THE MOCKIKG-BIBD. 133 



habitations of man. Its croak is loud but soft, and at 

 times prettily modulated. They were our constant com- 

 panions out kangarooing, and would follow us through 

 the forests like sutlers on the skirts of a pursuing army, 

 and at night, when skinning the dead kangaroo previous 

 to bringing them home, the old carrion crows would 

 perch themselves on a gum-tree above our heads and sit 

 watching us till their turn came. Like 



" Eaven on the blasted oak, 

 Who waiting while the deer is broke, 

 His morsel claims with sullen croak. " 



"We had another species, rather smaller than the carrion 

 crow, which it otherwise much resembled in shape, plu- 

 mage, and habits, but the eye was clear bluish-white. 

 "We called it the White-eijed Crow. It was rather a local 

 bird, generally seen in pairs, occasionally joined the 

 other, but was nowhere very common with us. 



One of the noisiest and most restless of all the bush- 

 birds is the 'Mocking-bird, as we called it, for what 

 reason I know not, as I never heard it utter any other 

 than one note, — a long continuous hoarse cackle ; and this 

 was never still. It was about the size of a thrush ; the 

 upper plumage chestnut-brown, the under parts dirty- 

 white, a bluish-white eye, and a long curved beak. They 

 I were not very common ; generally in small flocks, in se- 

 cluded places among the honeysuckles and shey oaks ; 

 continually in motion, chasing one another from tree to 

 tree with a very sharp flight, all the while keeping up 

 their peculiar hoarse call-note. They bred with us, but 



