INSESSORES. S 



On a close examination of specimens from different parts 

 of Australia, a decided variation is observable in the form of 

 the bill, but of too trivial a character, in my opinion, to war- 

 rant their being considered as distinct. The Tasmanian 

 bii'd is the largest in every respect, and has the bill, particu- 

 larly the upper mandible, less abruptly curved, exhibiting a 

 tendency to the form of that organ in the genus Licmetis : 

 the bill of the north-western bird is much rounder than that 

 of the White Cockatoo of Tasmania : on this head the late 

 Mr. Elsey furnished me with the following note : — 



" The Cacatua galerita of the Victoria has many points of 

 difference from that of the eastern coast, especially in the 

 upper mandible. I find that the mandibles of the Cockatoos 

 differ in a striking manner according to the season, and the 

 kind of food upon which they subsist. When feeding on the 

 seeds of the Eucalypti, the brittle outer layers disappear, and 

 the tip becomes hard and sharp, while when feeding on roots 

 grubbed from soft ground, the outer layers are not worn, and 

 the end is square and spade-like. Leichardt mentions that 

 the Cockatoos shot round the gulf had a pink colouring on 

 the breast, and asks whether they were to be considered as a 

 variety. We noticed this fact also ; and the first bird I saw 

 was so well coloured on the breast, and the dye so uniform, 

 that it deceived me ; but I soon found others in which, not 

 only the breast, but the wings, tail, and face were dyed of a 

 pale rose-colour; spots of the same hue also occurred on their 

 bodies. The cause is this : — all the large sandy river-beds 

 contain a large quantity of iron, and the pools formed in them 

 are usually covered with a thin film of oxide of iron which is 

 transferred to the bird when drinking." 



The crops and stomachs of those killed in Tasmania were 

 very muscular, and contained seeds, grain, native bread (a 

 species of fungus), small tuberous and bulbous roots, and in 

 most instances large stones. 



As may be readily imagined, this bird is not regarded 



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