_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
CENTROPUS PHASIANUS.
Pheasant Cuckoo.
_Cuculus Phasianus_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xxx.
_Centropus Phasianus_, Temm. Man. d’Orn., tom. i. p. lxxiv.—Vig. and
Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 306.
_Polophilus Phasianus_, Leach, Zool. Misc., pl. 46.—Shaw, Gen. Zool.,
vol. ix. p. 48. pl. 11.
_Pheasant Cuckoo_, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 137.—Ib. Gen.
Hist., vol. iii. p. 240.
_Polophilus leucogaster_, Leach, Zool. Misc., vol. i. p. 177. pl.
52.—Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. ix. p. 49. pl. 12.
_New Holland Coucal_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iii. p. 250.
_Polophilus variegatus_, Leach, Zool. Misc., vol. i. pp. 116, 117. pl.
51.—Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. ix. p. 47. pl. 10.
_Variegated Coucal_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. iii. p. 250.
_Centropus variegatus_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p.
306.
_Mun-j̏e-ree-woo_, Aborigines of Port Essington.
Perhaps there is no one group of the Australian Birds less understood
than the members of the genus _Centropus_. The numerous examples in my
collection I consider to be referable to two, if not to three distinct
species, presenting, however, but slight differences from each other.
The _Centropus_ inhabiting New South Wales differs from that found at
Port Essington in having a much shorter and more arched bill, and in
being somewhat smaller in size; specimens from the western coast again
differ in being smaller than the bird of New South Wales, in having a
more attenuated bill and a more uniform colouring of the tail: having
thus pointed out the particulars in which the birds differ from each
other, it will only be necessary to figure one of them. The old term of
_Phasianus_ should be retained for the New South Wales bird, while that
of _macrourus_ might be applied to the one from Port Essington, and
_melanurus_ to that from North-Western Australia, should they ultimately
prove to be distinct. The greater part then of the coast-line of New
South Wales, the eastern, northern and north-western portions of
Australia generally are tenanted by _Centropi_, 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, and then they fly
off to a neighbouring tree. The most westerly part of New South Wales in
which I have heard of their existence is Illawarra, where they are
rather rare, and from whence to Moreton Bay they gradually increase in
numbers.
The nest, which is placed in the midst of a tuft of grass, is of a large
size, composed of dried grasses, and is of a domed form with two
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 a better shelter. The eggs are from
three to five in number, nearly round, and of a dirty white, in some
instances stained with brown, and with a rather rough surface, somewhat
like that of the eggs of the Cormorant; they are about one inch and four
lines long by one inch and two lines broad.
By dissection I learn that the males are always smaller than the
females; it also appears that when fully adult both sexes are alike in
plumage, and have the bill, head, neck and abdomen black, whereas the
young has the bill horn-colour, and the same parts which are black in
the adult, of a deep brown with a tawny stripe down the centre of each
feather.
The adults have all the feathers of the upper and under surface dull
black with glossy black shafts; wing-coverts mottled tawny brown and
black, each feather with a conspicuous tawny shaft; remainder of the
wing rich reddish chestnut crossed with irregular double bars of black,
the interstices between which fade into tawny on the outer webs of the
primaries; lower part of the back and upper tail-coverts deep green
freckled with black; tail dark brown glossed with green, and minutely
freckled with rufous and pale tawny, the latter hue assuming the form of
irregular and interrupted bars, all but the two centre feathers tipped
with white; bill black; feet leaden black, the scales lighter.
The young have all the upper surface reddish brown with glossy
conspicuous tawny shafts; the throat and breast tawny with
lighter-coloured shafts; in other respects the colouring is similar to
the adult, except that the markings of the tail are more distinct.
The eyes of the birds in New South Wales are said to be black, while
those of Port Essington are red.
The Plate represents an adult and an immature bird about two-thirds of
the natural size.
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