INSESSORES. 147 



there are examples in the Paris Museum from, I beUeve, Timor ; 

 it is evident, therefore, that this bird has a wide range. 



The sexes are ahke in plumage, but the young differ 

 considerably. 



The whole of the head, back, and abdomen chocolate- 

 brown ; wings, rump, and under tail-coverts bluish black ; 

 tail deep bluish black, all the feathers except the two outer 

 and two middle ones tipped with white ; bill beautiful violet- 

 blue at the base, darker at the tip ; irides and feet nearly 

 black. 



Sp. 75. ARTAMUS CINEREUS, Fieillot. 



Grey-breasted Wood Swallow. 



Artamus cinereus, Vieill. Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat., toni. xvii. p. 297. 



Oci/pterus cinereus, Valenc. Mem. du Mus. d^Hist. Nat., torn. vi. p. 22, 

 t. 9. fig. 1. 



Be-wo-wen, Aborigines of the lowland and mountain districts of West- 

 ern Australia. 



TFood Swallow of the Colonists of ditto. 



Artamus cinereus, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ii. pi. 29. 



This bird exceeds in size all the other Australian Wood 

 Swallows. Its large tail, most of the feathers of which are 

 broadly tipped with white, as well as the colouring of its 

 plumage, at once point out its close affinity to the Artamus 

 sordidus and A. minor. 



In Western Australia it is a very local but by no means 

 an uncommon species, particularly at Swan River, where 

 it inhabits the limestone hills near the coast, and the " Clear 

 Hills " of the interior, assembling in small families, and 

 feeding upon the seeds of the Xanthorrhcea, which proves 

 that insects do not form the sole diet of this species ; with 

 such avidity in fact does it devour the ripe seeds of this grass- 

 tree, that several birds may frequently be seen crowded toge- 

 ther on the perpendicular sccd-stalks of this plant busily en- 



L 2 



