AN AUSTRALIAN BIRD BOOK. 
149 
10 S15*Gpay Shrike-Thrush (Harmonious), Gray (Native) 
10 Thrush, Fluff, Mourner, Colluricincla harmonica, 
E.A., S.A. Stat. c. timher 9.5 v' 
Gray; back umber-brown; face whitish: under lighter: , ^ 
f., throat streaked dusky. Insects. Powerful swelling ^' 
harmonious note. 
F. 13J?. AeroCharidae, 1 sp. E. (Madagascar). 
F. 134. LANIIDAE (42), SHRIKES, 313 sp.— 134 (132) A., 
36(22)0., 33(10)P., 140(127)E.. 6(6)Nc., 1(1)N1. 
5 316 Black-backed MaCTie, Piping Crow-Shrike (Varied), 
5 Organ (Flute) Bird, Singing White Crow (e), Gym- j 
norhina ttbicen, E.A., S.A., W.A. Stat. v.c. open 17 t/\ 
Black; hind-neck, upper under base tail, patch on wing 
white: f., grayish instead of white. Insects. "To 
describe the note of this bird is beyond the power of 
my pen." (Gould.) ''Wonderfully modulated whistle 
. . . . unequalled among European birds." (Alfred 
Russel Wallace). 
317 White-backed Ma^ie (Crow-Shrike), G. levconota, 
N.S.W., v., S.A., C.A., W.A. Stat. v.c. open IS 
Upper white, except head, tip-tail, wing-quills black; under 
black; f., back gray. Insects. Glorious carol, see 316. 
8 318 Black-throated Butcher-Bird (Crow-Shrike), Grac- 
11 ticus nigrigularis, A. exc. N. Ter. 
Stat. v.r. timherlZ.S 
Head, neck, chest black; hind-neck, centre- wing, rump, 
under white; tail black, side tipped white: f., sim. 
Insects, mice. One of the best of songsters, rich notes. 
31 9* Australian Butcher-Bird (Shrike), Collared Crow- ^ 
Shrike, Derwent (Tasmanian, Whistling) Jackass, ^ 
Durbaner, C. destructor, E.A., S.A., W.A. irf/^^^A. 
Stat. v.c. tim'ber 11.2 
Head, neck black; back gray; side hind-neck, upper base i:ij(3 
tail, patch on wing white; under grayish- white; f., 
duller. Insects, mice, birds. Fine song (autumn); '1^7 
rich notes. 
Placed by Sharpe in the same family are the Shrike-Thrushes, 
strictly Australian birds. The glorious ''powerful swelling 
notes" of our common bird caused Latham to bestow the well- 
deserved name harmonica on it. Yet there are some who talk 
of Australia as a land of songless birds. This falsehood seems 
to have had its origin in a note written by Caley, v/ho, about 
1825, collected near Sydney, for the Linnean Society of London. 
As quoted by North, he said, ''They (Superb-Warblers) are good 
songsters, and, I may say, almost the only ones in the colony." 
Fortunately, the Harmonious Shrike-Thrush is becoming com- 
mon and tame about school grounds and most towns. It is 
occasionally to be heard in the Melbourne Botanic Gardens. 
Family 134 contains the famous Shrikes, those birds which are 
said to keep a butcher's shop. Not being "birds of prey," they 
