COLLURICINCLA 
S E L B 1 1, Jard. 
Selby's Colluricincla. 
Colluricincla Selbii, Jard. in Jard. and Selby's 111. Orn., vol. i. note to text of pi. 71. 
■ rectirostris, Jard. and Selby's 111. Orn., vol. iv. pi. xxxi. 
— strigata, Swains. Anim. in Menag. &c, p. 283, female or young male. 
Whistling Dick, of the Colonists of Van Diemen's Land. 
The Colluricincla Selbii is a native of, and a permanent resident in, Van Diemen's Land and Flinders' 
Island, over all parts of which it is very generally, but nowhere very abundantly, distributed ; it appears to 
give a decided preference to the thick woods, wherein its presence may always be detected by its loud, 
clear, liquid and melodious whistle. It is distinguished from all the otber members of the genus by tbe 
greater length of the bill, and by the female having a broad stripe of rust-red over the eye. It does not 
appear to confine itself to any particular part of the forest, for it may sometimes be observed on the low 
scrub near the ground, and at others on the topmost branches of the highest trees. 
It feeds on caterpillars and insects of various kinds, which it often procures by tearing off the bark from 
the branches of the trees in the most dexterous manner with its powerful bill, and while thus employed 
frequently pours forth its remarkable note. In disposition it is lively and animated, confident and fearless, 
and might doubtless be easily tamed, when it would become a most interesting bird for the aviary. 
The nest, although composed of coarse materials, is a remarkably neat structure, round, rather deep and 
cup-shaped, outwardly formed of strips of the rind of the stringy bark-tree and lined with a few grasses ; 
it is about five inches in diameter and four in height, the interior being three inches and a half in breadth 
by two and a half in depth. The sites usually selected for the nest are the hollow open stump of a tree, a 
cleft in a rock, &c. 
The sexes, which differ considerably from each other, may be thus described : — 
The male has the general plumage dark slate-grey, deepening into brown on the back and wings, much 
paler on the under surface, and fading into white on the throat and breast; over the eye a faint stripe of 
greyish white ; bill black ; irides brown ; feet light lead-colour. 
The female has all the upper surface, wings and tail brown ; upper tail-coverts slate-grey ; over the eye a 
stripe of rust-red ; under surface light grey tinged with brown on the throat and breast, and each feather 
with a stripe of dark brown down the centre ; bill horn-colour at the base, black at the tip. 
The young is similar to the female, but has the stripes of the under surface much broader and more 
conspicuous, the line over the eye of a deeper red, and the tail grey. 
The Plate represents a male, a female, and a young bird of the natural size. 
