DESCRIPTIONS OF OUR NATIVE BIRDS. 19 



BLUE DOVE, or BLACK-FACED GRAUCALUS. 



(Graucalus melanops)— ^'owW's Hand Book. 



(Coracina robusta)— A/frfAews' Hand List. 



8iZE. — This bird is about the size of a pigeon, being (juite 12in. in length when full 



jrown. 



Bill. — The bill is leaden grey to black. 



Feet and Legs. — Both feet and legs are colored leaden grey to black 



Plumage. — The forehead, sides of the face, and throat are jet black. The black 

 on the throat shades off through grey on the chest to white on the abdomen. 

 The crown and back of the head, the back, and rump are a delicate 

 slaty grey. The large wing feathers are nearly black, and edged with 

 grey. The tail feathers, with the exception of the two middle ones, 

 are tipped with white. 



Habitat. — These birds prefer open country, where the trees are large. 



Food. — The graucalus Uves chiefly upon large insects, such as mantids, phasniids, 

 and grubs. It is said to be fond of certain native berries and certain 

 species of ants. 



Nest. — The nest is a flat saucer-shaped structure, made from twigs and grass, the 

 ends of which are matted together on the outside with spider web. The 

 presence of the web makes it difficult to -discover the flat nest, which 

 is usually placed in a fork on a horizontaliimb. 



Eggs. — The eggs, which number two or three, are of a dull ohve-green color, strongly 

 marked with brown spots, and faint bluish-grey blotches that appear 

 below the surface. The eggs measure about 1-^in. x fin. 



