BLACK COCKATOO. 475 



skin : the crest is of a light grey colour, the fea- 

 thers pointed and reflected upwards at their tips : 

 the bird can raise it higher, or let it fall flat on 

 the head: the whole plumage, from the crest down- 

 wards, is of a blueish black or dark lead-colour, a 

 shade lighter on the under side than on the back 

 iand wings: the tail is longer than usual, where the 

 feathers are of equal length: the legs and feet are 

 of a brownish black, like the bill, covered with a 

 rough scaly skin." 



Edwards observes that this species seems to be 

 figured in a small book of prints of birds, drawn 

 from the life, and published by S. Vander Meulen 

 at Amsterdam, 1707. It is there called by the 

 name of Corvus Indicus. 



The female seems to be described in Mons. Le- 

 vaillant's splendid History of Parrots, under the 

 title of Aras gris a trompe. It resembles the 

 male, except in its colour, which is of a slate- 

 grey. Monsr. Levaillant observes that the tongue 

 of this species of Cockatoo has a great peculi- 

 arity in its structure; being hollow at the tip, 

 so as to constitute a kind of tube or trunk, as- 

 sisting the bird in the act of taking its food, and 

 of penetrating into the substance of fruits, &c. 

 Mons. Levaillant also observes that this bird, in 

 cold weather, covers the bare space on each side 

 the bill, by lowering over them the plumes of the 

 cr^st. 



