202 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 



Sp. 110. CAMPEPHAGA KARU. 



Northern Campephaga. 



Lanius Karu, Less. Zool. de la Coq., pi. 12. 

 Notodela Karu, Less. Traite d^Orn., p. 374. 

 Lalage Karu, Cab. Mus. Hein., Theil i. p. 60. 



Campephaga [Lalage] Karu, G. R. Gray, Cat. of Birds of Trop. Islauds 

 of Pacific Ocean in Coll. Brit. Mus., p. 23. 



Campephaga Karu, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ii. pi. 61. 



Gilbert, who met with this species at Port Essington, states 

 that it is a very shy and timid bird, that it is generally seen 

 creeping about in pairs among the thickets and clumps of 

 mangroves, that its note is a somewhat shrill piping call, that 

 its stomach is tolerably muscular, and that it feeds upon 

 insects of various kinds : this, I regret to say, is all that is 

 known respecting it. 



In referring this species to the Lanius Karu of Lesson, I 

 am rather influenced by a desire not to add to the number of 

 useless synonyms, than from any positive conviction of their 

 being identical; for although, with only Lesson's figure to 

 refer to, I am unable to detect any difference of sufficient im- 

 portance to be considered specific, it is possible that the two 

 birds are really distinct. 



The male has the head, all the upper surface, wings, and 

 tail black ; the wing-coverts largely tipped, primaries narrowly 

 edged and tipped, secondaries broadly margined on their ex- 

 ternal webs, rump and upper tail-coverts slightly, the external 

 tail-feather largely, and the next on each side slightly tipped 

 with white ; line from the nostrils over each eye to the occiput 

 buffy white ; under sm-face pale grey, crossed on the breast 

 and flanks with narrow irregular bars of slaty black, and 

 washed with fulvous, gradually increasing in intensity until 

 on the vent and under tail-covcrts it becomes of a deep tawny 

 bulf ; irides dark brown ; bill black ; feet blackish grey ex- 



