40 GARDEN AND AVIARY BIRDS. 



tail, however, is a little shorter than the Crow's and as 

 different as possible from a real Magpie's lengthened 

 appendage. The bill of the Piping-Crow is stout at the 

 root, but rapidly tapers to the hooked tip, which is dark ; 

 the rest of the bill is of a peculiar bluish white, with no 

 bristles at the root as in a true Crow. Except for this 

 peculiar beak, which much resembles that of the Austra- 

 lian Butcher-birds birds which anyone could at once 

 see to be Shrikes the Piping-Crow is much more Crow 

 than Shrike to look at, having a Crow's long legs and 

 power of running actively about on the ground. The 

 markings of the plumage are very peculiar, and unlike 

 those of any other bird. The head, feet, all the under - 

 parts and the flanks, are black; so also are the wings, 

 but they bear a white patch ; the tail is white with a 

 black tip, and there is a white patch covering the back 

 of the neck. The space between neck and tail may be 

 either black, white, or grey, the black-backed birds com- 

 ing from one part of Australia, and the light- backed 

 from another ; but it is doubtful whether they are really 

 distinct species, and for all practical purposes they may 

 be reckoned as one. Male and female are alike, but 

 young birds are thickly mottled with drab underneath, 

 and in buying a bird which it is intended to teach and 

 make a pet of, this drab mottling as a sign of youth, must 

 be looked out for. An old bird, however, will be found to 

 have a most beautiful whistle of its own, rich and varied, 

 which alone makes the species worth keeping, to say 

 nothing of its being a handsome bird and possessed of 

 much character. A young bird which has been properly 



