6o 
THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA 
sunset. It is not uncommon in parks and gardens. Food: small reptiles, 
insects and their larvae, and crabs. It also robs the nests of other birds 
of their young, and occasionally preys on chickens. 
nest. In a hollow limb, in a hole in a tree, or in a termites' nest 
in a tree. 
eggs. Two to four, pure white. Breeding-season: September to 
December or January. 
10. Apostle-bird Struthidea cinera Gould 
S truth-id'-e-a— Gk, strouthos , bird; Gk, eidos, form: cin-er'-e-a— L., 
cinereus, ashen. 
distribution. Northern Territory and the interior of Queensland, 
New South Wales, and Victoria. 
notes. Also called Grey Jumper and Twelve Apostles. Usually in 
small flocks, comprised of twelve or more birds, chiefly frequenting the 
open forest-lands. It is generally observed feeding on the ground over 
which it hops in a rather quaint manner. When disturbed, it flies to 
the lower branches of a nearby tree, ascending from branch to branch 
by a series of leaps, uttering harsh, grating cries the while. It often 
establishes itself near homesteads, and soon becomes fearless. Food: 
insects and seeds. 
nest. A basin-shaped structure, composed of mud, bound together 
and reinforced with grass; usually lined with very fine grass. Generally 
placed on a horizontal limb of a tree at heights up to 40 feet or more 
from the ground. This species is a communal nest-builder. 
eggs. Five to eight, pale bluish-white, sparingly marked with brush¬ 
like streaks of blackish-brown and dull purplish-grey, the markings 
usually being thicker about the larger end. Breeding-season: August 
to December. 
11. Channel-billed Cuckoo Scythrops novte-hollandics Latham 
Scy'-throps— Gk, scythros , sullen (faced): novce-hollandice—oi New 
Holland. 
distribution. Australia (except the south-western and mid- 
western areas); accidental to Tasmania; also occurs in the Celebes, 
Flores, Molucca, and Aru Islands, and in New Guinea. 
notes. Also called Fig-hawk, Hornbill, Toucan, Giant Cuckoo, 
Storm Cuckoo, Flood-bird, and Rain-bird. Observed singly, in pairs! 
or in small flocks, frequenting alike open forests and scrub-lands. It is 
a migrant, usually arriving in south-eastern Australia during September 
or October, departing again in March. Its loud, awesome, screaming 
call, difficult to describe, is uttered both ir flight or when perched. 
Food: insects, native fruits, and berries. 
parasitic. Recorded foster-parents number five species, chiefly 
Currawongs and Crows. 7 
egg. Dull white to pale yellowish-brown, spotted and blotched, 
particularly at the larger end, with brown and lavender. Breeding- 
season: October to December or January (south-eastern Australia). 
