6o 
THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA 
in pairs or small parties, chiefly frequenting open forest-lands. Its extra¬ 
ordinary laughing notes are a constant delight to all bird lovers, and are 
heard at their best in the early morn or just after 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 cincrea Gould 
Struth-id'-e-a —Gk, strouthos, bird; Gk, eidos, form: cin-er'-e-a— L„ 
cinercus, 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 novce-hollandix Latham 
Scy-throps— Gk scytliros, sullen (faced): novce-hollandice-oi New 
Holland. 
Distributon. 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-bircl, and Rain-bird. Observed singly, in pairs, or 
m small flocks, frequenting alike open forest 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 in flight or when perched. Food: 
insects, native fruits, and berries. 
