1875.] BIRDS FROM QUEENSLAND. 601 
161. ScyrHrors NOVH-HOLLANDIZ. 
162. EuDYNAMIS FLINDERSI. 
163. CENTROPUS PHASIANUS. 
These species are all common enough throughout the whole district, 
the Scythrops usually met with flying about the tops of high trees 
in companies of five to eight in number; they have a loud harsh 
guttural croak, which is most usually heard early in the morning. 
The Ludynamis frequents fruit-bearing trees of every description, 
and feeds on numerous species of berries found in the scrubs, occa- 
sionally visiting gardens in the neighbourhood of the settlements for 
a like purpose. The Swamp-Pheasant, or Cookoo, as it is usually 
called (Centropus phasianus), is very numerous and may be always 
found frequenting the extensive grass-beds throughout the Colony. 
These birds prey on mice and small animals, holding them with 
their feet, and tearing them to pieces if they are too large. I once 
had a pair of Centropus in confinement ; and although scarcely nine 
months old, they readily killed mice or young rats when let go in 
their cage: first picking them up quickly in their bill and rapping 
them smartly against the sides of the cage, they soon killed them; 
but often a peck on the back with their strong bills killed or disabled 
the animal at once. They eat raw meat, grasshoppers (Locusta), 
lizards, frogs, or bread readily ; they appeared to be omnivorous, 
and became very tame in a short time. 
164. CACATUA GALERITA. 
This bird seems universally dispersed over the whole of Australia ; 
and they are not one whit the less mischievous in the Cardwell 
district than any other. I found that they frequent the palm trees 
when the seeds are ripening; and there perched on the fruiting stems 
they amused themselves biting off the strings of red or green berries, 
and watching them as they fell tothe ground. I have noticed them 
in New South Wales treating some of the flowering Lucalypti in 
the same way, and have frequently seen large trees with scarcely a 
bough untouched, and the whole ground underneath strewed with 
the leaves and branches. They seldom eat either the blossoms or 
the capsules of the Hucalypti, although they do feed on the palm- 
(Ptychosperma alexandre) berries, and afterwards begin their work 
of destruction. 
-165. CALYPTORHYNCHUS BANKSII. 
Not plentiful, one troop of five only met with on the Herbert 
river. 
166. CALYPTORHYNCHUS LEACHII. 
167. CALYPTORHYNCHUS FUNEREUS. 
These seem to be the usual, but not common, species found about 
the Herbert river and Cardwell. I met them on two or three 
occasions, but found them very shy. 
