. Cassell's natural history. Animals; Animal behavior. NATURAL BJSTORY. is tlie Australian Cimiamou-breasteJ Kingtisber {T. si/lvia), which was discovered by the late Mr. Jolm Maegillivray, who gives the following account of its habits :—" This pretty Tanydptera is rather l>lentiful in the neighbourhood of Cape York, where it frequents the dense bushes, and is especially fond of resorting to the sunny openings in the woods, attracted, probably, by the greater abundance of insect food found in such places than elsewhere. I never saw it on the ground, and usually was lii-st made av/are o
. Cassell's natural history. Animals; Animal behavior. NATURAL BJSTORY. is tlie Australian Cimiamou-breasteJ Kingtisber {T. si/lvia), which was discovered by the late Mr. Jolm Maegillivray, who gives the following account of its habits :—" This pretty Tanydptera is rather l>lentiful in the neighbourhood of Cape York, where it frequents the dense bushes, and is especially fond of resorting to the sunny openings in the woods, attracted, probably, by the greater abundance of insect food found in such places than elsewhere. I never saw it on the ground, and usually was lii-st made av/are of its jiresence by the glancing of its bright colours as it darted past with a rapid arrow-like flight, and disappeared in an instant amongst the dense foliage. Its cry, which may be ^^2m^/:=Zir^. JGHING represented by whee-whe-whee and wheet-iDhcet-wheet, is usually uttered when the bird is perched on a bare, transverse bi-anch, or woody, rope-like climber, which it uses as a look-out station, and whence it makes short dashes at any passing insect or small Lizard, generally returning to the same spot. It is a shy, suspicious bird, and one well calculated to try the patience of the shooter, who may follow it for an hour without getting a shot, unless he has as keen an eye as a native, to whom I was indebted for first pointing it out to me. According to the natives, who know it by the name of Quatawur, it lays three white eggs in a hole dug by itself in one of the large ant-hills of red clay which form so remarkable a feature in the neighbourhood, some of them being as much as ten feet in height, with numei-ous buttresses and pinnacles. I believe that the bird also inhabits New Guinea; for at Redscar Bay, on the south-east of that gi-eat island, in long. 146° 15' E., a head strung upon a necklace was procured from the ; The largest of all the Kingfishei-s are the Laughing of Australia, this curious name being given to the bii-d from its stran
Size: 1618px × 1545px
Photo credit: © Book Worm / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjecta, booksubjectanimals
