92 IN AUSTRALIAN WILDS 



species, is, writes Professor Alfred Newton, in the 

 "Dictionary of Birds," commonly placed by systema- 

 tists next to Pyrrhocorax, "but osteologists must be 

 further consulted before this assignment of the bird, 

 which is chiefly a frequenter of woodlands, can be 

 admitted without hesitation." The Chough's plumage 

 is glossy black, with white on the wings ; the bill and 

 feet are black. The European Chough [Pyrrhocorax'] 

 also has glossy black plumage, but its feet are of a 

 brilliant red colour, and the beak red or yellow. Still, 

 it appears to be the closest relative that can be claimed 

 for the Australian bird. 



White-winged Choughs attract attention by their 

 mournful cries ; besides, they are inquisitive birds, and 

 inclined to haunt the vicinity of a camp. When on 

 a sheep station in Riverina, I enjoyed the company of 

 a flock of Choughs. They were so tame that they 

 approached close to the hut door, where I was seated, 

 hopping and prancing in a comical manner. 



Two other species of Australian birds build mud 

 nests similar to those of the Chough. One of them 

 is the Pied Grallina, or Magpie Lark [Grallina picata] , 

 a study in black and white. Only two members of 

 the genus are known to science, the Magpie-Lark's re- 

 lation being Grallina bruijni, which inhabits New 

 Guinea. The Grallina's shrill call notes, "knee-deep, 

 knee-deep," are familiar sounds, both in country and 

 town. These birds haunt the waterside, stepping 

 daintily over the mud or sand. They are strictly 

 protected, for their value as destroyers of pond snails, 

 which are intermediate hosts of the liver fluke, is in- 

 estimable. Pastoralists dread the liver fluke, which, 

 in its mature stage, infests the livers of sheep. In 

 addition to pond snails, Magpie-Larks eat insects, so 

 that they must be ranked among the best of many 

 bird friends. 



The Pied-Grallina's nest is smaller and neater than 

 that of the White-winged Chough, and is composed 



