PIPING CROVf.—Gymnorhina tiUcen. 



The nest of the Piping Crow is a large and not very neatly constructed edifice, made 

 principally of sticks, leaves, and small grasses. It is loosely placed among the branches 

 of a lofty tree at a considerable elevation above the ground, and contains from two to four 

 eggs. There are generally two broods in the year. 



The colouring of this bird is remarkable for its boldness and simplicity, consisting 

 only of two opposite tints, disposed in large and contrasting masses. The greater part of 

 the body and wings is rich jetty black, as deep as that of the raven, and the whole back 

 of the neck, the wing-coverts, the upper and under tail-coverts, and the basal portions of 

 the tail-feathers, are pure snowy white, so that the colonists are quite justified in the 

 use of their popular title. In dimensions it about equals our common magpie, but does 

 not appear to be so large a bird on account of its comparatively short tail. The bill is 

 blue-black, and the eyes are deep ruddy hazel. 



The Pied Crow Sheike is an inhabitant of New South Wales, and is very widely 

 spread throughout that country. 



It is by no means a local bird, finding subsistence in almost every district, and being 

 equally found in the bushes of the coast, the mountains, and the forests. Its food 

 is chiefly of a vegetable character, consisting of berries, fruits, and seeds, and the bird is 

 in consequence of a more arboreal character than the preceding species, which finds the 

 greater part of its nourishment on the ground. It is a stationary bird, only moving from 

 one district to another according to the season of the year, and is generally seen in little 

 parties of five or six in number, which are supposed to be the parents and their young 

 family. 



