CHALCITES OSCULANS,Gould.Black-eared Cuckoo.
Chalcites osculans, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part XV. p. 32.
Black-eared Cuckoo, Colonists of Swan River.
Four examples of this species are all that have come under my notice—one from Swan River, two killed by myself in New South Wales, and one in the collection of H. E. Strickland, Esq. Judging from the little that I saw of this species in a state of nature, its habits were those common to the members of the genus in which I have placed it; thick shrubby trees of moderate height appeared to be its favourite resort, and its food to consist of insects obtained among the branches and from off the leaves, and in search of which it hops about with stealthiness and quietude; further than this, little is known respecting it. One of my specimens was killed near Gundermein on the Lower Namoi, on the 24th of December 1839; but the true habitat of the species has not yet been discovered. That it is confined to Australia is almost certain, but this can only be verified by future research.
Although the structure of this bird evinces a slight departure from the trueChalcites, and an affinity to that of the typicalCuculi, I have retained it in the former genus because it possesses the stiff rigid wings, short and square tail, and the luminous colouring of the upper surface common to the other members of that group.
Mr. Gilbert, who once observed this bird in Western Australia, states that it is very shy, and that he only met with it in the interior of the country. It utters a feeble, lengthened and plaintive note at long intervals. It flies slowly and heavily, and but short distances at a time. The stomach is thin and capacious, and slightly lined with hairs.
Head, all the upper surface and wings glossy olive-brown, becoming darker on the shoulders and primaries, and fading into white on the upper tail-coverts; tail dark olive-brown, each feather tipped with white, and the lateral one on each side crossed on the inner web with five bars of white; ear-coverts black, encircled with white; under surface of the wing, throat, breast and abdomen pale cinnamon-brown, fading into white on the under tail-coverts; bill very dark brown; irides dark blackish brown; tarsi and upper surface of the feet greenish grey; under surface of the feet and the back of the tarsi mealy fleshy grey.
The figures are of the natural size.