PYRRHOCORACIN^. 
It is gregarious, and seems to prefer the elevated portions of Australia, of which it is a native. The nest is said to 
be begun by laying two sticks in a parallel manner ; it is then built up with mud or clay, and lined with a few feathers. 
C. melanorhynchus (Vieill.) — Pyrrhocorax leucopterus Temm. ; Fregilus leucopterus Vig. Horsf. ; Corcorax australis Less. 
CoRACiA Bliss.* 
Bill long, rather slender, and arched, with the sides much compressed towards the tip, which is entire 
and projects beyond that of the lower mandible ; the nostrils basal, lateral, and entirely hidden by the 
frontal plumes. Wmgs very long, reaching to the end of the tail and pointed, with the fourth quill the 
longest. Tail moderate and nearly equal. Tarsi short, and covered in front with broad scales, which 
are sometimes almost obliterated. Toes moderate, strong, and covered with strong prominent scales, 
the lateral toes nearly equal ; the claws moderate and curved. 
This bird is found on the lofty rocks or cliffs on the sea coast, and on the alpine mountains of Europe and Asia. It 
is a lively, restless, and cunning bird, and it has been remarked that it is always found in gravelly stony places, or 
perched on walls. Its food chiefly consists of insects, which it searches for in the crevices of rocks, and the joints of 
walls, by means of its slender and sharp-pointed bill. It also feeds on grains and berries. The nest is usually built on 
the sea clifls, or in old buildings and in the towers of churches that are situated near the coast ; it is formed of sticks, 
lined with wool and hair. 
C. gracula (Linn.) PI. enl. 255. — Coracia erythrocephala Vieill. 
Gal. des Ois. t. 103. — Fregilus Europaeus Less. ; Fr. erythropus 
Swains. ; Pyrrhocorax graculus Temm. ; Corvus docilis et C. eremita 
Gmel. Gould, B. of Eur.pl. 219. 
* Brisson established this genus in I76O. In 181 6 M. Koch used Graculus, and in 1817 Cuvier proposed Fregilus, for the same set 
of birds. 
April, 1846. 
4 N 
