!VESrS AND EGGS OF AUSl'/iAL/AN BIRDS. g^ 



Observations. — The Sooty or Black Crow Shrike is a very familiar 

 species, especially in Tasmania, and on nearly all the intermediate wooded 

 islands in Bass Strait. Specimens were secured at all expeditious of the 

 Field Natiu'alists' Club of Victoria to the Strait. Nowhere were the 

 birds found more plentiful than on King Island. They were decidedly 

 fond of visiting the kelpj' beaches, where, with peculiar cackle-like cries, 

 they liimted in scores for larvae and other insects in the heaps of decaying 

 alg<e. From the trees in the scrub we took three nests, all containing full 

 set of three eggs, richer and darker in colour than those belonging to any 

 other species of Strepcra. 



These King Island specimens first aroused my suspicions that previous 

 descriptions (including my own) of these eggs were erroneous, and that we 

 had been taking those of S. nrguta for .S'. fnligiiiui'a, and vice versa. 



With the kind assistance of Mr. A. E. Brent, I was able to establish 

 that the Sootv Crow Shrike invariably laid the rich purplish-buff or dark 

 N-inaccous-coloured eggs, while the /i;/lif piu-plish-buiT or pale vinaceous- 

 brown undoubtedly belonged to the Hill Crow Shrike {S. nri/uta). 



In Tasmania and on King Island, unusually full complements of four 

 I ggs for the Sooty Crow Shrike have been found. Some of the nests in 

 the former locality were rendered beautiful by reason of the fine straw- 

 loloured rootlets used by the birds as lining. 



Breeding months : August or September to December. 



52. — Struthide.\ ciNEREA, Gould. — (289) 

 GREY JUMPER. 



Figure — Gould : Birds of Australia, fol . vol iv., pi. 17. 



Re/crciicc. — Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., vol.iii., p. 140. 



Previous Descriptions of Eggs. — Gould ; Birds of .Australia, Handbook, 

 vol. i.. p. 473 (1865) ; Ramsay ; Proc, Linn. Soc, N S. Wales, 

 vol. vii., p. 406, pi. 3, figs 4 and 6 {1882I ; North : Austn. Mus. 

 Cat., pi. S, fig 8 {18S9) ; Campbell: Geelong Naturalist, vol. 

 vi., p. 4 (1896). 



Gengraphical Distrihution. — Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria 

 and South Australia. 



Xest. — Bowl-shaped, resembling the better known nest of the Magpie 

 Lark (Grallina), but much lighter in structure and more symmetrical in 

 form, built of mud (usually reddish-coloured when dry) bound tc^ether 

 with grass and lined inside with fine gi-ass and flowering stalks of same. 

 Usually placed on the horizontal limb of small trees in belts of timber on 

 the interior plains. Dimensions over all, o to 6 inches by 3A inches in 

 depth; egg ca\'ity, A\ inches across by 2\ inches deep. 



