33 
their natural habits, as to cause the naturalist no little trouble and 
research in properly distinguishing them; and to no group does this 
remark more strongly apply than to the one under consideration ; 
the ample materials, however, at my command, and the possession 
of a large number of specimens, the sexes of which have all been 
ascertained by dissection, and the habits of which have been ob^ 
served in their native localities, enables me to give as perfect an 
account of this curious group as any I have yet attempted. 
On a careful examination of the members of this genus, it will 
be perceived that their relationship to the Corvidee , to which they 
have been usually assigned, is very remote, their size and colour 
being, in fact, the only features of resemblance ; their whole structure 
and economy is indeed very different from those oF every other 
bird known, except those of Gymnorhina and Cracticus, with which 
genera they form a very natural group most nearly allied to the 
great family of Laniadce or Shrikes. 
All the species yet discovered are not only peculiar to Australia, 
but are strictly confined to the southern portion of that continent; 
their range being limited to the country comprised within the 25th 
and 40th degrees of south latitude ; future research may, however, 
add both to the number of species and to the extent of their range ; 
still their great stronghold is undoubtedly the most southern por- 
tion of the Australian continent, the islands of Bass’s Straits and 
Van Diemen’s Land. 
Most of these birds seek their food on or near the ground, some- 
times in swampy situations, and even on the sea-shore, at others on 
the most sterile plains far distant from water; grasshoppers and insects 
of every order are eaten by them with avidity, and to these grain 
seeds and fruits are frequently added ; they hop with remarkable 
agility over the broken surface of the ground, and leap from branch 
to branch with great alacrity : their flight is feeble and protracted, 
and they seldom mount high in the air, except for the purpose of 
crossing a gully, or for passing from one part of the forest to another, 
and then merely over the tops of the trees ; during flight they 
usually utter a peculiar shrill cry, which is frequently repeated and 
answered by other birds of the same troop, for they mostly flit about 
in small companies of from four to six in number, apparently the 
parents and their offspring of the year. All the species occasionally 
descend to the cultivated grounds, orchards and gardens of the set- 
tlers, and commit considerable havoc among their fruits and grain ; 
in many parts of Australia, particularly in Van Diemen’s Land, they 
form an article of food, and are considered good and even delicate 
eating. They usually build open cup-shaped nests as large as that 
of the Crow, composed of sticks and other coarse materials, lined 
with grasses or any other suitable substance that may be at hand ; 
the eggs are generally three, but are sometimes four, in number. 
The sexes are similar in plumage, and the young assume the livery 
of the adult from the time they leave the nest. 
83. Strepera graculina Vol. II. PI. 42. 
D 
