PIED CATERPILLAR-EATER. 
1917 (N.Q.) ; Macgillivray, ib., p. 200 (N.Q.) ; Campbell, ib., Vol. XX., p. 61, 1920 
(N.Q.). 
Distribution. New South Wales, Queensland, Northern Territory, North-west Australia. 
Adult male. General colour of the upper-surface black with a steel-blue gloss including 
the head, back, wings and tail with pale grey bases to the feathers ; median and 
greater upper-wing coverts broadly tipped with white ; outer margins of flight- 
quills white, narrowly on the primaries and much more broadly on the secondaries, 
as are also the inner webs of both ; upper tail-coverts dark slate-grey ; outer tail- 
feathers tipped with white much more extensively on the outermost ; loral streak 
and a line over the eye white ; a spot in front of the eye, upper eyelids and ear- 
coverts like the back ; cheeks, lower eyelids, throat, axillaries, under wing-coverts 
and inner margins of quills below pure white ; breast, abdomen, thighs, and sides of 
the body greyish-white ; vent buff becoming fawn colour on the under tail-coverts ; 
apical portion of flight-quills below blackish ; lower aspect of tail black with white 
tips to the outer feathers and along the outer webs of the outermost one on each 
side. Bill, eyes and feet black. Total length 175 mm. ; culmen 11, wing 97, tail 
81, tarsus 22. Figured. Collected at Utingu, Cape York, North Queensland, on 
the 10th of August, 1912. 
Adult female. General colour of the upper-surface dusky-brown including the head, 
back, wings and tail ; a loral streak which extends over the eye on to the sides of 
the nape and eye-ring above and below whitish ; a line of black from the front 
edge of the eye to the base of the bill ; hinder edge of eye and supra-auricular 
space like the back ; the central portion of the feathers on the top of the head 
slightly darker than the margins ; upper wing- coverts and secondary-quills rather 
darker than the back and inclining to black, the median and greater series of coverts 
tipped with white ; outer edges of secondaries and inner margin of flight- quills 
white ; outer tail-feathers black tipped with white which colour extends for some 
distance along the outer web of the outermost feather on each side ; ear-coverts 
whitish with black hair-like tips to the feathers ; throat white slightly marked 
with pale grey bars on the cheeks ; breast and sides of body pale fawn colour with 
dark narrow cross-bars ; the feathers on the thighs dusky-grey with white tips ; 
abdomen and under tail-coverts uniform fawn colour ; axillaries, under wing- 
coverts, and inner margins of quills below white, remainder of the quill-lining pale 
hair-brown ; lower aspect of tail blackish with white tips to the outer feathers. 
Eyes, bill and feet black. Measurements about the same as in the male. Figured. 
Collected at Piara, Cape York, North Queensland, on the 2nd of May, 1913. 
Nest. Shallow , saucer-shape. Composed of twigs and rootlets held together with cobweb. 
Outside measurements 2 ^ inches by lj deep. Inside 1| by | deep. 
Eggs. Clutch, one. Ground-colour greenish, blotched, more at the larger end, with 
reddish-brown. 23-25 mm. by 13-14. 
Breeding-season. October to January. 
When Vigors and Horsfield described this species they recorded nothing about 
its habits and stated their only specimen was in poor condition. 
Gould stated that he did not meet with it during his visit to Australia, and 
under the name C. Jcaru wrote : “ Gilbert, who met with this species at Port 
Essington, states that it is a very shy and timid bird, that it is generally seen 
creeping about in pairs among the thickets and clumps of mangroves, that its 
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