I have much pleasure in adding this new and highly interesting species
of _Artamus_ to the Wood Swallows of Australia, a country peculiarly
adapted for this tribe of birds, and of which the fauna comprises a
greater number of species of this group than that of any other. My
knowledge of the range of this species is very limited; a single
specimen was sent me from South Australia, while the fine examples from
which my figures were taken were killed by Mr. Gilbert in the colony of
Swan River. Its richly coloured black face and throat, separated from
the delicate grey of the breast by a narrow line of snowy white, at once
distinguishes it from every other species, while the strong contrast of
these colours renders it a conspicuous object among the trees.
In size and structure it more nearly resembles the _Artamus
superciliosus_ than any other, and the two species form beautiful
analogues of each other, one being in all probability confined to the
eastern portion of the country, and the other to the western.
“I have only met,” says Mr. Gilbert, “with this species in the York and
Zoodyay districts. It is very like _Artamus sordidus_ in its habits, but
is more shy and retired, never being seen but in the most secluded parts
of the bush. It is merely a summer visitant here, generally making its
appearance in the latter part of October, and immediately commencing the
task of incubation. Its voice very much resembles the chirping of the
English Sparrow.
“Its nest is placed in the upright fork of a dead tree, or in the hollow
part of the stump of a grass-tree; it is neither so well nor so neatly
formed as those of the other species of the group, being a frail
structure externally composed of a very few extremely small twigs, above
which is a layer of fine dried grasses. The eggs also differ as
remarkably as the nest, their ground colour being light greenish grey,
dashed and speckled with hair-brown principally at the larger end, and
slightly spotted with grey, appearing as if beneath the surface of the
shell; they are ten and a half lines long by eight and a half lines
broad. I found two nests in a York Gum Forest, about five miles to the
east of the Avon River: each of these contained two eggs, which I
believe is the usual number.
“Its food consists of insects generally and their larvæ.”
The male has the face, ear-coverts and throat jet-black, bounded below
with a narrow line of white; crown of the head sooty black, gradually
passing into the deep grey, which covers the whole of the upper surface,
wings and tail; the latter tipped with white; all the under surface very
delicate grey; thighs dark grey; irides blackish brown; bill blue at the
base, becoming black at the tip; legs and feet mealy bluish grey.
The female differs in having the colouring of the bill and the black
mask on the face much paler.
The figures are those of a male and a female of the natural size.
[Illustration:
ARTAMUS SUPERCILIOSUS: _Gould_.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account