138 Mr. R. Hall o?/ Birds 



This species is undoubtedly shy, as noted by naturalists 

 in fijcneral. It prefers to post itself upon a dead tree just 

 higher than the adjacent short vegetation, and there, always 

 upon the alert, it is ready at onee to drop down out of sight 

 and to reappear later in the distance. The rendering I should 

 give of the call is " Kit-e-lin-tof ^' when distant, and " Kit-e- 

 lint-e-tof when near. The Geraldton boys know it as the 

 former, and pronounce the name in a sweet swinging style. 



25. Gymnorhina toksalis. Long-billed Crow-Shrike. 

 (HalFs Key, p. 31.) 



A. Sk. ad. S. 0.10.99.1 



B. Sk. imm. (^ . 5.10.99. >Katanning. 



C. Juv. c?. 4.10.99.) 



In the Perth Museum I was shown by Mr. Woodward six 

 skins of birds, three being young fledglings and three older 

 fledglings. All shewed black backs, the bulk of the feathers 

 being edged with light brown. 



Three of these birds Avere the result of a white-backed 

 male mating with a black-backed female, and had each back- 

 feather edged with brownish white. The fledgling marked C 

 was much whiter upon the back. 



At Albany I observed an individual in captivity that was 

 about eleven months old. It had the eyebrows fawn-coloured; 

 the scapulars and back-feathers brown, partly edged with 

 white, but mostly with lighter brown. 



From other fledgings which I saw it was evident that the 

 species may pass through two phases before leaving the nest: 

 (a) the dark variety mentioned from the Perth Museum, 

 which shews a sombre neck and rump (indicating the female 

 sex), and {b) that with the neck and rump white, and a 

 whitish back, each feather being broadly marked subtermiu- 

 ally with black. There are two or three feathers on the 

 back that agree with the skins under (A). Male birds are 

 referred to in (A) and (B). 



This bird lacks the harmonious voice of its fellow 

 species. It crows like a domestic fowl, and that is not very 

 pleasant in a '' Pie." I know of a " Pie" in captivity in 



