428 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



NOTES ON THE LESSER WHITE-BACKED MAGPIE 

 (GYMNORHINA HYPERLEUGA) IN TASMANIA 



By Frank M. Littler, M.A.O.U. 



To the majority of people in Tasmania this bird is simply 

 known under the name of " Magpie." In the districts it frequents 

 it is the best known of birds after the ubiquitous House Sparrow 

 (Passer domesticus). It is restricted to certain parts of the 

 island ; on the colder and wetter parts of the west coast it is a 

 complete stranger ; some efforts, however, have been made to 

 introduce the bird there. 



Our Magpie is peculiar to Tasmania, not even being found 

 on any of the islands in Bass Strait. On the mainland of 

 Australia its nearest relation is the Black-backed Magpie 

 (Gymnorhina tibicen), which has a fairly extensive range, and 

 is the larger bird of the two. There is some slight difference in 

 the colouring of the sexes. In the male the whole of the under 

 surface, head, and cheeks are a beautiful glossy black ; the rest 

 of the plumage is white ; bill, horn-colour ; legs and feet black. 



The male bird is a really handsome fellow in the nesting 

 season. He is often to be seen perched on a rail with beak up- 

 lifted and chest swelled to the fullest, pouring forth his joyous 

 and melodious song to his mate, who is busy hunting for grubs 

 on the ground close by. How bright and intelligent his eyes 

 are, full of worldly wisdom and cunning, well suited to help their 

 possessor on life's rough path. To the casual observer the 

 most conspicuous difference in the plumage of the female is that 

 the under surface is more of a grey than a black, and the upper 

 surface is very dingy compared with that of the male. 



The nest is open and bowl-shaped ; sticks and twigs and some 

 strips of eucalypt bark constitute the main items in its com- 

 position ; the inside lining consists principally of grass stems 

 and shredded bark. The situation usually chosen is in the 

 forked branches of an eucalypt, generally some distance from the 

 ground. 



