118 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 



Upper Hunter, and all other parts towards the interior, as far 

 as I had an opportunity of exploring. Its favourite resorts 

 during the day are the open, arid, and thinly-timbered 

 forests ; and in the evening the banks and sides of rivers, 

 where numbers may frequently be seen in company. It 

 almost invariably selects a dead or leafless branch whereon to 

 perch, and from which it darts forth to capture the passing 

 insects. Its flight somewhat resembles that of the Artamiy 

 and although it is capable of being sustained for some time, 

 the bird more frequently performs short excursions, and 

 returns to the branch it had left. 



The eggs are deposited and the young reared in holes made 

 in the sandy banks of rivers or any similar situation in the 

 forest favourable for the purpose. The entrance is scarcely 

 larger than a mouse-hole, and is continued for a yard in depth, 

 at the end of which is an excavation of sufficient size for the 

 reception of the four or five beautiful pinky-white eggs, which 

 are ten lines long by eight or nine lines broad. 



The stomach is tolerably muscular, and the food consists of 

 various insects, principally Coleoptera and Neuroptera. 



The sexes are alike in plumage, and may be thus described: — 



Forehead, line over the eye, back, and wing-coverts brown- 

 ish green ; crown of the head and nape orange-brown ; wings 

 orange-brown, passing into green on the extremities of the 

 primaries, and broadly tipped with black ; two or three of the 

 scapularies, lower part of the back, rump, and upper tail- 

 coverts cserulean blue ; tail black, most of the feathers, par- 

 ticularly the two centre ones, slightly margined with blue ; 

 lores, line beneath and behind the eye and ear- coverts velvety- 

 black ; beneath which is a stripe of cserulean blue ; throat 

 rich yellow, passing into orange on the sides of the neck ; 

 beneath this a broad band of deep black ; under surface like 

 the back, becoming green on the lower part of the abdomen ; 

 under tail-coverts light blue ; irides light brownish red ; bill 

 black ; legs and feet mealy greenish grey. 



