agency of two schoolboys, +a specimen that is valued even more highly, for it is Australian. + +The boys, on their way to the Marshaltown State School (Mr. H. B. +Williamson, H.T.), found a bird near a fence about nine miles inland. +It had evidently been killed by flying into the fence in the dark. +Using the _Bird-List_, the boys discovered that it was a Yellow-webbed +Storm-Petrel, a truly pelagic bird, as its name, _Oceanites oceanicus_ +indicates. Mr. Williamson, to show that the _List_ was of assistance, +even to boys, in identifying birds they had never heard of before, +left the bird at the Continuation School, Geelong. Here it was +recognized as a valuable specimen, and was at once sent to Mr. +Kershaw, curator of the National Museum. It is now in the Australian +collection. + +The true Petrels are very numerous in kinds and individuals. Darwin +thought that the most numerous of birds was a Petrel. One of great +interest is the "Mutton-Bird," or Short-tailed Petrel. This romantic +bird breeds by the million on Cape Woolamai and other places about +Bass Strait. + +Just as the mallee farmer is dependent on his annual wheat harvest, +so the remarkable colony of people living on Cape Barren Island is +entirely dependent on the annual Mutton-Bird harvest. They claim +to take about a million and a half birds each year. The number is +probably much exaggerated, for Littler, in his valuable _Birds of +Tasmania_, gives the number as 555,000 for 1909, valued at about +£4000. Bass and Flinders were glad to replenish their stores with +young Mutton-Birds. Flinders calculated that one flock of these birds +he met in Bass Strait contained 132,000,000 birds. They lay but one +egg, so one would expect the Petrel to be long-lived. We found a +closely-similar bird nesting on Mast Head Island, Capricorn Group. + +The three southern Diving Petrels, forming the next family, are much +smaller than the common Petrels. They are expert divers, and are +found mainly in the far South. + +The mighty Albatross, with its enormous wing-span of possibly up to +14 feet, is also largely a southern bird. That this bird has spread to +the North Pacific Ocean, but has not yet penetrated any distance into +the Atlantic, is another piece of evidence as to the age of these two +oceans. The Pacific Ocean is a very ancient depression, while the +Atlantic is much younger, and has been formed since the lands which +border its shores. The Black-browed Albatross, however, was once seen +in England. Probably this bird might have been carried north on board +ship, and then set free again. Fossil bones of Albatrosses have been +found in France and England. Their remarkable power of wheeling round +and round a vessel, with no perceptible movement of the wing, has +excited much interest and controversy. + +Mr. Froude, in his _Oceana_, has given a vivid description of this +flight. The Albatross "wheels in circles round and round and for ever +round the ship--now far behind, now sweeping past in a long, rapid +curve, like a perfect skater on an untouched field of ice. There is no +effort; watch as closely as you will, you rarely or never see a stroke +of the mighty pinion. The flight is generally near the water, often +close to it. You lose sight of the bird as he disappears in the hollow +between the waves, and catch him again as he rises over the crest; but +how he rises, and whence comes the propelling force, are to the +eye inexplicable; he alters merely the angle at which the wings are +inclined...." + +Gould considered that many of these birds circumnavigate the globe +many times. They follow ships for days together. + +Albatrosses are sometimes caught by those on board ship. One means +of protection employed by these birds is to discharge a considerable +quantity of oily matter at an intruder. This has led sailors to +declare that the bird is "seasick." Some claim that this is not done +for protection, but is due to fright. + +The members of the Australasian Ornithologists' Union, when on a trip +in the _Manawatu_ to the Bass Strait Islands found it tantalizing +to see the beautiful Shy Albatrosses sitting on their nests on the +precipitous granite Albatross Rock, and be unable to land owing to the +rough sea that was running. We waited a second and a third day, in the +shelter of Chimney Corner, Three Hummocks Island, but finally had to +depart with but a distant acquaintance with this fine bird. When they +return to nest the succeeding year, the parents drive last year's +brood off the island. Does the young live on its fat all through the +cold, rough winter, or do the parents return at intervals to feed it? +Some recent records by a French party on one of these lonely nesting +islands show that in some cases, at least, the parents do feed the +young at night during their long wait. The sitting bird is fed by +her mate. He opens his mouth, and she inserts her bill, and chooses a +dainty for herself. + +_A Monograph of the Petrels_, by F. Du Cane Godman, F.R.S., Pres. +British Ornithologists' Union, was consulted for Order VIII. + +==== + + [Page 26] + + [Illustration: [35] [36] [37] [38] [39] [40]] + + ORDER VIII.--PROCELLARIIFORMES, TUBINARES, TUBE-NOSED SWIMMERS. + + F. 27. PROCELLARIIDAE (5), STORM-PETRELS, MOTHER CAREY'S CHICKENS, + 25 sp--10(3)A., 2(0)O., 10(0)P., 7(0)E., 13(4)Nc., 13(3)Nl. + +2 +3 + + =35 Wilson Storm-Petrel= (Yellow-webbed, Flat-clawed), + _Oceanites oceanica_, S. Polar regions N. to British Is. + (acc), Labrador (acc.), India, A., N.Z. + + c. _ocean_ 6.8 + + Blackish; base tail above below white; legs black; webs yellow; + f., sim. Shellfish, small fish, greasy. + + [Page 27] + + =36 Gray-backed Storm-Petrel=, _O. (Garrodia) nereis_, S. Oceans, + A., T., N.Z. + + r. _ocean_ 6.7 + + Sooty; abdomen, under base tail whitish; bill, feet black; f., sim. + Oily substances, shellfish. + +1 +1 + + =37 White-breasted Storm-Petrel= (White-faced), Frigate Petrel, + Mother Carey's Chicken, _Pelagodroma marina_, S. Oceans, N. to + Canary Is., U.S. (acc.) + + c. Mud. Is. _ocean_ 8 + + Upper brownish-gray; crown, line under eye, edge of wing, tail + black; under, face, throat, line above eye white; bill, feet black; + webs yellow; f., sim. Shellfish, oily matters. + +2 +4 + + =38 Black-bellied Storm-Petrel=, _Cymodroma (Fregetta) melanogaster_, + S. Oceans, to N. Atl., A., T. + + r. _ocean_ 7.5 + + Sooty-black; under base tail, flanks white; bill, feet black; f., + sim. Sea-animals, oily. + + =39 White-bellied Storm-Petrel=, _C. grallaria_, S. Oceans to B. of + Bengal, Atl. to Cancer, Florida (acc). + + r. _ocean_ 7.2 + + Upper, neck, chest black; under, rump white; bill, feet black; + f., sim. Sea-animals, oily. + + F. 28. PUFFINIDAE (29), PETRELS, Shearwaters, Fulmars, Prions, + 75 sp.--47(16)A., 7(0)O., 24(0)P., 30(2)E., 22(4)Nc., 37(7)Nl. + +7 +25 + + =40 Wedge-tailed Petrel= (Shearwater), _Puffinus sphenurus_, + A. seas. + + v.r. _ocean_ 17.5 + + Sooty-brown; wing blackish; tail black; throat ashy-gray; under + dull ashy-brown; bill lead color; legs, feet livid flesh color, + dusky on inner side of leg and toe. Like 42, but tail longer; + f., sim. Food as for 41. + + [Page 28] + + [Illustration: [41] [42] [43] [44] [45]] + + =41 Allied Petrel=, Gould Shearwater (Little Dusky), _P. assimilis_, + A. and N.Z. Seas, Atl. O. to Madiera Is., Nova Scotia (acc.). + + Flocks v.r. _ocean_ 11 + + Upper, crown, wings, tail sooty-black; side face, under white; + side-chest dusky; bill dark horn-colour; legs greenish-yellow; + f., sim. Shrimps, shellfish, seaweed. + + =42 Short-tailed Petrel= (Sooty, Bonaparte), Slender-billed + Shearwater (U.S.), Seal-Bird, Mutton-Bird (V.), _P. brevicaudus + (tenuirostris)_, A., Bass St., T., N.Z. Migrates to Alaska, Japan. + + Flocks, c. _ocean_ 14 + + Sooty-brown; under paler; bill blackish-brown; legs, feet + light-grey, black down outer side. Food as 41. + +3 +3 + + =43 Brown Petrel= (Great-Gray), Black-tailed Shearwater (U.S.), + Night Hawk (e), Bully, Kuia, _Procellaria (Priofinus) cinereus_, + S.O., California (once). + + r. _ocean_ 19.5 + + Crown, upper dark brownish-gray; under white; under base tail + ashy-brown; tail black; feet grayish-flesh color; outer toe + brownish-black; dives; f., sim. + +1 +1 + + =44 Silver-gray Petrel= (Fulmar), Slender-billed Fulmar (U.S.), + _Priocella glacialoides_, Bass St., A., T., N.Z., S. Oceans, + Pacific to Japan, Alaska. + + c. _ocean_ 18 + + Pearly-gray; tip-wing black; face, under silky-white; f., sim. + Dead animals, oil, cuttlefish. + +3 +3 + + =45 Black Petrel= (Fulmar), Taonui, _Procellaria (Majaqueus) + parkinsoni_, A. and N.Z. Seas. + + r. _ocean_ 18 + + Sooty black; f., sim. Food see 41. + +9 +32 + + =46 Great-winged Petrel= (Long-winged, Gray-faced), _Æstrelata + macroptera_, A., N.Z., S. Oceans. + + v.r. _ocean_ 15 + + Dark brown; about bill, throat gray; wing-quills, tail black; + bill, feet black; f., sim. Food see 41. + + [Page 29] + + [Illustration: [46] [47] [48] [49] [50] [51]] + + =47 Brown-headed Petrel=, Solander Fulmar, _Æ. solandri_, 1 specimen + only, Gould, Bass St. + + u. _ocean_ 16 + + Head, wings, tail dark-brown; back slaty-gray, marked dark-brown; + bill, legs black. + + =48 White-winged Petrel=, _Æ. leucoptera_, A., N.Z. to C. Horn, + Fiji. + + r. _ocean_ 13 + + Upper dark slaty-gray; forehead, face, under, under wing white; + wings blackish-brown; eyes, bill black; legs, half toes and webs + fleshy-white; tip toes and webs black; f., sim. + +1 +1 + + =49 Giant Petrel= (Fulmar), Mother Carey's Goose, Nelly, Glutton, + Stinkpot, Vulture of the Seas, _Macronectes gigantea_, S. Oceans + up to 30° S. Lat. Oregon (acc). + + c. _ocean_ 33 + + Dark chocolate-brown; bill horn-color; has also a white phase; + f., sim. Scavenger, omnivorous. + +1 +1 + + =50 Cape-Petrel= (Pintado, Black and White, Spotted, Pied), + Cape-Pigeon (-Fulmar), _Daption capensis_, A., N.Z., S. Oceans + to Brazil, Ceylon, Peru, acc. to California, Maine, England. + + Large flocks c. _ocean_ 16.5 + + Head, hind-neck, upper-back, edge of wing, quills, chin sooty-brown; + inner-wing, back white, broadly spotted sooty-brown; under white; + bill, feet blackish-brown; f., sim. Food as 41. + +5 +5 + + =51 Blue Petrel=, _Prion (Halobaena) coerulea_, S. Oceans, A., T., + N.Z. to Icepack, Fiji. + + c. _ocean_ 11 + + Forehead, cheeks, throat, centre-chest, under white; upper + grayish-blue; outer wing-quills black; tail square, tipped white; + bill blackish-brown; f., sim. Cuttlefish, shellfish. + + [Page 30] + + [Illustration: [52] [53] [54] [55] [56] [57]] + + =52 Broad-billed Dove-Petrel= (Blue-), Whale-Bird, Prion, _P. + vittatus_, S. Oceans. + + c. _ocean_ 11.5 + + Upper delicate blue-gray; head darker than back; edge shoulder, + wing, tip-tail black; under, line over eye, white; flanks blue; + broad bill blue tipped black; feet light-blue; f., sim. Cuttlefish. + + [Page 31] + + =53 Banks Dove-Petrel= (Blue-), Prion, Whiroia, _P. banksi_, + S. Oceans, A., T., N.Z. + + r. _ocean_ 10 + + Like 52, but bill narrower and paler blue-gray; expanded wings show + black marks like letter W. Food as 54. + + =54 Dove-Petrel=, Dove-like-Petrel (-Prion), Whale-Bird + (Snow-), _P. desolatus_, S. Oceans. + + c. _ocean_ 10.5 + + Like 52, 53, but more delicate; blackish below eye; white + stripe above eye; head same as back; bill straighter, more + slender; f., smaller. Shellfish, oily substances. + + =55 Fairy Dove-Petrel= (-Prion), Short-billed (Gould) + Blue-Petrel, _P. brevirostris (ariel)_, S. Indian O., A., + Bass St., Madeira, S. Africa. + + v.r. _ocean_ 9.5 + + Like 52, 53, 54, but bill shorter, stouter; head same as back; + white face. + + F. 29. PELECANOIDIDAE (1), DIVING PETRELS, 3 sp.--2(0)A., + 1(0)E., 3(1)Nl. + +1 +3 + + =56 Diving-Petrel=, Smaller Diving Petrel, Tee-tee, + _Pelecanoides urinatrix_, A., N.Z., Str. of Magellan. + + r. _sheltered bays_ 8 + + Upper black; under white; legs, feet blue; dives; f., sim. + Shellfish. + + F. 30. DIOMEDEIDAE (10), ALBATROSSES, Mollymawks, 19 + sp.--13(3)A., 2(0)O., 5(0)P., 5(1)E., 5(0)Nc., 9(3)Nl. + +7 +17 + + =57 Wandering Albatross=, Man-of-War-Bird, Cape Sheep, Toroa, + _Diomedea exulans_, S. Oceans up to Lat. 30° S. + + c. _ocean_ 44 + + Upper white with fine zigzag brown lines; wing-quills black; + tail short, black above; side face, under white; zigzag lines + on side of breast; bill whitish; color varies with age; span + up to 14 ft.; f., sim. Jelly-fish, shrimps, shellfish. + + [Page 32] + + [Illustration: [58] [59] [60] [61] [62] [63]] + + =58 Royal Albatross=, _D. regia_, A., T., N.Z. Seas. + + c. _ocean_ 44 + + Lately separated from 57, because young have white down + instead of gray; adult has no zigzag lines; f., sim. Food see + 57. + + =59 Black-browed Albatross= (Mollymawk), _D. melanophrys_, S. + Oceans, England (once). + + v.c. _ocean_ 32 + + Head, neck, under, upper base tail white; blackish-gray + streak through eye; wings dark brown; back slaty-black; tail + dark-gray; bill buff-yellow; f., young sim. Fish. + + [Page 33] + + =60 White-capped Albatross=, shy Mollymawk, _D. + (Thalassageron) cauta_, A. Seas, Bass St. + + c. _ocean_ 31 + + Back slaty-gray; rump white; wings dark-gray; tail slaty-gray; + head, neck, under white; blackish streak through eye; bill + horn-color; f., smaller. Fish, barnacles, shrimps. + + =61 Flat-billed Albatross=, (Yellow-nosed (e), + Gray-headed), Gould Yellow-nosed Mollymawk, _D. chrysostoma + (culminata)_, A., Indian O., Pacific O., Oregon + (cas.) G. of St. Lawrence (cas.). + + r. _ocean_ 28 + + Back, wings, tail dark grayish-black; head, neck gray; faint + blackish streak through eye; under, rump white; bill black, + tip, crest, lower-edge yellow, f., sim. Food see 60. + + =62 Yellow-nosed Albatross= _D. chlororhynchus_, S. Atl. O., + S. Ind. O., A., T. + + c. _ocean_ 30 + + Under, head, neck, rump white; back, wings brownish-black, + tail brownish; bill black, crest bright orange-yellow, tip + blood-orange; faint dark streak through eye; f., sim. Food see + 60. + +1 +1 + + =63 Sooty Albatross=, _Phoebetria palpebrata (fuliginosa)_, S. + Oceans, Oregon (cas.), A., N.Z. + + c. _oceans_ 29.5 + + Sooty-brown; white ring almost round eye; bill black; f., sim. + Food as 60. + + F. 31. _Alcidae_, Auk, Garefowl, Puffin, Razorbill, Guillemot, + Murre, 28 sp.--22(1)P., 27(6)Nc. + +==== + +The birds of Order IX. are mainly shore birds. There are four chief +kinds of these--Terns (Sea-Swallows), including Noddy Terns, Gulls, +the remarkable northern Skimmers, which skim along the surface with +the lengthened end of the lower mandible in the water, and the bold +sea-pirates, Skuas. Fifty-seven Terns and Noddies are found throughout +the world. Of these, twenty-one have been recorded from Australian +waters. + +Being powerful flyers, it is not surprising to find that several of +the Australian Terns are really Old-World, and even New-World, forms +too. Thus the Whiskered (Marsh) Tern is also British. The Caspian, +Gull-billed, and Bridled (Brown-winged) Terns are British and +American, while the Sooty Tern is found in all tropical and +sub-tropical seas. It is one of the famous birds of the world, for +it is the "egg bird" of sailors. It retires in large companies to +low scrubby islands to breed. Here it lays a single egg on the bare +ground. Sailors, tired of ship's fare, often visit these "rookeries." +Gould quotes a record of one party which took 1500 dozen eggs on +one small island in Torres Strait. Spanish eggers from Havanah take +cargoes, which are disposed of at 25 cents per gallon. + +The Wide-Awake Fair, of Ascension Island, is a famous annual event +in natural history. A similar scene has been described by Mr. A. W. +Milligan, the well-known West Australian ornithologist, on the Houtman +Abrolhos Island, west of Western Australia. Here acres of the ground +were covered by birds sitting on their nests. The question is, does +each find its own nest when it returns to sit? Mr. Milligan settled +this in the affirmative by tying a piece of string to a sitting bird +and then letting it take flight. It found its own egg, and resumed its +work. It is noteworthy that no two of the million eggs are similarly +marked, and this puzzling variation in marking probably assists each +bird to recognize its own egg. + +One of the daintiest of these birds is the Fairy Tern, which was +common on Mud Island while the 1909 Summer School was being held. +Obedient to the call of the mother bird, which hovered threateningly +overhead, the mottled and striped young one squatted on the shelly +sand beach while bird-lovers hunted around for the material for a +photograph. At length the dark eye revealed the beautifully-protected +young bird. + +As the camera was being fixed, a different call from the mother caused +the young one to run away. Three or four naturalists tried to catch +the active little bird, which stopped for a moment and disgorged two +whole small fish, with which its mother had evidently but recently fed +it. Eventually a good picture was obtained. These Terns nest singly, +though others nest in large companies. They obtain fish by diving into +the sea. It was interesting, on a Nature-study excursion, to watch the +Crested Terns diving frequently into the sea above a shoal of small +fish at Sandringham. + +We found the Noddies breeding in thousands on Mast Head Island, in the +Capricorn Group. They built a small platform of leaves, or seaweed, +high or low, on every possible nesting site on the great _Pisonia_ +trees. In fact, there is an interesting kind of partnership between +the bird and the tree. The fruits of the _Pisonia_ have bands of +sticky glands, which adhere to the plumage of the birds. After a +time the fruits fall off, possibly on another island, and so this +interesting tree is spread throughout these small coral sandbanks +and islets. The birds are sometimes so loaded and clogged with these +fruits that they are incapable of flight. Surely here is a wonderful +partnership between the tree-frequenting Noddy and the forest tree +that provides shelter and nesting places for it. It is, indeed, a +marvellous method of seed dispersal. + +The number of ocean birds breeding on these tiny island-paradises +is amazing. Minute Mast Head Island is a place free of all pests--no +flies, no mosquitoes, no ticks, no snakes, nor prickly plants, but +a deep shady forest of giant _Pisonia_ trees, sometimes covered with +creepers and lianas, and fringed with pretty flowering shrubs, fig +trees, and long green grass, and surrounded, above spring-tide level, +by a fringe of graceful Horse-tail Sheoaks (Casuarinas). We calculated +that over 100,000 birds bred annually on this 100-acre sandbank, no +point of which rose 10 feet above spring-tide level. The graceful +White-capped Noddies already mentioned nested high and low on the +trees and shrubs. Petrels in thousands burrowed in the sand under the +giant _Pisonias_, which are so thickly foliaged that not enough +light penetrates to enable undergrowth to flourish, so the sand was +practically bare in the centre of the island. Reef Herons nested +low on spreading branches or interlacing roots. Silver Gulls and +Oyster-catchers nested on the ground, within about a yard of the +spring-tide mark; Doves, Silver-eyes, Bell-Magpies (_Streperas_), +Caterpillar-eaters, Kingfishers, and other land birds nested in the +trees, while the White-bellied Sea-Eagle (almost a fac-simile of the +Bald Eagle of America) had his nest overlooking all, on the highest +tree on the island. The Frigate Birds were not nesting on Mast Head +Island, but they roosted each night in the tall Sheoaks at the water's +edge. It was a treat, in the late afternoon, to see these glorious +birds winding up their invisible staircase into the vast void of upper +air. Gloriously and calmly they sailed up and up, until the merest +speck only could be seen. Of corals, turtles, and other marvels we may +not speak here. The migrating wading-birds had just reached the island +after their long journey from Siberian Tundras. Some were so poor +that we caught Sandpipers by hand. Flocks of Turnstone, Golden Plover, +Godwits, Curlew, and other wading-birds were there, possibly only +resting before continuing their journey to the South. It was indeed +a privilege to live on such a spot for nine days and to see Nature in +some of her most interesting phases. + +The two Australian Seagulls illustrate the "law of representatives" so +often referred to by Gould. It is strange how often a closely similar +representative of a Northern bird is found in Australia. Thus the big +Pacific Gull is the representative of the large Gull of Europe, though +its peculiar deepened and orange-colored bill is distinctive. It does +not gain its beautiful white and black plumage until it is three or +more years old, being brown in the first year, and brown and white in +the second year. + +The Silver Gull is known to all. Though a dainty-looking bird, it has +a bad character. It is worse than any bird of prey for stealing eggs +and young birds, for let a gannet or other nesting bird but leave the +nest for a moment, and Gulls quickly rob it of its contents. They are +scavengers, and eagerly follow a steamer at lunch-time to gather the +scraps. An interesting sight of Currie Harbor, King Island, is to see +the large company of Seagulls nesting undisturbed on a tiny, bare, +rocky islet close to the pier. + +It was noted that, whenever the Noddies were disturbed, and rose, +protesting loudly, the Gulls immediately gathered and hovered over +the trees containing Noddies' nests. Evidently they were looking for +unprotected eggs. + +Placed in the next family are the seven robber Gulls or sea +pirates--Skuas. We read of these birds in the old _Royal Readers_, +but few recognized them when they followed us to the Summer School +of 1910. They also followed our afternoon-tea cruise to South Channel +fort, and played their usual game of compelling the Seagulls to give +up the scraps they had gathered. The Robber Gull, or Skua, of Victoria +is, strange to say, identical with the Skua of England. The one that +followed the s.s. _Lady Loch_ to the Summer School is better known in +England as the Arctic Gull or Richardson Skua. It breeds in the far +North, so it is a great traveller. + +One interesting fact about these birds is that they show two sets of +plumage. Thus, while each bird, as it gets older, usually changes its +immature and almost uniform dusky plumage for a white under-surface, +an incomplete white collar, and a blackish cap, yet some retain the +dusky plumage throughout life. This is a good example of "dimorphism," +as it is termed. Usually, instead of picking up their own prey, they +watch until some other bird has captured a meal, and then they rapidly +pursue it and cause it to disgorge. They do not skim over the waves +like Petrels, but show a heavy, labored flight, varied by a short +soar. As the two centre tail feathers project beyond the rest, the +birds can be readily identified as they follow a steamer for tit-bits. + +==== + + [Page 34] + + [Illustration: [64] [65] [66] [67] [68] [69]] + + ORDER IX.--LARIFORMES. + + F. 32. LARIDAE (21), TERNS, NODDIES, GULLS, Skimmers, 125 + sp.--32(13)A., 35(3)O., 45(1)P., 42(6)E., 43(5)Nc., 46(19)Nl. + +2 +4 + + =64 Whiskered Tern= (Marsh), _Hydrochelidon fluviatilis + (hybrida)_, Eur. (Br.) to China, Malay, Afr. to A. + + r. _swamps (inland)_ 11 + + Head black; upper, wings, tail light-gray; face, throat, tail + white; chest dark-gray; abdomen black; bill blood-red; winter, + head grayish-white; f., sim. Water-insects, small fish. + + [Page 35] + +1 +1 + + =65 Gull-billed Tern= (Long-legged), _Gelochelidon macrotarsa + (anglica)_, cos. + [~65-66 _Genus Thalasseus._] + + r. _rivers_, _swamps inland_ 17 + + White; crown, hind-neck black; upper, wing-quills + silvery-gray; bill long, stout, black; long legs and feet + black; winter head white streaked black; f., sim. Small fish, + insects. + +1 +1 + + =66 Caspian Tern=, Taranui, _Sterna (Hydroprogne) caspia_, + cos. exc. S. Amer. + [~65-66 _Genus Thalasseus._] + + c. _shore_ 20.5 + + Head, hind-neck black; back, wings, tail pale-gray; dark-gray + wing-quills; under white; bill scarlet; dives; f., smaller. + Fish. + +10 +37 + + =67* Crested Tern= (Swift, Rüppell, Bass-St., Torres-St.), + Village Blacksmith, _Sterna bergii_, Red S., Indian O., to + Japan to A., Pac. Is. + + v.c. _ocean_ 17 + + Crown, crest black; forehead, sides and back of neck, under, + white; back, wings, tail dark-gray; bill yellow; legs, feet + black; f., sim. Fish. + + =68 White-fronted Tern= (Southern), _S. striata (frontalis)_, + E.A., T., N.Z. + + c. _shore_ 13 + + Upper delicate-gray; wing-quills grayish-black; forehead, + side-neck, under white; bill, about eye, hind-neck black; f., + sim. Small fish. + + =69 Bridled Tern= (Brown-winged, Panayan, Smaller-Sooty), _S. + anaestheta_, tropical, sub-tropical seas. + + v.c. _shore_ 14.5 + + Upper light sooty-brown; forehead, line over eye, throat, + under white; crown, nape, line from bill past eye black; bill, + legs, feet black; like 70, but smaller; back, wings brown; f., + sim. Fish. + + [Page 38] + + [Illustration: [81] [87] [102] [106] [107] [109] [119] [123] [125]] + + =81= Black-breasted Plover + =87= Black-fronted Dottrel + =102= Sharp-tailed Sandpiper + =106= Australian Snipe + =107= Australian Painted Snipe + =109= Southern Stone-Curlew + =119= White-fronted Heron + =123= Nankeen Night Heron + =125= Australian Bittern + + [Page 40] + + [Illustration: [70] [71] [72] [73] [74] [75]] + + =70 Sooty Tern=, Wide-awake, Egg-bird, _S. fuliginosa_ (_S. + fuscata_, A.O.U.), tropical, sub-tropical seas, Br. (acc). + [~70 _Sterna fuscata._] + + v.c. _shores_ 17 + + Upper, crown, wings, line from bill past eye, tail black; + forehead, under white; bill, feet black; like 69, but larger, + blacker above; f., sim. Fish, squid. "Oo-ee." + + =71* White-faced Ternlet=, Sea-swallow, Little (Fairy) Tern, + Taraiti, _S. nereis_, A., N.Z. =vt. Eur. Little Tern. + + c. _shore_ 10.5 + + Upper silvery-gray; under, rump, tall, forehead white; crown, + hind-neck black; bill, feet orange-yellow; f., sim. Small + fish. + + [Page 41] + +1 +45 + + =72* Silver Gull= (Jameson), Seagull, Sea Pigeon, _Larus + novae-hollandiae_, A., T., N. Cal., N.Z. (acc). + + Stat. c. _shore_, _inland_ 17.5 + + Head, neck, under, rump, tail white; back, wings + delicate-gray; wing-tips white and black bars; bill, legs, + feet blood-red; eye white; f., sim. Scraps, eggs, omnivorous. + +1 +1 + + =73* Pacific Gull= (Larger), _Gabianus pacificus_. A., T. =vt. + Eur. Greater Black-backed Gull. + + Stat. c. _shore_ 25 + + "This fine gull;" head, neck, under white; tail white barred + black; back, wings slaty-black; eye white; legs yellow; + deepened bill orange tipped red; f., smaller; young up to 4 + years mottled-brown, becoming more like adult each year. Fish, + crabs, carrion. + + F. 33. STERCORARIIDAE (4), SKUAS, Robber Gulls, Sea Pirates, 7 + sp.--4(0)A., 1(0)O., 4(0)P., 3(0)E., 4(0)Nc., 4(1)Nl. + +1 +4 + + =74 Great Southern Skua=, Robber Gull, Port-Egmont-Hen, + Sea-Hawk, Hakoakoa, _Megalestris antarctica_, S. Oceans, A., + N.Z. =vt. Eur. Great Skua. + [~74 _Catharacta._] + + Mig. r. _shores_ 23 + + Upper blackish-brown; under chocolate-brown; wing white patch; + centre tail feathers project 1/2in.; f., sim. Stolen fish, + carrion. + +2 +3 + + =75 Richardson Skua= (Arctic), Arctic (Parasite) Gull, + Long-tailed Jaeger, Sea-Pirate, Boatswain-Bird, Teaser, + _Stercorarius crepidatus_, cos. + [~75 _Catharacta parasitica._] + + Mig. r. _shores_ 20 + + Dimorphic (two phases)--1. Dusky upper; blackish cap; narrow + whitish collar; under white; brown band on chest; brown band + on wing; centre tail feathers project 3ins.; strong bill, + claws. 2. Under mottled and barred brown and whitish; follow + bay steamers; f., sim. Stolen fish. + +==== + +The fifty Australian birds included in the important order of Waders +are remarkably like such birds found inhabiting other regions of the +globe, shore conditions apparently being somewhat similar the world +over. It is interesting to note that thirteen of the forty-four +Australian members of this family of Plover-like birds are also found +in Britain, and that most of the others are direct representatives +of closely-related birds found in other Countries. No less than +twenty-eight of these birds are merely visitors here, for they breed +away in the far North. Many even nest within the Arctic Circle, in +Siberia, for it is a rule that a migrating bird nests in the colder +of the two countries visited. Strictly, these twenty-eight species are +Siberian, or at least northern, forms, and not Australian birds. + +Many members of this group undergo a seasonal change of plumage +when breeding time comes. As they spend this season in the Northern +Hemisphere, we do not see them in their brilliant colors, but in +quiet, mottled browns and grays. + +Some are "accidental" visitors to Australia. Possibly they find their +way here by getting mixed with a company of allied birds on their +annual journey south. Thus the Common (British) Sandpiper is a very +rare bird here, though it retains its British name--Common Sandpiper. +Similarly, other European and American birds have been recorded, and +the number of these far-wandering birds recorded from Australia +is likely to be still further increased. The stout, short-legged +Turnstone is the most cosmopolitan of birds. Breeding in Siberia, so +widely does it roam, that it has visited almost every shore in +the world, where, true to name, it turns the stones in search of +sandhoppers. + +The two "Oyster-catchers"--"Redbills"--are representatives of similar +birds found almost the world over. Their deepened, flat bill is said +to serve as a pick-axe to force open oysters and mussels. We found one +or two pairs on almost every shore we visited about Bass Strait, on +Eyre Peninsula, and on the Barrier Reef. + +The two common Plovers--the Spurwing and Black-breasted--do not +migrate, so we see them in brighter colors. Still, though bright +when noticed, they are yet wonderfully protected, as they stand quite +still. I felt great astonishment on finding that I had driven, +near Lake Tyrrell, into the midst of a company of over a thousand +Black-breasted Plovers, not noticed until the eye picked out one and +then another. It recalled to mind the scene in the _Lady of the Lake_, +when Fitz James found the hillside alive with Roderick Dhu's warriors. + +The White-headed Stilt, or Long-legged Plover, is one of five species +spread throughout the world. Some people have pretended to pity the +Stilt for being one of Nature's misfits, but surely they never saw the +bird in a state of nature enjoying life, and gaining an easy living on +shallow tidal flats, its long legs being a beautiful adaptation to the +environment in which it lives. + +The Banded Stilt is a purely Australian bird, and has no +representative in other countries. These and some other shore-birds +live about tidal flats, and get their food in the soft mud. Their long +bill is often flexible, and the tip is sometimes well supplied with +nerves, so that it is sensitive. The bird can thus detect, in the soft +mud, any animal that would serve for food. It can then open its bill +enough to catch the animal without trouble. The Avocet's bill is +sharply curved upwards, and is one of the most remarkable of such +organs. The Australian Avocet is one species of a cosmopolitan genus. + +Some of the Dottrels live on the dry, open plains of the interior; +others frequent the beaches and shores. + +When a bird of prey appears, these plain-living birds squat quite +flat, placing even the head flat on the ground. They thus escape +detection, for the protective coloring of these birds and of their +eggs is marvellous. The story of how a photograph of a Dottrel's nest +was obtained is of value to teachers, for it will remind us that it +is not well to neglect the three R's, and that Nature-study alone +will not give a complete education. Three bird-lovers spent some time +trying to find this nest, while the parent birds flew noisily around. +Suspecting at last that the birds' knowledge of numbers was probably +deficient, the three hid behind a log. Two then walked away. The birds +immediately returned to the nest, and a valuable photograph was the +result. A training in Nature-study, valuable as it undoubtedly is, is +thus not all of our work. + +The Painted Snipe breeds in Australia, but the Australian Snipe breeds +in Japan, so it, properly speaking, is not an Australian bird. Think +of the journey twice a year! Six of these wading-birds even visit New +Zealand each year. How do they find their way there, across a gap +of over 1000 miles, without any land whatever? Inherited memory is +strong, but how did the first batches find their way? Their annual +journey supports the geographer in his surmise that Australia at no +very distant date extended very much farther to the east. Indeed, +these birds almost certainly follow the old coast of the Australian +continent. + +Snipe, some Plovers, Dottrels, Curlews (Sea), Whimbrels, Godwits, &c., +thus go to the North each year to partake of the abundant banquet +of fruits, &c., preserved in the great ice chamber of the North. +Numberless flocks of birds follow up the melting ice, and so nest +unmolested on the great tundras and plains of Siberia. They wear their +bright wedding dress in the far North, and are known here only in the +quiet mottled browns and grays. In autumn these birds depart. They +travel mostly at night, to avoid Birds of Prey, and so are seldom +seen, though they may be heard calling as they pass high overhead. +They are occasionally seen with the aid of telescopes as they pass +across the face of the moon. + +The Pratincole, or Swallow-Plover, is a representative of an Old-World +family. Its long wings and long legs denote a rapid runner and a rapid +flyer, so that it has little trouble in catching its insect food, +either in the air or on the ground. + +Our inland Stone-Curlew has a call very similar to that of the sea +(true) Curlew, but it has a short, straight bill, instead of a long, +arched bill. The proper name of the land Curlew is the Southern +Stone-Curlew or Stone-Plover. It is the only Australian bird that +seems to have the power of varying the color of its eggs. If the eggs +are laid in grass, they are greenish; if amongst ironstone, the eggs +are reddish-brown; if on sand, the eggs are tawny; and so on. Other +ground-laying birds seem to pick out the soil that matches the +color of their eggs, and lay there only. Possibly local races of the +Southern Stone-Curlew keep to the one class of country. However, the +eggs do match the surroundings, and the birds nest on different kinds +of soil and rock. + +In Family 42, the only Australian bird is the Australian Bustard, our +representative of a widely-spread family, a member of which formerly +bred in Great Britain. It is the well-known "Wild Turkey." As it is a +good table bird, it is generally shot on sight. This is a mistake, +as it is (as Mr. C. French, Government Entomologist, has pointed out) +worth many times its table value as an insect destroyer. None of the +family has spread to America. As no Bustard occurs in the regions +between Australia and India, this bird supplies a good example of +what is known to zoo-geographers as "discontinuous distribution." +"Discontinuous distribution," as applied to land animals, _e.g._, +marsupials found in America and Australia, ratite birds in South +America, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand, or the tapir, +found in Central America and Malaysia, implies a land connexion (not +necessarily complete at any one period) to allow of the gradual spread +of the animals. Of course, as flying birds can pass easily from one +region to another, "discontinuous distribution," as applied to them, +cannot have so much importance attached to it as indicating previous +land connexions. + +==== + + [Page 42] + + [Illustration: [76] [77] [78] [79] [80] [81] [82]] + + ORDER X.--CHARADRIIFORMES. + + F. 34. _Chionididae_, Sheathbills, Kelp-Pigeons, 3 sp.--2(2)E. + 1(1)Nl. + + F. 35. _Thinocorythidae_, Seed-Snipe, Seed-Plover, 5 sp. Nl. + + F. 36. CHARADRIIDAE (44), Waders, Plover-like Birds, 202 + sp.--68(29)A., 75(5)O., 84(2)P., 70(24)E., 65(3)Nc., 74(28)Nl. + +1 +2 + + =76 Turnstone=, Sea-Dottrel, Calico (beach) Bird, _Arenaria + interpres_, cos. + [~76 _Morinella interpres._] + + Mig. c. _shore_ 8 + + Winter plumage, mottled brown, black; summer plumage in far + north; black and white conspicuous; short bill black; legs, + feet, orange; f., duller. Sand-hoppers, shellfish. + + [Page 43] + +2 +13 + + =77 Pied Oyster-catcher= (White-breasted, Black and white), + Seapie, Olive, Redbill, Torea, _Haematopus longirostris_, + Mol., N.G., A., T., N.Z., Chatham Is. =vt. Eur. + Oyster-catcher. + + Stat. c. _shores_ 19.5 + + Black; abdomen, rump, base tail above, below white; eyes, + bill, legs red; bill 3.75in.; f., sim. Sand-hoppers, + shellfish, worms. + + =78 Black Oyster-catcher= (Sooty), Redbill, Toreo-pango, _H. + fuliginosus_, A., T., N.Z. + + Stat. c. _shores_ 18 + + Sooty-black; bill, feet, eye red; f., sim. Shellfish, worms. + +1 +1 + + =79 Red-kneed Dottrel=, Sandpiper (e), _Erythrogonys cinctus_, A. + + Mig. r. _muddy river banks_ 7.5 + + Head, upper-neck, chest, black; throat, sides of neck, + abdomen, under base tail white; back olive-brown; middle tail + feathers olive, rest white; thigh, knee pink-red; f., sim. + Insects. + +2 +4 + + =80 Spurwing Plover= (Wattled), Alarm-Bird, _Lobivanellus + lobatus_, A., T. + [~80 _Lobibyx novae hollandiae._] + + Stat. c. _plains_, _swamps_ 14 + + "One of most beautiful of plovers;" crown black; face, + hind-neck, rump, under white; upper brown; tail white tipped + black; wattle on face lemon-yellow; spur on shoulder; f., sim. + Insects. + +1 +1 + + =81* Black-breasted Plover= (Stubble, Flock, Plain), _Zonifer + tricolor_, A., T. + + Stat. v.c. _plains_ 10.5 + + Upper brown; crown, line on face down to broad band on chest, + wing-quills black; line through eye, throat, abdomen white; + tail white barred black; spot at base of upper-bill blood-red; + f., spot lighter-red. Insects. + +1 +1 + + =82 Gray Plover= (Black-bellied), Gray Sandpiper (e), Maycock, + _Squatarola helvetica_, cos. 82 + [~_Squatarola squatarola._] + + Mig. r. _muddy shores_, _rivers_ 12 + + Crown, upper, wings, olive-brown mottled white; wing-quills + blackish-brown; rump white; tail white barred light olive; + face, under white, breast tinged buff; bill, feet blackish; + small hind toe; brighter in far North; f., sim. Insects, + worms. + + [Page 44] + + [Illustration: [83] [84] [85] [86] [87]] + +1 +2 + + =83 Lesser Golden Plover= (Pacific, American, Australian, + Eastern), _Charadrius dominicus_, almost cos. + [~83-89 _Genus Charadrius._] + + Mig. flocks, r. _plains near sea_, _rivers_ 9 + + Upper, tail dark-brown marked whitish; under mottled buff, + brown, white; line over eye, throat whitish; no hind toe; + brighter in far north; f., sim. Insects, worms. + +4 +8 + + =84 Double-banded Dottrel= (Banded), Pohowera, _Ochthodromus + bicinctus_, A., T., Norfolk Is., Lord Howe Is., N.Z. + [~83-89 _Genus Charadrius._] + + Mig. c. _shores_, _grass_ 6.5 + + Upper brownish-gray; under white; black band on chest; + chestnut band on abdomen; forehead white; black line through + eye; eyelash scarlet; no hind toe; f., duller. Insects, worms. + + =85 Oriental Dottrel= (Eastern, Asiatic, Mongolian), _O. + veredus_, Mongolia, China to A. + [~83-89 _Genus Charadrius._] + + Mig. v.r. _sandy coasts_ 9.5 + + Indistinct mottled plumage; upper brown and buff; throat + lighter; abdomen white; slender bill dark-brown; legs long, + slender; no hind toe; f., sim. Insects, worms. + +4 +19 + + =86 Red-capped Dottrel=, Red-necked Plover, Sandlark, + _Ægialitis ruficapilla_, China to A., T., N.Z. + [~83-89 _Genus Charadrius._] + + Stat. c. _shores_ 6 + + Crown, hind-neck rust-red; upper, wings pale-brown; + wing-quills blackish-brown; centre tail dark-brown, rest + white; under, forehead white; f., duller. Shellfish. + + =87* Black-fronted Dottrel=, _Æ. melanops_, A. + [~83-89 _Genus Charadrius._] + + Stat. r. _rivers_, _pools_, _lakes_ 6 + + Forehead, broad band on chest black; throat, abdomen, stripe + over eye, round hind-neck white; eyelash bright-red; "active, + elegant bird;" f., sim. Insects, worms. + + [Page 45] + + [Illustration: [88] [89] [90] [91] [92] [93]] + + =88 Hooded Dottrel=, _Æ. cucullata_, A., T. + [~83-89 _Genus Charadrius._] + + Stat. c. _shore_ 8.3 + + Head, throat, upper-back black; hind-neck, under white; + lower-back light brownish-gray; middle tail feathers black, + rest tipped white; scarlet ring round eye; f., crown mottled + black, white. Sand-hoppers, worms. + +1 +1 + + =89 Australian Dottrel=, _Peltohyas australis_, A. =vt. Eur. + Common Dottrel. + [~83-89 _Genus Charadrius._] + + Mig. v.r. _plains (interior)_ 8 + + Upper sandy-buff mottled with dark-brown; black band across + top of head from eye to eye; black collar on hind-neck + continued as a narrow V across chest; forehead, throat white; + m., duller. Insects. + +1 +7 + + =90 White-headed Stilt= (Pied), Longshanks, Stilt-bird, + Long-legged Plover, _Himantopus leucocephalus_, Great Sunda + Is., Mol., N.G., A. =vt. Eur. Stilt. + [~90 _Hypsibates_] + + Nom. r. _swamps_, _lakes_ 15 + + White; hind-neck, back, wings black; long legs pink; f., + smaller. Insects, pond-snails. + +1 +1 + + =91 Banded Stilt=, Rottnest Snipe (e), _Cladorhynchus + leucocephalus_, A. + + Nom. v.r. _shallow lakes_ 13.5 + + White; broad chestnut band on breast; wings, centre of abdomen + black; long bill black. Plaintive whistle. + +1 +4 + + =92 Red-necked Avocet=, Cobbler, Cobbler's Awl, Painted Lady, + Scooper, _Recurvirostra novae-hollandiae_, A., T., N.Z. =vt. + cos. bird. + + Nom. r. _lakes_, _tidal bays_ 15.5 + + White; head, neck chestnut; wings black; f., sim. Shellfish, + insects. + +2 +9 + + =93 Australian Curlew=, Sea-Curlew, _Numenius cyanopus_, E. + Sib., Japan to A. =vt. Eur. Common Curlew. + + Mig. c. _tidal shores_ m., 21; f., 24 + + Arched bill 7in.; mottled brown; f., larger. Crabs, worms. + + [Page 46] + + [Illustration: [94] [95] [96] [97] [98] [99]] + + =94 Oriental Whimbrel= (Australian), Jack-Curlew, Mayfowl, _N. + variegatus_, E. Sib., Japan to A., T. =vt. Eur. Whimbrel. + + Mig. r. _river_, _swamp_ 15 + + Brown mottled; chin, abdomen white; tail barred brown, white; + arched bill 3in.; f., sim. Crabs, shellfish, worms. + +1 +1 + + =95 Little Whimbrel=, _Mesoscolopax minutus_, E. Sib., + Mongolia, Japan to A. + [~95 _Numenius minutus._] + + Mig. v.r. _swamps_ 12 + + Upper blackish-brown much marked and spotted buff; under, line + past eye buff; arched bill 1.7in. Insects, worms. + + [Page 47] + +2 +5 + + =96 Barred-rumped Godwit= (Pacific), Kuaka, _Limosa, + novae-zealandiae_ (_lapponica_, Am.O.U.), Alaska, California; + E. Sib. to A., T., N.Z., Oceania =vt. Eur. Barred-tailed + Godwit. + [~96 _Limosa baueri._] + + Mig. c. _shores_ 15 + + Upper brownish-gray marked whitish; rump, tail barred brown, + white; abdomen white; legs brownish-black; broad, indistinct + whitish eyebrow; bill long, slightly upturned; f., larger. + Shellfish, worms, sand-hoppers. + + =97 Black-tailed Godwit=, _L. limosa_, Br. Eur., N. Afr., + India, E. Sib., Japan to A., Greenland (acc.), may be a + distinct species than called _L. melanuroides_. + [~97 _Limosa melanuroides._] + + Mig. v.r. _shallow lakes_ 16 + + Upper grayish-brown; wing white band flying; lower-back + blackish-brown; upper base tail white; tail black, white at + side at base; neck, breast, flanks grayish-brown; abdomen + white; bill long, slightly upturned; f., larger. Insects, pond + snails, worms. + +1 +2 + + =98 Common Sandpiper=, Summer Snipe, _Tringoides hypoleucus_, + Eur. (Br.), N. Asia, Afr., Ind., to A. (acc.). + [~98 _Tringa hypoleuca._] + + Mig. u. _shores_, _lakes_ 8 + + Upper pale-brown marked darker; wing-quills slightly tipped + white; centre tail feathers glossy-brown, side feathers white + barred brown; under white; chest marked pale-brown; indistinct + pale eyebrow; tail constantly jerked; f., sim. Water-insects, + shellfish. + +1 +1 + + =99 Greenshank=, _Glottis nebularius_, Br., Eastern + hemisphere, Florida (acc.). + [~99 _Tringa nebularia._] + + Mig. r. _shores_, _lakes_ 14 + + Face, under, tail white; sides of breast streaked brown; edge + of tail barred freckled brown; crown, hind-neck gray; wings + dark-brown; upper light-brown; legs deep olive-green; f., sim. + Shellfish, worms. + + [Page 48] + + [Illustration: [100] [101] [102] [103] [104] [105]] + +1 +1 + + =100 Sanderling=, _Calidris arenaria_ (_leucophoea_, Am.O.U.), + cos. exc. Pacific Is. + [~100 _Arenaria leucophaea._] + + Mig. v.r. _sandy shores_, _swamps_ 7.5 + + Crown, back gray; white band on wing; sides, lower-back white; + eyebrow, forehead, face, under white; no hind toe; brighter in + far north; f., sim. Sand-hoppers, insects. "Wick." + + [Page 49] + +2 +5 + + =101 Eastern Little Stint= (Little), Red-necked Sandpiper, + Land-snipe, Little Dunlin, _Pisobia ruficollis_, E. Sib., + Jap., China to A., T., N.Z. =vt. Eur. Little Stint. + [~101 _Erolia ruficollis._] + + Mig. flocks c. _shores_ 6.2 + + Upper ashy-brown mottled darker; wing-quills blackish-brown; + centre tail feathers blackish-brown; rest whitish; forehead, + under white; faint chestnut band on chest; bill, legs black; + brighter in far north; f., sim. Insects, shellfish. + +1 +5 + + =102* Sharp-tailed Sandpiper= (Siberian-, Asiatic-Pectoral), + Sharp-tailed Stint, Marsh Sandpiper, Marsh Tringa, + _Heteropygia aurita_, (_P. aurita_, Am.O.U.), Alaska, E. Sib., + Japan, Ind, to A., T., N.Z. + [~102 _Erolia aurita._] + + Mig. r. _coast_ 8.5 + + Upper dark-brown marked gray; crown faint rufous; wing-quills + dark-brown; face, under whitish, breast brownish; f., smaller. + Small water-animals. + +1 +1 + + =103 Curlew-Sandpiper=, Pygmy Curlew, Curlew-Stint, + _Ancylochilus subarquatus_ (_Erolia ferruginea_, Am.O.U.), A., + T., N.Z., almost cos. exc. Pac. Is. + [~103 _Erolia ferruginea._] + + Mig. flocks r. _shore_ 8.5 + + Upper grayish-brown; eyebrow, rump, under white, chest tinged + brown; bill 1.5 in., black, arched; brighter in far north; f., + sim. Insects, worms. + +2 +2 + + =104 Knot=, Knot-Snipe, _Tringa canutus_, almost cos., A., T., N.Z. + [~104 _Canutus canutus._] + + Mig. r. _tidal mud flats_ 9 + + Upper grayish-brown; under white; flanks, breast barred + grayish-brown; upper base tail white barred black; brighter in + far north; f., sim. Insects, worms. + + =105 Eastern Knot= (Japanese), Great Sandpiper, _T. + crassirostris_, E. Sib., Jap., Ind. to A. + [~105 _Canutus magnus._] + + Mig. v.r. _shore_ 11.5 + + Crown, neck, brownish-gray; back, wings brown; rump white; + tail brownish-gray; breast dark-brown marked white; abdomen + white; bill olive, 1-3/4 in.; brighter in far north; f., sim. + Insects, worms. + + [Page 50] + + [Illustration: [106] [107] [108] [109] [110]] + +1 +23 + + =106* Australian Snipe= (Japanese, Latham), Jack Snipe, + Bleater, Long-bill, _Gallinago australis_, Jap., Formosa, to + A., T., N.Z. =vt. Eur. Snipe. + + Mig. c. _swamps_ 9.5 + + Richly mottled; crown blackish with buff line along centre; + face, chin buff; breast, washed reddish-brown; brown bars on + flanks; back mottled brownish-black; under wings finely barred + black, white; chestnut band on tail; two black lines on face; + bill 2.7 in.; f., sim. Insects, worms. + +1 +3 + + =107* Australian-Painted Snipe=, Australian Rhynchaea, + _Rostratula australis_, A. + + Mig. v.r. _grassy_, _bush_ 9.5 + + Beautiful mottled dotted; crown dark-brown, with buff line; + throat, chest dark, chin lighter; wing brown, spotted black, + white, buff; abdomen white; long straight bill 1.7 in.; m., + duller, smaller. Insects, worms. + + [Page 51] + + F. 37. PARRIDAE (1), PARRA, Jacana, Water-Pheasant, 11 + sp.--2(1)A., 3(2)O., 3(3)E., 1(0)Nc., 4(3)Nl. + + F. 38. _Cursoriidae_, Coursers, 15 sp.--3(2)O., 1(0)P., + 13(12)E. + + F. 39. GLAREOLIDAE (2), PRATINCOLES, Swallow-Plovers, 10 + sp.--2(0)A., 4(1)O., 3(0)P., 7(5)E. + +1 +1 + + =108 Australian Pratincole=, Swallow-Plover, _Stiltia + isabella_, Borneo, Java to A., N.Z. =vt. Eur. Pratincole. + + Mig. v.r. _(interior) rivers_, _marshes_ 9.5 + + Upper, wings, breast light-rufous, throat whitish; abdomen + chestnut; base tail above, below white; centre tail black, + rest white; bill red, tipped black, swallow-like flight; f., + sim. Insects. + + F. 40. _Dromadidae_, Crab-Plover, 1 sp.--1(0)O., 1(0)E. + + F. 41. OEDICNEMIDAE (2), STONE-CURLEWS, Stone-Plovers, + Thick-Knees, 13 sp.--2(1)A., 3(1)O., 1(0)P., 7(6)E., 3(3) Nl. + +1 +1 + + =109* Southern Stone-Curlew= (-Plover) Willaroo, Scrub Curlew, + _Burhinus grallarius_, A., T. (acc.). + + Stat. c. _sandy plains_, _timber_ 20.5 + + Crown, upper dark-gray, marked black; round eye white; throat + buff; chest, abdomen whitish, streaked blackish; white patch + on wing; legs long; bill short, black; f., sim. Insects, + berries. "Wee-lo." + + F. 42. OTIDIDAE (1), BUSTARDS, 33 sp.--1(1)A., 7(2)O., 7(2)P., + 23(21)E + +1 +5 + + =110 Australian Bustard=, Wild Turkey (e), _Eupodotis + australis_, A. + [~110 _Choriotis australis._] + + Mig. r. _plains_ 48 + + Crown black; face, neck grayish-white; upper, wings brown; + wings spotted black-white; black band on chest; abdomen white; + f., smaller. Seeds, grass, lizards, insects. + +==== + +Australia, fortunately, has one representative of Order XI.--Cranes. +This is the Native Companion, the only true Crane found in Australia. +These are interesting birds, with their "quadrille parties," +"corroborees," and dances. They live chiefly on vermin--insects, +lizards, &c. The great Gould said: "Its presence adds greatly to the +interest of the scenery." Would that more Australians thought so! + +Cranes are amongst the best of flyers. They are said to fly sometimes +at a height of from three and a half to five miles, and have been +seen to cross lofty mountains in Central Asia without increasing +their altitude. Perhaps because of its inappropriate name--Native +Companion--some have proposed to regard this bird as the typical +Australian bird, but it is not so. In fact, it is our one +representative of an almost world-wide group. + +==== + + [Page 52] + + [Illustration: [111] [112] [113] [114] [115]] + + ORDER XI.--GRUIFORMES. + + F. 43. GRUIDAE (1), CRANES, 19 sp.--1(1)A., 8(2)O., 9(1)P., + 7(5)E., 3(0)Nc., 2(0)Nl. + +1 +3 + + =111 Australian Crane=, Native Companion, Brolga, _Antigone + australasiana_, A. + [~111 _Mathewsia rubicunda._] + + Nom. r. _plains_ 42 + + Deep silvery-gray; wing-quills black; naked red patch about + face, throat; legs, feet black; f., smaller. Insects, lizards, + bulbous roots, seeds. + + F. 44. _Aramidae_, Courlans, Limpkin, 2 sp.--1(0)Nc., 2(1)Nl. + + F. 45. _Rhinochetidae_, Kagu, 1 sp. A. (N. Cal.). + + F. 46. _Mesoenatidae_, 1 sp. E. (Madagascar). + + F. 47. _Eurypygidae_, Sun-bitterns, 2 sp. Nl. + + F. 48. _Psophiidae_, Trumpeters, 7 sp. Nl. + + F. 49. _Cariamidae_, Seriema, Saria, 2 sp. Nl. + +==== + +In Order XII. Australia has representatives of the Ibises, Spoonbills, +Storks, Herons, Egrets, Night Herons, and Bitterns, so well known in +every part of the world. + +Amongst the world's birds, few are better known than the Ibis. This +bird was so highly prized by the ancient Egyptians as to be considered +sacred, and they thought enough of it to embalm it. As Egypt depended +on the overflow of the Nile for food supply, and as this overflow was +heralded by the arrival of the migratory Ibis from the South, it was +natural for the Egyptians to connect the rise of the river with this +bird, and thus look for its approach. Again, the Ibis is an insect +destroyer, and, as Egypt was subject to plagues of grasshoppers, it +undoubtedly rendered as valuable service there as it does here. This +is another reason that has been assigned for the esteem in which this +valuable bird was held. However, it is now almost unknown in Egypt. + +In Australia we have three Ibises. One, the Sacred Ibis, or White +Ibis, is practically identical with the Sacred Ibis of Egypt. Our +second Ibis is the even more valuable Straw-necked Ibis, which extends +its labors to plains and pastures, while the Sacred Ibis is rarely +seen except on swampy lands. The Straw-necked Ibis is restricted to +Australia. It seems to be increasing in numbers, for I have seen small +and large flocks in many parts of the Eastern States recently. It has +an insatiable appetite for grasshoppers and other insects. This bird +is a valuable asset to Australia, and yet thoughtless farmers used +to shoot it. Mr. Le Souëf and Dr. C. Ryan came upon a flock of Ibises +breeding in Riverina. They estimated the flock to contain 240,000 +birds. They found that each bird shot contained on the average 2000 +young grasshoppers. Think of it; 480,000,000 grasshoppers a day! Where +are those birds now, when needed to stem a locust plague? We have to +pay the price of our folly in destroying valuable birds. A third Ibis +is identical with the little Glossy Ibis of Europe. + +The six Spoonbills are found throughout the world except in New +Zealand and the northern parts of North America. They used to breed +in England before man's selfishness and stupidity destroyed them and +their nesting-places. They breed at present in the Murray swamps. + +The Australian Stork--the Jabiru--does not come to the Southern +parts of Australia, but breeds on the Queensland coast. It is +a quaint-shaped, though beautifully-colored, bird. Its large, +awkward-looking bill has a slight curve upwards. + +Now come those beautiful birds, the Egrets. Man's cupidity and +selfishness, and woman's desire for ornament, seem to have doomed +these birds to total extermination, for the plume trade, which is +responsible for some of the "most abominable cruelty practised in +the animal world," is a war of extermination. Egrets are shy, and are +approachable only in the breeding season. At that time they are, in +obedience to parental instincts, brave in defence of their young. It +is just then that the plume-hunters visit the rookeries and shoot the +parents, leaving the helpless, almost fully-fledged, young to die in +the nest, so high overhead. And all for what? Could anyone who has +seen the devastated nests, with the famished bodies of the fledglings +rotting in the sun, ever take pleasure in Egret plumes decking the +head of a sister or wife? Women of refinement and tender heart will +refuse to wear the proceeds of human cruelty. Those engaged in the +trade resort to the mean trick of calling the plumes "Osprey plumes." +Now, the Osprey is a Fish-Hawk, and so possibly of little use to the +land-dweller, but these plumes grow on the back and neck of a valuable +insect destroyer. The extent of this trade is appalling. At one plume +sale, held in London on 4th August, 1909, the breeding plumes of +24,000 birds were offered for sale. Think of it! The slow starvation +of 40,000 nestlings, the death of 64,000 birds, to provide the plumes +for one day's sale. No, ladies, if you consider you are in need of +ornament, wear ostrich plumes and pheasants' feathers, for these +do not involve the death of a bird, but rather the reverse, for the +greater the demand for these feathers, the more birds will be bred; +but spare the Egret. + +The Reef Heron is found on beaches from the Bay of Bengal to New +Zealand. It has given scientists much trouble, for it has a pure-white +form and a dark slaty-gray form. We found and photographed the nests +on Mast Head and Heron Islands. This was a prize, for no photograph +of a Reef Heron's nest had been published previously. As soon as the +falling tide exposed the reef round the island, Reef Herons, Gulls, +Plovers, Dottrels, and Terns, went out to have their next meal. + +The "Blue Crane" of the country dwellers is the "White-fronted +Heron" of the bird-lover. "Fronted" in a bird name refers only to +the forehead. Herons are valuable birds to the grazier, farmer, +and irrigationist, for, in addition to insects and snails, they eat +yabbies (fresh-water crayfish), which bore into the banks and bed of +irrigation channels, and so cause much loss of water by soakage. + +Distinguished from these birds mainly by its nocturnal habit is +the interesting Nankeen Night Heron, our one representative of a +practically cosmopolitan genus. Our one Night Heron hides on a leafy +bough asleep during the daytime. About dusk he sets off to a swamp. + +The Australian Bittern, also our one representative of a cosmopolitan +genus, skulks in a bed of reeds. Hence it is seldom seen. Its loud, +dismal, booming note probably assisted in the formation of the Bunyip +legends of the blacks. I saw more Bitterns in a recent trip down the +Brisbane than I ever saw before. + +At breeding time these birds assemble in very large companies, and +their nesting-places are called heronries or rookeries. The chief +rookeries here are in the Riverina, where the great annual overflow of +that fine river, the Murray, converts the country into a great series +of lakes and swamps. Here water animals live in large numbers, and +thousands of birds take advantage of this abundant food supply to nest +there in the enormous redgums. + +Each bird is the close relative of a similar bird in Europe, so that +what is read concerning Herons and Egrets there, applies equally to +our members of this widely-distributed family. Eating grasshoppers +and other insects in great numbers, they are friends of the farmer and +grazier. Destroying yabbies and other burrowing water animals, they +are valuable allies of the irrigationist, and it is decidedly bad +policy to shoot one. + + +==== + + [Page 53] + + ORDER XII.--ARDEIFORMES. + + F. 50. IBIDIDAE (3), IBISES, 27 sp.--4(2)A., 6(2)O., 3(0)P., + 10(8)E., 4(0)Nc., 11(7)Nl. + +1 +5 + + =112 Australian White Ibis= (Black-necked), Sickle-Bill, _Ibis + molucca_, Mol., N.G., A. =vt. Sacred Ibis of Egypt. + + Nom. flocks, r. _lagoons_ 30 + + White; head, upper-neck bare black; back of head and neck + barred rose-pink; black bill arched; f., smaller. Insects. + +1 +1 + + =113 Straw-necked Ibis=, Dryweather (Letter) Bird, Farmer's + Friend, _Carphibis spinicollis_, A. T. + + Nom. flocks, c. _grassy_ 28 + + "This beautiful ibis;" head, fore-neck naked black; black bill + arched; pointed, straw-colored plumes on neck; breast, upper + greenish-purple barred black; abdomen, flanks, tail white; f., + smaller. Insects. + +1 +3 + + =114 Glossy Ibis=, Black Curlew (e), _Plegadis falcinellus_, + A., T., N.Z., almost cos. exc. S. Am., Arctic, and Pac. Is. + [~114 _Egatheus falcinellus._] + + Nom. flocks, v.r. _swampy_ 25 + + Head, neck, breast, back, under rich reddish-chestnut; + lower-back, tail dark bronze-green; winter; head, neck + streaked white; f., sim. Insects, worms. + + F. 51. PLATALEIDAE (2), SPOONBILLS, 6 sp.--2(2)A., 2(0)O., + 2(0)P., 2(1)E., 1(0)Nc., 1(0)Nl. + +1 +4 + + =115 Black-billed Spoonbill= (Royal), _Platalea regia_, A., + N.Z. + + Nom. r. _marshy_ 29 + + White; bill, legs, feet black; f., sim. Shellfish, frogs. + + [Page 55] + + [Illustration: [128] [129] [131] [133] [134] [135] [136] [137] [139]] + + =128= Cape Barren Goose + =129= Maned Goose + =131= Plumed Whistling Duck + =133= Black Duck + =134= Australian Teal + =135= Gray Teal + =136= Australian Shoveller + =137= Pink-eared Duck + =139= White-eyed Duck + + [Page 57] + + [Illustration: [152] [155] [157] [158] [165] [167] [170] [172] [173]] + + =152= Allied Harrier + =155= Australian Goshawk + =157= Collared Sparrowhawk + =158= Wedge-tailed Eagle + =165= Black-shouldered Kite + =167= Black-cheeked Falcon + =170= Little Falcon + =172= Brown Hawk + =173= Nankeen Kestrel + + [Page 60] + + [Illustration: [116] [117] [118] [121] [122]] + +1 +1 + + =116 Yellow-billed Spoonbill=, _Platibis flavipes_, A. + + Nom. r. _swamps_ 28 + + White; bill, legs, feet yellow; f., sim. Shellfish, frogs, + + F. 52. CICONIIDAE (1), STORK (JABIRU), 19 sp.--2(0)A., + 10(6)O., 4(1)P., 8(4)E., 2(0)Nc., 3(1)Nl. + + F. 53. _Scopidae_, Hammer-Head, 1 sp. E. + + F. 54. _Balaenicipitidae_, Shoe-bird, Shoebill, Whaleheaded + Stork, 1 sp. E. (Upper White Nile). + + F. 55. ARDEIDAE (16), HERONS, 107 sp.--32(16)A., 27(4)O., + 21(1)P., 25(14)E., 17(4)Nc., 33(20)Nl. + +1 +3 + + =117 Plumed Egret=, _Mesophoyx plumifera_, Cel., Mol., N.G., A. + [~117 _Egretta plumifera._] + + Nom. v.r. _swamps_ 24 + + White; bill yellow; feet, lower legs black, above "knee" + yellow; f., sim. Insects. + +1 +3 + + =118 Australian White Egret= (Great), White Crane (e), + _Herodias timoriensis_, Jap., China, Philippines to A., T., N.Z. + [~118 _Egretta timoriensis._] + + Nom. v.r. _lagoons_ 30 + + "This noble species;" white; bill beautiful orange; legs above + "knee" and line down centre of inner shin dull yellow; rest of + shin, feet black; naked space about eye greenish-yellow; f., + sim. Fish, frogs, insects. + +2 +4 + + =119* White-fronted Heron=, Blue-Crane (e), Matuku, _Notophoyx + novae-hollandiae_, Cel., Mol., N.G., A., T., N.Z. + + Nom. v.c. _about water_ 24 + + Face, throat white; upper, wings dark-gray; under gray tinged + rufous; f., sim. Insects, crabs, yabbies. + + =120 White-necked Heron= (Pacific), White-necked Crane (e), + _N. pacifica_, A., T. + + Stat. r. _swamps_ 30 + + Head, neck, breast, shoulder white; under, wings, tail upper + blackish; f., smaller. Frogs, insects. + + [Page 61] + + [Illustration: [119] [120] [123] [124] [125]] + +1 +2 + + =121 Lesser Egret= (Little, Spotless), _Garzetta nigripes_, + Malay to N.G., A. + [~121 _Egretta nigripes._] + + Nom. r. _swamps_ 22 + + White; 2 long plumes from nape; feet, legs totally black; bill + black; f., sim. Frogs, insects. + +1 +1 + + =122 Reef Heron= (White, Blue, Sacred), _Demiegretta sacra_, + Jap., Ind. to A., T., N.Z. + [~122 _Demigretta sacra._] + + Stat. r. _coast_ 23 + + Dark slaty-gray; bill yellowish-green; some birds are white; + f., sim. Crabs, shellfish. + +1 +8 + + =123* Nankeen Night Heron=, Nankeen Crane (e), _Nycticorax + caledonicus_, Cel., N.G., A., T., N.Z. =vt. Eur. Night Heron. + Frogs, insects, yabbies. + + Mig. c. _swamps_ 19 + + Nocturnal; crown, nape black; long white plumes from + nape; upper rich chestnut; abdomen white; neck, chest + reddish-chestnut; f., sim.; young mottled brown, buff. + +2 +10 + + =124 Minute Bittern=, Kaoriki, _Ardetta pusilla_, A., N.Z., + =vt. Eur. Little Bittern. + [~124 _Ixobrychus pusillus._] + + Stat. v.r. _swamps_ 10 + + Crown, back, tail greenish-black; under pale-buff; hind-neck, + shoulder deep-chestnut; bill, feet yellow; dark line from chin + to lower breast; f., smaller; upper brown streaked chestnut; + tail black; under white streaked brown. Water-animals. + +1 +5 + + =125* Australian Bittern= (Black-backed), Boomer, Bull-Bird. + Matuku-Lurepo, _Botaurus poeciloptilus_, A. T., N. Cal., N.Z. + =vt. Eur. Bittern. + + Stat. r. _reeds_ 24 + + Head, hind-neck, back dark-brown; wings brown marked buff; + throat, under creamy-buff streaked dark-brown; bill yellow; + f., smaller. Fish, frogs, yabbies, insects. + + F. 56. _Palamedeidae_, Screamers, Unicorn-Bird, 3 sp. Nl. + + F. 57. _Phoenicopteridae_, Flamingoes, 6 sp.--2(0)O., 1(0)P., + 2(0)E., 1(0)Nc., 4(3)Nl. + +==== + +Swans, Geese, and Ducks, the Swimming Birds grouped in Order XIII., +are all classified in one family, though there are many sub-families. + +At the head of the Australian birds is the Black Swan--that _rara +avis_ which, possibly, has done more to advertize Australia than +any other Australian animal or plant. A "black" swan was an +"impossibility," so this bird was one of the strongest factors +in establishing Australia's reputation as a land of paradoxes and +contradictions. + +The Black Swan is well known outside Australia, as it is common +in every park and garden in Europe. Gould feared that it would be +exterminated here, but fortunately Australians are now learning to +appreciate their own land, and there is no danger of such a calamity. + +Eight species of Swans are known to occur all over the world with the +exception of New Zealand and Africa. + +In the next sub-family there is but one bird--the Semipalmated Goose +of Australia. This bird, better known as the Magpie Goose, has its +feet but half-webbed, hence its specific name, _semipalmata_. It is +getting rare, though I heard of six near Colac recently. + +Again, the only living representative of the next sub-family is the +Cape Barren Goose, which is common in city gardens in Adelaide. It +is also becoming rare. It is found only in Tasmania, the Bass Strait +Islands, and Southern Australia. We visited its nesting place near +Flinders Island. It is a very pugnacious bird, so it is difficult to +keep with other birds. + +After the Goose sub-family comes the group which includes our +"Wood Duck," or, as it is called, the Maned Goose, for its bill is +goose-like. It is a common bird in Australia. Two allied genera are +found in South America and North-east Africa respectively. + +In the next sub-family come the domestic Ducks and most of the wild +Ducks of Australia. This group is often referred to as the "Freshwater +or River Ducks." + +First come two kinds of Whistling Ducks--so called on account of their +whistling note uttered while flying. These are rare Ducks, one of +which is found as far as India; the other is occasionally seen in +New Zealand, as well as in Australia. The Sheldrake, or Shieldrake +(Mountain Duck) is the largest Australian Duck, and one of the most +handsome of the sub-family. It is nowhere very plentiful, though one +or more pairs appear in most suitable localities. As it is unfit for +the table, it should be spared as an ornament to the landscape. + +The Black Duck is very similar to the common wild Duck (Mallard) of +England. Our Black Duck does not change color with the season, nor is +the male different in color from the female. + +The Australian Teal is closely similar to the Teal of Europe. It is a +grass feeder, and is a good table bird. The female is very different +from the male. It is impossible to distinguish the male Gray Teal from +the female Teal when in the free state. Mr. Keartland (ex-President of +the Field Naturalist Club, and ornithologist to the Horn and Calvert +exploring expeditions) has shown that there is a big difference in +weight. The male of the smaller Gray Teal is not brightly colored like +the male Chestnut-breasted Teal. + +The remarkable Shoveller comes next. It is closely similar to the +English Shoveller. Strange that this name was first used for the +Spoonbill. The Shovellers are found the world over. The males are very +brightly colored in the nesting season. + +Unlike most other birds, Swans and Ducks lose the whole of their wing +feathers at once when moulting, so that for a short time they cannot +fly. As a protection, the gaudy ones acquire a quiet, inconspicuous +coloration for a time, so that the male is said to get an "eclipse +plumage." Many other birds get a bright dress for the breeding season +only, but the male Duck wears his bright dress for the whole year, +except in the moulting period. It is then "eclipsed," with the +corresponding advantage that he is protected from his many enemies at +a time when he is most helpless. + +The remarkable Pink-eared Duck has no close relative. It has a small +pink spot between the eye and ear, and so is called pink-eyed or +pink-eared. It is found only in Australia. The female is similar in +color to the male. The name Wigeon, or Widgeon, sometimes applied to +this Duck, properly belongs to another of the fresh-water Ducks which +is not found in Australia. Hence, this name should not be used for our +bird. + +Another peculiar Australian Duck is the Freckled Duck. It is a +very rare bird. One taken on the ornithologists' excursion to Eyre +Peninsula was considered a prize. So far as is known, it does not +change color with the season, nor has the male or female the usual +bright metallic patch seen on the wing of a Duck. + +The "Salt-water Ducks" form the next sub-family. These Ducks, though, +are not always true to name, for they are not confined to the salt +water. The Victorian representative is the well-known White-eyed +Duck, or Hardhead. This Duck was common on the Botanic Gardens +Lake, Melbourne, until it was emptied some time ago. Thus, our +one "Salt-water Duck" was often seen on fresh water. In the same +sub-family come the Eider-Ducks of Iceland and the Logger-head, +Racehorse, or Steamer Duck, of Magellan Straits, which is said to lose +the power of flight on reaching maturity after the first moult. Thus +the life-history tells us that this bird is a degenerate form, and +not a primitive flightless form, for it has evidently descended from +flying ancestors. It uses its wings to row itself along at great +speed. + +The ninth sub-family of this group of swimming birds contains two +native Ducks. The Blue-billed Duck, the first of these, is "especially +adapted for immersion and for obtaining its food from the bottom of +the water rather than on its surface." It was thought by Gould to be +confined to the coastal lagoons of Western Australia, but it has since +been recorded from inland in Victoria, and four specimens have been +taken in Tasmania. It remains under the water for a considerable time, +and, if hunted, flaps along the surface with its short wings, but +hesitates to exercise its "feeble grebe-like flight." + +Some writers declare that the large Musk Duck is the most remarkable +of the many remarkable birds of Australia. It is the only known +species of the genus, and is "singularly different from every other +member of the Duck family," as Gould points out. Gould further says +that "this extraordinary bird reminds one of the Cormorants. Like many +other of these antipodean forms, it must be regarded as an anomaly." +The male has a lengthened, stiff, and leather-like appendage under the +bill. The female is without this pouch, and is but half the size +of the male. A pair is often to be seen on a sheltered bay or on an +inland dam, and yet this bird has very feeble powers of flight. It is +difficult to cause one to take to flight. Mr. A. J. Campbell summed +up an instructive discussion on this point in the columns of _The +Australasian_ by concluding that Musk Ducks can fly, though they do so +almost entirely at night. + +==== + + [Page 62] + + [Illustration: [126] [127] [128] [129] [130]] + + ORDER XIII.--ANSERIFORMES. + + F. 58. ANATIDAE (21), SWANS, GEESE, 206 sp.--39(30)A., + 50(9)O., 68(10)P., 41(21)E., 56(11)Nc., 70(39)Nl. + +1 +1 + + =126 Black Swan=, _Chenopsis atrata_, A., T. + [~126 _Chenopis atrata._] + + Stat. c. _lakes_ 40 + + Black; white on wing; very long neck; f., sim. Plants. + + [Page 63] + +1 +1 + + =127 Pied Goose= (Magpie, Black and White, Semipalmated), + _Anseranas semipalmata_, A., T. + + Stat. v.r. _water_ 32 + + Head, neck, wings, lower-back, tail, thighs black; rest white; + feet half-webbed; f., sim. Grass. + +1 +1 + + =128* Cape Barren Goose=, _Cereopsis novae-hollandiae_, V., + S.A., W.A., T., Bass St. Is. + + Stat. v.r. _grass_, _coast_ 33 + + Brownish-gray; dark spots on wing; bill black; naked skin + round bill lemon-yellow; legs pinkish; toes, webs, streak up + front of leg black; pugnacious; f., sim. Grass. + +1 +1 + + =129* Maned Goose=, Wood-Duck (e), _Chenonetta jubata_, A., T. + + Stat. c. _water_ 20 + + Crown deep-brown; tail, lower-back black; metallic green on + wing; breast gray spotted black; hind-neck short black plumes; + white patch on wing; bill olive-brown, high, goose-like; f., + smaller; duller; breast spotted white. Grass, snails, insects. + +2 +9 + + =130 Whistling Duck= (Tree), _Dendrocygna arcuata_, Ind., + Malay to Cel., Mol., N.G., A., Oceania. + + Stat. r. _water_ 17 + + Crown, upper brownish-black marked lighter; chin whitish; + breast deep-buff, spotted black; abdomen chestnut; under base + tail white; whistles when flying; f., sim. Water-plants, fish. + + [Page 64] + + [Illustration: [131] [132] [133] [134] [135]] + + =131* Plumed Whistling Duck= (Eyton Tree), _D. eytoni_, A., + T., N.Z. + + Stat. r. _lagoons_ 16 + + Upper grayish-brown; rump, tail blackish-brown; lower-breast, + flanks chestnut barred black; white, black plumes on flanks; + under base tail white; whistles when flying; f., sim. + Water-plants, fish. + + [Page 65] + +2 +5 + + =132 Australian Sheldrake=, Chestnut-colored Shieldrake, + Mountain Duck, _Casarca tadornoides_, N.S.W., V., T., S.A., + W.A., N.W.A. =vt. Eur. Sheldrake. + [~132 _Tadorna tadornoides._] + + Stat. r. _lagoons_ 27 + + Head, neck shining-green; chest, upper-back pale rust-red; + white band between green and rust-red; upper, under blackish; + tail black; white, green, chestnut on wing; f., smaller, + duller. Small fish, shellfish. + +1 +16 + + =133* Black Duck= (Australian Wild, Gray, Brown), Parera, + _Anas superciliosa_, =vt. Eur. Mallard. Sunda Is. to N.G., A., + T., N.Z. + + Stat. v.c. _water_ 24 + + Head dark-brown; line above eye, line below eye, throat + light-buff; upper, under brown marked lighter; glossy-green + patch on wing; bill bluish lead-color; f., sim. Grass, + insects, pond-snails. + +3 +15 + + =134* Australian Teal= (Chestnut-breasted, Black, Mountain), + Tete, _Nettium castaneum_, Java, Cel., A., T., N.Z. =vt. Eur. Teal. + [~134 _Nettion castaneum._] + + Stat. c. _lagoons_ 18.5 + + Head, neck dark bronze-green; upper rich brown; under + chestnut; flanks spotted black; white, green patch on expanded + wing; quills black; 1 lb. 9 oz.; f., head, neck brown and + buffy-white; breast gray, spotted black; 1 lb. 8 oz. Grass. + + =135* Gray Teal=, Wood-Teal, _N. gibberifrons_, Sunda Is., + Cel., N.G., A., T., N.Z. + + Stat. c. _lagoons_ 16 + + Like female of 134, but smaller; neck white; 1 lb. 2 oz.; f., + smaller; 1 lb. 1 oz. + + [Page 66] + + [Illustration: [136] [137] [138] [139] [140] [141]] + +2 +4 + + =136* Australian Shoveller=, Bluewing, Spoonbill-Duck, + Stinker, Kuruwhengi, _Spatula rhynchotis_, A., T., N.Z., =vt. + Eur. Shoveller. + + Nom. v.r. _freshwater_ 21.5 + Crown brownish-black; white line before eye, side of neck; + head, neck gray tinged green; under chestnut-brown mottled + black; flanks chestnut banded black; back-feathers blackish + edged grayish; blue, white, green on wing; throat black; + quills dark-brown; under-wing white; f., duller; head, neck + buff marked brown; under mottled brown, buff. Water-plants, + shellfish, insects. + + [Page 67] + +1 +1 + + =137* Pink-eared Duck= (Pink-eyed, Zebra), Widgeon (e), + _Malacorhynchus membranaceus_, A., T. + + Nom. v.r. _fresh water_ 17 + + Under barred brown, white; face, chin white; black round eye; + behind eye a spot of rose-pink; back, wings brown; upper + base tail whitish; tail dark-brown slightly tipped white; f., + smaller. Water-animals. + +1 +1 + + =138 Freckled Duck= (Monkey), _Stictonetta naevosa_, V., S.A., + W.A., T., N.S.W. + + v.r. _water_ 17 + + Dark-brown freckled whitish, under lighter. Small fish, + pond-snails. + +1 +8 + + =139* White-eyed Duck= (Purple-headed, White-winged), + Hardhead, Brownhead, Barwing, Karakahia, _Aythya australis_, + N.G., A., T., N.Z., =vt. Canvas-back of N. Am. + [~139 _Nyroca australis._] + + c. _lagoons_, _bays_ 20 + + Chestnut-brown; white patch on wing; upper abdomen whitish; + under tail white; eye white; f., smaller, duller. Pond-snails, + insects. + +1 +7 + + =140 Blue-billed Duck= (Spiny-tailed, Stiff-tailed, Diving), + _Erismatura australis_, N.S.W., V., S.A., W.A., T. + [~140 _Oxyura australis._] + + v.r. _reedbeds_ 16 + + Head, neck black; chest, back, flanks chestnut; tail blackish; + bill light-blue; f., bill olive-green; freckled gray-brown; + under lighter. Insects, pond-snails, fish. + +1 +1 + + =141 Musk Duck= (Must), Mould Goose (e), _Biziura lobata_, + S.Q., N.S.W., V., S.A., W.A., T. + + Stat. c. _lagoons_, _bays_ 26 + + Blackish freckled buffy-white; wings small; long stiff + tail-feathers; bill, lobe beneath chin greenish-black; dives; + f., half-size; duller; no lobe. Frogs, shellfish, shrimps. + +==== + +There are six families of birds included in Order XIV.--the +Totally-webbed Swimmers. All four toes are joined by a web. Ducks +have three toes only joined by the web, the hind toe being free. +Representatives of the six families are found in Australia. These +birds are fishers _par excellence_. + +In the first family come the well-known Cormorants or Shags, birds +found in almost every country in the world. Forty-two species are +known, of which five occur in Australia. + +The large Black Cormorant is the common Black Cormorant of Britain. +It has a very extensive range over North America, Greenland, Europe, +Africa, Asia, and Australia. + +The little Black Cormorant is found in Australia, from the Moluccas to +Borneo, and in New Zealand. Indeed, New Zealand is the stronghold of +Cormorants, as it possesses many species. + +The White-breasted and Pied Cormorants are so closely similar that +possibly they will yet prove to be one species. Each is glistening +white below, and jet black above. The bill is said to be longer in the +Pied Cormorant, and the patch of naked skin near the eye is yellow, +whereas, in the White-breasted Cormorant, this patch is said to be +blackish or purplish. The Little Cormorant is also black and white. +Its throat and upper chest are yellow. + +Mr. Mattingley, C.M.Z.S., and others claim that the Cormorant, by +feeding its young on yabbies, which, they say, prey on fish eggs, +saves many more fish in the young stage than it ever eats in the adult +stage, and hence it is really "a friend" of the anglers and fish. One +thing is certain--fish were formerly much more abundant, and so were +Cormorants. Anglers, collect evidence, and balance good with evil. +Cormorants have a long, narrow bill, with a strongly-hooked tip. They +are such expert fishers that in China they are much used to catch +fish. Some will probably be surprised to learn that this custom +formerly held in England, for the "Master of the Cormorants" was once +one of the officers of the Royal household. + +Some Cormorants nest in company in the Murray swamps, while others +retire to a rocky island, such as Storehouse Island, east of Flinders +Island, to breed. + +These birds are expert swimmers and divers, so that one of the common +names for them is "Diver," but the true Divers, as already pointed +out, are Northern Hemisphere birds, and are placed in Family 25. + +The Darter, or Snake Bird, is practically identical with the +Water-Turkey of the United States. Sometimes, when alarmed, it +submerges its body, leaving the head and neck exposed. It swims +rapidly in this position. Four of these birds are known, and they are +spread over America, Africa, Madagascar, Southern Asia, New Guinea, +Australia, and New Zealand. The Darter was frequently seen on a recent +trip to Enoggera Reservoir, the storage basin for Brisbane. The long, +stiletto-like bill is used to impale its prey, while the flexible neck +assists the spearing operation. + +The next family contains the famous "Boobies" of sailors--the stupid +Gannets, or Solan Geese, that were too stupid to escape from danger. +Gould says our Gannet out-boobies the Booby, for he landed on a flat +rock and secured five specimens by hand before the rest shuffled over +the edge of the cliff and took flight. The Australian bird can scarcely +be distinguished from its British cousin. It is common in Australian +seas, where it can be seen diving for fish or flying swiftly round +looking for prey. There is a large Gannet rookery on Cat Island, east +of Flinders Island, where probably 4000 pairs of these fine birds nest +each year. This was visited by a party of ornithologists in the +_Manawatu_ in 1908. + +The famous Frigate-Bird we read of in the old school readers was +twice taken in Port Phillip Bay. It is the best of flyers, as it can +"breakfast on the Senegal (Africa), and dine on the Amazon." The +two Frigate-Birds are common in Australian tropical seas. As already +mentioned we met the Frigate Bird on Mast Head Island. Its wings are +long, the forked tail also is long, but the legs and feet are very +small. It is a creature of the air, and gets its living by compelling +hard-working sea-birds to disgorge their prey. + +The last bird in this varied Order is the Pelican. Our Australian +Pelican is one of the largest of its tribe. Its enormous pouch +distinguishes it at once. The ten Pelicans are practically world-wide +in their distribution. On the trip of the _Manawatu_ last year round +the islands of Bass Strait, we visited the Pelicans' nesting-place on +Penguin Island. This bird is practically identical with the "Pelican +of the wilderness" mentioned in Holy Writ. The Pelican enjoys a +reputation for maternal care of her offspring; indeed, she was said to +feed the young with her own blood. This was probably due to the fact +that one species of Pelican has a blood-red tip to the bill. +Young Pelicans have not the long bill or the pouch. Thus this bird +illustrates the truth of the statement that each animal in its +development climbs its own ancestral tree, or, to say it in another +form, each animal in its development recapitulates the life-history +of the race. The Pelican has evidently descended from birds that +possessed a short bill. + +==== + + [Page 68] + + [Illustration: [142] [143] [144] [145] [146]] + + ORDER XIV.--PELICANIFORMES. + + F. 59. PHALACROCORACIDAE (5), CORMORANTS, 42 sp.--16(14)A., + 6(2)O., 7(3)P., 6(5)E., 10(4)Nc., 9(6)Nl. + +5 +42 + + =142 Cormorant= (Black), Black Shag, _Phalacrocorax carbo_., + A., T., N.Z., cos. exc. S. Am. + [~142-146 _Genus, Carbo._] + + c. _lagoons_, _sea_ 35 + Glossy blackish-green; side of neck, face buffy white; white + on thighs; f., sim. Fish. + + [Page 69] + + =143 Little Black Cormorant=, Shag, _P. sulcirostris_, Borneo + to N.G., A., T., N.Z. + [~142-146 _Genus, Carbo._] + + c. _lagoons_, _rivers_ 25 + + Glossy greenish-black, about eye and side of neck lighter; f., + sim. Fish, frogs. + + =144 White-breasted Cormorant=, Black and White Shag, Diver + (e), _P. gouldi_, Louisiade Is., A., T. + [~142-146 _Genus, Carbo._] + + Stat. c. _shores_, _rivers_ 30 + + Upper greenish-black, under glistening-white; naked skin about + eye purple; hooked bill 2in.; f., sim. Fish. + + =145 Pied Cormorant=, Black and White Shag, Diver (e), _P. + hypoleucus_, S.Q., N.S.W., V., S.A., W.A., N.W.A. + [~142-146 _Genus, Carbo._] + + Stat. v.c. _bays_ 30 + + Like 144, but bare space in front of eye orange, bill 2.7in.; + f., sim. Fish. + + =146 Little Cormorant=, Frilled Shag, _P. melanoleucus_, Sunda + Is., Mol., N.G., A., T., N.Z. + [~142-146 _Genus, Carbo._] + + Stat. pairs, r. _inlets_, _rivers_ 23 + + Upper black; under white; upper breast chestnut; f., sim. + Fish, water-insects. + + [Page 70] + + [Illustration: [147] [148] [148^A] [149] [150]] + + F. 60. PLOTIDAE (1), DARTERS, Water-Turkey, 4 sp.--2(1)A., + 1(0)O., 2(0)P., 1(0)E., 1(0)Nc., 1(0)Nl. + +1 +4 + + =147 Australian Darter=, Snake-bird, Diver (e), Shag (e), + _Plotus (Anhinga) novae-hollandiae_, N.G., A., N.Z. + + r. _lagoons_, _bays_ 36 + + Head, long thin neck, upper, under greenish-black; white patch + side of neck; wings spotted whitish; bill straight, sharp; + tail long; f., light-brown neck, breast. Fish. + + [Page 71] + + F. 61. SULIDAE (4), GANNETS, Booby, Solan Goose, 11 + sp.--4(1)A., 3(0)O., 1(0)P., 3(1)E., 6(1)Nc., 5(2)Nl. + +4 +11 + + =148 Australian Gannet=, Takupu, _Sula serrator_, A., T., N.Z. + + Stat. c. _bays_ 32 + + White; wing-quills black; head, hind-neck buff; f., sim.; + young brown spotted. Fish. + + F. 62. FREGATIDAE (2), FRIGATE BIRDS, Man-o'-war-bird, + 2 sp.--2(0)A., 2(0)O., 1(0)P., 2(0)E., 1(0)Nc., 2(0)Nl. + (Tropical Seas). + +2 +2 + + =149 Frigate-Bird=, Man-o'-war-Bird, _Fregata aquila_. + + Stat. r. _ocean_ 40 + + Brownish-black; about eyes, pouch on throat deep red; variable + in size, color; bill long, hooked; tail forked; wings very + long; legs very short; f., browner; breast, flanks whitish. + Stolen fish, young turtles. + + F. 63. PHAËTHONTIDAE(2), TROPIC BIRDS, Boatswain-Bird, + Straw-Tails, 7 sp.--4(1)A., 4(1)O., 4(0)E., 3(0)Nc., 4(0)Nl. + + F. 64. PELECANIDAE (1), PELICANS, 10 sp.--1(1)A., 4(1)O., + 3(0)P., 3(1)E., 3(0)Nc., 4(1)Nl. + +1 +10 + + =150 Australian Pelican=, _Pelecanus conspicillatus_, N.G., + A., T., N.Z. =vt. cos. bird. + + c. _lagoons_, _bays_ 60 + + White; wings, tail black; bill pink, pouch yellowish; f., sim. + Fish, insects. + + F. 65. _Cathartidae_, Condor, Turkey (American, New World) + Vultures, 9 sp.--3(1)Nc., 8(6)Nl. The largest of flying birds. + +==== + +The well-known Birds of Prey, so keen of eye, so rapid of flight, +so fearless in courage, and so matchless in fight, have spread over +almost the whole known world. The Eagles of one land are, therefore, +much like the Eagles of another. The Harriers of England are +practically identical with the Harriers of Australia and New Zealand, +and, in fact, of almost any other land. The Falcon, so famous in +mediæval times, is practically identical with the Falcon of Australia +and Tasmania. The Australian Fish Hawk is the universal Fish Hawk +or Osprey, for there is probably but one Osprey, having an almost +world-wide range. The naming of these birds, though, has been a +stumbling-block to us. To Australians they are all Hawks--even our +gigantic and glorious Eagle has been reduced to the ignominious level +of an "Eaglehawk," though our male Eagle is the largest male Eagle +known, outrivalling, as it does, both the Bald Eagle of America and +the Golden Eagle of Europe. A source of confusion, too, has arisen +from the introduction of so many of our popular names from America, +Thus, the Gum-tree (Eucalypt) is not a Gum, the 'Possum is not the +carnivorous Opossum of America, the Goanna is not the equivalent of +the vegetarian American Iguana; the "Wild Cat" is not a Cat, nor is +the "Native Bear" a Bear, nor even remotely related to one, nor is +the Kestrel a Sparrowhawk. It is an American error in popular naming, +which has given us the Kestrel as the equivalent of the American +Sparrowhawk, while the Sparrowhawk of the ornithologist is the +equivalent of the Sparrowhawk of Britain. + +In one respect, we are unfortunate in this new land. No mass of +association and tradition has yet had time to crystallize about our +native animals and plants. Our poets have not been able to sing of our +birds for want of names and knowledge. Little has been done beyond +the giving and frequent altering of scientific names, and the +misapplication of names of animals and plants living in other lands to +often totally different animals and plants here, so that confusion +has reigned supreme. However, in bird matters, at least, we are on +a better footing, for the bird-lovers have provided a common, and in +most cases an appropriate, name for each bird. + +The American Bobolink and Chickadee are famous birds, chiefly on +account of an appropriate name; so is the British Cuckoo, while its +even more noisy, more common, and practically identical Australian +cousin is still unknown, or rather was until recently. The +introduction of Bird Day has already produced gratifying results. We +need good descriptive names for our varied and beautiful birds--more +children's and poets' names, and less of the deadly formal +"Yellow-vented Parrakeet," "Blue-bellied Lorikeet," and "Warty-faced +Honeyeater" for some of the most glorious of the world's birds. + +The old Order _Raptores_--birds of prey--included Hawks and Eagles, +and Owls. These are now placed in two orders as "Diurnal Birds of +Prey"--Hawks, and "Nocturnal Birds of Prey"--Owls. They all seize prey +with the very well-developed talons, and not with the bill. Hence +they were called _Raptores_--seizing birds. They use these talons when +flying, and do not catch prey in scrub, or very close to the ground, +unless in a clear space. + +The two Harriers are typically Ground Hawks. The name is said to be +derived from the habit these birds are said to possess of _harrying_ +birds. They are generally called "Swamp Hawks," and may frequently be +seen flying low over bushes, to beat birds out. + +The Goshawks--_i.e._, Goosehawks--possibly received their name by +confusion, as possibly a Falcon to hunt Geese was kept in olden days, +but probably it was not this bird. Three of these birds are rare. +The White Goshawk is a fine bird, and is confined to Australia and +Tasmania. The Australian Goshawk is said to be the only troublesome +Hawk to the poultry farmer, and he bears a bad name generally. The +Lesser Goshawk is a casual visitor in the Eastern States. + +The Sparrowhawk of the ornithologist is much feared by small birds. He +lurks in ambush, suddenly flashes out upon his prey, and is away +with it instantly. The male is one of the smallest of Hawks. It is +an almost universal rule in this order of birds that the females are +larger, often much larger, than the males, and that there are several +changes of plumage before the adult plumage is finally donned, so it +is often a matter of difficulty to determine exactly the name of one +of these birds. + +Eagles are found the world over except in New Zealand. Our Eagle has +the honor of being, as already stated, the largest Eagle in the world. +It is also of undoubted courage, as its specific name, _audax_ (bold) +would lead one to suppose. It is, further, Gould says, of a "far more +pleasing and elegant contour" than the Golden Eagle, the "pride and +pest of the parish." Whoever heard of an Australian who was proud of +his Eagle, though it is something to be proud of? Let our noble bird +appear near a house, and there is a rush for a gun. On Eyre Peninsula +we found the Eagles fed their young on rabbits, a serious pest in +Australia. + +The equivalent of our Sea Eagle is the White-headed or Bald Eagle of +America, the female of which is the same length as the male of our +Eagle, 38 inches. Many of these glorious Sea Eagles were floating, +with their peculiar butterfly-like flight, over the Brisbane River, +and added much to our enjoyment of a recent bird excursion there. We +found one nest on each island in the Capricorn Group. On Mast Head +Island the nest was in a tree about 60 feet high. On tiny Erskine +Island, where there were no big trees, it was built on the ground, +though it had been added to until it is now over 6 feet high. The +fully-feathered dark-brown young bird sat on the edge of the nest, and +formed a good photographic subject. Eagles were ruthlessly slaughtered +in the British Isles. There is a shadow of an excuse there, perhaps, +with their game preserves, where rabbits and birds are bred for +sporting purposes. These reasons do not exist here. But it is pleasing +to find on record that, even there, "Lord Breadalbane, who died in +1862, thought that the spectacle of a soaring Eagle was a fitting +adjunct to the grandeur of the Argyllshire mountain scenery, and a +good equivalent for the occasional loss of a lamb." + +Though the Sea Eagle lives mainly on fish and refuse cast up by the +sea, it is pitiful to read that, though this interesting, picturesque, +and valuable bird was once common, not one is left on the mainland +of Scotland. Could blind, unreasoning slaughter do more? Why kill a +harmless bird? But it is not only harmless; it is of distinct value +in its sphere in Nature. Hawks altogether are misunderstood and +misjudged. It is doubtful if it pays a farmer, aye, even a poultry +farmer, to shoot Hawks. They might steal a few chickens, but they +do not live on them. They live mainly on rabbits, mice, rats, and +insects. + +The Whistling Eagle whistles while flying about in the fine large +flight-houses of the Adelaide Zoological Gardens. One fine specimen +accompanied the Federal trawler _Endeavour_ down Gladstone Harbor, but +not far from shore, for it returned when we headed for the open ocean +and the fairyland of the Great Barrier Reef. + +Kites used to be excessively common about many English towns, where +they acted as scavengers. The introduction of the shot-gun has +exterminated them. They are world-wide in distribution, so what +you read about European Kites will fit Australian Kites. They are, +perhaps, the most graceful of flyers, gliding, soaring, hovering, +and performing all sorts of aërial evolutions. The toy kites of our +childhood were suggested by the flight of these once common birds. +Now, alas! they are very rarely seen. Being mainly insectivorous, they +are invaluable birds, and we can ill spare them in this country, where +insect life is so abnormally prolific. + +The Black-breasted Buzzard is the third largest of our Diurnal Birds +of Prey. It is a rare visitor in Southern Australia, but in seasons of +drought it comes down from Central Australia. + +The Falcon, which our ancestors trained for hawking, is almost +identical with our Falcon, while our Little Falcon is, for its size, +the "boldest and swiftest of all birds of prey," for it has been +observed to decapitate a flying Duck with a blow of the edge of its +wing. In Brisbane we had the pleasure of spending an interesting +afternoon with Mr. J. Bell, who formerly practised falconry with +trained Australian Falcons. + +The Kestrel of Australia is almost identical with the Kestrel of +Europe. You must have noticed with interest its habit of hovering. One +incident of the 1909 Ornithologists' Congress will show that, even +in the midst of a crowded city like Adelaide, it is possible for +scientific work in ornithology to be done. While the Director of +Education, Mr. A. Williams, Mr. Le Souëf (ex-Pres., A.O.U.), Mr. A. +J. Campbell (Pres., A.O.U.), Mr. Robert Hall (Vice-Pres., A.O.U.), and +myself were walking from the Education Office to Grote Street School, +a Kestrel was seen on the grass in a small square. The members of +the party were astonished to see the Kestrel rise carrying a +bird, possibly a Sparrow, in its talons. Now, the interest of this +observation is that most of our ornithologists were prepared to state +that the Kestrel is entirely insectivorous, and never touches small +birds. However, an observation in the heart of Adelaide is of value +in this matter of scientific interest. This bird, unfortunately, +is generally called the Sparrowhawk, a name which belongs to a much +bolder Australian bird of prey (No. 157), which does eat small birds. + +Kestrels are very fond of mice, and would, if allowed, spend time +protecting the farmer's haystacks, but if a Kestrel comes near the +farmhouse the gun is at once produced, and so the farmer loses the +services of one of his best friends. + +Jeffries and other Nature-lovers have written on the marvellous +powers of hovering possessed by these birds. In fact, the Kestrel is +frequently called the Windhover. In Australia Kestrels frequently nest +in a hollow tree, but do not lay the usual white egg. + +The Osprey is another example of bad naming. The word is said to be a +corruption of Ossifrage, the "bone-breaker." As it feeds on fish, +it has no big bones to break. It is spread from "Alaska to Brazil, +Lapland to Natal, Japan to Tasmania, and even out to the Pacific +Isles," and it may be the same bird throughout, though Dr. Sharpe +has allowed three species in the "_Handlist of Birds_." "_The A.O.U. +Check-list of North American Birds_, 1910," however, recognizes the +North American bird as a sub-species only, so it is possible the +Australian bird will be also listed as a sub-species when the Royal +Australasian Ornithologists' Union adopts its check-list in Sydney +this year. These birds eat living fish, which they catch by plunging +into the sea. Occasionally they drive their talons into too big a +fish, and, not being able to withdraw them, are drowned. + +Flinders, in his journal, wrote about the enormous nests he met on +rocky points, and considered they were built by a great "Dinornis." + +The Osprey and the White-bellied Sea Eagle, however, build on rocky +points if no trees are available, and add to the nest each year. It +is interesting to read in the Western Australian Year Book article +on birds that the Government has placed an Osprey's nest in the +cave district, "under the protection of the Cave Warden." A pleasing +interest is growing in Australian nature in its many forms. + +==== + + [Page 72] + + [Illustration: [151] [152] [153] [154] [155] [156]] + + ORDER XV.--ACCIPITRIFORMES, DIURNAL BIRDS OF PREY. + + F. 66. _Serpentariidae_, Secretary-Bird, 2 sp. E. + + F. 67. _Vulturidae_, Vultures, 17 sp.--8(5)O., 6(0)P., 9(5)E. + + F. 68. FALCONIDAE (29), HARRIERS, GOSHAWKS, EAGLES, FALCON, + etc., 485 sp.--99 (86) A., 106(58)O., 70(19)P., 118(91)E., + 53(17)Nc., 144(112)Nl. + +2 +18 + + =151 Spotted Harrier= (Jardine), Spotted Swamp-Hawk, _Circus + assimilis_, Cel. to A., T. + + Stat. c. _plains_ 22 + + Facial disc, hind-neck, back, chest dark-gray; crown rust-red + streaked black; shoulders, rest of under rich-chestnut spotted + white; tail barred dark-brown, gray; legs long, yellow; m., + smaller, duller. Lizards, mice, small snakes, birds. + + [Page 73] + + =152* Allied Harrier= (Gould), Swamp-Hawk, Kahu, _C. gouldi_, + A., T., N. Cal., Norfolk Is., Lord Howe Is., N.Z., Fiji =vt. + Eur. Marsh-Harrier. + + Stat. v.c. _swampy_ 20 + + Upper, head dark-brown; facial disc indistinct brown; under + buffy-white streaked and tinged red-brown; upper base tail + white; rest tail brownish-gray; f., larger. Reptiles, mice, + birds. + +5 +63 + + =153 Gray Goshawk= (New Holland, Gray-backed), _Astur clarus + (cinereus)_, A. + + v.r. _dense brushes_ 16.5 + + Upper gray; throat, under white finely barred gray; feet + yellow, claws black; f., larger. Reptiles, mice, birds. + + =154 White Goshawk=, _A. novae-hollandiae_, E.A., S.A., T. + + r. _timber_ 16.5 + + Pure white; m., much smaller. Food as 153. + + =155* Australian Goshawk=, Chicken-Hawk, _A. fasciatus + (approximans)_, A., T., Norfolk Is., N. Cal. =vt. Eur. + Goshawk. + + Stat. c. _timber_, f., 20; m., 15 + + Upper dark-brown; shoulder thigh rust-red; tail dark-brown + barred black; throat buff; under buff barred brown; f., + larger. Food as 153. + + =156 Lesser Goshawk= (Western, Chestnut-colored), _A. + cruentus_, V. (acc.), W.A., N.W.A. + + Stat. c. _timber_ 17 + + Back, wings, tail slaty-brown; chestnut-red, indistinct + collar; under barred brown white; chin buffy-white; f., upper + brown. Birds, mice, lizards. + + [Page 76] + + [Illustration: [184] [185] [191] [193] [194] [196] [197] [198] [199]] + + =184= Blue Mountain Lorikeet + =185= Musk Lorikeet + =191= Gang-gang Cockatoo + =193= Pink Cockatoo + =194= Rose-breasted Cockatoo + =196= Cockatoo-Parrot + =197= Superb Parrot + =198= Black-tailed Parrot + =199= King Parrot + + [Page 78] + + [Illustration: [200] [202] [203] [204] [205] [206] [209] [213] [214]] + + =200= Crimson Parrot + =202= Rosella + =203= Mallee Parrot + =204= Blue Bonnet + =205= Many-colored Parrot + =206= Red-backed Parrot + =209= Grass Parrot + =213= Swift Parrot + =214= Warbling Grass-Parrot + + [Page 80] + + [Illustration: [157] [158] [159] [160] [161] [162]] + +1 +42 + + =157* Collared Sparrow-Hawk=, _Accipiter cirrhocephalus_, + N.G., A., T. =vt. Eur. Sparrow-Hawk. + [~157 _Astur cirrhocephalus._] + + Stat. r. _timber_, f., 14; m., 12 + + Head, upper brownish-gray; tail barred deep-brown; obscure + collar reddish-brown; throat, under, thighs rufous barred + white; f., much larger. Mice, birds. + + [Page 81] + +1 +1 + + =158* Wedge-tailed Eagle=, Eaglehawk (e), _Uroaëtus audax_, + A., T. =vt. Eur. Golden Eagle (32in.). + + Stat. c. _timber_, _plains_ 38 + + "Noble bird;" largest eagle known; upper, under + blackish-brown; feathers edged pale-brown; hind-neck + golden-brown; f., larger. Rabbits, rats, carrion. + +1 +4 + + =159 Little Eagle=, _Eutolmaëtus morphnoides_, N.G., A. + + r. _timber_ 22 + + Back of head, under rufous striped black; back, rump, wings + brown; tail grayish-brown, barred blackish-brown. Carrion, + rats, mice. + +1 +10 + + =160 White-bellied Sea Eagle=, _Haliaëtus leucogaster_, Ind. + Malay to A., T., Oceania =vt. American Bald Eagle. + + r. _shores_ 30 + + "Noble species;" white; wing-quills, base-tail blackish-brown; + f., larger; young; head buff; upper wings chocolate-brown; + under buffy-brown. Dead fish, shellfish. "Floats like a great + butterfly." + +2 +4 + + =161 Whistling-Eagle= (-Hawk), _Haliastur sphenurus_, A., N. + Cal. + + Nom. c. _swamps_, _shores_ 24 + + Under light sandy-brown streaked white; back, wings brown + marked lighter, spotted white; tail ashy-brown; head, neck + sandy streaked lighter; f., larger. Caterpillars, mice, rats, + floating food. + +1 +6 + + =162 Allied Kite=, _Milvus affinis_, Sunda Is., Cel. to A. + =vt. Eur. Black Kite. + + Nom. c. _open country_ 20 + + Upper glossy brown; wing-quills black; slightly-forked + tail brown; under rufous-brown; chest dark lines; f., sim. + Scavenger, birds. + + [Page 82] + + [Illustration: [163] [164] [165] [166] [167] [168]] + +1 +1 + + =163 Square-tailed Kite=, _Lophoictinia isura_, A. =vt. Eur. + Common Kite. + + r. _timber_, _plains_ 19 + + Neck, shoulders, under reddish-orange; chest marked black; + head streaked black; abdomen, flanks barred lighter; upper + blackish-brown; square tail brownish-gray; f., larger. + Caterpillars, birds. + +1 +1 + + =164 Black-breasted Buzzard=, _Gypoictinia melanosternum_, A. + (interior). + + v.r. _timber_, _plains_ 23 + + "Fine species;" crown, face, chest, abdomen black; flanks + chestnut; hind-neck light-brown; upper brownish-black; + wing-quills white base, rest black; this white patch gives + appearance of window in wing when flying; f., larger. Animals. + +2 +5 + + =165* Australian Black-shouldered Kite=, _Elanus axillaris_, + A. + + Mig. r. _open plains_ 12.5 + + Upper delicate-gray; head, under white; jet black shoulder, + patch under wing; tail grayish-white; f., sim. Insects, + reptiles. + + =166 Letter-winged Kite=, White-breasted Sparrow Hawk (e), _E. + scriptus_, E.A., S.A., W.A. + + r. _plains (interior)_ 12.5 + + Like 165, but more black on under angle of wing gives letter W + when wings expanded; f., sim. Insects. + +4 +37 + + =167* Black-cheeked Falcon=, _Falco melanogenys_, A., T. =vt. + Eur. Peregrine Falcon. + + Stat. c. _plains_, _coast_, _rocky_ 15 + + Crown, side of head black; upper-breast creamy spotted black; + rest of under barred black, reddish-gray; upper, wings, tail + dark-gray; tail barred brown, gray; f., larger. Birds. + + [Page 83] + + [Illustration: [169] [170] [171] [172] [173]] + + =168 Gray Falcon=, Blue (Smoke) Hawk, _F. hypoleucus_, A. =vt. + Eur. Gyrfalcon. + + v.r. _timber_, _plains_ f., 17; m., 12 + + "Rare beautiful falcon;" bluish-white below; grey above; tail + barred gray, brown. Birds. + + =169 Black Falcon=, _F. subniger_, A. + + v.r. _plains (inland)_ 17 + + Dark, sooty-brown, paler below; chin whitish; f., larger. + + =170* Little Falcon= (White-fronted), Duck Hawk (e), + Australian Hobby, _F. lunulatus_, A., T., =vt. Eur. Hobby. + + Stat. c. _plains_ f., 13.5; m., 11.5 + + Forehead white; upper grayish-black; cheeks black; tail barred + gray, chestnut; throat buff; chest reddish-buff, striped + dark-brown; under, thighs reddish; incomplete whitish collar; + f., larger. Birds, insects. + +2 +3 + + =171 Striped Brown Hawk= (Western, Orange-speckled), + _Hieracidea berigora_, A. + [~171 _Ieracidea berigora._] + + v.c. _swampy_, _plains_ 17 + + Upper dark-brown; wings spotted reddish; incomplete collar, + under buff-white striped dark-brown; throat whitish; naked + skin round bill yellow; tail barred dark-brown, gray; f., + larger. Caterpillars, insects, birds. + + =172* Brown Hawk=, _H. orientalis_, A., T. + [~172 _Ieracidea orientalis._] + + Stat. v.c. _timber_ 17 + + Head, upper dark-brown; line over eye, throat buff; under buff + spotted rust-brown; tail brown barred rust-red; Skin round + bill bluish; f., larger. Food as 171. + +1 +28 + + =173* Nankeen Kestrel=, Windhover, Mosquito Hawk, Sparrowhawk + (e), _Cerchneis cenchroides_, A., T., N.Z. =vt. Eur. Kestrel. + + Stat, v.c. _timber_, _plains_ 11.5 + + Upper cinnamon-red, spotted black; tail rufous, faintly banded + black above, tipped white, then black bar; side neck, throat, + abdomen, under tail white; chest buff striped black; f., + larger. Insects, mice. + + F. 69. PANDIONIDAE (1), OSPREYS, 6 sp.--3(0)A., 5(1)O., + 1(0)P., 1(0)E., 1(0)Nc, 1(0)Nl. + +1 +3 + + =174 White-headed Osprey=, Fish Hawk, _Pandion leucocephalus_, + Mol., N.G., A., T. =vt. cos. bird. + + Stat. r. _shores_ 23 + + Crown, hind-neck, throat, abdomen, under tail white; upper + dark-brown; chest mottled brown; side-neck dark-brown, marked + white; wing-quills black; dives; f., sim. Fish. + +==== +[Page 84] + + [Illustration: [174] [175] [176] [177] [178]] + +Just as the Diurnal Birds of Prey (e.g., Hawks) are closely related to +those of the Northern Hemisphere, so are the Nocturnal Birds of Prey +(Owls) very closely related to those of the Old World. The different +kinds of Owls are so closely similar that there are many disputes as +to their classification, and it is not likely that we shall ever be +able to recognize in the living, free state all the species recognized +by scientists. + +Indeed, I was much interested at the Adelaide Museum to see our +leading ornithologists fail to pick out the skins of two English Barn +Owls when they were placed with three Australian Lesser Masked Owls, +and yet ornithologists give our birds such widely-different names that +literature is useless to us. These names have seriously hampered the +popularization of bird-study in Australia. If ornithologists, with +skins in hand, cannot separate them, what is the use of manufacturing +species? + +As Owls are active late in the afternoon or at night, there has +always been a certain amount of mystery regarding them, and, speaking +generally, the ordinary observer knows little of them. Two of the +Australian birds have forced themselves on our notice to some extent. +The Powerful Owl, the largest of our Owls, has alarmed many by means +of its blood-curdling screeches heard in quiet forest gullies. + +The Boobook Owl, though not often seen, calls "Mopoke," which sounded +like "Boobook" to the aboriginal ear, but became "Cuckoo"--the +best-loved bird-call of their far-distant home to the ears of the +homesick first white residents. And was it not, they asked, what one +might expect in a country where Christmas came at the wrong time +of the year, where the trees were always green, and shed their bark +instead of their leaves--where the leaves grew vertically, instead +of horizontally, and so gave no shade--was it not natural that the +Cuckoo, a day bird in England, should become a night bird in this land +of paradoxes and contradictions? Thus Australia's reputation was added +to even by the Boobook Owl. + +Confusion was caused, for, when daylight came, and the Frogmouth was +seen sitting in the tree, the Frogmouth was supposed to be responsible +for the frequent calls of the previous night. However, some reliable +observers, notably Mr. C. H. McLennan, "Mallee Bird," and Mr. T. H. +Tregellas, claim that the Frogmouth does call "Mopoke'" occasionally, +but the Boobook Owl is the bird that is responsible for the frequent +"Mopoke" on calm evenings. + +The Owls are divided into two families. The members of the first +family--the Owls Proper, or Hawk-Owls--have the facial disc almost +absent, while in the second family the facial disc is complete. In +each, the eyes are directly obliquely forward, and, since they are not +capable of much movement, the bird turns its head from side to side. +Though mainly nocturnal, Owls are sometimes seen hunting for their +prey by day. As they feed mostly on mice, rats, and insects, they are +very valuable birds. The feathers are very soft, with a weak central +axis, so that no sound is made when flying. They are thus able to +approach their prey without giving warning. The Powerful Owl well +deserves its name, as it possesses great strength, and is a formidable +enemy if wounded. However, Owls are, fortunately, seldom shot at. + +Like Hawks, Owls catch their prey with and carry it in their feet, +unless the feet are required for climbing. One peculiarity of the feet +is that the bird can reverse one toe, so that it can have three toes +in front and one behind, like most birds, or two in front and two +behind, like Parrots and Cuckoos. + +Although not so strong of flight as the Diurnal Birds of Prey (_e.g._, +Hawks), Owls have managed to spread throughout the world, so that +they are found even in New Zealand. The different kinds are not easily +separated, so most people are satisfied when they have classed a +bird as an Owl, though you will probably want to divide them into two +groups--the Owls Proper and the Barn Owls. + +==== + + [Page 85] + + ORDER XVI--STRIGIFORMES, NOCTURNAL BIRDS OF PREY, OWLS. + + F. 70. BUBONIDAE (11) HAWK OWLS, 280 sp.--47(44)A., 88(74)O., + 33(17)P., 48(42)E., 34(16)Nc, 75(61)Nl. + +11 +44 + + =175 Boobook Owl= (Cuckoo), _Ninox boobook_, A. + + Stat. v.c. _timber_ 16 + + Head, upper, wings, tail reddish-brown; under rufous blotched + white; facial disc indistinct, grayish-white edged black; f., + larger. Insects, mice, birds. + + =176 Spotted Owl=, _N. maculata_, S.Q., N.S.W., V., S.A., T., + King Is. + + Stat. r. _timber_ 13 + + Head, upper brown spotted white; under brown blotched tawny + and white; disc indistinct; f., slightly larger. Insects, + birds. + + =177 Winking Owl= (Western), _N. connivens_, A., exc. N.W.A. + + Stat. c. _brushes_, _wooded gullies_ 16 + + Upper dark-brown spotted white; tail dark-brown barred + grayish-white; under mottled brown, white; disc indistinct; + f., larger. Insects, birds. + + =178 Powerful Owl= (Eagle), _N. strenua_, N. Ter., E.A., S.A. + + Stat. r. _dense gullies_ 24 + + Crown, upper brown marked whitish; face, throat, chest whitish + streaked brown; rest of under whitish barred brown; f., sim. + Birds, quadrupeds. + + [Page 86] + + [Illustration: [179] [180] [181] [182] [183]] + + F. 71. STRIGIDAE (5), BARN OWLS, 26 sp.--13(11)A., 3(1)O., + 1(0)P., 4(3)E., 1(1)Nc., 7(7)Nl. + +5 +26 + + =179 Australian Barn Owl= (Lesser Masked, Delicate, Screech), + _Strix delicatula_, N.G., A. + [~179-183 _Genus, Tyto._] + + Stat. c. _timber_ 14 + + Upper beautiful soft light grayish-brown tinged yellow, finely + spotted blackish-brown and white; under white, few small + brownish spots; disc white edged buff; f., sim. Mice, rats. + + [Page 87] + + =180 Masked Owl=, _S. novae-hollandiae_, A. + [~179-183 _Genus, Tyto._] + + Stat. r. _forests_, _rocky_ 14 + + Pale buff; head, back wings marked dark-brown, few white + spots; under paler, few brown spots; disc purplish-white, + edged with deep-brown spots; f., larger. Mice, rats. + + =181 Chestnut-faced Owl=, _S. castanops_, N.S.W., V., S.A., T. + [~179-183 _Genus, Tyto._] + + Stat. c. _brushes_, _swamps_; f., 17; m., 14.5 + + Disc deep-chestnut edged black; upper rufous-brown marked + dark-brown; few small spots on head, shoulders; under deep + sandy-brown with blackish spots; f., larger. Mice, rats. + + =182 Sooty Owl=, Dusky Barn Owl, _S. tenebricosa_, N.G., E.A. + [~179-183 _Genus, Tyto._] + + Stat. v.r. _dense brushes_; f., 16; m., 13.5 + + Disc sooty-gray deeper round eyes; upper brownish-black finely + spotted white; under brownish-black washed buff, fainter + spots; legs mottled brown, white; f., larger. Mice, rats. + + =183 Grass Owl=, _S. candida_, India, Formosa, China, + Philippines to E.A. + [~179-183 _Genus, Tyto._] + + Stat. v.r. _grass_ 14 + + Disc white or tinged pale-pink; brownish spot before eye; edge + disc dark-brown above, buff below; upper dark-brown finely + spotted white; under white tinged orange-buff with scattered + brown spots; tail whitish barred brown; legs long; f., sim. + +==== + +While Australia possesses representatives of nearly all the important +widely-spread families of birds this favored land also contains many +birds that are unknown elsewhere. In addition, there are some groups +which are found in other continents, but which reach their highest +development here. Conspicuous amongst these are Parrots and Cockatoos. +Australians are so accustomed to see these beautiful birds on every +country road, and in cages outside their houses, that they do not +appreciate their beauty or their interest, for "familiarity breeds +contempt," even with bird life. + +When one reflects that no figure of a Parrot is found in ancient +Egyptian art, and that no Parrot is mentioned in the Bible, then +one begins to understand the interest of Europeans in these "spoilt +children" of the animal world, the "monkeys of the bird world," and +"the cream of the Australian avifauna." + +Their tameness, their affection, their entertaining habits, and their +remarkable powers of speech, all help to render Parrots the favorites +amongst birds. The brilliance of their plumage, their intelligence, +and their longevity excite wonder, for Parrots have been known to live +100 years in captivity. Presumably, they would live even longer in a +state of nature. Humboldt recorded, as quoted in Newton's "Dictionary +of Birds," "that in South America he met with a venerable bird, which +remained the sole possessor of a literally dead language, the +whole tribe of Indians, Atures by name, who spoke it, having become +extinct." + +Australians will perhaps be surprised to learn that there are no +Parrots or Cockatoos in Europe, and none in Asia, excepting India, +none in Africa north of the Tropic of Cancer, and only two in North +America, and that one of these is rapidly becoming extinct, and +that Africa and India are poor in Parrots. Thus South America and +Australasia alone are left as the lands that contain these interesting +birds in any number. While South America contains the largest +Parrots--the Macaws--all the South American species belong to +one family. In the Australian region six families of Parrots are +represented. Four of them are confined to the region, while but one +species of the fifth family (Cockatoos) is found outside the region. + +The Brush-tongued Parrots, or "Lorikeets," are a purely Australian +family. Some of these are very common at times in flowering eucalypts, +even in the public gardens and streets. The Blue Mountain Parrot, very +common at times, is a giant of the family. It has been described as +a "noble bird, gorgeously apparelled." Its vernacular name of +Blue-bellied Lorikeet has been altered to Blue Mountain Lorikeet. +We found these birds nesting in the big sugar-gums bordering Warunda +Creek, Eyre Peninsula. They keenly and noisily resented our curiosity, +and screeched much as we tried to discover them amongst the green +foliage. Though so gaudy, they were picked out with difficulty. +This bird was very troublesome in my garden at Bengworden, near +the Gippsland Lakes, where, when the apples were about the size of +marbles, they tore them to pieces to get the developing "pips." In +common with the other members of the family, they have a swift, direct +flight, and screech much when flying. The "Green Keets," generally +called "Green Leeks," which are so very numerous at times, are often +accompanied by two other Lorikeets, the Little and Purple-crowned +Lorikeets. These green birds hang, head down, among the eucalyptus +leaves, and brush up the honey from the flowers with their brush +tongue. They follow the flowering of the eucalypts from district to +district, and since the eucalypts flower at irregular intervals, these +birds are not so regular in their movements as Swifts, Snipe, Curlews, +Cuckoos, and other migratory birds. For this reason the birds may be +absent from a district for some years, and then suddenly appear again +in great numbers. + +Cockatoos are almost confined to the Australian region. This includes +the islands north-west of Australia out to Wallace's line, passing +between Celebes and the Philippine Islands, Celebes and Borneo, and +between the small islands of Lombok and Bali, east of Java. These +islands, though but fifteen miles apart, "differ far more from each +other in their birds and quadrupeds than do England and Japan. The +birds of the one are extremely unlike those of the other." Another +authority says that the faunas of Bali and Lombok are more unlike +than those of South America and Africa. Bali has Woodpeckers, Barbets, +Bulbuls, and Black and White Magpie-Robins, none of which is found +in Lombok, where we find Screaming Cockatoos, Friar-birds, and other +Honey-eaters, and the strange mound-building Megapodes and numerous +other remarkable birds. This narrow strait is over 1000 fathoms in +depth, and is probably one of the most ancient and most permanent +dividing lines in the world. Instead of being united to Asia, it is +probable that Australia has been more recently joined to New Zealand, +South America, and South Africa. Only one Cockatoo transgresses +Wallace's line to the west, and that is found in the Philippine +Islands; evidently it has spread there from the adjacent part of the +Australian region. + +The sombre, slow-flying Black Cockatoo is the largest of all +Cockatoos. It is seen fairly often in small companies, especially on +wattles and eucalypts, the wood of which it tears to pieces with its +powerful bill to get the insect larvæ feeding there. It is a valuable +forest-saving bird. + +The Glossy or Leach Black Cockatoo is named after Dr. Leach, who did a +great amount of work on Australian animals about 100 years ago. It is +a rare bird, and may readily be distinguished by its smaller size and +more glossy plumage. + +The peculiar gray Gang-gang Cockatoos are common in parts of the +forest country. The male is easily recognized by his red head and +crest. I occasionally see these interesting birds in the big eucalypt +forests of Gippsland. I was surprised to discover that, in South +Gippsland, it is generally called the Galah, a name which belongs to +quite a different bird (194). + +The screeching, fussy White Cockatoo, with its delicate sulphur crest, +is well known. Many country dwellers enjoy the privilege of often +seeing these snowy-white birds almost covering a dead tree. They +are favorites as pets, and live to a good old age. They render good +service at times by digging up and eating grasshoppers' eggs, though +they do damage to maize and other crops. As they post sentinels, they +are difficult birds to approach. + +The Pink Cockatoo (Major Mitchell) is unfortunately becoming rare. It +was fairly common when I taught in a Mallee school, near where Hopetoun +now is. It has been described as "quite the most beautiful of all the +Cockatoos, being a harmony of delicate rose-pink and white, with a +handsome crest of acuminate feathers barred in crimson, yellow, and +white." It does not take kindly to captivity. It nested in the smaller +"spouts" of the green "box-trees" in the "box-flats" and swamps about +the Goyura School, south of Lake Corrong. + +What is more glorious than a mob of Rose-breasted Cockatoos +(Galahs), 500 strong, airing their beauties and graces as they take a +constitutional before retiring for the night? Probably no other kind +of bird shows better company-flying than Galahs; now one sheet of +a delicate gray lavender, and the next instant a flash of brilliant +salmon-pink, as the whole company turns and wheels, obedient to some +command or signal unperceived by us; again, the sun lights up the +pale-pink crests and gray backs, as they turn once more and wheel, +screeching, to continue their evolutions further afield. It is a sight +that lingers in the memory. They are charming pets, and some talk +well. Their beauty adds charm to our almost perfectly level great +inland plains. + +The delicately-colored and friendly Cockatoo Parrot, with its +immovable crest, takes a sub-family to itself. It migrates from the +North, and, in a dry year, may even reach the South Coast. In 1908 +some of these birds reached Colac, in Southern Victoria. They are +favorite aviary birds, and thousands have been exported. + +In the true Parrot family, Australia is strongly represented by many +beautiful birds. The first is the Barraband Parrakeet of Gould, and +the Green Leek of some ornithologists. As the name Green Leek is +practically in universal use for the Musk Lorikeet (Green Keet) of the +ornithologist, it seems desirable to sink an inappropriate name into +a synonym, and use the earlier name, Superb Parrot, for it is a +beautiful bird. Sad to say, it has become exceedingly rare, though Mr. +A. W. Milligan informed me, a few days ago, that he saw six fly into +some pines at Black Rock one day this month (January, 1911). + +The Rock Pebble, or Smoker, of the country dweller, formally called +the Black-tailed Parrot, is a fine bird. His tail, however, is not +really black, but is strongly iridescent. He nested in numbers, at +the beginning of the nineties, in the dead box-trees in Lake Corrong. +After an early tea, we frequently went over to the lake and watched +the birds feeding their young. No longer do they inhabit that +district, which has been completely cleared and placed under +cultivation. + +The big King Parrot is a "showy, noble species," and is still common +in parts, especially the moist forest districts. + +The members of the next group form a sub-family--the +Broad-tails--confined to Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand, and the +Pacific Islands. Judging by their names, they must be amongst the most +beautiful of birds. The best known is the common Rosella, often +quoted in European books as one of the most beautiful of birds. +Its scientific name is eximius, which means excellent. Indeed, the +scientific names of Australian parrots give a good indication of +their place amongst the glories of the bird world. The cousin of the +Rosella--the large blue-winged and blue-cheeked Crimson Parrot--is +well named elegans; a grass parrot is also elegans, then follow +splendidus, splendida, and pulchella, while that great ornithologist, +Gould, has conferred the honor of pulcherrimus on another Australian +parrot. These names, given by scientists, will show Australians in +what high esteem these birds, so common with us, are held by observers +from other lands. + +The Crimson Parrot, previously mentioned, is, I think, becoming +common, for I have lately seen it flying about in towns, notably in +the Botanic Gardens, Melbourne, the Zoological Gardens, Melbourne, and +the school yard at Wangaratta. + +The Yellow Parrakeet, with its blue cheeks, is a "harmony in blue and +canary yellow, and is an exceedingly lovely bird." It is unfortunately +rare. + +The next bird is one of our well-known cage pets--the beautiful +Ringneck--the Mallee Parrot. It flies ahead of one along the +half-chain strip of scrub left on mallee roads, and is a feature of +interest. + +The next group contains some inland parrots. The "Bulloak," or "Blue +Bonnet," is a beautiful bird, and is common on inland plains. It has +a brownish-olive back and a gray chest. The bright, blue cheeks, +forehead, and shoulder, red abdomen, and light yellow base to tail +present a striking appearance. Its vernacular name--Yellow-vented +Parrakeet--has now been altered to Blue Bonnet Parrot. + +The Many-colored Parrot, with its large yellow shoulder patch, is a +glory. It is, indeed, difficult to imagine a more beautiful bird as +it flies about in the bright Mallee sunshine. The Red-backed Parrot is +the common "Grass Parrot" of country dwellers. Large flocks of these +birds are to be seen on the inland plains. The female is much plainer +than her gaudy mate. This is unusual amongst parrots; for, as the work +of sitting on the eggs is done in a hollow tree under good shelter, +there is apparently no reason why the female should be plainer than +the male, and in most parrots she is equally pretty. + +The brownish female offers a strong contrast to her more brightly +coloured mate, which is immediately distinguished by the large red +patch on the back. (The Many-colored Parrot has a much smaller red +patch on the back, near the base of the tail.) + +The seven small Grass-Parrots (_Neophemas_) are amongst the most +beautiful of parrots. These birds have become so rare that the South +Australian Government has wisely placed them on the totally-protected +list. Bird trappers formerly exported numbers to Europe each year. +These rare Parrots are said to be worth about £7 each as cage birds. + +We found the rare Rock Parrot nesting in the edges and hollows of +a tiny travertine-limestone island (Goat Island) in an inlet at the +eastern end of the Great Australian Bight. The eggs were laid on the +bare earth, often within two or three feet of high-tide mark. The +whole island was less than an acre in extent, and at no point was ten +feet above high-tide level. Many similar islands on the Australian +coast have not yet been explored ornithologically, so we do not know +what matters of interest are awaiting us. + +The next bird, the Swift-flying Lorikeet, is a honey feeder, like the +first four Parrots (Lorikeets) mentioned. It is often found with +them, and was common all the winter, and is common now in a clump +of flowering gums outside the Melbourne Cricket Ground. It has given +scientists much trouble as to its correct name and position. It can +be distinguished from the "Green Keets" by having scarlet under the +wings. + +The beautiful and affectionate little Budgerigar (Warbling Grass +Parrot), or Love Bird, has many names. It is migratory, and sometimes +appears in thousands, though it may not be seen again for years. It is +a favorite cage bird, and breeds as freely as caged canaries, so it is +well-known in Europe. + +The last two Parrots are ground birds, which never perch or climb. +It was feared that the Ground Parrot was extinct, but it is seen +occasionally in the National Park at Wilson's Promontory. The Night +Parrot is better called the Western Ground Parrot. It is found amongst +the Spinifex (_Triodia_) scrub of the interior. + +Though Parrots are essentially "climbers," having the suitable +arrangement of two toes in front and two behind, it is interesting to +learn of these two Australian Parrots which cannot perch or climb. The +Parrot's foot is of interest, further, in so far as it is used as a +hand, and the food is held in it while being eaten. The powerful bill +not only serves to reduce its food to powder, but also assists in +climbing. It is sometimes amusing to note the "absurd caution," and +great deliberation with which a parrot climbs down in his cage to pick +up some dainty. + +Possessing no less than 76 kinds of Parrots and Cockatoos, Australians +should be alive to their privileges as contrasted with the dwellers of +northern lands, where Parrots do not live. They should insist on the +proper protection of these beautiful and wonderful birds. + +==== + + [Page 88] + + [Illustration: [184] [185] [186] [187] [188]] + + ORDER XVII.--PSITTACIFORMES. + + F. 72. _Nestoridae_, Nestor, Kaka, Kea, 4 sp. A. (N.Z.). + + F. 73. LORIIDAE (9), BRUSH-TONGUED PARROTS, LORIES, LORIKEETS, + 87 sp. A. + +3 +16 + + =184* Blue Mountain Lorikeet= (-Parrot), Rainbow Lory, + Blue--bellied (Swainson) Lorikeet, _Trichoglossus + novae-hollandiae_, N.A., E.A., S.A., T. + + Nom. flocks c. _eucalypts_ 14 + + Head, throat, abdomen blue; chest blood-red tinged yellow; + back green; bill blood-red; f., sim. Honey. Screech. + + [Page 89] + +3 +5 + + =185* Musk Lorikeet=, Green Keet, Green Leek (e), + _Glossopsittacus concinnus_, E.A., S.A., T. + [~185-187 _Genus, Glossopsitta._] + + Nom. v.c. _flowering eucalypts_ 8.5 + + Green; forehead, behind ear red; bill black tipped red; f., + sim. Honey. Screech. + + =186 Purple-crowned Lorikeet=, _G. porphyrocephalus_, N.S.W. + V., S.A., W.A. + [~185-187 _Genus, Glossopsitta._] + + Nom. flocks with 185. r. _eucalypts_ 6.5 + + Green; forehead red, yellow; behind ear fainter red, + yellow; crown purple; behind head yellowish-green; shoulder + light-blue; under wing crimson; under greenish-gray; flanks, + under-tail golden-green; bill black; f., sim. Honey. Screech. + + =187 Little Lorikeet=, Jerryang, _G. pusillus_, E.A., S.A., T. + [~185-187 _Genus, Glossopsitta._] + + Nom. flocks with 185. c. _eucalypts_ 6.5 + + Green; face deep-red; hind-neck brown; wings black edged + green; tail feathers grass-green, inner webs red at base, + yellowish at tip; f., smaller. Honey. Screech. + + F. 74. CYCLOPSITTACIDAE (2), Fig-Parrots, 23 sp. A. + + F. 75. CACATUIDAE (17), COCKATOOS, 29 sp.--28(28)A., 1(1)O. + (Philippine Is.). + +7 +7 + + =188 Black Cockatoo=, Funereal Black Cockatoo, + _Calyptorhynchus funereus_, S.Q., N.S.W., V., S.A., T., King + Is. + + Small flocks, r. _timber_ 26 + + Black; ear-patch, under tail yellow; f., sim. Wood-boring + larvae. Seeds. "Wy-la." + + [Page 90] + + [Illustration: [189] [190] [191] [192] [193]] + + =189 Banksian Cockatoo=, Banksian Black Cockatoo, C. _banksi_, + E.A., S.A. + + r. _timber_ 24 + + Glossy greenish-black; vermilion-red band on tail; f., yellow + side of head, neck. Caterpillars, seeds. + + [Page 91] + + =190 Glossy Cockatoo= (Leach Black), _C. viridis_, E.A., S.A. + + Small flocks, r. _timber_ 19.5 + + Glossy greenish-black; deep vermilion-red on tail; f., no + vermilion on tail. Sheoak (_Casuarina_) seeds. + +1 +1 + + =191* Gang-gang Cockatoo= (Red-crowned), Red-crowned Parrot (e), + Galah (e), _Callocephalum galeatum_, S.Q., N.S.W., V., T., King Is. + [~191 _Genus, Callocephalon._ + + v.r. _forest_ 13.5 + + Head, crest fine scarlet; rest slate-gray barred + grayish-green; wings tinged green; under tinged red; f., head, + crest gray. Eucalypt seeds. + +5 +17 + + =192 White Cockatoo= (Sulphur-crested), _Cacatua galerita_, + A., T., King Is. + [~192-194 _Genus, Cacatöes._] + + Nom. Flocks, v.c. _timber_, _open plains_ 20 + + White; crest, under wing, portion of tail sulphur-yellow; f., + sim. Seeds, grain, native bread, bulbous roots, grasshoppers' + eggs. Screech. + + =193* Pink Cockatoo= (Leadbeater), Major Mitchell, _C. + leadbeateri_, Int. A. + [~192-194 _Genus, Cacatöes._] + + Nom. r. _lofty gums_ 16 + + "Most beautiful and elegant" cockatoo; white; forehead, neck, + under wing, middle abdomen, base of tail salmon pink becoming + deeper under wing; crest crimson, yellow, white; eyes black; + f., yellow in crest brighter; eyes reddish-brown. Plaintive + cry. + + [Page 92] + + [Illustration: [194] [195] [196] [197] [198] [199]] + + =194* Rose-breasted Cockatoo=, Galah, Willie-willock, Willock, + _C. roseicapilla_, A., T. (acc). + [~192-194 _Genus, Cacatöes._] + + Nom. large flocks, c. _plains_ 14 + + Upper gray; under deep rose pink; head pinky-white; "the + second most beautiful of cockatoos;" f., sim. Seeds, + salt-bush. + + [Page 93] + +2 +2 + + =195 Long-billed Cockatoo=, Corella, _Licmetis nasica_, N. + Ter., N.S.W., V., S.A. + [~195 _Licmetis tenuirostris._] + + Flocks r. _ground_ 17 + + White; under wing pale-yellow; under tail bright-yellow; + forehead, face scarlet; neck, breast tinged scarlet; naked + blue skin round eye; long bill, 1-5/8 in.; f., sim. Bulbous + roots. + +1 +1 + + =196* Cockatoo-Parrot=, Cockatiel, Quarrion, _Calopsittacus + novae-hollandiae_, A. + [~196 _Calopsitta novae-hollandiae._] + + Mig. flocks, c. _plains_, _timber_ 12 + + Forehead, crest lemon-yellow; ear-patch rich reddish-orange in + a patch yellow above white below; upper, under gray; white on + wings, chest; f., face, crest dull olive-yellow; tail barred + brown. Seeds. + + F. 76. PSITTACIDAE (47), PARROTS, Macaws, 433 sp.--144(144)A., + 49(49)O., 42(42)E., 2(1)Nc., 197(196)Nl. + +2 +2 + + =197* Superb Parrot= (Scarlet-breasted), Green Leek, Barraband + Parrakeet, _Polytelis barrabandi_, S.Q., N.S.W., V., S.A. + + Stat. v.r. _timber_ 16 + + Green; forehead, cheeks, throat rich gamboge-yellow; crescent + of scarlet next to yellow on chest; bill yellow; sometimes + red on thigh; f., green tinged dull rose on chest; thigh red. + Seeds. + + =198* Black-tailed Parrot=, Rock-Pebbler, Rock-Pebble, Smoker, + _P. melanura_, N.S.W., V., S.A., W.A. (interior). + [~198 _Polytelis anthopeplus._] + + Nom. v.r. _Box flats_, _timber_ 16 + + Head, neck, greenish-yellow; shoulders, under yellow; + upper-back olive; wing-quills, tail iridescent black; some + pink on wing; bill scarlet; f., duller. Seeds, honey. + +1 +9 + + =199* King Parrot= (Scarlet and Green, Spud), Blood Rosella, + King Lory (e), _Aprosmictus cyanopygius_, E.A., S.A. + + Stat. c. _forest_ 16 + + "Showy, noble species;" head, neck, under scarlet; back, wings + green; rump, base tail rich dark blue; band bright green on + wing; bill scarlet; f., head, upper green; throat, chest green + tinged red; abdomen scarlet; young male like female for two + years. Bulbous roots, seeds. + + [Page 95] + + [Illustration: [219] [220] [221] [223] [224] [227] [229] [230] [235]] + + =219= Australian Roller + =220= Blue Kingfisher + =221= Laughing Kingfisher + =223= Sacred Kingfisher + =224= Australian Bee-eater + =227= Spine-tailed Swift + =229= Pallid Cuckoo + =230= Fan-tailed Cuckoo + =235= Bronze Cuckoo + + [Page 97] + + [Illustration: [238] [240] [242] [244] [244^A] [245^A] [248] [248^A]] + + =238= Welcome Swallow + =240= Tree Martin + =242= Brown Flycatcher + =244= Scarlet-breasted Robin + =244^A= Scarlet-breasted Robin (Female) + =245= Flame-breasted Robin + =245^A= Ditto (Female) + =248= Red Capped Robin + =248^A= Red Capped Robin (Female) + + [Page 100] + + [Illustration: [200] [201] [202] [203] [204] [205]] + +16 +16 + + =200* Crimson Parrot=, Crimson Rosella, Pennant Parrakeet, + Red Lory (e), Mountain Lowry (e), _Platycercus elegans_, S.Q., + N.S.W., V., S.A. + + Stat. v.c. _timber_, _open_ 13.5 + + Head, neck, under, rump rich deep crimson; feathers of back + black, edged crimson; cheeks, shoulders blue; tail tipped + pale-blue; f., sim.; young all green at first. Grass, seeds, + insects, caterpillars. + + [Page 101] + + =201 Yellow Parrot=, Yellow Rosella, Murray Smoker (e), Swamp + Lory (e), Yellow-rumped Parrakeet, _P. flaveolus_, N.S.W., V., + S.A. (interior). + + Stat. v.r. _lofty river gums_ 13.5 + + "Exceedingly lovely bird, a harmony in blue and canary + yellow;" upper under canary-yellow; back feathers black edged + pale-yellow; wing blue; tip quills dark-brown; tail tipped + light blue and white; forehead crimson; cheeks blue; f., + duller. Seeds. + + =202* Rosella=, Rosehill Parrakeet, Nonpareil Parrot, _P. + eximius_, S.Q., N.S.W., V., S.A., T. + + Stat. v.c. _open timber_ 12.5 + + Crown, hind-neck, chest, under base tail scarlet; cheeks + white; back feathers black edged rich yellow; rump, upper + base tail, lower abdomen pale-green; centre-abdomen yellow; + shoulders blue; tail tipped pale blue; f., young sim. + +5 +5 + + =203* Mallee Parrot= (Scrub), Barnard Parrakeet, Ring-neck, + Bulla-Bulla, _Barnardius barnardi_, S.Q., N.S.W., V., S.A. + (interior). + + Stat. c. _mallee scrub_, _water courses_ 13 + + Crown, chest, abdomen, rump rich-green; yellow band on + hind-neck; forehead red; back bluish-gray; centre-abdomen + orange; wing-quills black; shoulder blue; centre tail feathers + green becoming deep iridescent blue at tip; side tail deep + blue at base becoming bluish white at tip; bill horn color; + f., sim. Seeds. + +8 +8 + + =204* Blue-Bonnet=, Bulloak Parrot, Yellow-vented Parrakeet, + _Psephotus zanthorrhous_, N.S.W., V., S.A., W.A. (inland). + + c. _mallee-scrub_, _plains_ 12.5 + + Forehead, face blue; crown, upper, chest yellowish-gray; rump, + under base tail, abdomen deep yellow, about legs scarlet; edge + shoulder, patch on wing blue; wing-quills blackish-brown; f., + duller. Seeds. + + =205* Many-colored Parrot= (Varied, Mulga), _P. multicolor_, + N.S.W., V., S.A., W.A., N.W.A. (inland). + + Stat. c. _plains_ 12 + + Head, neck, chest, back green; rump little red; abdomen, + thighs scarlet; forehead, shoulder, under base tail yellow; + f., brick red patch on shoulder, duller. Grass-seeds. + + [Page 102] + + [Illustration: [206] [207] [208] [209] [210]] + + =206* Red-backed Parrot= (Grass, Red-rumped, Ground), _P. + haematonotus_, S.Q., N.S.W., V., S.A. + + Large flocks, v.c. _grass_ 11 + + Green; lower-back scarlet; tip-shoulder outer wing-quills + blue; centre-shoulder, abdomen yellow; f., brownish-olive + upper. Seeds. + +7 +7 + + =207 Bourke Grass-Parrot= (Night, Pink-bellied), _Neophema + bourkei_, N.S.W., V., S.A. (interior). + + v.r. _plains_ 8.5 + + Upper olive-brown; under delicate brown tinged pink; forehead, + shoulder, flanks, under tail blue; f., forehead not blue. + Seeds. + + =208 Blue-winged Grass-Parrot= (Blue-banded), _N. venusta_, + N.S.W., V., S.A., T., King Is. + [~208 _Neophema chrysostoma._] + + Mig. r. _open timber_ 9 + + Forehead, large patch shoulder deep-blue; crown, neck, back, + breast green; face, abdomen light-yellow; tail tipped fine + yellow; f., sim. Grass seeds. + + =209* Grass-Parrot= (Elegant Grass), _N. elegans_, S.Q., + N.S.W., V., S.A., W.A. + + Mig. r. _grass_ 9 + + Forehead, patch shoulder, wing-quills blue; about eye + rich-yellow; back golden-green; chest green; abdomen, side of + tail yellow; f., duller. Seeds. Musical whistle. + + =210 Orange-breasted Grass-Parrot= (Orange-bellied), _N. + chrysogastra_, N.S.W., V., S.A., T. + + Mig. r. _grass_ 9 + + Crown, upper grass-green; forehead blue; cheeks, breast + yellowish-green; shoulder, patch on wing deep-blue; abdomen, + under base tail yellow; lower abdomen much orange; f., less + orange. Seeds. Sharp snapping note. + + =211 Red-Shouldered Grass-Parrot= (Chestnut-shouldered, + Beautiful), _N. pulchella_, S.Q., N.S.W., V., S.A. + + Mig. c. _timber_ 8 + + Cheeks, shoulders rich metallic-blue; crown, hind-neck, + upper, flanks bright olive-green; bright patch chestnut-red + at insertion of wing; under rich-yellow, tail green tipped + yellow; f., sim. Seeds. + + [Page 103] + + [Illustration: [211] [212] [213] [214] [215] [216]] + + =212 Scarlet-chested Grass-Parrot= (Orange-throated, + Splendid), _N. splendida_, N.S.W., V., S., W.A. + + v.r. _scrub_ 8 + + Head, neck beautiful deep-blue; shoulder blue; breast scarlet; + abdomen light-yellow; upper green; f., duller, breast green. + Seeds. + +1 +1 + + =213* Swift Parrot= (Red-shouldered), Swift-flying Lorikeet + (e), _Euphema discolor_, S.Q., N.S.W., V., S.A., T. + [~213 _Lathamus discolor._] + + Mig. r. _flowering eucalypts_ 9.5 + + Green; forehead, throat, tip-shoulder, base tail above below, + under-wing red; crown, edge wing blue; f., smaller, duller. + Honey. + +1 +1 + + =214* Warbling Grass-Parrot= (Shell-, Canary-, Zebra-), + Betcherrygah, Budgerigar, Love-Bird (Flight-), _Melopsittacus + undulatus_, A. (int.). + + Mig. flocks c. _timber_ 7.5 + + Head, throat yellow; under, rump green; upper green finely + barred black; several dark spots on throat; f., smaller. + Grass-seeds. + +1 +2 + + =215 Ground Parrot= (Swamp), _Pezoporus terrestris_, V., S.A. + W.A., T., Bass St. Is. + + v.r. u. _sandy_, _swampy_ 13 + + Green uniformly barred black yellow; forehead scarlet; tail + long; never perches; f., sim. Seeds. + +1 +1 + + =216 Night Parrot= (Spinifex), Western Ground Parrakeet, + _Geopsittacus occidentalis_, V., S.A., C.A., W.A., N.W.A. + + v.r. u. _swampy_ 10 + + Like 215, but forehead not red; under base short tail yellow. + + F. 77. _Stringopidae_, Owl-Parrot, 2 sp. A. (N.Z.). + +==== + +Australia is well represented in Order XVIII.--Picarian Birds. The +Tawny Frogmouth is one of "the most peculiar," and is the "ugliest of +birds." On account of its wide mouth, it is called the Frogmouth, and +on account of the confusion connecting it with the Boobook Owl, which +calls "Mopoke," this bird is also called the "Mopoke" (see p. 85). +It so closely mimics a broken branch during the day that it is seldom +seen, though it is fairly common. + +Gould bears eloquent testimony to the value of Australian birds in +general, and the _Podargus_ in particular, when he says: "In no other +country is there a greater proportion of insectivorous birds, and +certainly none in which nocturnal species such as the Podargi are more +numerous." + +The Australian Roller (Dollar-Bird) has the family beauty, and has a +white circular patch on each wing, which shows clearly when the wing +is expanded during flight. At the Tallangatta excursion a pair was +working even after dusk near the schoolground. Flying from the topmost +dead branch, one bird suddenly closed its wings, and cut queer antics +in the air. After flying a considerable distance, it returned to its +former perch, and the mate set off. On the return of the mate the +first set off again, and so on. With their disagreeable, rough "treek +treek," and peculiar antics, they are conspicuous birds. It is our one +representative of a family most strongly developed in Africa. + +While Kingfishers are cosmopolitan (world-wide in distribution), yet +the Australian region contains far more of these beautiful birds than +any other region. They are famous in legend and story, and we owe to +them the expression, "halcyon days" (Gr. _alkuon_, a Kingfisher). + +The great terrestrial Kingfishers, of which Australia has three +species--the fourth being confined to New Guinea--are amongst the +avine curiosities of Australia. Few birds are more famous than the +Laughing Kingfisher (Jackass), first, on account of his gigantic +size--hence his specific name, _gigas_--and, secondly, because of +his laugh, which brightens many a gloomy, misty day in lonely country +districts. Homesick travellers from foreign lands could only hear +evil spirits laughing at their trials and loneliness, but, just as +mountains, once thought ugly, are now considered beautiful, so +other thoughts are now associated with the laugh of our remarkable +Australian Kingfisher. + +True to the law of representatives, Australia presents us with a +beautiful representative of the Old World family of Bee-eaters. A +writer has well said that there are "few so beautiful, and none so +graceful." Its scientific name, _ornatus_, shows that our bird stands +well amongst its fellows. One kind occasionally visits England (about +thirty records in the last hundred years). + +In the same order come the Goatsuckers, or Nightjars, wide-mouthed, +swift-flying, insectivorous birds, which have an almost cosmopolitan +range, being absent only from New Zealand and the Polynesian Islands. +These Owl-like birds have very long wings, thus indicating their rapid +flight. They are very valuable insect destroyers, though they are +sometimes called "Night Hawks," and are shot by people who foolishly +shoot hawks. Many destructive insects fly only at night, and these +night-flying birds are a necessity to maintain the balance of Nature. + +Swifts are cosmopolitan birds. One Swiftlet is world-famous on account +of its saliva-built nest, which is the edible swallows' nest we used +to read about. This bird occasionally visits Queensland. Two of the +Australian birds breed in Japan. They are essentially creatures of +the air; their long, pointed wings, shown much longer than the tail, +indicate great speed. Gould said that a Swift might be hawking for +insects over Victoria one hour, and over Tasmania the next hour; that +is, it can cross Bass Strait in an hour. The spines at the end of +the short tail feathers are thought to assist as a prop when the bird +settles on a wall or a cliff face. In some Swifts the four toes point +forward; this helps also in cliff clinging. Though so common in the +upper air, Swifts have not, in Victoria, been recorded as having been +seen to alight. + +Most birds have hollow bones which are filled with air. It was claimed +by those who like to find a use for everything that this was an +obvious adaptation for purposes of flight, but when one reflects that, +in some of the Ostrich and Emu group, the members of which never fly, +the bones are strongly "pneumatic," while in Terns and Swifts, and +some other flying birds, the bones are solid, one must hesitate before +generalizing even about such an apparently obvious matter. Swifts are +in no way related to Swallows, but are close to Humming Birds, which +are born with a wide, Swift-like mouth. + +==== + + [Page 104] + + [Illustration: [217] [218] [219] [220] [221] [222]] + + ORDER XVIII.--CORACIIFORMES, PICARIAN BIRDS. + + F. 78. _Steatornithidae_, Oil-Bird, Guacharo, 1 sp. Nl. + + F. 79. PODARGIDAE (6), FROGMOUTHS, 32 sp.--20(20)A., 12(12)O. + +4 +7 + + =217 Tawny Frogmouth= (Tawny-shouldered), Mopoke (e), + _Podargus strigoides_, A.T. + + Stat. c. _open forest_ 18 + + Upper brown freckled grayish-white and darker-brown; wings + lighter, spotted black and buff; tawny patch on wing; tail + tawny-brown barred blackish-brown; wide bill brown; nocturnal; + f., sim. Insects. "Oom, oom." + +2 +13 + + =218 Owlet Nightjar= (Little), Banded Goatsucker (e), Moth Owl + (e), _Ægotheles novae-hollandiae_, A., T. + + Stat. r. _timber_ 8.5 + + Blackish-gray; tail faintly banded; obscure collar; short, + wide bill; bristles round bill; nocturnal; f., sim. Insects, + mosquitoes, moths. + + F. 80. _Leptosomatidae_, Kirombos, Madagascar Rollers, 2 sp. + E. + + [Page 105] + + F. 81. CORACIIDAE (1), ROLLERS, 32 sp.--5(5)A., 6(3)O., + 3(0)P., 22(21)E. + +1 +11 + + =219* Australian Roller=, Dollar (Star) Bird, _Eurystomus + pacificus_, Cel., Mol., A. exc. S.A., W.A., Lord Howe Is., + N.Z. + + Mig. r. _timber_ 12 + + Head, upper dark-brown; inner-wing bluish, outer-wing + dark-blue with a silvery-blue patch (dollar); throat + dark-blue; eyelash, wide curved bill, feet red; many shades of + blue and green; abdomen light-green; f., sim. Insects. + + F. 82. ALCEDINIDAE (14), KINGFISHERS, 200 sp.--112(105)A., + 52(44)O., 5(0)P., 31(30)E., 3(0)Nc., 11(8)Nl. + +3 +7 + + =220* Blue Kingfisher= (Azure, Water, River), _Alcyone + azurea_, E.A., S.A., T. + + Mig. r. _water_ 8 + + Upper ultramarine-blue; behind ear yellowish-white patch; + wings black; throat whitish; under rusty-orange; bill black; + f., sim. Fish, insects. + +3 +4 + + =221* Laughing Kingfisher= (Great Brown, Giant), Laughing + Jackass, Bushman's (Settler's) Clock, Kookaburra, _Dacelo + gigas_, E.A., S.A. + + Stat. v.c. _timber_ 17.5 + + Upper, line from bill past eye brown; side-head, under + whitish; blue, white spots on wing; tail barred brown, black, + tipped white; f., sim. Lizards, insects, snakes. + +6 +71 + + =222 Red-backed Kingfisher= (Golden), _Halcyon pyrrhopygius_, + A. (interior). + + r. _open country_ 8 + + Back, rump reddish-brown; collar, under white; crown + dull-green streaked white; dark band from bill through + eye round back of head; wings, tail bluish; f., sim. Fish, + insects. + + [Page 106] + + [Illustration: [223] [224] [225] [226] [227] [228]] + + =223* Sacred Kingfisher= (Wood, Forest, Tree), _H. sanctus_, + Cel., Java to A., T., N. Heb. + + Mig. c. _timber_, _near water_ 8 + + Head, upper greenish-blue; whitish collar; buffy-white under; + bill long black; f., sim. Insects, ants, lizards, fish. + + F. 83. _Bucerotidae_, Hornbills, 71 sp.--4(4)A., 33(33)O., + 34(34)E. + + F. 84. _Upupidae_, Hoopoes, 6 sp.--2(1)O., 2(0)P., 4(3)E. + + F. 85. _Irrisoridae_, Wood-Hoopoes, 12 sp. E. + + F. 86. MEROPIDAE (1), BEE-EATERS, 41 sp.--5(4)A., 10(6)O., + 2(0)P., 30(27)E. + + [Page 107] + +1 +21 + + =224* Australian Bee-eater=, Rainbow Bird, Sandpiper (e), + Kingfisher (e), Spinetail, Pintail, _Merops ornatus_, Cel., + Lesser Sunda Is., Mol., A. + + Mig. c. _open forests_ 10 + + Crown, back, inner-wing brownish-green; wing-quills + orange-brown, tipped black; band on throat blackish; line + below eye, lower-back blue; throat orange; tail black; two + tail feathers longer; curved bill black: f., sim. Insects, + very rarely bees. + + F. 87. _Momotidae_, Motmots, 24 sp. Nl. + + F. 88. _Todidae_, Todies, 7 sp. Nl. (West Indies). + + F. 89. CAPRIMULGIDAE (3), NIGHTJARS, GOATSUCKERS, 124 + sp.--11(8)A., 22(17)O., 10(4)P., 30(26)E., 11(5)Nc., 57(51)Nl. + +2 +3 + + =225 White-throated Nightjar=, Night Hawk (e), Moth (Fern) + Owl, _Eurostopus albigularis_, N.G., E.A., S.A. + [~225 _Eurostopodus albigularis._] + + Stat. r. _open forest_ 13 + + Upper mottled, striped gray, brown; head darker; wings + dark-brown marked gray, spotted buff, with white patch + (see figure); white patch side of throat; under buff marked + dark-brown; f., sim. Insects. Valuable nocturnal birds. + + =226 Spotted Nightjar=, _E. argus_., Aru Is., New Ireland, A. + + Stat. r. _open forest_ 12 + + Like 225, but uniform rusty-brown abdomen and under base tail; + f., sim. Insects. Valuable, nocturnal. + + F. 90. _Macropterygidae_, Tree-Swifts, 7 sp.--3(3)A., 4(4)O. + + F. 91. CYPSELIDAE (4), SWIFTS, 103 sp.--11(7)A., 33(24)O., + 9(1)P., 28(22)E., 4(0)Nc., 30(26)Nl. + +1 +34 + + =227* Spine-tailed Swift=, _Chactura caudacuta_, Sib., Jap., + China, to A., T., N.Z. + + Mig. c. _upper air_ 7.5 + + Throat, forehead, back edge wing, flanks, under base + tail white; wings, tail deep shining-green; under, back + grayish-brown; short tail ends in spines; f. smaller. Flying + insects. + +1 +25 + + =228 White-rumped Swift= (Australian), _Cypselus pacificus_, + E. Sib., Jap., Indo-China to A., T., N.Z. + [~228 _Apus pacificus._] + + Mig. r. _upper air_ 7 + + Upper brownish-black; rump, throat white; under brown; long + forked tail; indistinct collar; f., sim. Flying insects. + + F. 92. _Trochilidae_, Humming-Birds, 581 sp.--18 (5) Nc., + 576(563)Nl. + + F. 93. _Coliidae_, Mouse-Birds, 14 sp. E. + + F. 94. _Trogonidae_, Trogons, 54 sp.--16(16)O., 4(4)E., + 1(0)Nc., 34(33)Nl. + +==== + +Few birds have attracted more notice, or have been more written about, +than Cuckoos. To dwellers in lands with a dreary winter, the Cuckoo +heralds the spring, so its call is most welcome. Then, too, the +mysteries connected with its upbringing have proved of interest to +all Nature and bird lovers. Its call, "Cuckoo," aptly described as the +"most imitable of bird calls," has also assisted in making the bird a +favorite. + +The Pallid Cuckoo belongs to the same genus as the well-known Cuckoo +of England. It also resembles that bird in appearance. Its note, +however, is quite different. At times it seems to be endeavoring to +run up a chromatic scale, so, in some districts, it is called the +Scale Bird. At other times, after three running notes, it repeats one +note strongly. So persistent is it in calling that it is called in +places the Brain-fever Bird. Last September, in Castlemaine, it called +all night in the street trees. Few, however, seemed to notice it, and +fewer still knew what was uttering the persistent call. + +Possibly other birds recognize the Cuckoo as an enemy, or possibly its +remarkable superficial resemblance to a Hawk causes birds to chase it. +However, in some cases, possibly, the male Cuckoo does not object to +being chased. He draws the birds away, while the female Cuckoo quietly +places an egg in a convenient nest, and retires unmolested. + +The Fan-tailed or Ash-colored Cuckoo is not so conspicuous, as it +keeps to more secluded places, and is a solitary bird. Its flight is +heavy and labored. It also has a habit of elevating and lowering +its tail several times both before and after flight. Its frequent, +plaintive, trilling note often reveals its presence, which would +otherwise be overlooked. + +The Brush Cuckoo is rare. In fact, considerable difficulty was +experienced in obtaining a specimen for the photograph above, as +there was no named specimen in the National Museum. Thanks to Messrs. +Kershaw and French, the difficulty was at last overcome. + +The Bronze Cuckoos are very similar. They will be immediately +recognized by the under-surface barred brown and white, and the +golden-green or bronze lustre of the dark back. The New Zealand +Bronze-Cuckoo migrates from N.E. Australia and New Guinea. Apparently +it sometimes migrates down the East Coast, instead of to New Zealand. + +The Narrow-billed Bronze Cuckoo has a narrower bill, and the centre +tail feathers are brownish-chestnut at the base. While the birds are +so similar, their eggs are quite unlike. The Bronze Cuckoo lays a +bronze egg, generally in dome-shaped or covered nests. It is +sometimes found in Tits' nests. The Narrow-billed Bronze Cuckoo has a +red-speckled egg, which is placed often in an open or cup-shaped nest. + +The last Cuckoo--the Channel-bill--is one of the largest of Cuckoos. +It is a northern bird, which very rarely reaches the southern part of +the continent. Its large bill is characteristic. Its tail is large, +and often spread out fanwise, thus giving a majestic appearance to +the bird. Its call is not pleasing, as it is described by Gould as a +"frightful scream," and again as consisting of "awful notes." It lays +its eggs sometimes in the nest of a Sparrowhawk (not Kestrel), or in +the nest of a Magpie, Bell-Magpie (_Strepera_), or even of a Crow. It +appears with the first flood-waters, and follows the rivers from the +Gulf of Carpentaria watershed down to Cooper's Creek and Lake Eyre. + +One large Australian Cuckoo builds its own nest, and rears its own +young. This bird, however, does not visit Southern Australia. + +In addition to the interest of their habits and life history, Cuckoos +are amongst the most valuable of insectivorous birds. Few birds will +eat the vine caterpillar or hairy caterpillar. The Cuckoos, however, +are very fond of these, and so should be encouraged. They do no harm +to anything we need. + + ==== + + [Page 108] + + [Illustration: [229] [230] [231] [232]] + + ORDER XIX.--COCCYGES. + + F. 95. _Musophagidae_, Plantain-eaters, Touracos, 35 sp. E. + + F. 96. CUCULIDAE (14), CUCKOOS (Cuckows), 202 sp.--61(50)A., + 57(42)O., 8(0)P., 55(51)E., 8(0)Nc., 43(35)Nl. + + [Page 109] + +2 +11 + + =229* Pallid Cuckoo= (Unadorned), Harbinger-of-Spring, Scale + (Semitone, Brain-fever, Storm) Bird, Mosquito (Grasshopper) + Hawk, _Cuculus inornatus_, A., T. =vt Eur. Cuckoo. + [~229 _Cuculus pallidus._] + + Mig. v.c. _open_, _timber_ 12 + + Upper brown; under gray; tail barred white, brown; eyelash + yellow; white at edge wing; wing spotted, marked lighter; f., + upper mottled whitish, rufous. Caterpillars, insects. Runs up + scale, calls frequently at night. + +3 +13 + + =230* Fan-tailed Cuckoo=, Ash-colored, _Cacomantis rufulus + (flabelliformis)_, Aru Is., A., T. + + Mig. c. _open_, _timber_ 10 + + Head, upper dark slate-gray; under rust-red; throat gray; + tail dark toothed with white; white edge of wing; eyelash + citron-yellow; f., smaller. Caterpillars, insects. Sad trill + often repeated. + + =231 Square-tailed Cuckoo= (Brush), _C. flabelliformis + (variolosus)_, Mol., Timor, N.G., A. + + Mig. v.r. _open timber_ 9.2 + + Like 230, but smaller; tail feathers toothed with white on + inner web only; f., sim. Insects. + +1 +1 + + =232 Black-eared Cuckoo=, _Mesocalius palliolatus_, Mol., Aru + Is., A. + [~232 _Misocalius palliolatus._] + + Mig. v.r. _scrub_ 7.5 + + Head, upper, wings glossy olive-brown; shoulder darker; tail + olive-brown tipped white; side tail feather five white bars; + behind ear a narrow black streak; above this a lighter patch; + under pale-brown; f., duller. Insects. Feeble plaintive note. + + [Page 110] + + [Illustration: [233] [234] [235] [236]] + +5 +15 + + =233 Narrow-billed Bronze Cuckoo=, _Chalcococcyx basalis_, + Mal. Pen., Java, Cel., to A., T. + + Mig. c. _open_, _timber_ 6.2 + + Upper beautiful bronze-green; under barred brown, white; like + 234 but bill narrower; lighter brown head; paler back; outer + tail feathers strongly barred blackish-brown, white; centre + abdomen not barred; base tail much chestnut; f., duller. + Insects, caterpillars. + + [Page 111] + + =234 Broad-billed Bronze Cuckoo= (New Zealand, Shining), + Pipiwharauroa, _C. lucidus_, E.A., T., N.Z., Chatham Is., + Macquarie Is. (acc). + + Mig. v.r. _open_, _timber_ 6.2 + + Like 233, but outer tail feathers barred white; next feathers + barred rufous; forehead freckled with white; crown, hind-neck + shining-green; bill broader; f., duller. Insects. + + =235* Bronze Cuckoo=, _C. plagosus_, A., T., Pac. Is. + + Mig. c. _open_, _timber_ 6.2 + + Like 233, 234; crown, hind-neck dark violet-brown; very little + rufous on tail; f., duller. Insects, caterpillars. + +1 +1 + + =236 Channel-bill=, Giant Cuckoo, Storm (Flood, Rain) Bird, + Toucan (e), Hornbill (e), _Scythrops novae-hollandiae_, Cel., + Flores, Mol., A., T. (once). + + Mig. r. _plains_ 24 + + Gray; tail banded black; tipped white barred black, white + below; bill very large, light horn-color; red about eye; f., + smaller. Insects, berries. + + F. 97. _Indicatoridae_, Honey-Guides, 18 sp.--2(2)O., 16(16)E. + + F. 98. _Capitonidae_, Barbets, 140 sp.--40(40)O., 82(82)E., + 18(18)Nl. + + F. 99. _Rhamphastidae_, Toucans, 60 sp. Nl. + + F. 100. _Galbulidae_, Jacamars, 22 sp. Nl. + + F. 101. _Bucconidae_, Puff Birds, 45 sp. Nl. + + F. 102. _Picidae_, Woodpeckers, Piculets, Wrynecks, Flickers, + 440 sp.--6(5)A., 124(117)O., 41(33)P., 54(53)E., 44(32)Nc., + 197(181)Nl. + + F. 103. _Eurylaemidae_, Broadbills, 16 sp. O. The only family + of birds restricted to the Oriental Region. + +==== + +One of the most interesting birds in the world is the Lyre Bird, whose +beautiful tail, alas, often brings early death to its rightful owner. +There are three species of these birds, found only in the mountainous +parts of South-eastern Australia, and as far as Wide Bay, in Southern +Queensland. Two of the species are found in New South Wales and +Southern Queensland, while the third is found in Victoria. Though +these beautiful birds are supposed to be protected, hundreds of their +tails are sold annually in London. + +The Lyre Bird is responsible for the statement that Australia +possesses "Wrens as large as peacocks," whereas most Wrens are very +small. However, the Lyre Bird is not now classed with Wrens. In all +its ways, the Lyre Bird is of interest. Its dancing mounds, its large +domed nest, containing but one egg, and its remarkable mimicking +powers have frequently been written about. Dr. Sharpe has lately +placed the Lyre Birds in an Order by themselves--Order XX. + +Gould considered the Lyre Bird the most shy of birds, for he spent +days in the forest gullies surrounded by them, but though he was +entertained by their many and varied calls, he caught no sight of a +bird. The wonderful tail is not attained until the male bird is four +years old. It is unique, and is the most beautiful tail ornament worn +by any bird. Dr. Newton hoped that "so remarkable a form as the Lyre +Bird, the nearly sole survivor, apparently, of a very ancient race +of beings, will not be allowed to become extinct--its almost certain +fate, so far as can be judged--without many more observations of its +manners being made, and fuller details of them placed on record." +Australians please note. You alone can assist by collecting facts and +recording reliable observations. Bird-lovers hope that the Lyre +Bird will be successfully established in the National Park, Wilson's +Promontory, where some have already been placed, and so be preserved +for future generations. Its large, domed nest is usually placed on the +ground, and the large single egg (or the young one) is often taken by +the fox. Further, its natural haunts--dense forest scrubs--are +being rapidly cleared, so that the bird is doomed, except in special +sanctuaries. + +The Lyre Bird is now generally acknowledged to be the prince of +mocking birds. It mimics clearly all bush noises, the chopping of +trees, sawing of logs, barking of dogs, clucking of hens, the singing +of native birds. Its dancing mounds are interesting. Near one of +these mounds, on the Upper Snowy River, in the wild cherry scrub, we +observed a nest at a height of about thirty feet from the ground. + +Australians! you owe it to mankind in general to see that the +protection supposed to be given to the Lyre Bird is a reality. +Recently, after passing a lady much bedecked with Bird of Paradise +plumes, I thought it was fortunate the Lyre Bird's tail was too large +for a lady's hat. Imagine my surprise when, at the next street corner +(Collins and Spring Streets), I met a lady with a Lyre Bird's tail +stuck through her head-dress. However, I have seen no other tail used +for such a purpose. + +In America the Audubon Society has done splendid work by disseminating +knowledge about American birds, and arousing public interest in the +value of birds. There, also, thorough scientific investigation has +been made of the value of insect-eating and seed-eating birds. It has +been stated, as the result of full research, that one wild pigeon, +in whose crop over 7000 weed seeds were found, was as efficacious in +destroying weeds as two farm laborers. + +It is to be noted that no less an agricultural authority than +Professor Gilruth, of the Veterinary School, Melbourne University, has +given it as his deliberate opinion that the Australian farmer would +find life impossible without the aid of the detested Sparrow as a weed +destroyer. This is the judgment of a man whose opinion is worthy of +serious consideration. + +It is open to serious doubt if it pays commercially to kill +indiscriminately any kind of bird found on this continent. It may, +of course, happen that one individual bird has learnt where to get an +easy food supply at the expense of a farmer or orchardist. Such a bird +could be kept away. To kill birds at all times, because of the damage +done by a few at a particular time, is foolish. + +On the lines of the American Audubon Society, the Gould League of Bird +Lovers has recently been established. Just as Audubon was the great +father of American ornithology, so "John Gould, the bird man," was the +father of Australian ornithology. Hence his name has been associated +with this movement to save our birds. The movement is progressing by +leaps and bounds. + +The Victorian branch has a very large body of members, about 40,000 +certificates having already been issued to adults and children. +Tasmania has a branch in full operation. In South Australia bird clubs +are doing excellent work, especially amongst the young people, and +Queensland and New South Wales bird-lovers have taken active steps +to develop the movement in their States. A Bird Day, by order of the +Minister of Education, Hon. A. A. Billson, and the Director, Mr. +F. Tate, was observed in Victorian schools in 1909 and 1910, with +gratifying results. Bird-nesting, for the collection of eggs, has +practically wholly disappeared from our schools, while at most country +schools native birds can be seen nesting on the school grounds, the +children keeping observation notes of nesting and feeding habits of +the birds as part of their work in Nature-study. What study is of +greater economic importance to this wealthy, though occasionally +insect-troubled, land? + +==== + + [Page 112] + + [Illustration: [237]] + + + ORDER XX.--MENURIFORMES, LYRE-BIRDS. + + F. 104. MENURIDAE (3), LYRE-BIRDS, 3 sp. A. (South-Eastern + A.). + +3 +3 + + =237 Victoria Lyre-Bird=, Pheasant (e), _Menura victoriae_, V. + + Stat. r. _dense scrubs_, m., 36; f., 27 + + Beautiful lyre tail; f., sooty-brown; all tail feathers fully + webbed. Insects, centipedes, snails. + +==== + +Order XXI.--Perching-Birds--contains 11,500 species, more than +three-fifths of the world's 19,000 birds. As Perching-Birds +(_Passeres_) are still undergoing evolution, connecting links still +live, so that it is very difficult to divide the Perching Birds +into well-defined families. Sharpe has divided them into sixty-one +families, but, for several of these, no exact characters that exclude +other birds can be assigned, so that some of these, at least, are "not +worthy of family rank." However, Sharpe's classification represents +the latest thought of scientists on this difficult matter, so it must +be adopted here. + +This large order of birds is divided into two sub-orders:-- + +1. Songless Perching-Birds, made up mainly of South American +birds, though two families are included that are represented in the +Australian region--_viz._, Pittas (_Pittidae_) and New Zealand Wrens +(_Xenicidae_). + +2. Song-Birds. + +Birds of the second division are again divided into two:--A.: Abnormal +Song-Birds. B.: Normal Song-Birds. + +The first group, Abnormal Song-Birds, comprises only the two +remarkable Scrub-Birds (_Atrichornithidae_) of Australia. One of these +inhabits West Australian scrubs only, while the other inhabits East +Australian (Richmond River) scrubs only. + +The breast bone and the muscles of the voice apparatus are unusual. +These birds are about the size of a thrush, and form "one of the most +curious ornithological types of the many furnished by that country" +(Australia). + +So far, no female bird has been examined, and little is known about +these remarkable, noisy, scrub-haunting birds. + +The remaining forty-eight "families" of birds belong to the Normal +Song-Birds. It is interesting to note that Australia contains +representatives of twenty-nine families of Song-Birds. Representatives +of but nineteen families have been recorded from Britain. The Indian +Empire, including Burmah and Ceylon, contains representatives of +twenty-two families, North America, also, of twenty-two families, +while in South America twenty-three families are represented in this +highest division of birds. + +Again, while only 89 Song-Birds have been recorded as permanent +residents of, or regular visitors to, Britain, almost 500 species of +Song-Birds have, so far, been recorded from Australia and Tasmania. +Of these, 157 have been recorded from Victoria, and are illustrated in +this volume. And yet, we are told, this is a land of songless birds. + +Swallows have always attracted much notice, perhaps, because of their +airy play when enjoying themselves after their long migration flight. +It is very difficult to realize that Cuvier and most scientists of +one hundred years ago believed that Swallows hibernated by burying +themselves in the mud in the bottom of lakes and pools. It is +interesting to note, in Gilbert White's _Natural History of Selborne_, +the growing doubt concerning this belief; but, as it was supported by +apparently good authority, he is cautious. Fuller observation shows +that there are well-marked lines of migration, so that the European +Swallow migrates sometimes even as far as South Africa, and the +Swallows of North Asia are said to migrate even to Australia. However, +in our winterless clime, migration is not complete, and this year +(1910) there was probably little migration of Swallows. As Swallows +are such rapid fliers, and spend much of their time on the wing, it is +not a matter of surprise to find that they have spread the world over, +except to New Zealand, though Tree Swallows are said to reach even +that distant land occasionally. + +The Australian members of the Swallow family present very different +nesting habits. While the Welcome Swallow builds the well-known +cup-like mud nest, the rare White-backed Swallow drills a two-inch +hole into a bank for two or three feet, and there builds its nest. The +Tree Martin (Swallow), on the other hand, makes no nest, but lays its +eggs on leaves placed on the rotten wood in the hollow of a tree. The +Fairy Martin builds a long, bottle-shaped mud flask, under a bridge, +or a ledge, and so is sometimes called the Bottle or Retort Swallow. +Wood-Swallows and Swifts do not belong to the Swallow family. + +The Flycatcher family is a large one, nearly 700 species being +accepted by Dr. Sharpe. More than half of these are restricted to the +Australian region. + +The Brown Flycatcher is almost as common as the Willie Wagtail (Black +and White Fantail). The white feather on each side of the tail is a +valuable guide, though the Groundlark also has this. So often does it +sit on fence posts looking at the passer-by that it has been called +the "Post-Sitter." Its Sydney name, Jacky Winter, is less formal than +Brown Flycatcher--a name which is already in use for another bird. + +The Robin Redbreast of Britain is regarded with affection by all +English children. That feeling has been transferred to the externally +slightly similar "Robin Redbreasts" of this country, though they are +not at all related to the British Robins. Redbreast is really the name +of the English bird, and Robin is perhaps a term of endearment added +to the name Redbreast. While the British bird has a rufous breast, the +Australian birds have a scarlet breast, and are much handsomer birds. +The British Robin is now placed in the Thrush family. + +Once given to members of this family, the name Robin has been adopted +for related birds that have no red--_e.g._, the black and white Hooded +Robin, and the Tasmanian Dusky Robin. The Shrike Robins belong to the +Shrike family, so they need not be mentioned here. The Scrub Robin of +the inland dry scrubs belongs to the same family as the Coachwhip Bird +and the Babbler. + +The Fantails and some, at least, of the Flycatchers proper are known +to all. Who does not know and admire the plucky, though fussy Black +and White Fantail (Willie Wagtail), as it drives a cat or a dog away +from the vicinity of its nest, or as it waits impatiently about the +mouth of a grazing cow or horse, or as it expresses its opinion of +itself in the melodious "sweet, pretty creature," heard even late on +moonlight nights? The friendly White-shafted Fantail is almost as +well known, as it flits about a camp or catches flies near some +water-course. + +At the Summer School, a Fantail spent some time each day in the +dining-tent. The beautiful Rufous Fantail is just as tame, but is not +quite so common. The nests of the White-shafted and Rufous Fantails +are things of beauty. The long wine-glass stem is said by some to +serve to drain the water away down from the nest, or as a means of +carrying the eye down from the nest itself, so that it is seldom +seen, or as a balance, so that the nest is not tilted too far in windy +weather. + +The Scissors Grinder, or Restless Flycatcher, is very much like a +Black and White Fantail, but the throat is white, while that of the +Fantail is black. The Grinder is often mentioned in popular books on +bird-life, on account of its peculiar scissors-grinding note uttered +while hovering in search of insects. + +(continued below) + +==== + + [Page 113] + + ORDER XXI.--PASSERIFORMES, PERCHING BIRDS. + + F. 105. _Pteroptochidae_, Tapaculos, Tilt-birds, 31 sp. Nl. + + F. 106. _Conophagidae_, Antwrens, 16 sp. Nl. + + F. 107. _Formicariidae_, Ant-thrushes, 348 sp. Nl. + + F. 108. _Dendrocolaptidae_, Wood-hewers, Spinetails, 405 sp. + Nl. + + F. 109. _Tyrannidae_, Tyrant-birds, American Flycatchers, + Kingbird, Phoebe, 560 sp.--41(9)Nc., 551(519)Nl. + + F. 110. _Oxyrhamphidae_, 3 sp. Nl. + + F. 111. _Pipridae_, Mannikins, 84 sp. Nl. + + F. 112. _Cotingidae_, Cotingas, Chatterers, 145 sp.--1(0)Nc., + 145(144)Nl. + + F. 113. _Phytotomidae_, Plant-cutters, 4 sp. Nl. + + F. 114. PITTIDAE (4), ANT-THRUSHES, 63 sp.--32(32)A., + 30(30)O., 1(1)E. + + F. 115. _Philepittidae_, Wattled Ant-thrushes, 2 sp. E. + (Madagascar). + + F. 116. _Xenicidae_, New Zealand Wrens, 4 sp. A. (N.Z.). + + F. 117. ATRICHORNITHIDAE (2), SCRUB-BIRDS, 2 sp. A.(N.S.W., W.A.). + + [Page 116] + + [Illustration: [251] [254] [255] [256] [259] [262] [265] [265^A] [266]] + + =251= White-throated Flyeater + =254= White-shafted Fantail + =255= Rufous Fantail + =256= Black and White Fantail + =259= Restless Flycatcher + =262= Black-faced Cuckoo-Shrike + =265= White-shouldered Caterpillar-eater + =265^A= White-shouldered Caterpillar-eater (F.) + =266= Spotted Ground-Bird + + [Page 118] + + [Illustration: [272] [273] [276] [278] [279] [280] [281] [281^A] [282]] + + =272= Coachwhip Bird + =273= Gray-crowned Babbler + =276= White browed Field-Wren + =278= Brown Song Lark + =279= Rufous Song Lark + =280= Mountain Thrush + =281= White-fronted Chat + =281^A= White-fronted Chat (Female) + =282= Crimson-breasted Chat + + [Page 120] + + [Illustration: [238] [239] [240] [241] [242] [243]] + + F. 118. HIRUNDINIDAE (6), SWALLOWS, MARTINS, 116 sp.--9(6)A., + 25(7)O., 16(2)P., 54(50)E., 10(1)Nc., 34(27)Nl. + +3 +40 + + =238* Welcome Swallow= (House), _Chelidon (Hirundo) neoxena_, + A., T. =vt. Eur. House Swallow. + + Mig. c. _houses_ 6.6 + + Breast, throat, forehead rust-red; abdomen whitish; head, + back, rump black; tail forked, a band of whitish spots; f., + duller. Flying insects. + + [Page 121] + +1 +1 + + =239 White-backed Swallow= (Black and White, White-breasted, + White-capped), _Cheramoeca leucosternum_, A., exc. N. Ter. + =vt. Eur. Sand-Martin. + + Stat. r. _inland_ 5.8 + + Back, throat, chest white; wings, tail, rump, abdomen black; + no rust-red; f., sim. Insects. + +2 +10 + + =240* Tree Martin=, Tree Swallow, _Petrochelidon nigricans_, + Mol., N.G., A., T., Bass St. Is., N.Z. =vt. Eur. Tree Swallow. + + Mig. flocks, v.c. _timber_ 5.1 + + Head, back black; under, rump whitish-gray; indistinct whitish + collar; rust-red forehead; f., sim. Flying insects. + + =241 Fairy Martin=, Bottle (Land, Cliff, Retort) Swallow, _P. + ariel_, E.A., S.A., T. (occ). + + Mig. c. _cliffs_, _banks_ 4.7 + + Head rust-red; black back; rump, under white; tail slightly + forked; f., sim. Insects. + + F. 119. MUSCICAPIDAE (71), FLYCATCHERS, 690 sp.--354(346)A., + 164(148)O., 14(1)P., 155(151)E., 5(2)Nc., 20(17)Nl. + +4 +11 + + =242* Australian Brown Flycatcher=, Jacky Winter, Postboy, + Post-sitter, White-tail, Stump-Bird, Spinks, Peter-Peter, + _Microeca fascinans_, E.A., S.A. + + Stat. c. _open_, _forest_ 5.2 + + Upper pale-brown; side tail white; under lighter; chin, + abdomen white; swings tail sideways; f., sim. Insects. + Songster. + + =243 Allied Flycatcher= (Lesser Brown), _M. assimilis_, N.A., + V. (acc), W.A. Insects. + + Stat. c. _open_, _forest_ 4.6 + + Like 242, but smaller; outer tail feathers brown at base. + + [Page 122] + + [Illustration: [244] [245] [246] [247] [248] [249]] + +11 +17 + + =244* Scarlet-breasted Robin=, _Petroica leggei_, S.Q., + N.S.W., V., S.A., W.A., T. + + Mig. c. (winter) _open_, (summer) _forest gullies_ 5.2 + + Head, throat, upper black; cap white; white bands on wing; + breast scarlet; lower-abdomen dull-white; outer-tail white; + bill, feet black; f.,* upper, under brown; breast tinged red; + white marks on wing. Insects. + + [Page 123] + + =245* Flame-breasted Robin=, _P. phoenicea_, S.Q., N.S.W., V., + S.A., T., Bass St. Is. + + Mig. c. (winter) _open_, (summer) _mt.-gullies_ 5.3 + + Crown, upper sooty-gray; small white forehead; white on wing; + outer-tail white; chin sooty-gray; under scarlet; under + base tail white; f.,* under brown; outer-tail white; under + reddish-gray. Insects. + + =246 Pink-breasted Robin=, _P. rhodinogaster_, V., S.A., T., + Bass St. Is. + + Stat. v.r. _deep forest_, _gullies_ 5.2 + + Head, neck, back sooty-black; white spot on forehead; breast, + abdomen rose-pink; under base tail white; f., upper brown; + buff marks on wing; under gray; under base tail white. + Insects. "Tick-tick-tick;" like snapping dead twig. + + =247 Rose-breasted Robin=, _P. rosea_, E.A. Insects. + + Stat. r. _dense brushes_, _gullies_ 4.5 + + Crown, throat, upper dark slate-gray; narrow white forehead; + chest rich rose-red; under base tail white; outer-tail white; + f., forehead buff; upper grayish-brown. + + =248* Red-capped Robin=, Redhead (e), _P. goodenovii_, S.Q., + N.S.W., V., S.A., C.A., W.A. + + Nom. r. _open inland scrubs_ 4.7 + + Crown, breast scarlet; upper, neck black; white stripe on + wing; abdomen, under tail white; f.,* dark-brown upper; + forehead tinged reddish; throat, breast faintly tinged red. + Insects. + + =249 Hooded Robin= (Black and White, Black, Pied), _P. + bicolor_, S.Q., N.S.W., V., S.A., W.A., N.W.A. + + Stat. r. _open_, _forest_ 6.5 + + Head, upper, throat black; patch on wing, abdomen, under base + tail, outer-tail white; f., brownish-gray instead of black. + Insects. + + [Page 124] + + [Illustration: [250] [251] [252] [253] [254]] + +2 +2 + + =250 Short-billed Tree-Tit= (Sombre), Scrub-Tit, _Smicrornis + brevirostris_, E.A., S.A., W.A. + + Stat. c. _treetops_ 3.5 + + Crown brownish-gray; back olive; behind eye reddish-brown; + throat, chest whitish; abdomen citron-yellow; tail brown at + base, banded blackish, spotted white at tip; short bill brown; + f., sim. Insects. Clear whistle. + +16 +62 + + =251* White-throated Flyeater=, Native Canary (e), + Bush-Warbler, _Gerygone albigularis_, N.A., E.A., N.W.A. + Insects. Musician. + + Mig. c. _tree-tops_ 4.3 + + Upper ashy-brown; throat, face white; chest, abdomen + greenish-yellow; tail blackish band, white tip; f., sim. + + =252 Southern Flyeater= (Western), White-tailed Bush-Warbler, + _G. (Pseudogerygone) culicivora_, E.A., S.A., C.A., W.A. f. + sim. Insects. + + v.r. _forests_, _scrubs_ 4.2 + + Upper olive-brown; throat, chest light-gray; abdomen white; + tail white base; black band, tip spotted white. + + =253 Brown Flyeater=, Brown Bush-Warbler, _G. fusca_, E.A. + + Stat. c. _forest_, _scrubs_ 3.8 + + Back, sides reddish-brown; forehead, eyebrow, throat, chest + gray; tail black band, tip spotted white; f., sim. Insects. + Feeble "What is it? What is it?" + +10 +99 + + =254* White-shafted Fantail= (-Flycatcher, -Flysnapper), + Cranky Fan, Devil-Bird, Land-Wagtail (e), _Rhipidura + albiscapa_, E.A., S.A. + + Stat. c. _open forest_ 6 + + Upper, band across chest sooty-black; under buff; stripe over + eye, mark behind eye, throat, bars on wing, shafts of tail + feathers (except 2 centre feathers) white; outer-tail, tip + white; f., sim. Insects. Musical song. + + =255* Rufous Fantail= (-Flycatcher), _R. rufifrons_, E.A. + + Part.-Mig. (winter) _open_, (summer) _gullies_, + _brushes_ 6.2 + + Crown, hind-neck brown; forehead, lower-back, base tail + rust-red; throat, centre-abdomen white; chest black; flanks, + under base tail light fawn; f., smaller. Insects. + + [Page 125] + + [Illustration: [255] [256] [257] [258] [259] [260]] + + =256* Black and White Fantail= (-Flycatcher), Shepherd's + Companion, Willie Wagtail, Wagtail (e), Frog (Morning) Bird, + _R. motacilloides (tricolor)_, Mol., N.G., A. "Sweet pretty + little creature." + + Stat. v.c. _open forest_ 7.5 + + Upper, throat, breast black; eyebrow, rest under white; long + fan-tail; f., sim. Insects. Often sings at night. + +4 +29 + + =257 Leaden Flycatcher= (-Flysnapper), Frog-Bird, _Myiagra + rubecula_, N.G., A., T. + + Mig. r. _coast scrubs_, _gullies_ 6.5 + + Upper, wings, tail, breast leaden-gray glossed with green; + abdomen, under base tail white; f., throat, breast rust-red. + Insects. Squeaking note. + + =258 Satin Flycatcher= (Shining), Satin Sparrow (e), _M. + 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 shining 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 assuming 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 sexes 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] + + [Illustration: [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] + +5 +34 + + =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. + +The Spotted and Chestnut-backed Ground-Birds are rare and are very +quiet and shy as they run back under the shade of a bush. Thus, +they are seldom seen, though they are very beautiful in their +richly-spotted plumage. Driving along mallee roads, one sometimes sees +these birds make a short, quick run to cover. A good name is required +for them. Ground-Bird is not very definite. + +The rich brown Pilot Bird rarely flies, but keeps low down in the +dense tangles and undergrowths in country like that about Ferntree +Gully. It must be patiently waited for, as it is very shy. +It, apparently, values its services highly, for it often calls +"A-guinea-a-week." + +The larger Scrub-Robin which lives only in the interior flies little, +but, as shown in the figure, it has long legs, suitable for running. +Its color is not the dark-brown suitable for dark scrubs, but is the +light-brown which matches the dead mallee twigs lying so thickly on +the ground under the scrub. We met the Scrub-Robin on Eyre Peninsula, +but it was difficult to get a second look at it. Almost as rare are +the closely-similar Chestnut-rumped and Red-rumped Ground-Wrens. Few +will see these birds, as they live only in the drier parts. + +That interesting bird--the Coachwhip Bird--is far more often heard +than seen. Along the densely-scrubbed creeks of Eastern Australia, +the interesting whip-crack of this bird is very often heard. An exact +representative lives in West Australian scrubs. I was surprised +to hear, in several places lately, the Rufous-breasted Whistler +(Thickhead) called the Coachwhip Bird. It has been found that both +birds take part in the peculiar call which has a loud crack very like +that of a whip. This bird dwells in the dense eastern scrubs, and uses +its short wings but little for flight. It was seen, however, recently +at Sandringham, a few miles from Melbourne. + +The Australian Babblers are of interest from all points of view. Their +habits are peculiar; their calls are varied and usually pleasant, and +their large domed stick nests are common objects along a country road. +Usually seen in companies of from four to a dozen, these birds work +energetically and systematically. They are entirely insectivorous, and +so are of great value economically. They are tame, as I have watched a +flock at work in the gardens in the middle of a town such as Dunolly. +They occasionally visit orchards and attack the codlin moth pupae. +They are said never to squabble, and so are called "Happy Family" +or "Happy Jacks." Their names, however, are many. The commonest is, +perhaps, "Catbird." There is a "Catbird," a Bower-Bird, in Queensland, +so the use of that name should be discouraged. Babblers sometimes +make six or seven nests, laying only in one. The others are said to +be shelter nests, or possibly play nests. + +That pleasing songster--the White-browed Field-Wren--is uniformly +streaked with black both above and below. It is fairly common, but is +not often seen unless looked for. Dogs will follow the scent of this +bird, as they do that of a quail; so it is sometimes called the +Stink-Bird by sportsmen. + +Now we come to two of the four native Skylarks. Who has not, while +lying on his back on the grass enjoying a rest in the warm sunshine, +felt pleasure at the beautiful song of the Rufous Song-Lark as +it soars singing away so high overhead? The British Skylark often +receives the credit for the harmony of our four Skylarks. Two belong +to this family, and two come later with the Larks and Pipits. One +is larger and darker on the breast, hence the name Black-breasted +Song-Lark. I saw many of these birds, when examining the glacial +deposits at Hallet's Cove, near Adelaide. As there was a continuous +chorus of these fine songsters above the crops, the reason for the +name Harvest Birds was apparent. + +The Thrush family (_Turdidae_) includes the British Song-Thrush, +Blackbird, Nightingale, and many other famous songsters, The +Australian Mountain-Thrush is larger and more prettily marked, but is +not such a good songster as its European cousin--the Song-Thrush. It, +however, has one of its calls closely similar to one of the calls of +its more famous relative. It is a quiet, shy bird, though I walked +within five feet of one this morning as it was busy digging up worms +on the lawn in the Melbourne Botanic Gardens. I left it at work +pleased that my presence had caused no feeling of fear in so beautiful +and so shy a bird. Its beautiful moss-covered nest is built even +so early as July. It flies little, preferring to keep near the dark +scrubs, especially the tea-tree scrub along the coast. + +The Song-Thrush and Blackbird have been successfully introduced, +and they are common in suburban gardens. Their delightful song makes +richer the lives of busy city dwellers, though their attentions to +soft fruits are not always appreciated. For sweetness and fulness +of notes, however, these introduced birds cannot compare with our +Harmonious Shrike-Thrush (315), deservedly named _harmonica_ by +Latham, a British ornithologist. The call of the latter bird, however, +is not so continuous as that of the introduced birds. + +The four Australian birds known as Chats take the next sub-family +to themselves. The common Chat is known as a "Tang," "Nun," and +"Tin-tac." While the White-fronted Chat is very common in the South, +the beautiful Crimson-breasted Chat, with its crimson cap and pure +white throat, and the Orange-fronted Chat, are found mostly in the dry +interior, where they are known as Salt-bush Canaries. A good common +name is urgently required for this Australian sub-family of birds. +North calls them Nuns; but that name is preoccupied, and is suitable +only for one of them. I was much interested last week (January, 1911) +to see a male White-fronted Chat feeding a fully-fledged young Bronze +Cuckoo. Two female Sparrows were also in attendance, one of which +fed the Cuckoo three times while I was observing it. A female Bronze +Cuckoo sat for some time by the young one, but did not interfere, or +offer to feed it. The Chat returned the fifth time for the purpose of +feeding the young Cuckoo, when the passing of a motor-car broke up the +party. The young Cuckoo flew across the road and some distance on to +a bush, where it resumed its constant wheezing whine. It is unusual to +find birds so far apart as a Finch, like the Sparrow and a member of +the Thrush family, like the Chat, feeding the one young Cuckoo. + +(continued below) + +==== + + [Page 128] + + [Illustration: [266] [267] [268] [269] [270] [271] [272]] + + F. 122. TIMELIIDAE (27), BABBLERS, BABBLING-THRUSHES, 590 + sp.--65(65)A., 447(443)O., 7(3)P., 75(75)E. (an ill-defined + family). + +6 +6 + + =266* Spotted Ground-Bird= (-Thrush, -Dove), Babbling-Thrush, + _Cinclosoma punctatum_, S.Q., N.S.W., V., S.A., T. + + Stat. r. _scrubby_ 10.7 + + Crown, back rufous-brown; back striped black; shoulders + steel-black spotted white; throat, narrow chest band + steel-black; eyebrow, patches on throat white; breast gray; + tail tipped white; f., upper lighter; throat white, rufous + patch at side. Insects. Rise with a whirr-r-r. Low piping + whistle. + + [Page 129] + + =267 Chestnut-backed Ground-Bird= (-Thrush), _C. + castano-notum_, W.N.S.W., W.V., S.A., W.A., N.W.A. + + Stat. r. _plains_ 9 + + Upper chestnut-brown; eyebrow, side-throat white; throat, + chest black; shoulder black spotted white; tail tipped white; + f., duller; throat, chest gray. Insects. + +1 +1 + + =268 Pilot Bird=, _Pycnoptilus floccosus_, E.N.S.W., E.V. + + Stat. v.r. _dense scrubby gullies_ 6.7 + + Rich dark-brown; throat rufous mottled dusky; f., sim. + Insects. "Guinea-a-week." + +3 +5 + + =269 Scrub-Robin=, _Drymodes brunneipygius_, N.S.W., V., S.A. + (interior). + + Stat. v.r. _mallee_, _scrub_ 8 + + Upper brown; wings brown barred white; tail brown, slightly + tipped white; under grayish-brown; long legs; shy, runs; f., + smaller. Insects. Monotonous whistle. + +2 +2 + + =270 Chestnut-rumped Ground-Wren=, Red-rumped Scrub-Warbler, + _Hylacola pyrrhopygia_, N.S.W., V., S.A. + + Stat. v.r. _dry scrubs_ 5.3 + + Upper brown; base tail chestnut-red, tip white; eyebrow white; + under streaked black, white; f., sim. Agreeable song. + + =271 Shy Ground-Wren= (Red-rumped, Cautious, Rufous-rumped), + Shy Scrub-Warbler, _H. cauta_, V., S.A., W.A. + + Stat. v.r. _dry scrubs_ 5.7 + + Like 270, but small white patch near outer edge of wing; + shier; f., sim. Insects. + +3 +3 + + =272* Coachwhip Bird= (Whip, Stockwhip), _Psophodes + crepitans_, E.S.Q., E.N.S.W., E.V. + + Stat. c. _dense scrubs_ 10 + + Dark olive-green; black crest, breast; white side of throat, + centre of abdomen, tip-tail; f., smaller, duller. Insects. + Loud full note ends in a whip crack. + + [Page 130] + + [Illustration: [273] [274] [275] [276] [277] [278] [279]] + +4 +34 + + =273* Gray-crowned Babbler=, Chatterer (e), Cackler, Barker, + Pine (Cat (e), Dog) Bird, Codlin-Moth-eater, Hopper, Jumper + (e), Yahoo, Happy Family, Happy Jack, Twelve Apostles (e), + Apostle-Bird (e), _Pomatorhinus frivolus (temporalis)_, E.A., + S.A. + + Stat. flocks, c. _open timber_ 11 + + Dark brown; crown light-gray; brow white; throat, breast + white; tail tipped white; bill long black, curved; runs; f., + sim. Insects. Many peculiar notes, noisy. + + [Page 131] + + =274 White-browed Babbler=, Go-aways, Stick-Birds, _P. + superciliosus_, A. inland (exc. N. Ter., N.Q.). + + Stat. flocks, c. _open timber_ 8 + + Like 273, but smaller; crown dark-brown; f., sim. Insects. + "Most noisy bird I ever observed." (G.) Many notes. + + =275 Chestnut-crowned Babbler=, _P. ruficeps_, N.S.W., V., + S.A. (interior). Insects. Noisy. + + Stat. c. _timber_ 8.5 + + Like 273, 274, but crown, hind-neck chestnut; f., sim. + +7 +7 + + =276* White-browed Field-Wren=, White-lored Reed-Lark, Rush + Warbler (e), Stink-Bird, _Calamanthus albiloris_, N.S.W., V., + S.A. + + Stat. c. _grass_, _heath_ 5 + + Greenish-brown streaked black; face, brow white; throat + whitish streaked black; erect tail; shy; f., sim. Insects. + Pretty song on bush-top. + + =277 Field-Wren=, Field Reed-Lark, _C. campestris_, V., S.A., + N.W.A. + + Stat. v.r. _open plains_ 4.6 + + Upper ashy-brown streaked dark-brown; upper base tail + rufous-brown; side tail tipped white, banded black; forehead + rufous streaked dark-brown; eyebrow white; under whitish + streaked dark-brown; f., sim. Insects. + +2 +2 + + =278* Brown Song-Lark= (Black-breasted), Australian Skylark, + Harvest-Bird, Singing-Lark, Corn-Crake (e), _Cincloramphus + cruralis_, A. exc. C.A. + + Mig. c. _crops_ 9 + + Dark-brown, upper feathers edged lighter; abdomen blackish; + f., much smaller; paler; eyebrow, under whitish. Insects. + "Fine songster, ranks with the Skylark;" sings flying like + Skylark. + + =279* Rufous Song-Lark= (Rufous-tinted), Rufous-rumped + Singing-Lark, Skylark, _C. rufescens_, A. + + Mig. c. _grass_, _crops_ 7.5 + + Upper brown, feathers edged lighter; upper base tail rufous; + brow, throat whitish; under brownish-gray; side face darker; + f., smaller; face not dark. Insects. "Amongst the richest and + sweetest of Australian bird songs." Sings flying like Skylark. + + [Page 132] + + [Illustration: [279^A] [280] [280^A] [281] [282] [283]] + + F. 123. _Troglodytidae_, Wrens, 255 sp.--2(1)A., 18(17)O., + 10(10)P., 43(32)Nc., 194(183)Nl. + + F. 124. _Cinclidae_, Dippers, Water-Ouzels, 19 sp.--5(2)O., + 11(8)P., 1(0)Nc., 6(5)Nl. + + F. 125. _Mimidae_, Mocking-Birds, Thrashers, 71 + sp.--17(10)Nc., 61(54)Nl. + + F. 126. TURDIDAE (8), THRUSHES (Blackbird (Br.), + Nightingale, Robin (Br.), Wheatear, Bluebird (Am.), Redstart, + Hedge-Sparrow), 588 sp.--48(44)A., 167(117)O., 124(53)P., + 192(163)E., 29(14)Nc., 132(118)Nl. + +1 +114 + + =279^A Blackbird=, _Turdus merula_, Eur., N. Afr., + Egypt, Syria, Persia, Azores, A. (introduced). + + Stat. c. _timber_ 10 + + Black; bill yellow; f., dark-brown; breast reddish-brown + marked darker. Insects, snails, fruit. Songster. + + [Page 133] + +4 +13 + + =280* Australian Mountain Thrush= (Ground), King Thrush, + _Turdus (Oreocichla) lunulata_, N.S.W., V., S.A. + + Stat. c. _coastal scrubs_, _mt. gullies_ 10.5 + + Upper brown marked with black half-moons; under white stained + buff on breast, flanks, marked with black half-moons; f., sim. + Snails, insects, worms. + +1 +24 + + =280^A Song Thrush=, _T. musicus_, Eur., W. Asia, + India, A. (introduced). + + Stat. c. _gardens_ 9 + + Upper brown; breast yellowish spotted brown; throat, abdomen + white; f., sim. Snails, insects, worms. Famous singer. + +5 +5 + + =281* White-fronted Chat=, Banded Tintac, Tang, Ringlet (e), + Clipper, Nun, Dottrel (e), Jenny-Wren (e), Ballyhead, Gar, + Ringneck (e), _Epthianura albifrons_, Bass St. Is., T., A. + exc. N. Ter. Insects. Dull metallic "tang." + + Mig. v.c. _grass_ 4.5 + + Forehead, face, under, tip tail white; back gray; band on + chest, wings, tail black; f.,* duller, faint band on chest. + + =282* Crimson-breasted Chat= (Tricolored), Saltbush Canary + (e), _E. tricolor_, A. exc. N. Ter. + + Mig. r. _timber_ 4.3 + + Crown, base tail, breast, abdomen scarlet; face, back of head, + back dark-brown; tip-tail spotted white; throat, under base + tail white; f., duller. Insects. + + =283 Orange-fronted Chat=, Saltbush Canary, _E. aurifrons_, A. + exc. N. Ter. + + Nom. r. _open plains_ 4.3 + + Head, upper base tail, under golden-orange; back brown; tip + tail spotted white; chin black; f., duller. Grasshoppers, + other insects. + +==== + +Order XXI. (continued) + +The Warbler family, _Sylviidae_, is a large one, found all through the +Eastern Hemisphere. One migratory species crosses Behring Strait each +year to summer in Alaska. + +As no less than 79 Australian small birds have been grouped in this +family, it is of considerable importance to our bird lovers. At +the head of the family, we have an exact representative of the +Reed-Warbler of Europe in the delightful plain-brown songster which +charms all who frequent river sides. Its song is "louder and more +melodious than that of any of its European relations except" the +Reed-Warbler. It is a welcome spring visitor, and can be heard on any +spring or summer day in the Botanic Gardens, or in any reed bed by +stream or lake. + +The next bird is the Australian representative of the Fantail-Warblers +(_Cisticola_). These birds are related to the Tailor-Bird. + +Much has been written of the Tailor-Bird of India which so cleverly +sews leaves together to enclose its nest, but few know we have a bird +that does similar work when building its nest. Dr. Sharpe has decided +that our bird is identical with an Indian species, so we must take the +Indian name--Golden-headed Fantail-Warbler. This bird moults twice +a year. At the autumn moult, it obtains a long tail and a streaked +crown. The four Australian species described by Gould are now known +to be but different forms of the one species which undergoes seasonal +change. + +Speckled Jack, the Speckled Warbler (Little Field-Wren), is a tame +little bird with a pleasing song. Its chocolate-colored egg used to +be much valued in the days when schoolboys collected eggs. It walks +instead of hopping. + +The Yellow-tailed Tit-Warbler (_Acanthiza_) is a member of an +Australian genus, which has been split up into 27 species, all of +which, except a New Guinea form, are restricted to Australia. Some are +pleasing songsters. The two-storied nest of the Yellow-tail is well +known and is peculiar. What is the use of the upper nest--for the male +to rest in, to delude the cuckoo, or what? + +These birds are not Tits (_Paridae_). They have been called Thornbills +by Mr. A. J. North. The name Tit-Warbler has been adopted by the +"names" sub-committee of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists' +Union, pending the completion of the Australian Check-List. The common +White-browed Scrub-Wren is not a Wren, but is a Warbler. He is the +best known of the genus, though even he is seldom seen. His dark-brown +color leads one to suspect a dark scrub as his dwelling place. Though +common in places, he is seldom noticed, but if you sit down in a quiet +scrubby corner, his inquisitiveness will often impel him to run almost +over your feet. Some light spots on the shoulder and the white eyebrow +will assist you in identifying him. His mouse-like run further assists +in identification. + +Amongst the glories of the bird world, the Superb-Warbler stands high. +His beautiful enamel-blue and black costume, and his cheery, fussy +song justify his name. He is generally accompanied by four or five +plain-colored mates, and is said to lose his beautiful coat of blue +each autumn, but the balance of evidence now seems to be with +Mr. Keartland and Dr. Horne, who claim that he gets the permanent +beautiful coat late in life (that is, when three or four years old), +and does not lose it afterwards, except for a few days at moulting +time. But, being so conspicuous, he soon falls a prey to one of his +numerous enemies, of whom the small boy with a pea-rifle is probably +the worst. I, too frequently, hear of these enemies of their country +being caught with three or four of these lovely little birds in their +possession. However, Bird Day in the schools did much good, and the +next generation of boy will probably have less of the savage in him. + +The Emu-Wren, which has tail feathers like Emu feathers, is easily +recognized if seen. It is difficult to cause it to fly out of the +rushes round a swamp. The Bristle-Birds are Australian, and are fairly +common in some dense scrubs. + +Grass-Wrens are not Wrens, but are placed in the Warbler family. They +are Central Australian birds. They seldom fly, but "progress like a +rubber ball" with great swiftness. They are of the light tawny color +that so well matches desert sands. It is very difficult to get a +second look at one, as it hides in the grass and scrub, and almost +refuses to be flushed. Sometimes it nearly allows itself to be walked +upon. + +Fourteen of the 17 members of the Wood-Swallow family are confined +to the Australian region. The White-rumped Wood-Swallow extends from +Australia through the islands to the Andaman Islands; another kind +is found in India, Ceylon, and Burma. Some kinds are migratory. They +appear suddenly in great companies, build a flimsy, careless nest in +any spot high or low, and soon have the young on the wing. They are +the "Blue-Birds," "Summer-Birds," or "Martins" of our youth. Some of +these birds have the remarkable habit of hanging in a cluster similar +to a great swarm of bees. Like Honey-eaters, they take honey from the +flowering eucalypts. The street trees of Bendigo were alive with these +birds in May, 1909. The Sordid Wood-Swallow is partly migratory, and +lives in small companies. Most towns in Southern Australia have a +company of these birds in the neighborhood. One such company lives in +the Domain, near the entrance to the Botanic Gardens, Melbourne. + +These tame woodland birds, admirable in their graceful wheeling and +floating flight, destroy numbers of destructive insects. Occasionally, +a company has discovered that a good food supply can easily be +obtained close to a beehive. Thus rarely they do a slight amount of +harm, but the balance is overwhelmingly in their favor. + +(continued below) + +==== + + F. 127. SYLVIIDAE (79), WARBLERS (Whitethroat, Blackcap + (Br.), Chiffchaff), 525 sp.--107(102)A., 137(84)O., 108(22)P., + 267(228)E., 1(0)Nc. + + [Page 135] + + [Illustration: [284] [285] [286] [287] [288] [289] [291] [293] [297]] + + =284= Australian Reed-Warbler + =285= Australian Fantail-Warbler + =286= Grass-Bird + =287= Speckled Warbler + =288= Little Tit-Warbler + =289= Brown Tit-Warbler + =291= Striated Tit-Warbler + =293= Yellow-tailed Tit-Warbler + =297= White-browed Scrub-Wren + + [Page 137] + + [Illustration: [300] [300^A] [302] [304] [306] [311] [312] [313] [315]] + + =300= Superb-Warbler + =300^A= Superb-Warbler (Female) + =302= White-winged Superb-Warbler + =304= Emu Wren + =306= Bristle Bird + =311= White-browed Wood-Swallow + =312= Masked Wood-Swallow + =313= Wood-Swallow + =315= Gray Shrike-Thrush + + [Page 139] + + [Illustration: [319] [320] [321] [322] [322^A] [323] [323^A] [326] [327]] + + =319= Australian Butcher-Bird + =320= Yellow-breasted Shrike-Tit + =321= Crested Bell-Bird + =322= Golden-breasted Whistler + =322^A= Golden-breasted Whistler (Female) + =323= Rufous-breasted Whistler + =323^A= Rufous-breasted Whistler (F.) + =326= Shrike-Robin + =327= Whiteface + + [Page 142] + + [Illustration: [284] [285] [286] [287] [288] [289]] + +2 +29 + + =284* Australian Reed-Warbler=, Reed-Bird, (Nightingale), + Water-Sparrow (e), _Acrocephalus australis_, Lombok, E.A., + S.A., T. =vt. Eur. Reed-Warbler. + + Mig. c. _reeds_ 6.2 + + Brown; head darker; under lighter; throat whitish; bill long, + pointed; f., sim. Insects. Rich melodious song. + +1 +51 + + =285* Golden-headed Fantail-Warbler=, Grass-Warbler (Exiled), + Corn (Barley) Bird, _Cisticola exilis_, Ind., Formosa to A. + (exc. C.A.), King Is. + + Stat. r. _grass_, _crops_ 3.6 + + Golden-buff; upper streaked blackish; tail 1.2in., blackish, + edged buff; f., crown streaked black. Winter* crown streaked + black; throat whitish; tail 1.9in.; f., sim. + +3 +10 + + =286* Grass-Bird= (Little Reed), Marsh-Warbler, _Megalurus + gramineus_, N.S.W., V., S.A., T. + + Stat. v.r. _tussocks_ 5.2 + + Upper brown streaked, lined blackish; throat, chest gray + faintly streaked black; tail reddish-brown; f., sim. Insects. + "Four or five plaintive notes." + +1 +1 + + =287* Speckled Warbler=, Little Field-Lark (-Wren), Speckled + Jack, Blood Tit (e), Jenny-Wren (e), _Chthonicola sagittata_, + E.A., S.A. + + Stat. r. _grass_ 5 + + Under whitish boldly streaked black; head brown faintly + streaked white; back brown, feathers edged lighter; tip-tail + spotted white; f., sim. Insects. Singer. + +26 +27 + + =288* Little Tit-Warbler= (Yellow), Yellow-breasted Thornbill, + Tomtit, Little Tit, _Acanthiza nana_, S.Q., N.S.W., V., S.A. + + Stat. c. _trees_ 3.5 + + Upper dull olive-green; under yellow; tail grayish-brown, + black band; f., sim. Insects. "Tiz, tiz, tiz." + + =289* Brown Tit-Warbler= (Tit), Scrub Thornbill, Dwarf + Warbler, _A. pusilla_, E.A., S.A. + + Stat. c. _scrub_ 3.7 + + Upper, wings brown; tail brown, banded black, slightly tipped + white; throat, chest spotted black and white; flanks, abdomen + buff; f., sim. Insects. Singer. + + [Page 143] + + [Illustration: [290] [291] [292] [293] [294] [295]] + + =290 Red-rumped Tit-Warbler= (Tit), Rufous-rumped Thornbill, + _A. pyrrhopygia_, N.S.W., V., S.A. (interior). + + Stat. v.r. _mallee_, _scrubs_ 4 + + Upper pale olive-brown; forehead blackish-brown, feathers + tipped white; throat, chest mottled gray, white; abdomen + whitish; upper base tail rufous; tail olive, black band, white + tip; f., sim. Insects. + + =291* Striated Tit-Warbler=, Striped Tit, Striped-crowned + Thornbill, _A. lineata_, E.A., S.A. + + Stat. c. _timber_ 3.7 + + Throat, chest whitish streaked black; head brown streaked + whitish; back olive-brown; flanks, abdomen yellowish; tail + black band; f., sim. Insects. Songster. + + =292 Chestnut-rumped Tit-Warbler= (Thornbill), _A. + uropygialis_, A. exc. C.A., N. Ter. + + Stat. r. _scrubs_, _forests_ 3.6 + + Upper brown; upper base tail rich reddish-chestnut; tail + brownish-black tipped white; under whitish; f., sim. + + =293* Yellow-tailed Tit-Warbler=, Yellow-rumped Thornbill + (-Tit), Yellow-tail, Geobasileus, _A. chrysorrhoa_, E.A., + S.A., W.A., T. + + Stat. v.c. _gardens_, _timber_ 3.8 + + Upper olive-brown; base tail bright-yellow; under + yellowish-white; forehead black spotted white; cheeks, throat, + line over eye grayish-white; f., sim. Insects. Singer. + + =294 Buff-tailed Tit-Warbler=, Buff-rumped Thornbill (Tit), + _A. reguloides_, E.A., S.A. + + Stat. c. _open timber_ 4.3 + + Upper olive-brown; upper base tail pale yellow; throat, chest + white slightly marked brown; forehead feathers tipped lighter; + f., sim. Insects. Song. + +10 +16 + + =295 Redthroat=, Red-throated Scrub-Wren, _Sericornis + brunnea_, N.S.W., V., S., C., W.A. + + Stat. v.r. _scrubs_ 4.5 + + Upper dark-brown; tail brownish-black tipped white; throat + rufous; under brownish-gray; f., sim. Insects. "Fine song + equal to that of any small bird." + + [Page 144] + + [Illustration: [296] [297] [298] [299] [300] [301]] + + =296 Yellow-throated Scrub-Wren=, Devil Bird, _S. barbata_, + E.Q., E.N.S.W., E.V. + + Stat. r. _coastal scrubs_ 5.5 + + Crown, upper brown tinged yellow; side of face, round eye, + ear black; white line over eye; throat yellow; chest, flanks + olive-brown; centre abdomen white; f., smaller; duller. + Insects. Pleasing rich note. + + =297* White-browed Scrub-Wren= (White-fronted), _S. + frontalis_, E.A., S.A., Kent Group. + + Stat. c. _undergrowth_ 4.5 + + Upper dark-brown; throat white streaked dusky; brow white; + chest, abdomen light-yellow; flanks olive-brown; small + distinct white marks on shoulder; f., duller, throat not + streaked. Insects. Inward warble. + + =298 Large-billed Scrub-Wren=, _S. magnirostris_, E.A. + + Stat. v.r. _tree-tops_, _coast_, _gully scrubs_ 4.7 + + Brown; rump rufous; about bill tawny; eye, long bill black; + legs flesh-color; f., sim. Insects. + + =299 Spotted Scrub-Wren= (Striated), _S. maculata_, V., S.A., + Kangaroo Is., W.A. + + Stat. v.r. _scrubby_ 4.5 + + Upper brown; tail black band tipped white; forehead, side of + face black; stripe above, very small patch below eye, marks + on edge of wing white; under grayish-white, sometimes washed + yellow; throat, chest grayish-white spotted (striated) black; + f., duller. Insects. + +23 +23 + + =300* Superb-Warbler=, Blue-Wren (-Bonnet, -Tit, -Cap, -Head), + Mormon-Wren, Cocktail, _Malurus cyanochlamys_, E.A., S.A., + Kangaroo Is. + + Stat. v.c. _gardens_ 5 + + Crown, behind ear, upper-back enamel-blue; throat, chest, + hind-neck, lower-back black; tail deep-blue; f.,* brown; round + eye reddish-brown; under lighter; bill reddish-brown. Insects. + "Animated song." "Lovely bird." + + =301 Black-backed Superb-Warbler= (Wren), _M. melanonotus_, + E.A., C.S.A. (inland). + + Stat. r. _scrubs_ 4.7 + + Crown, under, upper-back, upper and under base tail beautiful + metallic blue; behind ear verditer-blue; side of face, band + on back, faint band across chest black; wing green; tail + greenish-blue; f., side of face, round eye reddish-brown; + upper brown; under whitish; wings brown; tail green. Insects. + + [Page 145] + + [Illustration: [302] [303] [304] [305] [306] [307]] + + =302* White-winged Superb-Warbler= (Wren), _M. cyanotus + (leucopterus)_, A. (exc. N. Ter.). + + r. _saltbush_, _plains_ 4.8 + + Above, below deep cobalt-blue; wings white; quills brown; tail + dark-blue; f., upper brown, under white tinged brown. Insects. + + =303 Purple-backed Superb Warbler= (Wren), _M. assimilis_, A. + + Stat. v.r. _scrubs_ 5 + + Crown, side of head, back purplish-blue; throat, chest, band + on upper back, rump black; chestnut-red patch inner wing; rest + wing brown; abdomen white; tail dark-blue tipped white; + f., brown; about eye rich chestnut; under whitish; tail + greenish-blue. Insects. + +4 +4 + + =304* Emu-Wren=, Stick-tail, _Stipiturus malachurus_, S.A., + E.A., W.A., f., throat brown. Insects. + + Stat. c. _tussocks_ 7 + + Upper brown streaked rufous; tail feathers long loosely + webbed, erect; throat blue; abdomen brown; runs. + + =305 Mallee Emu-Wren=, _S. mallee_, N.W.V. + + Stat. v.r. _Spinifex (Triodia)_ 5 + + Like 304, but forehead chestnut; throat, chest light + purplish-blue; abdomen grayish-brown. + +4 +4 + + =306* Bristle-Bird=, _Sphenura brachyptera_, N.S.W., E.V., + Insects. Rich, varied notes. + + Stat. v.r. _undergrowth_ 8.8 + + Brown; throat, centre-breast lighter; shy; runs; f., sim. + + =307 Rufous Bristle-Bird= (Rufous-headed), _S. broadbenti_, + W.V., S.A. (Otway Ranges to Mt. Lofty). + + Stat. v.r. _dense scrub_ 10.5 + + Rufous-brown; f., sim. Insects. + + [Page 146] + + [Illustration: [308] [309] [310] [311] [312] [313]] + +10 +10 + + =308 Grass-Wren=, _Amytornis textilis_, V., C.A., W.A. + + Stat. v.r. _plains_, _dense scrubs_ 6.2 + + Upper dark-brown striped white; under paler; flanks rust-red; + seldom flies; progresses like a rubber ball; tail erect; f., + sim. Insects. + + =309 Striated Grass-Wren= (Black-cheeked), _A. striatus_, + N.S.W., V., C.A., W.A. + + Stat. v.r. _dense scrubs_ 6.8 + + Like 308, but black stripe on cheek; plumage strongly rufous; + runs, seldom flies; f., sim. Insects. + + [Page 147] + + F. 128. _Vireonidae_, Vireos, Greenlets, 112 sp.--24(7)Nc., + 105(88)Nl. + + F. 129. _Ampelidae_, Waxwings, Cedar-Bird, 10 sp.--1(0)O., + 2(0)P., 3(0)Nc., 7(5)Nl. + + F. 130. ARTAMIDAE (12), WOOD-SWALLOWS, Swallow-Shrikes, 17 + sp.--15(14)A., 2(1)O., 1(1)E. + +9 +16 + + =310 White-rumped Wood-Swallow= (Swallow-Shrike), _Artamus + leucogaster_, Andaman Is., Mal. Arch., Papuan Is., A. + + Mig. r. _timber_ 7.4 + + Head, neck grayish-black; back brown; tail, wing-quills black; + rump, breast, abdomen white; f., sim. Insects. Plaintive note. + + =311* White-browed Wood-Swallow=, Summer-Bird, Martin (e), _A. + superciliosus_, E.A., S.A., N.W.A. + + Mig. v.c. _timber_ 8 + + Slaty-gray; white eyebrow; abdomen rich chestnut; tail tipped + white; f., faint white eyebrow. Insects, honey. "Sweet, clear + whistling note." + + =312* Masked Wood-Swallow=, Bush (Blue) Martin (e), _A. + personatus_, S.Q., N.S.W., V., S.A., W.A., N.W.A. + + Mig. c. _timber_ 8 + + Dark-gray upper; pure white edge to jet-black throat patch; + under gray; tail tipped white; f., duller. Insects. + + =313* Wood-Swallow= (Sordid, Dusky), Jacky-Martin, Martin (e), + _A. tenebrosus_, A., T., Bass St. Is. + + Part-Mig. v.c. _timber_ 7.3 + + Smoky vinous-gray; wing-quills black; white line in edge of + wing; tail tipped white; bill blue tipped black; f., sim. + Insects. + + F. 131. _Vangidae_, 12 sp. E. (Madagascar). + +==== + +Order XXI. (continued) + +Family 132--Wood-Shrikes--contains two of the best known of Australian +birds, for they are to be found about almost every town and city, as +well as in the country. The well-known Magpie-Lark has but one close +cousin in the world, a New Guinea bird. Its mud nest is familiar to +country boys. It is notable that, excepting Swallows, only two other +Australian birds build a mud nest. These birds, the Apostle-Bird and +the White-winged Chough, are mentioned later. Its dainty, well-kept +plumage renders the Magpie-Lark one of the most graceful of birds. Its +flight is "unlike that of any bird known to me." (Gould.) "It flies in +a straight line, with a heavy, flapping motion of the wings." Its +loud call is responsible for the name of Pee-wee, a common name for +a European Plover; its black and white coloring for the vernacular +name--Magpie-Lark. + +This bird is of great value, as it consumes large quantities of pond +snails, the necessary host of the early stages of the liver fluke. +Exterminate the pond snails, and immediately the liver fluke is +completely destroyed, and all future loss from its ravages is saved +to the pastoralists. In 1846, fluke caused a loss of £10,000,000 +in England alone, so it is a serious pest, and may yet prove a very +expensive one to Australia. + +This bird's scientific position is disputed. It has been classed with +Crows and with Thrushes. Gould placed it by itself. Dr. Sharpe has, +however, placed it in the family _Prionopidae_. Its vocal organs are +anomalous, and it may be that its position is not finally settled yet. + +Placed by Sharpe in the same family are the Shrike-Thrushes, strictly +Australian birds. The glorious "powerful swelling notes" of our common +bird caused Latham to bestow the well-deserved name _harmonica_ on it. +Yet there are some who talk of Australia as a land of songless birds. +This falsehood seems to have had its origin in a note written by +Caley, who, about 1825, collected near Sydney, for the Linnean Society +of London. As quoted by North, he said, "They (Superb-Warblers) are +good songsters, and, I may say, almost the only ones in the colony." +Fortunately, the Harmonious Shrike-Thrush is becoming common and tame +about school grounds and most towns. It is occasionally to be heard in +the Melbourne Botanic Gardens. + +Family 134 contains the famous Shrikes, those birds which are said +to keep a butcher's shop. Not being "birds of prey," they do not hold +their prey in their feet, so they fasten it in the fork of a tree, or +on a thorn. Then they proceed to eat it, or leave it until they are +hungry. Our Shrike or Butcher-Bird has the same habit. + +The Australian Butcher-Bird has a rich, mellow, flute-like note, which +is more frequently heard in autumn. Some consider his one of the best +of bird-notes. His strongly-hooked bill renders him a terror to small +birds, including caged Canaries. + +That glorious songster, the Australian Magpie, is placed in this +family. These Australian songsters are now divided into five +closely-similar species, all possessing the same rich carol. The +Tasmanian bird was formerly called the "Organ-Bird." This Australian +musician is responsible for the European epigram of "white Crows that +sing." These birds are not Crows, nor are they white, but they _sing_, +so that Alfred Russel Wallace has declared that no European songbird +can equal them. Gould found it impossible to describe their "carol," +and regretted that "his readers could not," as he had done, "listen to +the birds in their native wilds." Their early morning carol lives +in the memory. The Australian Magpie is not related to the European +Magpie, which is a member of the Crow family (164), but is a glorified +Butcher-Bird. However, it would be a difficult matter to displace the +name magpie for the Australian bird. + +In the same family, though in the next sub-family, are some peculiar +Australian birds. The two Shrike-Tits are found one in Eastern +Australia and the other in Western Australia. Gould said feelingly--he +was nipped by one--that "no bird of its size has stronger mandibles." +It is to be seen in the Melbourne Botanic Gardens, tearing off bark as +it seeks for insects. + +The Crested Bell-Bird is restricted to Australia. Being a perfect +ventriloquist, it is very difficult to locate it. Some of its +notes are bell-like, and have misled those seeking horses. I met it +frequently in the Mallee and in the Maryborough and Ararat districts. +It often hopped out on to the road on frosty mornings. It is one of +Australia's singular and interesting birds. + +Those badly-named, but often attractive, songsters--the Thickheads +(now called Whistlers)--are placed next. Eighty-eight of these birds +are known from the Australian region, though but twenty occur in +Australia itself and Tasmania. On account of the difficulty of +skinning these birds, they were given the name _Pachycephala_. It is +unfortunate that the literal translation--thick head--was the name +used by bird people for these beautiful singers. It is now proposed to +change the name to Whistler. Strange to say, we have not heard a good +local name for these attractive and often gorgeous birds. + +To complete this interesting sub-family, we have the Yellow-breasted +Shrike-Robin--a confiding favorite, found in most dark scrubs. Its +single, often-repeated, piping note is responsible for its name, +_Eopsaltria_, "Psalm of the Dawn." This delightful forest-dweller +frequently perches sideways on a sapling. Six kinds are known from +Australia, and two more from adjacent islands. + +(continued below) + +==== + + [Page 148] + + [Illustration: [314] [314^A] [315] [316] [317] [318] [319]] + + F. 132. PRIONOPIDAE (11), WOOD-SHRIKES, 95 sp.--55(55)A., + 15(15)O., 25(25)E. + +1 +2 + + =314 Magpie-Lark=, Murray (Little) Magpie (e), Mudlark (e), + Soldiers, Peewee (e), Peewit (e), Pugwall, _Grallina picata_, + A., T. (acc). + + Stat. v.c. (near water) _open_, _timber_ 10.5 + + Black and white; slender stilt-like legs; throat white (f.), + black (m.); mud nest. Insects, pond-snails. "Pee-wee." + + [Page 149] + +10 +10 + + =315* Gray Shrike-Thrush= (Harmonious), Gray (Native) Thrush, + Pluff, Mourner, _Colluricincla harmonica_, E.A., S.A. + + Stat. c. _timber_ 9.5 + + Gray; back umber-brown; face whitish; under lighter: f., + throat streaked dusky. Insects. Powerful swelling harmonious + note. + + F. 133. _Aerocharidae_, 1 sp. E. (Madagascar). + + F. 134. LANIIDAE (42), SHRIKES, 313 sp.--134(132)A., 36(22)O., + 33(10)P., 140(127)E., 6(6)Nc., 1(1)Nl. + +5 +5 + + =316 Black-backed Magpie=, Piping Crow-Shrike (Varied), Organ + (Flute) Bird, Singing White Crow (e), _Gymnorhina tibicen_, + E.A., S.A., W.A. + + Stat, v.c. _open_ 17 + + Black; hind-neck, upper under base tail, patch on wing white; + f., grayish instead of white. Insects. "To describe the + note of this bird is beyond the power of my pen." (Gould.) + "Wonderfully modulated whistle ... unequalled among European + birds." (Alfred Russel Wallace). + + =317 White-backed Magpie= (Crow-Shrike), _G. leuconota_, + N.S.W., V., S.A., C.A., W.A. + + Stat. v.c. _open_ 18 + + Upper white, except head, tip-tail, wing-quills black; under + black; f., back gray. Insects. Glorious carol, see 316. + +8 +11 + + =318 Black-throated Butcher-Bird= (Crow-Shrike), _Cracticus + nigrigularis_, A. exc. N. Ter. + + Stat. v.r. _timber_ 13.5 + + Head, neck, chest black; hind-neck, centre-wing, rump, under + white; tail black, side tipped white; f., sim. Insects, mice. + One of the best of songsters, rich notes. + + =319* Australian Butcher-Bird= (Shrike), Collared Crow-Shrike, + Derwent (Tasmanian, Whistling) Jackass, Durbaner, _C. + destructor_, E.A., S.A., W.A. + + Stat. v.c. _timber_ 11.2 + + Head, neck black; back gray; side hind-neck, upper base tail, + patch on wing white; under grayish-white; f., duller. Insects, + mice, birds. Fine song (autumn); rich notes. + + [Page 150] + + [Illustration: [320] [321] [322] [323] [324]] + +3 +3 + + =320* Yellow-breasted Shrike-Tit= (Yellow-bellied, Frontal, + Crested), Falcon-Shrike, _Falcunculus frontatus_, E.A., S.A. + + Stat. r. _timber_ 7.5 + + Upper green; crest, throat, line through eye black; patch + above eye, patch below eye white; under bright-yellow; strong + hooked bill; f., throat green. Insects. Musical notes. + +1 +1 + + =321* Crested Bell-Bird=, _Oreoica cristata_, A. + + Stat. c. _timber_ 9 + + Upper brown; top of head black, side-head gray; white on face, + throat; black from eye to black chest band; abdomen white + tinged sandy-buff; f., duller. Caterpillars, insects. Bell + notes, ventriloquist. + +20 +88 + + =322* Golden-breasted Whistler=, White-throated Thickhead, + Thunder-Bird, Cutthroat, Coachwhip-Bird (e), _Pachycephala + pectoralis (gutturalis_), E.A. + + Stat. c. _timber_ 7 + + Throat white; black head, band on chest; outside black band, + under golden-yellow; back olive green; f.,* brown; throat + whitish faintly streaked dusky. Caterpillars, insects. Fine + songster, many melodious calls; whip-like smack ends one of + notes. + + =323* Rufous-breasted Whistler= (Thickhead), Little Thrush, + Ring Coachman, Coachwhip-Bird (e), _P. rufiventris_, E.A., + S.A., C.A., W.A. + + Stat. c. _timber_ 6.7 + + Upper gray; throat white; head blackish; black side of neck, + band on chest; rest under light rufous-brown; f.,* upper + brownish-gray; throat white streaked blackish-brown; rest + under buff; breast, sides streaked blackish-brown. Insects, + caterpillars, wild berries. Famous songster; whip-like smack + at end of one of its calls. + + =324 Red-throated Whistler=, Gilbert Thickhead, _P. gilberti_, + N.S.W., V., S.A., W.A. + + Stat. v.r. _timber_ 7.2 + + Dark-gray; black before eye; throat dull rust-red; under gray; + f., no black on face; throat gray. Insects. Clear whistling + note. + + [Page 152] + + [Illustration: [325] [326] [327] [328] [329]] + + =325 Olive Whistler=, Olivaceous Thickhead, _P. olivacea_, + N.S.W., V., T., Bass St. Is. + + Stat. r. _humid scrubs_ 8 + + Olive brown; head dark-gray; throat whitish marked brown; + faint gray band across chest; under reddish-brown; f., no band + on chest. Insects. "Liquid, whistling note." + +6 +8 + + =326* Yellow-breasted Shrike-Robin=, Yellow Robin (e), Wild + Canary (e), _Eopsaltria australis_. N.S.W., V. + + Stat. c. _timber_ 5.3 + + Dark-gray; upper base tail olive-yellow; throat grayish-white; + under bright yellow. Tame, perches on side of sapling; f., + sim. Insects. Piping note often repeated. + +==== + +Order XXI. (continued) + +In Family 135--Titmice or Tits--Australia has but five +representatives--the peculiar Wedgebill, "Kitty-lin-tof," and the four +Australian "Whitefaces." The Whiteface is "lively, with sweet chirping +notes." Its former scientific name (_Xerophila_) means "dry lover," +for it is found mainly in the drier parts. + +The European Tits belong to this family, so it is not desirable to use +the name "Tit" for the Australian birds of the genus _Acanthiza_, for +they belong to the Warbler family (_Sylviidae_), and not to the Tit +family (_Paridae_). + +The Nuthatches of the Old World and America are represented by +closely-related birds, with somewhat similar habits, in Australia. +These run spirally down a tree-trunk, searching every crack or piece +of bark. Eight of these birds occur in Australia. Latham called them +Nuthatches. It is now proposed to return to this name, as it is used +for the British, Indian, and North American birds of this family +(_Sittidae_). + +The male Black-capped Nuthatch (Tree-runner) is true to name, but the +female has the head and hind-neck black, instead of a black cap only. +Nuthatches are not found in Tasmania. Possibly Bass Strait was formed +before they reached Southern Victoria. Thus bird-study supports the +geographer and ethnologist when they declare that Bass Strait is of +comparatively remote formation. As the Tasmanian blacks were ignorant +of boats, they evidently reached Tasmania before Bass Strait was +formed. They are a more primitive type than the Australian blacks, who +were improved by later influxes of more highly-developed Caucasians. + +Many country dwellers will not admit that there is no Woodpecker in +Australia, but it is a fact, nevertheless. Our so-called "Woodpecker" +is the Tree-Creeper. It never chisels mortice-holes in a tree to get +out a grub, as the true Woodpecker does. These birds occur all over +the continent, and are often to be seen alighting on the side of a +tree or fence post and then running up spirally to the top. They soon +fly off to another tree, alighting lower than the place they started +from. The bright-brown band on the wing is conspicuous as they fly. +Their lively notes brighten a country drive. + +The White-eye is one of a large genus, for no less than 157 species +have been accepted by Dr. Sharpe. However, one of the rarest of these +was a Victorian species. It was based on one specimen, a female, taken +at Marong, near Bendigo. It was said to be slightly different from the +common White-eye. Hence Dr. Horne, of Clifton Hill, one of our most +enthusiastic bird-lovers, created a new species, and named it in honor +of his niece, Miss Bowie, who is a favorite with all the birds in +Dr. Horne's extensive aviaries. White-eyes are found from Africa +and Madagascar to India and Japan, and from Australia out past New +Zealand. + +Our common White-eye is one of the interesting birds of the world at +the present time, for it is showing that man is not the only animal +with a colonizing instinct. It was unknown in New Zealand until, in +1856, it was first recorded. The Maoris, keen Nature-students, +who have a name for every native animal and plant, called it the +"Stranger." Its presence has been accounted for by some authorities as +being due to the fierce winds that accompanied Black Thursday having +blown it over from Australia. However, not satisfied with spreading +throughout New Zealand until it is said to be the commonest bird +there, it has spread out to Chatham Island, and a flock was reported +recently a considerable distance from the coast, apparently looking +for fresh fields, or rather islands, to colonize. It is a well-known +city dweller. Though it destroys grapes and other soft fruits, it also +so completely destroys aphides that it is appropriately called the +Blight-Bird. Again, the balance is strongly in its favor, for it is +probably but taking fair toll of that which will probably not have +reached maturity but for its labors, and the laborer, even if a bird, +is worthy of his hire. + +A bird's color usually affords it protection from its natural enemies. +These are mainly birds of prey flying overhead. Thus, speaking +generally, protective coloration applies only to the upper surface, +so that a white throat or under surface does not necessarily render a +bird conspicuous to its natural enemies. + +Again, a bird may be very conspicuous when seen away from its natural +surroundings, but the concealment may be perfect under natural +conditions. It has been already mentioned that the gorgeous Blue +Mountain Lorikeet was very difficult to discern in its native +sugar-gums. A tiger is said to be invisible at a distance of ten yards +in a jungle; the black stripes being similar to the shadows of the +bamboos, and the light bands to the sunlight between the vegetation. + +The White-eye and Tree-Creepers just noticed may be considered +protectively colored, for they are difficult to see in a tree. Still, +the brown patch on the wing of the Tree-Creeper is conspicuous as it +flies. Alfred Russel Wallace, the great evolutionist, supplied a +good explanation, when he regarded bright wing bands, white rump, +and white-tipped tail, as "warning colors." An enemy is, perchance, +perceived by a bird. This individual flies away quietly; others see +the bright wing patch disappear, and they seek shelter as quickly and +quietly as possible. This is often a great advantage, for, in many +cases, all reach safety, possibly, before the enemy has seen one of +them. If the first bird had given an alarming call, it would have +warned the enemy too. + +It is noteworthy that these bright markings on the upper surface are, +usually, not visible when the bird is at rest. The white wing patch +folds in, the white rump is covered, while, in a white-tipped tail, +it is usual for the two centre feathers to be plain throughout (see +illustrations of species 313 and 329). The tail is folded, and the +white tips are covered by the two non-white centre feathers. The +introduced Indian Turtle-Dove, common about nearly every city in +Australia, shows the spread-out, white-tipped tail splendidly when +flying. The bird itself is barely visible if it settles in the shade +or on the soil. The Indian Myna, a city bird, has both white wing-patch +and white-tipped tail. + +This explanation is also applied to other wild animals; thus many Deer +have the white patch on the hind quarters. Other Deer, seeing this +warning signal displayed in flight, immediately make for safety. +Similarly, Wallace has explained the white tail of a Rabbit. + +The Skunk also has this white patch on the hind quarters, but here a +different explanation is required, for the Skunk does not trouble +to run away when a possible enemy appears. The bright color is here +regarded as an "advertizing color." The Skunk has other means of +protection, and he is labelled dangerous or objectionable, just as our +one poisonous Spider is plainly labelled dangerous by means of a red +stripe. An inexperienced enemy may rush at the Skunk, but the means +of protection enjoyed by it effectively protects it, and the enemy +retires. + +It is a rule recognized by collectors that conspicuous animals have +generally some effective means of protection, and they are best left +alone, or at least taken with caution. This is readily understood when +it is considered that a young, inexperienced chicken will rush at a +brightly-colored caterpillar. He then retires, endeavoring to get rid +of the objectionable taste. For the future, he avoids brightly-colored +animals. Thus the bright color is an obvious advantage to its +possessor, as it saves a dangerous peck. It is also an advantage to +its enemies, for it saves them an unpleasant experience. We are told +the Parrot is the only bird with a sense of taste, but it seems that +the chicken possesses one also. + +Still another phase of color is shown by Diamond-Birds, where three +species have a yellow spot, a red spot, or an orange spot respectively +on the wing. It is also shown by the Red-breasted Robins. One has +a white forehead, one a white cap, and the third a red cap. These +colored patches are considered to be recognition marks, so that a bird +can recognize its mate, or a bird of its own kind, readily and with +certainty. + +That rarely-seen, but beautiful, bird, the Mistletoe-Swallow, is +fairly common. From several points of view, it is of great interest. +Ranging from India, through Malaysia, to Australia, it did not reach +Tasmania. Possibly Bass Strait was formed before this bird reached +Southern Victoria. Interesting, also, is the fact that no mistletoe is +found in Tasmania. This bird is closely associated with the mistletoe, +for, wherever you find it, you find the mistletoe. It furnishes +another example of those interesting partnerships between animals and +plants. It is not related to Swallows, but while it sits on a bough, +its external form somewhat resembles that of a Swallow. Its nest +is one of the most beautiful of all nests--a finely-felted, domed +structure, often suspended in a clump of mistletoe. This bird has a +long-continued, pretty, animated song, which is seldom heard, for +it is low, and, as the bird is high in the tree-tops, it might be +inaudible; but the main reason is probably that our ears are not +attuned to pick out these fine songs. It is said that Tyndall found +the insects on the Alps almost deafening, while his companions heard +nothing. So it is with the high-pitched call of a Bat. Have you heard +one? Few have. + +The Mistletoe-Swallow should be called the Australian Flower-Pecker, +for it is our one representative of a large genus, best developed in +the Indian Region. + +Placed at present in Family 141 with the little Mistletoe-Bird are the +Diamond-Birds of Australia, the plumage of our common kind of which is +"so variegated and beautiful as to render description impossible." + +The Diamond-Birds are restricted to Australia. Though they are found +mainly in high tree-tops, whence they prettily and continuously call +"wit-e-chu" and "wit-loo," some usually nest in a bank of earth. The +bank of a dam, the side of a creek, and the earth suspended on the +roots of a fallen tree are favorite places. Some people find the +continuous, musical note annoying, and have named the Diamond-Bird the +Headache-Bird. Others find it entertaining, and syllabize it as "Sweet +Dick," or "Sleep, Baby." + +Three of these birds are recognized by a small, bright spot on the +side of the wing. In one this spot is said to be red, in another it is +orange, and in the third yellow. However, Gould said the young of the +Red-tipped had the orange tip, and later investigation seems to be +supporting his view, for the Orange-tipped is possibly not a +different species, but only a phase of the Red-tipped. One of our bird +observers, Mr. F. Wilson, has lately recorded finding the nest of +a pair of Pardalotes, of which one was red-tipped and the other +orange-tipped. The Yellow-tipped is said to be the commonest bird +in Tasmania. These birds are plentifully spotted, "spotted like the +pard," hence the name Pardalote, Panther-Bird, or Diamond-Bird. + +(continued below) + +==== + + [Page 153] + + F. 135. PARIDAE (5), TITMICE, Tits, 206 sp.--5(5)A., 55(48)O., + 88(78)P., 32(32)E., 34(28)Nc., 8(5)Nl. + +4 +4 + + =327* Whiteface=, White-faced Titmouse (Squeaker), + _Aphelocephala (Xerophila) leucopsis_, S.Q., N.S.W., V., S.A., + C.A., W.A. (interior). + + Stat. small flocks, c. _plains_ 4 + + Upper olive-brown; forehead, face white; under pale-buff; tail + tipped white; f., sim. Small seeds. Sweet chirping notes. + + F. 136. _Chamaeidae_, Wren-Tits, 3 sp. Nc. (W.U.S.). The only + family of birds restricted to the Nearctic Region. + + F. 137. _Regulidae_, Gold-crested Wren, Fire-crested Wren, + Kinglet, 20 sp.--6(5)O., 9(7)P., 1(0)E., 4(2)Nc. 4(2)Nl. + + F. 138. SITTIDAE (8), NUTHATCHES, 60 sp.--12(11)A., 21(18)O., + 18(16)P., 1(1)E., 10(7)Nc., 3(1)Nl. + +8 +10 + + =328* Orange-winged Nuthatch= (Tree-runner, Bark-pecker), + Woodpecker (e), _Neositta (Sittella) chrysoptera_, E.A., S.A. + + Stat. r. _open forest_ 4.5 + + Head brown; upper gray streaked black; wing dark-brown with + rich rufous band; upper base tail white; tail black tipped + white; under gray; under base tail white barred brown; + bill sharp slightly upturned; f., head darker. Insects. + "Chip-chip." + + =329 Black-capped Nuthatch= (Tree-runner, Bark-pecker), + Woodpecker (e), _N. pileata_, N.S.W., V., S.A., C.A., W.A., + N.W.A. + + Stat. r. _open timber_ 4.7 + + Grayish-brown; upper base tail white; cap black; quills + blackish-brown with rich rufous band; tail black tipped white; + forehead, stripe over eye, under white; thighs blackish-brown; + f., head, face, hind-neck black. Insects. + + [Page 154] + + [Illustration: [330] [331] [332] [333] [334] [335]] + + F. 139. CERTHIIDAE (8), CREEPERS, 39 sp.--10(10)A., 13(12)O., + 9(8)P., 1(1)E., 5(4)Nc., 3(2)Nl. + +9 +10 + + =330* Brown Tree-Creeper=, Woodpecker (e), _Climacteris + picumna_, E.A., S.A. =vt. Eur. Creeper. + + Stat. c. _open timber_ 7.2 + + Crown blackish-brown; line over eye buff; throat buff with + few blackish spots; upper brown; wings banded buff; under + grayish-brown; flanks striped white; f., throat chestnut + spots. Insects. Sharp piercing cry. Creep _up_ a tree. + + [Page 155] + + =331* White-throated Tree-Creeper=, Woodpecker (e), _C. + scandens_, S.Q., N.S.W., V., S.A., T. + + Stat. c. _forest_ 6.5 + + Crown sooty-black; back olive-brown; buff band on wing; + throat, centre-abdomen white; flanks brownish-black striped + white; f., orange spot below ear. Insects. Shrill piping cry. + Creeps _up_. + + =332 Red-browed Tree-Creeper=, _C. erythrops_, S.Q., N.S.W., + V., W.A. + + Stat. v.r. _rough barked trees_ 6 + + Back brown; head blackish-brown; forehead marked dusky-gray; + rump, tail gray; buff band on wing; face, stripe above eye + rust-red; throat white; under grayish-brown striped white; f., + face brighter; throat rust-red, striped white. Insects. Creeps + up. + + =333 White-browed Tree-Creeper=, _C. superciliosa_, Q., + N.S.W., V., S.A., C.A., W.A. + + Stat. v.r. _timber_ 5.7 + + Upper brown; wings rich fawn band; broad white stripe over + eye; under grayish-brown; abdomen striped white; f., narrow + line rust-red above the white eyebrow; tail washed with gray. + Insects. Creeps up. + + F. 140. ZOSTEROPIDAE (14), WHITE-EYES, Silver-eyes, 171 + sp.--83(80)A., 38(34)O., 4(3)P., 50(50)E. + +13 +157 + + =334* White-eye= (Silver, Ring, Glass-), Blight-Bird + (Spectacled-), Grape-eater, Silve, Tauhou, _Zosterops + coerulescens_, E.A., S.A., T., N.Z., Chatham Is. + + Stat. v.c. _open gardens_ 4.5 + + Crown, wings, tail olive; back dark-gray; white ring round + eye; throat, centre-abdomen, under base tail whitish; flanks + chestnut-brown; sometimes throat, side-head yellow; f., sim. + Insects, fruit. Pretty lively song. + + =335 Gray White-eye=, _Z. bowiae_, V. (Marong). One specimen + only. Mathews now says it is 334. + + Like 334, but gray instead of olive, abdomen darker. + + [Page 158] + + [Illustration: [328] [330] [331] [334] [336] [336^A] [337] [340] [341]] + + =328= Orange-winged Nuthatch + =330= Brown Tree-Creeper + =331= White-throated Tree-Creeper + =334= White-eye + =336= Flower-Pecker + =336A= Flower-Pecker (Female) + =337= Red-tipped Diamond-Bird + =340= Spotted Diamond-Bird + =341= Golden-rumped Diamond-Bird + + [Page 160] + + [Illustration: [342] [345] [346] [347] [348] [349] [350] [351] [353]] + + =342= White-naped Honey-eater + =345= Striped Honey-eater + =346= Sanguineous Honey-eater + =347= Black Honey-eater + =348= Spinebill + =351= Painted Honey-eater + =349= Tawny-crowned Honey-eater + =350= White-fronted Honey-eater + =353= Regent Honey-eater + + [Page 162] + + [Illustration: [355] [356] [357] [358] [359] [362] [363] [364] [365]] + + =355= Yellow-eared Honey-eater + =356= Singing Honey-eater + =357= Yellow-faced Honey-eater + + =358= White-eared Honey-eater + =359= Yellow-tufted Honey-eater + =362= Yellow-plumed Honey-eater + + =363= White-plumed Honey-eater + =364= Crescent Honey-eater + =365= White-bearded Honey-eater + + [Page 164] + + [Illustration: [360] [366] [367] [368] [370] [372] [373] [374]] + + =360= Helmeted Honey-eater + =366= White-cheeked Honey-eater + =367= Bell-Miner + =368= Noisy Miner + =370= Wattle-Bird + =372= Spiny-cheeked Honey-eater + =373= Blue-faced Honey-eater + =374= Friar-Bird + + [Page 166] + + [Illustration: [336] [337] [338] [339] [340] [341]] + + F. 141. DICAEIDAE (11), FLOWER-PECKERS, 113 sp.--57(57)A., + 56(56)O. + +1 +74 + + =336* Australian Flower-Pecker=, Mistletoe-Bird (-Swallow), + _Dicaeum hirundinaceum_, A. + + Stat. c. _treetops_ 3.5 + + Black glossed steel-blue; throat, breast, under base tail + scarlet; abdomen white, black patch down centre; flanks + dusky; f.,* throat, centre-abdomen buff; under base tail pale + scarlet. Honey, pollen, fruits, insects. Pretty, feeble song. + + [Page 167] + +10 +10 + + =337* Red-tipped Diamond-Bird= (Striated, -Pardalote), + Wittychu, Pickwick, Chuck-e-chuc, _Pardalotus ornatus_, S.Q., + N.S.W., V., S.A., W.A. + + Stat. c. _treetops_, _scrub_ 4.2 + + Crown, wings, tail black spotted, lined white; back gray; rump + brown; throat yellow; red spots side of wing, yellow stripe + from bill above eye joins white stripe to nape; centre-abdomen + white; flanks pale-brown, tinged yellow; f., sim. Insects. + "Wit-e-chu." + + =338 Orange-tipped Diamond-Bird= (Ramsay, -Pardalote), _P. + assimilis_, E.A., C.A. + + Stat. v.c. _treetops_, _timber_ 4.3 + + Like 337, but upper paler; orange spots on wing; as a rule + only one feather in the wing edged with white; Gould thought + it the young of 337; f., sim. Insects. "Wit-e-chu." + + =339 Yellow-tipped Diamond-Bird=, Allied Pardalote, _P. + affinis_, E.A., S.A., T., Bass St. Is. + + Stat. c. _timber_ 4.3 + + Like 337, 338, but yellow spot on side of wing; head black, + striped white; yellow stripe from bill joins white stripe + above eye; back grayish-brown; upper base tail olive-brown; + tail black, tip spotted white; throat yellow; centre abdomen + white; flanks buffy-brown; wings black, tipped white, a few + feathers lined white; f., sim. Insects. "Witloo." "Sleep, + Baby." + + =340* Spotted Diamond-Bird= (Pardalote), Diamond Dyke + (Ground), Ground-Diamond, Diamond Sparrow (e), _P. punctatus_, + T., A. (exc. N.A., C.A.). + + Stat. v.c. _timber_ 3.3 + + Head, wings, tail black, spotted white; white stripe above + eye; back grayish-brown, marked buff and black; upper base + tail crimson; throat, under base tail rich yellow; abdomen + fawn; f., duller; head yellow spots; throat whitish. Insects. + "Sleep, Baby," "Sweet Dick." + + =341* Golden-rumped Diamond-Bird=, Yellow-rumped Pardalote, + _P. xanthopygius_, N.S.W., V., S.A., W.A. f., duller. Insects. + + Stat. r. _timber_ 3.5 + + Like 340, but upper base tail golden-yellow; throat, under + base tail golden-yellow; rest under buffy-white. + + [Illustration: [342] [343] [344] [345] [346] [347]] + + F. 142. NECTARINIIDAE (1), SUN-BIRDS, 234 sp.--36(33)A., + 77(74)O., 2(1)P., 123(122)E. + + F. 143. _Promeropidae_, Promerops, 2 sp. E. (S. Afr.) + +==== + +Order XXI. (continued) + +The most characteristic family of birds of the Australian region is +the Honey-eaters. Flowering eucalypts and other myrtaceous plants, +with their honey-bearing flowers and usually inedible fruits, are +the characteristic Australian trees; so are these birds, depending so +largely on the honey of these brilliant flowers and the insects which +visit them, the characteristic Australian birds. The Honey-eaters form +a very large family, and are found throughout the Australian region +as far as New Zealand and away to the Sandwich Islands, which, +zoologically, belong to Australia. Strange it is that only one species +should have spread to the west across Wallace's line to the island of +Bali. These birds are provided with a brush tongue, which is used in +brushing up honey from the flowers. They have usually a long, slender, +curved bill, suitable for exploring flowers. Their feet are well +developed and strong, for they are used while hanging in all sorts +of positions as the flowers are explored. No less than eighty-eight +Honey-eaters are found in Australia, but they are often restricted to +very limited areas, so that no district would contain many kinds of +these birds. Many are well known, though not by the name Honey-eater. +Who does not know the harsh note of the Wattle-Bird (Wattled +Honey-eater)? Again, who does not often meet the Noisy Miner +(Garrulous Honey-eater), a bird that makes such a fuss when a snake +appears that he is sometimes called the Snake-Bird? Is there a city +boy who does not know the Greenie (White-plumed Honey-eater)? Some of +the Honey-eaters are amongst the most beautiful of birds. + +The Regent (Warty-faced) Honey-eater is a glory, and is often figured +in British books as one of the world's beautiful birds. + +The Helmeted Honey-eater is very rare, and is probably confined to the +deep forests of Gippsland. It is one of the most splendid of +Honey-eaters. + +That active city-dweller, the Greenie, is found in almost every large +eucalypt that happens to be in flower. It is pugnacious. As it busily +brushes honey from the flowers, or catches an insect on the wing, the +white ear plume can be seen. Otherwise, it has not conspicuous colors. +Its lively call of "chick-oo-wee" adds something to life for the busy +city toiler. + +Now come the Miners. The Noisy Miner is known to nearly everyone. It +is a common visitor to school grounds at lunch time, and is a noisy +bird that is little loved by sportsmen, for it persists in alarming +all game within reach. A second Miner is famous as the Bell-Bird, +better Bell-Miner. The tinkling notes, "like silver bells from a +distant shrine," must be heard in a deep fern gully to be appreciated +fully. The green birds are seldom seen. Kendall has immortalized this +bird in his beautiful poem, "Bell-Birds." + +The Wattle-Bird is known to all. It is a pugnacious bird, and has a +rough, disagreeable note. It has a small wattle of naked red flesh +hanging at the side of the neck, hence the name. The bold, pugnacious +Brush Wattle-Bird is not so well known, though its notes are even +more remarkable. Both birds to-day are common in the Melbourne Botanic +Gardens on the flowering plants in the "Australian" section. + +The Spiny-cheeked Honey-eater is said to be a rare bird, but there is +probably not a park about Melbourne but has some of these at present, +as well as all through the winter. It is somewhat similar in build +and habits to the Wattle-Birds, but is an elegant and attractive bird, +with many peculiar notes. + +The Blue-eye (Blue-faced Honey-eater) is a conspicuous bird in country +districts. He is noisy, and is handsomely attired. His nesting habits +are peculiar, for he often builds in the deserted nest of a Babbler. + +The remarkable Friar-Bird has a naked, dark-blue head, and is an +"impudent and daring" bird, that does not hesitate to steal fruit. Its +loud call has been variously interpreted as "Four o'clock," "Pimlico," +or "Tobacco-box." This bird has a hump on its long curved bill. The +Yellow-throated Friar-Bird, when young, has yellow on the end of the +throat feathers, and has no hump on the bill. It is a summer visitor +to Southern Australia. + +The well-known Ground-Lark, or Australian Pipit, is the Australian +representative of the cosmopolitan family (147) of Pipits. Even New +Zealand has its representative of this family. The Wagtails of +Britain and North America belong to this family, whereas the so-called +Australian Wagtail is a flycatcher. Like the other members of its +family, our Ground-Lark, or Pipit, sometimes sings beautifully as it +soars. + +The Skylark of Britain comes in the next family (the _Alaudidae_), +which is almost cosmopolitan. This beautiful songster, singing at +Heaven's gate, pours forth a flood of melody. The man who has these +delightful songsters on open land near his home is indeed fortunate. +Australia has its representative of this family--the Bush-Lark, a bird +so remarkably like the Australian Pipit in external appearance that +it is well-nigh impossible to distinguish them in the field. The +Bush-Lark, however, is "shorter, plumper, and has a stouter bill." It +further has a peculiar, greatly undulating flight. It mounts up, then +sinks, then mounts, and so on alternately, "singing all the time very +melodiously, but with a weaker strain than that favorite bird" (the +British Skylark). + +Four introduced Finches have succeeded in establishing themselves +in Southern Australia. The Greenfinch is spreading, though slowly. A +specimen was recently sent in from Horsham, in Western Victoria. +The Goldfinch, "one of the prettiest birds in Britain," is spreading +rapidly. It is often to be seen on thistles, for it destroys their +seeds. + +The Tree-Sparrow is rare as yet, but the House-Sparrow is already a +serious pest, though probably he has not been valued highly enough as +a weed destroyer. However, it was a pity early colonists did not take +notice of Gould's protests and warnings, for possibly the greatest +harm introduced birds do is the displacing of native birds. + +(continued below) + +==== + + [Page 168] + + F. 144. MELIPHAGIDAE (88), HONEY-EATERS, Honey-Suckers + (-Birds), 251 sp.--250(250)A., 1(1)O. + +11 +11 + + =342* White-naped Honey-eater= (Lunulated), Blackcap, + _Melithreptus atricapillus_, S.Q., N.S.W., V., S.A., Kent + Group. + + Stat. v.c. _timber_ 5.5 + + Upper yellowish-olive; quills brown; head, hind-neck black; + narrow white band on nape; under white; naked patch about eye + orange-scarlet; f., sim.; young no black cap. Tame. Honey, + pollen, insects. Peevish, half-whistling note. + + [Page 169] + + =343 Black-chinned Honey-eater= (Black-throated), _M. + gularis_, E.A., S.A., W.A. + + Stat. r. _timber_ 6.7 + + Upper olive-yellow; head, nape black; whitish band on nape + joins white band up to eye; sides of throat white, centre + blackish; chest grayish; sides creamy; centre-abdomen white; + naked skin about eye turquoise-blue; f., sim. Honey, insects, + seeds. Sweet song. + + =344 Brown-headed Honey-eater= (Short-billed), _M. + brevirostris_, E.A., S.A., W.A. + + Stat. r. _timber_ 5.7 + + Greenish-olive upper; quills brown; head, nape dark-brown; + whitish band on nape continued as brownish-white band on head; + under creamy; bare skin about eye greenish-blue in winter, + dull yellow (delicate flesh-tint) in summer; f., sim. Honey, + insects. Rough, rattle-like note. + +1 +1 + + =345* Striped Honey-eater= (Lanceolated), _Plectoramphus + lanceolatus_, E.A., S.A., W.A. (inland). + + Stat. r. _timber_ 8.8 + + Upper grayish-brown, striped blackish-brown; wing-quills + brown, edged lighter; throat white; under, upper base tail + white; black marks side of neck, flanks. Honey, insects. + Cheerful, loud whistle, "Chirp, chirp, cherry, cherry." + +6 +52 + + =346* Sanguineous Honey-eater= (Blood), Humming-Bird (e), + Blood-Bird, _Myzomela sanguinolenta_, E.A. (coastal). + + Nom. r. _thick bushes_, _heath_ 4.3 + + Head, neck, breast, back, upper base tail rich shining + scarlet; side-face, wings, tail black, wings lined lighter; + abdomen buff; f., light brown, lighter below. Pollen, honey, + insects. Beautiful song. + + =347* Black Honey-eater=, _M. nigra_, A. exc. N. Ter. + (interior). + + Mig. v.r. _plains_ 4.4 + + Black; side abdomen, under base tail white; f., brown; under + dull-white; breast marked dark-brown; under base tail white. + Insects. Plaintive song. + + [Page 170] + + [Illustration: [348] [349] [350] [351] [352] [353]] + +4 +4 + + =348* Spinebill=, Spinebill Honey-eater, Humming-Bird (e), + Cobbler's Awl, _Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris_, E.A., S.A., T., + Bass St. Is. + + Stat. c. _Banksias_, _heath_ 6.5 + + Crown, line to crescent on side of chest, wings, tail black; + chest white, chestnut-brown patch on throat; back brown; + abdomen light chestnut-brown; outer tail tipped white; eye + scarlet; f., duller. Insects, honey. Monotonous strong call. + +4 +12 + + =349* Tawny-crowned Honey-eater= (Fulvous-fronted), + _Gliciphila melanops (fulvifrons)_, S.Q., N.S.W., V., S.A., + W.A., T., Bass St. Is. + + Stat. c. _sandy_, _heathy_ 7 + + Upper ashy-brown; crown tawny, blackish line from bill past + eye down side of breast; buff spot behind ear; throat, abdomen + white. Insects, honey. Plaintive notes. + + =350* White-fronted Honey-eater=, _G. albifrons_, N.S.W., V., + S.A., W.A., T. (inland). + + Stat. c. _dry scrubs_ 5.7 + + Upper grayish-brown; crown, throat black; forehead, behind + ear white; abdomen white, streaked dark-brown. Insects, honey. + "Tink-tink." + +1 +1 + + =351* Painted Honey-eater=, _Entomophila picta_, N.S.W., V., + S.A. (inland). + + Stat. v.r. _plains_ 5.5 + + Upper black; band on wings, side tail yellow; tip tail white; + abdomen white, faintly streaked brown; f., smaller. Insects. + +1 +1 + + =352 Pied Honey-eater=, _Certhionyx variegatus_, N.S.W., V., + S.A., C.A., W.A., N.W.A. + + Stat. v.r. _dry scrubs_ 6.5 + + Black and white; head, throat, back, wings, tip-tail black; + rest white; f., light-brown upper; under whitish, throat + buffy, streaked dark-brown. Pollen, honey, berries. + +1 +1 + + =353* Regent Honey-eater= (Warty-faced), Turkey-Bird (Mock + Regent), Flying Coachman, _Meliphaga phrygia_. S.Q., N.S.W., + V., S.A. + + Nom. flocks r. _eucalypts_ 9.2 + + One of the most beautiful of birds; see colored plate; + richly contrasted black and yellow; warty patch about eye; + pugnacious; f., sim. Ringing "Clink-clank." + + [Page 171] + + [Illustration: [354] [355] [356] [357] [358]] + +27 +53 + + =354 Fuscous Honey-eater=, _Ptilotis fusca_, S.Q., N.S.W., V., + (exc. dry parts). + + Stat. c. _open forest_ 6.2 + + Grayish-brown, quills dark-brown, edged yellow; a circle + blackish feathers round eye; pale yellow ear tufts; under + whitish, chest faintly streaked brownish; f., smaller. + Insects, honey. + + =355* Yellow-eared Honey-eater= (Lewin), _P. chrysotis_, E.A. + + Stat. c. _humid scrubs_ 9 + + Upper olive-green, under lighter; large bright yellow ear + tufts; gape straw-white; about eye blackish. Insects, honey. + Quavering whistling notes. + + =356* Singing Honey-eater= (Large-striped), _P. sonora_, A. + exc. extreme N. + + Stat. c. _forest_, _scrub_ 7.5 + + Upper brown; black stripe through eye to side of neck; faint + yellow band below black stripe; bright yellow ear patch, + behind this a small white patch; throat whitish; under gray, + faintly streaked blackish; f., sim. Insects, berries. Loud + calls. + + =357* Yellow-faced Honey-eater= (Yellow-gaped), Chick-up, + Love-Bird (e), _P. chrysops_, E.A., S.A. + + Stat. c. _scrub_ 6.8 + + Ashy-brown; two black lines along side of face, bright yellow + band between these to ear tufts; spot of white behind ear; + throat grayish-white; chest ashy-brown; f., sim. Insects, + honey. Strong musical call. + + =358* White-eared Honey-eater=, _P. leucotis_, S.Q., N.S.W., + V., S.A., W.A. + + Stat. c. _scrub_, _timber_ 8 + + Fine, showy bird; upper, abdomen yellowish-olive; head + dark-gray; throat, chest black; ear patch pure white: f., + smaller. Insects. Loud ringing note. + + [Page 172] + + [Illustration: [359] [360] [361] [362] [363] [364]] + + =359* Yellow-tufted Honey-eater= (Golden-tufted, Black-faced, + Spectacled), Yellow-Whiskers, _P. melanops (auricomis)_, S.Q., + N.S.W., V. + + Stat. c. _eucalypts_ 7.8 + + "One of the most beautiful of birds," crown olive-yellow; + throat, about ear bright yellow; black from bill, round + eye above ear; upper dark-brown; under yellow; f., smaller. + Insects, honey. Varied, high-pitched notes. + + =360* Helmeted Honey-eater=, _P. cassidix_, V. + + Stat. r. _forest_ 8.5 + + "This splendid" Honey-eater; greenish-black; head black; + crown, ears, under yellow; tail tipped white; about eye black; + f., smaller, paler. Insects. + + =361 Wattled-cheeked Honey-eater=, _P. cratitia_, V., S.A., + W.A. + + Stat. r. _eucalypts_ 7 + + Crown gray; upper olive-green; tail, wings brown; about eye, + ear black; narrow yellow line below black; from bill to side + of neck naked lilac skin; under olive yellow; f., smaller. + Pollen, honey. + + =362* Yellow-plumed Honey-eater= (Graceful), _P. + novae-hollandiae (ornata)_, N.S.W., V., S.A., W.A. + + c. _scrub_ 6.5 + + "Elegant bird;" upper olive-brown; under grayish-white, + streaked brown; yellow ear-tuft; f., sim. Honey, insects. Loud + ringing note. + + =363* White-plumed Honey-eater=, Greenie, Linnet (e), + Chickoowee; Ringeye (e), Ringneck (e), Australian Canary (e), + _P. penicillata_, E.A., S.A., W.A. + + Stat. v.c. _gardens_ 6.7 + + Grayish-brown, tinged olive; under light yellowish-brown; long + white ear plumes, sometimes not seen until the head is moved; + f., smaller. Insects, pollen, honey. Loud ringing notes; + "Chick-oo-wee." + +5 +6 + + =364* Crescent Honey-eater= (Horseshoe, Tasmanian), Egypt, + _Meliornis pyrrhoptera (australasiana)_, N.S.W., V., S.A., T. + + Stat. c. _forest_, _heath_ 6.2 + + [Page 173] + + [Illustration: [365] [366] [367] [368] [369]] + + Upper dusky black; black bar each side of breast; under white; + flanks dusky; wings, tail marked golden-yellow; side-tail + spotted white; f., dusky-brown, faint yellow on wings and + tail. Loud varied calls, "Egypt." + + =365* White-bearded Honey-eater= (New Holland), Yellow Wings, + _M. novae-hollandiae_, S.Q., N.S.W., V., SA., T. + + Stat. v.c. _scrubby_, _Banksias_ 7.2 + + Blackish-brown, marked white; much yellow on wings; tail + black, margined yellow, tipped white; line side of nape, + cheeks, behind ear white; f., sim. Insects, honey. + + =366* White-cheeked Honey-eater=, _M. nigra (sericea)_, S.Q., + N.S.W., V., W.A. + + Stat. r. _scrub_, _undergrowth_ 7 + + Like 365, but forehead white; large tuft of white plumes on + side of head; tail not tipped white; f., smaller. Insects, + honey. Clear double whistling note. + +1 +1 + + =367* Bell-Miner=, Bell-Bird, _Manorina melanophrys_, E.A. f., + sim. Insects. Bell note, "Tink." + + Stat. r. _dense gullies_ 7 + + Olive-green; bright yellow patch between eye and bill; small + red patch behind eye; forehead, about eye black. + +4 +4 + + =368* Noisy Miner=, Garrulous Honeyeater, Snake-Bird, + Cherry-eater, Soldier, Micky, Squeaker, _Myzantha garrula_, + E.A., S.A., T. + + Stat. v.c. _open forest_ 10 + + Gray; marked whitish on hind-neck, marked dusky-gray chest; + crown, about eye, ear, chin black; wing tinged yellow; tail + tipped white; legs, bill, skin behind eye bright yellow; f., + smaller. Insects, fruit, honey. Noisy. + + =369 Yellow-throated Miner=, _M. flavigula_, E.A., S.A., C.A. + W.A. (inland). + + Stat. r. _timber_ 10 + + Gray; hind-neck marked whitish, chest marked brown; rump, tip + tail white; naked space behind eye; forehead, throat, bill, + legs yellow; a little olive-yellow on wing, base-tail; f., + smaller. Insects, honey. + + [Page 174] + + [Illustration: [370] [371] [372] [373] [374] [375]] + +2 +2 + + =370* Wattle-Bird=, Red Wattle-Bird, Gill-Bird, Wattled + Honey-eater, Mutton-Bird (e), _Acanthcchaera carunculata_, + S.Q., N.S.W., V., S.A., W.A. + + Stat. c. _timber_ 14.5 + + Brown streaked, lined white; red wattle 1/4in.; whitish below + eye, between shoulder and gill; wing quills and tail tipped + white; centre abdomen yellow; f., smaller. Insects, honey. + "Kwock, kwock;" "Up with the rag." Many curious guttural + notes. + + [Page 175] + +2 +2 + + =371 Brush Wattle-Bird=, Mocking-Bird, Mocker, Cookaycock, + _Anellobia chrysoptera (mellivora)_, S.Q., N.S.W., V., S.A., + T. + + Stat. c. _timber_ 12 + + Brown, lined white; quills lined, tipped white; tail tipped + white; throat whitish; no wattle; f., smaller. Showy, + pugnacious, many curious notes. + +1 +1 + + =372* Spiny-cheeked Honey-eater=, _Acanthagenys rufigularis_, + A. + + Nom. c. _timber_, _scrub_ 10 + + Upper dusky-brown; white spiny feathers, below eye to ear; + throat, chest rufous; abdomen whitish, streaked dusky-brown; + tail tipped white; f., sim. Insects, honey. Many peculiar loud + notes, a plaintive trill. + +3 +3 + + =373* Blue-faced Honey-eater=, Banana-Bird, Blue-eye, + _Entomyzon cyanotis_, E.A., S.A. + + Stat. c. _timber_ 12 + + Attractive, beautiful; upper golden olive-green; head, + hind-neck black; throat dusky; line on hind-neck, side throat, + under white; about eye blue; f., sim. Insects, honey. Loud + monotonous call. + +3 +8 + + =374* Friar-Bird=, Monk, Leatherhead, Four-o'-clock, Pimlico, + Poor Soldier, _Tropidorhynchus corniculatus_, E.A., S.A. + Insects. + + Nom. c. _open forest_, _orchard_ 13.2 + + Head naked, ink-black; knob on bill; brown; tail tipped white; + silver-white lanceolate feathers on throat; f., sim. Noisy, + "Tobacco-box," "four-o'-clock." Fruit. + +2 +12 + + =375* Yellow-throated Friar-Bird=, Little Leatherhead, + _Philemon citreigularis_, N. Ter., E.A., S.A., N.W.A. + + Nom. r. _timber_ 10 + + Upper brown; under pale brown; throat yellow (young), white + (adult); the colored plate shows a young bird; the adult loses + yellow on throat, black on face, grayish marks on back, and + becomes "one of the plainest of birds"; f., similar to adult + male. Insects, berries, honey. "Five-o'-clock." + + F. 145. _Mniotiltidae_, American Warblers, 231 sp.--2(0)P., + 80(12)Nc., 219(151)Nl. + + F. 146. _Drepanididae_, Sandwich Island Honeyeaters, 40 sp. A. + + [Page 176] + + [Illustration: [376] [376^A] [377] [377^A] [377^B] [377^C]] + + F. 147. MOTACILLIDAE (2), Pipits, Wagtails, 107 sp.--11(6)A., + 32(6)O., 53(12)P., 49(32)E., 7(1)Nc., + +1 +55 + + =376* Australian Pipit=, Ground-Lark, _Anthus australis_, A., + T. =vt. Eur. Pipit. + + Part-Mig. v.c. _grass_ 7 + + Upper dark-brown, feathers edged lighter; buff stripe above + eye; under white streaked dark-brown; most streaked on chest; + outer-tail white; f., sim. Insects, small seeds. Sometimes + soars singing melodiously. + + F. 148. ALAUDIDAE (4), Larks, Skylark, Horned-Larks, + Shore-Larks, 224 sp.--6(6)A., 45(29)O., 69(48)P., 108(99)E., + 18(10)Nc., 11(4)Nl. + + [Page 177] + +1 +12 + + =376^A Skylark=, _Alauda arvensis_, Eur., N. Afr., V. + (introduced). + + Mig. c. _grass_ 7 + + Upper warm-brown mottled, streaked darker; stripe over eye + lighter; throat, chest brownish-buff, streaked brown; abdomen + yellowish-white; f., smaller. Insects, seeds. Sings soaring; + famous songster. + +4 +45 + + =377* Bush-Lark=, Horsfield Bush-Lark, Skylark (e), _Mirafra + horsfieldi_, E.A., W.A. + + Stat. r. _grass_ 5.3 + + Like 376, but plumper, shorter; bill stouter, almost + finch-like; f., sim. Insects, small seeds. Sings melodiously + soaring, also on moonlight nights; "one of our most pleasing + songsters." + + F. 149. _Catamblyrhynchidae_, 2 sp. Nl. (Peru). + + F. 150. _Fringillidae_, Finches, Grosbeak, Bullfinch, Bunting, + Cardinal (Am.), Crossbill, Chaffinch, Linnet, Redpoll, Canary, + 1087 sp.--129(83)O., 202(138)P., 107(96)E., 191(125)Nc., + 529(474)Nl. + +1 +10 + + =377^A Greenfinch=, Green Linnet, _Ligurinus chloris_, + Europe to Persia, V. (introduced). + + Stat. c. _fields_, _gardens_ 6 + + Upper olive-green; golden-yellow eyestripe; tail yellow + base, black tip; wing dark-brown, lined bright yellow; under + greenish-yellow, darker on flanks; f., much duller. Seeds. + "One of the prettiest of British songsters." + +1 +11 + + =377B Goldfinch=, Thistle-Finch, _Carduelis + carduelis_, Europe, Canary Is. to Egypt, to Persia, Siberia, + V. (introduced). + + Stat. v.c. _fields_ 5 + + Crown black; face, chin red; behind eye, throat, under, upper + base tail white; bright yellow on wings; f., sim. Thistle + seeds, insects. Loud, sweet song; "twit-it." + +2 +56 + + =377C Tree-Sparrow= (Mountain-), _Passer montanus_, + Eur., N. Asia, A. (introduced). + + Stat. r. _trees_ 5.6 + + Like 377D, but head, nape chestnut; black ear patch + in centre of a large white patch; two white bars on side of + wing; shier; f., sim. Seeds, insects. Chirps. + + [Page 178] + + [Illustration: [377^D] [378] [379] [380] [381] [382]] + + =377D House-Sparrow=, _P. domesticus_, Eur., Siberia, + A. (introduced). + + Stat. v.c. _houses_ 5 + + Crown, nape bluish-gray; behind eye, side neck broad chestnut + band; upper brown; one white bar on wing; cheeks, throat + black; under whitish; f., duller; darker below; no black + throat. Seeds, insects. Chirps. + + F. 151. _Coerebidae_, Honey-Creepers, 93 sp.--1(0)Nc., + 93(92)Nl. + + F. 152. _Procniatidae_, 1 sp. Nl. + + F. 153. _Tanagridae_, Tanagers, 424 sp.--6(0)Nc., 424(418)Nl. + +==== + +Order XXI. (continued) + +Gould placed the Australian Finches in the same family as the +Sparrow--the _Fringillidae_--which includes also the Linnet and the +cage Canary. Most writers now put them in with the Weaver-Birds or +Weaver Finches (family _Ploceidae_). Twenty-three Finches have been +recorded from Australia. All have the well-known Finch bill, adapted +for shelling seeds, and all are seed-eaters, though some occasionally +take insects in addition. + +The Spotted-sided Finch is true to name, as a glance at the +illustration shows. The rare Fire-tail is beautifully and closely +banded below, while the Chestnut-eared Finch is banded on the throat +and chest. The Plum-headed Finch has a deep crimson forehead, and is +banded below. + +The Red-browed Finch is often called the "Firetail," for it has the +red rump as well as the red brow and bill, but the under surface is +not banded. These birds usually build a very large nest, which has +been compared to a "stocking hung by the toe, while the eggs are laid +in the heel, and entrance is gained through the leg." + +The introduced Starling has firmly established itself, and is +extending its range rapidly. Incredible numbers gather at lagoon-sides +to roost in the reed-beds. + +This bird is a favorite with farmers and graziers, but orchardists +view its rapid increase with alarm. It is possible, as Mr. C. French, +Government Entomologist, has pointed out, that the Starling will yet +prove a more expensive pest than the Rabbit. + +Starlings, at least, upset the balance of nature, for, by occupying +all available nesting sites, early and late, they displace the native +birds. Kingfishers, Parrots, and other birds that nest in hollows are +thus being driven away from their old haunts. + +The Australian Oriole is a member of the family of true Orioles. The +Fig-Birds of Queensland towns are closely related. The members of +this family are restricted to the Eastern Hemisphere. Our Oriole is an +interesting migrant which visits even cities. Its beautiful hanging, +cup-shaped nest woven amongst the twigs at the end of a leafy bough +is a clever piece of work. Its note is melodious and varied. It often +calls "o-ree-ee-o-ole." It is also fond of mimicking other birds. + +The Baltimore Oriole, or Golden Robin, is properly not an Oriole, but +comes in a related family--the _Icteridae_--which contains American +birds somewhat similar to Orioles. The Australian bird, as shown by +the colored illustration, has not the conspicuous golden and black +plumage of the European bird. + +The Spangled Drongo is the Australian representative of a family +of birds spread from Africa, Madagascar, and India up to Japan, and +through the islands to Australia. They are a characteristic feature of +Indian ornithology, for they are found everywhere in that country. +The one Australian bird is a migrant, and seldom reaches Southern +Australia. Like other Drongos, it is a glossy black, has a long, +forked tail, is a good mimic of other birds' calls, and is also a +vicious fighter. It is exceedingly active, and has a disagreeably +harsh, cackling, and creaking whistle. It will drive away even hawks +and crows. + +After the Shining Starlings of Queensland, come the +marvellously-beautiful Birds of Paradise--"God's Birds." + +These unique birds are found only in New Guinea, Papuan Islands, +Molucca Islands, and the rich, tropical coast scrubs of Eastern +Australia. One, the Riflebird, is found even down to North-Eastern New +South Wales. + +The Federal and State Governments are doing excellent work in +protecting our beautiful birds, and are giving what seems to be a +really efficient protection, so that some of our birds which possess +the fatal gift of beauty in an extreme degree will probably survive +for some time yet. Collectors as well as plume-hunters should be +compelled to keep hands off our exquisite birds. + +(continued below) + +==== + + F. 154. PLOCEIDAE (23), WEAVER-FINCHES, 487 sp.--59(56)A., + 41(37)O., 1(0)P., 391(391)E. + + [Page 179] + +1 +1 + + =378* Spotted-sided Finch=, Diamond-Sparrow (e), Java-Sparrow + (e), _Stagonopleura guttata_, S.Q., N.S.W., V., S.A. + + Stat. c. _grass_ 4.6 + + "Showy, attractive;" crown gray; back, wings brown; rump, + bill, eye red; sides, chest-band, tail black; sides spotted + white; throat, centre abdomen white; f., sim. Grass-seeds. + +2 +2 + + =379* Firetailed Finch=, Firetail, _Zonaeginthus bellus_, + S.Q., N.S.W., V., S.A., T. + + Stat. r. _grass_ 4.6 + + Upper olive-brown, finely-barred black; under gray, + finely-barred black; rump, bill scarlet; about eye black; f., + sim. Seeds. + +1 +2 + + =380* Chestnut-eared Finch= (Zebra), _Taeniopygia castanotis_, + A. (interior). + + Nom. small flocks, v.r. _plains_ 4.2 + + Upper brown; rump white; upper base tail black, with three + white spots; cheeks chestnut; throat, chest gray, barred + black; black band on chest; abdomen white; flanks chestnut, + spotted white; feet, bill orange; f., throat, chest gray, + fringed brown; abdomen yellowish-brown. Grass-seeds. + +1 +4 + + =381* Plum-headed Finch= (Diadem, Plain-colored), _Aidemosyne + modesta_, S.Q., N.S.W., V., S.A. + + Stat. small flocks, r. _grass_ 4.6 + + Crown deep purple; bill, between eye and bill, spot on chin + black; upper brown; wings spotted white; side-tail tipped + white; under white barred brown; f., no black on chin. Seeds. + +2 +2 + + =382* Red-browed Finch= (Temporal), Redhead, Redbill (e), + Sydney Waxbill, _Ægintha temporalis_, E.A., S.A. + + Stat. small flocks, r. _grass_ 4.5 + + Bill, patch over eye, rump crimson; crown gray; upper + olive-brown; under lighter; f., sim. Seeds. + + F. 155. _Icteridae_, Bobolink, Cowbird, Blackbirds (Am.), + Oriole (Am.), Redwing (Am.), 185 sp.--35(15)Nc., 170(150) Nl. + + F. 156. _Sturnidae_, Starlings, Grackles, 60 sp.--2(1)A., + 42(28)O., 29(14)P., 2(1)E. + + [Page 181] + + [Illustration: [375] [376] [377] [378] [379] [380] [381] [382] [383]] + + =375= Yellow-throated Friar-Bird + =376= Australian Pipit + =377= Bush-Lark + =378= Spotted-Sided Finch + =379= Firetailed Finch + =380= Chestnut-eared Finch + =381= Plum-headed Finch + =382= Red-browed Finch + =383= Olive-backed Oriole + + [Page 183] + + [Illustration: [384] [385] [385^A] [386] [390] [391] [392] [394]] + + =384= Spangled Drongo + =385= Satin Bower-Bird + =385^A= Satin Bower-Bird (Female) + =386= Spotted Bower-Bird + =390= Apostle-Bird + =391= White-winged Chough + =392= Pied Bell-Magpie + =394= Gray Bell-Magpie + + [Page 186] + + [Illustration: [382^A] [382^B] [383] [384] [385] [385^A]] + +1 +23 + + =382^A Starling=, _Sturnus vulgaris_, Eur., N. Afr., + Asia, A. (introduced). + + Nom. v.c. _open_ 8.5 + + Glossy-black, with metallic reflections; upper feathers tipped + buff, under tipped white; light tips lost in summer; bill + lemon-yellow summer, blackish winter; f., sim. Insects, + caterpillars, fruit. Wheezing, whining notes. Mimic. + + [Page 187a] + +1 +3 + + =382^B Common Myna= (Indian, Calcutta), _Acridotheres + tristis_, India, Afghanistan, V. (Introduced). + + Stat. v.c. _houses_ 10 + + Head, neck black; upper brown; under rich vinous-brown; + tip-tail, large patch on wing white; about eye, bill, legs + yellow; f., sim. Insects, fruit. Many notes. + + F. 157. EULABETIDAE (2), SHINING STARLINGS, 139 sp.--51(51)A., + 20(20)O., 1(1)P., 67(67)E. + + F. 158. _Paramythidae_, 1 sp. A. (N.G.). + + F. 159. _Buphagidae_, Oxpecker, Rhinoceros-Bird, 2 sp. E. + + F. 160. ORIOLIDAE (4), ORIOLES, Fig-Birds, 70 sp.--27(27)A., + 29(26)O., 3(0)P., 15(14)E. + +1 +12 + + =383* Olive-backed Oriole=, Green Thrush (e), _Mimetes + sagittata (Oriolus viridis)_, E.A., N.W.A. + + Stat. r. _open forest_ 11.5 + + Upper yellowish olive-green; wings, tail brown, tipped white; + under whitish, streaked black; bill flesh-red; eyes scarlet; + variable in color; f., sim. Insects, fruit. "Or-ree-ee-oale." + Mimic. + + F. 161. DICRURIDAE (1), DRONGOS, 73 sp.--24(23)A., 39(38)O., + 11(11)E. + +1 +29 + + =384* Spangled Drongo=, Drongo-Shrike, King-Crow, _Dicruropsis + (Chibia, Dicrurus) bracteata_, N.G., N. Ter., E.A., N.W.A., T. + (acc.). + + Nom. r. _timber_ 12.2 + + Black glossed, spotted green; spotted white under wing; f., + sim. Insects. Noisy, harsh peculiar notes. + + F. 162. PARADISEIDAE (4), BIRDS OF PARADISE, Rifle-Bird, 70 + sp. A. + +==== + +Order XXI. (continued) + +Mr. A. J. North, C.M.B.O.U., the ornithologist of the Australian +Museum, Sydney, and one of the greatest of living Australian +ornithologists, has declared that "without exception, the +bower-building birds of Australia are the most extraordinary and +interesting group of birds found in the world." + +These wonderful birds construct, apart from their nests, +play-houses--structures that "are perfectly anomalous in the +architecture of birds." Gould considered the accounts of the +"extraordinary habits" of the Bower Birds "as some of the valuable and +interesting portions" of his work. Though the bird was known before +Gould's time, its "extraordinary habits had never been brought +before the scientific world until I (Gould) had the gratification of +publishing an account of them after my return from Australia." + +This month I had the gratification of seeing the Satin Bower Birds +playing about a perfect bower within one chain of a country school, +and within one yard of a busy roadside. The birds have quite made +friends with the school children. They have helped themselves to the +blue flowers from the school garden, pieces of blue paper, and even +a blue hair ribbon, besides blue parrot's feathers. These are used to +decorate this very interesting playhouse. + +Unfortunately, Satin Bower Birds are mainly fruit-eaters, and so +will possibly do some damage, but they are amongst the wonders of the +world, and it is hoped all will hesitate to shoot them, "for their +highly-decorated halls of assembly must be regarded as the most +wonderful instances of bird-architecture yet discovered." The male +gets his beautiful blue-black coat after he is seven years old. + +Many of the schools of South Gippsland can show Satin Bower-Birds +regularly in attendance at lunch-time to gather the crusts. We have +destroyed their native fruits, and should submit to some slight +loss to enable young Australians to become familiar with the "most +interesting group of birds" in the world. + +(continued below) + +==== + + [Page 187b] + + F. 163. PTILONORHYNCHIDAE (11), BOWER-BIRDS, Regent-Bird, Cat + (Gardener) Bird, 37 sp. A. + +1 +1 + + =385* Satin Bower-Bird=, Satin Bird, _Ptilonorhynchus + violaceus_, E.A. + + Stat. r. _coast-scrubs_, _mt.-gullies_ 12.5 + + Lustrous blue-black, with black centres to feathers; f.,* + upper grayish-green; quills dark-brown; tail golden-brown; + under yellow, washed bluish-green, marked blackish-brown; + young male up to 3 years sim. to f. Gets fully adult + blue-black after 7 years of age. Fruits, berries, insects. + Many notes, mimics. + + [Page 188a] + + [Illustration: [386] [387] [388] [389] [390]] + +5 +6 + + =386* Spotted Bower-Bird=, Cabbage-Bird, _Chlamydera + maculata_, E.A, S.A. (inland). + + Stat. v.r. _dry scrubs_ 12 + + Upper dark-brown spotted buff; rose-lilac opalescent plumes + on nape; tail tipped buff, white; abdomen pale creamy-buff, + flanks barred dusky brown; f., no rose-lilac plumes. Varied, + harsh, plaintive notes, mimics. + +==== + +Order XXI. (continued) + +The members of the Crow Family--the _Corvidae_--were considered the +most highly-developed of birds--the most highly organized, so far as +structure was concerned, and the most intelligent. However, Sharpe has +erected the seven Australian Bell-Magpies (_Streperas_) into a family +which, in his _Hand-List of Birds_ is placed at the top of the bird +tree. + +In the Crow Family many well-known birds are placed. The Jays, +Magpie, Daws, Rooks, and Nutcrackers of Europe are not represented +in Australia. The Crows and the Raven, however, are represented by +closely-related birds. + +It is important to tell the difference between the Australian Crow and +the Australian Raven, for, we are told, the Crow is all that is good, +while the Raven is the reverse. + +The ornithologists say it is easy to tell the difference. Just examine +the down, say, on the neck. It is white in the Crow, but dusky in +the Raven. Unfortunately, the birds will not always wait to permit an +examination of the down. + +The eye is often mentioned, but hazel-eyed birds have become white-eyed. +However, the Raven has lanceolate feathers on the neck, and a rougher, +unmusical voice. + +The Raven seems the more common bird, though most people will tell you +there are no Ravens in their district. + +The Apostle-Bird (Gray Jumper), and the White-winged Chough are two +of Australia's "anomalous birds." Both go in flocks, so each has been +called the "Twelve Apostles." However, the name has become attached to +the Gray Jumper. + +The White-winged Chough has no close relative in the world; possibly, +the Chough that nests in the cliffs of Cornwall is nearest to it. + +The Bell-Magpies (_Streperas_), perhaps better known as Black or Gray +Magpies, are now receiving much notice, because of their position +at the head of the bird-world. They are restricted to Australia, +Tasmania, and Lord Howe Island. A good name is required for these +birds, for, of course, they are not Magpies, though they have a +white-tipped tail, and there is usually white in the wing, and about +the base of the tail. They are fine, large birds, with a variety of +notes. + +(continued below) + +==== + + [Page 188b] + + F. 164. CORVIDAE (5), CROWS, Rook, Raven, Jackdaw, Magpie + (Br.), Jay, Nutcracker, Chough, 274 sp.--27(25)A., 73(58)O., + 69(53)P., 15(9)E., 43(35)Nc., 73(65)Nl. + +3 +63 + + =387 Hazel-eyed Crow=, _Corvus coronoides_, A. + + Nom. c. _open_, _timber_ 20 + + Black glossed with purple; white down; hazel eyes; f., + smaller. Insects, carrion, fruit, not lambs. + + =388 Small-billed Crow=, _C. bennetti_, W.N.S.W., V., S.A. + Like 387, but smaller; bill small; eye white; f., sim. + Insects, carrion. "Car" repeated. + + Stat. v.r. _plains_ 18.5 + + =389 Australian Raven=, Crow (e), _C. marianae (Corone + australis)_, A., T. + + Nom. v.c. _plains_, _timber_ 20 + + Black glossed purple; throat feathers lanceolate, tinged + green; down dusky-gray; eyes white; f., smaller, lanceolate + feathers not so well developed. Locusts, caterpillars, + omnivorous, destructive. "Loud, deep Gwar-gwar, varied with + shrill, high-sounding Korr-Korr" (North). + +1 +1 + + =390* Apostle-Bird=, Gray Jumper, Twelve Apostles, _Struthidea + cinerea_, N. Ter., E.A., S.A. (inland). + + Stat. small flocks, r. _open timber_ 13 + + Gray; wings brown; bill, legs black; eye white; f., sim. Mud + nest. Insects. Incessant chattering. + + [Page 189] + + [Illustration: [391] [392] [393] [394] [395]] + +1 +1 + + =391* White-winged Chough=, Black Magpie (e), Jay (e), + Apostle-Bird (e), _Corcorax melanorhamphus_, E.A., S.A. + + Stat. small flocks, c. _timber_ 16 + + Sooty black, white on wing only; eyes red; f., sim. Mud nest. + Insects, fruits, seeds. Low, mournful whistle. + + F. 165. STREPERIDAE (7), BELL-MAGPIES, Streperas, + Crow-Shrikes, 7 sp. A. + +7 +7 + + =392* Pied Bell-Magpie= (Crow-Shrike), Currawong. Mutton-Bird + (e), _Strepera graculina_, E.A., Lord Howe Is. + + Nom. r. _timber_ 18.5 + + Black; white patch on wing, upper base tail, under base tail, + tip tail; eye yellow; f., smaller. Berries, fruit, insects. + + =393 Black-winged Bell-Magpie= (Crow-Shrike), _S. + melanoptera_, V., S.A., Kangaroo Is. + + Stat. v.r. _scrub_ 19 + + Black, white tip tail, under base tail; f., smaller. Insects. + + =394* Gray Bell-Magpie= (Crow-Shrike), Gray Magpie, Rain-Bird, + Squeaker, _S. versicolor (cuneicaudata)_, E.A. + + Stat. v.c. _timber_, _orchard_ 19 + + Gray; white on wing, tip tail, under base tail; eye + orange; f., sim. Insects, fruit. Loud, ringing notes. + "It's-going-to-rain." "Two and two are four." Cree-e-ling, + cree-e-ling. + + =395 Sooty Bell-Magpie= (Crow-Shrike), Black Magpie (e), _S. + fuliginosa_, E.A., S.A., T., Bass St. Is. + + Stat. r. _timber_ 18 + + Sooty black; white in wing, tip tail; eye yellow; big bill + black; f., sim. Insects, fruit. + +==== + +This concludes a necessarily brief outline of the classification +of the Birds of Australia, and, incidentally, of the birds of the +world, for, while the Emu is one of the most primitive of birds placed +right at the foot, the Bell-Magpies (_Streperas_) are placed at the +very summit of the avine tree. + +Australians! Realize that you live in a land favored far beyond most +as regards birds, and that you have a duty to perform in preserving as +many as possible of these unique, interesting, and valuable forms +for posterity. Teachers! Your influence is more potent than all the +legislation. Bird lovers already freely acknowledge the fundamental +change that has come over the schoolboy since the introduction of +nature-study, and they look to you with confidence to extend greatly +the good work of cultivating an interest and a pride in +things Australian, for this interest will eradicate the once +almost-universal, but now rapidly-disappearing, desire for slaughter +of anything wearing a feather. + +If women could be persuaded to come in line with the once destructive +schoolboy in this respect, the bird lover and the well-wisher of his +country would have further cause for gratification, and our beautiful +birds a further enjoyment of a useful, indeed, often a necessary life, +one necessary to the welfare of the agriculturist and the pastoralist, +as well as of all dwellers in this fair, sunny land of ours. + +Australians! Your wonderful Lyre-Birds, your marvellous Bower-Birds, +your gorgeous Birds of Paradise, your Mound-Builders, your flute-noted +Magpies, your charming Whistlers, your beautiful and intelligent +Cockatoos, your glorious Parrots--the pets of the bird world--your +Superb-Warblers, your varied, valuable, and attractive Honey-eaters, +and your giant Laughing-Kingfisher are here for your enjoyment and +appreciation. No other people has your privilege of knowing these +birds in their native state. On the other hand, you enjoy most of the +privileges of dwellers in other lands, in addition to your own, for +"every widely-spread family of birds but two is found in Australia. +The only notable absentees are Vultures and Woodpeckers." Be proud +of your heritage, and pass it on uninjured. Though that, alas! is not +possible, yet you may pass on at least the remnant that still survives +the "blessings and advance of civilization." + + + + +NOTE. + + +Having obtained the approximate length of a bird, look for it on the +following pages. Compare the bird before you with the half-tone and +colored illustrations, and, if necessary, the written description:-- + + PAGES + + 3-5 inches, 14, 121, 123, 124, 131, 133, 142-145, 153, 155, + 166, 167, 169, 179. + + 5-7 inches, 13, 15, 22, 23, 26, 27, 44, 49, 89, 110, 111, + 120-125, 127, 129, 131, 142, 144-146, 151, 152, 155, 168-172, + 177, 178. + + 7-9 inches, 13, 15, 17, 18, 27, 31, 42, 43, 45, 47-49, 89, + 102-107, 109, 125, 129, 131, 145, 147, 150-152, 154, 169-173, + 176, 177, 186. + + 9-11 inches, 17, 18, 24, 25, 31, 40, 43, 44, 49-51, 61, 102, + 103, 107, 109, 127-129, 131-133, 145, 148, 149, 151, 170, 171, + 173, 175, 187. + + 11-13 inches, 28-30, 34, 43, 46, 49, 80, 82, 83, 93, 101, 102, + 105, 107, 109, 130, 149, 175, 187, 188. + + 13-15 inches, 17, 18, 23, 25, 28, 29, 35, 43, 45, 47, 80, 83, + 85-88, 91, 92, 100, 101, 103, 107, 126, 127, 149, 174, 175, + 188. + + 15-17 inches, 18, 23, 28, 29, 45-47, 64, 65, 67, 73, 82, 85, + 87, 91, 93, 189. + + 17-20 inches, 16, 23, 25, 27, 28, 35, 40, 41, 43, 61, 63, 65, + 67, 73, 82, 83, 91, 93, 104, 105, 149, 188, 189. + + 20-23 inches, 35, 41, 45, 51, 61, 63, 66, 67, 72, 73, 81, 91, + 188. + + 23-25 inches, 13, 25, 41, 45, 60, 61, 65, 69, 81, 82, 84, 85, + 90, 111. + + 25-30 inches, 25, 33, 41, 53, 60, 65, 67, 69, 89, 112. + + 30-35 inches, 29, 32, 33, 53, 60, 63, 69, 71, 81. + + Over 35 inches, 12, 31, 32, 51, 52, 62, 68, 70, 71, 81, 112. + + + + +INDEX (Colored Plates). + + + Frontispiece. + + =2= Mallee-Fowl + =3= Stubble Quail + =4= Brown Quail + =6= King Quail + =8= Painted Quail + =11= Plain Wanderer + =14= Diamond Dove + =16= Bronzewing Pigeon + + + Page 19 + + =21= Pectoral Rail + =22= Aust. Spotted Crake + =26= Black Moor-Hen + =27= Bald Coot + =30= Hoary-headed Grebe + =67= Crested Tern + =71= White-faced Ternlet + =72= Silver Gull + =73= Pacific Gull + + + Page 38 + + =81= Black-breasted Plover + =87= Black-fronted Dottrel + =102= Sharp-tailed Sandpiper + =106= Australian Snipe + =107= Australian Painted Snipe + =109= Southern Stone-Curlew + =119= White-fronted Heron + =123= Nankeen Night Heron + =125= Australian Bittern + + + Page 55 + + =128= Cape Barren Goose + =129= Maned Goose + =131= Plumed Whistling Duck + =133= Black Duck + =134= Australian Teal + =135= Gray Teal + =136= Australian Shoveller + =137= Pink-eared Duck + =139= White-eyed Duck + + + Page 57 + + =152= Allied Harrier + =155= Australian Goshawk + =157= Collared Sparrowhawk + =158= Wedge-tailed Eagle + =165= Black-shouldered Kite + =167= Black-cheeked Falcon + =170= Little Falcon + =172= Brown Hawk + =173= Nankeen Kestrel + + + Page 76 + + =184= Blue Mountain Lorikeet + =185= Musk Lorikeet + =191= Gang-gang Cockatoo + =193= Pink Cockatoo + =194= Rose-breasted Cockatoo + =196= Cockatoo-Parrot + =197= Superb Parrot + =198= Black-tailed Parrot + =199= King Parrot + + + Page 78 + + =200= Crimson Parrot + =202= Rosella + =203= Mallee Parrot + =204= Blue Bonnet + =205= Many-colored Parrot + =206= Red-backed Parrot + =209= Grass-Parrot + =213= Swift Parrot + =214= Warbling Grass-Parrot + + + Page 95 + + =219= Australian Roller + =220= Blue Kingfisher + =221= Laughing Kingfisher + =223= Sacred Kingfisher + =224= Aust. Bee-eater + =227= Spine-tailed Swift + =229= Pallid Cuckoo + =230= Fan-tailed Cuckoo + =235= Bronze Cuckoo + + + Page 97 + + =238= Welcome Swallow + =240= Tree Martin + =242= Brown Flycatcher + =244= Scarlet-breasted Robin + =244^A= Scarlet-breasted Robin (Female) + =245= Flame-breasted Robin + =245^A= Flame-breasted Robin (Female) + =248= Red Capped Robin + =248^A= Red Capped Robin (Female) + + + Page 116 + + =251= White-throated Flyeater + =254= White-shafted Fantail + =255= Rufous Fantail + =256= Black and White Fantail + =259= Restless Flycatcher + =262= Black-faced Cuckoo-Shrike + =265= White-shouldered Caterpillar-eater + =265^A= White-shouldered Caterpillar-eater (Female) + =266= Spotted Ground-Bird + + + Page 118 + + =272= Coachwhip Bird + =273= Gray-crowned Babbler + =276= White-browed Field-Wren + =278= Brown Song-Lark + =279= Rufous Song-Lark + =280= Mountain Thrush + =281= White-fronted Chat + =281^A= White-fronted Chat (F.) + =282= Crimson-breasted Chat + + + Page 135 + + =284= Aust. Reed-Warbler + =285= Golden-headed Fantail-Warbler + =286= Grass-Bird + =287= Speckled Warbler + =288= Little Tit-Warbler + =289= Brown Tit-Warbler + =291= Striated Tit-Warbler + =293= Yellow-tailed Tit-Warbler + =297= White-browed Scrub-Wren + + + Page 137 + + =300= Superb-Warbler + =300^A= Superb-Warbler (Female) + =302= White-winged Superb-Warbler + =304= Emu Wren + =306= Bristle-Bird + =311= White-browed Wood-Swallow + =312= Masked Wood-Swallow + =313= Wood-Swallow + =315= Gray Shrike-Thrush + + + Page 139 + + =319= Aust. Butcher-Bird + =320= Yellow-breasted Shrike-Tit + =321= Crested Bell-Bird + =322= Golden-breasted Whistler + =322^A= Golden-breasted Whistler (F.) + =323= Rufous-breasted Whistler + =323^A= Rufous-breasted Whistler (F.) + =326= Yellow-breasted Shrike-Robin + =327= Whiteface + + + Page 158 + + =328= Orange-winged Nuthatch + =330= Brown Tree-Creeper + =331= White-throated Tree-Creeper + =334= White-eye + =336= Australian Flower-Pecker + =336^A= Australian Flower-Pecker (Female) + =337= Red-tipped Diamond Bird + =340= Spotted Diamond Bird + =341= Golden-rumped Diamond Bird + + + Page 160 + + =342= White-naped Honey-eater + =345= Striped Honey-eater + =346= Sanguineous Honey-eater + =347= Black Honey-eater + =348= Spinebill + =349= Tawny-crowned Honey-eater + =350= White-fronted Honey-eater + =351= Painted Honey-eater + =353= Regent Honey-eater + + + Page 162 + + =355= Yellow-eared Honey-eater + =356= Singing Honey-eater + =357= Yellow-faced Honey-eater + =358= White-eared Honey-eater + =359= Yellow-tufted Honey-eater + =362= Yellow-plumed Honey-eater + =363= White-plumed Honey-eater + =364= Crescent Honey-eater + =365= White-bearded Honey-eater + + + Page 164 + + =360= Helmeted Honey-eater + =366= White-cheeked Honey-eater + =367= Bell-Miner + =368= Noisy Miner + =370= Wattle-Bird + =372= Spiny-cheeked Honey-eater + =373= Blue-faced Honey-eater + =374= Friar-Bird + + + Page 181 + + =375= Yellow-throated Friar-Bird + =376= Australian Pipit + =377= Bush-Lark + =378= Spotted-Sided Finch + =379= Firetailed Finch + =380= Chestnut-eared Finch + =381= Plum-headed Finch + =382= Red-browed Finch + =383= Olive-backed Oriole + + + Page 183 + + =384= Spangled Drongo + =385= Satin Bower-Bird + =385^A= Satin Bower-Bird (Female) + =386= Spotted Bower-Bird + =390= Apostle-Bird + =391= White-winged Chough + =392= Pied Bell-Magpie + =394= Gray Bell-Magpie + + + + +INDEX (General). + + +The Ordinary Figures (175) refer to tabular matter and the Italic +Figures (_141_) refer to the lecture. + + _Acanthagenys_, 175 + + _Acanthiza_, 142, _141_, _153_ + + _Acanthochaera_, 174 + + _Acanthorhynchus_, 170 + + _Accipiter_, 80 + + _Acridotheres_, 187 + + _Acrocephalus_, 142 + + _Ægialitis_, 44, 45 + + _Ægintha_, 179 + + _Ægotheles_, 104 + + _Aerocharidae_, 149 + + _Æstrelata_, 28, 29 + + _Aidemosyne_, 179 + + Alarm-Bird, 43 + + _Alauda_, 177 + + _Alaudidae_, 176, _177_ + + Albatross, 31, 32, 33, _33_, _34_ + + _Alcedinidae_, 105 + + _Alcidae_, 33 + + _Alcyone_, 105 + + _Ampelidae_, 147 + + _Amytornis_, 146 + + _Anas_, 65 + + _Anatidae_, 62 + + _Ancylochilus_, 49 + + _Anellobia_, 175 + + _Anhinga_, 70 + + _Anseranas_, 63 + + Anteater, Spiny, _11_ + + _Anthus_, 176 + + _Antigone_, 52 + + Ant-thrushes, 113 + + Antwrens, 113 + + _Aphelocephala_, 153 + + Apostle-Bird, 188, 130, 189, _147_, _186_ + + _Aprosmictus_, 93 + + _Apterygidae_, 13 + + _Apteryx_, 13, _13_ + + _Aramidae_, 52 + + _Ardeidae_, 60 + + _Ardetta_, 61 + + _Arenaria_, 42 + + _Artamidae_, 147 + + _Artamus_, 147 + + _Astur_, 73 + + Atlantic O., _26_, _33_ + + _Atrichornithidae_, 113, _119_ + + Audubon Society, _114_ + + Auk, 33 + + _Aves_, 12 + + Avocet, 45, _47_ + + _Aythya_, 67 + + + Babbler, 130, _130_, _175_ + + Babbling-Thrush, 128 + + _Balaenicipitidae_, 60 + + Bald-Coot, 23 + + Bali, _91_, 168 + + Ballyhead, 133 + + Banana-Bird, 175 + + Barbet, 111, _91_ + + Barker, 130 + + Bark-pecker, 153 + + Barley-Bird, 142 + + _Barnardius_, 101 + + Barn Owl, 86, 87, _85_ + + Barwing, 67 + + Bass St., _154_, _165_ + + Bat, _11_, _166_ + + Beach-Bird, 42 + + Bee-eater, 106, 107, _106_ + + Bell-Bird, 151, _151_, _174_ + + Bell-Magpie, 189, _12_, _39_, _185_, _186_, _187_ + + Bell-Miner, 173, _174_ + + Bird Day, _74_, _119_, _141_ + + Birds of Paradise, 187, _12_, _180_, _190_ + + Birds of Prey, 72, _71_, _74_, _79_, _84_, _87_ + + Bittern, 61, _59_ + + _Biziura_, 67 + + Blackbird, 132, 179, _133_, _134_ + + Blackcap, 142, 168 + + Bleater, 50 + + Blight-Bird, 155, _156_ + + Blood-Bird, 169 + + Blood Tit (e), 142 + + Blue-Bird, 127, 132, _146_ + + Blue-Bonnet, 101, 144, _99_ + + Bluecap, 144 + + Blue-eye, 175, _176_ + + Blue-Head, 144 + + Blue Mountain, 88, _90_, _156_ + + Blue-Tit, 144 + + Bluewing, 66 + + Blue-Wren, 144 + + Boatswain-Bird, 41, 71 + + Bobolink, 179, _74_ + + Bob-White, 15 + + Boobook Owl, 85, _85_, _104_ + + Booby, 71, _70_ + + Boomer, 61 + + _Botaurus_, 61 + + Bower-Birds, 187, 188, _12_, _185_, _190_ + + Brain-fever Bird, 109, _110_ + + Bristle Bird, 145, _141_ + + Broadbill, 111 + + Broad-tails, _94_ + + Brolga, 52 + + Brownhead, 67 + + Brush-Turkey, 13, _15_ + + _Bubonidae_, 85 + + _Bucconidae_, 111 + + _Bucerotidae_, 106 + + Budgerigar, 103, _100_ + + Bulbul, 127, _91_ + + Bulla-Bulla, 101 + + Bull-Bird, 61 + + Bullfinch, 177 + + Bully, 28 + + Bunting, 177 + + Bunyip, _59_ + + _Buphagidae_, 187 + + _Burhinus_, 51 + + Bush-Lark, 177, _177_ + + Bushman's Clock, 105 + + Bush-Warbler, 124 + + Bustard, 51, _51_, _52_ + + Bustard Quail, 15, _17_, _21_ + + Butcher-Bird, 149, _150_ + + Button Quail, 15 + + Buzzard, 82, _79_ + + + Cabbage-Bird, 188 + + _Cacatua_, 91 + + _Cacatuidae_, 89 + + Cackler, 130 + + _Cacomantis_, 109 + + _Calamanthus_, 131 + + Caley, _149_ + + Calico-Bird, 42 + + _Calidris_, 48 + + _Callocephalum_, 91 + + _Calopsittacus_, 93 + + _Calyptorhynchus_, 89 + + Campophaga, 127 + + _Campophagidae_, 126 + + Canary, 124, 133, 152, 172, 177, _134_, _179_ + + Cape Barren Is., _32_ + + Cape Petrel, 29 + + Cape Pigeon, 29 + + Capercailly, 13 + + Cape Sheep, 31 + + _Capitonidae_, 111 + + _Caprimulgidae_, 107 + + Cardinal, 177 + + _Carduelis_, 177 + + _Cariamidae_, 53 + + _Carinatae_, 13, _13_, _14_ + + _Carphibis_, 53 + + Carr Goose, 25 + + _Casarca_, 65 + + Cassowary, 13, _11_, _13_ + + _Casuariidae_, 13 + + _Catamblyrhynchidae_, 177 + + _Catarrhactes_, 25 + + Catbird, 130, 187, _131_ + + Caterpillar-eater, 126, 127, _39_, _127_, _128_ + + _Cathartidae_, 71 + + _Cerchneis_, 83 + + _Cereopsis_, 63 + + _Certhiidae_, 154 + + _Certhionyx_, 170 + + _Chaetura_, 107 + + Chaffinch, 177 + + _Chalcococcyx_, 110 + + _Chalcophaps_, 17 + + _Chamaeidae_, 153 + + Channel-bill, 111, _111_ + + _Charadriidae_, 42 + + _Charadrius_, 44 + + Chat, 133, _134_ + + Chatterer, 113, 130 + + _Chelidon_, 120 + + _Chenonetta_, 63 + + _Chenopsis_, 62 + + _Cheramoeca_, 121 + + Cherry-eater, 173 + + Cherry-Hawk, 127 + + _Chibia_, 187 + + Chickadee, _74_ + + Chicken-Hawk, 73 + + Chickoowee, 172 + + Chick-up, 171 + + Chiffchaff, 142 + + _Chionididae_, 42 + + _Chlamydera_, 188 + + Chough, 189, _147_, _186_ + + " (Br.), 188, _186_ + + _Chthonicola_, 142 + + Chuck-e-chuc, 167 + + _Ciconiidae_, 60 + + _Cinclidae_, 132 + + _Cincloramphus_, 131 + + _Cinclosoma_, 128 + + _Circus_, 72 + + _Cisticola_, 142, _134_ + + _Cladorhynchus_, 45 + + _Climacteris_, 154 + + Clipper, 133 + + Coachwhip-Bird, 129, 151, _130_ + + Cobbler, 45 + + Cobbler's Awl, 45, 170 + + _Coccyges_, 108 + + Cockatiel, 93 + + Cockatoo, 89, 91, _88_, _91_, _89_ + + Cockatoo-Parrot, 93, _94_ + + Cocktail, 144 + + Codlin-Moth-eater, 130 + + _Coerebidae_, 178 + + _Coliidae_, 108 + + _Colluricincla_, 149 + + Coloration-- + + Advertizing, _165_ + + Protective, _21_, _156_ + + Recognition, _165_ + + Warning, _156_ + + _Columbidae_, 17 + + _Colymbidae_, 25 + + Condor, 71 + + _Conophagidae_, 113 + + Cooers, _21_, _24_ + + Cookaycock, 175 + + Coot, 23, _22_ + + _Coraciidae_, 105 + + _Coracina_, 127 + + _Corcorax_, 189 + + Corella, 93 + + Cormorant, 68, _68_ + + Corn-Bird, 142 + + Corn-Crake, 18, 131, _22_ + + _Corone_, 188 + + _Corvidae_, 188, _185_ + + _Corvus_, 188 + + Cotingas, 113 + + _Cotingidae_, 113 + + _Coturnix_, 13 + + Courlan, 52 + + Courser, 51 + + Cowbird, 179 + + Crab-Plover, 51 + + _Cracidae_, 13 + + _Cracticus_, 149 + + Crake, 18, 22, 23, _22_ + + Crane, 52, 60, _52_, _59_ + + Cranky Fan, 124 + + Creeper, 154, _154_ + + Crossbill, 177 + + Crow, 188, _12_, _185_ + + " White, 149, _150_ + + Crow-Shrike, 149, 189 + + Cuckoo, 108-111, _74_, _85_, _87_, _109_, _112_, _134_ + + Cuckoo-Shrike, 126, _126_ + + _Cuculidae_, 108 + + _Cuculus_, 109 + + Curassow, 13 + + Curlew, 45, _39_, _49_, _50_ + + Curlew, Black, 53 + + " Pygmy, 49 + + " -Sandpiper, 49 + + " -Stint, 49 + + " Stone, 51, _50_ + + Currawong, 189 + + _Cursoriidae_, 51 + + Cutthroat, 151 + + _Cyclopsittacidae_, 89 + + _Cymodroma_, 27 + + _Cypselidae_, 107 + + _Cypselus_, 107 + + + Dabchick, 23, 24, 25 + + _Dacelo_, 105 + + _Daption_, 29 + + Darter, 70, _69_ + + Daw, _185_ + + Deer, _165_ + + _Demiegretta_, 61 + + _Dendrocolaptidae_, 113 + + _Dendrocygna_, 63 + + Devil-Bird, 124, 144 + + Diamond-Bird, 167, _166_ + + Diamond Dyke, 167 + + _Dicaeidae_, 166 + + _Dicaeum_, 166 + + _Dicruridae_, 187 + + _Dicruropsis_, 187 + + _Dicrurus_, 187 + + _Didunculidae_, 18 + + Dimorphism, 41 + + Dinornis, 84 + + _Diomedea_, 31 + + _Diomedeidae_, 31 + + Dipper, 132 + + Dishwasher (e), 125 + + Diver, 24, 25, 69, 70, _24_, _69_ + + Diving-Petrel, 31, _32_ + + Dog-Bird, 130 + + Dollar Bird, 105, _105_ + + Dottrel, 42-45, 133, _48_, _59_ + + Dove, 16, 17, _21_, _39_ + + Dove-Petrel, 30, 31, _27_ + + _Drepanididae_, 175 + + _Dromadidae_, 51 + + _Dromaeidae_, 12 + + _Dromaius_, 12 + + Drongo, 187, _180_ + + _Drymodes_, 129 + + Dryweather-Bird, 53 + + Duck, 63-67, _62-67_ + + Dunlin, Little, 49 + + Durbaner, 149 + + + Eagle, 81, _72_, _74_, _79_ + + " Bald (Amer.), 81, _26_, _39_, _72_, _74_ + + " Golden, 81, _72_, _74_, _79_ + + " Sea, 81, _39_, _74_, _79_, _84_ + + Eaglehawk (e), 81, _72_ + + _Echidna_, 11 + + _Edolisoma_, 127 + + Egg (size), _16_ + + Egg-Bird, 40, _36_ + + Egret, 60, 61, _54_, _59_ + + Egypt, 172, _53_ + + Eider Duck, _65_ + + _Elanus_, 82 + + Emu, 12, _11_, _13_, _15_, _109_, _187_ + + Emu-Wren, 145, _141_ + + _Entomophila_, 170 + + _Entomyzon_, 175 + + _Eopsaltria_, 152, _152_ + + _Epthianura_, 133 + + _Erismatura_, 67 + + _Erolia_, 49 + + _Erythrogonys_, 43 + + _Eudyptula_, 25 + + _Eulabetidae_, 187 + + _Euphema_, 103 + + _Eupodotis_, 51 + + _Eurostopus_, 107 + + _Eurylaemidae_, 111 + + _Eurypygidae_, 53 + + _Eurystomus_, 105 + + _Eutolmaëtus_, 81 + + _Excalfactoria_, 14 + + + _Falco_, 82 + + Falcon, 82, 83, _72_, _79_ + + _Falconidae_, 72 + + Falcon-Shrike, 150 + + _Falcunculus_, 150 + + Fantail, 124, 125, _123_ + + Fantail-Warbler, 142, _134_, _141_ + + Farmer's Friend, 53 + + Fern-Owl, 107 + + Field-Lark, Little, 142 + + Field-Wren, 131, _132_ + + Fig-Bird, 187, _180_ + + Fig-Parrot, 89 + + Finch, 177-179, _178-180_, _134_ + + Finfoot, 23 + + Firetail, 179, _179_ + + Fish Hawk, 84, _59_, _72_ + + Flamingoes, 61 + + Flickers, 111 + + Flight-Bird, 103 + + Flood-Bird, 111 + + Flower-Pecker, 166 + + Fluke, _148_ + + Flute-Bird, 149 + + Flycatcher, 113, 121-125, _121-123_ + + Flyeater, 124 + + Flying Coachman, 170 + + Flying Phalanger, _11_ + + Flysnapper, 124, 125 + + _Formicariidae_, 113 + + Four-o'clock, 175 + + Fowl, Domestic, 13, _15_ + + _Fregata_, 71 + + _Fregatidae_, 71 + + _Fregetta_, 27 + + Friar-Bird, 175, _91_, _176_ + + Frigate Bird, 71, _39_, _70_ + + _Fringillidae_, 177, _179_ + + Frog-Bird, 125 + + Frogmouth, 104, _86_, _104_ + + Fruit-Pigeon, 16, _21_ + + _Fulica_, 23 + + Fulmar, 27, 28, 29, _29_ + + + _Gabianus_, 41 + + Galah, 91, 92, _92_, _93_ + + _Galbulidae_, 111 + + _Gallinago_, 50 + + _Gallinula_, 23 + + Gallinule, 23 + + " Purple, 23, _22_ + + Gang-gang, 91, _92_ + + Gannet, 71, _70_ + + Gar, 133 + + Gardener-Bird, 187 + + Garefowl, 33 + + _Garrodia_, 27 + + _Garzetta_, 61 + + Gaunt, 25 + + _Gaviidae_, 25 + + _Gelochelidon_, 35 + + _Geobasileus_, 143 + + _Geopelia_, 17 + + _Geopsittacus_, 103 + + _Gerygone_, 124 + + Gill-Bird, 174 + + _Glareolidae_, 51 + + Glass-eye, 155 + + _Gliciphila_, 170 + + _Glossopsittacus_, 89 + + _Glottis_, 47 + + Glutton, 29 + + Goatsucker, 104, 107, _107_ + + Goaway, 131 + + Godwit, 47, _39_, _49_ + + Golden Robin, _180_ + + Goldfinch, 177, _178_ + + Goose, 62, _62_, 63, 67 + + Goshawk, 72, 73, _74_ + + Gould League, _114_ + + _Gouridae_, 18 + + Grackle, 179 + + _Grallina_, 148 + + Grape-eater, 155 + + Grass-Bird, 142 + + Grasshopper-Hawk, 109 + + Grass-Warbler, 142 + + Grass-Wren, 146, _141_ + + Graucalus, 126, 127 + + _Graucalus_, 127 + + Grebe, 24, 25, _24_ + + Greenfinch, 177, _178_ + + Greenie, 172, _169_, _174_ + + Green Keet, 89, _90_, _100_ + + Green Leek, 93, _94_, _90_ + + Green Leek (e), 89, _94_ + + Greenlet, 147 + + Greenshank, 47 + + Grinder, 125, _126_ + + Grosbeak, 177 + + Ground-Bird, 128, _129_ + + Ground-Diamond, 167 + + Ground-Dove, 17, 128 + + Ground-Lark, 176, _176_ + + Ground-Pigeon, 17 + + Ground-Thrush, 128, 133 + + Ground-Wren, 129 + + Grouse, 13 + + _Gruidae_, 52 + + Guacharo, 104 + + Guan, 13 + + Guillemot, 33 + + Guinea-a-week, 129 + + Guinea-Fowl, 14 + + Gull, 34, 35, 41, _35_, _39_, _40_, _41_, _59_ + + _Gymnorhina_, 149 + + _Gypoictinia_, 82 + + Gyrfalcon, 83 + + + _Haematopus_, 43 + + Hakoakoa, 41 + + _Halcyon_, 105 + + _Haliaëtus_, 81 + + _Haliastur_, 81 + + _Halobaena_, 29 + + Hammer-Head, 60 + + Happy-Family, 130, _131_ + + Happy Jack, 130, _131_ + + Harbinger of Spring, 109 + + Hardhead, 67, _65_ + + Harrier, 72, 73, _72_, _74_ + + Harvest-Bird, 131, _133_ + + Hawk, 81, 83, 109, _72_, _74_, _79_, _87_ + + Hawk Owl, 85, _86_ + + Headache-Bird, _166_ + + Hedge-Sparrow, 132 + + _Heliornithidae_, 23 + + Hemipode, 15 + + _Herodias_, 60 + + Heron, 60, 61, _53_, _59_ + + _Heteropygia_, 49 + + _Hieracidea_, 83 + + _Himantopus_, 45 + + _Hirundinidae_, 120 + + _Hirundo_, 120 + + Hoactzin, 18 + + Hobby, 83 + + Honey-Bird, 168 + + Honey-Creeper, 178 + + Honey-eater, 168-175, _74_, _91_, _126_, _168-176_, _190_ + + Honey-guide, 111 + + Honey-sucker, 168 + + Hoopoe, 106 + + Hopper, 130 + + Houtman Abrolhos, _36_ + + Humming-Birds, 108, 169, 170, _109_ + + _Hydrochelidon_, 34 + + _Hydroprogne_, 35 + + + _Hylacola_, 129 + + _Hypotaenidia_, 18 + + + _Ibididae_, 53 + + _Ibis_, 53, _53_, _54_ + + _Icteridae_, 179, _180_ + + _Indicatoridae_, 111 + + _Irrisoridae_, 106 + + + Jabiru, 60, _54_ + + Jacamar, 111 + + Jacana, 51 + + Jackass, 105, 149, _106_ + + Jackdaw, 188, _185_ + + Jacky Martin, 147 + + Jacky Winter, 121, _122_ + + Jaeger, 41 + + Jay, 126, 127, 188, 189, _126_, _185_ + + Jenny-Wren, 133, 142 + + Jerryang, 89 + + Jumper, 130, 188, _186_ + + + Kagu, 53 + + Kahu, 73 + + Kaka, 88 + + Kaoriki, 61 + + Karakahia, 67 + + Kea, 88 + + Kelp-Pigeon, 42 + + Kestrel, 83, _73_, _80_, _81_ + + Kingbird, 113 + + King-Crow, 187 + + Kingfisher, 105, 106, 107, _11_, _39_, _105_, _106_, _190_ + + Kinglet, 153 + + Kirombo, 104 + + Kite, 81, 82, _79_ + + Kiwi, 13, _13_ + + Knot, 49 + + Knot-Snipe, 49 + + Kookaburra, 105 + + Kuaka, 47 + + Kuia, 28 + + Kuruwhengi, 66 + + + _Lalage_, 127 + + Landrail, 18, _22_ + + Land-Snipe, 49 + + Land-Wagtail, 124 + + _Laniidae_, 149 + + Lapwing (e), 127 + + _Laridae_, 34 + + Lark, 176, _133_ + + _Larus_, 41 + + Leatherhead, 127, 175 + + _Leipoa_, 13 + + _Leptosomatidae_, 104 + + Letter-Bird, 53 + + _Leucosarcia_, 18, _21_ + + _Licmetis_, 93 + + _Ligurinus_, 177 + + _Limosa_, 47 + + Limpkin, 52 + + Linnet, 172, 177, 179 + + _Lipoa_, 13 + + _Lobivanellus_, 43 + + Logger-Head, _66_ + + Lombok, _91_ + + Longbill, 50 + + Longshanks, 45 + + Loon, 25 + + _Lophaethyia_, 25 + + _Lophoictinia_, 82 + + _Lopholaimus_, 16 + + _Loriidae_, 88 + + Lorikeet, 88, 89, 103, _74_, _89_, _90_, _99_, _156_ + + Lory, 88, 93, 100, 101 + + Love-Bird, 103, 171, _100_ + + Lowan, 13 + + Lowry, 100 + + Lyrebird, 112, _11_, _112_, _113_, _190_ + + + Macaw, 93, _89_ + + Macquarie-Hen, 23 + + _Macronectes_, 29 + + _Macropterygidae_, 107 + + Magpie, 148, 149, 189, _150_, _151_, _190_ + + " Br., 188, _151_, _185_ + + Magpie-Lark, 148, _147_ + + _Majaqueus_, 28 + + Major Mitchell, 91, _93_ + + _Malacorhynchus_, 67 + + Mallard, 65, _63_ + + Mallee-Fowl, 13, _15_ + + _Malurus_, 144 + + Mannikin, 113 + + Man-of-war-bird, 31, 71 + + _Manorina_, 173 + + Marsh-Harrier, 73 + + Marsh-Tringa, 49 + + Marsh-Warbler, 142 + + Marsupials, _11_, _52_ + + Martin, 120, 121, 147, _121_, _146_ + + Matuku, 60 + + Matuku-Lurepo, 61 + + Maycock, 43 + + Mayfowl, 46 + + _Megalestris_, 41 + + _Megalurus_, 142 + + Megapode, 13, _91_ + + _Megapodiidae_, 13 + + _Meleagridae_, 15 + + _Meliornis_, 172 + + _Meliphaga_, 170 + + _Meliphagidae_, 168 + + _Melithreptus_, 168 + + _Melopsittacus_, 103 + + _Menura_, 112 + + _Menuridae_, 112 + + _Meropidae_, 106 + + _Merops_, 107 + + _Merula_, 132 + + _Mesocalius_, 109 + + _Mesoenatidae_, 53 + + _Mesophoyx_, 60 + + _Mesoscolopax_, 46 + + Micky, 173 + + _Microeca_, 121 + + _Microtribonyx_ see _Tribonyx_, 23 + + _Milvus_, 81 + + _Mimetes_, 187 + + _Mimidae_, 132 + + Miner, 173, _169_, _174_ + + _Mirafra_, 177 + + Mistletoe-Bird, 166 + + Mistletoe-Swallow, 166, _165_ + + _Mniotiltidae_, 175 + + Mocker, 175 + + Mocking-Bird, 114, 132, 175 + + Mock Regent Bird, 170 + + Mollymawk, 31, 32, 33 + + _Momotidae_, 107 + + _Monarcha_, 125 + + Monk, 175 + + Monotremata, 11 + + Moor-Hen, 23, _22_ + + Mopoke, 104, _86_, _85_, _104_ + + Mormon-Wren, 144 + + Morning-Bird, 125 + + _Motacillidae_, 176 + + Mother Carey's Chicken, 26, 27, _30_ + + Mother Carey's Goose, 29 + + Moth-Owl, 104, 107 + + Motmot, 107 + + Mound-builders, 13, _11_, _15_, _16_, _190_ + + Mourner, 149 + + Mouse-Bird, 108 + + Mud Island, _30_, _36_ + + Mudlark, 148 + + Murre, 33 + + _Muscicapidae_, 121 + + _Musophagidae_, 108 + + Mutton Bird, 28, _32_ + + " (e), 174, 189 + + _Myiagra_, 125 + + Myna, 187, _156_ + + _Myzantha_, 173 + + _Myzomela_, 169 + + + Native Bear, 73 + + Native Companion, 52, _52_, _53_ + + Native-Hen, 23, _22_ + + Native Pheasant, 13 + + Nature-study, _48_, _190_ + + _Nectariniidae_, 168 + + Nelly, 29 + + _Neognathae_, 13, _14_ + + _Neophema_, 102, _99_ + + _Neositta_, 153 + + Nestor, 88 + + _Nestoridae_, 88 + + _Nettium_, 65 + + Night Hawk (e), 28, 107, _107_, _108_ + + Night Heron, 61, _53_, _59_ + + Nightingale, 132, _133_ + + Nightjar, 104, 107, _107_ + + _Ninox_, 85 + + Noddy, 34, _35_, _36_, _39_, _40_ + + North Pole, 26 + + _Notophoyx_, 60 + + _Numenius_, 45 + + _Numididae_, 14 + + Nun, 133, _134_ + + Nutcracker, 188, _185_ + + Nuthatch, 153, _153_ + + _Nycticorax_, 61 + + + _Oceanites_, 26, _31_ + + _Ochthodromus_, 44 + + _Ocyphaps_, 18 + + _Odontophoridae_, 15 + + _Oedicnemidae_, 51 + + _Oestrelata (Æstrelata)_ + + Oil-Bird, 104 + + Olive, 43 + + _Opisthocomidae_, 18 + + _Oreocichla_, 133 + + _Oreoica_, 151 + + Organ-Bird, 149, _150_ + + Oriole, 179, 187, _180_ + + _Oriolidae_, 187 + + _Ornithorhynchus_, _11_ + + Osprey, 84, _59_, _72_, _81_, _84_ + + Ostrich, 12, _13, 109_ + + _Otididae_, 51 + + Owl, 85, _74_, _84_, _87_ + + Owlet Nightjar, 104 + + Owl-Parrot, 103 + + Oxpecker, 187 + + _Oxyrhamphidae_, 113 + + Oyster-catcher, 43, _39_, _46_ + + + _Pachycephala_, 151, _152_ + + Pacific O., 26, _33_ + + Painted Lady, 45 + + _Palaeognathae_, 12, _14_ + + _Palamedeidae_, 61 + + _Pandion_, 84 + + _Pandionidae_, 84 + + Panther-Bird, _167_ + + _Paradiseidae_, 187 + + _Paramythidae_, 187 + + Pardalote, 167, _165_, _167_ + + _Pardalotus_, 167 + + Parera, 65 + + _Paridae_, 153, _141_, _153_ + + Parra, 51 + + Parrakeet, see Parrot + + _Parridae_, 51 + + Parrot, 88, 93-103, _11_, _88-101_, _190_ + + Partridge, 13, 15 + + _Passer_, 177 + + _Passeres_, _119_ + + Peafowl, 13, _15_ + + Peary, _26_ + + _Pedionomus_, 15 + + Pee-wee, 148, _148_ + + Peewee Lark, 127 + + Peewit, 148 + + _Pelagodroma_, 27, _30_ + + _Pelecanidae_, 71 + + _Pelecanoides_, 31 + + _Pelecanoididae_, 31 + + _Pelecanus_, 71 + + Pelican, 71, _71_ + + _Peltohyas_, 45 + + Penguins, 25, _25_, _26_ + + _Penguinus_, 25 + + Perching Birds, 113, _119_ + + _Peristeridae_, 17 + + Peter-Peter, 121, _127_ + + Petrel, 27-31, _27_, _30-39_ + + _Petrochelidon_, 121 + + _Petroica_, 122 + + _Pezoporus_, 103 + + _Phaëthontidae_, 71 + + _Phalacrocoracidae_, 68 + + _Phalacrocorax_, 68 + + _Phaps_, 17 + + _Phasianidae_, 13 + + Pheasant, 13, 112, _15_ + + _Philemon_, 175 + + _Philepittidae_, 113 + + Phoebe, 113 + + _Phoebetria_, 33 + + _Phoenicopteridae_, 61 + + _Phytotomidae_, 113 + + Picarian Birds, 104, _104_ + + _Picidae_, 111 + + Pickwick, 167 + + Piculets, 111 + + Pigeon, 16-18, _11_, _21_, _126_, _127_ + + Pilot-Bird, 129, _129_ + + Pimlico, 175 + + Pine-Bird, 130 + + Pintado, 29 + + Pintail, 107 + + Pipit, 176, _133_, _176_ + + Pipiwharauroa, 111 + + _Pipridae_, 113 + + _Pisobia_, 49 + + _Pitta_, _119_ + + _Pittidae_, 113, _119_ + + Plantain-eater, 108 + + Plant-cutters, 113 + + _Platalea_, 53 + + _Plataleidae_, 53 + + _Platibis_, 60 + + _Platycercus_, 100 + + Platypus, _11_ + + _Plectoramphus_, 169 + + _Plegadis_, 53 + + _Ploceidae_, 178, _179_ + + _Plotidae_, 70 + + _Plotus_, 70 + + Plover, 43-45, _39_, _42_, _46_, _49_, _59_, _148_ + + Pluff, 149 + + Plumage, Eclipse, _64_ + + " Phase, 41 + + _Podargidae_, 104 + + _Podargus_, 104, _105_ + + _Podiceps_, 24 + + _Podicipedidae_, 24 + + Pohowera, 44 + + _Polytelis_, 93 + + _Pomatorhinus_, 130 + + Poor Soldier, 175 + + _Porphyrio_, 23 + + Port Egmont Hen, 41 + + _Porzana_, 18 + + Postboy, 121 + + Post-sitter, 121, _121_ + + Prairie-Fowl, 13 + + Pratincole, 51, _50_ + + Pretty Joey, _127_ + + Priocella, 28 + + _Priofinus_, 28 + + Prion, 27, 30, 31 + + _Prion_, 29, 30, 31 + + _Prionopidae_, 148, _148_ + + _Procellaria_, 28 + + _Procellariidae_, 26 + + _Procniatidae_, 178 + + _Promeropidae_, 168 + + Promerops, 168 + + _Psephotus_, 101 + + _Pseudogerygone_, 124 + + _Psittacidae_, 93 + + _Psophiidae_, 53 + + _Psophodes_, 129 + + Ptarmigan, 13 + + _Pteroclididae_, 15 + + _Pteropodocys_, 126 + + _Pteroptochidae_, 113 + + _Ptilonorhynchidae_, 187 + + _Ptilonorhynchus_, 187 + + _Ptilotis_, 171, 172 + + Puff-Birds, 111 + + Puffin, 33 + + _Puffinidae_, 27 + + _Puffinus_, 27 + + Pugwall, 148 + + Pukeko, 23 + + Putoto, 23 + + _Pycnonotidae_, 127 + + _Pycnoptilus_, 129 + + + Quail, 13, 14, 15, _15_, _17_, _21_ + + Quarrion, 93 + + + Rabbit, _165_, _180_ + + Racehorse, _66_ + + Rail, 18, 23 + + Rain-Bird, 111, 189 + + Rainbow Bird, 107 + + _Rallidae_, 18 + + _Raptores_, _74_ + + _Ratitae_, 12, _13_ + + Ratite, _52_ + + Raven, 188, _185_, _186_ + + Razorbill, 33 + + _Recurvirostra_, 45 + + Redbill, 23, 43, 179, _46_ + + Redbreast, _122_ + + Redhead, 123, 179 + + Redpoll, 177 + + Redstart, 132 + + Redthroat, 143 + + Redwing, 179 + + Reed-Bird, 142 + + " -Lark, 131 + + " -Nightingale, 142 + + " Warbler, 142, _134_ + Reef Heron, 61, _39_, _59_ + + Regent-Bird, 187 + + _Regulidae_, 153 + + _Rhamphastidae_, 111 + + Rhea, 12, _13_ + + _Rheidae_, 12 + + Rhinoceros-Bird, 187 + + _Rhinochetidae_, 53 + + _Rhipidura_, 124, 125 + + _Rhynchaea_, 50 + + Riflebird, 187, _180_ + + Ring Coachman, 151 + + Ringeye, 155, 172 + + Ringlet, 133 + + Ringneck, 101, 133, 172, _99_ + + Robin, 122, 123, _122_, _127_ + + " (Br.), 132, _122_ + + " (Scrub), 129, _129_ + + " (Shrike), 152, _152_ + + Rock-Dove, 17 + + Rock-Pebbler, 93, _94_ + + Rock-Pigeon, 15 + + Roller, 105 + + " Madagascar, 104 + + Rook, 188, _185_ + + Rosella, 93, 100, 101, _94_ + + Rostratula, 50 + + Rush-Warbler, 131 + + + Saltbush Canary, 133, _134_ + + Sanderling, 48 + + Sand-Grouse, 15 + + Sandlark, 44 + + Sand-Martin, 121 + + Sandpiper, 43, 47, 49, 107, _39_, _43_ + + Sandwich Is. Honey-eaters, 175 + + Saria, 53 + + Satin-Bird, 187 + + Scale-Bird, 109, _110_ + + Scissors Grinder, 125, _123_, _126_ + + Scooper, 45 + + _Scopidae_, 60 + + Scratcher, _15_, _24_ + + Screamer, 61 + + Scrub-Birds, 113, _119_ + + Scrub-Curlew, 51 + + Scrub-Fowl, 13 + + Scrub-Tit, 124 + + Scrub-Warbler, 129 + + Scrub-Wren, 143, 144, _141_ + + _Scythrops_, 111 + + Seagull (see Gull) + + Sea-Hawk, 41 + + Seal-Bird, 28 + + Seapie, 43 + + Sea-Pigeon, 41 + + Sea-Pirate, 41, _40_ + + Sea-Swallow, 40, _35_ + + Secretary-Bird, 72 + + Seed-Plover, 42 + + Seed-Snipe, 42 + + _Seisura_, 125 + + Semitone-Bird, 109 + + _Sericornis_, 143 + + Seriema, 53 + + _Serpentariidae_, 72 + + Settler's Clock, 105 + + Sexual Selection, 21 + + Shag, 68, 69, 70, _68_ + + Shearwater, 27, 28, _27_ + + Sheathbill, 42 + + Sheldrake, 65, _63_ + + Shepherd's Companion, 125 + + Shieldrake, 65, _63_ + + Shoebill, 60 + + Shoebird, 60 + + Shoveller, 66, _64_ + + Shrike, 127, 149, _149_ + + Shrike-Tit, 150, _151_ + + Sickle-bill, 53 + + Silve, 155 + + Silver-eye, 155, _39_, _156_ + + Singing-Lark, 131 + + _Sittella_, 153 + + _Sittidae_, 153, _153_ + + Skimmers, 34, _35_ + + Skua, 41, _35_, _40_, _41_, _165_ + + Skunk, 165 + + Skylark, 131, 176, 177, _132_, _133_, _177_ + + _Smicrornis_, 124 + + Smoker, 93, 101, _94_ + + Snake-Bird, 70, 173, _69_ + + Snipe, 45, 47, 49, 50, _48_, _49_, _90_ + + Snow-Bird, 31 + + Solan Goose, 71, _70_ + + Soldier, 148, 173 + + Song Birds, _119_ + + Song-Lark, 131, _133_ + + Song Thrush, 133, _134_ + + Sparrow, 125, 167, 177, 178, 179, _114_, _134_, _178_ + + Sparrowhawk, 80, 82, 83, _73_, _74_, _81_, _112_ + + _Spatula_, 66 + + Speckled Jack, 142, _141_ + + Spectacled-Bird, 155 + + _Spheniscidae_, 25 + + _Sphenura_, 145 + + Spider, 165 + + Spinebill, 170 + + Spinetail, 107, 113 + + Spinks, 121 + + Spoonbill, 53, 60, _53_, _54_ + + _Squatarola_, 43 + + Squeaker, 153, 173, 189 + + _Stagonopleura_, 179 + + Star-Bird, 105 + + Starling, 179, 186, _180_ + + " Shining, 187, _180_ + + Steamer Duck, _65_ + + _Steatornithidae_, 104 + + _Stercorariidae_, 41 + + _Stercorarius_, 41 + + _Sterna_, 35 + + Stick-Bird, 131 + + Stick-tail, 145 + + _Stictonetta_, 67 + + Stilt, 45, _47_ + + _Stiltia_, 51 + + Stink-Bird, 131, _132_ + + Stinker, 66 + + Stinkpot, 29 + + Stint, 49 + + _Stipiturus_, 145 + + Stockwhip-Bird, 129 + + Stone-Plover, 51, _50_, _51_ + + Stork, 60, _54_ + + " Whaleheaded, 60 + + Storm-Bird, 109, 111 + + Storm-Petrel, 26, _27_, _30_, _31_ + + Straw-Tails, 71 + + _Strepera_, 189, _39_, _112_, _185_, _186_, _187_ + + _Streperidae_, 189 + + _Strigidae_, 86 + + _Stringopidae_, 103 + + _Strix_, 86 + + _Struthidea_, 188 + + _Struthionidae_, 12 + + Stump-Bird, 121 + + _Sturnidae_, 179 + + _Sturnus_, 186 + + _Sula_, 71 + + _Sulidae_, 71 + + Summer-Bird, 127, _146_ + + Sun-Bird, 168 + + Sun-Bittern, 53 + + Superb-Warbler, 144, 145, _141_, _149_, _190_ + + Swallow, 120, _109_, _120_, _147_ + + Swallow-Plover, 51, _50_ + + Swallow-Shrike, 147 + + Swamp-Hawk, 72, 73, _74_ + + Swamp-Hen, 23 + + Swamp-Rail, 23 + + Swan, 62, _62_ + + Swift, 107, _90_, _108_, _121_ + + _Sylviidae_, 142, _134_, _153_ + + _Synoicus_, 13 + + + _Taeniopygia_, 179 + + Tailor Bird, _134_ + + Takupu, 71 + + Tanager, 178 + + _Tanagridae_, 178 + + Tang, 133, _134_ + + Taonui, 28 + + Tapaculo, 113 + + Tapir, _52_ + + Taraiti, 40 + + Taranui, 35 + + Tauhou, 155 + + Teal, 65, _64_ + + Teaser, 41 + + Tee-tee, 31 + + Tern, 34-40, _35-39_, _59_, _109_ + + Ternlet, 40 + + _Tetraonidae_, 13 + + _Thalassogeron_, 33 + + Thickhead, 151, 152, _21_, _130_, _151_, _190_ + + Thick-Knee, 51 + + _Thinocorythidae_, 42 + + Thornbill, 142, 143, _141_ + + Thrasher, 132 + + Thrush, 132, 133, 149, 151, 187, _133_, _148_, _149_ + + " Shrike, 149, _134_ + + Thunder-Bird, 151 + + Tilt-Birds, 113 + + _Timeliidae_, 128, _128_ + + _Tinamidae_, 12, 13 + + Tinamous, 13, _14_ + + Tintac, 133, _134_ + + Tit (_Acanthiza_) see Tit-Warbler + + Tit (_Paridae_), 153, _141_, _152_ + + Titmouse, 153, _152_ + + Tit-Warbler, 142, 143, _141_ + + _Todidae_, 107 + + Todies, 107 + + Tom Pudding, 25 + + Tomtit, 142 + + Torea, 43 + + Toreo-pango, 43 + + Toroa, 31 + + Toucan, 111 + + Touraco, 108 + + Tree-Creeper, 154, 155, _154_, _156_ + + Tree-runner, 153, _153_ + + Tree-Swifts, 107 + + Tree-Tit, 124 + + _Treronidae_, 16 + + _Tribonyx_, 23 + + _Trichoglossus_, 88 + + _Tringa_, 49 + + _Tringoides_, 47 + + _Trochilidae_, 108 + + _Troglodytidae_, 132 + + _Trogonidae_, 108 + + Trogons, 108 + + Tropic-Bird, 71 + + _Tropidorhynchus_, 175 + + Trumpeters, 53 + + Tube-nosed Swimmers, 26 + + _Tubinares_, 26 + + _Turdidae_, 132, _133_ + + _Turdus_, 133 + + Turkey, 15 + + Turkey-Bird, 170 + + _Turnicidae_, 15 + + _Turnix_, 15 + + Turnstone, 42, _39_, _46_ + + Turtle-Dove, 17, _156_ + + _Turtur_, 17 + + _Tyrannidae_, 113 + + Tyrant-Bird, 113 + + + Unicorn-Bird, 61 + + _Upupidae_, 106 + + _Uroaëtus_, 81 + + + _Vangidae_, 147 + + Village Blacksmith, 35 + + _Vireonidae_, 147 + + Vireos, 147 + + Vulture, 71, 72, _11_, _190_ + + " of the Seas, 29 + + _Vulturidae_, 72 + + + Waders, 42, _42_ + + Wagtail, 125, 176, 177 + + Wallace's Line, _11_, _17_, _91_, _168_ + + Wanderer, 15, _17_, _21_ + + Warbler, 142-146, 124, 175, _134_, _153_ + + Water-Hen, 23 + + Water-Ouzel, 132 + + Water-Pheasant, 51 + + Water-Sparrow, 142 + + Water-Turkey, _69_ + + Wattle-Bird, 174, 175, _169_, _175_ + + Waxbill, 179 + + Waxwing, 147 + + Weaver-Birds, _179_ + + Weaver-Finches, 178, _179_ + + Wedgebill, _153_ + + Whale-Bird, 30, 31 + + Wheatear, 132 + + Whimbrel, 46, _49_ + + Whip-Bird, 129 + + Whiroia, 31 + + Whistler, 151, 153, _21_, _130_, _151_, _152_ + + White-eye, 155, _155_, _156_ + + Whiteface, 153, _153_ + + White-tail, 121 + + Whitethroat, 133 + + White-tipped tail, _156_ + + Who-are-you, 125 + + Wide-Awake, 40 + + Wide-Awake Fair, _36_ + + Widgeon, 67, _65_ + + Wild-Canary, 152 + + Wild-Cat, _73_ + + Wild Turkey, 51, _51_ + + Willaroo, 51 + + Willie-Wagtail, 125, _121_, _123_ + + Willie-Willock, 92 + + Windhover, 83, _81_ + + Wittychu, 167 + + Wood-hewer, 113 + + Wood Hoopoe, 106 + + Woodpecker, 111, 153, 154, 155, _11_, _91_, _154_, _190_ + + Wood-Pigeon, 17 + + Wood-Shrike, 148, _147_ + + Wood-Swallow, 147, _146_ + + Wren, 113, 132, 144, 153 + + " Tits, 153 + + Wrynecks, 111 + + + _Xenicidae_, 113, _119_ + + _Xerophila_, 153, _153_ + + + Yabbie, _59_, _69_ + + Yahoo, 130 + + Yellow-tail, 143, _141_ + + Yellow-Whiskers, 172 + + Yellow Wings, 173 + + + _Zonaeginthus_, 179 + + _Zonifer_, 43 + + _Zosteropidae_, 155 + + _Zosterops_, 155 + + + + + + +End of Project Gutenberg's An Australian Bird Book, by John Albert Leach + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK AN AUSTRALIAN BIRD BOOK *** + +***** This file should be named 34781-8.txt or 34781-8.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/3/4/7/8/34781/ + +Produced by Lesley Halamek, Chris Curnow, Joseph Cooper, +Mark Orton (for the Formatting Template), and the Online 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