The "LEATHERHEAD" (_Tropidorhyncus corniculatus_) is greyish brown on
the back and brownish grey upon the under side, a long lancet-shaped
feather on the breast, and the chin-feathers, are of a pure glossy white,
delicately spotted with brown; the tail is tipped with white. The eye
is red, but turns brown after death; the beak, and some bare places on
the head, are of silky blackness, and the feet lead-grey. The female
is smaller than her mate, and the young are distinguishable from the
adult birds by the inferior size of the knob on the beak and of the
breast-feathers; the bare places on the head are also smaller. This
species is about twelve inches long, the wing measures five inches and
three-quarters, and the tail four inches and two-thirds.
Gould tells us that in New South Wales these birds are very common during
the summer, and are especially numerous in the thick brushwood near the
coast. Their undulatory flight is strong, and their movements amongst the
branches nimble and adroit; it is by no means uncommon to see them hanging
head downwards from a branch to which they attach themselves solely by
one of their powerful claws; such formidable use, indeed, do they make of
these sharp weapons, that he who unwarily seizes a wounded bird is sure
to receive a series of deep and really painful wounds in repayment of his
temerity.
[Illustration: THE POE, OR TUI (_Prosthemadera circinata_).]
The strange cry of this species has been supposed to resemble the words,
"Poor soldier," "Pimlico," and "Four o'clock," while the bare places
on its head have procured for it the names of "Monk," "Friar," and
"Leatherhead." Figs, berries, insects, and the pollen from the gum-tree
blossoms constitute its favourite and principal means of existence. At the
approach of the breeding season, which commences about November, the males
become more than usually active and bold, chasing and doing battle with
even the most formidable of their feathered brethren should they intrude
upon the privacy of the brooding female. The comparatively large and
cup-shaped nest is roughly formed of bark, twigs, and wool; the interior
lined with more delicate materials. This structure is generally suspended
from an upright branch of a gum or apple tree (_Angophora_), and is
often found at but a few feet from the ground. In the well-wooded plains
of Aberdeen and Yarrund, on the upper part of the Hunter, this species
breeds in such numbers that the nests may almost be described as forming
settlements. The eggs, usually three in number, are pale red, delicately
spotted with a deeper shade.
* * * * *
The HOOPOES (_Upupa_) may be regarded as the most aberrant of the
Tenuirostral group. They are moderately large, and slenderly formed;
their beak is long, slender, higher than it is broad, and in some species
much curved; the small, oval, and open nostrils are situated immediately
beneath the feathers that cover the brow; the strength of the foot varies
considerably; the wings (in which the fourth and fifth quills are the
longest) are much rounded; the tail, formed of ten feathers, is either
short and straight at its extremity or long and graduated. The compact
and variegated plumage differs considerably as to its coloration, and but
little variety is observable between the two sexes.