BIRDS OF TASMANIA. 17 



mm. of a clutch :—(l) 29 x 20, (2) 28 x 21, (3) 28 x 20.5, (4) 30 x 

 20. 



Breeding Season. — September to December. 



Geographical Distribution. — Tasmania, King Island, and 

 Furneaux Group. 



Observations. — This cheerful whistler is a favourite with all, 

 ■ wherever found. Many farmers and rough miners would no more 

 think of killing a Whistling Dick' than they would a Eobin. Its 

 general ■ attitude is one of alertness. Its movements are quick, 

 whether on the ground or on a log or tree. On being flushed 

 when feeding in fairly open ground it generally flies on to the top 

 of the nearest log or stump and looks about as though inquiring 

 why it had been disturbed. It soon becomes very tame round 

 dwellings where it is not disturbed, and if fed with crumbs will 

 soon come every day for some. I have known it fly right into a 

 house and perch on a table when its daily food had accidentally 

 been forgotten. As a destroyer of grubs and similar pests it 

 renders a great service to agriculturists. By means of its power- 

 ful bill it is able to strip the bark off eucalypts and other trees 

 to secure its prey. Its loud and melodious whisthng note may be 

 heard during all seasons, but, as is usually the case, it is of a better 

 quality during the nesting season. 



FAMILY- CAMPOPHAGID/E (2 species). 



*SMALL-BILLED CUCKOO-SHEIKB (Summer-Bird) 

 {Grauoalus parvirostris, Gould). 



Male. — Forehead, sides of the face and neck, and the throat 

 jet black; crown of the head, all the upper surface, including 

 centre of the wings, delicate silver-grey ; primaries and inner webs 

 of the secondaries black, "the former narrowly and the latter 

 broadly margined with white"; tail grey, passing into deep brown- 

 ish-black, heavily tipped with white; two centre tail feathers are 

 without white tips and are largely grey; chest and thighs a shade 

 greyer than back; abdomen, under wing coverts, and under tail 

 coverts white; bill black; legs and feet dark brownish-black. 

 Dimensions in mm.: — Length, 327; bill, 21.5; wing, 219; tail, 

 151; tarsus, 23.5. 



Female. — Similar in plumage to male. Dimensions in mm. : — 

 Length, 327; bill, 21.5; wing, 194; tail, 153; tarsus, 25. 



Young. — Male. — Only sides of face and neck black; whole of 

 upper surface as in adult; tail similar; throat dusky; chest same 

 as adult; abdomen white, slightly tinged with grey. Bill, legs, 

 and feet as in adults. Full adult plumage is not attained until 

 the following spring. 



Nest. — Placed high on a dead horizontal branch of a euoalypt 



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