GRAUCALUS. 



109 



In similarly describing the young of this species, Gould truly remarks: — "There is no one 

 member of the family to which it belongs wliich undergoes so many changes of plumage as 

 Granailus mciitalis, and it is consequently very puzzling to the ornithologist." From a series 

 of eleven birds now before me, obtained in various parts of New South Wales at different 

 seasons of the year, I have described above what I believe to be immature plumaged examples, 

 although the average wing measurement equals that of the adult. All have more or less black 

 or partially black feathers, either on the crown of the head, ear-coverts, sides of the neck, 

 throat, and fore-neck, or on all of these parts: and to a certain extent this stage of plumage is 

 also exhibited in some paired birds during the breeding season. Probably only very old bu'ds 

 are entirely destitute of black feathers on these parts, for in fifteen specimens now before me, 

 only four show no traces of them. It is remarkable that the young and adult stages of plumage 

 of Grancaliis mclanops and G. meutalis. should be exactly reversed; the crown of the head, throat, 

 and fore-neck of the former gradually passing from grey in the young to black in the adult, 

 while that of G. mentaln changes from black in the young to grey in the adult. 



In the neighbourhood of Penrith, on the Nepean River, these birds commence to build 

 about the middle of August. At Copmanhurst I saw them liuilding on the gth November, 

 although eggs have been taken there on the 7th of that month; and at I'.road Sound. Queens- 

 land, fresh eggs have been found as late as the i 2th December. 



Graucalus hypoleucus. 



WHITE-BELLIED CUCKOO-SHRIKE. 

 Graucaln, hypoleucus, (iould, Proc. Zool. Soc, 184S, p. 38: id., Bds. .Austr, fol.. Vol. TI., pi. 57 

 (1848), irf,Handbk, Bds. Austr., Vol, I., p. 19G(186.^); Sharpe, Oat. Bds, Br.t, Mus., 

 Vol. IV., p. 36 (1879); Salv.-ul., Orn, Pap, et Molucc, Pt, II,, p, 136 (1881). 



Adult male- (iVnem/ colour above ijreij, li,jhter on the forehead, rump, and upper tail-coverls ; 

 primaries black, externally edyed with greyish- white: secondaries black, washed with grey on their 

 outer webs, and eo:ternally edged with greyish-white, the innermost feather entirely grey on the outer 

 web: two central tail feathers grey, with a blackish wash on their apical half the remainder blackish 

 tipped with ashy-tvhite: lores, and a narrow frontal band e.rtending about half way over the eye, 

 and from the gape below but not beij.rud the eye, black: throat white, passing into pale greyish-white 

 on the chest:' remainder of the nnder surface, the under tail and under wing-coverts pure xohite ; 

 bill and legs black; iris dark brown. Total length dS inches, wing 5 73, tail i'Z, bill 088, 

 tarsus 0'9. 



Adult femalk — 77/e sexes are alike in plumage. 



Distribution.-^orih-v^estexn Australia, Northern Territory of South Australia, North 

 Queensland, Islands of Torres Strait, New Ciuinea, Aru Islands. 



/T^IIF type of this species was described by Gould from a specimen procured at Port 

 L l.ssin^^ton. It has a wide distribution, being found near Wyndham, North-western 

 Australia; at Port Darwin, Port Essington, and Cape York, in Northern Australia; also 

 on the islands of Torres Strait, New Guinea, and the Aru Islands. From Graucalus mentahs 

 it can onlv be distinguished by its smaller size, more delicate grey upper parts, and by 

 the black 'feathers below the eye not extending on to the upper portion of the ear-coverts, 

 as in that species. All the Australian typical examples I have examined are from the 

 northern portions of the continent. Specimens from Cooktown, on the north-eastern coast 

 of Queensland, are somewhat larger and darker on the under parts; and from localities farther 

 souUi appear to completely intergrade with G. mcntaUs. I have never observed, however, any 



