8 Order Vasserifor'mes, Family Laniidae, Genus Gyinnorhina. 



Rill- — Bluish white at base, black at tip. 

 Legs and Feet — Black. 

 Iris — Reddish brown. 



The female resembles the male except that the back is 

 light grey, and the average length of the bill is less. 



The young have the back dark mottled grey, and the 

 feather of the under surface and thighs margined with brown 

 The bill is black, and the irides dull black. 



Measurements : — 



Total length . . . . 37.00 cm. 



Wing 26.50 cm>. 



Tail 15.50 cm. 



Tarsus 5.65 cm. 



Bill 5.60 cm. 



In old birds the notch near the point of the upper man- 

 dible becomes deeper, and the tip has a tendency to hook over 

 the lower mandible. 



Distribution — All the southern portions of South Aus- 

 tralia- and Victoria wherever there is a cleared or open 

 country. They never frequent thick scrub. Up to about 150 

 miles north of Adelaide it is the only species, but at about this 

 point a few individuals of G. tibicen intermissa begin to appear. 

 At Port Augusta the two species are found in about equal 

 numbers. At Mount Gunson, on the west side of Lake Tor- 

 rens, only the black-backed birds occur, and at Kallioota. on 

 the east side of the lake, there are only white backs. In the 

 Gawler Ranges white backs are the only species. 



Food — All their food is taken on the ground. It consists 

 of insects, spiders, worms, seeds, frogs, mice, small reptiles, 

 young birds, soft fruit, and any small birds it can catch. It may 

 often be seen in hot pursuit of small birds, but rarely, if ever, 

 catches one. In captivity they will eat cooked or raw meat, 

 bread, almond kernels, grass, and other plants. They are also 

 fond of fat or butter. At daybreak they fly from their roost- 

 ing trees to a neighbouring field, where they turn over flat 

 stones, pieces of bark or dung, in search of insects. They seem 

 to detect the whereabouts of worms by their sense of hearing 

 when they dig into the ground with their sharp beaks, and 

 draw the worm out whole. It is always placed on the ground 

 and inspected before being eaten. They remain in the field 

 fairly late in search of nocturnal insects which come from their 



