io die hsi of avian tool-users. Dis- 

 tinguished fed ils SOcial habits and 

 us laige bowl-shaped nest of mud 

 placed on a tree-branch, it forages 

 mainly du the ground, taking insects. 

 mil ill reptiles, and mice, and souic 

 times robbing other birds' nests. In 

 some areas it also attacks freshwater 

 mussels, and in so doing nuns itsell 

 into a tool-user by gripping a diied 

 half-shell of the same species and 

 bringing it down as a hammer on the 

 sound mussel. 



\. Hi I . MeOoiuiE tfho icpoueii 



this jitu lee to die Suimiysia Natuia- 

 lisis R .e.ueli 1 1 list (Vic.) in 1 *>70. 

 says he had often been puwled by 

 hearing, when nu person was near, a 

 light hammering sound beside Lake 

 Hattah (Vie.), and eventually lie 

 traced the noise to a C hough, (.it asp 

 inc a broken shell, it repeatedly 

 luoueht this 1 hammer" down, almost 

 vertically, on to the highest and 

 sol test part of an unopened mussel, 

 and when a breach was made it 

 dragged out the animal living inside 

 Oilier Choughs were seen probing the 

 muddy edges of the lake, apparently 

 m attempts to locate live mussels lor 

 simil.ir ire.ument 



The writer adds that he had oltcn 

 seen mussel shells with holes punched 

 in one side, alwavs at the soft "beak", 

 but had previously supposed water- 

 mCl to have been responsible. 



Supporl for what McDonald leim-. 

 ihe "high intelligence" nl ( 'houchs 

 is given in ihe l.niii foi April 1V>7I 

 In John llohhs. a New Soutli Wales 



ornithologist of tvtde axperftyjcft Hi 



relates that in May IV'/n. ueai Wai 

 ren in western N.S.W., he saw thu- 

 teen Choughs picking up mussels 

 (torn deck mtid, cleaning each oik 

 on dry giound. and then, holding .1 

 fast in a foot, artoniptitii; to prise 

 it open. Failing in this, each bird 

 would at last seize an empty valve, 

 hold it pointing downward, and 



184 



icpeatedly stiike i( on the unopened 

 mussel. A side to . side motion w.is 

 sometimes used, so thai the nui Sv .i 

 was stiuck a double blow. Occ.v 

 siotially an unopened mussel w.. 



Dining Ihe Ihi ashing process i! K 

 (OqI soinciiiiK-s hiokc. whereupoi. 

 Ihe Imd eoiiluuied lo strike with ,h, 

 leiiiaiiung pail unlil it was Ir.igmen J 

 l.n\. or picked up and used Olhc- 

 pieces One very icsolute Choug;, 



Mined 42 blows on a mussel befoa 



its lool completely dismiegialed 

 Occasionally, one of the birds l~eeanw 

 a sceondaiv lool user, lor while 

 SCUthlng lor a hammer it would 

 pause and Mi ike Us unopencil nnr-v' 

 against a Ijllcn branch, an expiry, 

 lice-i<M-.t, or aiu.ther unopened ruav 

 scl. In each ease, when a broach Vn 

 ilh'cted the bird removed fragment- 

 of the animal ihiongh the hole 



As take Hmtah and Watren of 

 Hbout hSO km apart, it becomes 

 apparent that the breaking of mussel- 

 by t houghs is widespread. It tn.iv, 

 however, have developed indepen 

 dently in different areas, possibly 

 gelling a basis when ihe buds were 

 jiathering mud lor nesi-building. 



H i- I ii i . hanks 



What is to be said Ol a tepon hy 

 Ahoiigme.s in U»e Northern territory 

 lh.it birds winch they term 'Fire- 

 hawks"' tprohnhlv Folk tailed Kites. 

 Mtlvn mi sram) deliberately sei tin 

 lo grass in order to obtain reptiles 

 and sin, ill mammals? This claim D 

 made in J. ihr Ahonziiuil l Sydney. 

 I960. hook produced hy f}oui>k% 

 lockwood and an intelligent native 

 lUinii-il Waipuldanv.i. 



Describing these bird, as '^JiRtfet 

 id euiining", the Aboriginal says hi 

 has otten seen one puk up a snmvil 

 ileniig slick in its claws and drop v 

 m dry grass halt a mile awav. taj 



V.cl Nat Vol 88 



