86 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 



ing bough, both invariably asleep : that the male participates 

 in the duty of incubation I ascertained by having shot a bird 

 on the nest, w^hich on dissection proved to be a male. The 

 eggs are generally two in number, of a beautiful immaculate 

 white, and of a long oval form, one inch and ten lines in 

 length by one inch and three lines in diameter. 



Like the other species of the genus, it is subject to consi- 

 derable variation in its colouring ; the young, which assume 

 the adult livery at an early age, being somewhat darker in all 

 their markings. In some a rich tawny colour predominates, 

 while others are more grey. 



The night-call of this species is a loud hoarse noise, consist- 

 ing of two distinct sounds, which cannot be correctly described. 



The stomach is thick and muscular, and is lined with a 

 thick hair-like substance like that of the Common Cuckoo. 



All the upper surface brown, speckled with greyish white 

 and darker brown, the feathers of the crown having a blackish- 

 brown stripe on the centre terminating in a minute spot 

 of white ; wings similar to the upper surface, but hghter and 

 with bolder black and buff spots, the coverts having an irre- 

 gular spot of white and tawny on the outer web near the tip, 

 which, as they lie over each other, form indistinct bands across 

 the wing; primaries brownish black, with hght-coloured 

 shafts, and with a series of whitish spots on the outer webs, 

 between which they are margined with tawny; their inner 

 webs irregularly barred with the same ; tail tawny brown, 

 sprinkled with lighter brown, and crossed with a series of 

 irregular bands of blackish brown, sprinkled with dusky 

 white, each feather having a spot of brownish black near 

 the extremity, and tipped with white; face and all the 

 under surface greyish white, crossed by numerous narrow 

 and irregular bars of tawny, and with a stripe of brown 

 down the centre of each feather, the latter colour being 

 most conspicuous and forming a kind of semilunar mark 

 down each side of the chest ; bill light brown, tinged with 



