VII 



CORVIDAE 



557 



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

 C. wilsoni, with entirely blue wattle, inhabit the lower hill-forests 

 of the South and North Islands of New Zealand respectively. 

 They have deep, rich, long-drawn notes, diversified by " cackles," 

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

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



FIG. 131. Huia. Heteralocha acutirostris. 



(From Nature.) 



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. 1 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 ; while 



1 The Austro-coraccs (p. 531) may contain these three genera and the Paradiseidae. 



