The PHEASANT COUCAL (_Polophilus phasianus_) has the general plumage of a
dull black, and the wing-covers fallow-brown and black, each feather being
marked with a light line upon the shaft; the quills are chestnut-brown,
with a double line of black; and the tail-feathers dark brown, with
a greenish gloss, and delicately marked with red spots. All the
tail-feathers, except those in the centre, are tipped with white. The eye
is red, the beak black, and the foot greyish black. In the young birds the
back is reddish brown, and the under side fallow-grey; in other respects
the plumage resembles that of the adult birds. This species is twenty-four
inches long, the wing ten, and the tail twenty-four inches.
"The greater part of the road-line of New South Wales, and the eastern,
northern, and north-eastern portions of Australia," writes Gould, "are
generally tenanted by these birds, but only in such situations as are
favourable to their habits, namely, swampy places among the brushes,
abounding with tall grasses and dense herbage, among which they run with
facility, and, when necessity prompts, fly to the lower branches of
the trees, from which they ascend in a succession of leaps from branch
to branch, until they nearly reach the top, whence they fly off to a
neighbouring tree. The most western part of New South Wales in which I
have heard of their existence is Illawarra, where they are rare, and
from whence to Moreton Bay they gradually increase in numbers. The nest,
which is placed in a tuft of grass, is of a large size, composed of dried
grasses, and is of a domed form, with two small openings, through one of
which the head of the female protrudes while sitting, and her tail through
the other. At Port Essington the nest is sometimes placed among the lower
leaves of the pandanus, but this occurrence seems to be rare, a large
tuft of long grass being most frequently selected, as affording better
shelter. The eggs are from three to five in number, of a dirty white hue,
and nearly round; in some instances they are stained with brown, and have
a rough surface, somewhat like the eggs of the Cormorant."
[Illustration: THE PHEASANT COUCAL
(_Polophilus phasianus_).]
* * * * *
The BARBETS (_Capitones_) possess a strong, conical beak, of moderate
size, and much compressed at its tip; short and powerful feet, with the
toes placed in pairs; small or medium-sized wings, rounded at their
extremity, and a comparatively long tail. The plumage, which is most
resplendent, is replaced by bristles in the region of the beak. The
members of this family are spread over Asia and Africa, and are brisk
and lively birds, associating freely with their congeners, and busily
seeking the berries, fruits, and insects, upon which they subsist, from
bush to bush and tree to tree, rarely or never descending to the ground.
Their flight is rapid, but not sustained to any great distance, owing
to the weight of their bodies; almost all have loud, resonant voices,
while some species utter something resembling a regular song. The nests
of the Barbets are placed in hollow trees, or holes in the ground, but,
except this, and the fact that the eggs are white, we are entirely without
particulars as to their manner of incubation.