206 Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria. 



I possess a note of this species also breeding in semi-captivity, 

 but in this instance the tame bird was the female. She was two 

 years old when she built a nest on a roof of an outbuilding near 

 my uncle's house, Heyfield, Gippsland. A pair of young were 

 hatched. She was a most persistent nuisance when building her 

 nest — pulling fibre out of door mats, unravelling the edges of 

 oilcloth, etc. One day, after a chance haircutting operation, the 

 bird eagerly seized mouthfuls of hair to finally trim her nest. 

 This bird lost its beautiful native carol, adopting instead the 

 voices of various rot)sters and other farm-yard fowls. 



Some birds, especially old ones, grow very sa,vage, and will 

 attack and strike persons approaching the vicinity of their nest. 

 Once I saw a pair enforce the "move-on clause" on a wedge- 

 tailed eagle, which the magpie attacked from above — every thrust 

 making tufts of feathers fly from between the shoulders of the 

 great bird of pi'ey. I heard of a "hen-wife" who kept a couple of 

 tame magpies about the farm because they encouraged wild ones 

 near, which were a safeguard to her chickens and young poultry 

 against certain birds of prey. If a hawk appeared anywhere in 

 the neighbourhood it usually met with a warm reception from 

 the magpies. 



G. dorsalis, n. sp. (The Long-billed Magpie). 



The recorded data regarding the geographical range of the 

 GymnorhUnc on the continent, is somewhat perplexing to ornitho- 

 logical students. Gould states in his "Handbook," "It is true that 

 a bird of this genus inhabits the neighbourhood of Swan River 

 (W.A.), whose size and style of plumage are very similar [to G. 

 tibiceii\ but which I have little doubt will prove to be distinct," 

 and in his tabulated list in the West Australian column has in- 

 serted G. tibiceti with a query against it. Yet, under the heading 

 of G. leHConota,\ie says that bird (G. leuconota) is called "Goore-bat" 

 by the aborigines of the low-land districts of JFestern Australia ! 

 In Dr. Ramsay's "Tabular List" (1S83), G. tibicen is indicated 

 in the West Australian division, while in his last list (1888) this 

 author has substituted G. leuconota witliowt assigning reason for 

 so doing. However, during my own visit to the Western Territory 

 in 1889, I thought the first point might be easily settled as to 

 whic-li of the two species actually iidiabits Western Austi-alia. 



