_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
POMATORHINUS TEMPORALIS.
Temporal Pomatorhinus.
_Dusky Bee-eater_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 146.
_Pomatorhinus temporalis_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv.
p. 330.—Sturt, Travels in Australia, vol. ii. pl. in p. 190.
—— _trivirgatus_, Temm. Pl. Col., 443.
As I have never seen an example of this species from any other portion
of Australia than New South Wales, its habitat would appear to be
restricted to that part of the country, where it is to be met in all
those districts in which the _Angophoræ_ and _Eucalypti_ abound; it is
gregarious in its habits, six or eight being generally seen in company,
and is an exceedingly noisy and garrulous species; it ascends the trees
with great rapidity in a succession of leaps from branch to branch, or
along the slanting boles of those that are not perfectly erect:
commencing with the branches nearest the ground it gradually ascends to
the very top, whence with elevated tail it peeps down and continually
utters its peculiar chattering cry; it is frequently to be seen on the
ground, but on the slightest alarm it resorts to the trees and ascends
them in the manner described. Its powers of flight are not very great,
and appear to be only employed to convey it from the top of one tree to
another, the whole troop following one after the other.
The situation of the nest is somewhat varied; when placed on the
_Casuarinæ_ it is usually constructed close to the stem of the tree, but
on the _Eucalypti_ it is mostly built at the extremity of the branch,
and often within reach of the hand: it is of a large size, and very much
resembles that of the Magpie of Europe, being of a completely domed
form, outwardly composed of small long twigs about the size of a thorn,
crossing each other, but very slightly interwoven: the entrance is in
the form of a spout about half the length of an arm, and the twigs are
placed in such a manner that the points incline towards each other,
rendering it apparently impossible for the bird to enter without
breaking them, while egress, on the other hand, is very easy; the nest
has a thick inner lining, weighing several pounds, of the fine inner
bark of trees and fine grasses. In traversing the pasture-lands at
Camden, the whole of the Upper Hunter district and some parts of the
Liverpool Plains, the attention of the traveller is often attracted by
the large nest of this bird; and it frequently happens that four, six or
even eight are to be seen on the same, or two or three closely planted
trees.
The ground colour of their singular and beautifully marked eggs, which
are four in number, is a buffy brown, clouded with dark brown and
purple, and strongly marked with hair-like lines of black, which
generally have a tendency to run round the egg; in some instances,
however, they take a diagonal direction and give the egg a marble-like
appearance; the markings of these eggs may be more easily imagined, by
supposing a hair or hairs to have been carelessly drawn over them after
having been dipped in ink; the eggs are one inch in length by nine lines
in breadth.
The food consists of insects of various kinds.
The sexes do not differ in outward appearance, and may be thus
described:—
Throat, centre of the breast and a broad stripe over each eye white;
lores and ear-coverts dark brown; centre of the crown, back and sides of
the neck greyish brown, gradually deepening into very dark brown on the
wing-coverts, back and scapularies; wings very dark brown, with the
exception of the inner webs of the primaries, which are rufous for
three-fourths of their length from the base; tail-coverts and tail
black, the latter largely tipped with pure white; abdomen and flanks
dark brown, stained with rusty red; bill blackish olive-brown, except
the basal portion of the lower mandible, which is greyish white; irides
in the adult straw-yellow, in the young brown; feet blackish brown.
The figures are of the natural size.
[Illustration: