NESTS AND EGGS OF AUSTRALIAN BIRDS. 



30; 



Nest. — One built between the trunk and a couple of branches of a 

 small tree overhanging Hippie Crock (North Quocii:>lancl), \va,s a simple 

 construction of twigs without lining, anil showed daylight all tlu-ough it 

 (North-Boyd). 



Eyi/x. — Clutch, two, and probably more; only distinguish<vble from 

 those of C. ijuoi/i by being slightly larger, of a paler greeu gi'ound-colour, 

 and rather more conspicuously marked. Dimensions: (1) I'lo x I'OS, 

 (2) 1-43 X 103 inches (North). 



Ohxervatioim. — There appears to exist some doubt about the validity 

 of this northern Crow Shrike, which frequents the scnibs of the ranges 

 from Herbert River to Cooktown. It has been hinted that this bird 

 may yet possibly prove to be the female of the Black Butclur Bird, not- 

 withstanding both Dr. Sharpe and Mr. De Vis agree in describing the 

 sexes of the Rufous Bird as alike in coloiu'. The former authority says : 

 " C. rufescens is imdoubtedly a good species." 



Mr. Kendall Broadbent obtained the original specimen near Cairns, 

 which Dr. Ramsay believed was the yoimg of the Black bird. Mr. 

 Broadbcnt having obtained more material in the TuUy and Murray 

 River (Rockingham Bay) scrubs, enabled Mr. Ue Vis to found his new 

 species, ('. rufrsnim. 



However, Mr. North thinks cei-tain field obsei-vations liave to be 

 explained away if ther« really be two distinct species of birds. For 

 instance it is certainly i-emarkable that the Australian Museum's collector 

 (Mr. Grant), during nearly a twelve months' trip (1888-9) in the district 

 of the bird, never saw two Rufous Butcher Birds in company, but always 

 one Rufous and one Black. 



Tlien there is Mr. J. A. Boyd's field note, which Mr. North quotes : 

 " Yesterday a black gin brought me a pair of most peculiar eggs belonging 

 to a species of Crnrticux, which the natives call ' 'Thulgo,' from its note. 

 The male is a noisy, black bird, about the size of Eiir!i/iuimis ■,the female 

 brown." Again, another con-espondent, Mr. W. S. Day, of Cairns, who 

 has shot a number of these birds, wrote : " The female is always brown, 

 and so is the young male ; but the old male is black." 



Against this field c\'idence wc have Mr. D. Le Souef's. On the 

 23rd October, 1894, he found a ne.st of the Black Butcher Bird, and 

 obsen-cd a p.air of black birds about the neighbourhood some time before 

 he discovered their nest. Again on Barnard Islands — a limited area, 

 and suitable for obsei-\'ations — he noticed more than a dozen Butcher 

 Birds, all of which were black. 



Mr. Broadbent, the discoverer of the bird, says : " I have shot pairs 

 of the black and also of the mfous-coloured bird, but have never obsei-\'ed 

 quoi/i and rufenceiif: together. I may further say, too', that an inter- 

 mediate stage of plumage has never come imdcr ray notice." But I think 

 the strongest evidence of all against the two birds being one lies in the 

 fact that the Black bird is also found in New Guinea, Am, and other 

 islands ; whereas we liave never heard of the rufous bird being found 

 out of North Queensland. 



