VII 



CORVIDAE 



557 



head, and an orange and blue rictal wattle, and its congener 

 a ivilsoni, with entirely blue wattle, inhabit the lower hill-lbrests 

 of the South and North Islands of New Zealand respectively. 

 They have deep, rich, long-drawn notes, diversified ])y "cackles," 

 " mews," or " bell-like " sounds, the male performing antics when 



courtinti-. 



The food consists of fruit, flowers, and insects; the 



Fig. 131. Huia. Hetemlocha acutiruslris. 



X k. 



(From Xature.) 



flight is feeble. The large nests of twigs, moss, and grass are 

 placed in trees ; the two or three eggs being purplish-grey with 

 brown blotches or frecklings. Corcorax and Struthidea are peculiar 

 to Australia, the former being glossy black with white on the 

 wing, the latter brownish-grey with black tail.-^ Corcorax haunts 

 open forests, brook-sides, and lagoons in little flocks, running about 

 actively, or leaping upon the boughs with motile, outspread tail. 

 The food consists of insects; the note is grating or mournful ; >vhile 



^ The Austru-curaces (p. 531) may contain these three genera and the Paradiseidae. 



