The FLUTE BIRD (_Gymnorhina tibicen_) is a species of Crow, about sixteen
and a half inches in length. Its plumage is principally black, but the
nape, lower part of the back, lower tail-covers, and the undermost row
of the upper wing-covers are white; the eyes are reddish brown, the
beak brownish grey, and the feet black. According to Gould, these birds
are very numerous in New South Wales, where they form a most attractive
feature in the fields and gardens, enlivening the landscape with their
variegated plumage, and delighting the ear with their peculiar tones as
they pour forth their song of greeting to the rising sun. They seem to
prefer clear open country, planted with groups of trees, as their usual
residence, and for this reason they are but seldom seen upon the coast.
Their food consists principally of grasshoppers, which they devour in
enormous quantities. The period of incubation, in accordance with the
inverted seasons of the southern hemisphere, commences in August, and
lasts until January, each pair breeding twice in the year: the nest is
round and open, formed of twigs, and lined with some softer material.
The eggs of the Flute Bird are unknown, but Gould describes those of a
very similar species, which he tells us are of a dirty blueish white,
often shaded with green, and marked with zig-zag brown streaks of various
shades. When in confinement these birds are extremely violent and
revengeful; should anything annoy them they will erect their feathers and
spread their wings and tail after the fashion of a Game-cock, and are
so quarrelsome that they frequently engage in furious combats with much
larger birds. Some species are eminently distinguished by the flexibility
of their voice, and all are capable of imitating any tunes they may
happen to hear.
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The BELL MAGPIES (_Strepera_) differ from the Flute Birds in the
formation of their beaks, which are much longer, slenderer, and more
delicately arched; the upper mandible is armed with a powerful hook at
the tip, and furnished with conspicuous teeth on its margins.