LARKS, TITMICE, HONEY-EATERS, THEIR KINDRED 1 
coloured. The females are dull- f 
coloured, whilst the males lose their | 
beauty in the winter season. These 
birds are inhabitants of the tropical 
regions of Africa, India, and Australia, 
and seem to revel in the burning 
rays of the noonday sun. 
Nearly allied to the Sun- 
birds are the FLOWER-PECKERS of 
the Indian and Australian regions. 
These are all small birds, remark- 
able as much for the beauty of 
their nests as for the splendour 
of their plumage. The nests are 
purse-like structures, made of white 
cotton-like material, and suspended 
from a branch instead of, as usual, 
resting on it. One of the most 
beautiful birds of the whole group, 
which includes numerous species, 1s 
the Australian DIAMOND-BIRD. Ofa 
general ashy-grey colour, this species 
is splashed all over with spots of 
red, yellow, orange, and black, whilst 
the tail-coverts are rich dark red. 
hos Wy 
Photo by W’. F. Piggott) 
im 2 
RED-BACKED SHRIKES 
Also called Butcher-birds, from their habit of killing small birds and mammals 
and hanging them up on thorns 
CHAPTER XVII 
SHRIKES, THRUSHES AND THEIR’ ALLIES, 
SWALLOWS, LYRE-BIRDS, CHATTERERS, 
BROAD-BILLS, ETC. 
HE Shrike Family are an exceedingly interesting 
group of birds, of world-wide distribution and of 
great diversity of appearance, varying in size from 
'a bird as small as a titmouse to one as large as a 
thrush, and presenting a considerable range of coloration, 
_ some being very brightly, others dull coloured. From 
_ the hooked beak, and the presence of a notch in the 
' tip of the upper jaw, they were considered by the older 
- naturalists to be allies of the Birds of Prey, a decision 
* still further supported by their hawk-like habit of capturing 
living prey in the shape of small birds and mice; whilst 
the remarkable custom of impaling their victims, still 
living, on thorns has earned for them the popular name 
of BUTCHER-BIRDS. The limits of the family, owing to 
AUSTRALIAN MAGPIE the diversity of the forms involved, have not as yet been 
4 ermine ? alists, som aving i od 
Eee ee ee een meee finally determined by naturalists, some having include 
Piping -crow species which others hold have no place there. 
Photo by W’, Reid] (Wishaw, N.B. 
