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Read Ebook: The Birds of Australia Vol. 2 of 7 by Gould John
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Ebook has 570 lines and 70128 words, and 12 pages
THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.
JOHN GOULD, F.R.S.,
F.L.S., F.Z.S., M.E.S., F.ETHN.S., F.R.GEOG.S., M. RAY S., HON. MEMB. OF THE ROYAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF TURIN, OF THE ROY. ZOOL. SOC. OF IRELAND, OF THE PENZANCE NAT. HIST. SOC., OF THE WORCESTER NAT. HIST. SOC., OF THE NORTHUMBERLAND, DURHAM AND NEWCASTLE NAT. HIST. SOC., OF THE NAT. HIST. SOC. OF DARMSTADT AND OF THE TASMANIAN SOCIETY OF VAN DIEMEN'S LAND, ETC.
IN SEVEN VOLUMES.
LONDON:
PRINTED BY RICHARD AND JOHN E. TAYLOR, RED LION COURT, FLEET STREET.
AEgotheles Novae-Hollandiae Owlet Nightjar 1
Eurostopodus albogularis White-throated Goat-sucker 7
Acanthylis caudacuta Australian Spine-tailed Swallow 10
Collocalia arborea Tree Martin 14
Dacelo gigantea Great Brown Kingfisher 18
Alcyone azurea Azure Kingfisher 25
Artamus sordidus Wood Swallow 27
Dicaeum hirundinaceum Swallow Dicaeum 34
Pardalotus punctatus Spotted Pardalote 35
Strepera graculina Great Crow-Shrike 42
Gymnorhina Tibicen Piping Crow-Shrike 46
Cracticus Quoyii Quoy's Crow-Shrike 53
Grallina Australis Pied Grallina 54
Graucalus melanops Black-faced Graucalus 55
Pachycephala gutturalis Guttural Pachycephala 64
Colluricincla harmonica Harmonious Colluricincla 74
Falcunculus frontatus Frontal Shrike-Tit 79
Oreo?ca gutturalis Crested Oreo?ca 81
Se?sura inquieta Restless Flycatcher 87
Microeca macroptera Great-winged Microeca 93
Monarcha carinata Carinated Flycatcher 95
This very interesting little Nightjar is subject to great variation in the colour and markings of its plumage, a circumstance which has tended to produce much confusion, and greatly to increase the list of synonyms.
It possesses a great range of habitat, being found in every part of Van Diemen's Land, and throughout the southern portion of Australia, from Swan River on the western coast to Moreton Bay on the eastern; time, and the continued exploration of that vast country, can alone determine how far it may be found to the northward: it is a stationary species, inhabiting alike the densest brushes near the coast, and the more thinly-wooded districts of the interior.
While traversing the woods, the usual mode of ascertaining its presence is by tapping with a stone or a tomahawk at the base of the hollow trees, when the little inmate, as represented in the upper figure of our Plate, will almost invariably ascend to the outlet and peep over to ascertain the cause of disturbance. If the tree be lofty or its hole inaccessible, it will frequently retire again to its hiding-place, and there remain until the annoyance be repeated, when it flies off to a place of greater security. In these holes, without forming any nest, it deposits its eggs, which are four or five in number, perfectly white, nearly round, and about one inch and a line in length and eleven lines in breadth. At least two broods are reared by each pair of birds during the year. I have known the young to be taken in Van Diemen's Land in October, and in New South Wales I have procured eggs in January.
Specimens from Van Diemen's Land, Swan River, South Australia, and New South Wales, all present considerable difference in the colour and markings of the plumage, but none of sufficient importance to justify their separation into distinct species: in some the nuchal band and the circular mark on the head are very conspicuous, while in others scarcely a trace of these markings is observable; these variations do not depend upon habitat, but are constantly found in specimens from the same localities.
Little or no difference is apparent in the size or plumage of the sexes.
Adults have the patches above the eyes, a semilunar mark at the back of the head, a band round the neck, and all the under surface grey, finely sprinkled with black, and tinged with buff; ear-coverts reddish buff, the remainder of the head blackish brown; all the upper surface and wings dark brown, sprinkled with grey in the form of irregular bars; primaries brown, sprinkled on their outer webs with lighter brown and grey; tail dark, regularly barred with numerous narrow lines of grey sprinkled with black: irides hazel; feet flesh colour.
In immature birds the lunulate markings are much richer in colour and more distinct than in the adults, in many of which they are nearly obliterated, and the irides are nearly black.
The figures are of the natural size.
Mr. Gilbert states that it is abundant in most parts of the settlement at Port Essington, "where it is frequently seen flying about at twilight, and occasionally during the day. On the approach of an intruder it flies very heavily from tree to tree, and on alighting invariably turns round on the branch to watch his approach, moving the head all the time after the manner of the Hawk tribe."
The sexes when fully adult will not I expect be found to differ in plumage. I attribute the redness of some of my specimens to the age of the individuals; but whether the red varieties or the grey are the most mature birds, I have not had sufficient opportunities of ascertaining.
It feeds on insects of all kinds, and as the bird is strictly nocturnal in its habits, they are, as a matter of course, procured at night.
Head black; the crown, a lunar-shaped mark at the back of the head, and a collar surrounding the back of the neck freckled with grey; back freckled black and white; wings brown, crossed by numerous bands of lighter brown freckled with dark brown; primaries margined externally with buff, interrupted with blotchings of dark brown; tail dark brown, crossed by numerous broad irregular bands of reddish buff freckled with dark brown; ear-coverts straw-white; chin, abdomen and under tail-coverts white; breast and sides of the neck white, crossed by numerous freckled bars of black; irides dark brown; upper mandible dark olive-brown, lower mandible white with a black tip; legs very pale yellow; claws black.
The figures are of the natural size.
The sexes so closely resemble each other both in size and plumage, that a separate description is unnecessary. Like the other species of the genus, it is subject to considerable variation in its colouring; the young, which assume the adult livery at an early age, being somewhat darker in all their markings.
The night-call of this species is a loud hoarse noise, consisting of two distinct sounds, which cannot be correctly described.
The stomach is thick and muscular, and is lined with a thick hair-like substance like that of the Common Cuckoo.
All the upper surface brown, speckled with greyish white and darker brown, the feathers of the crown having a blackish brown stripe down the centre terminating in a minute spot of white; wings similar to the upper surface, but lighter and with bolder black and buff spots, the coverts having an irregular spot of white and tawny on the outer web near the tip, which, as they lie over each other, form indistinct bands across the wing; primaries brownish black, with light-coloured shafts, and with a series of whitish spots on the outer webs, between which they are margined with tawny; their inner webs irregularly barred with the same; tail tawny brown, sprinkled with lighter brown, and crossed with a series of irregular bands of blackish brown, sprinkled with dusky white, each feather having a spot of brownish black near the extremity, and tipped with white; face and all the under surface greyish white, crossed by numerous narrow and irregular bars of tawny, and with a stripe of brown down the centre of each feather, the latter colour being most conspicuous and forming a kind of semilunar mark down each side of the chest; bill light brown, tinged with purple; inside of the mouth pale yellow; tongue long, transparent, and of the same colour with the inside of the mouth; irides brownish orange; feet light brownish olive.
In some the rich tawny colour predominates, while others are more grey.
The bird is represented of the natural size, asleep, in the position it is usually seen during the day.
It builds a somewhat neatly-formed flat nest, about seven inches in diameter, in the fork of an horizontal branch; the exterior formed of small sticks, and the interior of the fibrous portions of various plants; the eggs are white, and nearly of a true oval in form, being one inch and nine lines long by one inch and three lines broad.
Considerable variation occurs in the colouring of individuals, the prevailing tint being a dull ashy grey, while others are of a rich chestnut hue; but whether this be indicative of immaturity, or characteristic of the fully adult plumage, I have not been able to satisfy myself. The figures represent both these styles of colouring.
Lores brown, each feather tipped with mealy white, forming a line before and above the eye; feathers of the forehead mealy white, blending into the dull ashy grey of the head and back, all the feathers of which have a stripe of blackish brown down the centre, terminating in a small spot of white, and are moreover minutely freckled with greyish white and dark brown; wing-coverts chestnut, each tipped with an oval spot of white bounded posteriorly with black, forming a line across the wing; remainder of the wing brown, mottled with greyish white, arranged, particularly on the primaries, in the form of irregular bars; scapularies washed with buff and with a broad stripe of blackish brown down the centre; under surface brownish grey, minutely freckled with white, and with a narrow line of blackish brown down the centre; sides of the neck washed with chestnut; tail grey, minutely freckled with greyish white and black, assuming the form of broad irregular bands, each feather with a small spot of white at the tip; irides varying from yellow to reddish yellow and hazel; feet olive-brown.
Other examples have the general tint rich chestnut-brown, with all the markings larger and more decided.
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