THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
often seen flocks tearing off pieces of wood, chiefly from Sassafras trees, 
containing the larvse of Coleoptera, their principal food. When travelling 
long distances they usually fly at a great height from the ground.” 
Mr. Malcolm Harrison, of Glenorchy, added : “ CalyptorJiynchus xanthonotus 
is much more generally distributed throughout Tasmania than the White 
Cockatoo. Parties of from three or four to seven or eight are more 
commonly seen, and their advent to the lower country is generally in advance 
of rough weather. They still frequent the country around Mount Wellington, 
as in Gould’s time, and on the 1st January, 1909, I watched for some time a 
small flock busy on the Banksia cones in the neighbourhood of Glenorchy.” 
In the Records of the Australian Museum, Vol. V., 1904, pp. 265-268, 
North gave a note entitled : “ On Heterochrosis in Australian Psittaci.” 
This will he also quoted later, but he wrote : “ Instances of xanthocliroism, 
partial in most, total in some, are many in the specimens of Australian 
Psittaci in the Australian Museum. Among them may be mentioned a 
remarkably fine Black Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus funereus) presented by 
Mr. G. M. Pitt, and obtained by him at Wiseman’s Ferry, on the 
Hawkesbury River, New South Wales. This specimen differs from the 
typical form in having the upper and under surface, upper and under wing- 
coverts, scapulars, innermost secondaries and under tail-coverts yellow, 
with which are intermingled a number of the usual brownish-black feathers, 
giving it a distinctly mottled appearance. . . . When these birds were 
alive, their abnormal plumage rendered them conspicuous objects in the 
bush. Consequently they were much sought after, the Black Cockatoo being 
followed at various times for three months before he shot it.” 
Almost the same queries have been raised as to the relationships of 
funereus and xanihanotus with the same solution as in the case of C. banksii 
and macrorhynchus. 
In 1837 Gould described a very large number of subspecific forms as 
species, and be it well observed he was sure of their status, but subspecies 
at that time had no distinct standing. With regard to C. xanihanotus from 
Van Diemen’s Land he gave a description and then only remarked : “ This 
species is nearly allied to Cal. Baudinii and Cal. funereus, but is quite 
distinct from both ” without indicating the differences. In the Introduction 
to the “Birds of Australia,” 8vo. Ed., p. 72, 1848, he observed, “The true 
habitat of this species is Van Diemen’s Land, but I have lately received a 
specimen from Port Lincoln, which proves that its range extends to South 
Australia. It is distinguished from C. funereus by its much smaller size, and 
by the uniformity of the yellow colouring of the tail.” Ramsay reduced it 
to varietal rank, writing : “ This is an insular form of C. funereus, but has 
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