INSESSORES. 183 



tipped tail of the latter ; it differs, however, from both, as well 

 as from all the other members of the genus, in the light or 

 silvery-grey colouring of the back, and hence the term of 

 argenteus has been applied to it. 



No account of its habits has yet been received, but they 

 doubtless resemble those of the other species of the genus. 



Crown of the head, ear-coverts, shoulders, primaries, and 

 all the tail-feathers for three-fourths of their length from the 

 base black ; back silvery grey ; throat, all the under surface, 

 sides of the neck, some of the wing-coverts and the margins 

 of several of the secondaries, rump, and tips of the tail-feathers 

 pure white ; bill horn-colour ; feet blackish brown. 



Sp. 98. CRACTICUS QUOYIL 



Quoy's Crow-Shrike. 



Barita Quoyi, Less. Zool. de la Coq., torn. i. p. 639, pi. 24. 

 Mol-gul-ga, Aborigines of Port Essington. 



Cracticus Quoyii, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. ii. pi. 53. 



We have abundant evidence that the zoology and botany 

 of New Guinea and Australia are very similar. In some 

 instances the same species are found in both countries, of 

 which fact the present bird is an example. M. Temminck, 

 to whom I showed specimens of this bird killed in Australia, 

 assured me that they were identical with others from New 

 Guinea. The northern coast is the only portion of Australia 

 in which this bird has been observed. It is tolerably abun- 

 dant at Port Essington, where it inhabits the mangrove- 

 swamps generally, even those close to the settlement. 



Gilbert states that it is extremely shy and wary, and that the 

 nature of its usual haunts precludes in a great measure all 

 chance of getting a sight of it. He never met with it in any 

 other situation than the darkest and thickest parts of the man- 

 groves, where there is a great depth of mud, and where the 

 roots of the trees are very thickly intertwined ; it is among 



