36 
subject, I have been induced to regard the Van Diemen’s Land bird 
as distinct, and I have therefore assigned it a name, parvirostris ; 
those of the other countries appear to be local varieties or races 
peculiar to their respective habitats. 
All the members of the group build a flat slight nest of fine short 
dead twigs, curiously joined together with cobwebs, on which they 
lay two eggs. 
99. Graucalus melanops Vol. II. PI. 55. 
Graucalus melanotis, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part V. 
p. 1 4*3, and in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part IV. Young. 
100. Graucalus parvirostris, Gould. 
Graucalus parvirostris , Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part V. 
p. 143, and Syn. Birds of Australia, Part IV. 
Forehead, sides of the face and the throat jet black ; crown of the 
head, all the upper surface and centre of the wings delicate grey ; 
primaries and the inner webs of the secondaries deep brownish black, 
the former narrowly and the latter broadly margined with greyish 
white ; tail grey at the base, passing into deep brownish black and 
largely tipped with white, the grey colouring predominating on the 
two centre feathers, which are destitute of the white tips; chest 
grey, into which the black of the throat gradually passes; lower 
part of the abdomen, under surface of the wing and under tail- 
coverts white ; flanks and thighs grey ; bill and feet brownish black. 
Total length, 12 inches ; bill , 1-|- ; wing , 7i ; tail, 6 ; tarsi, ]. 
Inhabits Van Diemen’s Land. 
101. Graucalus mentalis, Vig. fy Horsf. . . . . Vol. II. PI. 56. 
102. Graucalus hypoleucus, Gould Vol. II. PI. 57. 
103. Graucalus Swainsonii, Gould Vol. II. PI. 58. 
Genus Pteropodocys. 
Generic characters. 
Bill small, shorter than the head, nearly cylindrical ; tomia curved 
and pointing downwards ; a well-defined notch at the extremity of 
the upper mandible ; nostrils basal, round, and covered with the 
short feathers of the forehead ; wings long and pointed, the fourth 
feather the longest ; tail lengthened, the four middle and the lateral 
feather on each side shorter than the rest; tarsi long, stout; toes 
rather short, the inner toe longer than the outer one, hind-toe large 
and lengthened, the toe and nail nearly equalling in length the 
middle toe and nail. 
The general structure of the only known species of this form re- 
sembles that Graucalus and of Campephaga , but the bill is so small 
as to be quite out of proportion with the body ; its lengthened wings 
and tarsi adapt it both for flight and for moving rapidly over the 
surface of the ground. 
104. Pteropodocys Phasianellus Vol. II. PI. 59. 
Inhabits the whole of the interior of Southern Australia from east 
to west; the extent of its range northward has not been ascertained. 
