138 Mr. R. Hall ow Birds 
This species is undoubtedly shy, as noted by naturalists 
in general. It prefers to post itself upon a dead tree just 
higher than the adjacent sliort vegetation, and there^ always 
upon the alert^ it is ready at once to drop down out of sight 
and to reappear later in the distance. The rendering I should 
give of the call is " Kit-e-liu-tof ^' when distant, and " Kit-e- 
lint-e-tof ■" when near. The Geraldton boys know it as the 
former_, and pronounce the name in a sweet swinging style. 
25. Gymnorhina dorsalis. Long-billed Crow-Shrike. 
(Hairs Key, p. 31.) 
A. Sk. ad. c?. 6.10.99. -j 
B. Sk. imm. ^. 5.10.99. VKatanning. 
C. Juv. cT- 4.10.99. 3 
In the Perth Museum I was shown by Mr. Woodward six 
skins of birds, three being young fledglings and three older 
fledglings. All shewed black backs, the bulk of the feathers 
being edged with light brown. 
Three of these birds were the result of a white-backed 
male mating with a black-backed female, and had each back- 
feather edged with brownish white. The fledgling marked C 
was much whiter upon the back. 
At Albany I observed an individual in captivity that was 
about eleven months old. It had the eyebrows fawn-coloured; 
the scapulars and back-feathers brown, partly edged with 
white, but mostly with lighter brown. 
From other fledgings which I saw it was evident that the 
species may pass through two phases before leaving the nest: 
(a) the dark variety mentioned from the Perth Museum, 
which shews a sombre neck and rump (indicating the female 
sex), and [b) that with the neck and rump white, and a 
whitish back, each feather being broadly marked subtermiu- 
ally with black. There are two or three feathers on the 
back that agree with the skins under (A). Male birds are 
referred to in (A) and (B). 
This bird lacks the harmonious voice of its fellow 
species. It crows like a domestic fowl, and that is not very 
pleasant in a '^ Pie." I know of a "Pie" in captivity in 
