22 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 



Caley mentions that this bird has a habit of cutting off the 

 smaller branches of the apple-trees {An^ojohorcB), apparently 

 from no other than a mischievous motive. 



The sexes are very nearly alike, and may be thus de- 

 scribed : — 



The general plumage brownish black, glossed with green, 

 particularly on the head ; feathers of the body, both above 

 and beneath, narrowly margined with brown ; ear-coverts 

 dull wax-yellow ; all but the two central tail-feathers crossed 

 in the centre by a broad band, equal to half their length, of 

 brimstone-yellow, thickly freckled with irregular zigzag mark- 

 ings of brownish black ; the external web of the outer pri- 

 mary on each side, and the margin of the external web of the 

 other banded feathers, brownish black ; bill black in some 

 and white in others, the latter being probably young birds ; 

 eyes blackish brown ; feet mealy blackish brown ; orbits in 

 some black, in others pinkish red, and in others whitish. 



402. CALYPTORHYNCHUS XANTHONOTUS, Gould. 

 Yellow-eared Black Cockatoo. 



Calyptorhynchus xanthonotus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part v. 

 p. 151. 



Calyptorhynchus xanthonotus, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., 

 vol. V. pi. 12. 



The principal habitat of this species is Tasmania, but I 

 have also seen specimens from Plinder's Island and Port Lin- 

 coln in South Australia. It is very plentifully dispersed over 

 all parts of Tasmania, where it evinces a preference for the 

 thickly wooded and mountainous districts ; and is always to be 

 observed in the gullcys under Mount Wellington, particularly 

 in the neighbourhood of New Town. In fine weather it takes 

 a higher range, but descends to the lower part of the country 

 on the approach of rain, when it becomes excessively noisy, and 

 utters as it flies a very peculiar whining cry. Its flight is 



