the birds of coolabah and brewarrina — north. 131 



Struthidka cinerea. 



Apostle-bird. 



Struthidea cinerea, Gould, Px'oc.-Zool. Soc, 1836, p. 143 ; id., 

 Bds. Austr., fol., iv., pi. 17 (1848) ; Shaipe, Cat. Bds. 

 Brit. Mus., iii., p. 140 (1877); North, Nests aud Eggs 

 Austr. Bds., 2nd, ed., i., pt. 1, p. 18 (1901). 



Common both at Coolabah and Brewarrina, frequenting 

 chiefly open forest-lands and pine scrubs. Usually met with 

 in small flocks, from five to twelve or more in number, feeding 

 on the ground beneath some wide spreading tree. When dis- 

 turbed these birds take refuge in the lower limbs and rapidly 

 hop from branch to branch, until near the top, then fly off, 

 uttering harsh cries of alarm. If shot at, and one of their 

 number is killed, or even wounded, the whole flock could be 

 obtained, for the remainder, rapidly elevating their tail 

 feathers up and down, and uttering cries of distress, gradually 

 descend and come neai-er and nearer, peering down in an in- 

 quisitive manner, until they are only a few yards above the 

 head of the intruder. This species, which is often called in 

 the inland portions of New South Wales the "Twelve Apostles" 

 from their habit of associating in flocks, is one of the three 

 species in Australia which constructs an open bowl-shaped 

 nest of mud on the limb of a tree. Like the Chough (Corcorax 

 nielanorJuuiiphits) , in arid localities advantage is often taken to 

 obtain the mud for nest building, after a passing thunderstorm. 

 and of recent years from the margins of the sheets of water, 

 the after result of artesian boring. 



CORCOKAX MKLA^DKHAMPHIS. 



White-winged Chough. 



Coracias melanorhahiphus, Vieill. Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat., viii , 

 p. 2. 



Corcorax leucopterus, Gould, Bds. Austr., ful., iv., pi. 16 (1848). 



Corcorax melanorhamphus, Gould, Handbk. Bds. Austr., i., p. 

 470 (1865); Sharpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., iii., p. 149 

 (1877) ; North, Nests and Eggs Austr. Bds., 2nd. ed., i., 

 pt. i., p. 21 (1901). 



