54 THE NATURALIST IN AUSTRALIA. 
turquoise blue feathers developed by the adult male bird in patches on the wing 
coverts, and also above the base of the tail. In this direction it more nearly 
approaches the yet more magnificent Sawromarpus gaudichaudi of New Guinea on the 
opposite side of Torres Straits. 
The vocal accomplishments of the species here figured differ essentially from those 
of the- familiar D. gigas, and so much resemble the most characteristic note of the 
Australian Crane, or so-called “ Native Companion,” Grus australasianus, that the writer 
on first hearing it in York Peninsula attributed it to that species. The sobriquet of 
“Laughing Jackass” would appear under these circumstances to be somewhat inappro- 
priately applied to this type. It can scarcely be said to laugh, and its “smile,” at 
close quarters, is so loud and ear-piercing that unsympathetic neighbours most 
uncharitably defined it as a compromise between the shriek of a locomotive engine 
and a policeman’s rattle. 
The Kingfisher family, Alcedidee, is most richly represented throughout Australia, 
from the relatively huge Dacelos to the pigmy tropical Queensland species, Alcyone 
pusilla, scarcely two inches in length, including as members in the same district 
the remarkable Raquet-tailed Kingfisher, Tanysiptera sylvia, in which the two central 
tail feathers are so prolonged that they may equal or exceed twice the total length of 
the bird’s body. Many of these Australian Kingfishers are further interesting from the 
fact that in lieu of river banks they burrow holes and construct their nests in the 
hills of the White Ants or Termites that form the subject of a subsequent Chapter. 
In Plate XXII, fig. B., an illustration is given of a termite nest, showing the burrow 
entrance of the Raquet-tailed species above-mentioned. 
The very commonly expressed assertion that Australian birds are devoid of 
song is by no means supported by facts, as anyone who is extensively acquainted 
with the various districts of the Island-Continent will testify. Few, if any, European 
birds produce a melody as rich and varied as the several species of so-called Magpies 
or Piping Crows, Gymnorhinew, already alluded to. Among the smaller birds there 
are several species somewhat resembling the English reed warbler, and one of 
these, Acrocephalus australis, is, indeed, specially mentioned by Gould as possessing a 
stronger and more melodious song than its European congener. Allied to these again are 
the many varieties of so-called White or Silver Eyes, genus Zosterops, which are veritable 
garden warblers, in habits, note, and aspect. As with the European birds, to whom 
they are here compared. they take a considerable toll from soft fruits such as goose- 
berries or grapes, but in compensation destroy a vast number of insect pests. Some 
