THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
as he wrote : “ These birds were occasionally seen and heard, but they did 
not give one a chance to make any observation for they were very timid and 
wary.” 
Alexander recorded from the Perth district : “ Resident. Rather scarce 
in the district, and decidedly local in its habits, almost confined to places 
in the tuart forest.” 
Milligan had years before recorded it as “ Not common in the Wongan 
Hills,” which he believed at that time to constitute its northern limits. 
The description of Latham’s Corvus versicolor reads : 
1 Corvus versicolor. C. caeruleo-fuscescens rubro varians , cauda cuneiformi 
apice alba. 
Variable Crow, Gen. Syn. Sup., II., p. 117, No. 21. 
Habitat in N ova Hollandia ; speciosa avis & inter majores numeranda ; 
corpus fuscescens rubro caeruleo splendens ; rostrum validum d? 
pedes nigri. 
Variable Crow. This is a large species, but the true size not certain, as 
the drawing from whence this description is taken did not identify 
it ; the bill is strong, seemingly less than in the Crow , though charac- 
teristic of that genus ; the plumage dusky-brown, with reflections 
of lilac and reddish in different fights ; bill and legs black. This 
was met with in New Holland , and was the only one of its kind seen 
there. Mr. Lambert .” 
This description was not recognised until Gray, Strickland and Gould 
examined the 4 ‘Lambert” drawings, when the former w'ould not definitely 
identify it, but Strickland regarded it as definitely of this bird, a view not 
altogether accepted by Gould. 
When Sharpe reported upon the “ Watfing ” drawings he wrote : 
“No. 60. Variable Crow, Lath. Gen. Syn. Suppl., II., p. 117. 
Corvus versicolor Lath., Ind. Orn. Suppl., p. xxv. 
Strepera cuneicaudata (Vieill.) Sharpe, Cat. B., III., p. 60.” 
This is certainly the same bird as Cracticus cuneicaudatus of Vieillot, 1810 
(sic), so that Latham’s name versicolor takes precedence. I have, by mistake, 
omitted Latham’s reference in the “ Catalogue of Birds,” but G. R. Gray 
seems to have correctly identified the species, of which Watfing’s picture 
is the type. His note is : “ This representation is about one-quarter the 
size of the bird the drawing was taken from, and the only one yet seen. I 
had the skin, therefore the iris is doubtful ; however, the general likeness is 
very good.” 
It will be noted that in this case the “ Lambert ” drawing did not give 
the size, whereas the “Watfing” drawing does. 
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