CRACTICUS. 



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olive-brown ground colour are more evenly spotted over the shell with a slightly darker shade 

 of the ground colour, while on the larger end are a few conspicuous spots of an ink-like hue. A 

 remarkably handsome type is of a pale apple-green ground colour with a broad clouded band around 

 the larger end formed of numerous penumbral markings of rich reddish-brown, the remainder of 

 the shell, with the exception of a few small spots and dots being entirely devoid of markmgs. 

 While at Copmanhurst, where this species is common, Mr. G. Savidge showed me an unusual 

 variety of its eggs in his collection. It was a set of four taken by him on the 21st October, 1894. 

 Three of them were of a pale dull bluish-white, the other a deep blue, the markings on all of 

 them consisting of only a few faint dull purplish spots; they measure:— -Length (A) i-i8 x 0-92 

 inches; (B) 1-23 x 0-92 inches; (C) 1-24 x 0-93 inches; (D) 1-3 x 0-92 inches. Some varieties 

 of the eggs of CracUcus destructor resemble those of the Fig-bird, Sphccotheres maxillaris. A set of 

 three taken at Belmore, New South Wales, on the 30th August, i8g8, measure :— Length (A) 

 i-iS X 0-92 inches; (B) 1-15 x 0-87 inches; (C) i-i6 x 0-87 inches. 



Immature birds resemble the adult female but have most of the feathers on the head and upper 

 parts centred with fulvous, as are also the tips of the upper tail-coverts, the upper wing-coverts 

 also having fulvous margins, the innermost of the greater series also being centred with fulvous, 

 the tail feathers having only small dull white tips on the inner webs, which is also shaded with 

 fulvous on the basal portion ; a distinct eyebrow and broad central streaks to the ear-coverts 

 fulvous. Throat dull white, remainder of the under surface greyish-white washed with fulvous, 

 and having the remains of dull dark brown cross-bars on the feathers ; under wing-coverts pale 

 fulvous with indistinct streaks or barrings of dull brown. Wing 5-5 inches. 



The fully adult plumage of the male is assumed by a moult. There is a specimen in the 

 Australian Museum collection with a number of black feathers intermingled with the old brown 

 ones on the crown of the head, and with most of the feathers on the back grey; the newer quills 

 are entirely brownish-black, showing with marked contrast to the old worn pale-brown ones. 



The late Mr. K. H. Bennett of Yandembah, wrote :— " On a station in Western New 

 South Wales where I resided for some time, and where Cracticus destructor was numerous, I 

 noticed a peculiar habit of these birds. They used to pull the wool off dead sheep and roll it up 

 into pellets about the size of a large pea and almost as hard. In many instances the exposed 

 portion of the dead sheep would be almost denuded of wool, whilst the ground alongside of the 

 carcass would be covered with hundreds of these pellets. One day I discovered the cause, for 

 I saw one of these birds alight on a dead sheep and pluck out a piece of wool and then throwing 

 himself on his back on the ground and using bill and feet at the same time, soon had one 

 made. Discarding it, he pull out another piece of wool and resumed his pellet-making operations, 

 continuing until he had made quite a number of them ; subsequently I frequently saw them 

 thus engaged. On many occasions I tried myself to make one, but they were always failures, I 

 could not get the wool to remain in the round hard lump that the bird did." 



Dr. A. M. Morgan sends me the following notes from South Australia :^" During a trip 

 made in company with Dr. A. Chenery from Port Augusta to Mount Gunson, we found 

 Cracticus destructor fairly common but very shy. Four nests were taken; one at Mount Gunson 

 on the 31st July 1900, built in a mulga containing three fresh eggs, another in the same locality 

 on the 1 2th August with two fresh eggs, and two at Arcoona on the 8th August; one nest in a 

 pine tree contained three fresh eggs, the other built in a myall had one very large blood-stained 

 egg. In the last three instances the female was sitting on the nest when it was discovered, who 

 flew off as soon as the tree was touched, the male then made his appearance with a great clamour. 

 When not nesting it was difficult to get a sight of the bird. Again, in company with Dr. 

 Chenery in August 1902 we found it common throughout a trip made to the Gawler Ranges. 

 One male bird had become so tame at Nonning homestead, that he came regularly to the house 

 to be fed. While skinning birds there he came and picked up bits thrown to him. The body 



