GKAUCALUS. ^^'' 



eggs, taken at George's Bay, on the nth October, 1S90, are elongate-oval in form, two 

 specimens being somewhat pointed at the smaller end, the other rounded. They are of a very 

 dull asparagus green ground colour, with numerous rounded dots and spots of different shades 

 of brown, uniformly distributed oxer the shell, with which are intermingled a few underlying 

 marking^ of dark purplish ^rey. Length:-(A) 1-31 x 0-93 inches; (B) 1-34 x 0-94 inches; (C) 

 1-25 X 0-94 inches. 



Immature birds hax'e the bases of the feathers on the forehead black; lores, feathers around 

 the eye, and the upper portion of the ear-coverts black; throat dark grey; chest and upper 

 portion'of the breast grey, with indistinct whitish edges to the feathers; lower portion of the 

 breast and sides of the abdomen dull white, with greyish cross-bars; win^ rs inches. In a 

 specimen showing further progress towards maturity, the feathers on the throat are changing 

 into black, although the greyish cross-bars on the breast are still clearly visible. 



The latter end of September, and the three following months, constitute the usual breedmg 

 season of this species. 



Graucalus mentalis. 



VAKIED CUCKOO-SHRIKE. 

 Graucalus m-ntalis, Vig. and Horsf., Trans. Linn. Soc, Vol. XV., p. -2 17 ( 1S2G) ; Gould, Bds. 

 Austr., fol, Vol. IT, pi. 56 (1848); id., Handl.k. Bds. Austr., Vol. T,, p. 19.5 (1865); 

 Sharpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. IV., p. 37 (1879). 

 Adult male— G'e«em/ cofoar above dark grey, slightly paler on the forehead, rump, and upper 

 tail-cocerls : primaries and outer secoudaries black, edged with greyish-white .■ the innermost secondaries 

 black on their inner ivbs, grey at the tip and on the outer webs, and externally edged with greyish- 

 tvhite: two central tail-feathers dark grey, ivith a subterminal spot of black near their tips, the 

 remainder blackish tipped with white, their innermost feathers being washed with grey at the base, and 

 the lateral ones narrotvly edged with while on their inner webs.- lores and a narrow frontal band 

 extending half-way over the eye, and from the gape below the eye on to the 9tp per part of the ear- 

 coverts black; chin and throat white, passing into grey on the breast and white on the lorver portion 

 of the abdomen and under tail-coverts; axillaries and under rving-coverta white; bill and legs black; 

 iris dark brown. Total length in the fesh 10-5 inches, wing 6-35, tail 6-2, bill OS, tarsus 0-93. 

 Adult female — Sitnilar in plumage to the male. 

 Distribution.— Queensland, New South Wales, \'ictoria. South Australia. 



FVROM the neighbourhood of Broad Sound, hi Queensland, the range of the \'aried- 

 Cuckoo-Shrike e.xtends south m suitable localities throughout New South Wales, into 

 Northern Victoria. In the list of examples of this species, enumerated in the "Catalogue of 

 Birds in the British Museum,"- three specimens, presented by the late Sir George Grey, 

 are recorded from South Australia; one of them, an adult male, from the Murray River. 

 Dr A M. Morgan and Mr. A. Zietz inform me that they have never met with it m any 

 part of the State, but there is a specimen in the South Australian Museum obtained at 

 Mildura, on the Murray River, m Victoria. Mildura is about f^fty-five miles from the South 

 Australian border; probablv the range of the Varied Cuckoo-Shnke is limited to similar 

 country in the adjoining portion of South Australia. The wing of an adult male obtained by 

 Mr George Masters at Wide Bay, Queensland, measures 6-5 inches; of an adult male from the 

 Richmond River, New South Wales, 6-4 inches; of a nearly adult male, obtained at Cambewarra, 

 6-8 inches; and of a young male, shot bv me at Wellington, New South \\-ales, 6-9 inches, the 

 latter being the largest bird of this species I have seen. Examples from Cairns, North-eastern 



Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. iv., p. 38 (1879). 



