GRAUCALUS MELANOPS.
Black-faced Graucalus.
Corvus melanops, Lath. Ind. Om. Supp., p. xxiv. no. 1.
Ceblepyris melanops, Texnm. Man., p. lxii.
Rollier & masque noir, Le Vaill. Ois. de Parad., pi, 30.
Black-faced Crow, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 116—lb. 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-lar-go, Aborigines of the lowland, and
Nu-laarg, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western Australia.
Blue Pigeon of the Colonists.
N e w S o u t h W a l e s , 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 o f the largest o f the genus yet discovered, and distinguished
from its near allies by the greater depth of the blue-grey colouring o f 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 o f 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 o f New South Wales,
it is more abundant than within the colony.
Its flight is undulating and powerful| |u t 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 o f an insect which may pass within
range o f its vision while perched upon some dead branch, o f a high tree, a habit common to this bird and
the other members o f the genus. On this elevated perch it sometimes remains for hours together ; but
during the heat o f the day seeks shelter from the rays o f the sun by shrouding itself amidst the dense
foliage of the trees. Its food consists o f 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
o f a minute size. One of the specimens I procured was shot while in the act o f flying off with the insect
figured.
As much diversity occurs in the colouring of the face and throat o f this species before it arrives at
maturity, I made a point o f minutely investigating the subject during my stay in New South Wales, and the
following is the result o f 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 o f the abdomen and under tail-coverts, which are white, and
a mark o f 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 o f a jet-black ; and this colour, I believe, is never afterwards thrown off1, but
remains a characteristic o f 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 o f a triangular form, in consequence
of its being made to fit the angle o f the fork o f 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 o f 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 o f 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 o f 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 mâle and a young bird of the first year of the natural size.