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 colour 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_, 1½; _wing_, 7½; _tail_, 6; _tarsi_, 1.
Inhabits Van Diemen’s Land.
101. Graucalus mentalis, _Vig. & Horsf._ Vol. II. Pl. 56.
102. Graucalus hypoleucus, _Gould_ Vol. II. Pl. 57.
103. Graucalus Swainsonii, _Gould_ Vol. II. Pl. 58.
Genus PTEROPODOCYS, _Gould_.
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 resembles
that of _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, _Gould_ Vol. II. Pl. 59.
Inhabits the whole of the interior of Southern Australia from east to
west; the extent of its range northward has not been ascertained. It has
many habits in common with the _Graucali_; but while those birds are
destined for the trees the present bird is adapted for the ground, where
it procures and feeds upon insects of various genera, particularly
locusts and grasshoppers. It frequents the open plains in small
companies of from three to six or eight in number, and is very animated
in its actions, but at the same time most cautious and shy.
Genus CAMPEPHAGA, _Vieill._
The members of this genus are spread over India and the Indian Islands,
and the fauna of Australia comprises four species; they are allied to
the _Graucali_, but are much smaller in size, and more active among the
branches.
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