344 



-BIRDS. CORVID.E. 



some appear to devour almost anything that comes in 

 their way, and is fitted to afford them nourishment. 



FAMILY I. CORVID^). 



This family includes the numerous species of crows 

 and other allied forms, many of which are amongst the 

 most omnivorous of birds; in fact, the Corvidae con- 

 stitute the principal portion of the order which M. 

 Temminck proposed to establish under the name of 

 Omnivores. They have a more or less elongated, 

 strong, and compressed conical bill, in which the ridge 

 of the upper mandible is curved, and its tip slightly 

 notched on each side. The nostrils are placed at the 

 base of the upper mandible, and concealed beneath a 

 group of small feathers which grow there. The wings 

 are generally long and powerful, and the feet of moder- 

 ate length, and strong. 



These birds seem to be almost equally adapted for 

 a terrestrial and an aerial existence ; they walk and run 

 upon the ground with great facility, rise easily from the 

 ground, fly well, and display considerable activity 

 amongst the branches of trees. They are very generally 

 distributed over the face of the globe, and everywhere 

 readily find the means of living ; for most of them are 

 by no means particular about their diet, feeding indif- 

 ferently upon grain, fruit, insects, and carrion, or even 

 attacking and devouring small birds, and such weakly 

 animals as they can easily overcome. They are for 

 the most part noisy birds, with much slyness and 

 drollery in their disposition, and many of them, espe- 

 cially when tamed, exhibit a strong inclination for 

 thievery and mischief. 



THE PIPING CROW (Gymnorhina tibicen). We 

 commence this family with the Piping Crow of Aus- 

 tralia, because this bird, with its immediate allies, is 

 evidently nearly related to the crow shrikes, with which 

 we concluded the preceding section ; in fact, by many 

 authors these birds have been placed together in a 

 single group, sometimes on one side, sometimes on the 

 other of the line of demarcation between the crows and 

 the shrikes. 



The Piping Crow is a large species, measuring about 

 sixteen inches in length. The greater part of the 

 plumage is deep black, but the nape of the neck, the 

 wing-coverts, the rump, vent, and upper and lower 

 tail-coverts are white ; the tail feathers are also white, 

 largely tipped with black. The bill is bluish-ash colour 

 at the base, and black at the tip, and the feet are black. 

 The nostrils in this and the allied species are not con- 

 cealed as in the ordinary crows, but form elongated 

 slits in the sides of the upper mandible. 



This handsome bird is an inhabitant of New South 

 Wales, over which it is very generally diffused, haunt- 

 ing the trees in the vicinity of cleared lands and plains, 

 and, when not disturbed in any way, approaching the 

 habitations of the settlers with the greatest boldness 

 and familiarity. It lives almost entirely upon insects, 

 which it generally captures on the ground; and Mr. 

 Gould states that it devours immense numbers of 

 locusts and grasshoppers. In captivity it feeds upon 

 animal food of almost any kind, and displays many of 

 the amusing qualities of the ordinary crows ; but it has 



one advantage over the latter in the beauty of its 

 note, which is a rich and mellow pipe, capable of con- 

 siderable modulation. In fact, this bird will learn to 

 whistle tunes with great accuracy. The Piping Crow 

 builds a large, round, cup-shaped nest among the 

 branches of a tree, constructing it of sticks, leaves, and 

 wool, and lining it with finer materials. It begins to 

 breed in August, and rears two broods in the season, 

 which lasts till January. 



THE WHITE-BACKED PIPING CROW (Gymnorlrina 

 Uuconotd) is about the same size as the preceding 

 species, which it closely resembles in its appearance, 

 but may be at once distinguished by its pure white 

 back. It is an inhabitant of South Australia, where 

 it exactly represents the Piping Crow of New South 

 Wales, but is a shy and wary, instead of a bold and 

 familiar bird. 



THE TASMANIAN PIPING CROW (Gymnorhinn or- 

 ganica), a smaller species than either of the preceding, 

 measuring only thirteen inches in length, resembles the 

 White-backed Crow in its white back, but has the 

 whole lower surface black. It is found only in Van 

 Diemen'a Land, where it resides amongst the trees in 

 the open parts of the country. In its habits it resem- 

 bles the New South Wales species, feeding upon insects, 

 which it procures on the ground. In the early morning 

 this bird perches upon the dead branch of a gum-tree, 

 and "pours forth a succession of notes of the strangest 

 description that can be imagined, much resembling," 

 says Mr. Gould, "the sounds of a hand-organ out of 

 tune, which has obtained for it the colonial name of 

 the Organ-bird." In captivity it readily learns to 

 whistle tunes or to articulate words, so that it becomes 

 a most amusing pet. 



THE PIED FRUIT CROW (Strepera graculina) is an 

 abundant and generally distributed bird in the colony 

 of New South Wales, inhabiting alike the brushes of the 

 coast, the sides of the mountains, and the forests of 

 Eucalypti of the intermediate plains. It is a large and 

 handsome bird, measuring nearly eighteen inches in 

 length ; the whole of the plumage is jetty black, with 

 the exception of a large patch on each wing, the under 

 tail-coverts, and the bases and tips of the tail feathers, 

 which are pure white. The food of this bird consists 

 principally of fruits, berries, and seeds, of which it finds 

 an abundance among the branches of the trees, so that 

 it descends lessJrequently to the ground than the pre- 

 ceding species, to which, in other respects, it is nearly 

 allied. Its flesh is frequently eaten, and by some people 

 regarded as a delicacy. 



THE HILL FRUIT CROW (Strepera arguta), an 

 abundant species in Van Diemen's Land, and also met 

 with, but rarely, in Southern Australia, is larger than 

 any of the preceding, measuring about two feet in 

 length. It is of a sooty-brown colour, with a patch on 

 the wing the under tail-coverts- and the tips of the 

 inner webs of the tail feathers white. According to 

 Mr. Gould, the food of this bird consists principally of 

 insects, and its note is loud and ringing, resembling the 

 distant sound of the strokes on a blacksmith's anvil. 



THE SOOTY FRUIT CROW (S. fuliginosa), a smaller 

 species, which is also common in Van Diemen's Land, 

 is known to the colonists as the Black Magpie. 



