THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
larders are usually near its nest. One I saw consisted of two callow nestlings, 
the remains of a mouse and a number of large beetles. He does not kill them, 
but impales them alive.” 
Mr. R. T. Dyott has given me a note: “This bird builds in a small 
tree or shrub. Their natural song is rather pretty, one of which sounds very 
like ‘ You’re a terrible boy ’ repeated two or three times. They are very 
good whistlers when taught, and make interesting cage pets. They are very 
destructive among small birds, young chickens and even canaries in cages, 
coming on to the verandah to attack them and will take young birds out of 
their nests. When they have young it is quite a common sight to see the 
skeletons of several small birds hanging by their heads in the forks of branches 
near their nests, where the parents have hung them to strip off the flesh, for 
which purpose the hook at the end of their upper mandible is well suited. 
At such times they will boldly attack any one who approaches their nests ; I 
have had my hat knocked off by them under such circumstances, as they 
always dart at the head.” 
Legge has given a good account of this bird in Tasmania, and H. S. Dove 
and Miss Fletcher have recorded observations in the Emu which confirm the 
above, but little addition has been made, probably on account of the common- 
ness of the bird, as Legge wrote : “ The 4 Jackass’s’ loud and melodious call- 
notes are the most familiar sounds about Tasmanian homesteads, and last 
into late evening after all birds but the Magpies have retired to roost. It 
is one of the earliest birds to call in the morning, and is more noisy than the 
Shrike-Thrush. ’ ’ 
Mr. Tom Carter has sent me the following : “ In your 1912 4 Reference 
List ’ you gave the White-winged Butcher-Bird as occurring in West Australia 
generally. It seems to be confined to the South-west and Mid-central districts. 
I have seen birds at Kellerberin and Mullewa. The species is commonly 
distributed through the south-west, where the birds are known as Jackasses. 
About Broome Hill, the breeding-season is September- October. Oct. 2, 1910. 
Found a nest in small dead Jam tree, twelve feet from the ground, that contained 
four incubated eggs. The female was sitting, and the male was shy and did 
not venture within gunshot. The nest was made of twigs loosely put together 
and fined with grass and roots. November 2nd, 1911. Noted a brood of 
young leaving the nest. August 21, 1912. Watched a pair of birds building 
a nest. These birds have a very pleasant, rapidly uttered, bubbling song. 
They breed while in the immature, brown phase of plumage. They are extremely 
bold in their habits, and many instances occurred to my knowledge of their 
killing canaries that were hung in cages on verandahs near Broome Hill. Two 
canaries belonging to the wife of a neighbouring settler were killed, and when 
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