6o 
THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA 
in pairs or small parties, chiefly frequenting open forest-lands. Its extra- 
ordinary laughing notes are a constant delight to all bird lovers, and are 
heard at their best in the early morn or just after sunset. It is not 
uncommon in parks and gardens. Food : small reptiles, insects and 
their larvae, and crabs. It also robs the nests of other birds of their 
young, and occasionally preys on chickens. 
Nest. In a hollow limb, in a hole in a tree, or in a termites* nest 
in a tree. 
E-99 s ' — Two to four, pure white. Breeding-season: September to 
December or January. 
10. Apostle-bird Struthidea cinerea Gould 
S truth-id’ -e -a — Gk, strouthos, bird; Gk, eidos, form: cin-er -e-a — L., 
cinereus, ashen. 
Distribution . — Northern Territory and the interior of Queensland, 
New South Wales, and Victoria. 
Notes. — Also called Grey Jumper and Twelve Apostles. Usually in 
small flocks, comprised of twelve or more birds, chiefly frequenting the 
open forest-lands. It is generally observed feeding on the ground over 
which it hops in a rather quaint manner. When disturbed, it flies to the 
lower branches of a nearby tree, ascending from branch to branch by a 
series of leaps, uttering harsh, grating cries the while. It often establishes 
itself near homesteads, and soon becomes fearless. Food: insects and 
seeds. 
Nest . — A basin-shaped structure, composed of mud, bound together 
and reinforced with grass; usually lined with very fine grass. Generally 
placed on a horizontal limb of a tree at heights up to 40 feet or more 
from the ground. This species is a communal nest-builder. 
Eggs. — Five to eight, pale bluish-white, sparingly marked with brush- 
like streaks of blackish-brown and dull purplish-grey, the markings usually 
being thicker about the larger end. Breeding-season : August to December. 
11. Channel-billed Cuckoo Scythrops novce-hollandice Latham 
Scy-throps — Gk scythros, sullen (faced) : novce-hollandice — of New 
Holland. 
Distribution. — Australia (except the south-western and mid- western 
areas) ; accidental to Tasmania; also occurs in the Celebes, Flores, Molucca, 
and Aru Islands, and in New Guinea. 
Notes. — Also called Fig-hawk, Hornbill, Toucan, Giant Cuckoo, 
Storm Cuckoo, Flood-bird, and Rain-bird. Observed singly, in pairs, or 
in small flocks, frequenting alike open forest and scrub-lands. It is a 
migrant, usually arriving in south-eastern Australia during September or 
October, departing again in March. Its loud, awesome, screaming call, 
difficult to describe, is uttered both in flight or when perched. Food: 
insects, native fruits, and berries. 
