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  THE 
  ZOOLOGIST. 
  

  

  remain 
  very 
  still 
  ; 
  after 
  watching 
  them 
  for 
  a 
  while, 
  I 
  made 
  a 
  

   slight 
  movement, 
  when 
  they 
  all 
  scurried 
  off 
  into 
  the 
  scrub. 
  

  

  Passing 
  to 
  the 
  family 
  Laniidce, 
  the 
  Lesser 
  White-backed 
  Mag- 
  

   pie 
  {Gymnorhina 
  hyperleuca) 
  well 
  merits 
  a 
  note. 
  It 
  is 
  confined 
  

   solely 
  to 
  Tasmania, 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  very 
  common 
  in 
  some 
  parts, 
  but 
  

   altogether 
  wanting 
  in 
  others. 
  The 
  northern 
  and 
  agricultural 
  

   districts 
  are 
  its 
  strongholds. 
  To 
  Tasmania 
  belongs 
  the 
  privilege 
  

   of 
  being 
  the 
  first 
  Australasian 
  State 
  to 
  recognize 
  the 
  Magpie 
  as 
  

   being 
  of 
  economic 
  value, 
  and 
  to 
  extend 
  protection 
  to 
  it 
  as 
  such. 
  

   In 
  1879, 
  under 
  the 
  Game 
  Protection 
  Act, 
  42 
  Vict., 
  No. 
  24, 
  it 
  was 
  

   decreed 
  that 
  whosoever 
  killed 
  the 
  birds 
  or 
  destroyed 
  their 
  eggs 
  

   would 
  be 
  liable 
  to 
  a 
  penalty 
  not 
  exceeding 
  £1. 
  In 
  1885 
  this 
  Act 
  

   was 
  extended 
  under 
  48 
  Vict., 
  No. 
  35, 
  so 
  that 
  persons 
  could 
  not 
  

   buy, 
  sell, 
  or 
  offer 
  for 
  sale 
  birds 
  of 
  this 
  species. 
  Notwithstanding 
  

   this, 
  large 
  numbers 
  of 
  young 
  birds 
  are 
  taken 
  annually 
  and 
  sold 
  

   in 
  the 
  towns, 
  ^\ 
  7 
  hen 
  not 
  engaged 
  in 
  seeking 
  food, 
  most 
  of 
  its 
  

   time 
  is 
  spent 
  among 
  the 
  branches 
  of 
  lofty 
  trees. 
  Flocks 
  of 
  from 
  

   six 
  to 
  a 
  dozen 
  individuals 
  are 
  usually 
  seen 
  ; 
  occasionally 
  larger 
  

   ones 
  may 
  be 
  observed 
  (I 
  have 
  counted 
  as 
  many 
  as 
  forty-seven 
  

   birds 
  together 
  at 
  one 
  time) 
  ; 
  round 
  Conara 
  (the 
  native 
  name 
  of 
  

   the 
  Magpie) 
  and 
  other 
  midland 
  districts 
  even 
  larger 
  flocks 
  are 
  

   to 
  be 
  seen. 
  It 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  best, 
  if 
  not 
  the 
  best, 
  feathered 
  friend 
  

   the 
  farmer 
  has, 
  and 
  is 
  a 
  beautiful 
  songster, 
  its 
  voice 
  being 
  both 
  

   very 
  powerful 
  and 
  melodious. 
  It 
  is 
  sometimes 
  a 
  strange 
  experi- 
  

   ence 
  to 
  hear 
  a 
  chorus 
  of 
  Magpies 
  during 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  a 
  moon- 
  

   light 
  night. 
  

  

  The 
  Grey 
  Butcher 
  Bird 
  (Cracticus 
  destructor 
  subsp. 
  cinereus) 
  

   is 
  closely 
  allied 
  to 
  the 
  mainland 
  C. 
  destructor. 
  This 
  species 
  is 
  

   confined 
  to 
  Tasmania, 
  and 
  is 
  fairly 
  plentiful 
  in 
  parts, 
  especially 
  

   in 
  the 
  bush 
  round 
  towns 
  and 
  settlements. 
  Its 
  vernacular 
  name 
  

   is 
  that 
  of 
  " 
  Jackass." 
  Its 
  favoured 
  haunts 
  are 
  thickly 
  timbered 
  

   tracts, 
  where 
  it 
  can 
  find 
  an 
  abundance 
  of 
  insect 
  and 
  animal 
  life 
  

   to 
  satisfy 
  its 
  wants. 
  During 
  the 
  winter 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  observed 
  

   picking 
  scraps 
  of 
  fat 
  off 
  sheep 
  and 
  other 
  skins 
  hanging 
  on 
  farm 
  

   fences. 
  Like 
  its 
  English 
  cousin, 
  our 
  Butcher 
  Bird 
  often 
  impales 
  

   its 
  victims 
  on 
  long 
  thorns. 
  One 
  larder 
  I 
  found 
  consisted 
  of 
  two 
  

   callow 
  nestlings 
  of 
  some 
  small 
  bird, 
  the 
  remains 
  of 
  a 
  Mouse, 
  

   and 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  large 
  beetles 
  ; 
  another 
  consisted 
  of 
  two 
  Spar- 
  

   rows. 
  The 
  notes 
  of 
  the 
  Jackass 
  are 
  hard 
  to 
  describe, 
  being 
  

  

  