COLLARED BUTCHER-BIRD. 
pleasing voice. Although they take young birds from the nest occasionally, 
yet they do a great deal of good as an insect destroyer.” 
Mr. J. W. Mellor has written me : “ The collared Crow-Shrike, or Butcher- 
Bird as he is more familiarly called, is found in all parts of South Australia, and 
I have come across it in Victoria, New South Wales, and lower Queensland. 
It is known as the Butcher-Bird on account of its habit of catching large 
insects such as grasshoppers, mantis and beetles, and also small lizards, etc., 
impaling them on thorns, etc., from which position the bird takes them when 
it is hungry ; they will use barbed wire fences for this purpose, if suitable thorns 
in the trees and bushes are not available. The bird has a very loud call ; at 
times this is harsh, but mostly it is clear and melodious, and can be heard a 
long way oh in its scrub retreat, for this bird prefers the broad expanse of mallee 
scrub country rather than the forests of large trees. The breeding months 
are generally from August to November and December. They are very quarrel- 
some with other birds about the neighbourhood of their nest, and there are 
many squabbles between larger birds and themselves, while smaller intruders 
are often pursued and sometimes killed and hung up in the Butcher-Birds' 
‘ larder.’ ” 
Mr. F. E. Howe lias written : “ The rollicking song of this bird is often 
heard and generally in the early part of the day. The food consists of worms, 
grubs, beetles, small birds and rodents. I saw a 4 storehouse ’ of this bird 
at Ringwood many years ago. In a small dead wattle tree on the bank of 
a creek the remains of an AcantMza chrysorrhoa and a Yellow-breasted Robin, 
not long killed, were suspended by their necks and on the ground beneath were 
the remains of black beetles. The angry, laughing, jumbling notes of the 
birds were heard in the vicinity and an old nest was found close by. The 
nests are usually placed in a sapling and are to be found from September to 
December. Young were seen at Ferntree Gully No. 8 ; they were just hatched 
and were blind and featherless and the gape and mouth were yellow r . On the 
same day we noticed young, well fledged, flying about with the parents.” 
Chandler recorded of the Mallee bird : “ Another bird whose notes differ 
slightly from those of the southern form. All the nests noted were built in 
Murray pines.” 
Mr. Thos. P. Austin’s notes read : “ Although Cracticus destructor is to 
be found in scattered pairs throughout the district (Cobbora, New South 
Wales), both in scrubs and open forests, it is by no means plentiful, but once 
they take up their abode in any favourable locality, they remain and breed 
there year after year. They are rather shy, being more often heard than seen. 
It would be quite impossible to describe their cheerful melodious song. When 
breeding the sitting bird will slip quickly off the nest at the least sound of 
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