194 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 



twigs, firmly matted together with a very fine, white, downy 

 substance Uke cobwebs and a species of Lichen, giving tiie 

 nest the same appearance as the branch upon which it is 

 placed, and rendering it most difiicult of detection. In some 

 instances I have found the nest ornamented with the broad, 

 white, mouse-eared Lichen ; it is extremely shallow in form, 

 its depth and breadth depending entirely upon that of the 

 fork in which it is built ; the largest I have seen did not 

 exceed six inches in diameter. 



The ground-colour of the eggs, which are usually two 

 in number, varies from wood-brown to asparagus-green, 

 the blotches and spots, which are very generally dispersed 

 over their surface, varying from dull chestnut-brown to light 

 yellowish brown ; in some instances they are also sparingly 

 dotted with deep umber-brown; their medium length is 

 thirteen lines, and breadth ten lines. 



Its note, which is seldom uttered, is a peculiar single 

 purring or jarring sound, repeated several times in succession. 



The adults have the forehead, sides of the face, ear-coverts, 

 and throat jet-black ; crown of the head, all the upper surface, 

 and wing-coverts delicate grey ; primaries black, their outer 

 edges and tips margined with grey ; secondaries grey, with 

 their inner webs black; tail grey at the base, gradually 

 passing into black near the extremity, and broadly tipped 

 with white ; chest blackish grey, into Avhich the black of the 

 throat gradually passes ; lower part of the abdomen pale 

 grey ; under tail-coverts white ; irides, bill, and feet black. 



Sp. 104. GRAUCALUS PARVIROSTRIS, Gould. 

 Graucalus parvirostris, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part v. p. 143. 



Graucalus parvirostris, Gould, Birds of Australia, vol. i. Introd. 



p. -XXXV. 



In my description of Graucalus mclanops, I have stated that 

 New South Wales, Tasmania, Swan River, and Port Essington 



