SOME USEFUL AUSTRALIAN BIRDS. 75 



Struthidea cinerea is the sole representative of this genus peculiar to Aus- 

 tralia, and a species, says Gould, that is one of the most anomalous in our 

 avifauna. He remarks upon the curious short, blunt, formation of the bill, 

 and suggests that it is well adapted for extracting seeds out of the cones of 

 the desert cypress pine. Though in southern Riverina this bird was at one 

 time known under the popular name of Pine-pigeon, it was not on account 

 of its food habits, but because of its general occurrence in the sand ridges 

 clothed with cypress pine. Though these birds are seed-eating as well as 

 insectivorous, I have never seen them eating pine seeds, and doubt if any 

 bird would eat them unless starving. 



One of the most unsuitable popular names ever given to a bird is that of 

 the Grey Log-jumper, given by several popular writers to this bird and 

 perpetuated in Lucas and Le Souef's " Birds of Australia." Quite a number 

 of birds are known under the names of Apostle-bird, Twelve Apostles, and 

 Happy Family in different parts of the country ; but our friend goes by the 

 first-mentioned all through its western range. I think that the name 

 fits it, for these birds are very often in flocks of ten or twelve, confer- 

 ring together in what might possibly be the apostolic manner. At all camps,, 

 particularly where horses are fed, a flock of Apostle-birds will come round 

 sometime during the day, chattering and scolding away at each other, and 

 even trying to peck holes in the bags of chafi" and grain; A party of twelve 

 once attached themselves to our camp at Yarrawin, Brewarrina ; they 

 hopped about in front of our dining tent at meal times, and picked up scraps 

 thrown to them, even coming under the seats for crumbs. One, the head of 

 the party probably, frequently stood up against a post a short distance off,, 

 and several of the others took bits of bread and meat and put them into his 

 mouth. We cyanided a large mount-ant's nest close to the tent, and broke 

 the surface with a pick ; our Apostle-birds spent many busy hours scratching 

 up the remains of the nest and eating the dead pupal ants. Very often,, 

 when Ave were camping out in the scrub for our midday lunch, a flock of 

 these birds would come flying up and perch on a branch just above our 

 heads, sitting side by side, chattering and fluttering their feathers as they 

 peered down at us. As soon as we moved away they would come down and 

 clear up all crumbs and scraps. This bird has the curious habit, shared by 

 the Magpie-lark, and the Chattering Jay, of constructing a solid, stout, 

 circular clay nest upon a stout limb of a gum-tree. In this she deposits four 

 white eggs, blotched with reddish-brown and purplish -grey. 



The Sacred Kingfisher {Halcyon sanctus Vig. and Horsf.). 



Gould's Handbook, vol. I, p. 128, No. 63 ; Leach's Bird Book, p. 106, No. 223. 

 This is one of the kingfishers that, though sometimes found in the vicinity 

 of creeks, is hardly a fisherman, for he is more often miles away from water 

 in open forest or scrub, where his chief food supply is ground game such as- 

 small lizards, moths, beetles, and ants. Gould says that in the vicinity of 

 salt marshes this bird feeds upon small crabs and other crustaceans. 



