'4 J W
s i^ th primarie s, and forming a conspicuous white spot ; most o f th e primaries slightly
glossed w ith greenish blue along th e o u te r web ; th e secondaries ra th e r p a ler brown,
muTowly tfy p ed w ith white, th e innermost ones palest ; u ppe r ta il coverts rufous banded
m t h blackish-broAvn ; tail rufous banded w ith blackish-brown and tipped w ith Avhite, the
la tte r colour pred om in atin g and th e b rown bars becoming narrow er as the feathers approach
th e o uterm ost, th e la tte r being rufo u s only a t the base ; un d e rn e a th white, indistin ctly and
n a rrow ly banded w ith d u sk y brown; u ppe r mandible black, lower mandible pale yelloAv;
feet d a rk olive-brown. T o ta l len g th 17 inches, o f bill from fro n t 2-6, from gape 3 ’5,
Avmg 9'0, ta ü 7’0, ta rsu s 0Y5, middle toe 1*5, h in d toe 0*5.
• much b lu e ou tho u u n g -
Female. E x a c tly similai* to the m ale, b u t has no t, perhaps, f
coverts o r th e rum p , th e la tte r b e in g more rufous.
Hab. So u th E a s te rn Au stralia , from New So u th Wales as far n o rth as th e southern
p a rts o f Queensland. {Gould, Diggles).
A lth o u g h said to h ave been o rigina lly obtained b y Sonnerat in New Guinea, the
p resen t species has n ev e r b een p ro cu red in th a t co u n try b y any subsequent n a tu ra lis t, and
we m u s t suppose th a t th e above-mentioned a u th o r made a mistake in the locality, or else
th a t th e b ird p ro eu red b y him h ad been b ro u g h t alive from th e coasts o f Australia.
T h e re seem to me to b e two races o f the common ‘ Lau g h in g J a ck a s s ,’ which, h ow ever,
a re n o t sufficiently d istin c t to be characterized as different species, b u t I have
inv ariab ly n o ted th a t th e b irds from Queensland a re d a rk e r in coloration on th e back aud
scapulars and th e blue ou th e wing-coverts is brig h ter. T h e Au stra lian N a tu ra lists will
do well to see if th ese differences are constant, especiaUy as Queensland specimens seem to
ru n a trifle smaller th a n those from o th er p a rts o f the continent.
T h e p re se n t species th riv e s cap itally in confinement and many a rriv e an n u a lly in this
co u n try . A t th e Zoological Gardens several specimens are ahvays to be seen in the
W e s te rn A v ia ry , and th e n a tu ra lis t can form some idea o f th e wild chorus to which
w rite rs h ave alluded, b y listen in g to th e chaotic lau g h in g o f th e b ird s in confinem
en t in th e R e g e n t’s P a rk . They a re accustomed to s it on th e bro ad b a r which
trav e rse s th e c en tre o f the cage, often rema ining motionless for a considerable time, till
one, ra is in g his b ü l sky-ward, commences a low g u rg le in which one afte r an o th er joins,
till a cho ru s is p roduced which may pass for laughing, and is certa inly a t times b y no means
d issim ü a r to th e noise produced b y tb e ‘ L a u g h in g Hyena,’ The note is considerably
h a rsh e r an d more disagreeable th an th a t o f its smaU congener the Buff L aughing K in g fisher,
Dacelo cervina, two o r th re e specimens o f Avhich are also exhibited in tb e same aviary.
I c annot q u ite u n d e rs tan d why th e b ird should have been named by the Au stra lian colonists
th e L a u g h in g Jackass, unless i t b e th a t th ey suppose th e b ird ’s note resembles th e noise which
w ould emanate from th a t animal i f h e attemp ted to laugh, o r from th e ludicrous aspect o f
th e bfrd Avhen its curio sity is a ro u sed ; i f a n y th in g a ttra c ts its atten tio n th e expression
assumed b y th e bfr’d is most comical. In confinement th e species becomes tame, and
a lth o u g h m ostly to be seen on th e perch, it is active enough on th e ground, its mode o f
p rogression be ing b y a series o f la rg e hops.
T h e foüowing ex h au stiv e account o f th e life-history o f the Lau g h in g Jackass is copied
v e rb a tim from Mr. Gould’s ‘Handbook’ {I.e.)
“ The Dacelo gigas is a b ird w ith which every resid en t and trav e lle r in New South Wales
is more o r less familiar, for, in dependently o f its larg e size, its voice is so e x trao rd in a ry as to
be u nlike th a t o f an y o th e r bird. In its disposition i t is b y n o means shy, and when any
new objects a re p resen ted to its notice, such as a p a rty tra v e rs in g th e Éush o r pitching
th e ir t e n t in th e v icin ity o f its re tre a t, i t becomes v e ry p ry in g and inquisitive, often
perch in g on th e dead branch o f a tre e and watching with cm-iosity th e kindling o f th e fire
and th e preparation o f the m ea l; its presence, however, is seldom detected u n til i t emits
its ex trao rd in a ry gurgling, laug h in g note, which generally calls fo rth some exclamation
according with the temper o f th e hearer, such as “ There is our old friend the Laughing
Jack ass” o r an ep ith e t o f a less friendly character. So remarkable a re th e sounds emitted
by the bird th a t th ey have been n o ted b y nearly every write r on New South Wales and its
productions. Mi*. Caley states th a t its “ loud noise, somewhat like laughing, may be lieard
a t a considerable distance, from w hich circumstance and its un co u th appearance, i t probably
received the ex trao rd in ary appellation given to i t by the settlers on th e ir first a rrfra l in th e
colony.” Captain S tu rt says, “ I ts c ry which resembles a chorus o f wild spfrits, is a p t to
s ta rtle the traveller who may be in jeopardy, as if laughing and mocking a t h is misfo
rtu n es,” and Mr, B en n e tt in his ‘Wanderings’ says “ I ts peculiar g u rg lin g laugh,
commencing in a low and grad u ally risin g to a hig h and loud tone, is often h e a rd in all
p arts o f th e colony, th e deafening noise being poured fo rth while the bfrd remains perched
upon a n eighbouring tree; i t rises with the dawn, when the woods re-echo with its gu rg lin g
laugh; a t sunset i t is again heard, and as th a t glorious orb sinks in the west, a last ‘ good
n ig h t’ is given in its peculiar tones to all w ithm hearin g .” I t fi’equents every v a rie ty of
situation; the lu x u ria n t bushes stretch in g along the coast, the more th in ly timbered forest,
the belts o f trees studding th e parched plains and th e brushes o f th e higher ranges being
alike favoured with its p resen c e ; over all these localities i t is ra th e r th in ly distributed,
being nowhere v e ry numerous. I ts food which is o f a m ixed character, consists exclusively
o f animal substances ; reptiles, insects and crabs, however, appear to be its favourite d i e t ;
it devours lizards with avidity, and i t is n o t an unfi*eqnent sig h t to see it bearing off a snake
in its b ill to be eaten a t leisure ; i t also preys on small mammalia. I recollect shootmg a
Great Brown Kingfisher in South A u strab a in order to secure a fine r a t I saw hanging fi’oni
its bill, and which proved to be a rare species. The Dacelo gigas breeds dui-mg th e months
o f Au g u st and September, g enerally selects a hole in a larg e gum-tree for th e purpose and
deposits its beautiful pearl-white eggs, which are one inch and nine lines long, by one inch
and five lines broad, on th e decomposed wood at the bottom. When the young are hatched,
i t defends its breeding-plaee with g re a t courage and dai*itig, d a rtin g down u pon any in tru d e r
who may attemp t to ascend the tree. The sexes p resen t so little difference in th eir
plumage, th a t th ey are scarcely distinguishable fr*om each o th e r ; n eith er do the y oung a t a
month old exhibit any g re a t variation from th e adult, the ouly difference being th a t tlie
markings are somewhat dark er and the brown more g enerally diffiised.
Mr. Diggles’ account o f the p resent species is as follows:—
“ This, th e most common o f the thi*ee species known to in habit A ustralia, is found in South
Austra lia, Victoria, Neiv South Wales and the southern p a rts o f Queensland- I t g enerally f re quents
open timbered country o r cleared land in the neighbourhood o f stations, farms, o r where
timber is being burn ed off, when snakes, lizards, locusts, &c. offer it an ample repast- Should
i t m eet with a reptile w ith which i t is unable individually to cope, its loud cries soon bring
oth ers to its assistance. In dealing with a snake, its custom is to seize th e reptile, ascend a
sh o rt distance in th e a ir and di-op it, immediately following and repeating th e process a
number o f times, u n til its victim, stu n n ed and bewildered, falls an easy p rey to its
voracious enemy, who, first b a tte rin g i t from side to side, finishes b y swallowing i t entire.
Snakes two feet long bave been taken o u t o f th e stomach, a fact which should lead persons
to afford so useful an animal aU possible protection. I t is usually seen perch in g on a dead
b ran ch almost motionless, o r merely moving its head from side to side, as i t in te n tly scans
th e ground from its elevated position, The p opular name by Avhich th is bird is universally
known is derived from th e circumstance th a t it imitates iu no small degree a loud boisterous
laugh, which is continued for some time and accompanied with an upward je rk in g motion
o f the tail. The n est is situated in the hole o f a tree. The eggs, rivo in num ber, are
pearl-white and about the size o f a pigeon’s.”
F o r th e subjoined account o f the habits o f th e p resent bird I am indebted to an
, 0 M d A ' : - L M