94 cassell's book of birds. 



the blue alcyon. 



The Blue Alcyon {Cyanakyon Madcayi), one of the most beautiful birds of Australia, is 

 blackish blue on the head, as far as the nape ; the mantle is bright blue ; the wings and tail are black, 

 shaded with blue ; the entire under side of the roots of the primary and secondary quills, a broad 

 band round the throat, and an oval spot behind the nostrils, are white ; the iris is dark brown, the 

 beak black, and the tarsus blackish grey. The female is less brightly coloured than her mate, and 

 has an irregular, broken line of white around her throat. This species is seven inches long ; the wing 

 measures six inches and one-sixth, and the tail two and a half inches. 



" This beautiful bird," says Gould, " far surpasses any other Australian Kingfisher in the 

 brilliancy of its plumage. Like the other members of the genus to which it belongs, it is rarely if 

 ever seen near water, and evinces so decided a preference for the open forests of the interior of the 

 country that it has obtained the name of the Bush Kingfisher. It is generally dispersed about in 

 pairs, and feeds on small reptiles, insects, and their larvae. Its usual note is a loud " pee-pee," uttered 

 with considerable rapidity. It incubates in November and December, sometimes forming its nest in 

 the hollow trunks of trees, and at others excavating for itself a hole in the nest of the tree-ants, which 

 present so singular and prominent a feature in the scenery of the country. The nest of these birds 

 is easily discovered, for on the approach of an intmder they at once commence flying about in a very 

 wild manner, uttering a loud, piercing cry of alarm. The eggs, three or four in number, have a 

 pearly white shell, and are round in form.'' 



The GIANT ATCYONS {Paralcyon, or Dacelo) are readily distinguishable, not only from their 

 size, but by their long flat beak, which -is broad and flat at its base, straight at the culmen, compressed 

 at its sides, and slightly hooked at the tip of the projecting upper mandible ; the tarsi are short, but 

 powerful, and the toes very long and thick ; the wings, in which the second and third quills are of 

 almost equal length, are of moderate size, and blunt ; the broad tail is also of medium length. The 

 rich, lax plumage is of comparatively quiet hue. 



THE LAUGHING JACKASS, OR SETTLER'S CLOCK. 



The Laughing Jackass, or Settler's Clock (Paralcyon gigas, or Dacelo gigantea), an 

 interesting and very familiar species, inhabiting Australia, is dark brown on the back, and dull 

 yellowish white on the under side ; the lower part of the back and wing-covers are of a blueish shade ; 

 the tail-covers rust-red, striped with black ; the long, pointed feathers on the head have the shafts 

 streaked with brown ; the bristle-like ear-feathers are black ; the exterior quills are blackish brown, 

 and white at the root ; and the tail-feathers rust-red, striped with black, and marked with white at the 

 tips and sides of the inner web. The female is paler in hue, and less decidedly marked upon the 

 head. This bird is from seventeen to eighteen inches long, and more than two feet across the span 

 of the wings ; the wing measures eight inches. The tail is seven inches long. 



" The Dacelo gigantca" says Gould, " is a bird with which every traveller in New South AVales 

 is acquainted, for, independently of its large size, its voice is so extraordinary as to be unlike that 

 of any other living creature. In its disposition it is by no means shy, and when any new objects 

 are presented to its notice — such as a party traversing the bush, or pitching their tent — it becomes 

 very prying and inquisitive, often perching on the dead branch of some neighbouring tree, and 

 watching with the greatest curiosity the kindling of the fire and the preparation of the meal. Its 

 presence, however, owing to the quietude with which it passes through the forest, and the almost 

 noiseless manner in which it settles, is seldom detected, until it emits its extraordinary gurgling, 



