180 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 



Sp. 95. CRACTICUS NIGROGULARIS, Gould, 



Black-throated Crow-Shrike. 



Vanga nigrogularis, Gould iu Proc. of Zool. Soc, part v. p. 143. 

 Cracticus varius, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 261. 



robustus, Bonap. Conspectus Gen. Av., torn. i. p. 367, Cracticus, 



sp. 2. 



Cracticus nigrogularis, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, voL iL pi. 49. 



The Black-tliroated Crow- Shrike finds a natural asylum in 

 New South Wales, the only one of the Australian colonies in 

 which it has yet been found, and where it is by no means rare, 

 although the situations it affects render it somewhat local ; it 

 is a stationary species, breeding in all parts of the country 

 suitable to its habits and mode of life ; districts of rich land 

 known as apple-tree flats, and low open undulating hills 

 studded with large trees, are the kind of districts to which it 

 peculiarly resorts : hence the cow-pastures at Camden, the 

 fine park-like estate of Charles Throsby, Esq., at Bong-bong, 

 and the entire district of the Upper Hunter are among the 

 localities in which it may always be found. 



It is usually seen in pairs, and, from its active habits and 

 pied plumage, forms a conspicuous object among the trees, 

 the lower and outspreading branches of which are much more 

 frequented by it than the higher ones ; from these lower 

 branches it often descends to the ground in search of insects 

 and small lizards, which however form but a portion of its 

 food, for, as its powerful and strongly-hooked bill would lead 

 us to infer, prey of a more formidable kind is often resorted 

 to ; its sanguinary disposition, in fact, leads it to feed on 

 young birds, mice, and other small quadrupeds, which it tears 

 piece-meal and devours on the spot. 



The nest, which is rather large and round, is very similar 

 to that of the European Jay; those I examined were out- 

 wardly composed of sticks, neatly lined with fine fibrous roots. 



