25 
fully sixty species of those l>irds, and they coniprisc many of graceful 
fonn, and elegant plumage. In size they range from ahont four inches, 
including the tail, to about twelve indies. Amongst them are some 
sweet songstei’s, though of no great power. Othci-s are incessantly 
diattering, so much so, as to have been named the gan'ulons honey- 
eaters,” Others again exhibit an air of comicality in their rich 
vooali.sm, apparently uttering such words as “ four o’clock ! four 
o’clock 1” etc. Some species are of a 8 ombre-bi*own, or olive-green, 
while othei*s show yellow in all its brilliance. Yet, another has an 
intensity of scarlet over the whole of the head, neck, brea.st, back and 
upper-kiil coverts. In Queensland there is allied to tliis family the 
Sun-bird (ncc^arfua AwsfraZij?) which, by nature of its form, and its 
long curved bill is the nearest appi'oach to the humming bird that 
Amstiulia possesses. 
There are no wood-peckers in Australia, but their place is occupied 
by numerous Tree Creepers (cZmac^cre^) and the Sitellas {sitellce) 
which are frequently seen, climbing the trunks of the trees, or cling¬ 
ing back downwards to the branches. 
The Cuckoos exist in Australia, but they are not regarded as the 
harbingers of spring as in the old world, neither is their song that of 
the familiar “cuckoo, cuckoo.” There are several species of them, 
varying in colour from one similar to the European cuckoo, to that of 
deep glossy, greenish, blue-black, with scarlet eye. Others are of a 
beautiful metallic bronze colour, with the cuckoo-like bai's on the 
breast and belly. The smallest of the family is tlie Bronze Cuckoo 
(lamprococcijx 'minxitilhLs) which has a total length of five and a half 
inches, and the largest is the gigantic Channel-bill {scythrops) called 
by the colonistvS the “ hornbill,” and which, as bcfoi*e stated, is pam- 
sitic upon the White-eyed ci*ow. A genus which is not parasitic is 
the Centropua or Blieasant-coucal. This bird is veiy common in 
QueenslaTul, and is sure to be roused up fz*om the graas by the settler 
on his farm. It is commonly called the “pheasant,” on account of 
its plieasant-Iike appeanince and long tail. It is a poor flyer, being 
very weak in wing development. The nest is placed in a tussock of 
grass, is composed of gmss, and is sometimes domed over. 
The family Fsittacidw, or Parrots. No group of birds will so 
attract the 03 ’e of the imraigmnt, and cause him to realise that he is 
in a foreign and tro])ical country, as will the cockatoos and pari-ots. 
They are exceedingly numerous individually, and also as regards 
their varieties. To do justice to their peculiarities and their heauty, 
would requii*o a volume, all that can be attempted here, is a glance; at 
a few of the leading varieties, most commonly seen hy the settler, 
Thoi'e ai*e sovoiul Wliito Cockatoos, all of which congi’ogate in flocks, 
and all of which, when caged, can be taught to speak with moi’e or 
less fluency. The best known is the Sulphur-crested Cockatoo 
{cacatua galerita), which is a bird of large size and of pure snow- 
white plumage, excepting that on the licad is a sulphur-coloured 
crest, which is constantly being i*aiscd and lowered. These birds 
exist in countless nuinbci’S in some localities, and are very destructive 
