Order PASSERIFORMES. Family CRACTICID/E. 
No. 597. 
BULESTES MENTALIS. 
BLACK-BACKED BUTCHER-BIRD. 
(Plate 487.)* 
[Cracticus mentalis Salvadori and D ’Albertis, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen., Vol. VII., p. 824, 
1876 : Nicura, South-east New Guinea. Extra limital.] 
Cr adieus mentalis kempi Mathews, Austral Avian Record, Vol. I., pt. 4, p. 95, Sept. 18th, 
1912 : Cape York, Queensland. 
Cracticus mentalis Campbell, Emu, Vol. X., p. 337, 1911 (N.Q.) ; H. L. White, ib., p. 339 ; 
Mathews, Nov. Zool., Vol. XVIII., p. 375, 1912 ; Barnard, Emu, Vol. XI., p. 27, 
1911 ; Macgillivray, ib., Vol. XIII., p. 174, 1914 ; id., ib., Vol. XVII., p. 212, 1918 ; 
White, ib., Vol. XXII., p. 116, 1922. 
Cracticus mentalis kempi Mathews, Austral Av. Rec., Vol. I., pt. 4, p. 95, 1912. 
Bulestes mentalis kempi Mathews, List Birds Austr., p. 244, 1913. 
Distribution. Queensland : Cape York District only. 
Adult male. Entire crown of head, sides of face and hind-neck deep black ; upper mantle 
white intermixed with black feathers in the centre ; back deep black with slate- 
grey bases to the feathers ; scapulars white, more or less mixed with black ; edge of 
wing white ; lesser, median and greater upper wing-coverts black fringed with white ; 
bastard-wing black edged with white ; primary-coverts black at the base and 
white on the terminal half ; flight-quills black with more or less white at the base 
of the primaries, the secondaries broadly margined with white on both webs, except 
the two outermost ; rump and upper tail-coverts white ; tail black with more 
or less white at the base and tip ; rictal-bristles black ; chin black with black hair- 
like tips to the feathers ; remainder of the under-surface white or greyish-white 
including the throat, breast, abdomen, sides of body, thighs, under tail-coverts, 
axillaries, and under wing-coverts ; under-surface of flight-quills glistening black 
with white margins to the secondaries and basal portion of the primaries ; lower 
aspect of tail black, broadly tipped with white and fringed with white at the base 
of the feathers. Eyes deep chestnut, feet blackish, bill bluish-white with black 
tip. Total length 258 mm. ; culmen 37, wing 147, tail 104, tarsus 31. Figured. 
Collected at Skull Creek, Cape York, North Queensland, on the 10th of December, 
1912. 
Adult female. Similar to the adult male. 
Female immature. Crown of head, hind-neck, and mantle smoke-brown with pale shaft- 
streaks to the feathers and black feathers appearing on the fore-part of the head, 
above the eye, and on the nape ; scapulars white tinged with pale smoke-brown 
* The Plate is lettered B . kempi . 
S98 
