and the brushes of the higher ranges being alike favoured with its presence ; over all these localities it is 
rather thinly dispersed, being nowhere very numerous, 
I believe that this bird seldom, if ever, drinks ; consequently the most arid plains are as suitable to its 
habits as the shrouded river-sides and the flat brashes near the coast. 
Its food, which is of mixed character, consists exclusively of animal substances ; reptiles, insects, and 
crabs, however, appear to be its fayourite diet, upon which it is destined by nature to subsist. It devours 
lizards with avidity; and it is not an unfrequent sight to see it bearing off a snake in its bill to be eaten at 
leisnre. It also preys on small mammalia. I recollect shooting a Great Brown Kingfisher in South Aus- 
tralia in order to secure a fine rat I saw hanging from its bill, and which proved to be a rare species 
inhabiting the plains of that part of the country. It breeds during the months of August and September, 
and generally selects a hole in a large gum-tree for the purpose, making no nest, but depositing its 
beautiful pearl-white eggs, which are one inch and nine lines long by one inch and five lines broad, on the 
decomposed wood at the bottom of the hole. When there are young ones in it, it defends its breeding-place 
with great courage and daring, darting down upon any intruder who may attempt to ascend the tree, and 
inflicting seyere and dangerous blows with its pointed bill. 
The sexes present so little difference in the colouring of their plumage that they are scarcely distinguish- 
able from each other ; neither do the young at a month old exhibit any great variation from the adult, the 
only difference being that the markings are somewhat darker and the brown more generally diffused. 
It bears confinement remarkably well, and is one of the most amusing birds for the aviary with which I 
am acquainted. Examples have been brought alive to England; one lived for several years in the Gardeus 
of the Zoological Society of London ; and at the moment I am writing (April, 1843), a fine individual brought 
from New South Wales by Mr. Yaldyn is now living at bis seat at Blackdown in Sussex, where it attracts 
the attention of every one by its singular actions and extraordinary notes, which are poured forth as freely 
as in its native wilds. 
Forehead brown, each feather with a stripe of blackish brown down the centre ; crown of the head, lores, 
ear-coyerts, and a broad band passing round the occiput blackish brown ; space between the crown of the 
head and the band encircling the occiput, and the back of the neck, buff, crossed by fine irregular lines of 
dark brown; back and wings brownish black; the wing-coverts and rump tipped with verditer-green ; 
primaries white at the base, black for the remainder of their length, and stained with green on their outer 
margins immediately behind the white; upper tail-coverts blackish brown, crossed by several broad irregular 
bands of rusty red; tail brownish black tipped with white, the white increasing in extent as the feathers 
recede from the centre; the central feathers crossed near the tip with rusty red, the lateral feathers with 
brownish black, the bands being very narrow near the tip and gradually increasing in breadth as they 
approach the base, where the white interspaces also become tinged with rusty red; under surface pale buffy 
white, crossed by fine, irregular, freckled markings of dark brown; upper mandible brownish black ; under 
mandible pale buff; feet olive ; irides dark brown ; eyelid olive-brown. 
The figures represent a male and two young, of the natural size. 
