_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
GRAUCALUS MELANOPS.
Black-faced Graucalus.
_Corvus melanops_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xxiv. no. 1.
_Ceblepyris melanops_, Temm. Man., p. lxii.
_Rollier à masque noir_, Le Vaill. Ois. de Parad., pl. 30.
_Black-faced Crow_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 116.—Ib. Gen.
Hist., vol. iii. p. 46.
_Graucalus melanops_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p.
216.—Gould in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part IV.
_Kai-a-lora_, Aborigines of New South Wales.
_Nu-lär-go_, Aborigines of the lowland, and
_Nü-laarg_, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western
Australia.
_Blue Pigeon_ of the Colonists.
New South Wales, Van Diemen’s Land, Swan River and Port Essington are
each inhabited by _Graucali_ so nearly allied to the present bird, that
by many persons it would be considered questionable whether they were
not referable to one and the same species; but as this is by no means
certain, I shall confine my remarks to the bird inhabiting New South
Wales, which is one of the largest of the genus yet discovered, and
distinguished from its near allies by the greater depth of the blue-grey
colouring of the upper surface.
The _Graucalus melanops_, then, is a very common bird in New South
Wales, but is far less numerous in winter than in summer, when it is so
generally dispersed over the colony, that to particularize situations in
which it may be found is quite unnecessary; hills of moderate elevation,
flats and plains thinly covered with large trees being alike resorted
to; but I do not recollect encountering it in the midst of the thick
brushes,—situations which, probably, are uncongenial to its habits and
mode of life. On the plains of the interior, such as the Liverpool and
those which stretch away to the northward and eastward of New South
Wales, it is more abundant than within the colony.
Its flight is undulating and powerful, but is seldom exerted for any
other purpose than that of conveying it from one part of the forest to
another, or to sally forth in pursuit of an insect which may pass within
range of its vision while perched upon some dead branch of a high tree,
a habit common to this bird and the other members of the genus. On this
elevated perch it sometimes remains for hours together; but during the
heat of the day seeks shelter from the rays of the sun by shrouding
itself amidst the dense foliage of the trees. Its food consists of
insects and their larvæ, and berries, but the former appear to be
preferred, all kinds being acceptable, from the large Mantis figured in
the accompanying Plate, to others of a minute size. One of the specimens
I procured was shot while in the act of flying off with the insect
figured.
As much diversity occurs in the colouring of the face and throat of this
species before it arrives at maturity, I made a point of minutely
investigating the subject during my stay in New South Wales, and the
following is the result of my observations. When the young, which are
generally two in number, leave the nest, the feathers of the body are
brown, margined with light grey; this colouring is soon exchanged for
one of a uniform grey, except on the lower part of the abdomen and under
tail-coverts, which are white, and a mark of black which surrounds the
eye and spreads over the ears: the throat and forehead in this stage are
lighter than the remainder of the plumage, which is somewhat singular,
as in the next change that takes place those parts become of a
jet-black; and this colour, I believe, is never afterwards thrown off,
but remains a characteristic of the adult state of both sexes, which are
at all times so similar in size and colour as not to be distinguished
from each other.
It breeds in October and the three following months. The nest is often
of a triangular form, in consequence of its being made to fit the angle
of the fork of the horizontal branch in which it is placed; it is
entirely composed of small dead twigs, firmly matted together with a
very fine, white, downy substance like cobwebs and a species of
_Lichen_, giving the nest the same appearance as the branch upon which
it is placed, and rendering it most difficult of detection. In some
instances I have found the nest ornamented with the broad, white,
mouse-eared Lichen; it is extremely shallow in form, its depth and
breadth depending entirely upon that of the fork in which it is built;
the largest I have seen did not exceed six inches in diameter.
The ground-colour of the eggs, which are almost invariably two in
number, varies from wood-brown to asparagus-green, the blotches and
spots, which are very generally dispersed over their surface, varying
from dull chestnut-brown to light yellowish brown; in some instances
they are also sparingly dotted with deep umber-brown; their medium
length is thirteen lines, and breadth ten lines.
Its note, which is seldom uttered, is a peculiar single purring or
jarring sound, repeated several times in succession.
The adults have the forehead, sides of the face, ear-coverts and throat
jet-black; crown of the head, all the upper surface and wing-coverts
delicate grey; primaries black, their outer edges and tips margined with
grey; secondaries grey, with their inner webs black; tail grey at the
base, gradually passing into black near the extremity, and broadly
tipped with white; chest blackish grey, into which the black of the
throat gradually passes; lower part of the abdomen pale grey; under
tail-coverts white; irides, bill and feet black.
The Plate represents an adult male and a young bird of the first year of
the natural size.
[Illustration: